BORIS JOHNSON: In the week Labour announced plans to release rapists and killers early, there's one prisoner who poses no threat... FREE LUCY CONOLLY NOW
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The Independent
6 minutes ago
- The Independent
What is Yvette Cooper's plan to fast-track asylum claims?
As tensions flare up in the UK over migration, with protests taking place in Newcastle, Manchester and north London, the government is pursuing a new plan to reduce the asylum backlog. The home secretary has said she plans to introduce a fast-track scheme to turn around asylum decisions within weeks, via a 'major overhaul' of the appeal process. The plan is part of a wider attempt to crack down on the number of people crossing the Channel, with Ms Cooper announcing a 'one-in-one-out' returns deal with France earlier this year. But despite their efforts, last week it was revealed that the number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel topped 25,000 in record time, piling pressure on the government to take further action. It is hoped that the new plan will make a dent in the backlog and return people to safe countries faster, reducing the number of asylum seekers who are housed in hotels while awaiting the outcome of a claim or appeal. Here, The Independent takes a look at everything we know about the plan so far and how it will work in practice. How would the fast-track system work? Asylum seekers and their families are housed in temporary accommodation, including hotels, if they are waiting for the outcome of a claim or an appeal and have been assessed as not being able to support themselves independently. But Yvette Cooper has now promised a 'major overhaul' of the appeal process, speeding up the time it takes for decisions on claims and appeals to be made. There are currently limited details on how this system would work, but sources told the Sunday Times it would allow decisions to be taken within weeks, rather than months or even years. Once a decision has been taken, those who have been rejected will be returned to their home country – reducing the number of people housed in temporary accommodation. 'If we speed up the decision-making appeal system and also then keep increasing returns, we hope to be able to make quite a big reduction in the overall numbers in the asylum system, because that is the best way to actually restore order and control,' Ms Cooper said. When will it be implemented? The home secretary has said she will legislate for the changes in autumn, when MPs return from their summer break. But it could take months for any legislation to pass through parliament, meaning we are unlikely to see the fast-track system implemented until the new year. How big is the asylum backlog and why is tackling it a priority? As of the end of March 2025, there were 78,745 asylum applications awaiting an initial decision – an 8 per cent decrease from the end of June 2024 and a 13 per cent decrease compared to the end of December 2024, official immigration statistics show. These outstanding cases related to 109,536 people, including both main applicants and their dependents. Labour has put a pledge to fix the 'broken' asylum system and crack down on the number of people coming to the UK on small boats at the centre of its plan for government. But with boat crossings at a record high, and the asylum backlog still above 75,000, there is mounting pressure on ministers to take more drastic action, a pressure exacerbated by the success of Reform UK in the polls. The government has also promised to end the use of asylum hotels before the end of this parliament, a promise it is unlikely to meet unless the backlog is reduced. Tensions over asylum hotels have flared up in recent weeks, with a protest and counter-protest taking place on Saturday outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in north London, and also in Newcastle and Manchester.
Telegraph
7 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Council leader accuses police of covering up rape of girl, 12, by asylum seekers
A council leader has accused police of 'covering up' an alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl by Afghan asylum seekers. Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was charged last week with the rape of the girl in Nuneaton, while Mohammad Kabir, 23, was charged with kidnap and strangulation. Warwickshire Police reportedly advised local councillors and officials not to reveal the asylum-seeker background of the two suspects, for fear of 'inflaming community tensions'. Reform UK's George Finch, the leader of the county council, said in a letter to the force's chief constable: 'The continued cover-up of the true nature of Ahmad Mulakhil's immigration status risks public disorder breaking out on the streets of Warwickshire. 'The same detail has been covered up today concerning Mohammed Kabir. I am disgusted that one year on from the social unrest that we saw in parts of the UK in 2024, the Home Office and police have clearly not learnt any lessons from the handling of similar incidents last year. 'I strongly believe that the only risk to public order from this case in Warwickshire comes from the cover-up itself.' Warwickshire Police has not denied reports that Mr Mulakhil and Mr Kabir are both asylum seekers. The pair have appeared at Coventry magistrates' court and were both remanded in custody until an appearance at Warwick Crown Court on Aug 26. It comes after protests outside a migrant hotel in Epping, Essex, after it emerged an asylum seeker staying there had been charged with sexual assault, harassment and inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity. One man, from Warwickshire, told the Mail on Sunday: 'They're hushing it up because they don't want an Epping situation on their hands.' In a statement, the force said that once someone is charged with an offence, they follow national guidance, which 'does not include sharing ethnicity or immigration status'. Farage: Police acting against British people Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, which runs Warwickshire county council, said: 'I am afraid police and elected officials are acting against the British people.' In his letter, which was also sent to Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, Mr Finch claimed the council's chief executive told him Mr Kabir was an asylum seeker. He said: 'Residents can see they have not been told the full story. If these accusations turn out to be true, it indicates that organised crime centring around the abuse of young girls is present in Warwickshire. This is unacceptable.' He also called for all asylum seekers living in houses of multiple occupation (HMO) in Warwickshire to be rehoused. Mr Finch said: 'Our community has had enough of the Home Office breaking planning regulations to turn sections of local communities into unrecognisable, ghetto-like areas. 