DAN HODGES: I thought Starmer was just weak. But after what ministers told me this week, I've had a chilling revelation about our manipulative Prime Minister
For a while he listened to their harrowing stories. Then talk turned to the wider Gaza situation and the search for peace.
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The Independent
4 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump ‘pushing for all or nothing deal' on Gaza as Netanyahu ‘wants full occupation'
Donald Trump is pushing for an 'all or nothing' agreement to end the war in Gaza while Benjamin Netanyahu wants to occupy the entire Gaza Strip, according to reports. After months of ceasefire talks stalled, Mr Netanyahu and Mr Trump are reportedly working on a deal that presents Hamas with an ultimatum: release the hostages and agree to terms to disarm or the war continues. 'No piecemeal deals. That doesn't work,' US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly told hostage families in an audio leaked to Israeli news outlet Ynet. 'We think that we have to shift this negotiation to 'all or nothing' - everybody comes home,' Mr Witkoff was quoted as saying later in the recording. International leaders have ramped up pressure to reach a deal as Gaza faces widespread starvation and videos of two emaciated Israeli hostages circulated online. Domestic pressure in Israel has also been growing as the videos prompted thousands of people to protest in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to release the hostages and end the war. Nearly 600 retired Israeli security officials and former intelligence agency heads have written to Mr Trump urging him to put pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza immediately. Mr Netanyahu is set to update his military plan for Gaza this week amid local media reports he wants to occupy all of the besieged enclave. 'The die is cast - we are going for a full occupation of the Gaza Strip,' senior officials close to Netanyahu is quoted as saying in Ynet. 'There will be activity also in areas where hostages are being held. If this doesn't suit the IDF Chief of Staff, he can resign.' An official was also quoted as telling Israeli Channel 12: 'The decision has been made… we are going to occupy the Gaza Strip.' The Jerusalem Post and i24NEWS also reported senior sources confirming plans for a full occupation. Mr Netanyahu's office has been approached for comment. Meanwhile, 'the worst-case scenario of famine' is playing out in Gaza, according to a UN-back food security agency. Israel has repeatedly denied that there are restrictions on aid or that there is a hunger crisis in Gaza. It blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza and says it is taking steps to get more aid to Palestinians. In total, 289 airdrops have been conducted since Israel permitted them to restart two weeks ago, delivering 305 tonnes of aid. However officials in Jordan warned that they have had warehouses of aid for Gaza gathering dust since Israel reimposed its devastating blockade in March. More than 60,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The Guardian
4 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Trump attacks ‘seriously woke' Jaguar Land Rover as company names new CEO
Donald Trump has attacked Jaguar Land Rover's divisive rebranding strategy, hours after Britain's largest carmaker announced its new boss. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that the auto company, owned by India's Tata Motors, was 'in absolute turmoil' and claimed that the 'CEO resigned in disgrace'. His post on Monday evening also described JLR's recent much-criticised advert – which showed a diverse group of models in brightly coloured clothing set against a vibrant backdrop and was designed to launch the company's rebrand – as a 'stupid, and seriously WOKE advertisement'. 'Who wants to buy a Jaguar after looking at that disgraceful ad?' Trump asked. The post came shortly after JLR announced that PB Balaji would become its new chief executive, and would take the reins in November. The group finance chief of JLR's parent company, Tata Motors, since 2017 will become the carmaker's first Indian CEO. He will replace Adrian Mardell, who is retiring after three years as JLR's chief executive and following 35 years working for the company. Balaji said in a statement it was his 'privilege' to lead JLR, adding: 'I look forward to working with the team to take it to even greater heights.' Mardell said he believed he had 'cemented JLR's position in the automotive industry during a time of incredible change', and wished Balaji success in his new role. In recent months, JLR has been hit by the impact of Trump's tariffs, and reported a 15.1% drop in sales in the three months to June, after a temporary pause in exports to the US. It has also opened a voluntary redundancy scheme for up to 500 managers in an effort to save costs. Sales are expected to improve after the introduction of a UK-US trade deal, which will implement lower 10% tariffs on the first 100,000 exports. The company has reported a profit for the past 10 consecutive quarters after a turnaround effort. However, the Guardian revealed in July that JLR was delaying the planned launches of its new electric Range Rover and electric Jaguar models to give it time for more testing and to allow demand to pick up. The electric Range Rover, which will be made in JLR's main factory in Solihull, in the West Midlands, will not be delivered until 2026, instead of late this year, as previously planned Jaguar models are also expected to be pushed back by several months. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion JLR has been slower than some of its rivals to embrace electric vehicles, but has recently made investments in building hybrid cars as well as preparing for electric vehicle production. During Mardell's tenure, JLR released a controversial 30-second social media clip with the tagline 'copy nothing', before the unveiling last November of a new electric concept car. JLR's rebrand and advertising campaign, which did not feature a vehicle, immediately drew more than 160m views on social media, but also brought an online backlash late last year, including from Republicans and rightwing commentators in the US. The owner of X and boss of Tesla, Elon Musk, posted on the platform: 'Do you sell cars?' It prompted the carmaker's managing director to say he was disappointed by the 'vile hatred and intolerance' in the comments directed at the models in the video. JLR was approached for comment.
Telegraph
4 minutes ago
- Telegraph
If you come to Britain and can't support yourself, you must leave
For the 25 years up to 1997, according to the Centre for Policy Studies, net migration was 68,000. In the 25 years that followed, however, that figure shot up to nearly 6 million. Our immigration system is out of control. It isn't just about the number of people who've come here, unsustainable though that is. Our migration system has also been highly un-selective. The vast majority of those who've arrived in the last few years haven't come to work, and didn't need to be earning a particular salary – or often anything at all – to get their visa. Even those who did come here to work are often employed in low-paid jobs, and won't be paying enough in tax to account for the pressure that they put on public services, or the costs that they'll incur later in life. According to the researcher Karl Williams, 72 per cent of those who came as 'skilled workers' in 2022-23 earned below the UK average salary, with 54 percent likely earning less than half of that average. But after just five years here, most of these people will qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain, or ILR. With ILR, migrants can access welfare, social housing, and free healthcare, as well as stay permanently in the UK and apply for citizenship. On average, the Government spends £34,000 looking after somebody in the last year of their life. Only a small minority of recent migrants will pay enough in tax to cover those costs over the entire time that they're here – let alone to cover the cost of the benefits and services that they and their family will use over their lifetimes. It's going to cost us hundreds of billions of pounds. We simply can't afford it. But it can be fixed. Earlier this year, the Conservatives proposed a plan to reform our immigration system, including by introducing a hard cap on visas and stopping ILR from entitling people to state support. We also proposed extending the qualifying period from five years to ten. This wouldn't just mean that it takes longer for migrants to be eligible for ILR status. It would also give us an opportunity to review the visas of those who are already here. Those who come to Britain from abroad must be able to support themselves, and must be earning enough to contribute more in tax than they will cost over their lifetime. If they can't, their visa must not be renewed, and they must leave. The Government voted against that plan, but they've committed to a consultation on ILR in the autumn. We must use that opportunity to push them not just to extend the qualifying period for ILR, including for those who are already here, but also to refuse to reissue visas to those who won't end up contributing enough. The era of mass migration has been a disaster. People can see it in their rising rents, in the pressure on their public services, and in their increasingly divided communities. Most disgracefully of all, the British people have voted to avert that disaster, time and time again. Government after government has failed to heed their warning. It's a complete scandal, and it's probably the single biggest reason why trust in our political system is in such short supply. Rebuilding that trust means building a migration system that's limited and selective – but it also means undoing the harm that has already been done. We can still avert the coming disaster around ILR, and we must.
