- Wednesday, June 07, 2023
A 65-year-old man was sentenced to five months in jail by the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London last week, for sending a threatening letter to former Home Secretary Priti Patel. Pooneeraj Canakiah admitted to sending a grossly offensive letter to Patel. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England stated that…
Former home secretary Priti Patel has backed a legal challenge against plans to turn an Essex RAF base into a migrant camp, the Telegraph reported. Patel has written to home secretary Suella Braverman to back Braintree Council's bid to scrap Essex migrant camp plan. The former minister's stand is a…
Humza Yousaf on Monday (27) became the first Muslim to be elected as a national leader in any western democracy, five months after Sunak walked into Downing Street as the UK’s first Asian and Hindu prime minister. A prominent Asian parliamentarian told Eastern Eye on Tuesday (28) that both appointments…
A former Home Office adviser has branded home secretary Suella Braverman's migration policy as 'racist', adding that it will make the Tories seem 'cruel and heartless'. Nimco Ali, a one-time campaigner for the Tories who left her job as a government adviser in December last year, told the Guardian that…
THE British debate on refugees is leading a strange double life. The government’s policy on asylum is getting ever tougher after a year when more people played an active part in welcoming refugees to Britain than ever before. It sounds like Groundhog Day in parliament when it comes to asylum. “Anyone…
FORMER home secretary Priti Patel has reiterated her stance that Shamima Begum remains a “threat to our country” as she hit back at suggestions that the UK has become an “outlier” to its western allies over its stance to not allow the former Daesh member to return to the country.…
A government review into Home Office’s hostile environment policies has revealed that it had disproportionately affected people of colour in UK. The report said that Indians, Pakistanis, Nigerians and Bangladeshis were most likely to be affected by these policies rather than Albanians and Brazilians who are the top five nationalities…
“I WAS clear when Wendy Williams published her Windrush Lessons Learned review that I would listen and act. I will be accepting the recommendations she has made in full”. That was what home secretary Priti Patel told the Commons three years ago. But last week, her successor, Suella Braverman, withdrew…
British Home Secretary Suella Braverman has ordered the extradition of Sanjay Bhandari, an accused middleman and consultant in arms deals, to India to face charges of tax evasion and money laundering. According to Home Office sources, the extradition was ordered last week and Bhandari now has 14 days until the…
She-Hulk actor Jameela Jamil on Friday (6) came up with an explosive post on her Instagram account where she blasted UK prime minister Rishi Sunak calling him "Unelected, out of touch, right wing, TOSSER". She started off the post with "I cannot stress this enough... F*CK RISHI SUNAK" before taking…
Public money has been handed to groups promoting Islamist extremism in the process of implementing the government’s counter-radicalisation scheme Prevent, a review is believed to have found.A leaked draft of the report, seen by The Telegraph, said key figures in organisations funded by Prevent are alleged to have supported the…
British home secretary Suella Braverman's "crazy rhetoric" on the issue of immigration is fuelling racism and "normalising" the politics of Nigel Farage, a senior home office aide, who is on her way out, has alleged. According to a report by The Independent, Nimco Ali, a campaigner against female genital mutilation…
Nirav Modi, the fugitive diamond merchant wanted in India to stand trial on fraud and money laundering charges, on Thursday suffered another setback in his legal battle against his extradition as the High Court here denied him permission to appeal against the move in the UK Supreme Court. In a…
London mayor Sadiq Khan has claimed that he was stopped from reading out sexist texts from Metropolitan Police officers at meeting, adding that he was being 'censored' from reading those messages. Khan claimed he was not allowed to read out horrific messages of racism and sexism from the officers in…
British Conservative politicians on Sunday launched two campaigns to address concerns about the direction of the party and the government, the latest challenge to new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s attempts to unite a fractured party. The Conservative Party has already ousted two prime ministers in 2022 – Boris Johnson and…
The Indian authorities have submitted their legal response to the application filed by fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi seeking permission to appeal against his extradition order in the UK Supreme Court. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which appears on behalf of the Indian government in the UK courts, had until Monday…
Conservative Friends of India (CF India) hosted its annual Diwali reception on November 28 and the flagship event, which represents the body's Diwali celebrations, witnessed the presence of a number of dignitaries, including the Indian high commissioner to the UK HE Vikram Doraiswami and his deputy Sujit Ghosh. The guests…
Seven former home secretaries in UK on Thursday (24) urged prime minister Rishi Sunak to implement Martyn’s Law, a critical anti-terror reform, without delay. Named after Manchester Arena victim Martyn Hett, the Martyn’s Law requires public places like pubs to take basic security steps like training and evacuation plans. Plans…
This week marks the first anniversary of the biggest human tragedy in the English Channel for decades. On 24th November last year, a fishing boat spotted dozens of bodies floating in the icy water. A rubber dinghy had left the French coast the previous evening but capsized before reaching England.…
A London court on Monday ruled that Sanjay Bhandari, an accused middleman and consultant in arms deals, can be extradited to India to face charges of tax evasion and money laundering. The 60-year-old faced two extradition requests from the Indian authorities, the first related to money laundering and the second…
A culture of misogyny and predatory behaviour is "prevalent" in many police forces across England and Wales, and fuelled by lax vetting standards, according to a report published Wednesday after a high-profile murder. Former Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens was last year jailed for life for the kidnap, rape and…
Priti Patel, a loyalist of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on October 24 came out in support of Rishi Sunak to take over at 10 Downing Street as the Conservative Party leader after her former boss withdrew from the leadership contest. The Indian-origin former Home Secretary, who resigned from…
Conservative rivals Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak held face-to-face talks late Saturday (22), reports said, as the feuding pair who once headed Britain's government were poised to battle for the leadership of their fractured ruling party. Former prime minister Johnson, who returned from a Caribbean holiday earlier in the day…
Priti Patel, who served as British Home Secretary in former prime minister Boris Johnson’s Cabinet, on Saturday endorsed her ex-boss as the best-placed candidate to replace Liz Truss at 10 Downing Street. The Indian-origin MP, who had remained conspicuously silent over her choice of Conservative Party leader in the last…
The India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) is reportedly on the verge of collapse after the Indian government was angered by comments made by UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman questioning action over visa overstayers from the country, a UK media report claimed on Wednesday. The Times' newspaper quoted government sources to…
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson met Indian leader Narendra Modi in April and set an ambitious target to sign the free trade agreement (FTA) by Diwali later this month. Recently, Braverman said that she had doubts regarding the deal as it would increase immigration to the UK even as Truss…
Home secretary Suella Braverman is considering strengthening legislation to further deter companies from employing illegal migrants, a media report said as Britain grapples with a wave of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel dangerously. Under the existing laws, employers hiring illegal migrants can be jailed for five years and fined…
Britain’s Indian-origin Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has cast doubts over a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with India over the issue of migration and branded Indians as the “largest group of people who overstay” their visas in the UK. Expressing concerns over what she feared would be an “open borders”…
Britain’s Indian-origin Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has blamed the recent “riots” in Leicester following an India-Pakistan cricket match on uncontrolled migration into the UK and the failure of newcomers to integrate. In her first speech since being appointed home minister at the Conservative Party annual conference in Birmingham on Tuesday…
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been summonsed to face London Assembly on his role in the resignation of former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick earlier this year. Khan will be the first sitting mayor to be summonsed in this way through by the Assembly’s police and crime committee, reports said.…
Queen Elizabeth II’s love for India and the Commonwealth, shared by her son and successor King Charles III, were the recurring themes as Indian-origin members of Parliament, peers and diaspora groups paid tribute to the late monarch. In special sittings of the Houses of Parliament over the past few days…
New UK interior minister Suella Braverman is admired by the right for her attacks on "woke" politics but her legal acumen will be put to the test when tackling one of the government's toughest jobs. Braverman, 42, was appointed attorney general a year ago, serving as the government's principal legal…
The new British Prime Minister Liz Truss has selected a cabinet where for the first time a white man will not hold one of the country's four most important ministerial positions. Truss appointed Kwasi Kwarteng – whose parents came from Ghana in the 1960s – as Britain's first Black finance…
Britain's Priti Patel and Nadine Dorries both stepped down ahead of a Cabinet reshuffle on Monday as Liz Truss formally takes over as the country's prime minister. Patel said she will stand down as Britain's Home secretary, or interior minister. A lawmaker belonging to the Conservative Party told Reuters that…
Liz Truss, Britain's next prime minister, is expected to begin making key ministerial appointments soon after her formal appointment as leader on Tuesday. Below is a brief overview of the people likely to serve in key roles in her government. FINANCE MINISTER - KWASI KWARTENG Truss is expected to appoint…
Dame Cressida Dick “felt intimidated” into stepping down as the chief of the Metropolitan Police after an ultimatum from London mayor Sadiq Khan, a review into the circumstances leading to her resignation has concluded. Dame Cressida - the first woman to head the Met Police - quit as its commissioner…
BRITAIN will not get its first Asian prime minister next week, unless every prediction and poll has got it wrong. Former chancellor and Tory leadership candidate Rishi Sunak found himself in the wrong economy at the wrong time. Though he was Britain’s most popular chancellor earlier in the pandemic, the…
Greater Manchester’s Rochdale borough council has urged the government to evenly distribute asylum seekers across the country to ensure that no area is overburdened. In a letter to Home Secretary Priti Patel, council leader Neil Emmott took serious exception to the shifting of migrants into hotels in the borough against…
Home Secretary Priti Patel has urged police to act sternly on “lawless” pro-environment protesters whose actions disrupted vehicular traffic in Essex.Just Stop Oil activists have been tunnelling under road surfaces in Thurrock demanding that the government call off all new oil and gas projects. The burrowing forced the police to…
Only a few days are left for the election of the new British prime minister by the Conservative party. The new Tory leader will be announced on September 5. As expected, there will be major changes in the cabinet following the election of the new leader. Latest report suggests that…
London mayor Sadiq Khan has said that he has 'been disturbed by the apparent degree of bias' in the draft report over the handling of former Metropolitan police commissioner Cressida Dick, media reports said. Sadiq Khan has written to home secretary Priti Patel regarding the report by Sir Tom Winsor,…
Albanian police will be brought to the Kent coast to provide the UK authorities with intelligence and to help processing and removal of migrants. Britain on Thursday (25) said it would work with the southern European country to quickly process and repatriate the large number of Albanians who cross the…
