Government is not serious about tackling illegal migration, claims Labour’s Bridget Phillipson

The Government is not serious about stopping illegal immigration and its Rwanda plan is just a gimmick, Labour’s shadow education secretary has claimed.

Bridget Phillipson told GB News: “It's not actually about getting serious about dealing with the cross border smuggling gangs, about making sure we are effective at tackling that, that we're cutting the backlog when it comes to asylum cases and stopping the inappropriate use of hotels.

“That's what Labour's plan involves, getting tough on the gangs and making sure we're clearing that backlog.

“It's far from clear whether the plan will have sent anyone to Rwanda because we've sent more Home Secretaries to Rwanda than we have asylum seekers.”

In a discussion with Camilla Tominey, she continued: “If it does, even if Rwanda were to be an effective intervention, even if it were to be effective, you're talking about between 100 to 200 asylum seekers. It's 1% of the backlog of claims that we're facing at the moment.

“It's just not the answer. It's a gimmick. What we need to have as a serious plan, as Labour has set out, around tackling those cases, that huge backlog of cases and ending the use of inappropriate accommodation such as hotels.”

On the resignation of Tory MP Chris Skidmore, she said: “I'm not especially interested in that, no. To be honest, I'm more interested in winning the by-election in Kingswood that they're about to have.

“That's what I'm most interested in. And we'll be fighting a really tough campaign there."

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Labour reveals plans to tackle 'generational' school absences challenge

Labour says it will introduce additional mental health counsellors to secondary schools as part of its plans to tackle rising pupil absences.

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The Week... The election campaign goes up a gear

Two of Westminster's best-connected journalists, Sky News's Sam Coates and Politico's Jack Blanchard, guide us through their predictions of how British politics will play out over the next seven days.

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'Wake up and smell the flood water': Govt urged to do more amid warning more homes will be hit

The government is being urged to "wake up and smell the flood water" following Storm Henk - amid fears that climate change is making extreme weather events more common.

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Sunak says he'll cut taxes before and after election - by curbing welfare and govt spending

Rishi Sunak has vowed to cut taxes before and after the general election - but has warned they will be funded by curbing benefits and government spending.

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PM should be 'honest' about his Rwanda plan doubts, Labour says

Labour says Rishi Sunak should be "honest" with the public by publishing documents which appear to show he had doubts about the Rwanda scheme to stop small boats from crossing the Channel.

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Sunak left red-faced over Rwanda leaks after trying to go on the offensive

Boris Johnson's demise was brought about by the three Ps: Paterson, partygate and Pincher.

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'SEVERE pressure' as Humza Yousaf forced to BEG for SNP donations as money drys up, says Dean Thomson

Dean Thomson reacts as Humza Yousaf has been forced to beg separatist supporters for more money after Scottish National Party donations started to dry up.

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Tory high command will be furious as 'rebel with cause' quits early

A by-election in Kingswood, a suburban seat to the east of Bristol, is not a very attractive proposition for any aspiring candidates.

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Rishi Sunak loses ANOTHER Tory MP as ex-minister rages at PM's climate plans

A former Tory minister has said he will resign over new legislation "that promotes the production of new oil and gas".

Chris Skidmore, who signed the UK's Net Zero pledge into law, announced today that he would withdraw the Conservative whip and stand down as an MP.

By stepping down from his role, a by-election will be triggered in his Kingswood seat in Gloucestershire.

The ex-energy minister has stepped ahead of a vote on a bill on Monday that plans to issue more oil and gas licences.

The Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill, which Skidmore objects to, would guarantee annual licensing rounds.

"The bill would in effect allow more frequent new oil and gas licences and the increased production of new fossil fuels in the North Sea," he said on social media as he announced his resignation.

"I can no longer stand by. The climate crisis that we face is too important to politicise or to ignore."

Skidmore warned MPs who vote for the legislation that the future will judge them "harshly".

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He said: "It is a tragedy that the UK has been allowed to lose its climate leadership, at a time when our businesses, industries, universities and civil society organisations are providing first-class leadership and expertise to so many across the world, inspiring change for the better.

"I cannot vote for the bill next week. The future will judge harshly those that do. At a time when we should be committing to more climate action, we simply do not have any more time to waste promoting the future production of fossil fuels that is the ultimate cause of the environmental crisis that we are facing."

Skidmore said he would resign the Conservative whip to make him an independent "as soon as possible".

He confirmed that he would quit "next week when Parliament is back", as the Commons is still on its Christmas recess until next week.

He has previously warned that the bill will stop climate-conscious Britons from voting for the Tories at the next general election.

Skidmore wants the Government to focus on transitioning to cleaner energy practices in its place.

He has been an MP since the Conservatives came to power in 2010.

Under Boris Johnson, he served as energy minister and has been a major Conservative voice on climate issues.

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Former energy minister to quit as Tory MP in protest over new oil and gas licences

A former energy minister has said he will quit as a Conservative MP over new legislation "that promotes the production of new oil and gas".

