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Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Farage slams secret Afghan refugee resettlement to UK, claims sex offenders among arrivals
Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, slammed the Conservative and Labour parties after it was revealed this week thousands of Afghan refugees were secretly resettled into the country without the public's knowledge. Farage claimed some of those Afghans are sex offenders, sparking a row with the ruling Labour Party, which denied the claims. Around 4,500 Afghans have been relocated to the U.K. so far with around 6,900 expected to be relocated overall. European Nations Demand Power To Deport Immigrants Who Commit Crimes Meanwhile, waves of migrants continue arriving by boat, further inflaming public frustration over unchecked immigration. "Amongst the number that have come are convicted sex offenders – I am not, I promise you, making any of this up, and the total cost of this operation has been a staggering £7 billion [$9 billion]," Farage said in a post on X. Read On The Fox News App "The numbers are off the charts, the cost is beyond comprehension and the threat to women walking the streets of this country, frankly, is incalculable." Relocating the 6,900 Afghans is expected to cost £850 million [$1.1 billion]. The £7 billion Farage referenced is likely the total cost of all Afghan resettlement programs since 2021 of about 36,000 Afghans through multiple schemes. The British government earlier this week revealed it secretly resettled thousands of Afghan nationals in the U.K. after a catastrophic data breach exposed nearly 19,000 applicants who had worked with U.K. forces, an operation kept under wraps by a rare "super injunction" that barred even the mention of its existence. The injunction was lifted Tuesday in conjunction with a decision by Britain's current Labour Party government to make the program public. 'Afghans For Trump' Group Feels Abandoned After Administration Revokes Refugee Protections A spreadsheet containing the personal information of the nearly 19,000 people who had applied to relocate to the U.K. after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was accidentally released in 2022 because of a defense official's email error. The government only became aware of the leak when some of the data was published on Facebook 18 months later. "I can't think of a better example of the total incompetence, dishonesty and genuine lack of understanding of what the priorities of a British government are than this Afghan scandal," Farage added. But U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey denied any known sex offenders had been allowed into the U.K. under the program and insisted everyone had been checked "carefully" for any criminal records He said if Farage had any "hard evidence," he should report it to the police. "Anyone who has come into this country under any of the government schemes that was under the previous government and now from Afghanistan is checked carefully for security, checked carefully for any of those sort of criminal records that would preclude and prevent them coming to this country," Healey told Times Radio, according to The Sun. British soldiers were sent to Afghanistan as part of an international deployment against al Qaeda and Taliban forces in the war on terror after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. At the peak of the operation, there were almost 10,000 U.K. troops in the country, mostly in Helmand province in the south. The Associated Press contributed to this article source: Farage slams secret Afghan refugee resettlement to UK, claims sex offenders among arrivals Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Farage slams secret Afghan refugee resettlement to UK, claims sex offenders among arrivals
Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, slammed the Conservative and Labour parties after it was revealed this week thousands of Afghan refugees were secretly resettled into the country without the public's knowledge. Farage claimed some of those Afghans are sex offenders, sparking a row with the ruling Labour Party, which denied the claims. Around 4,500 Afghans have been relocated to the U.K. so far with around 6,900 expected to be relocated overall. Meanwhile, waves of migrants continue arriving by boat, further inflaming public frustration over unchecked immigration. "Amongst the number that have come are convicted sex offenders – I am not, I promise you, making any of this up, and the total cost of this operation has been a staggering £7 billion [$9 billion]," Farage said in a post on X. "The numbers are off the charts, the cost is beyond comprehension and the threat to women walking the streets of this country, frankly, is incalculable." Relocating the 6,900 Afghans is expected to cost £850 million [$1.1 billion]. The £7 billion Farage referenced is likely the total cost of all Afghan resettlement programs since 2021 of about 36,000 Afghans through multiple schemes. The British government earlier this week revealed it secretly resettled thousands of Afghan nationals in the U.K. after a catastrophic data breach exposed nearly 19,000 applicants who had worked with U.K. forces, an operation kept under wraps by a rare "super injunction" that barred even the mention of its existence. The injunction was lifted Tuesday in conjunction with a decision by Britain's current Labour Party government to make the program public. A spreadsheet containing the personal information of the nearly 19,000 people who had applied to relocate to the U.K. after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was accidentally released in 2022 because of a defense official's email error. The government only became aware of the leak when some of the data was published on Facebook 18 months later. "I can't think of a better example of the total incompetence, dishonesty and genuine lack of understanding of what the priorities of a British government are than this Afghan scandal," Farage added. But U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey denied any known sex offenders had been allowed into the U.K. under the program and insisted everyone had been checked "carefully" for any criminal records He said if Farage had any "hard evidence," he should report it to the police. "Anyone who has come into this country under any of the government schemes that was under the previous government and now from Afghanistan is checked carefully for security, checked carefully for any of those sort of criminal records that would preclude and prevent them coming to this country," Healey told Times Radio, according to The Sun. British soldiers were sent to Afghanistan as part of an international deployment against al Qaeda and Taliban forces in the war on terror after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. At the peak of the operation, there were almost 10,000 U.K. troops in the country, mostly in Helmand province in the south.