Britain said on Thursday it would work with Albania to quickly process and repatriate the large number of Albanians who cross the English Channel in small boats, after a surge in the number of such migrants despite a plan to deport arrivals to Rwanda. The number of people arriving in…
UK home secretary Priti Patel has made it clear that she wants to stay on in the role under the new leader, media reports said. She claimed that her 'record speaks volumes', adding that it's up to the next prime minister to take the decision. Boris Johnson’s successor will be…
To lure migrants to cross the English Channel, Albanian gangs are offering free minibus rides from southern Europe to the northern French coast, The Telegraph reported. The gangs promote the 'service' on TikTok with pictures of the minibuses, saying that the trip is '100 per cent secure'. An advert featured a…
According to media reports, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, Meta has plans to make end-to-end encryption (E2EE) the default system for all personal calls and messages. However, the UK’s home secretary, Priti Patel, has written in an op-ed for The Telegraph this week, saying it would be a…
British home secretary Priti Patel has signed a deal with Pakistan to deport criminals and failed asylum seekers to their home country. The Returns Agreement was signed by Patel and Pakistan home secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar and the country's High Commissioner to the UK, Moazzam Ahmad Khan in London last…
PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi said India will aim to become a developed nation within 25 years as the country marked 75 years of independence on Monday (15), with the leaders of Britain, the US and France sending congratulatory messages. In his traditional address to the nation from Delhi’s historic Red…
UK Home Office has said that more than 50 migrants over 30 years were registered as children after lying about their age upon their arrival in Britain in the past decade. Data obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI) laws has revealed that a total of 52 managed to slip through initial…
Silvana Fardos, mother of Hadi Matar, 24 who is accused of repeatedly stabbing Indian-born-British author, Sir Salman Rushdie in western New York State on Friday morning as he prepared to give a lecture, told the MailOnline in an interview that her outgoing American-raised son turned moody and introverted after he…
The UK is planning to jail men who sexually harass women in public for up to two years under the new rules proposed by the government, media reports said. The Home Office launched a consultation in this regard for amending the 1986 public order act to create a new offence…
Renowned author Salman Rushdie who faced death threats from Iran because of his novel "The Satanic Verses", was attacked in New York State on Friday morning during a lecture has left literary figures and public officials in shock. Here are reactions to Friday's attack on novelist Salman Rushdie: SUZANNE NOSSEL,…
TRAFFICKERS are offering a TikTok 'summer sale' for a journey across the English Channel for migrants as the rate has been reduced to £3,500 per person from £5,000 earlier, it has emerged. This has resulted in an increase in channel crossings in recent weeks as another estimated 300 migrants reached…
Fifty years ago, dictator Idi Amin announced his intention to expel Uganda's thriving community of British South Asians. They were given 90 days to leave, or be rounded up in concentration camps. More than 27,000 ethnic Indian and Pakistani holders of UK passports made their way to Britain, which reluctantly…
Almost 700 migrants and asylum seekers crossed the Channel to Britain in a single day this week, a new record for the year, the UK government said Tuesday. The latest arrivals suggest the government's controversial policy to deport those attempting the dangerous crossing to Rwanda has so far failed to…
More than 75,000 members of the local community as well as visitors from across London in particular and the UK in general experienced the ‘Festival of Inspiration’ at Neasden Temple – from July 22 to 31. The event celebrated the very best of Hindu values and Indian culture across a…
National Crime Agency officers last week discovered more than half a tonne of cocaine worth £40 million found hidden in a Colombian banana shipment at Essex port, media reports said. Investigators intercepted a boat containing drugs from Colombia to the Netherlands at the London Gateway port in Thurrock. Officers said…
Conservative leadership candidate Rishi Sunak has pledged that he would double the number of foreign criminals deported each year if he becomes prime minister, even as the former chancellor admitted that he is trailing Truss in the leadership race, media reports said. Under his proposed 'three strikes and you’re out'…
Rwanda can accommodate up to 200 migrants from the UK, Kigali said, in contrast to the British government’s claim that thousands of asylum seekers illegally crossing the English Channel would be deported to the east African nation.Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said Hope Hostel in Kigali was the only facility…
The UK’s Border Force has been “ineffective” in tackling illegal Channel crossings by migrants, with the agency’s attention diverted away from the smuggling of drugs and firearms, an independent review said.The Border Force maritime command, comprising 230 staff and 30 vessels, has been drawn into a challenge that it is…
Senior Conservative parliamentarians have told Eastern Eye the country is ready for its first south Asian prime minister. They believe the days of the Tories being considered as the “nasty and racist” party are over. Four candidates of colour were among the eight nominated in the leadership race as Eastern…
Home secretary Priti Patel declined to attend a hearing of the Home Affairs Committee on Wednesday, citing the “recent changes in Government”.She was expected to face tough questions on the UK’s controversial policy on asylum seekers from the cross-party parliamentary committee which scrutinises the work of the Home Office and…
Priti Patel, widely expected to become another Indian-origin candidate in the race for the post of Conservative Party leader and the next British prime minister, on Tuesday ruled out a bid, saying she was "grateful" for the encouragement but her focus remains on her current job as Home Secretary. "I…
Prime minister Boris Johnson certainly went down fighting. Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak had decided that enough was enough, resigning last week from the Cabinet over Downing Street’s inability to tell the truth. Fifty ministerial resignations later, the refusal of the prime minister to accept that the game was up…
IN a major development, the Royal Navy has threatened to ‘walk away’ from Boris Johnson and Priti Patel’s plan to end Channel crossings, according to a report. The Guardian reported that defence chiefs are unhappy over the rapidly imploding plan of using the military to control small boats in the…
BRITISH home secretary Priti Patel on Friday (8) announced the appointment of Sir Mark Rowley as the new commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service. Sir Rowley was formally appointed by Her Majesty the Queen following a recommendation from the home secretary, after a highly competitive recruitment process. Sir Rowley QPM…
THE home office on Friday (8) published a new statutory guidance on identifying and responding to domestic abuse and its impact on victims. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 Statutory Guidance will ensure victims are supported to access frontline support that meets the complexity of their needs, by ensuring that the…
BRITISH home secretary Priti Patel has urged police to use new powers to shut down protests after fuel price campaigners held up highways around the country. According to reports, at least 13 protesters were arrested on Monday (4) for driving too slowly when blocking roads. Protesters called for fuel duty to…
WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange has appealed to the High Court in London to block his extradition to the United States to face criminal charges, his brother said on Friday, the latest step in his legal battle that has dragged on for more than a decade. Assange, 50, is wanted by…
Priti Patel may be moved “sideways” from Home Office to being Conservatives Party chief to replace Oliver Dowden whose resignation has taken the Tories by surprise.Dowden put in his papers as the Conservatives chair earlier this week after the ruling party suffered crushing defeats in the by-elections to two parliamentary…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson has defended government plans to electronically tag some asylum seekers who arrive in the UK in small boats or lorries, reports said. Earlier this week, the Home Office published guidance on a 12-month pilot using electronic tagging to monitor individuals who arrive in the country…
Britain on Friday approved a US government request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face trial over the publication of secret military files, prompting outrage from his supporters.Home Secretary Priti Patel's interior ministry said Assange had 14 days to appeal the decision, which comes after a UK court issued…
BY her own admission, home secretary Priti Patel's hard line on immigration would have stopped her own parents coming to Britain but it has made her a darling of the right. However, she is now in danger of alienating her conservative base after her plan to deter illegal crossings of…
Rwanda insisted Wednesday it was still ready to take in asylum seekers being deported by the UK under a controversial deal after a first flight was cancelled following a court injunction."We are not deterred by these developments. Rwanda remains fully committed to making this partnership work," government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo…
Britain's government overcame a legal challenge to its controversial policy to begin deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda as the High Court dismissed campaigners' attempts to win an injunction and said the first flight could leave next week.Charities and a trade union had launched a challenge earlier this week against the…
As Britain pushes ahead with plans to send migrants to Rwanda, Hadi, a gay asylum-seeker who fled Iraq, said he would rather be sentenced to death.Under a controversial law passed in April, the UK plans to send asylum-seekers deemed to have arrived illegally on British soil to Rwanda, an East…
CAMPAIGNERS on Wednesday (8) launched a court bid to block the UK government's plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as it attempts to stop migrant boat crossings from France. The government in London said last month that it intends to fly a first planeload of asylum-seekers to Rwanda on…
GRADUATES from the world's top 50 non-UK universities, including Indian students, can now come and work in Britain through a new High Potential Individual (HPI) visa route launched in London on Monday (30). In a joint announcement, Indian-origin UK cabinet ministers Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel said the new "exciting"…
BRITAIN aims to send a first group of asylum seekers to Rwanda in two weeks' time as part of a policy which the government says is designed to break people-smuggling networks and stem the flow of migrants across the Channel.In April, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government announced plans to send…
BRITAIN has opened its borders for “brightest and best” young graduates from top-notch foreign institutions to work in the UK for at least two years.Under the “High Potential Individual” visa scheme launched on Monday (30), applicants with a bachelor’s or master’s degree from the top 50 non-UK universities can seek…
THE most senior Asian police officer in the UK is considering lodging an official complaint as he has dropped out of the running to become the head of the National Crime Agency, according to a report. Neil Basu, the former head of counter-terrorism policing, has been told the process to…
BRITAIN's most senior minority ethnic police officer has urged police chiefs to admit institutional racism to "win back trust", according to a report. Neil Basu, an assistant commissioner in the Metropolitan police and former head of counter-terrorism, added that “positive discrimination” should be introduced to boost numbers of minority ethnic…
UK home secretary has said that a series of last-minute legal challenges have helped more than 100 killers, rapists and paedophiles to avoid deportation to Jamaica, according to a media report. Priti Patel called the claims 'meritless' and blasted ‘political interventions’ for stopping the deportations, reported the MailOnline. It is…
THE vast majority of Britons say they are comfortable with having a south Asian as their prime minister. A survey by the think-tank, British Future, found that a third of the British public would see an Asian prime minister as a good thing for our country. At least eight in…
BRITAIN’S home office has commissioned an independent review of the London mayor’s police powers, according to a media report.Sir Tom Winsor, who recently retired as Her Majesty’s chief inspector of constabulary, will examine whether the mayor should have less influence on the appointment and removal of the capital’s top police…