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'Lazy' Joe Biden twiddling his thumbs as schedule shows no sign of activity for 13 days straight

Republicans have criticised Joe Biden, after they accused the President of having nothing on his public schedule for 13 straight.

It comes as research showed the President spent 138 days in 2023 away from Washington, roughly 37 per cent of the time.

RNC Research, a Republican ran campaign group, claimed that after spending around nine minutes on December 22 at Children's National Hospital he left for vacation at Camp David, a retreat for federal government agents and their families.

The group claims that after returning from vacation on December 26, he left for vacation in the US Virgin Islands on December 27. They said he returned from vacation late on January 2 and has not done anything since.

In 2023, Biden's home state of Delaware was a favourite spot for the president, who spent 90 days, including frequent weekends and one prolonged vacation, at either his personal residence in the Tony Wilmington suburb of Greenville or his sun-and-sand hideaway in Rehoboth.

New York Post reports the 81-year-old spent 22 days, including travel time, on official vacation in all in 2023.

That time was enjoyed at either his Delaware homes or in St Croix, Lake Tahoe or Nantucket.

Biden’s number of getaway days in 2023 was only slightly down from 2022, when he spent more than 38 per cent of that year at the same locations.

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The White House has maintained the president can work from anywhere and does not have to stay in Washington DC, to do his job.

Deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton told the New York Post: "The President has taken 16 days of vacation this year, and even on those days, he has worked.

"Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Americans saw the President hold a slew of foreign head of state calls before announcing a deal to release hostages from Gaza the very next day.

"The fact is: the President works every single day of the week whether he is in Washington, Delaware, Camp David, or anywhere else — and those around him and reporters who cover him closely know that."

Dalton added: "These fictitious attacks on the President are all the more absurd coming from Republicans in Congress, who left down in December without doing their job to fund the government or our national security priorities."

Biden currently leads all recent presidents in terms of days away from Washington.

His predecessor Donald Trump visited Mar-a-Lago or a Trump property on 331 out of 1,075 days on which he was president, roughly 31 per cent of the time.

George HW Bush spent roughly 36 per cent of his presidency at a getaway spot.

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Starmer says it's 'nonsense' to suggest he would duck election TV debates

Sir Keir Starmer said it is "nonsense" to suggest he would duck TV debates with Rishi Sunak during the general election campaign.

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Speaker Mike Johnson lashes out at Biden’s border policy as illegal migrants flood in: ‘Heartbreaking and infuriating’

Republican House speaker Mike Johnson has blamed the “unmitigated disaster” at the US-Mexico border on Joe Biden.

Dubbing the scenes on the border “heartbreaking and infuriating”, Johnson said issues have only been exacerbated through Biden’s tenure.

Johnson trekked to Eagle Pass in Texas on Wednesday to learn more about the “breaking point” the US finds itself at.

It comes after it was revealed over 302,000 people crossed the border illegally in December, the highest total for a month in history.

“The situation here and across the country is truly unconscionable. We would describe it as both heartbreaking and infuriating”, he said during a press conference.

Discussing the White House’s ongoing effort to stem the tide, he said: “Madness is the only word we can think of to describe this.”

He also warned officials have “no idea how many terrorists have come into the country”.

The two parties have clashed on the matter in recent weeks with both factions claiming the other are to blame.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that Texas is to blame for the crisis, claiming Gov. Greg Abbott has not “coordinated” with other governors and state leaders.

The Republicans are demanding the administration reinstates Trump-era ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy and start immediately deporting migrants who entered illegally.

House Republicans are set to return to Washington next week, and Johnson told reporters about their top priorities.

“We want to get the border closed and secured first, and we want to make sure that we reduce non-defence discretionary spending,” he said.

Congress and Joe Biden are also locked in a stalemate over Ukraine funding.

The coffers have run dry and the President is determined to secure more support for Zelensky’s war efforts.

The Republicans are keen to shift the narrative to border troubles, with the issue becoming a key battleground for the 2024 election.

“We gotta do something, they gotta give me the money I need to protect the border”, Biden said upon returning to Washington on Tuesday.

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Carol Vorderman brands Shaun Bailey 'misogynist' over 'bum and boobs' comment

Carol Vorderman has branded failed London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey "sexist" for saying she is not a "serious political commentator" due to pictures she posts on social media.

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‘He should beg for forgiveness!’ Tony Blair urged to ‘fall silent for good’ as ex-PM tipped for new role

Tony Blair should be “begging for forgiveness” instead of taking on new humanitarian roles, Peter Hitchens has fumed.

The former Prime Minister has been backed as a potential peacekeeper in the Middle East as the war between Israel and Hamas rages on.

Conservative author Peter Hitchens lambasted such an idea during a discussion on GB News’ Dewbs & Co, where he said Blair’s history with conflict should be enough reason to dissuade any potential suitors.

Speaking to Michelle Dewberry, he urged the former Prime Minister to “stay silent forever”.

“He should be entering a Trappist monastery where he vows never to say another word again for the rest of his life and spends the rest of his time begging for forgiveness”, he said.

