Minister points to arrivals from Ukraine and Hong Kong as government sources confirm record increase is likelyGrant Shapps has stressed the importance of post-Brexit controls on work visas after government sources confirmed that ministers are braced for a record increase in immigration figures this month.Reports have suggested that official data will show annual net immigration of between 650,000 and 997,000 fuelled by a rise in non-EU immigration from people entering the UK to work and study. Continue reading...

Chief Brexit negotiator had earlier suggested he would drop his peerage if he could secure a safe constituencyBoris Johnson’s chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, has confirmed his bid to become an MP, with his name placed on the list of Conservative candidates for the next general election.Lord Frost had earlier suggested he was ready to drop his peerage in hope of securing a Commons seat, but only if he could secure a safe constituency. Continue reading...

Opposition says plan to include crossbenchers in committee is ‘part of a grubby back room political deal’

Peter Dutton has proposed betting advertising be restricted but prime minister says review into the issue is under way

Advocates say system is broken and government needs to work with local community to support young people

Construction firm Align told residents near Amersham the hole is six meters across and five deepThe firm constructing the HS2 high-speed rail line has has confirmed that it is investigating the emergence of a sinkhole close to a Buckinghamshire river on Saturday, which has been identified as “quite sizeable” in correspondence seen by the Guardian.The sinkhole is close to Shardeloes Lake near Amersham and according to an email from an official from HS2 Ltd’s contractor, Align, sent on Saturday evening to local residents: “It’s quite sizeable – around six meters in diameter and five meters deep. These are approximate measurements.” Continue reading...

Former PM claims after release from custody that army chief has ‘personal grudge’ and is behind crackdown on partyPakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has escalated his criticism of the country’s powerful military, accusing the head of the army of harbouring a “personal grudge” against him and ordering his arrest and a crackdown on his party.“It is personal. It’s got nothing to do with national interest,” Khan told the Guardian in an interview at his home in Lahore, after a dramatic week in which he was arrested at Islamabad’s high court by almost 100 paramilitary officers on Tuesday and held in police custody, in connection with a land corruption case. Continue reading...

A Momentum source said there’s a demand for ‘real ambition’ and more than ‘New Labour reruns’Keir Starmer has been urged to thaw relations with the new generation of Labour’s left to maximise the party’s vote share and avoid a hung parliament at the next election.Senior Labour MPs fear the party is at risk of alienating its core vote as it seeks to entice more of the anti-Tory vote and continue to bridge the Brexit gap. Continue reading...

Macquarie has option for all of National Grid gas transmission and metering despite tainted history of owning utilitiesMinisters have been urged to intervene if Australian banking powerhouse Macquarie pushes the button on a mooted £3bn deal to take full control of a vital part of the UK’s gas grid.A consortium comprised of Macquarie Asset Management and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation completed the acquisition of 60% of the equity in National Grid’s gas transmission and meter business in January, in a deal which valued the business at £7.5bn. Continue reading...

Anticipated vote would be chance to take on a shaken SNP and send message to voters UK-wideOn Rutherglen’s Main Street, the mood of Scottish Labour activists was as bright as the afternoon sunshine as they gathered for some teatime door-knocking. They were with Michael Shanks, their new candidate in the anticipated byelection for a seat currently held by the former SNP MP and Covid rule-breaker Margaret Ferrier.But the buoyancy had a hard edge: Labour’s leaders see this byelection as a crucial test of what polls suggest is a sea change in Scottish politics after Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation in February. It is likely to be the last byelection before the general election, and Labour sees it as a way to send a message to voters UK-wide about its electability. Continue reading...

Shadow minister says proposal to let migrants living in UK vote in general elections part of policy process, not final manifesto planLabour is considering plans to expand the UK’s voter franchise including votes for EU nationals and 16- and 17-year-olds.The proposals could permit migrants who live permanently in the UK and pay tax to vote in general elections for the first time. Continue reading...

Energy secretary says government ‘absolutely committed’ to promises, amid criticism of PM from senior ToriesMinisters may find it difficult to deliver on Rishi Sunak’s five “detailed pledges”, a cabinet member has indicated, after senior Conservatives publicly criticised the prime minister’s ability to lead.The energy secretary, Grant Shapps, said the Conservative government was “still absolutely committed” to delivering all five of Sunak’s promises within this parliament, but people must “wait until the end of that trajectory” to judge the prime minister’s progress. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Culture minister says he was puzzled about reasoning for not allowing president to address song contest

Lawyers and faith organisations lodge complaint about the home secretary, who is a qualified barristerLawyers and faith organisations have lodged a complaint with the Bar Standards Board claiming the home secretary, Suella Braverman, a qualified barrister, has breached the body’s code of conduct with “racist sentiments and discriminatory narratives”.Although Braverman has not practised as a barrister since becoming an MP in 2015 she is still subject to certain professional rules governing conduct by the Bar Standards Board which regulates barristers in England and Wales. Continue reading...

