Britain's new US ambassador named after Lord Mandelson sacked over Epstein links

Home Office issues statement after plans to house migrants at army barracks pushed back 

The Home Office has issued a statement after it was revealed plans to house asylum seekers at Crowborough Army Training camp in East Sussex have been delayed.

In response to the plans being postponed, a Home Office spokeswoman said: "We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels.

“This government will close every asylum hotel. Work is well underway, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs.

“We are working closely with local authorities, property partners and across-government so that we can accelerate delivery.”

'A banana republic!' Nigel Farage left raging as Labour confirms some local elections could be delayed again 

Nigel Farage has branded Labour a "banana republic" after the Government revealed local elections across Britain could be postponed again.

The Government today confirmed ministers have written to as many as 63 local authorities offering them the opportunity to delay next year's elections to 2027.

Plans to delay the elections will mean millions of Britons will face longer waits to have their say at the ballot box.

Reacting to the news, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: "Turkeys don't vote for Christmas.

"Tory county councils look set to collude with Labour to keep their control until 2027."

He added: "Only a banana republic bans elections."

New UK ambassador to the US appointed after Peter Mandelson sacking 

Veteran diplomat Christian Turner has been appointed as the UK's ambassador to the US.

Mr Turner will replace Peter Mandelson, who was sacked from his role after details emerged in September over his ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The newly appointed US ambassador has held a number of roles in the Government and was most recently appointed Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, but has yet to take up the post.

Mr Turner said: "I am honoured to be nominated to serve as the UK’s Ambassador to the USA. Our two countries share an historic partnership rooted in common values, shared security and deep economic ties.

"At a pivotal time for the transatlantic relationship, I look forward to working with President Trump’s administration, and leaders in Congress, business and society to strengthen that bond in the years ahead.”

Home Office DELAYS housing asylum seekers at Crowborough barracks after weeks of protesting

The Home Office has paused plans to house asylum seekers at an army barracks following weeks of protesting by residents.

Conservative MP Nusrat Ghani confirmed the delay on plans for the Crowborough Army Training camp in East Sussex this evening.

It is understood The Home Office will not make decisions on the site until the new year.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

No10 to scrap daily afternoon briefings to journalists 

Downing Street will scrap its daily afternoon press briefing from the new year.

No10 normally holds two briefings for political journalists on most days that Parliament is sitting.

The briefings allow the “lobby”, the group of political journalists that cover Westminster, an opportunity to question the Prime Minister’s official spokesman.

The Government said it would also offer “occasional” press conferences with ministers or technical briefings to allow greater access for “content creators” and journalists outside the lobby.

Tim Allan, Downing Street’s executive director of communications, said the media landscape had been “utterly transformed” in recent years, leaving the current arrangements “not fit for purpose”.

He said change was needed to “better serve journalists” and “better inform the public”, adding the new system would allow the lobby “more direct access to ministers and a greater ability to access information about Government policies”.

Over 100,000 people sign petition launched by Reform over Labour's plans to postpone local elections

More than 100,000 people have penned their names to a petition set up by Reform UK over Labour's plans to postpone local elections to 2027.

The petition website reads: "Last year the Tories and Labour colluded to rob millions of English people of their vote.

"They succeeded. Now they’re at it again.

"This Labour government has already cancelled Mayoral elections in Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Sussex and Brighton, and Norfolk and Suffolk.

"Now, Tory-controlled county councils look set to collude with Labour to cancel next year’s May elections.

"Only dictators cancel elections. Wherever you are in the UK, sign our petition to Let The People Vote."

PPE Medpro wound up after being ordered to pay £148m to Government

PPE Medpro, the company linked to Baroness Michelle Mone, has been wound up at a specialist companies court.

The decision, made by a judge at a hearing on Thursday, could mean that the Government is unlikely to see most of the £148million owed to it by the company after it was found to have breached a contract to supply 25 million surgical gowns during the coronavirus pandemic.

