Foreign

Sunak Draws Plan to Address Migrant Crossings

By Web News 388

A new law set to go before Parliament on Tuesday will introduce new measures aimed at removing migrants entering the UK on small boats.

It is expected the Illegal Migration Bill will prevent those arriving illegally from claiming asylum or returning to the UK in future.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it was “fair for those at home and those who have a legitimate claim to asylum”.

Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer has described the plans as “unworkable”.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the bill would push “the boundaries of international law” without breaking it, telling the Express the measures were needed to “solve this crisis”.

The government believes the issue of migrant crossings matters to voters and will be key at the next election.

The PM has made tackling it one of the central pledges of his premiership, and ministers are prepared to test legal limits to address the issue.

There are also clear political messages being raised, with Ms Braverman accusing Labour of “betraying hard-working Brits” by not backing the plans.

More than 45,000 people entered the UK via Channel crossings last year, up from around 300 in 2018.

Under the proposals, the home secretary would be placed under a “duty to remove” those arriving illegally in the UK.

This would take precedence in law over someone’s right to claim asylum – although there would be exemptions for the under-18s and those with serious medical conditions.

While the bill would not become law for several months it would apply retrospectively, meaning anyone arriving in the UK illegally from Tuesday would be at risk of deportation.

The new laws are expected to strain the UK’s commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights and the UN’s Refugee Convention which currently give rights to asylum seekers arriving in the UK.

Bbc/Adebukola Aluko

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Foreign

Sunak Pledges to Address UK’s Economic Problem

By Web News 445

Rishi Sunak, the new UK Prime Minister has met with King Charles at Buckingham Palace.

After his meeting on Tuesday, Sunak reechoed that the UK was facing a “profound economic crisis”

In his first speech outside No 10 Downing Street, Sunak said he would fix some of the mistakes made by Liz Truss.

He also said his focus was to unite the country.

“I will unite our country, not with words but, with action. I will work day in and day out to deliver for you,” Sunak said.

Liz Truss resigned 44 days after becoming the PM, making her the shortest-serving one in UK history.

In a farewell message, Truss defended her legacy of trying to push through tax cuts and said leaders needed to be bold.

“Our country continues to battle through a storm, but I believe in Britain. I believe in the British people, and I know that brighter days lie ahead,” she said.

Mr Sunak won the Tory leadership contest without a vote being cast after rivals Penny Mordaunt and Boris Johnson dropped out of the race, in a stunning turnaround from his loss to Liz Truss just weeks ago.

FRCN/Adebukola Aluko

Foreign

Liz Truss Beats Rishi Sunak, to Become UK Prime Minister

By Web News 456

Liz Truss will be the new UK prime minister after defeating Rishi Sunak in the Tory leadership contest.

It was a closer result than many pundits expected, with Truss taking 57% of valid votes cast.

Speaking at a conference centre in Westminster, she thanked Sunak for a “hard-fought campaign” and pledged to deliver a “bold plan”.

Truss will become prime minister on Tuesday after travelling to meet the Queen at Balmoral in Scotland.

The current foreign secretary is under immediate pressure to announce a plan to tackle soaring energy costs.

She is understood to be considering a freeze on energy bills, with an announcement potentially scheduled for Thursday.

Labour’s Keir Starmer has congratulated her but says the country is facing a “Tory cost of living crisis”.

The outgoing PM has congratulated Liz Truss on what he called a “decisive win”.

“I know she has the right plan to tackle the cost of living crisis, unite our party and continue the great work of uniting and levelling up our country,” he tweeted.

“Now is the time for all Conservatives to get behind her 100 per cent.”

Johnson, who will formally offer his resignation to the Queen at Balmoral Castle tomorrow, said he had been proud to serve as Tory leader for the last three years and “winning the biggest majority for decades” for his party.

Who is Liz Truss? From teenage Lib Dem to Tory PM

So we now know Liz Truss will become the new UK prime minister after her victory in the Conservative Party leadership race. But what do we know about the 47-year-old?

In many ways, Mary Elizabeth Truss is not a conventional Tory.

Born in Oxford in 1975, she has described her father – a mathematics professor – and her mother – a nurse – as “left-wing”.

As a young girl, her mother took part in marches for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament – an organisation vehemently opposed to the Thatcher government’s decision to allow US nuclear warheads to be installed at RAF Greenham Common, west of London.

After moving to Paisley, just west of Glasgow, when she was four, the family then decamped once more to Leeds, where she attended a state secondary school.

She went on to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University, where she was active in student politics – initially for the Liberal Democrats, before switching to the Conservatives.

After graduating, she worked as an accountant for the oil and gas company Shell, as well as telecommunications company Cable & Wireless. She married fellow accountant Hugh O’Leary in 2000. They have two children.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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