THE leader of NHS GPs has written to the home secretary Priti Patel demanding to scrap “bureaucratic” hurdles as hundreds of overseas-born trainee GPs are at risk of deportation because of immigration rules, according to a report. Prof Martin Marshall, the chair of the Royal College of GPs, pointed out…
WHILE it was disappointing to see the Conservative party lose flagship councils in London and across the country, there was one particular council that bucked the trend and shone a ray of light for the Tories. Harrow – the hometown for both of us – was the only council across…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan on Thursday (12) launched a commission to study the effectiveness of the UK’s drugs laws on cannabis, a move which did not find support from his own Labour party and home secretary Priti Patel.Former justice secretary Lord Charlie Falconer QC will be the chair of the…
BARRISTERS who do criminal legal aid work in court were designated “front-line workers” during Covid lockdown periods. Like doctors and nurses who helped to ensure the NHS continued to function, legal aid lawyers ensured our justice system continued to function. These are not the “fat cat” lawyers of the civil…
OUTSPOKEN counterterrorism chief Neil Basu is believed to be in contention to head the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA).The Indian-origin assistant commissioner of the Met Police is likely to be interviewed for the role of director-general of the NCA later this week.The post became vacant after Dame Lynne Owens stepped…
BRITISH home secretary Priti Patel has slammed the critics of her government’s controversial immigration deal with Rwanda and the BBC’s “xenophobic” overtones in reporting the matter.She was "taken aback" by the tone of BBC journalists' references to Rwanda after the agreement with the African country was announced, she told The…
HOME secretary Priti Patel has indicated that Prevent - the UK government’s counter-extremism programme - will be overhauled to meet its objective of deradicalising vulnerable people.The multi-agency programme aims at stopping individuals from becoming terrorists but there are concerns that it has not been successful in preventing Islamic extremists with…
Britain's prime minister said Rwanda is well-equipped to 'resettle' migrants and asylum-seekers to the UK despite some human rights groups describing the project as 'inhumane'. The controversial deal, announced on Thursday, is part of the government's strategy to clamp down on record numbers of people making the perilous journey across…
Rwanda has inked a multi-million-dollar deal with Britain to host asylum-seekers and migrants to the UK, the East African country announced on Thursday, as part of the British government's bid to crack down on illegal migration. "Rwanda welcomes this partnership with the United Kingdom to host asylum seekers and migrants,…
THE trade body for UK airlines warned home secretary Priti Patel in March that a lack of Border Force workers could spark massive passenger queues at terminals during Easter week, according to a media report. Airlines UK in a letter to Patel last month said that urgent action was needed…
FORMER head of Crown Prosecution Service has said that judges should be given powers to force guilty offenders to attend court and face victims' families, a media report said. Lord MacDonald has called for 'urgent change' to stop killers from insulting families by not attending court to face their sentencing,…
SABINA NESSA’S sister Jebina Islam has claimed the young primary school teacher’s ethnicity may be why her death did not get the media coverage Sarah Everard did.Everard, 33, a white London resident who worked as a marketing executive, was killed by serving police officer Wayne Couzens on March 3 last…
A report has warned that no change in Home Office culture may lead to more Windrush-like incidents, a media report said. The report by Wendy Williams published on Thursday (31), who was appointed to advise the Home Office on how to make changes, has said that there was a lack…
DEFENCE secretary Ben Wallace ordered an inquiry on Thursday (17) after an impostor claiming to be the Ukrainian prime minister was able to contact him, an incident he blamed on Russia. The video call was set up after an email was sent to a government department, purportedly from an aide…
FACED with a bombed-out House of Commons after the Second World War, Winston Churchill could have had the heavily damaged, long-outgrown Victorian-era chamber rebuilt to accommodate the correct number of MPs. Instead, it remained the same size – seating just 420 out of 650 to retain the cosy atmosphere. I…
WOMEN are very much on the move – rising to roles not previously seen before and smashing glass ceilings in the process. The GG2 Power List was unveiled on Tuesday (8) evening at Eastern Eye publisher AMG’s high-profile and glittering GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards, where the role of highflying women…
BRITAIN has scrapped its so-called "golden visas" for wealthy investors amid concerns about the inflow of illicit Russian money at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.Hundreds of billions of dollars have flowed into London and Britain's overseas territories from Russia since the fall of…
There must be a root and branch investigation into the culture of racism, misogyny, and Islamophobia in every police service in England and Wales. That is the demand from south Asian and black MPs, as well as serving and past police officers. They have told Eastern Eye that they do…
A senior officer has admitted that racism is a problem in the Metropolitan Police, however, he denied that Met was a "racist organisation". Deputy assistant commissioner Bas Javid, brother of health secretary Sajid Javid, told BBC Two's Newsnight that some officers "have racist views and are racist". His comments came…
THE dramatic resignation of the London Met Police chief has sparked a row between mayor Sadiq Khan and home secretary Priti Patel as Khan did not warn the Home Office or Queen he was going to get rid of the commissioner, according to a media report. The MailOnline reported that…
CRESSIDA DICK announced her resignation last night (10) after a string of scandals rocked London's Metropolitan Police, including racism, sexism and a serving officer murdering a young woman. Dame Cressida, who became the first woman to head the force in 2017, said she had "no choice but to step aside" after London…
PRINCE CHARLES has tested positive for COVID-19, his office said on Thursday (10), the second time he has contracted the disease. "This morning The Prince of Wales has tested positive for Covid-19 and is now self-isolating," Clarence House said, adding he had cancelled his planned engagements for later in the…
CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak and home secretary Priti Patel joined Prince Charles and his wife Camilla at an event hosted by the British Asian Trust (BAT) in London last night (9).Leading business, political and community leaders from the subcontinent attended the trust’s annual dinner at the British Museum, where Lord Jitesh…
As the volatile Westminster mood shifts daily, predictions are perilous. But the bookmakers odds capture the fragility of the prime minister’s position, giving Boris Johnson a one in three chance of remaining in office to the end of this year, and only a one in five chance of fighting a…
BRITAIN'S government has said it would add to the list of criminal content which tech firms will have to combat actively under a new law, or risk fines of up to 10 per cent of their global turnover.Under previous plans for the legislation, search engines, social media and video-sharing platforms…
ALLEGATIONS of Islamophobia within the Conservative party have been deeply damaging. They go against the fundamental social fabric of what the party stands for – to promote equality of opportunity to all for a better life, regardless of colour, background or creed. Such allegations must quite rightly be investigated. There…
BRITISH home secretary Priti Patel said she was "appalled and sickened" by the behaviour of Metropolitan Police officers, following reports about how officers in London had joked about rape, killing black children and beating their wives. The Met Police said it was "deeply sorry" after the findings were published by…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan has put Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick "on notice" after "shocking" behaviour by some officers was found, media reports said. A report by the police watchdog on Tuesday (1) found out that London police sent each other "shocking" racist, sexist and homophobic messages, piling pressure on…
THE UK has a proud history of being open to the world. Global Britain continues in that tradition. Our society is enriched by legal migration and we are a better country for it. The Government’s Nationality and Borders Bill, back in the House of Lords and one step closer to…
As party faces Islamophobia allegations, Sunak touted as next leader THE Conservative party has a problem with black and Asian ministers, an influential Tory politician has said, after MP Nusrat Ghani’s claimed last week she was sacked in a reshuffle because of her ‘Muslimness’. Former junior transport minister Ghani, who…
A former Guantánamo detainee is planning to sue the UK home secretary Priti Patel to restore his British passport, the Guardian reported. Moazzam Begg’s application for a new passport was rejected in September 2021. According to the report, a terror prosecution relating to his time in Syria collapsed in 2014, and…
Aaqil Ahmed should not have succeeded. Working class. A northerner. Brown. A Muslim. Definitely an outsider. Definitely a maverick. When you look at his 30-year career, which he celebrates this year, you know that sheer hard work, determination and bloody-mindedness – the south Asian way – were just some of…
AN arms dealer wanted in India on money laundering and tax evasion charges is pursuing a separate legal battle of his own in France over an alleged unpaid cut from a large Indian defence contract dating back more than 10 years, according to a report.Sanjay Bhandari, 59, has filed a…
By Amit Roy and Sarwar Alam HAVING achieved Brexit, Boris Johnson’s new year’s resolution is to “Get FTA done” – a reference to the Free Trade Agreement that the British prime minister is pursuing with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi. Although no dates have been announced, the international trade secretary…
BRITAIN will seek to stop adults posing as children when claiming asylum by drawing up new scientific assessments to help determine an applicant's age, the government said. Adults were found to be posing as children in two-thirds of claims disputed on the basis of age, the government said citing data…
BRITISH ministers are eager to ease immigration rules to make it easier for Indians to live and work in the UK as part of trade talks that are due to start between the two nations within weeks. According to a report by The Times, international trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan is…
PEOPLE found guilty of online racist abuse against footballers will be banned from attending games for up to 10 years under new laws, Britain's home secretary Priti Patel said. Football Banning Orders, imposed to prevent violence or disorder at regulated matches, bar individuals from attending games for a minimum of…
FOREIGN social care workers, including those from India, will soon be eligible for a UK Health and Care Visa for 12 months as part of temporary measures to meet shortages in the sector. The government said on Friday (24) that thousands of additional care workers could be recruited, following temporary…
THE HIGH COURT in London on Tuesday (14) began hearing diamantaire Nirav Modi's appeal against his extradition to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering. He is accused of swindling an estimated $2 billion (£1.5 bn) from the Punjab National Bank (PNB). Lord Justice Jeremy Stuart-Smith and Justice…
A UK High Court on Monday (6) ruled that British prime minister Boris Johnson had not misdirected himself over the provisions of the country’s ministerial code when he chose not to sack home secretary Priti Patel over bullying allegations against her. The First Division Association (FDA), the union for senior…
British police on Wednesday (1) arrested a man on suspicion of trespass, after he allegedly breached security at parliament and prompted a temporary lockdown at the sensitive London landmark. It came amid heightened security in the UK after MP David Amess was stabbed to death while meeting constituents in October…
THOUSANDS of Black British immigrants have suffered "truly shocking" delays in government compensation after a scandal erupted four years ago over wrongful deportations, MPs said Wednesday (24). The government insisted it was serious about processing claims for restitution from members of the "Windrush" generation. But the cross-party Home Affairs Committee…
British prime minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said he was horrified after at least 27 migrants died trying to cross the Channel from France, offering closer cooperation to tackle criminal gangs behind the practice. "I am shocked, appalled and deeply saddened by the loss of life at sea," he said…
