DAN HODGES: Keir Starmer is a mouthpiece - THIS is the man who really tells the Prime Minister what to say and think
'We have to make the case for the benefits of immigration,' he exclaimed ardently, 'the benefits of free movement. We have to make the case for freedom of movement. And we have to make it strongly.'
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The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Home Secretary says police should reveal suspects' nationalities
Senior political figures, including the Prime Minister and Home Secretary, are urging police forces to increase transparency regarding details of criminal suspects. Yvette Cooper is developing new guidance for police to routinely disclose the nationality and asylum status of individuals charged with crimes, aligning with calls from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. The controversy escalated after Warwickshire Police declined to release the immigration status of two men – reported to be Afghan asylum seekers – charged in connection with the alleged rape of a 12-year-old in Nuneaton, citing national guidelines. Advocates for increased transparency argue it is essential for rebuilding public trust, combating misinformation, and addressing public concerns amid ongoing protests related to asylum seeker accommodation. Both the College of Policing and the Law Commission are reviewing existing guidance and rules concerning the release of information by police.
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Real Madrid were offered chance to pursue lucrative global tour over Champions League
Commercial entities floated a plan to Real Madrid that the Spanish club could pull out of the Champions League for a season and stage a world tour. While the Bernabeu hierarchy were never going to agree to the idea due to how much they value winning actual trophies, the fact that external agents could even consider raising such a plan - including quoted figures of potentially €120m in revenue - is seen as reflecting the fraught position the game is in and a potential move to 'globalised football'. Uefa sources say Madrid did not even bother filling in the club feedback survey for the first season of the expanded Champions League in 2024-25, as they continue a legal war with Uefa from the ill-fated launch of the Super League in April 2021. Madrid are also understood to have greatly resisted plans for Barcelona- Atletico Madrid to form the first Liga game in the United States, should the Spanish domestic competition eventually make the long-anticipated leap to playing games abroad. The details come in the paperback update to this writer's book, 'States of Play: how sportswashing took over football', released on Thursday 7 August. A new chapter delves into football in 'the age of authoritarianism', taking in Fifa president Gianni Infantino 's relationship with Donald Trump, as well as how billionaires' impact on the sport is now starting to echo the real world. Those in football even have a phrase for the latter, which is 'billionaire idiot syndrome'. That is the dynamic of figures who became extremely wealthy in one field believing that affords them expertise in all areas, including football. Some managers have even complained of owners sending them proposed team line-ups, offering a modern spin on an old-fashioned problem. The chapter outlines a growing fear in the sport that all of these forces are going to create a fully 'globalised game', where domestic leagues gradually decline in prominence against new competitions like the expanded Club World Cup. Only emphasising Infantino's burgeoning individual relationship with the Trump administration, the Fifa Council - notionally the most powerful body in the organisation - had no advance knowledge that Ivanka Trump would be opening the draw for the Club World Cup in December 2024. It is also reported that Sir Jim Ratcliffe 's initial idea for his first few months of minority ownership of Manchester United was to culminate with Gareth Southgate 's appointment, but the former England manager did not want to discuss another role before Euro 2024. Ratcliffe wanted to make drastic changes in the first four months of his time at Old Trafford, as much to symbolise how things at the club were finally changing. This was intended to culminate with the appointment of Southgate but no deal could be struck before Euro 2024, so United were panicked into keeping Erik ten Hag that summer. A chaotic first year eventually saw the Dutch coach replaced by Ruben Amorim and Dan Ashworth leaving as sporting director mere months into the job, a process that major rivals felt was 'ludicrous'. States of Play, which covers how football has been transformed by geopolitics and capitalism, won 'football book of the year' at the 2025 Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards in May. The updated paperback is out on Thursday 7 August
Scotsman
13 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Trump's shock new tariff move could add $80 to Scottish products sold in the USA, says Parcelhero
Despite previously announcing that the US would keep its de minimis tariff threshold until July 2027, President Trump is now set to scrap it at the end of this month. That means all goods worth $800 or less entering the US from Scotland and the rest of the UK will no longer be exempt from US tariffs, says the international delivery expert Parcelhero. However, there are two hacks that will help senders avoid the worst impact of the new duties. Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A shock decision by President Donald Trump means that America's $800 (£600) de minimis limit is set to be scrapped at the end of this month – that's two years earlier than previously announced. The unexpected acceleration of the axing of the USA's de minimis import threshold is likely to have a substantial impact on Scottish manufacturers and exporters of of 'low-value' goods to the US, warns the international delivery expert Parcelhero. