Protection of Britain's borders 'neither effective nor efficient', report by sacked inspector says

Border protections at UK airports are neither "effective nor efficient" as ePassport gates are sometimes left unmanned, according to one of several delayed reports by sacked chief inspector David Neal.

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'Will Sunak get tough on immigration? I don't believe any of it' claims Nigel Farage as foreign arrivals SURGE

Earlier today the Home Office published their migration statistics for last year.

Before I go into the numbers, suffice to say they are simply enormous, I want to think for a moment about the politics of this.

The Conservatives were elected to power in 2010 promising to reduce net migration to tens of thousands.

They failed, but they made the same promise again in the 2015 manifesto.

They're going to reduce net migration to tens of thousands and they failed and then blame it down.

In the 2017 manifesto, they promised they would reduce net migration to 10s of thousands.

And in 2019 they said they would take back control of immigration with hints that numbers would come down.

So we're in the 14th year of a Conservative government and by any marker, whether it's legal migration or illegal migration, they have failed.

It's one of the reasons they're in so much trouble with their 2019 voters, especially those who've made the journey through UKIP and from the Labour Party to the Conservatives.

Because for them, Brexit was about borders more than anything else.

Don't worry, it's all OK. There's a new plan. Rishi's going to get tough.

Oh yes. Skilled workers to earn at least £38,000 a year, up from £26,000 a year. There'll be a ban on foreign workers in homes, bringing in family members, etc.

A review of the graduate route for immigrants will be launched and they're promising us now that this time, if we re-elect them, numbers will come down significantly.

So let me ask you, do you believe Rishi Sunak?

I don't believe a word of it and to be honest with you, I don't think they ever believed a word of it.

I think they're too far in hoc to big employers in this country who want as much cheap labour as possible. That's my view.

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'We are not far-right lunatics - it's a perfectly legitimate point of view' GB News guest hits out over Anderson 'hate speech' complaint

Harry Miller has claimed that "it's a perfectly legitimate point of view" after it has been revealed that The Metropolitan Police is assessing a report of "hate speech" made against Lee Anderson.

Last week Anderson claimed that Islamists had "got control" in London and that Khan - who sets policy for the Metropolitan Police - had "given away our capital city to his mates".

The Ashfield MP was then suspended from the Conservative Party after he refused to apologise for the remarks.

Miller, who won a freedom of expression case against the police after he was accused of sending transphobic tweets, told Martin Daubney on GB News: "The comments cannot and the must not [be recorded as a hate crime].

"This is the reason that I went to the High Court and the Court of Appeal. In order to clarify for the police in particular that they cannot start criminalising or investigating people because they express a political point of view.

"The problem that we have is that the police have got a political bent and it is in their interest to seek out hate."

"The police do not like right-wingers. The police equate the right-wing with hate, yesterday I had the misfortune of being on a hate crime champions training day where I was subjected to propaganda from 'hope not hate.'

"If you remember Martin both you and I appear in the last 'hope not hate' report as being far-right lunatics. This is the kind of nonsense that the police are sucking up too and repeating."

Miller explained: "The police have no business whatsoever for investigating an MP for expressing a perfectly legitimate point of view."

Last week London Mayor Khan criticised Anderson, saying his remarks were "Islamophobic, racist and anti-Islam".

Responding, Khan said: "These comments from a senior Conservative are Islamophobic, are anti-Muslim and are racist.

"We've seen over the last two days confirmation that over the last few months there's been an increase in anti Muslim cases by more than 330 per cent.

"These comments pour fuel on the fire of anti Muslim hatred and I'm afraid the deafening silence from Rishi Sunak and from the cabinet is them condoning this racism."

"And I'm afraid it confirms to many people across the country that there's a hierarchy when it comes to racism."

Following his suspension Anderson said: "Following a call with the Chief Whip, I understand the difficult position that I have put both he and the Prime Minister in with regard to my comments.

"I fully accept that they had no option but to suspend the whip in these circumstances.

"However, I will continue to support the Government's efforts to call out extremism in all its forms - be that anti-semitism or islamophobia."

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Westminster needs a 'serious glow up!': Call for MPs to work from home sparks heated row

Harriet Harman has sparked a fiery debate on GB News, after suggesting that MPs should be allowed to "return to working from home" amid ongoing security fears.

The Labour MP suggested the idea in an interview with Andrew Marr, as concerns about politician security has been heightened.

WATCH ABOVE.

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US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell to step down in November at age of 82 as 'father time remains undefeated'

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has announced he will step down from his leadership role.

Speaking on the Senate floor, the 82-year-old said he was "no longer the young man."

Experts say the announcement will leave a power vacuum atop the party he has piloted for nearly 17 years, more than any other party leader in the chamber's history.

The Kentucky lawmaker played a key role in helping former President Donald Trump cement a 6-3 conservative majority in the Supreme Court.

However, despite this, McConnell has had personal opposition to Trump at times particularly the former President's conduct ahead of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

McConnell also clashed with the former President surrounding his continued vocal support for trying to pass aid to Ukraine in its fight against a Russian invasion over the opposition of hardline Republican opponents.

Speaking in the chamber today, McConnell said: "I turned 82 last week. The end of my contributions are closer than I prefer. Father Time remains undefeated. I'm no longer the young man sitting in the back hoping colleagues remember my name. It's time for the next generation of leadership."

Democrats hold a slim majority in the Senate, with McConnell now serving as minority leader after previously holding the post of majority leader. McConnell said he will not run for Senate Republican leader in November's party elections, meaning he will end his time as leader when a new Congress convenes in January.

McConnell's departure from the leadership will remove a central character in negotiations with Democrats and the White House on spending deals to keep the federal government funded and avert a shutdown.

His steady command of his caucus stood in contrast to relatively newly minted Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, who has struggled to lead his thin majority.

Now with Republicans having to elect a new party leader, conservative pressure to hang tough against a moderate spending deal with Democrats could weigh more heavily on the budget negotiations and the leadership election.

McConnell announced his plans on the Senate floor the morning after Trump won the Michigan Republican primary, continuing his sweep toward the party's nomination. A former high-ranking Senate Republican aide said: "I think the Trump chapter reopening is his cue to exit stage left."

More to come...

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Ministers 'pandering to far right' by not calling out Islamophobia, says ex-government adviser

Ministers are "pandering to the far right" by not calling Lee Anderson's remarks Islamophobic, a former government adviser on the issue has told Sky News.

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Ex-Tory MP Scott Benton suspended from Commons triggering potential by-election headache for Sunak

Former Conservative MP Scott Benton has been suspended from the House of Commons for 35 days over his role in a lobbying scandal.

The Blackpool South MP is in excess of the 10-day threshold that triggers a recall petition and could lead to a by-election.

MPs approved the suspension of Benton on Tuesday evening without the need for a vote - known as going through on the nod.

Benton lost the Tory whip removed last April after suggesting to undercover reporters at The Times that he would be willing to break lobbying rules for money.

He appealed against both the finding and the suspension, where parliament's Standards Committee found that he had committed a "very serious breach".

However, in a report published last week, an independent panel upheld the committee’s original decision, saying there had been “no procedural flaw” in the review.

In 2019, Benton won a majority of 3,690 in a seat that had voted Labour since 1997.

If a vote is triggered, the seat will likely swing back to Keir Starmer's party, in another embarrassing defeat for the Prime Minister who suffered a double by-election blow earlier this month.

A by-election will occur if 10 per cent of his constituents sign the petition.

It would take the number of by-elections held under Sunak's time as prime minister to 11.

More to follow...

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