PRIME minister Boris Johnson and home secretary Priti Patel visited the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, north London, on Sunday (7) to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. The leaders, who were welcomed with traditional Indian garlands at the Neasden temple, also paid tribute to volunteers who helped…
HOME secretary Priti Patel on Wednesday (27) admitted that she did not feel comfortable when she arrived to lead the Home Office as an ethnic minority woman, The Daily Mail said. Patel told peers she experienced 'push-back' from officials when she was appointed two years ago. "I'm an ethnic minority…
HINDU organisations in the UK appealed to prime minister Boris Johnson, home secretary Priti Patel and foreign secretary Liz Truss as they sought justice for victims of the recent violence against the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh. The International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) joined the Bengali Hindu Adarsha Sangha…
THE man accused of stabbing to death British lawmaker David Amess at a church where he was meeting voters last week is due to go on trial next year, London's Old Bailey court heard. Ali Harbi Ali, 25, the son of an ex-media adviser to a former prime minister of…
MPs from Friday (22) will be offered security guard while meeting constituents after being warned that their work puts them at risk from "a small minority of hostile individuals". This follows after the killing of Sir David Amess a week ago at a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. In a…
A Sri Lankan scientist is facing deportation with his family after receiving contradictory information about his case from the Home Office, The Guardian reported. Dr Nadarajah Muhunthan, 47, his wife Sharmila, 42, and their three children, aged 13, nine and five, came to the UK in 2018 after Muhunthan, who…
BRITISH home secretary will now have powers to impose visa penalties on countries who do not take back failed asylum seekers and foreign criminals. Priti Patel could now be able to suspend visa applications from those countries, impose a £190 surcharge on their applications or increase visa processing time. The…
THE attacker who fatally stabbed British lawmaker David Amess was referred to an official counter-terrorist scheme for those thought to be at risk of radicalisation, according to media reports. Police said late Saturday (16) that detectives had until Friday, October 22, to question the suspect after he was detained under…
THE fatal stabbing of British lawmaker David Amess was a terrorist incident, police said Saturday (16), as MPs pressed for tougher security in the wake of the second killing of a UK politician while meeting constituents in just over five years. Veteran Conservative MP David Amess, 69, was talking with…
THE inquiry into police failings over the murder of Sarah Everard must “leave no stone unturned”, mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said. Home secretary Priti Patel announced earlier that a new two-part inquiry would examine police vetting practices, professional standards and wider issues around workplace conduct following the conviction…
British prime minister Boris Johnson rallied his Conservative party faithful on Wednesday (6), vowing a far-reaching overhaul to wean the UK economy off cheap foreign labour after Brexit. Shrugging off panic buying at petrol stations, bare supermarket shelves and retailers' warnings of a bleak Christmas to come, the Tory leader…
JUSTICE SECRETARY Dominic Raab has promised to fight “nonsensical” human rights laws that allow foreign criminals in the UK escape deportation. Members of the public want offenders sent back to their native countries, Raab told the Conservative Party conference in Manchester on Tuesday (5). “Too often they see dangerous criminals…
BRITAIN'S home secretary Priti Patel on Tuesday (5) set out a series of crime-fighting measures, including stringent action on crimes against women, and tougher penalties for protesters disrupting highways. In her speech at the ongoing annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester, the senior Indian-origin politician also highlighted the progress of…
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson has carried out a major reshuffle of his government, replacing his foreign secretary and giving his former nemesis a key role. Here are winners and losers from a day of drama in Westminster: Liz Truss Truss, 46, had been earmarked for promotion after presiding over a…
British prime minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday (15) undertook a reshuffle of his top team, keeping two of his senior Cabinet ministers Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel in their posts. Sunak will remain next door to Johnson at Downing Street as his chancellor of the exchequer and Patel, who had…
Revealed: 10 south Asians stopped and searched every hour during pandemic Police in England and Wales stopped and searched almost 10 south Asians every hour during lockdown. Eastern Eye has found that during April 2020 and March 2021 they detained almost 86,000 south Asians. This is a rise of more…
As Asian and Black police attack recruitment of new officers, we reveal that not one single force represents diverse communities The president of the National Black Police Association (NBPA) has criticised the way police forces across England and Wales have recruited new officers as a “once in a lifetime opportunity…
THE president of the National Black Police Association (NBPA) has criticised the way forces across England and Wales have recruited new officers as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity missed”. Speaking exclusively to Eastern Eye, Inspector Andy George said the NBPA was “very concerned” that not one single police force was representative of…
HOME SECRETARY Priti Patel has appointed former counter-terror police chief as the head of immigration enforcement after Channel migrant crossings hit new daily high, reported The Telegraph. Tony Eastaugh has been appointed as the new "interim" director general of immigration enforcement. Eastaugh will replace Tyson Hepple, who has spent nearly…
SADIQ KHAN has said London “stands ready to help Afghan refugees” as the UK prepares to offer sanctuary to 20,000 Afghans fleeing violence. Thousands of people have attempted to leave the country since the Taliban took control of the capital city, Kabul, on August 15. In chaotic scenes following the…
RANJIT SINGH BOPARAN, a British-Asian businessman, is among other industry leaders who has written a letter to the home secretary, Priti Patel, asking for the government to relax immigration rules to ease staff crunch post Brexit. Boparan, the billionaire founder of 2 Sisters Food Group, Filet Mignon said recently that…
BRITAIN has helped more than 2,000 Afghans to flee the country in recent days, the prime minister said on Wednesday (18), and added that the Taliban must be judged "on actions, not words". Addressing MPs called back to parliament from their summer holidays for an emergency debate, Boris Johnson also…
INDIA is a key partner of Britain in Asia and will have an important role to play in dealing with the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan with the takeover of the Taliban, the UK government said on Tuesday (17). Defence secretary Ben Wallace said on Monday (17) described the Taliban takeover…
UK prime minister Boris Johnson on Friday (13) made former cabinet minister Damian Hinds his new security minister, after deciding not to let home secretary Priti Patel take on the brief, said media reports. The official announcement that Hinds will take the job came from No. 10 in less…
Rishi Sunak tops annual ranking of most influential Asians in the UK PANDEMIC heroes who went above and beyond their call of duty have been honoured in a special edition of the GG2 Power List, which ranks the 101 most influential Asians in Britain. Thirty Asian doctors, nurses and researchers…
A wave of solidarity swept the nation as England’s multi-racial football team made its way to the Euro 2020 final. While the team just fell short in the final against Italy - losing on penalties - this youthful band of brothers delivered the country’s best showing in a major men’s…
UK government today (27) launched its new crime reduction plan amid concerns raised by MPs and campaigners over a series of “discriminatory” proposals, including extension of police's stop-and-search power. Launching Beating Crime Plan, UK prime minister Boris Johnson said that offenders guilty of anti-social behaviour should be in “fluorescent-jacketed chain…
WHILE the world kicked off Olympics in Tokyo, Britain saw an eventful and unusually hot week. Freedom was in the air as the country ended all the lockdown restrictions on July 19. Here are some highlights of this week- July 19 to 24: India opens medal tally …
FUGITIVE Indian businessman Nirav Modi could face a “substantial risk” of suicide amid an “overwhelming” impact of Covid-19 at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai where he will be put on being exiled, the High Court of London was told in an extradition appeal hearing on Wednesday (21). The 50-year-old disgraced…
UK home secretary Priti Patel said she was publishing a new strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, which include reviewing options to limit the use of non-disclosure agreements in cases of sexual harassment in higher education. A new online tool called StreetSafe will be launched shortly which will…
THE Covid-19 vaccination centre at the Swaminarayan School on Brentfield Road opened by BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, commonly known as the Neasden Temple, has delivered more than 80,000 doses so far. Started on 2 February 2021, the centre is supported by K&W Healthcare, a GP-led organisation supporting GPs and services in…
GREAT BRITAIN women’s football team have confirmed they will take the knee before the kick-off of their matches at the Tokyo Olympics. With their first game scheduled next week against Chile, the squad have welcomed the recent clarification provided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Rule 50 to allow…
UK prime minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Keir Starmer clashed in the House of Commons over a controversial by-election leaflet, which had been branded “divisive” and “anti-India” by Indian diaspora groups in Britain. During a heated debate over the issue of racism at the prime minister’s Questions (PMQs) session…
FORMER Chief Crown Prosecutor for North-West England Nazir Afzal OBE has said that Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick should leave office when her current term expires in April next year. His comments came after reports claimed that she intends next month to attempt to extend her five-year fixed contract. "Her…
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (FA) has denied media reports claiming that England team has snubbed an invitation from Downing Street after prime minister Boris Johnson “threw his weight” behind home secretary Priti Patel over racial abuse row with team’s defender Tyrone Mings. It was being reported that the team has shelved…
“Don’t let racists spoil the success of England Lions in bringing the country together” Anti-racism pressure groups, think-tanks and MPs are urging everyone associated with professional football to build on the achievements of England during Euro 2020, in cementing better race-relations throughout the country. During the past four weeks the…
Gareth Southgate is “everything a leader should be - respectful, humble; he tells the truth, he connects with the people of this country,” Gary Neville recently said of his former England team-mate. In his five years in the role, Southgate has understood the gravitas of his position extends beyond the…
England and Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings has criticised British home secretary Priti Patel, saying she had "stoked the fire" for racist abuse of England players by defending those who booed players taking the knee. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were attacked by racist trolls after missing penalties…
POLITICAL leaders and footballing chiefs in Britain on Monday (12) came down strongly at social media racial abuse targetted at Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after England lost in EURO 2020 finals on Sunday (11). Prime minister Boris Johnson- who himself came under criticism earlier for refusing…
AN Asian man was repeatedly kicked in the head by fellow white England fans as chaos ensued inside Wembley Stadium on Sunday (11). Videos circulating on social media show a furious brawl that erupted between a set of fans- just minutes before the Three Lions took the field against…
A new immigration route opened on Thursday (1), allowing international graduates to kick-start their careers in the UK after they have finished their studies at a UK university. The Graduate route provides an opportunity to talented international graduates who have been awarded their degree from a UK university to stay…
TWO men, who had racially abused UK home secretary Priti Patel in a racist Snapchat video, have admitted their criminal offences. Jake Henderson, a former football manager, and Robert Cumming have admitted criminal offence over the racially abusive video, posted following a government coronavirus briefing in January. In the 50-second…
