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☆ UK government offers concessions over contested immigration plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government offered concessions on Monday to members of parliament's upper house after they inflicted a series of defeats on highly contested legislation to make it easier to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. There has already been a protracted legal fight over the plan, which has been criticised by some opposition politicians as inhumane and cruel. The House of Lords, Britain's unelected upper chamber in parliament, approved 20 amendments last week to water down the government's legislation. One government amendment will limit the detention of unaccompanied children to eight days rather than the previously proposed 28 days. The government is appealing a Court of Appeal ruling last month that the plan was unlawful.

Persons: Rishi Sunak's, Sunak, Andrew MacAskill Organizations: British, European, of Human, Conservative Party, Thomson Locations: Rwanda, Britain, East, France

☆ UK court to rule if plan to relocate asylum seekers to Rwanda is lawful
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoLONDON, June 29 (Reuters) - London's Court of Appeal will rule on Thursday if a British plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is lawful, in a verdict that could make or break Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to stop migrants from arriving by boat. Under a deal struck last year, Britain's government plans to send tens of thousands of asylum seekers who arrive on its shores more than 4,000 miles (6,400 km) to the East African country. In December, the High Court in London ruled the policy was lawful, but that decision is being challenged by asylum seekers from several countries along with human rights organisations. If the judges rule the plan is lawful, a government official said the flights could begin later this year if the courts reject any applications for further legal challenges. Sunak sees the deportation plan as central to deterring asylum seekers arriving from Europe.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Leon Neal, Rishi Sunak's, Sunak, Andrew MacAskill, John Stonestreet Organizations: European, of Human Rights, Court, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Scottish National Party, Thomson Locations: ENGLAND, Downing, London, United Kingdom, London's, British, Rwanda, East, Britain, Europe, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, France

☆ UK estimates cost of deporting each asylum seeker to Rwanda will be 169,000 pounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The government sees the plan as central to deterring asylum seekers arriving in small boats from France. In an economic impact assessment published on Monday, the government said the cost of deporting each individual to Rwanda would include an average 105,000-pound payment to Rwanda for hosting each asylum seeker, 22,000 pounds for the flight and escorting, and 18,000 pounds for processing and legal costs. Home Secretary (interior minister) Suella Braverman said these costs must be considered alongside the impact of deterring others trying to reach Britain and the rising cost of housing asylum seekers. Unless action is taken, Braverman said that the cost of housing asylum seekers will rise to 11 billion pounds a year, up from about 3.6 billion pounds currently. "The economic impact assessment clearly shows that doing nothing is not an option," she said.

Persons: Rishi Sunak's, Sunak, Suella Braverman, Braverman, Andrew MacAskill, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Conservative, Labour Party, Home, Labour, Scottish National Party, European, of Human, Court, Thomson Locations: Rwanda, France, Britain, London, Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam

☆ Britain's Duchess of York had surgery for breast cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

June 25 (Reuters) - Britain's Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has been diagnosed with breast cancer and has undergone a successful operation, British media reported on Sunday. Ferguson, 63, who was married to Prince Andrew, was given the diagnosis at a routine mammogram screening and underwent successful surgery, her spokesman told the Daily Telegraph. "She was advised she needed to undergo surgery which has taken place successfully," the spokesman said. "The Duchess is receiving the best medical care and her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good." Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sarah Ferguson, Duchess, Ferguson, Prince Andrew, Andrew MacAskill, Giles Elgood Organizations: Daily Telegraph, Thomson Locations: York

The more than 100-page report detailed six events held at Downing Street, the prime minister's offices and residence. There is no precedent for a prime minister having been found to have deliberately misled the House (of Commons, lower house of parliament)." It recommended that he should not be entitled to a former member's pass, which enables most former prime ministers and lawmakers to gain automatic access to parliament. But so-called Partygate spelt the beginning of the end for his tenure as prime minister. They have also rowed this week over the former prime minister's resignation honours list.

