Britain's border chief has quit after failing to bring down the number of small boat migrants crossing the Channel, it has been revealed.
Martin Hewitt, who was appointed to the post by Labour's Yvette Cooper, is expected to leave his post at the end of the month.
The Sun revealed his imminent departure after more than 65,000 small boat migrants completed the perilous 21-mile journey in Sir Keir Starmer's first 19 months in power.
An insider said: “There was a view that the objectives were not being met, and there needed to be a tighter, more defined operational focus.”
Mr Hewitt had staked his stint as border chief on reducing the number of arrivals on British shores.
Speaking during a visit to Tunisia in 2024, the outgoing border chief said: “Because that is absolutely clear to me from the Prime Minister, from the Home Secretary and I’m sure from the Foreign Secretary.
“That’s what my job is here to try and deliver. So that’s absolutely, that is the measure.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “We would like to thank Martin Hewitt CBE QPM for his dedicated leadership since the creation of the Border Security Command.
“Over the past 18 months, the Border Security Command has brought government agencies, law enforcement and international partners together to tackle people smuggling gangs, as well as seeing the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act into law.”
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Shadow Defence Secretary hits out at PM's US aid - 'dither and finger pointing' to 'screeching U-turn'
Responding to the US getting permission to use British bases to strike Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz, shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said: “After weeks of dither and finger pointing, the Prime Minister has once again changed his mind and performed yet another screeching U-turn.
“The Prime Minister had the Navy’s only active minesweeper taken out of the Gulf a week before the war began. He dithered about sending a warship to help defend our base in Cyprus.
“And where we have been clear from the outset that we would have allowed our closest military ally to use our bases, Starmer has been all over the place.
“When we need strong leadership in challenging times, Starmer is weak and indecisive".
Keir Starmer criticised for further aid to US via British bases
The Liberal Democrats said granting further permission for the US to use British bases must first have a Parliamentary vote.
The party’s foreign affairs spokesperson, Calum Miller, said: “We have warned from the start that the UK has to avoid being dragged into another war in the Middle East with no obvious end.
“This decision by the Prime Minister reminds us all of the disaster of Iraq and shows how we’re being drawn further and further down Trump’s slippery slope.
“Starmer must now let Parliament vote on the terms of the agreement with the US for their use of UK bases".
No10 advises British public to 'carry on as normal' despite oil market disruption
Downing Street has urged the public to carry on “in normal fashion”, despite mounting concerns about major disruption to the global oil market.
It comes as The International Energy Agency (IEA) suggested governments should consider advising people to work from home more to reduce demand for oil amid the fallout from the Iran war.
Warning the conflict had triggered “the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market”, the IEA said widespread adoption of measures to rapidly cut demand would “help cushion the shock”.
The agency’s list of 10 measures also includes encouraging public transport usage and car-sharing, avoiding air travel and cutting speed limits by 6mph.
Appeasing concerns, Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said: “This is the IEA’s general advice for countries across the world. It is not in place in the UK.
“We have a diverse and resilient supply. People in the UK should continue to go about their days in normal fashion".
PM allows Trump use of RAF bases to strike Iran missile sites targeting ships in Strait of Hormuz
Keir Starmer allows Donald Trump use of RAF bases to strike Iran missile sites targeting ships in Strait of HormuzBritain has given the US permission to use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia to carry out raids on Iranian missile sites attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Operating under the same legal basis of self-defence, but now striking new targets, the initiative is described as "US defensive operations", rather than an offensive move.
It comes amid the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran, where Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously granted Donald Trump permission to operate defensive strikes from British bases in the region.
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Government will NOT ban mass religious congregation, minister confirms
The UK Government will not be banning mass religious observances following calls from Nigel Farage, a minister has said.
The Reform UK leader told his party’s Scottish conference on Thursday he backs such a ban, as he criticised an Iftar in Trafalgar Square earlier this week.
Mr Farage said the event in London was an “attempt to overtake, intimidate and dominate our way of life”.
