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A government deal with Iraq to return illegal migrants “will deter small boat arrivals” and “secure our borders”, Keir Starmer has said. The deal, signed by Home Office minister Dan Jarvis, will set up a formal process to return Iraqis who have arrived in the UK with no right to stay in the country. Jarvis described the deal as a “positive move” and “part of the jigsaw” to tackle small boat Channel crossings. He also told LBC that the government is “not paying” Iraq for the deal but had offered “specific financial support” to help the country tackle people smuggling. Jarvis signed the agreement during a visit to the UK by Iraq’s deputy foreign minister Faud Hussein.
The government is looking at a “range of appropriate accommodation” in which to house asylum seekers in England, the Home Office minister Dan Jarvis told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday. He refused to specify what kind of accommodation was under consideration, although he acknowledged that “nobody really thinks that hotels are a suitable location” after this week’s high court ruling.
Councils across England are weighing up their own legal challenges after a high court ruling blocked people seeking asylum from being housed in an Essex hotel. The Conservative-run Broxbourne council in Hertfordshire said it was taking legal advice “as a matter of urgency” on whether it could follow the example of neighbouring Epping Forest district council, which successfully applied for an injunction to stop asylum seekers being accommodated at the Bell hotel in the town. The ruling has been seized on by Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, who said the party’s 12 councils would also consider such challenges.
Conservative former Home Office minister Damian Green has said the government should “go back to the idea of camps” for housing asylum seekers. Green, who lost his seat in the general election last year, told the World At One: “What they should now do is actually toughen up the accommodation that we offer people to make it clear that it’s a deterrent as much as anything.”
UK inflation rose again last month to a higher-than-expected 3.8% amid higher food prices and travel costs, adding to fears that the Bank of England will delay further interest rate cuts. Figures showed the annual rate as measured by the consumer prices index climbed from June’s 3.6% reading, sitting above the central bank’s 2% target for the 10th consecutive month. Responding to the latest figures, chancellor Rachel Reeves said there was “more to do to ease the cost of living”.
Rachel Reeves is considering plans for a tax on expensive homes in an effort to raise billions of pounds and close a large hole in the public finances. The UK chancellor has ruled out increases to income tax, VAT and national insurance, but Treasury officials have been tasked with exploring other options to boost revenue.
During the media rounds on Wednesday Jarvis said he believes “the very worst politicians” try to drive people apart, when asked on Sky News about Farage’s opinion piece in the Telegraph about hotels housing asylum seekers. Jarvis said: “I haven’t read Mr Farage’s op-ed, but I’ve always thought that the best politicians try and bring people together, and the very worst politicians try and drive them apart.”
Jarvis said talks in recent days have “brought the prospect of peace much closer” in Ukraine, but insisted that Russia should not have a veto on Ukraine’s Nato membership. He told Times Radio that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s Alaska summit, plus talks in Washington over the previous days, had “brought the prospect of peace much closer than they had been previously”.
Scotland Yard’s plan to widen the use of controversial live facial recognition technology is unlawful because it is incompatible with European laws, the equalities regulator has claimed. As the UK’s biggest force prepares to use instant face-matching cameras at this weekend’s Notting Hill carnival, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said its use was intrusive and could have a “chilling effect” on individuals’ rights.
The shadow home secretary has called for an emergency cabinet meeting “to establish plans for the deportation of all illegal immigrants upon arrival”. In a letter to home secretary Yvette Cooper, Chris Philp claimed the “migration crisis” was due to “the catastrophic decision to cancel the Rwanda deterrent just before it was due to start, with no replacement plan”. Philp also told Cooper that flats are “sorely needed by young people”, as he called for assurances that asylum seekers would not be moved from Epping’s Bell hotel into apartments.
The head of the British armed forces will tell his American counterparts the UK is prepared to send troops to defend Ukraine’s skies and seas but not to the frontline with Russia, as planning intensifies for a postwar settlement. Tony Radakin, the chief of the defence staff, will on Wednesday attend meetings at the Pentagon designed to finalise what 30 different countries are willing to commit to Ukraine’s national security.
Train fares in England are now expected to rise by a higher-than-expected 5.8% next year, causing concern among passenger groups. Rail ticket increases are usually calculated by adding one percentage point to July’s inflation reading on the retail prices index (RPI), which came in 0.2 points above forecasts on Wednesday at 4.8%. The government has not yet confirmed how it will calculate rail fare increases for 2026 regulated fares, which account for about half of rail journeys.
The Liberal Democrats have called for rail fares to be frozen to “avoid another hit to the cost of living and encourage more people on to trains”. Paul Kohler, MP for Wimbledon and Lib Dem transport spokesperson said: “To increase rail fares at all in the midst of a cost of living crisis would be nothing other than a slap in the face to ordinary people.”
Scotland’s justice secretary has said she wants a consultation on the parole process to help make the system “fair, transparent and trusted”. Angela Constance spoke as the Scottish government launched a consultation on possible changes to how the current system works.
The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is to be absorbed by Whitehall as the government seeks to cut the cost of bureaucracy. The agency will merge with Peter Kyle’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) in April 2026, in a move the government said would cut “duplication” and ensure “clear ministerial oversight”.
The government has lined up special managers to run Liberty Steel’s South Yorkshire operations if it is put into administration, according to a dramatic revelation at London’s high court. London’s high court heard on Wednesday that creditors to Speciality Steel UK (SSUK), part of Liberty Steel, were seeking a compulsory winding up order. The company asked to adjourn the hearing in order to try to agree a “pre-pack” administration that would allow its owner, metals tycoon Sanjeev Gupta, to keep control of the insolvent company.