Three quarters say they feel undervalued and are thinking about quitting, charity warnsSchools will undergo a “crisis of support” without urgent action to improve pay and training for teaching assistants, a charity will warn in a report to be published this week.The NCFE, an educational charity that also provides qualifications for those in the teaching sector, carried out a snapshot survey of 150 teaching assistants (TAs) across the UK and found that three-quarters had thought about leaving in the past year. Only one in 10 felt it was a well respected and valued role. Continue reading...

National automotive body says poor data collection is limiting authorities’ ability to formulate an evidence-based response

The former leader of the Liberal Democrats does not believe party members have any appetite to repeat the experience of the Tory coalitionVince Cable, the former leader of the Liberal Democrats, has cast serious doubt on whether his party would agree to a full-blown coalition with Labour if the next general election results in a hung parliament.Cable, who was business secretary in the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition formed after the 2010 election, told the Observer that the “bad experience” of working with the Tories for five years may have put many in his party off the idea of a formal arrangement, even with Labour. Continue reading...

Rob Burley, a former head of the corporation’s live political coverage, lambasts Davie for waving through cuts and shedding experienced interviewersThe producer who was, until recently, at the heart of the BBC’s political coverage has criticised director general Tim Davie’s failure to “really understand journalism” and lamented fresh threats to the standard of the broadcaster’s current affairs analysis.Rob Burley claims that an element of the BBC’s core purpose, the interrogation of politicians and scrutiny of policy, is now being “pretty much thrown away”. Continue reading...

Fiona Fey, of popular choir Mediaeval Baebes, says her livelihood was threatened by noise abatement orderMusicians are facing a postcode lottery of noise complaints, industry leaders have warned, after a member of the classical chart-topping choir Mediaeval Baebes was handed a noise abatement notice for playing music in her flat.Fiona Fey was told she had created “excessive noise from the playing of musical instruments that is audible and detectable from your property” and that she must cease making any more “noise from the property in the form of playing loud music”. Continue reading...

The actor, now recovered, tells BBC’s Desert Island Discs he became ‘very sneaky’ about his drinking in the early 2000sSimon Pegg faced his own mission impossible, tackling both his addiction and eventual recovery, while working on the major Hollywood film franchise alongside Tom Cruise, he will explain in a revealing radio interview on Sunday morning.Speaking of a secret reliance upon alcohol that he hid while working on film sets in the early 2000s, Pegg admits: “You become very sneaky when you have something like that in your life.” Continue reading...

Familiar faces on the Tory right met in Bournemouth to pour scorn on the government. And they can certainly make the PM’s life harder• Read more: Tory anarchy breaks out as revolt looms on Brexit lawsIt was billed as the launch of a campaign to hand more power to Tory members. It was not, its organisers repeatedly insisted, a group aiming to reinstall Boris Johnson as party leader – or cause trouble for Rishi Sunak. It was about “taking back control” of the Conservative party for the grassroots.Yet as the Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO) met for its inaugural gathering in a sunny Bournemouth on Saturday, it was less than 15 minutes after Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns had belted out the national anthem that Johnson’s name was first uttered on stage. Continue reading...

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Record-breaking rainfall hit Auckland in January, only to be followed by Cyclone Gabrielle ravaging the North Island in FebruaryThe New Zealand government is allocating NZ$1.1bn to help communities recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and flooding.The funds from the 2023 budget are to cover “basics” of rebuilding roads, rail and schools, as well as flood protection, the government announced on Sunday. Continue reading...

Former PM urges supporters to rally ‘at the end of your streets and villages’ and ‘sacrifice’ in push for immediate electionsPakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has called for nationwide “freedom” protests on Sunday after his brief arrest and detention last week triggered deadly unrest.The one-time cricket superstar – who has been tied up in dozens of legal cases since being ousted from power in April 2022 – was freed on bail on Friday after his detention was declared unlawful by the supreme court. Continue reading...