Persons: Johnson, Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, Mr Johnson, Sunak, Thangam Debbonaire, Elizabeth Piper, Alistair Smout, Andrew MacAskill, Kylie MacLellan, Muvija, William James, Kate Holton, Frank Jack Daniel, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Conservatives, Downing, Street, Labour Party, Conservative Party, Thomson Locations: COVID

☆ Factbox: UK Privileges Committee's findings about Boris Johnson
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

He has accused the privileges committee, a parliamentary standards body that has investigated Johnson, of mounting a "witch-hunt" and behaving like a "kangaroo court". The former prime minister said it was a lie to say he deliberately misled parliament and called the report a charade. Below are the main findings from the report into Johnson's behaviour:JOHNSON DELIBERATELY MISLED PARLIAMENTThe committee offered a damning verdict on Johnson's honesty and conduct, concluding that he had deliberately and repeatedly misled parliament. JOHNSON WOULD HAVE FACED 90-DAY SUSPENSION FROM PARLIAMENTThe Committee said it would have recommended a suspension of three months from the House of Commons for Johnson if he had not resigned. FIVE WAYS JOHNSON COMMITTED CONTEMPTS OF PARLIAMENTThe committee found that Johnson had committed five contempts of parliament.

Persons: Boris Johnson, Johnson, JOHNSON, CONTEMPTS, Mr Johnson, Scottish National Party –, Andrew MacAskill, William James, Angus MacSwan, Toby Chopra Organizations: CONTEMPTS OF, BE, PASS, Labour, Scottish National Party, Thomson Locations: British, COVID, Downing Street, Downing, Chequers

☆ UK's Boris Johnson and the 'partygate' scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

10 Downing Street, in December 2020, when such gatherings were banned. Dec. 1 - Johnson, asked about a December 2020 party, tells parliament: "All guidance was followed completely in No. Dec. 8 - Johnson tells parliament: "I have been repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged that there was no party and that no COVID rules were broken." May 19 - The police hand out 126 fines relating to eight dates when events were held at Downing Street and the Cabinet Office. March 22 - In a combative public hearing, Johnson tells the committee that "hand on heart" he did not lie to parliament.

Persons: Boris Johnson, Johnson, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip's, Sue Gray, Carrie, Rishi Sunak, Gray, Sachin Ravikumar, Kylie MacLellan, William James, Andrew MacAskill, Gareth Jones, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: ITV, Downing Street, Police, Privileges, Downing, Conservative, Thomson Locations: Downing

☆ Scotland's leader won't suspend Nicola Sturgeon from party after arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon attends her last First Minster's Questions at the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, March 23, 2023. REUTERS/Russell CheyneLONDON, June 12 (Reuters) - Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf said on Monday he would not suspend his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon after her arrest as part of a police inquiry into the finances of the governing, pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP). "I see no reason to suspend their membership," Yousaf told the BBC. After she was released on Sunday, Sturgeon said she had committed no offence and was innocent of wrongdoing. Angus MacNeil, one of the SNP’s longest-serving members of the British parliament, said on Sunday Sturgeon should be suspended.

Persons: Nicola Sturgeon, Russell Cheyne, Humza Yousaf, Yousaf, Sturgeon, Peter Murrell, Scotland's, Ash Regan, Angus MacNeil, Andrew MacAskill, Kylie MacLellan, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Scottish, REUTERS, Scottish National Party, BBC, Labour Party, Labour, Thomson Locations: Holyrood, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, Scottish, United Kingdom, Westminster

☆ Former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon arrested over SNP funding probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Kylie Maclellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The arrest is deeply embarrassing for the SNP, which has dominated Scottish politics for most of the last two decades. Sturgeon stood down earlier this year and support for the party and its aim of independence has since dropped. "Nicola Sturgeon has today, Sunday 11th June, by arrangement with Police Scotland, attended an interview where she was to be arrested and questioned," a spokesperson for Sturgeon said. Opposition parties have accused the SNP of being mired in scandal and too focused on independence to govern Scotland properly. The Labour Party's Scotland spokesperson Ian Murray said there was a culture of "secrecy and cover-up" in the SNP.