The Scottish Greens will seek to change the law to give councils new powers to charge the owners of derelict land and buildings. MSP Ross Greer said the move will help tackle “landbanking”, a practice which can see companies buy vacant plots in a bid to prevent rival firms from developing them.
The average UK house price increased by 3.7% to £269,000 in the 12 months to June, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported a slight slowdown in price growth after a 3.9% rise was reported in the 12 months to May.
Updated
Labour preparing to use public-private funding model for NHS in England
Labour is preparing to kick off a new wave of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in England to build the neighbourhood health centres at the heart of its NHS 10-year plan.
Ministers will make a final decision in the autumn budget about whether to use the funding approach, which was put on pause eight years ago.
But critics say lessons have not been learned about the pitfalls of PPPs, and point to the chaos unleashed by the 2018 collapse of the mega-contractor Carillion, with its complex portfolio of projects.
While it was originally conceived under the Conservatives, Tony Blair’s Labour government made significant use of the private finance initiative (PFI), a form of PPP used to build schools, hospitals and other public infrastructure, without adding to the national debt.
Backers of PFI say this approach allowed public infrastructure to be built that otherwise would not exist; but opponents say the taxpayer was often left footing huge bills for inflexible contracts that ran for as long as 30 years.
Treasury data shows that 560 PFI contracts are outstanding in England, for projects including schools, hospitals, libraries and road maintenance. Hundreds of these contracts will end in the coming years, raising questions about the state of the assets being inherited by the taxpayer, and potentially triggering legal battles about the precise conditions of “handback”.
A report last year from the Association of Infrastructure Investors in Public Private Partnerships (AIIP), chaired by the Labour peer and former frontbencher John Hutton, warned of the risk of “serious disruption” as these deals come to an end, amid what it called “mistrust between the parties to some PFI contracts”.
Labour councillor Carol Dean, leader of Tamworth borough council, said the council did explore similar legal avenues when the Home Office first started using the Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth to house asylum seekers, but did not end up pursuing them.
She said:
I want to be transparent with our community – when the Home Office first began using the hotel in 2022, we did explore similar legal avenues. However, we did not pursue this route at the time because temporary injunctions, while initially granted in other cases nationally, were not ultimately upheld by the courts.
The situation at Epping Forest represents a potentially important legal precedent, and we are carefully assessing what this might mean for our circumstances here in Tamworth.
We fully recognise the UK government has a statutory duty to accommodate people seeking asylum. However, we have consistently maintained that the prolonged use of hotel accommodation may not represent the best approach – either for our local community or for the asylum seekers themselves.
We will continue to work constructively with government departments and all relevant agencies while making sure the voice of our community is heard at the highest levels of government. We will keep residents informed of any developments and will make further announcements as our legal review progresses.
Our priority remains ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all people in Tamworth, while working towards a sustainable long-term solution that serves everyone’s interests.
Missiles including fireworks, a petrol bomb, bricks, chunks of concrete and lamp-posts were hurled at the Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth and Staffordshire police officers by rioters during scenes of disorder after the Southport stabbings in August last year.
Dean said she understands the “strong feelings within our community regarding the use of the Holiday Inn to house those seeking asylum”.
She said:
I want to reassure residents that we are listening to their concerns and taking them seriously.
Nationally Labour came to power just over a year ago. The use of hotels has halved from 402 at their peak to 210 now, with a national pledge to end the use of asylum hotels by the end of this parliament.
However, following the temporary high court injunction granted to Epping Forest district council, we are closely monitoring developments and reviewing our legal position in light of this significant ruling.
The government has lined up special managers to run Liberty Steel’s South Yorkshire operations if it is put into administration, according to a dramatic revelation at London’s high court, report Jasper Jolly and Priya Bharadia.
London’s high court heard on Wednesday that creditors to Speciality Steel UK (SSUK), part of Liberty Steel, were seeking a compulsory winding up order. The company asked to adjourn the hearing in order to try to agree a “pre-pack” administration that would allow its owner, metals tycoon Sanjeev Gupta, to keep control of the insolvent company.
Counsel representing the creditors showed the judge a letter from the Department of Business and Trade detailing that the government had said its official receiver was ready to carry out a sales process if the company entered administration.
The insolvency and companies court judge Sally Barber said she was minded to give two weeks of extra time to decide what the consequences of each course would be. However, after a short pause, the creditors’ counsel then disclosed that lawyers for the government were present in the court. The barrister said he had just been informed that an application for the appointment of a special manager to carry out the administration had already been prepared in draft form.
The existence of a draft application suggests that the government is ready to step in immediately to secure the continued operations of SSUK. SSUK employs 1,450 people at the group’s operations at an electric arc furnace in Rotherham and another plant in Stocksbridge, both in South Yorkshire.
The court is expected to grant a short adjournment of a to give the parties time to provide evidence to the court of what will happen in either case.
Conservative former Home Office minister Damian Green has said the government should “go back to the idea of camps” for housing asylum seekers, reports the PA news agency.
Green, who lost his seat in the general election last year, told the World At One:
What they should now do is actually toughen up the accommodation that we offer people to make it clear that it’s a deterrent as much as anything.