FORMER chancellor Sajid Javid will replace Matt Hancock as the UK's health and social care secretary, Downing Street said on Saturday (26). Javid resigned as chancellor early last year after he refused to fire his political advisers as demanded by Johnson. The British Asian MP from Bromsgrove has previously held…
FOREIGN students from India are among those who will benefit from an extension to the entry deadline to qualify for the UK’s new post-study work (PSW) visa. Launched by home secretary Priti Patel last year, the graduate route visa, commonly called a PSW visa, allows eligible overseas students to work,…
FUGITIVE businessman Nirav Modi on Tuesday (22) lost his appeal against extradition to India in a UK High Court. On April 15, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel approved Modi’s extradition to India in the estimated $2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam case. In February, the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in…
HOME SECRETARY Priti Patel has ordered the Home Office to scrap unconscious bias training for staff from its curriculum, a media report said. While Patel has ordered the Home Office to scrap the courses for staff, it has been reported by The Telegraph on Saturday (19) that staff of…
LAST month Professor Swaran Singh published his independent investigation of discrimination within the Conservative Party. This was a thorough and comprehensive independent report, with Singh having full access to party records and conducting interviews with prime minister Boris Johnson and cabinet ministers. Clearly, the party took the investigation seriously, and…
ENGLAND players gesture of taking a knee was met with applause and boos during their Euro opener against Croatia at Wembley on Sunday (13). Home secretary Priti Patel on Monday (14) said that England fans have a right to boo and called the players' actions as "gesture politics". Tyrone Mings,…
FOOTBALL fans have a right to boo and jeer the England team for taking the knee in protest of racism, home secretary Priti Patel said on Monday (14). Speaking with GB News, Patel said that the anti-racism protest associated with the Black Lives Matter movement has now amounted to “gesture…
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson is alleged to have lashed out at home secretary Priti Patel over the soaring numbers of boats crossing the Channel, a media report claimed on Friday (11). Patel has also been facing the fury of some MPs over the use of Napier Barracks during the pandemic,…
TWO MEN were charged on Wednesday (9) over an alleged racist, offensive and obscene social media video targeted at home secretary Priti Patel. Following complaints about a post from January this year, Jake Henderson (28) and Robert Cumming (26) were accused of sending an “offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message”…
LABOUR has attacked home secretary Priti Patel’s alleged plans to scrap a discount on visa fees for foreign NHS and other workers from EU countries, calling the move “a stealth tax on frontline heroes”. Patel is considering withdrawing the UK from the part of the European Social Charter that…
HOME SECRETARY Priti Patel has firmly rejected Metropolitan Police chief Dame Cressida Dick's call for "positive discrimination" to be introduced during the recruitment process to hire more people from ethnic minorities. The Met chief proposed applying a form of positive discrimination to increase BAME recruits saying police forces must reflect…
THE Conservative government needs to prioritise engagement with ethnic minority communities, a former MP has said, following a report which found anti-Muslim sentiment “remains a problem” in the Tory party. An independent inquiry, led by Professor Swaran Singh, found a “widespread perception” that the Tories have a “Muslim problem”. The…
AN INQUEST jury on Friday (28) condemned official failings that allowed a convicted terrorist to kill two people in a central London knife attack nearly two years ago. Usman Khan, 28, stabbed to death Saskia Jones, 23, and Jack Merritt, 25, while attending a prisoner rehabilitation programme at Fishmongers' Hall,…
MIGRANTS who breach rules and overstay in the UK after their visa expires will be prevented from accessing benefits, services and work under the new immigration plan announced on Monday (24). A ‘digital visa’ will give ministers real-time data on a person’s immigration status and enable the government and departments…
THOUSANDS of non-UK service personnel who have served in the Army, Royal Navy, or Royal Air Force for at least 12 years may soon have their costs of applying to settle in Britain waived off if proposals are approved by ministers. Under a draft policy proposal by the Ministry of…
PRITI Patel appears to be determined to crack down sham marriages. Under a new Home Office plan to be published today by the home secretary, immigration officers will be given fresh powers to turn away travelers at the border if they suspect their involvement in a sham marriage. The new…
UK home secretary Priti Patel is set to unveil a new US-style digital visa regime at the country’s borders in order to measure immigration levels in and out of the country, according to UK media reports on Sunday. The cabinet minister is to confirm the so-called "sweeping changes" to the…
BRITISH home secretary Priti Patel on Sunday (23) categorically denied that achieving so-called "herd immunity" was ever the UK government's official policy at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, after allegations by prime minister Boris Johnson's former top aide Dominic Cummings claiming otherwise. Cummings, who had an unceremonious…
THE home secretary joined dawn raids carried out by police as suspected heads of people smuggling gang were arrested on Wednesday (19). The smugglers used minicabs and lorry drivers to move migrants in and out of the UK and Priti Patel said they were “treating innocent lives as a commodity…
TV HOST Adil Ray has faced online backlash over his tweet in which he slammed home secretary Priti Patel for joining a police raid. The Good Morning Britain star took to Twitter to post a picture of the home secretary, calling her out for ‘posing for a photo opp’ while…
BRITON holidaymakers returning from amber-list countries should expect a “knock on the door” any time after their arrival, said home secretary Priti Patel. Stepping up quarantine-rule enforcement, police and private contractors will be conducting up to 10, 000 spot-checks a day to make sure holidaymakers are quarantining themselves after their…
STAFFORDSHIRE’s chief constable has called on Priti Patel and the Home Office to stay away from the policing agenda. The chief has urged to allow officers to assert their independence. Staffordshire Police Chief Constable Gareth Morgan said, he was concerned Home Secretary Priti Patel had interfered in operational matters, which…
HOME secretary Priti Patel will be facing the Commons over allegations of lobbying a fellow minister last year and trying to sway the awards of personal protective equipment (PPE) contract worth £20 million. Documents show that the home secretary wrote to Michael Gove in May last year as an attempt…
SANJAY Bhandari has made an application for part-adjournment in his extradition hearing, a London court said on Thursday (13). He has been an accused arms dealer and wanted in India for money laundering charges. Bhandari, who was arrested on an extradition warrant in July 2020 and is contesting his extradition…
THE UK government has defended an immigration raid that inflamed tensions in Glasgow's Muslim community at the start of Eid al-Fitr on Friday (14). The government clarified that there was no connection to the Islamic festival. Thursday's deportation raid targeted a property housing two illegal immigrants from India, who were…
A leadership hopeful for one of Britain’s biggest unions has been reportedly suspended by Labour after suggesting Priti Patel was ‘disgusting’ and should be deported. It has been learnt that Howard Beckett has apologised for his comment and said it was "never meant to be literal". Beckett, a Unite leadership…
THE head of Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) has said that more women and ethnic minorities are needed in secret service as inclusion has become 'mission critical, not a nice-to-have.' Jeremy Fleming told the Cyber UK conference that Britain's intelligence agency needs more representation from women and ethnic minorities, reported The Daily…
THE extradition coordination between Indian and UK has fundamentally changed and improved, said Britain's Home Secretary Priti Patel. A new India-UK Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP) was signed between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Patel last week. MMP aims to cover the whole spectrum of immigration issues, including streamlining extradition…
By Nadeem Badshah THE six-month time limit on reporting forms of domestic abuse to police should be scrapped in order to get justice for more victims, campaigners and academics have said. They highlighted research showing that people of south Asian origin take longer to report crimes compared to other…
INDIA'S entire delegation in London to attend the G7 summit is isolating after two of its members tested positive for Covid-19, ther British government said on Wednesday (5). "Two delegates tested positive so the entire delegation is now self isolating," a British official said. "The meeting had been enabled by…
A consortium of Indian banks led by the State Bank of India (SBI) was back for a High Court hearing in London on Friday in pursuit of a bankruptcy order against embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya, as they attempt recovery of debt from loans paid out to his now-defunct Kingfisher…
By Barnie Choudhury THE UK government must stop “weaponising race” and using it as a political tool to further its political agenda, a panel of experts has told Eastern Eye. The experts, who were taking part in a virtual debate, unanimously concluded that Britain today was more divided about race…
The UK government has cleared the extradition of jeweller Nirav Modi to India. Home secretary Priti Patel approved the extradition of the diamond merchant who is accused of bank fraud in India. Modi is being investigated by India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for money…
A YEAR ago there was a call to ban the Rochdale grooming gang, unfortunately it went unheeded, reported The Sun. The revelation comes after abuser Abdul Rauf, 51 was pictured in the town six years after he was due to be removed from the country. UK home secretary Priti Patel wrote…
UK home secretary Priti Patel has pledged to deport the Rochdale sex-ring members who abused dozens of girls as young as 13, reported The Sun. Patel's remarks came after a victim asked her to deport abusers as the ringleader was pictured shopping in Rochdale. With tougher immigration rules, she will…
A victim of the Rochdale grooming gang has urged Priti Patel to deport abusers out of Britain as the ringleader was pictured shopping in the town. The main victim has said that it was a disgrace the government had failed to act and called for an explanation from the home…
By Sailesh Mehta IT IS in the nature of all governments, whether democratically elected or autocratic, to amass more and more power until their citizens say “enough”. Ministers of state do not like protesters. Bad ones crush all dissent; good ones allow just enough steam to escape before the…
THE British government on Wednesday (24) launched plans for what it said would be the biggest overhaul of asylum rules in decades, saying the current system was 'overwhelmed'. Home secretary Priti Patel said 'The New Plan for Immigration' would be based 'on genuine need of refuge, not on the ability…
A High Court judge has condemned a law firm for "abusing the court system with "utterly hopeless' cases. Over three years, Duncan Lewis Solicitors received £20 million as legal aid work for asylum and deportation cases, according to a report in The Times (20). Dame Victoria Sharp said applications submitted…
MORE THAN 60 British lawmakers have written to home secretary Priti Patel calling for protests to be allowed in England during lockdown. Under England's coronavirus rules, it is unlawful for groups to gather for protests and police warned people on Saturday (20) not to head to central London for planned…
by LAUREN CODLING THE murder of Sarah Everard has “reinforced the fear” of travelling and going outside alone, women have said, as they detailed the measures they take to feel safe. The body of Everard, 33, was found last week in a woodland area of Kent. The marketing executive was…
BRITAIN is going to act tough and would soon stop adult migrants claiming to be children while seeking asylum in the country. Home secretary Priti Patel is set to bring in major changes to the asylum rules after refugees including a balding man in his 40s was found attending a…
UK home secretary Priti Patel has urged British public not to take part in any more vigils or protests for Sarah Everard as long as coronavirus regulations are in place. The Saturday night handling of the vigil by the police was met with backlash as the protestors demanded more action…
THE former Home Office chief Sir Philip Rutnam received £340,000 plus his legal costs over his claim for unfair dismissal as the government settled the case, reported the BBC. Sources close to Sir Philip confirmed to BBC Radio 4 that he got the compensation. The claims had been due to…
