John Swinney admits there needs to be a 'pause' in new asylum arrivals in Glasgow

Scottish First Minister John Swinney has admitted there needs to be a "pause" in new asylum arrivals in Glasgow.

Latest national figures show Glasgow was the local authority with the highest proportion of housed asylum seekers at 59 per 10,000 inhabitants (a total of 3,716).

Legislation in Scotland means councils must house anyone without a home.

However, local leaders in Glasgow have demanded a temporary halt on new arrivals coming to the city for them to catch up with demand.

The SNP leader told Sky News ahead of his party's annual conference this weekend: ""What the Home Office has got to with Glasgow is respond to their call for there to be more time given to enable the judgements around homelessness to be put in place."

Pressed on whether he backs a pause in asylum arrivals, Mr Swinney replied: "That's not what the Home Office are proposing, and I think that has got to be put in place."

Jeremy Corbyn accuses Nigel Farage of having a 'simplistic appeal'

Your Party must offer something “very, very different” from the “simplistic appeal” of Nigel Farage, Jeremy Corbyn has said.

The Islington North MP said: "If you flee from Afghanistan, from Sudan, from so many other places, war zones, human rights abuse, environmental disaster, and so much else, you do it for a reason.

"When you think a leaky boat in the Channel or the Mediterranean is safer than being on land, you’ve made a pretty desperate choice, because you have no other choice to make."

To applause, Mr Corbyn continued: "What has happened to our humanity, that we blame the victims rather than those that caused the problem in the first place?"

He added: "To, let’s make sure that we, as we grow YourParty.uk, not only obviously challenge racism and the racist ideology that goes with it, but we also look at how the appeal, the simplistic appeal of (Nigel) Farage, (Marine) Le Pen, (Geert) Wilders and so many others has currency.

"It gains currency because they go into any community where the schools are underfunded, where the hospital is overcrowded, where the housing is expensive, where the landlords are over-powerful, where wages are low, where insecure jobs are the only ones on offer, where drugs take over in a society that’s lost its soul because it’s lost its industries and lost its heart and lost its home.

"They take over because of that. We have to offer something very, very different."

Reform UK sets new election record as Conservative vote collapses 

Reform UK has broken new ground in a fresh wave of council by-elections as it bagged a record number of votes in a key seat as the Liberal Democrats surged in a Tory stronghold.

Nigel Farage's party battled it out in seven by-elections across the country this week.

In another blow to the Conservatives, the Lib Dems had a shock by-election win in Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride’s constituency, where candidate Kevin Smith was elected.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Jeremy Corbyn confirms Your Party will need to work 'with a lot of different people'

Jeremy Corbyn has said Your Party will need to work with the Greens and local independent parties.

Mr Corbyn said some local independent parties which back the new Your Party "will wish to retain their identity" adding: "But doesn’t mean we can’t form an alliance with them and fight elections jointly."

The Islington North MP said: "Likewise, there are going to be opportunities and points where we need to work with the Greens.

"There may be points where sometimes we don’t agree with the Greens.

"So we have our identity, we have our principles, and we have our position, but we’re anxious to make progress in our society, and that will mean working with a lot of different people, nothing wrong in that."

WATCH: Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth pledges universal free childcare for Wales

Nigel Farage warns 'people like' Fayaz Khan are crossing the English Channel 'almost every day'

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has warned "people like" 26-year-old Fayaz Khan are crossing the English Channel "almost every day", who he claimed are posing a risk to "this country and its people."

Mr Farage said: "The most frightening thing about this particular young Afghan coming into our country is we only found all these things out because somebody sent me some of his videos, and I chose to expose it.

"Otherwise, he’d be walking around maybe in your neighbourhood right now if I hadn’t put that video out.”

Referring to Khan’s TikTok username "madapasa" Mr Farage continued: "And think about this, whilst there may be some genuine people that cross the Channel, almost every day, there are people like 'madapasa' that cross the English Channel and will do this country and its people, particularly its girls and women, very, very great harm.

"And yet, neither the Conservative nor Labour governments have been prepared to lift a finger."

Robert Jenrick hails outright rejection of ‘backdoor blasphemy laws’ as Koran-burner wins court case

Robert Jenrick has hailed a "free speech victory" for Hamit Coskun after he won an appeal against his public order conviction, which he got for burning a Koran.