Persons: Nicola Sturgeon, Peter Summers, Sturgeon, Nicola, Sturgeon's, Peter Murrell, Colin Beattie, Murrell, Beattie, Scots, Ian Murray, Humza Yousaf, Westminster, YouGov, party's, Yousaf, Kylie MacLellan, Andrew MacAskill, Alistair Smout, Alex Richardson, Frances Kerry, Sharon Singleton Organizations: NHS, Treatment, Labour LONDON, Scottish First, Scottish National Party, Scottish, Police Scotland, Twitter, Police, Scotland's, England, Conservative, Labour Party's, Scotland, Labour, Thomson Locations: KIRKCALDY, SCOTLAND, NHS Fife, Kirkcaldy, Scotland, Scottish, Glasgow, Westminster

Parliament's privileges committee - the main disciplinary body for lawmakers - had the power to recommend Johnson be suspended from parliament. Johnson hinted that he could return to politics, declaring he was leaving parliament "for now". The investigation is chaired by a senior Labour Party lawmaker, but the majority of lawmakers on the committee are Conservatives. A spokesperson for the committee said Johnson had "impugned the integrity" of parliament with his resignation statement. Johnson used his resignation statement on Friday to deliver an attack on the premiership of Sunak, whom he partly blames for ending his government.

Persons: Boris Johnson, Johnson, Brexit, britannique Boris Johnson, Peter Nicholls, Rishi Sunak, Nadine Dorries, Angela Rayner, Sunak, David Milliken, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Labour, LONDON, British, Conservative Party, Labour Party, L'ancien, Conservatives, Johnson's, Thomson Locations: Downing, London, Brexit, Britain, à Londres

LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) - Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson quit as a member of British parliament on Friday in a furious protest against lawmakers investigating his conduct, reopening divisions in the ruling Conservative Party ahead of national elections next year. Johnson said he was stepping down because it was "clear" that the committee was "determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of parliament". He also chided current Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for his performance in power. Parliament's privileges committee had the power to recommend Johnson be suspended from parliament for more than 10 days if they were to find he did mislead parliament recklessly or deliberately, potentially triggering an election for his seat. It is the second in a day for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after an ally of Johnson, Nadine Dorries, announced she would step down.

Persons: Boris Johnson, Johnson, Rishi Sunak, Nadine Dorries, Andrew MacAskill, Andy Bruce, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Former, Conservative Party, Conservative, London, Thomson Locations: Britain, Uxbridge, South Ruislip

☆ Boris Johnson's honours list includes aides tied to ex-UK PM's 'Partygate' scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) - Boris Johnson awarded his political aides and allies with some of Britain's highest honours to mark his resignation as prime minister, including some who attended parties in government buildings during COVID-19 lockdowns. Martin Reynolds, a senior civil servant and Johnson's former principal private secretary, was given an Order of the Bath award for public service. Labour Party deputy leader Angela Rayner called Johnson's honours list a "sickening insult". A Conservative member of parliament, who asked not to be named, said the list was "deeply embarrassing" and showed Johnson's lack of remorse. The former prime minister also approved honours for Conservative party politicians who have recently been caught in other scandals.

Persons: Boris Johnson, Martin Reynolds, Reynolds, Johnson, Dan Rosenfield, Jack Doyle, Angela Rayner, Ben Houchen, Conor Burns, Jacob Rees, Mogg, Simon Clarke, Priti Patel, Theresa May, David Cameron, Andrew MacAskill, Michael Holden, Mark Potter, Paul Simao Organizations: Bath, Labour Party, Conservative, Thomson Locations: COVID, Britain, British, Downing, lockdowns, Tees Valley

☆ UK PM Sunak speaks to ethics adviser over minister's speeding offence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman meet with the local community and police leaders in Rochdale, Britain April 3, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Nobel/PoolLONDON, May 22 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to his ethics adviser regarding the handling of a speeding offence by his interior minister, his spokesperson said on Monday, after calls for an investigation into whether she broke ministerial rules. Opposition parties have called on the prime minister to investigate whether Braverman breached the ministerial code over her handling of the speeding incident. "The prime minister believes in proper process so that's why he's availing himself of the information whilst he has had a conversation with the independent adviser," Sunak's spokesperson told reporters. Sunak reappointed her less than a week later in one of his first acts as prime minister.