By Amit Roy SIR SUMA CHAKRABARTI knows a great deal about how the civil services works. He was the permanent secretary at the Department for International Development (DfID) from 2002-2007 and at the Ministry of Justice from 2007-2012, before serving two terms as president of European Bank for Reconstruction…
A fugitive Indian jeweller on Thursday (25) lost his bid to avoid extradition from Britain to face claims of involvement in a massive bank fraud. District Judge Sam Goozee told Nirav Modi at a court hearing in central London there was enough evidence to suggest there was a criminal case…
By Amit Roy IT IS one thing for individuals to say they don’t want to take the Covid vaccine, however wrong that decision might be. But for conspiracy theorists to spread or retweet misinformation with a view to discouraging others from taking the jab should surely be treated as…
Wanted diamond merchant Nirav Modi, who remains behind bars in a London prison as he contests his extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering in the estimated $2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam case, will find out the UK court''s ruling in the nearly two-year-long legal…
The union for senior civil servants in the UK, First Division Association (FDA), wants the High Court to overturn UK prime minister Boris Johnson''s decision to exonerate home secretary Priti Patel amid allegations of bullying raised within her department. In a written submission, FDA general secretary Dave Penman told the…
Exclusive By Barnie Choudhury Parliamentarians and religious leaders are urging south Asian families to work with the police to tackle the blight of drugs which they say are “decimating our communities”. Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, a senior imam at the Muslim Council of Britain, told Eastern Eye, there had been a…
THE UK home secretary, Priti Patel, has described the Black Lives Matter(BLM) protests last year as 'dreadful' and said she did not agree with the gesture of taking the knee. The protests took place in more than 260 towns and cities in June and July across the country. Those were…
By Amit Roy THE BBC reports that the proportion of Pakistanis aged 80 and over refusing to take the vaccine in Bradford is 23 per cent. They are a danger not only to themselves, but to other members of their own families, as well as the NHS and the rest…
Embattled liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya was granted access to around £1.1 million from court-held funds to meet his living expenses and legal costs by the High Court in London on Monday. Deputy Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Nigel Barnett presided over a remote hearing to rule over the level of…
The UK's terror threat level has been lowered from "severe" to "substantial", which indicates that instead of an attack being “highly likely” they are now categorised as "likely", home secretary Priti Patel informed the House of Commons on Monday (8). In a written statement to members of Parliament, the cabinet…
UK home secretary Priti Patel has urged people from ethnic backgrounds to get the coronavirus vaccine when their time comes. She said this while visiting a vaccination centre set up with the help of volunteers from Neasden Temple on Wednesday(3). The centre at the Swaminarayan School in Neasden, north west…
By Nadeem Badshah RULES which stop foreign doctors in the UK from bringing their elderly parents to the country must be scrapped, leading medics and campaigners have said. Groups have urged the government to axe the adult dependency rule (ADR) which makes it difficult for doctors to look after…
BRITISH citizens returning home from roughly 30 countries deemed at "high risk" from new coronavirus variants could soon have to quarantine in hotels, reports said on Wednesday(27). Beefed-up rules will require the travellers to stay in hotels near airports for 10 days, according to the Times and BBC. Non-UK arrivals…
BRITISH police had broken up a wedding with about 150 guests in violation of Covid-19 lockdown rules, which only allow six people to attend. Weddings are currently supposed to take place only under "exceptional circumstances". However, officers on Friday(22) found a large gathering in Stamford Hill, in north London, with…
Miss England and frontline National Health Service (NHS) doctor Bhasha Mukherjee has received her first of the two COVID-19 jabs and endorsed the safety of the vaccines being rolled out among those most at risk from coronavirus. The 25-year-old beauty queen and a medical professional has been working on the…
Vijay Mallya has applied to home secretary Priti Patel for "another route" to be able to stay in the UK, the liquor tycoon's barrister representing him in bankruptcy proceedings in the High Court of London confirmed during a remote hearing on Friday. The 65-year-old businessman, whose legal challenge to the…
UK home secretary Priti Patel has said that discussions are underway for a bespoke post-Brexit partnership with India in the field of youth mobility, which would involve a two-way flow of students and experts between the two countries. As a result of Britain’s formal exit from the European Union (EU)…
by LAUREN CODLING ASIANS have been urged to take the coronavirus vaccine as doctors expressed concerns that “fake news” was causing many from the community to reject it. Rumours claiming that the vaccines contain alcohol and animal products (such as beef and pork) have been circulating on social media and…
AS the UK's Covid-19 death toll approaches 100,000, home secretary Priti Patel said on Wednesday(20) that the numbers were horrendous but that it was not the time to look back at the government's possible mismanagement of the crisis. The UK's official Covid-19 death toll is 91,470 - Europe's worst death…
INDIAN government has informed the Supreme Court that the extradition of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya from the UK is being delayed due to some legal issues. The government added that it is making all efforts to extradite Mallya, accused in bank loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crore (over…
PROMINENT doctors’ organisations have written to the home secretary, Priti Patel, urging her to change the current rules relating to adult dependent relatives (ADR) visas, as they say, it has “heart-wrenching consequences” on medical practitioners in the UK. In a letter dated January 13, the British Association of Physicians of…
BRITISH pharmacies on Thursday(14) launched a campaign encouraging domestic abuse victims to give staff a code word to access help. The pandemic and lockdowns have led to a global surge in domestic violence and child abuse as victims have found it even harder to flee attackers if they are living…
By Nadeem Badshah ACTIVISTS and MPs have called for a radical shake-up after it emerged the number of asylum seekers waiting longer than six months for a decision on their application has risen threefold. Figures show that there is a record backlog of 60,548 people waiting for an initial decision…
A UK court hearing an urgent application on Monday (11) refused to sanction the release of substantial sums held with the Court Funds Office (CFO) as part of bankruptcy proceedings being pursued against liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya by a consortium of Indian banks, led by the State Bank of India…
DONALD TRUMP'S rhetoric in disputing his loss of the US presidential election led directly to the "terrible" violence at the US Capitol and he should condemn the scenes in Washington, home secretary Priti Patel said today (7). Hundreds of Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol yesterday (6) in a stunning…
by LAUREN CODLING A POLICE force in England received more than 75 calls a day on average relating to domestic abuse over the past eight months. The data emerged as charities cautioned they were at “breaking point” owing to the huge increase in abuse incidents during the pandemic. Police forces…
BRITAIN reported a record number of new Covid-19 infections on Tuesday(22) as it battles a surge in cases caused by a variant strain of the disease. Official figures showed there had been 36,804 new cases and a further 691 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, both up markedly…
A consortium of Indian banks has returned to the High Court in London for a bankruptcy application hearing against liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya. The consortium led by the State Bank of India (SBI) pursue the recovery of debt from loans paid out to Mallya's now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines. At a virtual…
Research says disregard for women enables abuse as Patel vows justice for victims MOST group-based offenders of child sexual exploitation (CSE) offences are white, a new government report has found. Research published on Tuesday (15), showed that although there is an overrepresentation of Asian and black offenders in group-based CSE,…
BRITAIN has announced an overhaul of the compensation scheme for victims of its clampdown on the 'Windrush' generation of immigrants, with increased and faster pay-outs. The Home Office will start to issue some offers of preliminary payments this week and will begin making payments under the new rules from 1 January…
LAWYERS acting on behalf of senior civil servants issued a pre-action notice to Downing Street on Wednesday(9) accusing prime minister Boris Johnson of acting unlawfully to clear home secretary Priti Patel of bullying her officials. The notice states that if it were allowed to stand it would set a 'damaging…
By Amit Roy IT IS hard to fault the home secretary Priti Patel for wanting to deport Jamaican nationals convicted of murder and rape charges, but some 23 received last-minute reprieves last week. The Black Lives Matter movement says it does not condone crime, but Jamaicans who grew up in…
By Amit Roy THE work of the Conservative Friends of India (CFI) in trying to strengthen links with British Indians – and with India – has been explained to Eastern Eye by the organisation’s co-chairs, Ameet Jogia and Reena Ranger. They took over in March this year from CFI’s previous…
THE UK's new post-Brexit points-based visa and immigration system, described by the government as “simple, effective and flexible”, opened for applications from Tuesday (1). Applicants for the new Skilled Worker Visa can now apply to work and live in the UK from January 1, 2021, when the Brexit transition period…
UK chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced to set aside millions of pounds to establish a “world-leading” Counter Terrorism Operations Centre (CTOC) based in London. As part of a Spending Review for the next year’s budgetary plans tabled in Parliament on Wednesday (25), the Sunak said he would allocate an additional…
By Amit Roy THE Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is becoming fond of using the phrase. “If I were prime minister…,” no doubt to get people used to the idea. He used it last week in relation to Priti Patel: “If I were prime minister, the home secretary would have…
A NEW report by the equalities watchdog in the UK has found out that the Home Office had 'unlawfully ignored' warnings that the Windrush generation might face 'serious injustices' due to changes in immigration rules. The equality and human rights commission's (EHRC) report found a 'lack of organisation-wide commitment' to…
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson today (20) backed the home secretary, Priti Patel, after a damning inquiry into allegations that she bullied her staff concluded she had broken rules, including shouting and swearing at them. Johnson's defence of Patel prompted the author of the report, independent adviser Alex Allan, to resign.…
AN inquiry looking into allegations of bullying by home secretary Priti Patel has concluded that she "unintentionally" broke the rules on ministers' behaviour, the BBC and other media reported on Thursday (19). Prime minister Boris Johnson asked officials to carry out an inquiry to “establish the facts” in March after…
COLLEAGUES defended British interior minister Priti Patel on Friday(20) after the BBC and other media reported that an inquiry looking into claims of bullying against her concluded she had broken ministerial rules. British prime minister Boris Johnson asked officials in March to carry out the inquiry to "establish the facts"…
By Sunder Katwala British Future “I’VE placed our rangoli outside No 11, the mithai is set to be delivered and the family Zoom is booked in. I know things will feel a bit different, and it’s hard not to be able to see family, but we will get through…
A former head of the civil service has said that the Priti Patel bullying report is with the prime minister and Johnson 'needs to reflect and make a decision' on it. Sir Mark Sedwill told MPs on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee that the prime minister had started…
A new campaign has been launched in the UK to protect victims of child abuse during the lockdown. The ‘Something’s Not Right’ campaign, launched by the Home Office in association with charities including the NSPCC, Barnardo’s and The Children’s Society, encourages young people to recognise different forms of abuse, report it…