Speaking to GB News, the Shadow Justice Secretary declared that the "landmark case" was an attempt to implement "backdoor blasphemy laws" into Britain.

Mr Coskun was found guilty earlier this year of a religiously aggravated public order offence after shouting 'f*** Islam' while burning a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London.

Plaid Cymru leader accuses Nigel Farage of using Wales as a 'plaything'

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth accused Nigel Farage of using Wales as a "plaything."

He told the party's conference: "For him, politics is a zero-sum game, where Wales is a playground and our parliament a plaything for Reform to try to gain an electoral foothold at the expense of what’s actually in Wales’s interests.

"Of course, if it wasn’t Reform, it would be someone else, moulded in the image of the divisive right wing politics which is now a global phenomenon.

"It’s a scourge seen throughout the world, and it’s important to recognise that we’re not immune from its dangers here in Wales."

Zarah Sultana compares herself and Jeremy Corbyn to Gallagher brothers

Zarah Sultana compared herself and Jeremy Corbyn to Liam and Noel Gallagher as she insisted "the show is back on the road."

The Your Party co-leader told The World Transformed conference in Manchester: "Obviously you’ve all seen what’s happened over the past few weeks but I’m here to tell you the show is back on the road.

"I know that I’m in Manchester so I have to reference Liam and Noel Gallagher. If they can do it, of course me and Jeremy can.

"The only difference between us is that Jeremy still thinks Arsenal are still going to win the Premier League, and we know that they will always come second place with a second-place trophy."

Yvette Cooper DEFENDS plans to give digital IDs to children as young as 13

Yvette Cooper has defended the use of digital ID for children as young as 13.

The Foreign Secretary insisted the “standardised” system was “the right way forward” as she sought to reassure the public amid a wave of opposition to the scope of the Government's plans.

Sir Keir Starmer is seeking to widen his plans for use of the technology, which ministers had said would be used primarily to tackle illegal migration, to include management of public services like benefits and bills payments.

The Liberal Democrats however said including younger teenagers in the scheme was "sinister".

“This is proof that the Liberal Democrats were absolutely right to warn about mission creep,” the party’s technology spokeswoman Victoria Collins said.

“The Government is already plotting to drag teenagers into a mandatory digital ID scheme before it’s even off the ground. It’s frankly sinister, unnecessary, and a clear step towards state overreach.”

WATCH: Nigel Farage reveals he signed declaration to say Donald Trump should get Nobel Peace Prize eight years ago 

Nigel Farage has revealed he signed a declaration to say Donald Trump was deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize eight years ago.

Discussions around the US President being hailed with the prestigious award heightened this week, after he announced a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Mr Trump has previously made repeated public statements saying he is deserving of the peace prize.

The Nobel Committee announced this morning it had been awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado.

Mr Farage said: "Eight years ago I signed a declaration in the European Parliament to say he should be put up for the Nobel Peace Prize.

"Don't doubt that he genuinely wants to act as peace broker. He is bitterly disappointed in Putin's behaviour.

"I think he assumed that Putin would, just as Hamas and Israel have done, would come, sit round the table, agree to some compromises and thus far Putin has completely refused to do so.

"I expect what you will see is American policy towards Russia getting much, much tougher over the coming weeks."

Rachel Reeves under pressure as National Lottery tax faces £8billion shortfall 

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing the prospect of an £8billion shortfall in tax revenues from the National Lottery, after sales fell well below the forecasts made by new operator Allwyn.

The Lottery will generate around £84billion in sales over Allwyn’s 10-year licence to 2034, little more than half of the £152billion figure promised in its winning bid for what was billed as Britain’s most valuable public sector contract new research has shown.

The Czech-owned firm, controlled by billionaire Karel Komárek, had claimed its plans would raise £18.2billion for the Treasury, but current projections from The Telegraph indicate the true figure will be closer to £10billion.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Plaid Cymru ready to replace Labour, says leader 

Plaid Cymru is ready to replace Labour at the Welsh Parliament election next year, the party’s leader will say.

In a speech at the annual party conference, Rhun ap Iorwerth will position Plaid as a government-in-waiting, with “new energy and new ideas”.

“Let’s be clear. We’re not here to act as Labour’s conscience. We are not here to repair Labour. We are here to replace them,” he is expected to say.

Labour has led Wales since the Senedd was first established as the National Assembly for Wales in 1999.

But recent polling has forecast Plaid and Reform to be the two biggest parties in Wales at the election in May.