However, Scotland Office minister Kirsty McNeill said the Government is not considering a ban - “Absolutely not,” she said.
“We have freedom of worship in this country and we have religious diversity in this country - both of which are welcomed. The Prime Minister has been very, very clear about that.
“We are looking forward to celebrations in Trafalgar Square around Easter, as we have enjoyed ones recently around Diwali and Hanukkah last year".
SNP MSP slams Reform UK's 'ridiculous and dangerous' plans for Scotland
SNP MSP Stuart McMillan said: “Nigel Farage could not care less about Scotland and these ridiculous and dangerous plans reflect that.
“We know they’d sell off our NHS in a heartbeat and who knows what they’d do with the rest of our public services, but clearly they’d leave our economy in ruins.
“A vote for the SNP is a vote to escape the Westminster establishment to which Nigel Farage and Malcolm Offord so clearly belong - through a fresh start with independence we can build Scotland anew, free from the Farage future the UK is hurtling towards".
It follows criticism of the party's tax cut pledges, which were branded as 'not fiscally credible'.
Assisted dying bill at risk of 'falling through' as near record number of Britons head to Switzerland for procedure
A proposed law for England and Wales to legalise assisted dying returns for debate in the House of Lords on Friday - but increasingly looks at risk of running out of time.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which passed the Commons last year, has been the subject of days of debate in the upper chamber.
It will fall if it does not complete all its parliamentary stages before the end of the current session in May.
Supporters of the Bill have accused some peers of time-wasting and attempts to talk it out, while opponents insist they are simply doing their job of scrutinising legislation they argue is not safe in its current form - and needs to be strengthened.
In the upper chamber on Friday, peers were warned by Labour former minister Baroness Blackstone that “regrettably we’re never going to get to report (stage)” because of the slow progress.
The number of UK residents who had an assisted death at Dignitas in Switzerland has risen to its second-highest level in two decades.
A total of 43 people resident in the UK were recorded as having travelled to Switzerland for an assisted death in 2025, up from 37 the previous year.
The latest data - which goes back to 2002 - is second only to the number of deaths in 2016, when 47 UK residents were recorded as having died there.
Reform tax cut pledges slammed by leading think tank as ‘not fiscally credible’
Tax cut pledges made by Reform UK for Scotland are “not credible”, a leading think tank has said.
The party’s leader in Scotland pledged to re-align Scotland’s tax bands with the rest of the UK, as well as a 1p cut in all rates.
That would be followed by a further 2p cut in subsequent years of a Reform-led Scottish Government.
According to Malcolm Offord, the initial cut would cost £2 billion, with the subsequent reductions costing up to a total of £3.7 billion.
David Phillips, head of devolved and local government finance at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, described the "self-funding" tax cuts as a "mirage created by a misunderstanding or misrepresentation of the current devolution settlement and incorrectly comparing cumulative and annual figures".
“This is not good enough", he said, "the analysis of the potential revenue effects of the headline income tax cuts is unserious at best".
But the Reform manifesto, launched this week, claims the tax cuts will deliver economic growth, with each percentage point of growth bringing £8 billion of additional tax revenues over 10 years.
UK supported French operation to board Russian tanker, Defence Secretary confirms
British forces supported the French in an operation to intercept and board a vessel alleged to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet”, Defence Secretary John Healey said.
The fleet of vessels is used to carry Russian oil and goods around the world to avoid sanctions put on Vladimir Putin’s country following the invasion of Ukraine.
The French navy intercepted the Deyna, an oil tanker, in the Mediterranean.
Mr Healey said: “Disrupting, deterring and degrading Russia’s shadow fleet - and starving Putin’s war machine of funds - is a priority for this Government and we will continue to take action alongside our allies.
“As threats increase and demands on defence rise, I am proud of the support our UK armed forces provided to this French operation, keeping Britain safe at home as we support Ukraine, deter Russia and deliver defensive operations in the Middle East".