So, go back to the idea of camps, whether purpose-built Nightingale hospital-style buildings on parts of the land that the government owns, or using existing military camps, all those sorts of things, so that is not seen as offensively luxurious by the people who have watched this happen in their communities over the past few years.
When he was asked about the “difficulties” that have been run into when this has been attempted before, for example at Napier barracks, RAF Scampton, Wethersfield and the Penally camp, he said:
Some of them were genuine, some of them weren’t. A lot of the problems are indeed legal problems, where the courts say you can’t keep people there. And I do think the government is going to have to confront the legal issue if they want to be effective in having a deterrent.
Met police’s facial recognition plans fall foul of European law, says watchdog
Scotland Yard’s plan to widen the use of controversial live facial recognition technology is unlawful because it is incompatible with European laws, the equalities regulator has claimed.
As the UK’s biggest force prepares to use instant face-matching cameras at this weekend’s Notting Hill carnival, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said its use was intrusive and could have a “chilling effect” on individuals’ rights.
The development will be a blow to Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan police commissioner, who has backed the use of the technology at mass events such as this weekend’s carnival, when 2 million people are expected to descend upon west London.
The EHRC has been given permission to intervene in an upcoming judicial review launched last month by the anti-knife campaigner Shaun Thompson. Thompson, a Black British man, was wrongly identified by live facial recognition (LFR) as a criminal, held by police, then faced demands from officers for his fingerprints.
Data seen by the EHRC shows that the number of black men triggering an “alert” while using the technology is higher than would be expected proportionally, when compared with the population of London, it said.
A letter last week from 11 anti-racist and civil liberty organisations, disclosed in the Guardian, urged the Met to scrap the use of the technology over concerns of racial bias and the impending legal challenge.
The EHRC said that the claim brought forward by Thompson “raises issues of significant public importance” and will provide submissions “on the intrusive nature of LFR technology” which focus on the way in which the technology has been used by the police.
The Met’s policy on LFR technology is unlawful because it is incompatible with articles 8 (right to privacy), 10 (freedom of expression), and 11 (freedom of assembly and association) of the European convention on human rights, the watchdog says.
The Scottish Greens will seek to change the law to give councils new powers to charge the owners of derelict land and buildings, reports the PA news agency.
MSP Ross Greer said the move will help tackle “landbanking”, a practice which can see companies buy vacant plots in a bid to prevent rival firms from developing them.
With the owners of unused sites having previously benefited from reduced rates bills, the west Scotland MSP said this had resulted in “greedy companies and wealthy individuals sitting on derelict land and treating it as a personal cash cow”. Greer argued:
These sites could be used for the benefit of local people, for example as housing, rather than feathering the nests of people who are already very wealthy.
Far too many town and city centres are being held to ransom by land owners who are more interested in maximising their own profits than creating thriving high streets and local environments.
It’s time to bring abandoned and neglected land and properties back into community use. That would be good for local businesses and for communities.
Greer said he will put forward amendments to the land reform (Scotland) bill going through Holyrood to make the change.
If backed, his proposals could give councils the power to apply an extra charge on derelict sites instead, raising money for local services and pushing the owners to either use the land or sell it. The Green MSP, running to be his party’s co-leader, said:
I hope that MSPs will back my proposals, which would be a crucial step towards improving our town centres, freeing up land for affordable housing, supporting community regeneration and taking power back from the super-rich who are hoarding land and wealth.
Updated
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp has told Yvette Cooper that flats are “sorely needed by young people”, as he called for assurances asylum seekers will not be moved from Epping’s Bell Hotel into apartments.
In his letter to the home secretary, the Conservative MP wrote:
Up and down the country people are furious about the number of illegal migrants being housed in hotels - which rose in the nine months following the election under Labour.
People are also concerned that you are now moving people from hotels into apartments and other accommodation which is sorely needed by young people here who are struggling under this Labour government.
Philp also claimed that “illegal immigrants housed in hotels have been charged with hundreds of crimes”.
Scotland’s justice secretary has said she wants a consultation on the parole process to help make the system “fair, transparent and trusted”. Angela Constance spoke as the Scottish government launched a consultation on possible changes to how the current system works, reports the PA news agency.
The consultation, which will last for 12 weeks, is specifically focused on improving the transparency of the system and communicating better with victims and their families. It comes as ministers are also considering a plea from the families of Suzanne Pilley and Arlene Fraser that in cases where killers have refused to reveal the location of their victims’ remains, this must be taken into account when parole is being considered.
Constance reiterated her “firm commitment to this change” when she met the women’s families earlier this month. The justice secretary said that the new consultation is aimed at delivering a system that “puts people first while ensuring decisions are based on public safety”.
As part of the consultation, people are being asked for their views on whether parole boards should publish minutes in full from meetings where they make decisions about prisoners’ parole, and if information published should be anonymised.
The consultation considers if victims and survivors who have registered to be informed about a prisoner’s releases should have an automatic right to attend and observe oral hearings by the Parole Board for their case – and if other people, such as the media or the public, should be able to attend. In addition, people are being asked to have a say on whether victims should have the right to make oral representations to the Parole Board ahead of cases being considered,
Speaking as the consultation got under way, Constance said:
The parole system must command the confidence of everyone it affects and work well for victims, their families, justice partners, and those seeking rehabilitation.
We know it could be improved so we want to make further reforms based on the views of those it affects.
The justice secretary continued:
This consultation is an opportunity to gather all perspectives to deliver a parole process that is fair, transparent, and trusted. We want a system that puts people first while ensuring decisions are focused on public safety.