'Having my ear to the ground locally, it is clear that there is much appetite for protests to take place across the county. 'Let me be clear, I do not want to see protests taking place outside migrant hotels and HMOs in Warwickshire. Nor do I want to see any form of violent disorder.' The victim is now said to be receiving specialist care after the attack. Mr Mulakhil, who reportedly crossed the Channel on a small boat, is said to have raped the victim in the Cheverel Street area of Nuneaton, between 8.30pm and 9.45pm on July 22. The Mail on Sunday published CCTV footage from a resident's house near the street, which appears to show a man walking with the girl. The pair walked past the property at 8pm, about half an hour before the alleged assault. Accused pair lived on adjoining streets Warwickshire Police said Mr Mulakhil was arrested four days after the incident, and charged the following day. He appeared before Coventry magistrates' court on Monday charged with two counts of vaginal and oral rape of the victim. Kabir was arrested on Thursday, and charged with aiding and abetting rape of the 12-year-old, as well as strangulation and kidnap. He appeared before Coventry magistrates' court on Saturday. Warwickshire Police said in a statement: 'At this stage, we do not believe there to be anyone else involved but we continue to appeal for witnesses who were in the Cheverel Street area between 8.30pm and 9.45pm on Tuesday 22 July and who saw anything of interest to please come forward.' The Mail on Sunday said Mr Mulakhil and Mr Kabir lived in two tax-payer-funded rented houses about 70 yards from each other on adjoining streets. Both properties are managed by Serco, which has accommodated about five asylum seekers in each house. Serco has a £1.9bn contract with the Home Office to house asylum seekers across the country. When the paper contacted the owner of the property in which Mr Mulakhil lived, she said she was 'sickened to the stomach' when hearing about the incident. She said: 'I don't know anything because Serco manage the house completely.' Serco said in a statement: 'We do not confirm individual addresses, nor the names of people in properties we manage.'
Telegraph
7 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Labour's net-zero ‘flight tax' set to raise cost of family holiday
Labour's 'flight tax' on airlines will add more than £50 to the cost of a family holiday within a decade, analysis shows. Net zero rules introduced by Sir Keir Starmer mean planes must be filled with at least 2 per cent sustainable fuel, which will rise to 10 per cent followed by 22 per cent by 2040. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandate means airlines that do not comply with the green policy face heavy fines likely to be passed on in part to passengers. Costs associated with the new levy are expected to reach £4.5 billion by 2035, according to a new analysis by Public First. This works out at £12.79 per passenger per flight leaving the UK, adding £51.16 to the average overseas holiday taken by a family of four. The impact of the policy is expected to hit Britons as soon as 2027, with its cost hitting £200 million in that year. 'Ludicrous net stupid zero' By 2030, this figure will have ballooned to £1.5 million, the equivalent to £4.64 per passenger per flight – making a holiday for a family of four £18.56 more expensive. Richard Tice, the Reform UK deputy leader, told The Telegraph: 'This is yet another egregious tax on working citizens to pay for the ludicrous net stupid zero. A Reform government will scrap all this nonsense.' Greg Smith, a Tory transport minister, said: 'Labour said the transition to green aviation would cost pennies but now families are being hit with soaring ticket prices to fund Ed Miliband's net zero experiment. 'It's not just weekend getaways being priced out. It's regional airports under threat, tourism on the ropes, and British families paying the price for Labour's ideological fantasy. 'The truth is net zero by 2050 is impossible without bankrupting our country and Labour's plan to chase it will ground British families before it ever lands.' 80pc cost could be passed to consumers The Government's own impact assessment of the green mandate found that as much as 80 per cent of its cost could be passed on to consumers. Labour claims the pledge to use more sustainable fuel will support thousands of jobs while cutting the UK's transport emissions on the way to becoming a 'clean energy superpower'. The figures come as ministers were urged to relax red tape that means SAF cannot currently be made from non-food grade British-grown wheat. Phil New led the Government's independent review into the future of SAF and urged it to consider British bioethanol as a credible and scalable option. Mr New said: 'Ethanol made from British-grown milling wheat, which would otherwise be exported as animal feed, can be processed into SAF in a way that meets the emissions reductions required by the UK's standards. 'Home-grown, low-carbon aviation fuel industry' 'This is a real opportunity to create a home-grown, low-carbon aviation fuel industry that supports British agriculture, strengthens fuel security and helps us meet our climate ambitions.' Ben Hackett, managing director at Vivergo Fuels, added: 'The UK has the capability today to produce sustainable aviation fuel from home-grown non-food grade wheat – supporting British farmers, reducing carbon emissions, and improving our energy security. But outdated regulations are blocking this from happening. 'It makes no sense that ethanol from British wheat can be blended into petrol for cars, but not used to make jet fuel, especially when other countries are already moving ahead with this technology.' The analysis by Public First also found the UK could require the output of seven large-scale bioethanol plants by 2035 to meet growing domestic demand for SAF.