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It says sellers across Scotland and the rest of the UK were already preparing for the worst, as the scrapping of America's de minimis limit was originally announced in President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) last month. However, that legislation stated that the de minimis tariff exemptions would not be repealed until July 1, 2027. The White House now says: 'President Trump is acting more quickly to suspend the de minimis exemption than the OBBBA requires, to deal with national emergencies and save American lives and businesses NOW.' Exports of products valued at under $800 from Scotland and the rest of the UK to the US will soon cost American consumers more, as the US is set to scrap its de minimis tariff exemptions at the end of the month. Parcelhero's Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks M.I.L.T., says: 'Many UK-based exporters of products valued at $800 and under will be taken by surprise by the change. So-called low-value packages will now be subject to the same country-specific tariffs as larger shipments. The sudden increase in the cost of British goods to US consumers could result in UK exporters ending up with warehouses full of unsold items. The only alternative is to absorb the new charges themselves, rather than pass them on to their US customers. 'To give an idea of the scale of the potential impact of the axing of the de minimis limit, in the four quarters leading to the end of Q1, 2025, the UK exported £61.4bn-worth of goods to the US. While this total includes expensive products such as cars, it also includes millions of pounds worth of goods valued at $800 or less, which are about to be clobbered by tariffs for the first time. 'For example, last year the UK exported $138.87m-worth of apparel (including knitted and crocheted clothing), $109.37m-worth of ceramics and $256.75m-worth of toys, games and sports equipment to the US. Most of these products will have had a value of under $800. From the end of this month, these goods will all face new tariffs. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The UK is one of the few countries to have reached a trade deal with the US. The terms of the UK's deal are reasonably favourable compared to the tariffs many other nations face. Under the terms of the deal, UK-produced goods now attract a 10% tariff when they arrive in the US whereas, currently, Brazil is facing tariffs of up to 50%. Good deal or not, however, the fact is that all lower-priced UK-produced goods will potentially cost US shoppers more from 29 August than they pay today. 'The new Executive Order states: 'The duty-free de minimis exemption shall no longer apply to any shipment of articles… regardless of value, country of origin, mode of transportation, or method of entry. Accordingly, all such shipments… shall be subject to all applicable duties, taxes, fees, exactions, and charges.' 'At the very least, that means that, if the UK's trade deal rate of 10% is applied, a UK-made coat costing $800, for example, will cost US shoppers an extra $80 (£60), which could make all the difference between whether they purchase a UK-made product or one manufactured in the US. That may not be the only applicable tariff, however, as it could also attract a further tax depending on the item's tariff code. 'Parcelhero is also concerned that, at least initially, a potential blanket $80 duty might be applied to every package of $800 or less arriving in the US from the UK by post. That's because the new Executive Order's small print states that packages shipped through the 'international postal system' will face EITHER a duty equal to the tariff rate applicable to the country of origin of the product (which in the UK's case would be 10% of the package's value) OR a 'specific' duty ranging from $80 to $200 per package. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This 'specific' duty could mean a tariff of $80 will be slapped on all packages sent by international mail from the UK, regardless of whether they are worth $1 or $800. That's because a specific tariff of $80 is being applied to all parcels arriving by international post for all countries whose tariff rate is under 16% (a category which includes the UK). 'Believe it or not, this $80 fee could be a lot worse. A blanket $160 will be charged on packages arriving by post if the tariff rate of the country it originates from is between 16-25%, and $200 if the tariff rate of the country the package is posted from is above 25%. 'Why are these steep charges being applied so indiscriminately? When the de minimis limit was first cancelled for goods from China back in February, it resulted in US Customs chaos, the suspension of USPS deliveries of all packages from China and significant backlogs at airport cargo facilities. This blanket duty rate is presumably a way to avoid a similar logjam at the end of August as parcels will only face a specific duty based on the country they were mailed from. 'The good news is that Parcelhero has identified two ways senders can bypass some of the worst impacts of the ending of the de minimis limit. The first is to use an international courier service, rather than traditional postal services such as the Post Office. Using a courier bypasses the 'international postal system' blanket $80 specific duty. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Our second hack applies particularly to individual senders, rather than businesses. American citizens can continue to receive bona fide gifts valued at $100 (around £75) or less duty-free. So, providing a UK-shipped parcel's documentation specifies the item is a gift and is worth less than the $100 limit, it will escape all new tariffs. 'One final piece of advice applies particularly to overseas traders considering exporting to the US via the UK, in order to qualify for the UK's preferential tariff rate. Don't try it! All goods that are considered to have been transshipped to avoid applicable duties will face a punitive 40% tariff.