I encourage everyone with experience of the parole process to share their views. These insights are essential to shaping a system that reflects our shared values of justice, safety, and dignity.
The shadow home secretary has called for an emergency Cabinet meeting “to establish plans for the deportation of all illegal immigrants upon arrival”.
In a letter to home secretary Yvette Cooper, Chris Philp wrote:
This migration crisis has happened because you made the catastrophic decision to cancel the Rwanda deterrent just before it was due to start, with no replacement plan.
The Rwanda scheme would have seen every illegal immigrant deported upon arrival and made it impossible to claim asylum if you entered the UK illegally.
The Conservative politician added:
Given this crisis unfolding on your watch and the concern about where the Epping migrants will go, will you:
Hold an emergency cabinet meeting to establish plans for the deportation of all illegal immigrants upon arrival and to resolve the migrant crisis you have created - just as the government recently held an emergency cabinet meeting on recognising Palestine.
Commit that none of the illegal immigrants currently in the Bell Hotel will be moved into hotels, HMOs (houses in multiple occupation), apartments, or social housing which are much needed for British people.
The previous government established alternative accommodation on current or former military sites and an accommodation barge, which are all alternative options while deportation plans are put in place.
Updated
Yvette Cooper, thanks to Tuesday’s high court ruling, is facing potentially explosive decisions over where to house asylum seekers if courts rule that they must leave hotels.
The Home Office, usually under Conservative ministers, has been struggling for five years to find an alternative to hotels so they can house a growing number of asylum seekers reaching these shores.
Labour has said that it expects to empty the 200-odd hotels housing asylum seekers by 2029. Ministers may be forced to rip up that plan and move at a rapid pace because of the ruling’s implications.
If councils take to the high court to complain about the use of a hotel for housing asylum seekers – and many will be under immense political pressure from the public to do so – it could force officials to find alternative housing for thousands of people.
Legal sources believe that there will be similar grounds to launch applications for interim injunctions from a number of councils. This case has centred on an alleged breach of planning laws by owners of the Bell hotel, who it was claimed did not get permission to switch use from a hotel to hostel-style accommodation.
Other hotel owners are thought to be in similar positions to Somani Hotels Limited, which originally housed families in the Bell, but faced a legal challenge after the asylum seekers were switched to single men.
Ominously for the government, the Reform UK deputy leader, Richard Tice, said his party would look at pursuing similar cases regarding hotels within the 10 council areas it controls, which include both North and West Northamptonshire councils, Doncaster, and Kent and Staffordshire county councils.
And the high court rulings can require a rapid response. Epping’s application for an interim was launched on 12 August. By 4pm on 12 September, all asylum seekers will have to be removed from the Bell hotel.
There may yet be a lifeline for the government. They could convince the court of appeal to overturn the decision. The fact that the Home Office was not allowed to intervene in a case that was directly related to the home secretary’s duties to house asylum seekers could well be seized upon by government lawyers.
The government is looking at a “range of appropriate accommodation” in which to house asylum seekers in England, the Home Office minister Dan Jarvis told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday.
He refused to specify what kind of accommodation was under consideration, although he acknowledged that “nobody really thinks that hotels are a suitable location” after this week’s high court ruling. But the options are limited, writes Harriet Sherwood in this explainer:
Government's deal with Iraq to return illegal migrants 'will deter small boat arrivals' and 'secure our borders', says Starmer
Commenting on the government’s deal with Iraq to return illegal migrants, the prime minister said on X:
I am determined to smash the business model used by people smugglers, and I’m taking joint action with our allies to make it happen.
Building on our deal with France and renewed international cooperation, our strengthened partnership with Iraq will deter small boat arrivals and secure our borders.
Security minister Dan Jarvis said talks about ending the war in Ukraine mark a “pivotal moment”.
He told Sky News on Wednesday:
We are closer to peace than we’ve been at any point previously. And the UK government – the prime minister has been clear about this – will want to play our full part in terms of ensuring that we secure that peace.
Asked whether he is uncomfortable about “kowtowing” to Russian president Vladimir Putin, Jarvis said he would describe it as “diplomacy” and “the best strategy to try and get a peace settlement”.
The minister added:
I think in situations such as this, you’ve got to be pragmatic. The loss of life in Ukraine is horrific. This is a conflict that has gone on for far too long. It needs to be brought to an end.
The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is to be absorbed by Whitehall as the government seeks to cut the cost of bureaucracy, reports the PA news agency.
The agency will merge with Peter Kyle’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) in April 2026, in a move the government said would cut “duplication” and ensure “clear ministerial oversight”.
It follows a commitment from the prime minister to reduce costs and cut the number of quangos (quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations), starting with the abolition of NHS England announced in March.
Space minister Chris Bryant said:
Bringing things in house means we can bring much greater integration and focus to everything we are doing while maintaining the scientific expertise and the immense ambition of the sector.
The merger will see the agency become a unit within DSIT, staffed by experts from both organisations and retaining the UKSA name.
Founded in 2010, UKSA is responsible for supporting the growth of the UK’s space sector. Space, which already generates an annual income of £18.6bn and employs 55,000 people across the country, was one of 11 “frontier” manufacturing industries prioritised in the government’s industrial strategy published in June, reports the PA news agency.
Bryant added:
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see the importance of space to the British economy. This is a sector that pulls investment into the UK, and supports tens of thousands of skilled jobs right across the country, while nearly a fifth of our GDP is dependent on satellites.