By Shaun Bailey Conservative candidate for London Mayor WHATEVER our religion and whatever our background, we’re all learning to deal with lockdown and coronavirus restrictions. So it goes without saying that the new normal will affect the celebration of light and new beginnings. But that doesn’t mean Diwali and Bandi…
UK prime minister Boris Johnson's adviser has said that the government should publish the report on alleged bullying by Priti Patel as 'secrecy' surrounding the investigation risked undermining public confidence. Lord Evans of Weardale, former head of MI5 and current chair of the committee on standards in public life, has…
LABOUR PARTY has warned home secretary Priti Patel that the government must 'act quickly' on domestic abuse during the second national lockdown across England. Shadow ministers Nick Thomas-Symonds and Jess Phillips have written to Patel urging her not to 'repeat the mistakes of March, in being too slow to act'.…
India's foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla held talks with British home secretary Priti Patel in London during which he strongly underlined India's interest in the expeditious extradition of former Kingfisher Airlines chief Vijay Mallya, who has completed all the legal processes related to extradition from the UK, and fugitive diamond…
Britain on Tuesday (3) upgraded the country's terrorism threat level from "substantial" to "severe", after a deadly shooting rampage in Vienna and several attacks across France. "Severe" -- the second-highest of five levels -- means an attack is "highly likely", said the domestic intelligence service MI5, which announced the change…
The extradition case of fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, wanted in India on charges of fraud and money laundering, is expected to enter its final stages at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Tuesday (2). The 49-year-old jeweller, fighting extradition in the estimated $2-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam case,…
by LAUREN CODLING AN INFLUENTIAL Asian peer has criticised the re-launch of the Conservative Friends of Kashmir (CFK), saying it could cause “immense damage” to Indo-UK ties as he described the MPs responsible for the group as “selfish”. Conservative peer Lord Rami Ranger’s comments come as seven Tory MPs representing…
India is among seven countries to back a UK-led campaign against end-to-end encryption of messages by social media giants such as Facebook, which they say hinder law enforcement by blocking all access to them. The UK and India are joined by the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan in…
UK home secretary Priti Patel on Thursday (8) set out plans for £60 million in funds to be shared between police forces and local councils in England to step up their enforcement of coronavirus rules as part of the government's efforts to tackle the rise in infections. The so-called surge…
By S Neeraj Krishna PRITI PATEL could be called to give evidence at an employment tribunal over a bullying row that led to the resignation of her former permanent secretary, according to a media report. The prospect emerged after Sir Philip Rutnam -- who had initiated constructive dismissal claim proceedings…
By S Neeraj Krishna TORY MP Sajid Javid believes the fight for racial justice is important but is wary of the Black Lives Matter movement, which he labelled as a "neo-Marxist" force. Addressing a virtual event during the Conservative Party’s annual conference on Monday (5), the former chancellor said there…
British home secretary Priti Patel on Sunday (4) promised the "biggest overhaul" in decades of the system for refugees seeking asylum in in the UK, which she says would be "firm and fair” in favour of genuine applicants and tough on those who are illegal migrants. The senior Cabinet minister…
OVER 80 Indian diaspora organisations in the UK have called for disbanding a new "fringe" Conservative group on Kashmir. The protest followed the revival of a so-called "Conservative Friends of Kashmir" group, announced on social media last week by seven Tory MPs representing constituencies with a significant Pakistani diaspora population.…
BORIS JOHNSON faces mounting unease from his Conservative rank and file over the coronavirus pandemic as the party opens its annual conference on Saturday in a quieter virtual format. Instead of the usual tub-thumping speeches in cavernous halls and crowded drinks gatherings, the party faithful will follow proceedings online, depriving…
By S Neeraj Krishna PRITI PATEL has vowed to deport grooming gang members of dual nationality, asserting that the Conservatives were living up to the "party of law and order" tag. The home secretary noted that a series of "abhorrent" grooming crimes — mostly sexual exploitation by gangs of south…
By S Neeraj Krishna PRITI PATEL has pledged to make all Home Office staff undergo training on Britain’s “history of migration and race” as part of a “comprehensive improvement plan” initiated following the scathing Windrush scandal report. The home secretary said she was determined to make up for the Home…
THE UK has launched a campaign to inform businesses about upgraded rules to hire foreign workers once the Brexit transition period ends on December 31, 2020. The new points-based immigration system will require UK-based employers to be registered as a licensed sponsor in order to be able to hire employees…
by LAUREN CODLING A HEALTHCARE worker has revealed the “living nightmare” of being put on the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) immigration status by the Home Office, as migrant groups called for the condition to be scrapped. Sonia Rawal*, 36, has been put on NRPF twice after applying…
By Nadeem Badshah CELEBRITIES and activists have urged the government to overhaul laws to help save migrant domestic abuse victims. Singers Dua Lipa and Emile Sandé, along with actors including Dame Judi Dench and Olivia Colman, are among those who have called for legislation to help women who fear…
BRITAIN on Tuesday handed to US authorities evidence related to two members of a Daesh (the Islamic State group) killing squad dubbed "the Beatles", after Washington assured it would not seek the death penalty during their trial. The evidence regarding El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey "has now finally been transferred…
THE UK will open the country's first ‘migrant holding camp’ for people who have crossed the Channel in small boats from next week. The disused Kent military barracks were converted to camps where people will be housed during the processing of their asylum claims. According to reports, as many as…
SAJID JAVID on Monday (14) said “respect for the rule of law” was sacrosanct as he rebelled against Boris Johnson’s legislative bill that would override parts of the Brexit treaty struck with the European Union last year. The former chancellor was joined by top Tory figures such as former attorney-generals…
PRITI PATEL said on Tuesday (15) she would call the police to report anyone who flouted a new ban on gatherings of more than six people, suggesting that people who stopped for a chat on the street were breaking new coronavirus laws. Covid-19 cases across the UK have risen sharply in recent…
Proceedings in the extradition case of arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, who is wanted in India on money laundering charges, will begin on June 7, 2021, a UK court has said. Bhandari, who was arrested on an extradition warrant back in July, was due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in…
EXPERTS told a UK court hearing arguments in the extradition case of Nirav Modi on Thursday (10) that the fugitive diamantaire had a family history of suicide, and that his mental health in prison would deteriorate in solitary confinement. Justice Samuel Goozee at London's Westminster Magistrate’s Court was presented with…
HOME SECRETARY Priti Patel has assured English police forces steadfast “support of the nation”, promising to enshrine a new covenant in law to enhance support and protection for serving and retired officers. The government decision followed the publication of a consultation on Tuesday (8) that which found more than 90…
FUGITIVE diamantaire Nirav Modi's legal team told a UK court on Tuesday (8) that he was unlikely to get a fair trial in India due to the politicisation of his case, and that he faced a "high risk of suicide" in Indian prisons. Modi, 49, has been fighting extradition on…
THE UK Supreme Court will hear arguments in November for and against the government's decision to remove the UK citizenship of a British-born woman who went to Syria as a schoolgirl to join Daesh (Islamic State group). The case of Shamima Begum has been the subject of a heated debate, pitting those who say…
PRITI PATEL has said eco activists who adopt “guerrilla tactics... that seek to undermine and cause damage to our society” should “face the full force of the law”. The home secretary said she was “disgusted to see” Extinction Rebellion protesters disrupting news services over the weekend, adding that a “free…
A 27-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the mass stabbings in Britain's second city Birmingham that left one person dead and two critically wounded, police said on Monday (7). The man was held on suspicion of murder and seven attempted murders that were carried out after midnight Saturday,…
Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, who has been lodged at a prison in London since his arrest in March last year, is set to appear via videolink for the second leg of his extradition trial at a UK court on Monday. The 49-year-old jeweller is fighting extradition charges related to…
By Sunder Katwala Director British Future thinktank THE US political conventions this year have lacked the usual razzmatazz. Social distancing converted the Democrat jamboree into a four-day online marathon, leaving even committed political aficionados feeling Zoomed out. Yet the goal was the same – the best possible springboard in the…
PRITI PATEL has approved a new, more effective model of Taser guns to be used by British police forces to counter "sickening" attacks on them. Taser 7 is said to be "more painful", faster and compact than previous models, and also reduces costs for forces by replacing disposable batteries with…
PRITI PATEL has urged Boohoo to “ensure that workers are protected and remediated” as the fashion retailer promised action on reports of “labour exploitation” in its supply chains. The home secretary, according to the Times, asked the brand to “step up and take responsibility” for its suppliers, which had been…
INDIAN students have been struggling to access Covid-19 hardship funds set up by UK universities, a study has found. The Unis Resist Border Controls and Migrants’ Rights Network noted a “woeful lack of support structures” within UK higher education for international students in the country on the Tier 4 visa,…
UK home secretary Priti Patel has claimed that migrants crossed the channel to Britain because they believe France is a "racist country", media reports said on Sunday (16). Patel made the comments in a conference call with MPs after a rise in the number of people travelling from France to…
PRITI PATEL's allies have hit out at Ben and Jerry's after it railed on social media against her tough talk on Channel crossings. The ice cream company seemed to target the home secretary via Twitter on Tuesday (11), commenting that the “real crisis” was “lack of humanity”. "People wouldn't make…
PRITI PATEL has described the volume of migrants crossing the English Channel as "appalling and unacceptably high", and called on France to help keep numbers down. The home secretary made her comments on social media the day after British border officials detained 235 migrants as they tried to cross the…
THE UK government has won a bid for the Supreme Court to decide if a woman stripped of her citizenship after joining the Islamic State group in Syria can return to fight the decision. The Home Office successfully appealed a lower court ruling this month which would have allowed Shamima…
The UK government on Thursday (30) issued fresh guidance offering a one-month grace period for all expiring or expired visas of foreign nationals unable to return to their home countries due to the coronavirus pandemic, until August 31. The extension, initially announced until May 31 and then extended to July…
UK home secretary Priti Patel on Wednesday (29) issued a call for social media companies to rid their platforms of racism after hearing about the real life impact on footballers who are targeted with racist abuse, both on and off the pitch. During a visit to Wembley Stadium in London…
UK home secretary Priti Patel said on Sunday (26) she had asked Twitter and Instagram for a full explanation of why anti-Semitic comments made by rap artist Wiley remained on the social media platforms for so long. Wiley is facing a police investigation after comments appeared on his social media…
by BARNIE CHOUDHURY HE REMAINS the only south Asian civil servant to have reached the top tier of the government in the UK. Sir Suma Chakrabarti left the government in 2012 as permanent secretary of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The only other post more senior is the head of…