Yvette Cooper makes plea to Iranian counterpart to stop 'reckless strikes'
Yvette Cooper spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi this morning
|GETTY
Yvette Cooper called on Tehran to stop its "reckless strikes" against neighbours in a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
A spokesman said the Foreign Secretary told Mr Araghchi that UK operations in the region were in response to Iran’s aggression against Gulf partners.
The statement said: "The Foreign Secretary condemned Iran’s reckless attacks, including on Gulf partners and critical energy infrastructure, and Iran’s disruption and closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
"She called for the immediate restoration of freedom of navigation.
"The Foreign Secretary reiterated our joint call with France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan for an immediate comprehensive moratorium on all attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas installations.
"[She] made clear to the Foreign Minister that the defensive UK operations in the region were a response to the Iranian aggression against Gulf partners countries who had not attacked Iran and she called on Iran to immediately stop these reckless strikes against its neighbours.
"She made clear that the UK wants to see a swift resolution to this conflict.
"The Foreign Secretary also warned Iran against targeting UK bases, territory or interests directly and restated the UK’s focus on regional stability and security."
Susan Hall accuses Sadiq Khan of 'failing at his day job'
The leader of the London Conservatives Susan Hall has accused Sir Sadiq Khan of "failing at his day job".
Writing for GB News members, Ms Hall said: "Crime has soared over the decade he has been Mayor, he has slashed transport funding for boroughs, introduced policies which have seen our congestion-choked roads grind to a halt, given in to the transport unions again and again.
"[This is] whilst his dogma-fuelled housing policies have been a disaster meaning he has combined a complete failure to build anywhere near enough houses with a desperation to build the wrong types of housing in the wrong places."
Anas Sarwar says Reform in Scotland is 'not a serious or credible party'
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said Reform in Scotland is a 'hopeless group of Tory rejects'
| PAAnas Sarwar has suggested the Scotland branch of Reform UK is "not a serious or credible party" after the party's Dundee City West candidate Stuart Niven was suspended from the party.
The Scottish Labour leader told The Guardian: "Nigel Farage promised that Reform’s candidates in Scotland would be 'fit and proper people', and yet, just like every promise made by Farage, it has fallen apart immediately on impact with reality.
"Within 24 hours of the party’s candidates being announced, one has already been suspended, while several more are embroiled in scandal.
"This hopeless group of Tory rejects and oddballs is not the sign of a serious or credible party and demonstrates that Farage is nothing more than a snake oil salesman who cannot be trusted."
Ed Davey accuses Conservatives of stoking 'fear, hatred and division' over Open Iftar comments
Sir Ed Davey has criticised the Conservatives after Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy called an Open Iftar in Trafalgar Square an "act of domination and division".
The Lib Dem leader said: "Imagine seeing British people at prayer and thinking 'this is a great chance to stoke fear, hatred and division'.
"People who do that should have no place in British politics. Freedom to worship is a fundamental British value, one the Conservative Party used to believe in."
Meanwhile a joint letter signed by Green Party leader Zack Polanski and his two deputies, Mothin Ali and Rachel Millward, said the comments undermine "the very freedoms that form the foundation of a democratic and pluralistic society."
The letter read: "Britain has long been a country where people of all faiths, and none, can come together in shared spaces with mutual respect.
"Events such as the Trafalgar Square gathering ahead of Eid, where people of different backgrounds joined in prayer and reflection, are not 'acts of intimidation or dominance'. They are expressions of community and coexistence. They reflect the best of our society, not a threat to it."
Three IRA bomb victims drop High Court claim against Gerry Adams
Victims of Provisional IRA bombings in England will discontinue their damages claim against former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams.
Mr Adams was being sued for £1 in damages by three men injured in the blasts in the 1970s and 1990s.
The former Belfast West MP denied the allegations and was defending the claim, telling the court earlier this week that he had "no involvement whatsoever" in the bombings and was never a member of the Provisional IRA.
WATCH: Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds MP addresses fears of a worsening cost of living crisis
Officials lose track of almost 7,000 resettled Afghans in Britain
Officials in the UK have lost track of almost 7,000 resettled Afghans in Britain, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said.