☆ Factbox: Why Ukraine is bidding for F-16 jets and will it succeed?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WHAT KIND OF FIGHTER JETS COULD UKRAINE GET? Ukraine wants F-16s, which it says are "four or five times" more effective than Soviet-era jets it currently has. However, Polish President Andrzej Duda reiterated on Tuesday that Poland has too few F-16 jets to be able to give any to Ukraine. Britain will not send jets to Ukraine, a spokesperson for Sunak has said, since Britain does not have the F-16s that Ukraine wants. Denmark said in February it was "open" to the idea of sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

REYKJAVIK, May 16 (Reuters) - European leaders will travel to Iceland on Tuesday for a two-day summit meant to show their support for Ukraine but also send a powerful message on core democratic values many feel are under threat in and outside Europe. The CoE's democratic values are upheld by the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights, where citizens can take governments to court in case of human rights violations. Even Russia didn't want to leave the Council of Europe, Turkey doesn't want to leave either." European leaders such as Germany's Olaf Scholz, Britain's Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the summit in Reykjavik, while Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy will address his counterparts via videolink. Macron's office said the Council is looking at how its little-known bank, the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), could help meet the needs of struggling Ukrainians.

☆ In Taiwan, former UK PM Truss warns against appeasing China
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, May 17 (Reuters) - Former British prime minister Liz Truss will say in Taiwan on Wednesday that the West must avoid appeasing China and show unwavering support for the self-governed island, in a speech that risks further damaging Britain's relations with Beijing. Truss is the most well-known British politician to visit Taiwan since former prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1990s, and her trip comes at a time when relations between Britain and China are the worst in decades. China claims Taiwan as its own and has not renounced the use of force to ensure eventual unification. Beijing has previously condemned visits by British lawmakers to Taiwan for what it calls interference in China's internal affairs. "There are still too many in the West who are trying to cling on to the idea that we can cooperate with China on issues like climate change," Truss will say.

☆ Britain ditches commitment to remove all EU laws by the end of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, May 10 (Reuters) - Britain no longer intends to remove all European Union laws by the end of 2023 and instead will amend the retained EU law (REUL) bill to clarify the laws it intends to revoke this year, the government said. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesperson said in January the government would not extend an end-of-year deadline to replace all the European Union laws that were retained after Britain left the bloc in 2020. But on Wednesday, business and trade minister Kemi Badenoch said that rather than automatically revoking almost all retained EU law, the government would amend the bill to propose to revoke only about 600 out of around 4,000 retained EU laws. "Today the Government is tabling an amendment... which will replace the current sunset in the Bill with a list of the retained EU laws that we intend to revoke under the Bill at the end of 2023," Badenoch said in a ministerial statement. Badenoch said that 1,000 EU laws had already been revoked or reformed since Britain left the EU in 2020, and a financial services bill would revoke a further 500 pieces of retained law.

A British official said no final decision had been made to send missiles with these capabilities to Ukraine. Britain and other Western countries have scaled up their pledges of military aid for Ukraine this year. Britain said in January it would send 14 of its main Challenger 2 battle tanks to Ukraine. Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraine's defence minister, told Reuters that Kyiv had no concrete information about the UK-led effort to supply long-range missiles, but that Ukraine had for months been consistently appealing to Western governments to provide long-range weapons. "We would welcome it if the UK takes on a leadership role with the long-range missiles, in the same way they did with the Challenger 2 main battle tanks," he said.

☆ Police arrest republican leader ahead of King Charles' coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - British police arrested Graham Smith, leader of anti-monarchy group Republic, and a number of other individuals as part of what they called "a significant police operation" ahead of King Charles' coronation on Saturday. A photo posted on Twitter showed Smith sitting on the ground surrounded by a group of police officers. An officer at the scene near Trafalgar Square said three republican protesters had been arrested for carrying paint. A Reuters photographer said a number of protesters from the Just Stop Oil environmental group were also arrested. Rowley had said police would take action if protesters tried to "obstruct the enjoyment and celebration" of a significant number of people.