PPE Medpro, a consortium led by Lady Mone’s husband, businessman Doug Barrowman, had been ordered to pay the sum after losing a High Court battle against the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) in October.

But it filed for administration on September 30, the day before the ruling, with the money still unpaid.

At a hearing at the Insolvency and Companies Court on Thursday, barristers for the three joint administrators asked for PPE Medpro to be kept in administration to pay off some creditors.

Barristers for the DHSC, an unsecured creditor, asked a judge to wind up the company, which they said was “hopelessly insolvent”.

Young won’t fight for Britain if country only offers unemployment, says Kemi Badenoch

New poll says Reform UK and Greens only parties to see increase in support over 2025

A new poll has suggested the Green Party has gained the most support over 2025, while Reform UK maintains a healthy lead over all other parties.

Figures from YouGov suggest Zack Polanski's party has gone from eight per cent in mid-January to 17 per cent on December 14-15, putting them just one point behind Labour.

Meanwhile, Reform gained three per cent points, giving them a clear 10 point lead over Labour with Sir Keir Starmer's party languishing on 18 per cent.

The Conservatives have dropped five per cent over the course of the year, dropping down to be level with the Greens on 17 per cent, while the Liberal Democrats broke even on 14 per cent.

Tory MP demands Labour releases migrant crime nationality data

A Conservative MP has called on Labour to release nationality data relating to migrant crime.

Katie Lam, MP for Weald of Kent, told the Commons: "The indicative data that we have suggests shocking variations in crime rate by nationality and immigration status."

"According to data from the Ministry of Justice, foreign nationals make up a third of all convictions for sexual assaults against women, despite making up between 11 and 12 per cent of the population.

"Afghans and Eritreans, the nationalities which made up the largest number of small boat crossings this year, are more than 20 times more likely to be convicted for sexual offences in the British nationals."

She asked Jess Phillips if she would "work with her ministerial colleagues to release the full data on crime by nationality, including as it relates to violence against women and girls, so we can fully understand this problem in order to tackle it."

Ms Phillips responded saying: "I would also say to the honourable lady, if the only crime that I had to concern myself with halving was that that was committed by people who arrive in our country, my job would be considerably easier.

"Because the vast majority of the data that I am talking about is around people who were born in our country, abusing other people who were born in our country from every culture, from every creed.

"I have yet to come across any community where violence against women and girls does not happen."

Kemi Badenoch says strategy to tackle violence against women and girls is 'complete distraction'

Kemi Badenoch has dubbed Labour's announcement of its strategy to tackle violence against women and girls a "complete distraction" from the real issues.

The Conservative leader said: "I think £20million is a pittance but also this is a Government that has clearly run out of ideas. They don’t know what to do, and so they are doing easy things.

"The fact is, it’s not 11-year-old boys in school who are perpetrating violence against women and girls. This is happening because some people in Labour watched Adolescence, and that’s what they want to focus on. It’s a complete distraction."

She added: "They need to do the right thing, put police officers on the street, stop people who come from cultures that don’t respect women coming into our country, foreign criminals removed as soon as they commit crimes.

"Those are the sorts of things that will make a difference. What they’ve announced today is just a big mess, I’m afraid."

Labour minister 'will not stand by' as she announces plans to ban 'nudification tools'

Labour has announced plans to ban "nudification" tools which generate deepfake nude images of real people.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: "Women and girls deserve to be safe online as well as offline.

"We will not stand by while technology is weaponised to abuse, humiliate and exploit them through the creation of non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes.

"I am introducing a new offence to ban nudification tools, so that those who profit from them or enable their use, will feel the full force of the law, so that together we end this abuse of women and girls.

"Our priority is protecting victims and ensuring the internet is a safer place for women and girls."

Jess Phillips announcing strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG)

Jess Phillips is on her feet in the Commons to announce plans to tackle "toxic behaviour."