The Sun
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Nigel Farage sparks row with claim ‘convicted sex offenders' among 20k Afghans airlifted into UK in top-secret mission
Nigel Farage has sparked a furious row after he claimed "convicted sex offenders" are among the Afghans secretly airlifted into the UK. Reform UK's leader alleged that the rescue of almost 20,000 Afghans is a risk to women's safety. 5 5 Thousands were secretly airlifted to the UK from the war-torn country when a list of names - among them people who had heroically served with British forces in the 20-year conflict - was leaked in an MoD blunder, potentially putting lives in danger. And Mr Farage's comments about those brought over to the UK have triggered a row with Labour and the Tories. In a video posted on X, Mr Farage said: 'Amongst the number that have come are convicted sex offenders – I am not, I promise you, making any of this up, and the total cost of this operation has been a staggering £7bn. 'The numbers are off the charts, the cost is beyond comprehension and the threat to women walking the streets of this country, frankly, is incalculable. 'I can't think of a better example of the total incompetence, dishonesty and genuine lack of understanding of what the priorities of a British government are than this Afghan scandal.' But Defence Secretary John Healey denied any known sex offenders had been allowed into the UK under the route. He insisted everyone who had come in had been checked "carefully" for any criminal records. And he said if Mr Farage had any "hard evidence" he should report it to police. The Cabinet minister told Times Radio: "Anyone who has come into this country under any of the government schemes that was under the previous government and now from Afghanistan is checked carefully for security, checked carefully for any of those sort of criminal records that would preclude and prevent them coming to this country." Tory shadow Chancellor Mel Stride agreed and said it was incumbent on Mr Farage to provide evidence to his claims. On Tuesday it was revealed thousands of Afghans had secretly been relocated to the UK after a huge £7bn email blunder. A Royal Marine accidentally sent an email containing details of Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban to the wrong people. The list included names of their individual UK sponsors including SAS and MI6 spies and at least one Royal Marine Major General. The Ministry of Defence blunder was kept Top Secret for almost three years by a legal super injunction. Details only came to light on Tuesday after a High Court judge ruled the gagging order should be lifted. Tory former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace insisted there was 'not a cover-up'. Sir Ben said if the leak had been revealed it would have 'put in peril those we needed to help out'. 'I make no apology for applying to the court for an injunction at the time," he wrote in The Telegraph. "It was not, as some are childishly trying to claim, a cover-up. "Imagine if the Taliban had been alerted to the existence of this list. I would dread to think what would have happened.' Sir Ben said he applied for a four-month injunction and did not know why it was converted into a super-injunction in September 2023, when Grant Shapps had taken over as defence secretary. His successor, Mr Shapps, has so far remained silent on the scandal. Separately, the mass arrivals of Afghans has been linked to last summer's riots in Britain. A briefing paper circulated to Cabinet ministers two months after the disorder in 2024 revealed that the locations were largely in places where there had been a high number of Afghan arrivals. 5 5 5
BBC News
07-07-2025
- BBC News
Bristol man jailed for 'cruel' rape of woman 20 years ago
A man has been jailed for 12 years after a jury found him guilty of raping a woman in her own bed more than two decades Watson-Williams, 43, of Stanfield Close in Lockleaze in Bristol, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Monday, with an extended license period of three victim, who is not being named for legal reasons, said she awoke to find the defendant having sex with her and pretended to be asleep for her own a statement read out to the court, she told her attacker: "Your actions have altered the course of my life in ways I am still trying to understand and untangle". The jury took only 45 minutes to unanimously find Watson-Williams will also remain on the sex offenders register for life. 