The announcement of the UKSA-DSIT merger comes as the government publishes more than 60 recommendations from the space industry on improving the way the sector is regulated. These include proposals to encourage investment in potentially lucrative areas such as space junk removal and in-orbit refuelling and repair services, known as rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO).
The average UK house price increased by 3.7% to £269,000 in the 12 months to June, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported a slight slowdown in price growth after a 3.9% rise was reported in the 12 months to May.
Average house prices increased to £291,000 (3.3%) in England, £210,000 (2.6%) in Wales, and £192,000 (5.9%) in Scotland, in the 12 months to June. Meanwhile, average UK monthly private rents increased by 5.9%, to £1,343, in the 12 months to July, the statistics body said.
Security minister Dan Jarvis has said the government is “not paying” Iraq for its new deal to return illegal migrants (see 10.40am BST), but had offered “specific financial support” to help the country tackle people smuggling.
Speaking to LBC, Jarvis said:
We have a good and constructive relationship with the Iraqis and there are a number of areas, both in terms of security but also serious organised crime, where we’re seeking to cooperate – defence is another one.
The minister added:
We’re not paying them. When the home secretary was there at the back end of last year, there was some specific financial support that we provided to enable certain activity around targeting the smuggling networks.
On the government’s plans after the high court ruling that asylum seekers be removed from the Bell hotel in Essex, Jarvis said:
We are in the process of identifying contingency options for what’s going to happen to those people who are currently accommodated in that hotel in Epping.
According to the PA news agency, when Jarvis was pressed on the details of these contingency options, he replied:
With respect, the legal judgment was only handed down yesterday.
The leader of Staffordshire county council said it will be exploring its options after Tuesday’s high court ruling to remove asylum seekers from a hotel in Essex.
Reform UK councillor Ian Cooper said in a statement to the PA news agency:
We welcome this ruling and will be in contact with our district and borough council partners to explore what options this now gives us in Staffordshire.
The control and protection of our country’s borders is a national issue, but the impact of central government policy is felt in communities across Staffordshire.
I have already written to the home secretary on this issue, stating that the ongoing use of hotels for the purpose of asylum is unacceptable and poses a serious risk to local communities as well as the residents themselves.
Seperately, the leader of West Northamptonshire council Mark Arnull said in a statement that due to the council dealing with “an unreasonable and unsustainable strain” from asylum accommodation, it was “looking at the options now available”.
We have always been clear with the government and the public that the current use of three hotels in West Northamptonshire have never been suitable locations for asylum accommodation and place an unreasonable and unsustainable strain on our already-stretched local services.
We also know these hotels cause concerns for our communities and I have raised these issues with the Home Office and written to the deputy prime minister about the wider use of asylum accommodation within our community.
We are currently considering the implications of this judgment to understand any similarities and differences and are actively looking at the options now available to us. As such I am unable to comment further at this stage but will issue a further update when able to do so.
In the meantime, we will continue to work with partners in the police and in our communities to make sure that residents’ concerns are heard and addressed.
UK to offer troops to defend Ukraine’s skies and ports in Pentagon talks
The head of the British armed forces will tell his American counterparts the UK is prepared to send troops to defend Ukraine’s skies and seas but not to the frontline with Russia, as planning intensifies for a postwar settlement.
Tony Radakin, the chief of the defence staff, will on Wednesday attend meetings at the Pentagon designed to finalise what 30 different countries are willing to commit to Ukraine’s national security.
Radakin is expected to confirm the UK will provide soldiers to help with logistical support and training, but not deploy them close to Russia. Officials had been talking about deploying as many as 30,000 troops to protect Ukrainian sites, but that has been scaled back amid opposition from some European countries.
One British official said:
Wednesday is a really important moment. Nothing happens in Washington without the president giving the green light, so Trump giving his support to security guarantees on Monday kickstarted a lot of activity.
Another said Radakin would echo the pledges made last week by John Healey, the defence secretary, who said Britain was willing to deploy troops to Ukraine “to secure the safe skies, safe seas and to build the strength of the Ukrainian forces”.
They said ministers envisaged this as meaning logistical and training support rather than sending battalions of frontline troops who could end up in combat.
More England councils plan to challenge asylum hotels after Essex ruling
Councils across England are weighing up their own legal challenges after a high court ruling blocked people seeking asylum from being housed in an Essex hotel.
The Conservative-run Broxbourne council in Hertfordshire said it was taking legal advice “as a matter of urgency” on whether it could follow the example of neighbouring Epping Forest district council, which successfully applied for an injunction to stop asylum seekers being accommodated at the Bell hotel in the town.
Corina Gander, the leader of Broxbourne council, said a hotel in the town of Cheshunt put “an enormous strain on local services”.
“We are going to be looking at the ruling of Epping yesterday and we will be expecting to go down the same path as Epping,” the Conservative councillor told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Gander said her council had previously tried to get legal advice to block the hotel, but had not been successful. “What Epping have done is they have really set a precedent for local councils,” she added.
Ministers are braced for such legal challenges, as the government is working on contingency plans to house asylum seekers.
The ruling has been seized on by Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, who said the party’s 12 councils would also consider such challenges. Writing in the Telegraph, Farage said those authorities would do “everything in their power” to replicate Epping’s approach, describing the case as a template for resistance to the Home Office’s use of hotels.