Citing statistics that one in every eight women was the victim of domestic abuse, stalking or sexual assault last year, she said: "Behind every one of these figures is a woman or girl whose life has been shattered," the minister says.

"And behind every crime lies a perpetrator who all too often gets away scot-free.

"For too long we have accepted these statistics as simply a fact of life.

"Today this government says no more."

Jess Phillips sends message to Andrew Tate as she sets out plan to tackle his influence on boys

Jess Phillips delivered a blunt message on GB News to Andrew Tate ahead of announcing the Government's new strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG).

Labour has vowed to roll out the flagship £36million strategy to halve gendered violence after research revealed 40 per cent of young men positively view the self-proclaimed misogynist.

Asked what she would say to the social media influencer, who has been accused of rape and trafficking, Andrew Tate, the Labour MP said: "What I would say to Andrew Tate is that there are a number of warrants out for your arrest for crimes of violence and abuse.

"But Andrew Tate is just one in a long line of angry men who, I have to say, as the mother of sons, I don't think he's got my son's best interests at heart."

Bank of England cuts base rate to 3.75% to 'almost three-year low'

The Bank of England has confirmed it has slashed the UK's base rate from four per cent to 3.75 per cent in a win for mortgage holders, businesses, the Government and borrowers.

Markets had priced in a 0.25 percentage point reduction from the central bank after the consumer price index (CPI) inflation rate for the 12 months to November 2025 eased to 3.2 per cent, based on the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures.

The base rate is the cost of borrowing the Bank charges commercial financial institutions which is passed onto consumers via savings accounts, mortgage products, loans and credit cards.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Employment Rights Bill officially becomes law as MPs cheer in Commons

The Government’s landmark Employment Rights Bill has become law after it received royal assent.

MPs cheered as Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle made the announcement on Thursday.

The legislation introduces a raft of new workers’ rights, including a right to paternity leave from day one on the job, a right to sick pay from the first day of illness, and new protections for pregnant women and new mothers.

The Bill also brings in a right to guaranteed hours, whistleblowing protections for sexual harassment, and a number of trade union and industrial action reforms.

Jess Phillips insists foreign sex offenders will be deported as she vows to impose 'most robust rules EVER'

Jess Phillips has told GB News she "absolutely" supports the deportation of foreign sex offenders, just days after the Home Secretary admitted that such criminals had been prioritised over the safety of women and girls.

The Safeguarding Minister joined GB News ahead of addressing MPs in the House of Commons this morning to outline her strategy to combat violence against women and girls (VAWG).

One of the strategies includes a prevention programme for men and young boys exhibiting signs of sexual harmful behaviours in a bid to combat the root cause of misogyny.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

David Lammy dealt with fresh blow as court backlog reaches record high

The crown court backlog in England and Wales has risen to nearly 80,000 cases in a new record high in a fresh blow to Justice Secretary Lammy.

Data published on Thursday showed the open caseload was 79,619 at the end of September, up two per cent from 78,096 at the end of June.

It is also up nine per cent from the same point a year earlier, according to Ministry of Justice figures.

The number of cases open for a year or more passed 20,000 for the first time at 20,155 at the end of September, which is up 25 per cent year on year and up six per cent from the end of June.

Open caseload refers to the number of outstanding cases.

WATCH: Jess Phillips speaks to GB News ahead of VAWG announcement in the Commons

Jess Phillips says Keir Starmer is the 'greatest ally' in in tackling violence against women and girls

Sir Keir Starmer has been the "greatest ally" in tackling violence against women and girls (Vawg), Jess Phillips has said.

The Safeguarding Minister told Times Radio: "I am always going to be like an absolutely passionate advocate for this thing and do you know who else is and who I found to be the greatest ally in this, and that is the Prime Minister.

"[Sir Keir] and I have, and others in other Government departments have been working together to make sure that we get the most ambitious plan for every Government department.

"The Government has declared this a national emergency and that means every Government department using every tool of the state to really tackle this issue.