In a report published earlier this week, the watchdog said that the whereabouts of 6,929 resettled Afghan nationals were unknown.
These people, who had settled in the UK prior to December 31, 2025, could not be accounted for, including “people who arranged their own accommodation immediately on arrival or who left hotels without providing a forwarding address”, the NAO said.
Reform UK Scotland suspends Holyrood candidate less than 24 hours after being selected
A Reform UK candidate for the upcoming Holyrood elections has been suspended by the party.
Stuart Niven, who was announced as the party’s candidate for Dundee City West yesterday, is being investigated by the party over being barred as a company director for seven years.
A spokesman from Reform UK Scotland said: "We take allegations like this very seriously, and a full investigation is underway."
Zack Polanski's Greens plot to weaken laws for suspected terrorists
Zack Polanski's Green Party wants to weaken laws for suspected terrorists, a leaked briefing paper has revealed.
Mr Polanski is looking to align the rights of those accused with plotting to commit a terror attack or "aid and abet in their execution" with suspects of other offences.
Counter-terror legislation currently allows police officers to arrest individuals "reasonably suspected" of being terrorists and keep them detained without charge for as long as 14 days.
Atheists could be silenced under Labour's new 'Islamophobia' definition, campaigners warn
The letter cited author Richard Dawkins as someone who would be targeted | GETTYFree speech campaigners have claimed atheists could be be silenced by Labour’s new definition of Islamophobia.
In a letter to the Government, the Free Speech Union (FSU) suggested the new definition would capture activities and speech that infringed upon people’s rights to freedom of thought and expression.
A new definition of Islamophobia is expected to be set out as part of guidance on anti-Muslim hatred.
Reform MP slammed for 'tartan burka' joke
A Reform UK MP has been criticised by Labour about making a joke about wanting to wear a "tartan burka".
Speaking at the party's Scotland manifesto launch, the MP for Runcorn and Helsby said: "I really wanted to come on in a Reform tartan burqa, but apparently I wasn't allowed.
"One day, let's have one of these events that aren't live streamed. We'll do all the naughty stuff. We'll do all the bits that have gone wrong and all the effing and jeffing when we do our pieces to camera and all the rest it – hilarious."
In response, a Labour party spokesman said: "It took less than 30 seconds for Sarah Pochin to start making jokes about Muslims after her autocue broke.
"The same Sarah Pochin who said it drives her mad seeing too many black and Asian people on TV adverts."
Cabinet minister says Labour is working to 'deescalate' the Middle East crisis
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds spoke about the ongoing situation in the Middle East
|GB NEWS
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said Labour is working to "deescalate" the crisis in the Middle East.
She told GB News "What I would first say is we have said we will provide the necessary support to help people through a concerning geopolitical situation in the Middle East.
"It is a worrying time for families and I would reassure them we want to work with partners in different parts of the world to deescalate this crisis as we know the impact it is having on the cost of living back at home.
"We have spoken to the competition and markets authority to make sure there isn't market abuse."
Attorney General accuses Kemi Badenoch of only having 'an issue' with Muslim events
Attorney General Richard Hermer has accused Kemi Badenoch of "only having an issue with Muslim events" following a row over a Ramadan event in London’s Trafalgar Square.
The event has become a flashpoint in UK politics this week, with the Tory leader backing her shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy after he described the Open Iftar as an "act of domination and division."
Now, Lord Hermer has called on the Conservative leader to clarify her position, telling The Guardian: "When [Mr Timothy] and Kemi Badenoch were questioned about his appalling views, they seemed to only have an issue with Muslim events.
"Would they have a problem if I as a Jewish man, were praying in public? Or is it just Muslim prayer they find offensive, and contrary to 'British values'?
"The Conservative party, like Reform and Tommy Robinson, is seeking to divide Britain. Instead, they should be celebrating our brilliantly welcoming and diverse country."
Union chief says Labour will be 'decimated' at local elections
The General Secretary of Unite said Labour should "hang their heads in shame" as she suggested Sir Keir Starmer's party will be "decimated" at the local elections.