Not all Conservative councils are rushing to the courts, however. The leader of South Norfolk council, Daniel Elmer, said his authority would instead use planning rules to ensure hotels in this area housed families rather than single men. “If we can punish people who put up sheds in their gardens without permission, then we can take action against hotels being converted into hostels,” he said.
Lib Dems call for rail fares to be frozen saying an increase would be a 'slap in the face to ordinary people'
The Liberal Democrats have called for rail fares to be frozen to “avoid another hit to the cost of living and encourage more people on to trains”.
The party said, according to its own research, that if regulated rail fares rise in 2026-27 to follow inflation then that would mean some commuters could face rises of above £2,000 since 2020. A season ticket from Winchester to London would then cost £6,984, up by £256 from last year, and £226 more from Cambridge, said the Lib Dems.
Commenting on the figures, Paul Kohler, MP for Wimbledon and Lib Dem transport spokesperson said:
This is nothing short of ludicrous. Commuters are simply being taken for a ride. We simply cannot allow the current rate of inflation to set rail fares while services get worse.
To increase rail fares at all in the midst of a cost of living crisis would be nothing other than a slap in the face to ordinary people.
The Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to scrap the 2026-27 rail fare rise and get more people on to the trains. Raising fares is a false economy that will only drive down passengers and revenue in the long run.
Updated
Security minister Dan Jarvis has hailed the government’s new migrant returns deal with Iraq as a “positive move” and “part of the jigsaw” to tackle small boat Channel crossings.
Jarvis, who is on the media rounds this morning, told Sky News:
The government of Iraq are a key strategic ally in our work to combat irregular migration.
Everybody has seen the very concerning scenes of significant levels of crossings across the English Channel and we’re working very hard to put a stop to that.
The best way to do that is to work upstream of the problem and there are a number of strategic partners that we’re working very closely with: clearly, the French and colleagues in Europe are an important part of the solution, but we also need to look further afield.
We’ve signed this agreement in Iraq, which will give us the ability to more rapidly repatriate people who’ve come here from Iraq. So it’s part of a wider process of leveraging our diplomatic relations to ensure that it is not only much more difficult for people to get here illegally in the first place, but if they are able to do that, we’ve got the ability to return them much more quickly and much more effectively than was the case previously.
He added:
We’re very grateful to the cooperation that’s been shown by the government of Iraq, but this is just a part of the jigsaw.
Government agrees new returns deal with Iraq in latest move to deter small boat crossings
The government has agreed a new deal with Iraq to return illegal migrants as part of wider moves to limit small boat crossings, reports the PA news agency.
The deal, signed by Home Office minister Dan Jarvis, will set up a formal process to return Iraqis who have arrived in the UK with no right to stay in the country. It comes after an £800,000 deal last year with Baghdad to help the country crack down on smuggling networks and organised crime.
Earlier this year Keir Starmer and Iraq’s prime minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani agreed to strengthen cooperation on migration.
Jarvis signed the agreement during a visit to the UK by Iraq’s deputy foreign minister Faud Hussein. The Home Office said the accord would allow the “swift” return of illegal migrants. Home Office statistics said since previous deals, the number of Iraqis arriving in the UK by small boat has fallen to 1,900 in the year to March 2025, down from 2,600 in the previous year.
Jarvis said:
By working together on security, development and migration challenges, we are building stronger relationships that benefit both our countries whilst tackling shared challenges like organised crime and irregular migration.
The returns deal is the latest part of the Home Office’s policies to stop small boats crossing the channel. Similar agreements have already been made with Albania and Vietnam since Labour came into power. Another deal with France recently came into force, where small boat migrants who have arrived over the English Channel from the French coast can be returned to the country.
Jarvis said:
This visit reinforces the strength of the UK-Iraq partnership and demonstrates our government’s commitment to serious diplomacy that delivers real results.
As someone who served in Iraq, I understand first-hand the importance of building enduring relationships in the region, and the new agreement we have signed is a testament to the trust and cooperation we’ve built with our Iraqi counterparts.
However, the announcement was criticised by Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp, reports the PA news agency. He said:
Over 50,000 illegal immigrants have crossed the Channel in Labour’s short time in power, the worst illegal immigration crisis in our history. Labour has surrendered our borders, and the consequences are being felt in our communities, from rising crime to shocking cases of rape and sexual assault by recent arrivals.
Now they boast about a measly returns deal with Iraq, but barely any small boat arrivals are Iraqi, and most would qualify for asylum anyway. It’s a sham designed to look tough while crossings keep soaring.
Labour has scrapped Conservative deterrents and created the conditions for chaos, leaving the British people to foot the bill. Only the Conservatives will stop the crossings and restore control of Britain’s borders.
Rail fares in England on path to rise by 5.8% next year on back of inflation data
Train fares in England are now expected to rise by a higher-than-expected 5.8% next year, causing concern among passenger groups.
Rail ticket increases are usually calculated by adding one percentage point to July’s inflation reading on the retail prices index (RPI), which came in 0.2 points above forecasts on Wednesday at 4.8%.
The government has not yet confirmed how it will calculate rail fare increases for 2026 regulated fares, which account for about half of rail journeys.
They would rise by 5.8% if ministers follow the pattern of last year, when they rose by 4.6% in March – one percentage point above the RPI reading from July 2024.
This would be higher than the 5.6% increase that had been predicted, after both the consumer and retail prices index measures of inflation rose more than expected in July, fuelled by higher food prices and travel costs, particularly air fares.