"Have I ever had to have tense conversations? Of course I have. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I hadn’t...All I can say is that having the first woman Chancellor, and a woman who was a patron of Leeds Women’s Aid, that Rachel Reeves is absolutely 100 per cent behind these plans."

Westminster sealed off by police over security alert as bomb disposal army unit swoops in

The Houses of Parliament have been sealed off over a security alert in central London.

Eyewitnesses told GB News a bomb disposal squad is at the scene on College Green in the Palace of Westminster.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

WATCH: James Cartlidge discusses Tory pledge for defence boost

Jess Phillips says chanting 'globalise the intifada' is 'totally and utterly inexcusable'

Jess Phillips says chanting "globalise the intifada" is "totally and utterly inexcusable" and is inciting people to violence.

Asked on Times Radio Breakfast about police arresting protesters for the chant and whether West Midlands Police should do the same, Jess Phillips, MP for Birmingham Yardley, said: "I mean, I have no idea if this has been a feature of protest, I have to say there are far fewer protests outside of London.

"But these are decisions for the police but I think that the Metropolitan Police have made the right decision in this instance, because I cannot think of any, I cannot think of any interpretation other than that is inciting people to violence which has the terrible consequences.

"I just can’t think of an excuse of calling for sort of violent uprising."

She added: "It’s totally and utterly inexcusable. People’s right to protest is absolutely sacrosanct. That cannot be the same as inciting violence or causing fear among certain sections of the community, whoever they are."

Vladimir Putin brands Keir Starmer 'little pig' and moves nuclear missiles within EIGHT minutes of London

Vladimir Putin has branded Keir Starmer and European leaders "little pigs" in a rabble-rousing address in Moscow.

Mr Putin accused Sir Keir and his counterparts like Emmanuel Macron of conspiring to bring about Russia's collapse - and trying to profit from it.

"Everyone believed that Russia would be destroyed and collapsed in a short period of time," Mr Putin declared.

"And the European piglets immediately joined in this work of the former American [Biden] administration, hoping to profit from the collapse of our country."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Liberal Democrats say 'It's between us and Reform' at next general election

A Liberal Democrat source has said "It's between us and Reform" at the next General Election as the party looks to boost their polling.

New data has suggested Sir Ed Davey has the highest favourability ratings of any UK party leader and tends to win in head-to-head polls for who voters would prefer as Prime Minister, reports The New Statesman.

In addition to this, in by-elections this year Sir Ed's party has won more council seats than Labour, the Conservatives and Greens combined, only second to Reform.

A source said: "When it comes to real elections, we have shown time and again that the Liberal Democrats are the strongest Reform-fighting machine in British politics."

James Cartlidge reflects on national service policy - 'We have to reflect on that'

James Cartlidge said he "needed to reflect" over his party's controversial national service policy.

In last year's General Election campaign, the Conservatives pledged to reintroduce 12 months of mandatory national service if they had won.

The Shadow Defence Secretary told GB News: "We still need really good people joining the armed forces.

"On national service, we had very difficult election result where that was a flagship policy so we have to reflect on that.

"But I am absolutely committed in the new year looking into the biggest issue, its not just getting them in [to the armed forces], it's keeping them in."

All English secondary schools to teach about healthy relationships

All secondary schools in England will have to teach students about healthy relationships to tackle misogyny as Sir Keir Starmer said too often toxic ideas are "going unchallenged."

Ministers are set to announce plans to intervene early on worrying behaviour of young people as part of the Government’s strategy to halve violence against women and girls (Vawg) in a decade.

Teachers will be given specialist training to talk to pupils about issues such as consent and children who show harm towards parents, siblings or in relationships will be signed up to behaviour change programmes.

Secondary school children as young as 11, mainly boys, could be sent on the anti-misogyny training courses if they exhibit concerning behaviour, the Times reported.

The pilot could be extended to primary schools too, the newspaper also said.