Emmanuel Macron, making the state visit by a European head of state to the UK since Brexit, has addressed MPs and peers in the Royal Gallery in parliament. Here are five standout moments from his speech 1. A mild dig at Brexit Nine years on from the referendum, and coded laments about Brexit are more palatable. The French president said that while the UK was no longer in the EU, it “cannot stay on the sidelines because defence and security, competitiveness, democracy – the very core of our identity –…
Tag: Immigration and asylum
UK overtures to China worry Hongkongers | Letter
As a Hongkonger with a British national (overseas) – BNO – passport who is now living in Britain, I read your editorial about the UK’s evolving position on China with both personal and political weight (The Guardian view on UK-China relations: a dilemma made sharper by Brexit, 16 April). For many of us who left Hong Kong following the imposition of the national security law, the threat from the ruling regime was not abstract – it was immediate, personal and existential. Our migration was not simply a search for better…
Reports PM privately thinks Rwanda plan won’t work are why costs must be published, Yvette Cooper says – UK politics live
From 30m ago Yvette Cooper says reports saying Sunak privately thinks Rwanda plan won’t work show why full costs must be published In the Commons MPs have just voted on the Labour motion criticising the government’s record on dentistry. It was defeated. Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, is opening the next debate on the “humble address” motion that, if passed, would oblige the government to publish confidential documents about the cost of the Rwanda programme. The text of the motion is here. Cooper says it is particularly important for…
‘I already miss Hong Kong’: Democracy activist Tony Chung on fleeing to the UK
One of the youngest people to be jailed under Hong Kong’s national security law has fled to the UK, where he claimed asylum in the early hours of Thursday morning. Tony Chung, 22, was released from prison in June but was required to meet regularly with Hong Kong’s national security police and abide by certain conditions, which included not leaving the territory without authorisation before June 2024. In December, he got permission from the Hong Kong’s correctional services department to take a short holiday to Okinawa, Japan, for Christmas, on…
Chinese couple barred from UK over Communist party donation allegations
A pair of wealthy Chinese nationals have been barred from entering the UK after the government accused them of being involved in making donations to British political figures on behalf of the Chinese Communist party. The married couple, both of whom had leave to remain in the UK, received the bans last year, but details of their exclusion have only now emerged in a case before a secretive immigration tribunal. A recent ruling in the case has revealed how the Home Office wrote to the individuals in March 2022, informing…
‘My time in the UK has been a disaster’: Hongkongers fear deportation after years left in limbo
In March 2021, less than one month after his 18th birthday, Lawson* made a decision that would change the course of his life for ever. The previous year had been tumultuous in Hong Kong. Lawson, like millions of other Hongkongers, had taken to the streets to participate in pro-democracy protests against the influence of the Chinese Communist party, which was seeking to tighten its grip on the territory. He had been forced by police to kneel on the ground as he choked on teargas at the siege of Hong Kong…
No 10 signals Rishi Sunak no longer committed to blocking all new onshore windfarm developments – UK politics live
From 3h ago No 10 signals Sunak no longer committed to blocking all new onshore windfarm developments At the Downing Street lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson signalled that Rishi Sunak is no longer trying to block new onshore windfarm developments. The spokesperson did not accept that Grant Shapps’ comments in interviews this morning showed that the government had already implemented a U-turn. He claimed that Shapps’ references to community consent were a description of rules that are in force now. And the spokesperson would not commit the government to accepting…
Mick Lynch says RMT no closer to calling off rail strikes as transport minister states there is ‘deal to be done’ – UK politics live
From 3h ago Mick Lynch says meeting with transport secretary ‘positive’, but RMT no closer to calling off rail strikes Mick Lynch, the RMT general secretary, has been speaking to the media after his meeting with Mark Harper, the transport secretary. He said that it was a “positive meeting” and that Harper said he would set out in writing what steps might be taken towards a resolution of the dispute behind the rail strikes. He said one issue was that it has not been clear what scope the Rail Delivery…