'Cruel premeditation' In August 2021, the victim reported to police how she was raped by a man in her flat in the early been walked home by a friend at around 03:00 BST, she left her front door unlocked and went to bed fully fell asleep and a short while later, awoke to find a man in her bed, instantly recognising him through squinted eyes as Watson-Williams."What should have been a bright chapter in my life was shattered by a man who knew, without a doubt, that I had no romantic or sexual interest in him," she told the court."Yet he hatched, in cruel premeditation, a plan to take what he wanted, with no regard for the destruction he would leave in his wake."The terror you inflicted forced me to leave my home, the place where I should have felt most secure. I had to take refuge from you." 'Extremely courageous' PC Chris Quick from Avon and Somerset Police was able to quickly identify the suspect - who has a previous conviction for rape in 2003 - based on a physical description provided by the victim."This is a very traumatic event which she has lived with for nearly 20 years before deciding to report it to the police," he said."She was attacked in her own home, where she should be safe, and has been extremely courageous to come forward about the attack which left her feeling vulnerable and living in fear for years."Any acts of violence will never be tolerated, and every victim deserves to be heard and supported, no matter how long ago the attack took place."
The Sun
19-06-2025
- The Sun
Migrant who raped girl, 15, after arriving in UK on small boat claims he was not aware of ‘cultural' differences
A MIGRANT who raped a 15-year-old girl after arriving in the UK on a small boat claimed he was not aware of the "cultural" differences. Sadeq Nikzad, 29, pounced on the teen in the street after luring her to the back of a pub. 2 She was found "dazed" by a passer-by following the horror in October 2023 - two years after Nikzad arrived in Britain as an illegal immigrant from Afghanistan. His defence lawyer Janice Green claimed the fiend has not been educated about the significant cultural differences between the UK and his home country where child marriage is common. She also tried to argue the language gap between him and the victim and the fact she did not say "no" meant it was "not a typical stranger rape". The lawyer said: "I'm not suggesting that means that he reasonably believed (the victim) was consenting, but that there's a reason why he could have misunderstood." Nikzad kicked off in court and branded the judge a "liar" after he was jailed for 12 years. He had to be handcuffed by security after he began screaming and gesticulating wildly in the dock. Nikzad will serve nine years in prison followed by three years on licence where he will placed on the sex offenders register. The predator will be deported at the end of his sentence, Livingston High Court heard. Passing sentence, Judge Morris told Nikzad through an interpreter: "I appreciate that you don't accept that you've done anything wrong, but the fact remains that you've been convicted of an extremely serious sexual offence against a child. "I know your counsel has now explained to you that in those circumstances only a substantial custodial sentence is appropriate." The court was told Nikzad entered the UK illegally two years before the attack. On October 16, 2023, the girl was walking through Falkirk town centre when she was approached by the fiend. Nikzad repeatedly requested her telephone number, uttered sexual remarks then led her into a courtyard where he raped her. The girl later said that she froze during the attack and was "quite shocked". A passer-by who found the teen said: "She looked stunned. I knew something had gone wrong. 'She came to me for comfort. She said she kept telling the guy she was only 15." Katrina Parkes, Procurator Fiscal for High Court Sexual Offences, said: 'This was an appalling, opportunistic attack on a young girl who should have been safe going about her daily business. 'The victim should be commended for reporting Sadeq Nikzad to the police, ensuring that he has now been held accountable while also protecting others from harm. 'This type of offending will not be tolerated, and I hope this prosecution sends a clear message to men who commit serious acts of sexual violence against women and children. 'I would urge anyone who has experienced similar crime to report it. You will be listened to and supported as we use every tool available in seeking justice.' 2