Treasurer says government won’t rule out adopting Peter Dutton’s proposal for social security recipients to be able to earn more before being penalised

Fans of song contest hail ‘a brilliant result’ as Perth synth metal rock band perform track Promise in Liverpool

Zelenskiy lands in Berlin to shore up support; Russian missiles strike home town of Ukraine’s Eurovision entry during song contest

Young voters demand change but military-appointed senate poses hurdle to a non-establishment candidate becoming prime ministerThais are voting on Sunday in an election that could lead to the defeat of the military-backed leader who has ruled Thailand for almost a decade.However, a skewed election system means the shape of the new government is “very unpredictable”, say analysts, and it is not clear if pro-democracy candidates will succeed in unseating the generals. Continue reading...

Loreen becomes only second person to win contest twice as Sweden claims seventh victory overallThe scandal though is that Georgia were robbed of a place in the final. Robbed, I tell you. A dramatic gothic ballad type affair with lots of creepy hands in the background on the screen reaching out for Iru, the song Echo would have been a great addition to tonight’s show. Don’t blame me, I voted for it.This tweet summed it up really. Continue reading...

Andrew Grech says action could be pursued if implications of SFSS loans were misrepresented to people when they signed up

University town of Ternopil, home of Tvorchi, targeted by missiles with two people injuredThe home town of Ukraine’s Eurovision entry came under fire from Russian missiles during the song contest on Saturday.Ternopil, the university home town of electronic music duo Tvorchi, was among the places targeted, according to Dame Melinda Simmons, the British ambassador to Ukraine. Continue reading...

It’s hard to see the PM’s talks with farmers, store chiefs and the (rumoured) odd TV star producing concrete proposalsFarmers throwing in the towel amid soaring costs and labour shortages and falling domestic production of some foods have resulted in repeated gaps on British supermarket shelves – much to shoppers’ chagrin.UK agriculture has had a torrid few years navigating the fallout from Brexit and the pandemic at a time when squeezed consumers are reassessing what they can afford to put in their shopping baskets. Continue reading...

Pat Cullen raises stakes in dispute with government after nurses reject earlier offer of 5%The head of the Royal College of Nursing union has called for a double-digit pay rise for nurses in England, raising the stakes in the long-running dispute with the government.Pat Cullen, the general secretary of the RCN, had previously told members to accept the government’s offer of 5% in March but it was rejected in a vote by 54% to 46%. Continue reading...

Dozens of rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza, prompting airstrikes in return, in the half-hour leading up to the truceA ceasefire has taken effect in and around the Gaza Strip after five days of cross-border exchanges that have killed at least 33 Palestinians in Gaza and two people in Israel.The truce was due to take effect at 10pm local time (20.00 BST) on Saturday, Egyptian and Palestinian sources said. But, in the final 30 minutes before, dozens of rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel, prompting renewed airstrikes, AFP correspondents in the territory said. Continue reading...

Man is being held on suspicion of murder after death in south Wales and police say they are not looking for anyone elsePolice have begun a murder investigation after a 44-year-old woman was found dead at a house in south Wales.Emergency services were called to a property in Newport, Gwent at about 11.30am on Saturday following reports that a woman had been found unresponsive. Continue reading...

BAE Systems says dozens of cables intentionally damaged on Type 26 frigate HMS Glasgow in Scottish shipyardAn investigation has begun into an alleged incident of sabotage onboard a next-generation Royal Navy warship at a Scottish shipyard.Dozens of cables on HMS Glasgow, which is expected to enter into service in the late 2020s, were “damaged intentionally” according to BAE Systems, the main contractor responsible for the construction and fitting out of the ship. Work has now restarted on the vessel after the discovery of possible sabotage this week. Continue reading...

Only 12% of Britons polled pledged allegiance to the king in a ‘homage of the people’The anti-monarchy group Republic’s membership has almost doubled in a week following the high-profile arrest of its chief executive, Graham Smith, during last weekend’s coronation.The news comes as a poll reveals that almost nine in 10 Britons did not pledge allegiance to King Charles during the ceremony, despite being encouraged to do so by the archbishop of Canterbury. Continue reading...

Ex-ministers attack Rishi Sunak’s leadership as pro-Johnson wing calls for lower taxesRishi Sunak was losing control of an increasingly anarchic Tory party on Saturday as former cabinet ministers openly criticised the direction of policy under his leadership and dozens of backbench MPs plotted a new rebellion over Brexit.Amid recriminations over the heavy Conservative losses in recent council elections, and with pro-Brexit MPs incensed that Sunak’s government is dropping plans to shred more than 4,000 EU laws within months, discipline was at risk of completely disintegrating on the right of the party. Continue reading...