“I don’t see how somebody who made such a mess of his main foreign policy adventure should be taken seriously ever again, or should be asked for his advice or should be treated as an important player in any of these matters.

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“Time for him to fall silent for good.

“The Middle East is littered with corpses and columns of refugees still walk across it thanks to the war that he and George W Bush created.

“There is nothing further for him to be said by him or about him. He did a terrible thing and he should be sorry for it.

“He should be sorry for it somewhere else and in silence. The same goes for his propaganda chief Alastair Campbell.”

It comes after reports that Tony Blair would be “open” to a humanitarian role in Gaza, something his institute has since denied.

Reports in Israel claimed that the country’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was sounding out Blair for the role of “humanitarian co-ordinator” in Gaza.

He has previously worked as international envoy to the Middle East.

Speaking on the possibility of a role, a spokeswoman for Blair said: “As you know, Mr Blair has an office in Israel and has continued to work on issues regarding Israel and the Palestinians.”

“He is discussing the situation obviously with a number of people in the region and elsewhere to see what can be done. But there is no ‘role’ offered or taken.”

Blair remains a controversial figure in Britain because of his decision to take the UK to war in Iraq in 2003.

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Biden looks to CUT DOWN razor wire at Texas border helping to curb migrant crisis

The Biden Administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow Border Patrol agents to cut down razor wire installed on the US-Mexico border.

It comes after state officials won a court order that blocked agents from removing the wire installed in Texas.

However, on Tuesday, the Justice Department filed an emergency application, asking the Supreme Court to overturn that decision.

“Federal law unambiguously grants Border Patrol agents the authority, without a warrant, to access private land within 25 miles of the international border,” the department wrote in its appeal to the high court.

The razor wire had been installed in an effort to deter migrants from crossing a 29-mile stretch of the Rio Grande.

The move is the latest escalation in a rising conflict between President Joe Biden and Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott over border policies.

Last year, Texan Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Biden’s administration to stop the wire cutting, stating that it illegally destroys state property and undermines security.

The razor wire was laid down by state troopers and National Guardsmen deployed by the state, in an operation that has so far cost more than $11billion.

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Abbott has also authorised installing floating barriers in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass and allowed troopers to arrest migrants on trespassing charges.

Biden’s administration said the wire stops Border Patrol agents from reaching migrants as they cross the river.

However, Texas officials have argued that the administration has cut the wire in order to help people illegally cross the border.

Last month, the US Court of Appeals sided with Texas, which sued the Department of Homeland Security under state trespass laws for cutting through the wire.

They concluded that the Border Patrol couldn’t remove the wire while the litigation proceeds.

However, US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar argued in court papers that state governments have no place to displace federal authority in Washington.

Abbott, in a post on social media, said: “Americans & courts will reject Biden’s hostility to immigration laws.”

He said the state would continue to deploy the National Guard “to build border barriers & repel illegal immigrants.”

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‘I’m terrified’ Bev Turner fears five more years of Khan after mayor’s ‘ego trip’

Bev Turner is fearful about the prospect of another five years with Sadiq Khan as the Mayor of London.

The GB News presenter spoke about this year’s London mayoral elections, saying Conservative candidate Susan Hall’s prospects are looking increasingly slim.

Turner expects Reform candidate Howard Cox to split the Tory vote, which could elevate Khan to another term in office.

She admitted to being “terrified” at the prospect of another five years of Sadiq Khan.

The comment came about during a discussion with former Labour MP Stephen Pound, who outlined why he feels a Tory victory is unlikely.

“Last time, Susan Hall might well have won because it was the transferable vote system”, he said.

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“We don’t have that any more now. I don’t think she can win at the present time.

“I do hope Sadiq Khan winds his neck in and becomes a bit more modest.”

Bev Turner waded in: “I’m terrified by another five years of him.”

Co-host Andrew Pierce questioned why there is no cap to the number of terms a London Mayor can serve.

Pound remarked that Donald Trump would “love” such a reality in the US, where presidents are bound to a maximum of two terms.

Turner spoke on Khan’s motoring measures in London, and how she expects it to be a “huge” issue at the election.

“You’re got Howard Cox standing for Reform as well”, she said.

“He will split the vote. As we saw in the Uxbridge by-election, the motorist issue is huge.

“He’s a brilliant candidate as well, the Conservatives would have loved Howard Cox to stand for them.”

It comes after the London mayor was accused of an “ego trip” after introducing London’s New Year’s Eve firework display.

The display, organised by Khan and themed to celebrate the capital’s diversity, began with a message that said: “The Mayor London presents”.

Susan Hall responded by telling the Telegraph: The New Year’s fireworks celebration belongs to the people, not Sadiq Khan.

“The only things he has presented in his eight years as mayor is soaring crime and an unfair Ulez expansion tax that targets the poorest.

“We cannot have another four years of this man and his ego making life worse for Londoners. In May, I will deliver a better and brighter future for our city.”

A spokesman for Khan said: “The Mayor is proud to have sent a message of unity, showing why London is the greatest city in the world.”

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