Suffolk MP Patrick Spencer MP charged with two sex attacks
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Telegraph
a few seconds ago
- Telegraph
Starmer risks clash with Trump on Gaza
Sir Keir Starmer will press Donald Trump on whether more can be done to end the war in Gaza at a meeting in Scotland on Monday. The Prime Minister's urging for securing a ceasefire raises the risk of a clash with the US president, who has said that Hamas does not want peace. It comes as Mr Trump continues his short visit to Scotland, during which he was expected to visit both of his golf courses. He will also meet Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, to discuss trade ties between the US and the European Union. The Telegraph understands Sir Keir and Mr Trump's one-on-one talks will focus on how Britons and Americans can benefit from the UK-US trade deal struck in May. He is also expected to discuss further support for Ukraine. But the Prime Minister is expected to enter more contentious territory as he seeks to explore further steps that could be taken to secure an 'urgent' ceasefire in Gaza. He will go on to affirm his support for the return of the remaining 50 Israeli hostages being held by Hamas. On Saturday, the Prime Minister confirmed Britain would evacuate critically ill children from the Gaza Strip and said he was working with Jordan on a plan to drop aid into the territory by air. He said: 'Israel must allow aid in over land to end the starvation unfolding in Gaza. The situation is desperate. 'We are urgently accelerating efforts to evacuate children who need critical medical assistance to the UK for treatment.' At the talks in Scotland, Sir Keir will also discuss how to end the Russia-Ukraine war after Mr Trump turned on Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, in recent weeks. Mr Trump told Britain to 'get its act together' on illegal migration as he landed in Scotland on Friday, claiming that a 'horrible invasion' was taking place. Last week, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, condemned Emmanuel Macron's 'reckless' announcement that France will recognise Palestine as a state in September. Sir Keir promised to formally recognise Palestine in Labour's general election manifesto last year but has insisted on the need to do so at the right time. Writing for The Telegraph, Tzipi Hotovely, Israel's ambassador to the UK, said recognition would amount to 'nothing less than a reward for terrorism'. Ms Hotovely said the decision would merely 'reward' the Oct 7 terrorists who killed about 1,200 Israelis and began the current cycle of violence in the Middle East. Sir Keir's reluctance to immediately recognise Palestine comes despite Cabinet colleagues, including Angela Rayner, his deputy, urging him to do so. Despite their political differences, Sir Keir and Mr Trump have forged a surprisingly warm personal relationship. The US president once again lavished the Prime Minister with praise after Air Force One touched down in Glasgow Prestwick on Friday. 'I like your Prime Minister – slightly more liberal than I am, as you probably heard, but he's a good man,' Mr Trump said. 'He got a trade deal done, and you know, they've been working on this deal for 12 years. He got it done. It's a good deal. It's a good deal for the UK.' Mr Trump insisted there would not be a renegotiation next week but promised a 'celebration' of the trade deal.
The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
The government must ensure the promise of free childcare is delivered
Takeup of the government's offer of free childcare has been one-quarter higher than predicted, which has prompted some voices in the sector to warn of its imminent 'collapse', because it is unclear how the planned expansion of the scheme in September will be funded. Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, in an exclusive interview with The Independent, says the unexpectedly high numbers signing up for the scheme is a 'good problem to have'. There is no doubt that there is a problem, however. The higher takeup meant that the Department for Education spent £2bn on the scheme in the last financial year, covering most of the first year of the Labour government, rather than the planned £1.6bn. That gap was covered by additional funding announced in the spending review in March, but as we report today, the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that the gap will continue to widen as the scheme expands. The next expansion will happen in September, when working parents with children aged nine months and older will be offered 30 hours a week of 'free' childcare. Of course, the care is not 'free' in that it has to be paid for by taxpayers generally – on the grounds that helping the parents of young children to work is a public good. As Ms Phillipson puts it: 'If people are able to work, or work a few more hours, that helps us all as a society as well and it gets economic growth going.' The funding of the scheme will continue to be under pressure, but the most important fact about the scheme so far is that it has not collapsed. The Independent was among those voices warning that it had been underfunded by the Conservative government, but to its credit the new government has increased the money available. The finances of the scheme may be stretched, and many childcare providers continue to say that they cannot recruit enough staff at the wages they can afford, but the gloomier warnings of chaos and thousands of parents left without places have not yet been borne out. It is crucial to remain vigilant as the scheme expands so that remains the case. At the insistence of Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor in the previous government, the scheme was designed to start small, with a limited offer of free hours to older children, before expanding gradually to provide full coverage. This September's expansion is the final stage of that planned rollout, which so far has gone more smoothly than we expected. If the last stage is a stretch too far and some parents cannot immediately find the places they want, that would be a blow to the government's ambitions. Ms Phillipson is right that the problem facing the scheme in its final phase is the problem of success. The higher-than-expected demand means additional pressure on the public finances in the later years of this parliament – pressure that coincides with other increased demands on Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, from slow growth, higher interest rates and a government U-turn on disability benefits spending. Providing greater access to free childcare is a good policy that will help working families. Its success and ambition should be applauded. The government must now make sure that its expansion is a success.
The Sun
30 minutes ago
- The Sun
Asylum seekers are still getting money on taxpayer-funded credit cards after being granted refugee status
ASYLUM seekers are still receiving money on taxpayer-funded credit cards even after being granted refugee status. A probe has been launched after we uncovered cases of migrants saying they were still getting the handouts - despite rules stating payments must stop once leave to remain is granted. It piles fresh pressure on the Home Office, which is already facing questions over the ASPEN card scheme after it emerged thousands of attempts were made to spend the cash in gambling venues. 1 One migrant wrote in a Facebook group: 'I was granted refugee status in January 2025. I'm still getting money on my ASPEN card… do I need to inform the Home Office or will it stop automatically?' Another user replied: 'I know someone else this happened to. But he had payments for a whole year. 'He did not touch the money as the Home Office could ask you to refund if you are not entitled to this.' Another admitted they are getting payments for dependants who have gone home. When asylum seekers arrive in the UK, they are typically housed in fully catered hotels and receive £9.95 a week on their ASPEN card, rising to £49.18 a week if they are later moved to self-catered accommodation. A Home Office spokesperson said: 'The Home Office rules state that – when an individual ceases to qualify for support – their subsistence payments will automatically end, and their card will be cancelled, after a short transitional period. 'As part of our investigation into the functioning of Aspen cards, we will look into any instances where cards have not been cancelled as intended, and take whatever action is necessary to correct any faults.' The Tories last night insisted it was 'further evidence' Labour has 'lost control of the immigration system'. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'We have seen luxury hotels provided for illegal immigrants, record ever numbers crossing the channel, rapes and sex offences being committed by asylum seekers, taxpayers' money being used to fund gambling by illegal immigrants and now we find they can't even switch the payment cards off when they should. 'This system has become a complete farce. No wonder it costs billions each year. It is an insult to taxpayers that illegal immigrants get better treatment than they do.' Reform UK's Richard Tice also let rip: 'We keep being told that there is no waste in government yet it's clear to see taxpayers are being taken for a ride by asylum seekers. 'The solution to this is simple. If you stop the boats, you stop the benefits and the enormous costs that are associated with illegal crossings. Only Reform will do this.' The wider investigation into ASPEN card misuse began earlier this week, after a Freedom of Information request by PoliticsHome revealed more than 6,500 gambling-related transactions had been attempted by asylum seekers in the past year. Although online gambling was blocked, migrants were able to use the cards in physical sites such as casinos, slot machine arcades and lottery retailers. In some cases, they withdrew cash in or near gambling venues. There are currently around 80,000 ASPEN card users in the UK.