Sharon Graham said working class people were moving away from Labour in droves and called on the party to "wake up and smell the coffee"
She spoke to refuse workers near a waste depot in Tyseley, south Birmingham where the bin strike rumbles on.
Ms Graham told union members: "We are in one of the most significant strikes in decades.
"An attack from a Labour council under a Labour government. Labour should hang their heads in shame. They are an absolute disgrace."
Conservative frontbencher accuses Labour of 'undermining national security'
Matt Vickers called on Labour to 'drill' the North Sea
|GB NEWS
A Conservative frontbencher has accused Labour of "undermining national security" as he called on Sir Keir Starmer to drill the natural energy resources in the North Sea.
Shadow Policing Minister Matt Vickers told GB News: "We're seeing record levels of borrowing by this Government. We need to take a look at how much we are spending on welfare.
"That bill is ballooning and it is not fair on those who do the right thing and work hard.
"When you look at challenges of fiscal and energy crisis, we have oil and gas aplenty in the North Sea but this Government has made the decision not to allow us to drill that.
"The end result is we are importing oil and gas and that means higher emissions, its worse for the environment and we are paying a bigger price.
"It undermines our national security. It's costing a lot of people, certainly in my part of the world, their jobs."
Teaching union boss warns Reform UK would make education a 'hostile place'
Reform UK would make education a hostile place for many children, a teaching union has warned, as leaders said divisive messaging on social media is appearing in classrooms.
General secretary Daniel Kebede told reporters the National Education Union has real concern over what a Reform government would mean for education.
He said: "I do not think Suella Braverman would be a particularly positive force for education. I think not only will they bring about hyper-austerity in public services, including education, they will make education a real hostile place for children who are LGBT, black, migrant, refugee.
"They run contrary as a political organisation to the views of our union and our profession more broadly."
Asked if he thought Reform was far-right, Mr Kebede told reporters conference decided last year it views Reform as "racist, far-right, or similar".
Zack Polanski admits becoming Prime Minister isn't the 'target'
The Green Party has seen a rise in membership under leader Zack Polanski
|PA
Zack Polanski has admitted being Prime Minister is not his target, but added he has upgraded his initial aims since becoming Green Party leader.
The London Assembly member said that the party's rise in membership and improved polling results have forced him to reassess his ambitions for the party he was elected to lead in September 2025.
He told the BBC that "winning a lot more MPs" and local councillors was his aim.
He said: "I was talking about 30-40 when I ran for leader. Now, saying that it feels under ambitious and actually as our poll ratings are tripling, we’re getting more and more members.
"When I became or when I ran for leader, we had about 55,000 members. We’ve just hit over 220,000."
When asked if he wanted to become Prime Minister, Mr Polanski said: "That really isn’t the target right now. It’s definitely in my mind because I get asked about it all the time.
"The next step is to win a lot more MPs and potentially hold the balance of power and then I think that’s really interesting because you’re having conversations about proportional representation, a wealth tax, climate action and various other policies to reduce people’s cost of living and make life better for everyone in this country."
Kemi Badenoch vows: 'This rubbish must STOP' as hospitals and universities shun King's portrait
The overwhelming majority of universities and hospitals in the country snubbed the Government's offer of a free portrait of the King shortly after his coronation in 2023, GB News can reveal.
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, blamed the poor take-up of the £131 picture of the King on managers in the public sector who were unnecessarily worried that people would be offended.
"All of this rubbish needs to stop," she told GB News' Chopper's Political Podcast.
UK borrowing costs jump to 'second highest on record' as Rachel Reeves faces 'challenging environment'
Borrowing figures have jumped to 'second highest on record' | GETTY / ONS Public sector borrowing came in at £14.3billion in February 2026, up £2.2billion from the same time the year before, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This is also the second-highest February borrowing figure on record, just below the 2021 pandemic-era figure, in a blow to Chancellor Rachel Reeves's plans for the economy.
Notably, central Government debt interest costs primarily fueled February 2026's figures, alongside the increased costs of providing public services and benefit spending.
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