Migrants stopped in their tracks as French police deploy pepper spray to stop them reaching small boats

French police have used pepper spray to stop migrants from reaching a small boat before it was set to cross to Britain this morning.

About 100 men and women gathered on Gravelines beach in northern France in a bid to cross the English Channel.

As they made their way to a dinghy in the water, some clashed with French police who used a spray to try and stop them.

At least 70 people made their way onto the boat and were seen taking off across the Channel towards Dover.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Britain needs to work with China but country poses 'whole series of security threats', says Yvette Cooper

The UK Government needs to work with China, but there are a “whole series of security threats”, the Foreign Secretary has said.

Asked whether China was a “friend or foe" Yvette Cooper told LBC: “We’ve been clear, there’s a whole series of security threats that have come from China, for example, things like transnational repression, for example, things like cyber threats and attacks and industrial espionage, and so on.

“They are also, of course, an important trading partner, and also they’re somebody that we need to work with on things like climate change.

“But where there are national security threats, we need to take them immensely seriously and respond to them, and we continue to do that.”

Shadow Chancellor says Labour cabinet ministers 'should all go'

The Shadow Chancellor has said all Labour cabinet ministers "should go" and accused the Government of making life "extremely difficult" for millions of Britons.

Speaking to GB News, Mel Stride MP said: "Frankly people are frequently asking me questions about various members of the cabinet including the Chancellor.

"My response is always the same which is that I think they should all go. I think they are really destroying our economy, they are making life extremely difficult for millions of people, they are destroying businesses, they are not stopping the small boats coming.

"One begins to wonder what this Government is for but we are going to be stuck with them I'm afraid for some time.

"We as the Conservative party have got to show that we are a serious, grown-up alternative to that."

Mr Stride also accused Sir Keir Starmer of making "all the wrong choices" in the UK.

Yvette Cooper refuses to say if Donald Trump deserves Nobel Peace Prize 

The Foreign Secretary has dodged questions on whether Donald Trump deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the Gaza ceasefire.

Speaking on LBC, Yvette Cooper was asked whether the US president deserves the honour.

She replied: “I’m strongly supporting the work that President Trump is doing.

“It’s an independent process. I’m not going to cut across that process.”

Ms Cooper also said there were discussions about the ceasefire coming in within 24 hours of the agreement by the Israeli cabinet and the return of hostages within 72 hours, but the UK Government hopes this will happen sooner.

Income tax hike 'least damaging' option for Rachel Reeves at Budget, think tank warns

Families could be hit with higher income tax bills as experts warn it is the "least damaging" way for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to plug a huge £30billion hole in the nation’s finances.

The respected National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) looked at three main tax options the Government could use to raise the cash – income tax, VAT and corporation tax.

Its analysis suggested that while none of the choices would be painless, lifting income tax rates would cause the least disruption to the economy compared with hiking VAT on everyday spending or taxing businesses more heavily.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Reform scoops 'highest ever' by-election win: 'Bye bye Tories' 

Reform UK has scooped a record by-election win in North Yorkshire, taking home more than 65 per cent of votes.

Nigel Farage's party snatched victory from the Conservatives in the Redcar and Cleveland Council by-election, held in the Skelton East ward.

Reacting to the win, Reform deputy leader, Richard Tice, said: "Highest ever Reform percentage. 65.3 per cent. Bye Bye Tories."

The full results are:

• Reform UK: 65.3 per cent
• Labour: 19.2 per cent
• Conservative: 13.9 per cent
• Lib Dem: 1.5 per cent

Yvette Cooper: 'European countries will all be strongly playing part in Gaza peace process'

European countries “will all be strongly playing” their part in the Gaza peace process, Yvette Cooper has said at a meeting of foreign ministers in Paris.

The Foreign Secretary has faced questions about Europe’s role in the interim governance of Gaza, as Israel and Hamas agree to a pause in the two-year war.

Hamas has also agreed to release the remaining hostages, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Donald Trump has received praise for his role in trying to broker a deal between the warring parties, which Sir Keir Starmer said “would not have happened without” the US President’s leadership.

Ms Cooper said: “I pay tribute to not just the US, but Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, who have been involved in these negotiations.

“The crucial thing now is to support the implementation of the first phase but also for all of us to come together as part of the second phase.

“European nations, the UK, other nations also from across the world, will all be strongly playing our part in supporting this peace process."