Before the publication of July’s inflation figures, passenger groups had warned that such fare increases risked pricing out some passengers, at a time of a squeeze on consumers’ wallets, including rising food prices.
Almost half of rail fares in England are set directly by Westminster. The devolved Scottish and Welsh governments usually cap fares at a similar level. Regulated fares include season tickets on most commuter journeys, off-peak returns on long-distance routes and flexible tickets for urban rail.
A 5.8% increase in rail fares would result in the cost of an annual season ticket for travel between Gloucester and Birmingham rising by £312 from £5,384 to £5,696, while an annual season ticket between Woking and London would climb by £247 from £4,260 to £4,507.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said there would be an update on changes to regulated fares later this year, but no decisions had yet been made on next year’s rates.
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Reeves considering tax on high-value homes to help plug hole in finances
Rachel Reeves is considering plans for a tax on expensive homes in an effort to raise billions of pounds and close a large hole in the public finances.
The UK chancellor has ruled out increases to income tax, VAT and national insurance, but Treasury officials have been tasked with exploring other options to boost revenue.
One proposal being considered would be to remove the longstanding capital gains tax exemption on primary residences above £1.5m, according to the Times. Homeowners selling properties above that level would be subject to a capital gains tax at 18% for basic-rate taxpayers and 24% for higher taxpayers.
The proposals are set out to raise between £30bn and £40bn to stabilise the public finances while allowing Reeves to stick to her election pledge not to raise the three biggest taxes on income and consumption.
When asked about the report, a Treasury source said they would not comment on “speculation”.
Reports have also suggested officials are considering wider changes to the way property wealth is taxed. Reports suggested an annual levy on higher-value properties had been considered.
The suggestion from the thinktank Onward had urged the Treasury to impose an annual charge of 0.54% on the portion of a home’s value above £500,000, rising to 0.81% on the portion above £1m, though officials stressed no decisions had been made.
Meanwhile, the Guardian reported that ministers have been considering replacing stamp duty with a new national property tax, payable by owner-occupiers when homes are sold. It could be accompanied by a longer-term plan to replace council tax with a proportional levy linked directly to property values.
Responding to July’s inflation figure of 3.8%, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper said on Wednesday:
Rising inflation is grim news for families, pensioners and businesses still struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
After the Conservative government oversaw the biggest fall in living standards on record, people desperately need things to change. But, so far, Labour has failed to offer a vision for the economy or a strategy to bring down the cost of living.
The Chancellor needs to take far bolder action, starting with the Liberal Democrat plan to halve energy bills by 2035.
Security minister Dan Jarvis said talks in recent days have “brought the prospect of peace much closer” in Ukraine, but insisted that Russia should not have a veto on Ukraine’s Nato membership, reports the PA news agency.
Speaking on Times Radio, he said:
We’ve always strongly supported Ukraine’s integration, both in terms of their potential desire to be members of the European Union and membership of Nato.
We don’t think that any limitation should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries, and Russia certainly shouldn’t be able to have a veto against Ukraine’s pathway to the European Union or Nato.
The minister added:
I think it is important to make the point that very significant progress has been made. I think the Alaska summit and the talks in Washington over the previous days have brought the prospect of peace much closer than they had been previously.
'More to do to ease the cost of living', says Reeves after UK inflation rise
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said there was “more to do to ease the cost of living” after the latest official figures showing UK inflation rose by more than expected last month.
According to the PA news agency, Reeves said:
We have taken the decisions needed to stabilise the public finances, and we’re a long way from the double-digit inflation we saw under the previous government, but there’s more to do to ease the cost of living.
That’s why we’ve raised the minimum wage, extended the £3 bus fare cap, expanded free school meals to over half a million more children and are rolling out free breakfast clubs for every child in the country.
Through our plan for change we’re going further and faster to put more money in people’s pockets.
UK inflation rises by more than expected to 3.8% amid higher food prices
UK inflation rose again last month to a higher-than-expected 3.8% amid higher food prices and travel costs, adding to fears that the Bank of England will delay further interest rate cuts.
Figures showed the annual rate as measured by the consumer prices index climbed from June’s 3.6% reading, sitting above the central bank’s 2% target for the 10th consecutive month.
That overshot financial market forecasts of a 3.7% figure for July and makes another reduction in the cost of borrowing this year unlikely, with financial markets not fully pricing in the chance of a fresh quarter-point cut until next spring.
The data also suggests rail fares are likely to rise by 5.8% next year. Increases in regulated train ticket prices are usually calculated by adding one percentage point to July’s inflation reading as measured by the retail prices index, which was 4.8%.
The Office for National Statistics said a jump in air fares was behind much of the increase in average prices. Tickets on flights out of the UK rose 30% month on month, although much of the increase was because of the timing of the summer holiday break.
Petrol prices added 0.1 percentage points to inflation after a comparison with last year, when prices at the pumps were falling.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages were up 4.9% year on year in July, an increase from 4.5% in the 12 months to June. Beef, orange juice, coffee and chocolate were among the worst-hit products.
Droughts in Spain, Italy and Portugal, where the UK sources much of its fresh fruit and vegetables, have pushed up prices this summer at a time when prices would usually fall.
In case you missed the Guardian’s news piece about the Bell hotel high court ruling:
Keir Starmer’s asylum plans have been plunged into turmoil after a high court ruling blocked people seeking refuge from being housed in an Essex hotel.