Russian reports suggest two warplanes and two helicopters downed on Saturday, though unclear if due to friendly fire or Ukrainian attacks

Measures being introduced in August labelled ‘deeply regressive’ and research suggests nurses and teachers could be among the worst affected• Read more: Martin Lewis: ‘Don’t call it a loan, this is a graduate tax’The government’s student loan reforms will benefit the country’s best-paid graduates at the expense of nursing graduates, teachers and other lower- and middle-income earners, new research reveals.Under the biggest reforms of student loans in England for more than a decade, many lower-paid earners face an increase in their total lifetime repayments of more than £30,000. Meanwhile, the highest-earning graduates will see their lifetime repayments fall on average by £25,000 compared with the previous arrangements, according to an analysis by the economic consultancy London Economics. Continue reading...

Pope Francis offers help repatriating Ukrainian children from Russia as Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets select leaders in Italy

Former prime minister steps up attacks on country’s military leaders as ministers plan to rearrest himThe crowds gathered peacefully, jostling outside the home of the man they call the “saviour of Pakistan”, hoping for a glimpse. Two days earlier, these same streets in the city of Lahore had resembled a warzone as tens of thousands of protesters violently took to the streets, ransacking buildings, burning cars, throwing petrol bombs and clashing with police, with several dying from gunshot wounds.On Saturday, however, there was calm. Late the previous night, former prime minister Imran Khan had finally returned to his home, following some of the most tumultuous days in the country’s recent history that saw him arrested on Islamabad high court premises by 100 paramilitary officers. He was detained for two days but then, to the surprise of many observers, was granted bail and allowed to walk free after his arrest was declared illegal by Pakistan’s supreme court. With Khan released, the violence eased. Continue reading...

Police data underlines fears for the safety of inmates and staff amid overcrowding and budget cuts as a result of Tory austerityNearly 1,000 rapes were reported to have taken place in prisons since 2010, exclusive data obtained by the Observer from police forces in England and Wales can reveal.A further 2,336 sexual assaults were reported to police in the same period, and experts warned that the true figure for both crimes may be far higher because not all attacks would be reported. Continue reading...

Former archbishop of York found to have failed to act on allegations of child sexual abuse by vicarThe former archbishop of York has been forced to step down from duties after failing to act on allegations of sexual abuse.John Sentamu last week rejected the findings of a report that found he failed to act on disclosures that a C of E vicar repeatedly raped a teenage boy in the 1980s. Continue reading...

Narendra Modi is preparing a campaign to reclaim items in UK museums and held by the royal family, such as the Koh-i-noorA leading writer on the British empire has said it is inevitable that Indian jewels and historical artefacts looted under colonial rule will be returned, amid reports that the country will begin a campaign to get them repatriated.Sathnam Sanghera, who authored Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain and fronted documentaries on the subject for Channel 4, said the latest demands are part of a series by former colonies reassessing their own time under empire. Continue reading...

Ward closures and flooding in dilapidated buildings in Epsom as one of 40 new hospitals pledged remains unbuilt

The quirky appeal of Rye Lane is threatened by developer’s 14 high-rise flats, say residentsThere’s a scene in Rye Lane, a film said to be breathing new life into romcoms, where the two main characters stroll past a body-popping white-haired man in a spangly Yves Klein blue cowboy outfit, then continue their conversation sitting in giant high heels outside a shoe shop.The moonwalking cowboy is an actor, but the shoe shop is real – one of dozens of outlets inside Rye Lane market giving Peckham the personality that inspired the film’s director, Raine Allen-Miller, to treat the south London neighbourhood as a character rather than mere scenery. Continue reading...

Move Forward party leader’s promise in election campaign to end political stranglehold chimes with younger generationWhen Pita Limjaroenrat took to the stage for his final big campaign event before Thailand’s elections, the cheers and screams were deafening. “Our time has come,” he told crowds of mostly young supporters in a packed stadium in Bangkok.Pita’s Move Forward party has built a large and loyal support base among young Thais who are fed up with the political status quo. At rallies, he is met with long lines of students and young people queueing for selfies. On TikTok, fans post images of themselves with a special filter that displays his face smiling and lurking in the background. Continue reading...

Cooper was arrested after going to aid of fellow protester in 1981 and went on to photograph Liverpool lifeThe Liverpool photographer Leroy Cooper, whose arrest led to the Toxteth riots in 1981, has died aged 62.Cooper, who was also a writer and activist, was arrested in front of protesters after he went to the aid of a fellow Liverpool resident in July 1981. Continue reading...