☆ Police arrest anti-monarchy protesters ahead of King Charles' coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - Police arrested the leader of the anti-monarchy group Republic hours before King Charles' coronation on Saturday and a number of other protesters who had gathered among the crowds lining the procession route in central London. "NOT MY KING"[1/2] An anti-monarchy demonstrator holds stickers ahead of Britain's King Charles’ procession to his coronation ceremony from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, at The Mall in London, Britain May 6, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls 1 2Some anti-monarchy protesters had held up signs saying "privatise them" and "abolish the monarchy, not the right to protest", and "Not My King". Most of the anti-monarchy protesters on Saturday had congregated in Trafalgar Square next to the bronze statue of King Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649, leading to a short-lived republic. While many other European monarchies have come and gone, or are far diminished in scale and importance, the British royal family has remained remarkably resilient.

☆ Police arrest 52 including republicans during King Charles' coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - Police arrested the leader of the anti-monarchy group Republic and 51 others at King Charles' coronation on Saturday, with officers saying their duty to prevent disruption outweighed the right to protest. [1/7] Protesters hold placards as people gather on the day of Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla's coronation ceremony, in London, Britain May 6, 2023. Most of the anti-monarchy protesters on Saturday had congregated in Trafalgar Square next to the bronze statue of King Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649, leading to a short-lived republic. Since Charles became king last September, there have been protests at royal events. Events to mark the coronation in other countries where Charles is head of state were also low key.

[1/4] People wait to watch Britain's King Charles' procession to his coronation ceremony from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, at The Mall in London, Britain May 6, 2023. REUTERS/Stephanie LecocqLONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people of all ages, from Britain and across the globe, braved the rain for a glimpse of the newly crowned King Charles in the streets of London and on Buckingham Palace's famous balcony on Saturday. "It was amazing to see them all there in real life, just like you’d see on a postcard." Charles, 74, ascended to the throne in September after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth. But polls show the public generally approves of Charles as king and a majority still support the monarchy, even if younger people are far less interested.

[1/4] People wait to watch Britain's King Charles' procession to his coronation ceremony from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, at The Mall in London, Britain May 6, 2023. From the early hours, people dressed in red, white and blue and clutching union flags lined the streets to watch the crowning of King Charles, the first coronation in Britain for 70 years that will be marked by a vast display of pomp and pageantry. But polls show the public generally approves of Charles as king and a majority still support the monarchy, even if younger people are far less interested. By 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) crowds on the grand Mall boulevard leading up to Buckingham Palace were 20-deep in places, with many wearing paper crowns and waving flags. "I think regardless of his age the king will reach out to younger people, I think he'll be more connected to the youth than the queen," he said.

☆ UK Conservatives suffering 'terrible' night with local election losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Peter CziborraLONDON, May 5 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives were facing a bleak set of local election results with voters punishing his party over political scandals, sluggish economic growth and high inflation, early results showed on Friday. The Conservative Party suffered a net loss of 144 seats on local councils that were up for re-election, the early results showed. Johnny Mercer, a member of parliament for the area, said it had been a "terrible" night for the Conservatives. The Labour leader Keir Starmer visited Plymouth and Stoke-on-Trent during local election campaigning as the party threw resources into winning back control of the councils. The last time most of these local election seats were contested was in 2019 when the Conservatives lost more 1,300 seats, shortly before the then prime minister Theresa May was forced to resign, which had been expected to help limit the losses in these elections.

[1/5] Britain's King Charles speaks to guests during a reception for overseas guests attending his coronation at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, May 5, 2023. It will be the largest show of its kind in Britain since the coronation of Charles' mother. Once at the abbey, much of the ceremony will feature elements that Charles' forebears right back to King Edgar in 973 would recognise, officials said. Handel’s coronation anthem "Zadok The Priest" will be sung as it has at every coronation since 1727. After returning to Buckingham Palace, the royals will make a traditional appearance on the balcony, with a fly-past by military aircraft.

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