Epping Forest district council was granted an interim injunction on Tuesday to stop asylum seekers from being placed at the Bell hotel, following continuing protests nearby.
Thousands of people, including some rightwing agitators, have gathered near the hotel in recent weeks after an asylum seeker living there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the town.
Ministers are bracing for dozens of legal challenges from other council leaders after the ruling. Home Office lawyers warned the court that the decision could “substantially impact” the government’s ability to house asylum seekers in hotels across the UK.
There were about 200 hotels housing about 30,000 asylum seekers at the end of March.
Insiders at the Home Office admitted the department had been left “reeling” by the ruling. The department is obliged to house asylum seekers until their cases are assessed.
Reacting to the judgment, the border security minister, Angela Eagle, said:
We will carefully consider this judgment. As this matter remains subject to ongoing legal proceedings it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.
Mr Justice Eyre granted the injunction after hearing the local council’s complaints that planning law had been breached in changing the site’s use.
Epping district council also cited disruption caused by the protests and concerns for the safety of the asylum seekers themselves.
Sitting at the Royal Courts of Justice on Tuesday, the judge agreed with the council that an urgent order was required to stop the hotel housing asylum seekers. He said the hotel’s owner, Somani Hotels, had until 12 September to comply.
'The very worst politicians' try to drive people apart, says security minister after Farage opinion piece
Security minister Dan Jarvis said he believes “the very worst politicians” try to drive people apart, when asked on Sky News about Nigel Farage’s opinion piece in the Telegraph on Wednesday about hotels housing asylum seekers.
Jarvis said:
I haven’t read Mr Farage’s op-ed, but I’ve always thought that the best politicians try and bring people together, and the very worst politicians try and drive them apart.
When asked whether the government plans to appeal against the high court’s decision on the hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping, Jarvis said:
Well, we’ll see where we get to with that specific decision. We’re looking very closely at it.
The bigger issue is how we can tackle the asylum backlog. We inherited a very significant backlog from the previous government who effectively stopped processing asylum claims. That’s why we rediverted the resources that had been put in place for Rwanda to ensure that we can process asylum claims much more quickly than was previously the case.
And I think the rate of processing is up by 116%, we’ve returned 35,000 people over the last year who don’t have a right to be here.
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Security minister Dan Jarvis has emphasised that the Bell hotel in Epping, which a court ruled on Tuesday will have to stop housing asylum seekers, is a “very specific case” with “a longstanding history of concern”.
Speaking on Times Radio, he said:
This was a very specific case concerning a hotel which, since it opened to accommodate asylum seekers five years ago now, has been the subject to a lot of complaints and protests.
Indeed, there’s been considerable amount of legal debate about its location and use.
If you go back to November 2022 when it came into use for the second time as an asylum hotel – I think Robert Jenrick was the minister responsible for that, by the way – the local council at the time said it was planning a legal challenge over whether the local planning regulations had been followed correctly.
There is quite a longstanding history of concern about this particular hotel, and there’s been consideration of previous legal challenges going all the way back.
He added:
There is a short-term challenge to ensure that those asylum seekers who are here are appropriately accommodated, but of course the bigger-picture challenge is stopping people coming here illegally in the first place.
Government looking at contingency options for housing asylum seekers after Epping hotel court ruling
Security minister Dan Jarvis has said the government is looking at contingency options for where to house asylum seekers after a court ruled on Tuesday that they cannot live in a hotel in Epping, Essex.
According to the PA news agncy, he told Times Radio on Wednesday:
We’re looking at a range of different contingency options following from a legal ruling that took place yesterday, and we’ll look closely at what we’re able to do.
Asked whether other hotels housing asylum seekers have the proper planning permission, Jarvis said:
Well, we’ll see over the next few days and weeks. Other local authorities will be considering whether they wish to act in the same way that Epping [Forest] district council have.
I think the important point to make is that nobody really thinks that hotels are a sustainable location to accommodate asylum seekers.
That’s precisely why the government has made a commitment that, by the end of this parliament, we would have phased out the use of them.
Keir Starmer’s asylum plans have been plunged into turmoil after a high court ruling blocked people seeking refuge from being housed in the Essex hotel. Epping Forest district council was granted an interim injunction on Tuesday to stop asylum seekers from being placed at the Bell hotel, after continuing protests nearby.
More on this story in a moment, but first here are some other developments:
The government has agreed a new deal with Iraq to return illegal migrants as part of wider moves to limit small boat crossings. The deal, signed by Home Office minister Dan Jarvis, will set up a formal process to return Iraqis who have arrived in the UK with no right to stay in the country.
The head of the British armed forces will tell his American counterparts the UK is prepared to send troops to defend Ukraine’s skies and seas but not to the frontline with Russia, as planning intensifies for a postwar settlement. Tony Radakin, the chief of the defence staff, will on Wednesday attend meetings at the Pentagon designed to finalise what 30 different countries are willing to commit to Ukraine’s national security.
UK inflation rose again last month to a higher-than-expected 3.8% amid higher food prices and travel costs, adding to fears that the Bank of England will delay further interest rate cuts. Figures showed the annual rate as measured by the consumer prices index climbed from June’s 3.6% reading, sitting above the central bank’s 2% target for the 10th consecutive month.
The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is set to be absorbed by Whitehall as the government seeks to cut the cost of bureaucracy. The agency will merge with Peter Kyle’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) in April 2026, in a move the government said would cut “duplication” and ensure “clear ministerial oversight”.
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