BRITISH home secretary Priti Patel on Tuesday (21) promised major reforms in the Home Office as she announced an action plan in response to the Wendy Williams Windrush lessons learned review. The minister announced omprehensive training Home Office staff, reconciliation events with the victims of the scandal and diverse shortlists…
A WOMAN who had her UK citizenship revoked after travelling to Syria to join the Islamic State group should be allowed to return home to challenge the decision, a London court has ruled. Shamima Begum, 20, lost the first stage of her case about the legality of the government's decision…
By Sunder Katwala Director, British Future IMMIGRATION played a crucial role in the EU referendum of 2016. Without the loss of public confidence in how governments had handled immigration over the previous decade, Remain rather than Leave might have narrowly won that public vote. Four years on, the government must…
UK unveiled a fast-track health and care visa on Tuesday (14) to "attract the best and brightest from around the world". Home secretary Priti Patel and secretary of state for health and social care Matt Hancock have said that the new visa will be launched in the summer and it…
PRITI PATEL has termed exploitation of workers a "modern-day scourge", after reports highlighted that thousands of people were working in modern slavery in the UK. The home secretary's observations came as a new study said Britain was home to at least 100,000 modern slaves -- 10 times more than the…
ONLINE fashion retailer Boohoo has commissioned an independent review of its supply chain in Britain after a damaging media report on working conditions at a factory in Leicester. Shares in Boohoo have lost about a third of their value since The Sunday Times said workers in the factory making clothes destined for Boohoo were…
PRITI PATEL has vowed to initiate a “crackdown on abuse and violence against shopworkers”. The home secretary assured that the guilty will be made to face the law as her office published its response to a call of evidence regarding the issue on Tuesday (7). “As the daughter of shopkeepers,…
A clothing factory named Jaswal Fashions based in Leicester faces a modern slavery investigation after an undercover reporter alleged sweatshop-like conditions and below minimum wage payments to its workers, many of them from India. According to The Sunday Times, its undercover reporter found that workers were being paid as little…
A 2011 VIDEO featuring Munira Mirza has resurfaced under the spotlight as she is seen arguing against banning hate speech, and asking a black youth how using the “N-word” was different from calling someone “fat”. The head of Number 10’s policy unit – who’s been asked to set up UK’s…
BORIS JOHNSON is drawing up plans to put the country on a diet as part of a wider strategy to counter obesity, which is seen as a major risk factor in those impacted by coronavirus. The 56-year-old prime minister is on a slimming regime himself, and is expected to outline…
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel on Sunday (28) hit back at MPs from the Labour Party for being "racist" in their treatment of her. The row emerged after a group of ethnic minority Labour MPs, including MPs Virendra Sharma, Tan Dhesi, Preet Kaur Gill, Valerie Vaz, Seema Malhotra and Nadia…
Leicester could face a local lockdown due to a rise in coronavirus cases, the UK's home secretary Priti Patel said on Sunday (28). "There will be support going into Leicester and in fact the health secretary (Matt Hancock) was in touch with many of us over the weekend explaining some…
UK prime minister Boris Johnson on Friday (26) urged the British public to continue to observe social distancing rules after several police officers suffered injuries as they broke up street parties over the last few days. With the UK experiencing sunny weather this week, crowds were seen flocking in hordes…
Britain’s leading doctors’ associations are calling on UK home secretary Priti Patel for an automatic fee-free extension of the short-term visas of many Indian doctors stranded in the lockdown as they await their international qualification exams in the UK. The British Medical Association (BMA) and British Association of Physicians of…
NEIL BASU has urged people to take up a 45-minute online course to be in a "stronger position" in the fight against the "scourge of terrorism". The counter-terror policing chief’s call to the public came as Home Secretary Priti Patel warned that the "threat by lone actors is growing", while…
THE British government said on Monday (22) it was determined to "right the wrongs" of its treatment of Britons of Caribbean origin who were detained or deported as illegal immigrants. Home Secretary Priti Patel and Bishop Derek Webley, a senior church leader, will chair a cross-government working group to address…
THE stabbing rampage in the southern English town of Reading in which three people were killed and three taken to hospital was an act of terrorism, police said on Sunday (21), terming the attack in a sunny park an "atrocity". Detectives said a man had run into a park in…
CONSERVATIVE leaders have slammed critics of No.10 adviser Munira Mirza’s involvement in the new racial equalities commission announced by Boris Johnson. Following the recent anti-racism protests in the UK, the prime minister had said he was setting up a commission to study "all aspects of inequality — in employment, in…
PRITI PATEL has condemned the “unacceptable thuggery” after some far-right protesters clashed with police in central London, as thousands defied appeals to avoid large gatherings on Saturday (13). Scenes from central London showed violent scuffles near the boarded-up statue of former prime minister Winston Churchill in Parliament Square as right-wing…
Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, fighting extradition to India on charges over the nearly $2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case, was remanded in further custody until July 9 by a UK court on Thursday. The 49-year-old jeweller, who has been lodged at Wandsworth Prison in…
By Amit Roy THE home secretary, Priti Patel, has condemned the demolition of the statue of slave trader Edward Colston by ‘Black Lives Matter’ protestors in Bristol last Sunday (7). “I think that is utterly disgraceful,” she said. “Sheer vandalism and disorder is completely unacceptable and it’s right the police…
by LAUREN CODLING PRIME minister Boris Johnson told his ministers on Tuesday (9) that there was more to be done to eradicate prejudice and create opportunity in Britain, but society was much less racist than it was before, his spokesman said. Johnson’s comments came as further protests were held in…
A STATUE of Robert Milligan, an 18th century slave trader, was removed from its plinth outside a London museum on Tuesday (10) after global anti-racism protests triggered a debate about how Britain commemorates its imperial past. Statues glorifying slave traders and colonialists have come into sharp focus in recent days,…
PRITI PATEL on Monday (8) recalled being "racially abused in the streets" as she dismissed the opposition's "lectures" on racism and inequality. The home secretary said in the House of Commons that a minority of protesters who were violent during the weekend's "Black Lives Matter" protests in Britain undermined the…
ANTI-RACISM protests in Britain have been "subverted by thuggery", Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday (8), warning those responsible would be held to account. Tens of thousands took to the streets of London on Sunday, rallying for a second day running to condemn police brutality after the killing of…
THOUSANDS of people ignored coronavirus warnings to join anti-racism protests in the UK on Saturday (6). "No justice, no peace, no racist police," they chanted, while some placards read: "There is a virus greater than Covid-19 and it's called racism". The demonstrations held in solidarity with US protests in the…
PRITI PATEL has urged people to avoid large anti-racism demonstrations as "coronoavirus remains a real threat". Echoing Health Secretary Matt Hancock's cautioning on Friday (5), the home secretary tweeted: "Please for the safety of all of us, do not attend large gatherings -- including protests -- of more than six…
PRITI PATEL has stressed that quarantine for travellers from abroad -- set to be introduced from June 8 -- is crucial to avoid a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. "From Monday, people arriving to the UK will need to self-isolate for 14 days", the home secretary wrote along…
BRITAIN confirmed on Friday (29) that it was prepared to offer extended visa rights and a pathway to citizenship for almost three million Hong Kong residents in response to China's push to impose national security legislation in the former British colony. Beijing has approved a decision to go forward with…
THE UK government has announced a further extension of all expiring or expired visas of foreign nationals unable to return to their home countries due to the coronavirus pandemic, until end of July. The extension, initially announced until May 31, will apply to anyone whose leave to remain in the…
Travellers arriving in Britain will face 14 days in quarantine from next month to prevent a second coronavirus outbreak, the government announced on Friday, warning that anyone breaking the rules faced a fine or prosecution. The new rules will apply to all international arrivals except Ireland from June 8 and…
British prime minister Boris Johnson on Thursday (21) did a U-turn as he ordered his Cabinet ministers to work out an exemption of a surcharge on foreign medics, including Indians, working in the UK’s state-funded National Health Service (NHS). The move comes just a day after he had dismissed the…
FAMILIES of NHS support staff and social care workers who die of Covid-19 will be allowed to stay in the UK, Priti Patel has announced. The home secretary said the bereaved families will be given indefinite leave to remain in recognition of their loved ones' “tireless dedication and selflessness”. The…
LEADING doctors' associations in the UK have urged Home Secretary Priti Patel to reconsider a surcharge on the work visas of overseas healthcare workers. In the letter issued on Monday (18), Doctors Association UK chair, Dr Rinesh Parmar said the government’s dismissal of a previous statement promising a review into…
BRITISH MPs on Monday (18) gave their initial backing to legislation ending free movement of workers with the European Union, but the vote was overshadowed by a row over foreign healthcare staff and coronavirus. The bill would abolish the special immigration status for citizens of the EU, the European Economic…
The UK's "historic" new strategy for visas and immigration, which is pitched as a points-based system established on skills rather than the country of origin, returned to the House of Commons on Monday (18). The Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill 2020, which was tabled in March but…
THE British government has turned down India's request for the extradition of Tiger Hanif, an alleged aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim wanted in India in connection with two bomb blasts in Surat in 1993, the UK Home Office has confirmed. Mohammed Hanif Umerji Patel had been traced to a…
PRITI PATEL has announced a widening of the Home Office's automatic visa renewal plan to cover more overseas health and care workers. These key workers, including midwives, radiographers, social workers and pharmacists with visas due to expire before October 1, will receive an automatic one-year visa extension. The home secretary…
PRITI PATEL is set to be cleared of charges of bullying and breaching the ministerial code as an internal inquiry “trawled through lots of material but found no evidence”. The investigation headed by Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill had been initiated after former Home Office permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam…
An influential parliamentary committee of British lawmakers on Monday (27) called for urgent action from the government over a surge in domestic abuse cases amid the coronavirus lockdown, with London alone registering 4,093 arrests in the six weeks up to April 19. The House of Commons’ Home Affairs Committee found…
A surcharge added on to the work visas of overseas healthcare workers, within the NHS, is under review as they battle against the coronavirus pandemic, UK home secretary Priti Patel said on Saturday. Patel, who led the daily Downing Street briefing, was asked about this long-standing demand within the medical…
BRITISH home secretary Priti Patel is now facing legal action under the whistleblowing laws. On Monday (20), Patel’s former permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam lodged an employment tribunal claim saying he was removed for exposing her ‘bullying behaviour.’ This is for the first time that a secretary of state has…
By Amit Roy ONE day when the coronavirus pandemic is over – and it will be over – there will be an inquiry into how the government in the UK handled the crisis. But we don’t need to wait for an inquiry to realise that the lack of proper gowns,…
PRITI PATEL has been urged to consider visa concessions for qualified overseas doctors, including many from India, to help them support the NHS in battling the coronavirus pandemic. The British Medical Association (BMA) has written to the home secretary to take urgent measures, including easier switch between different categories of…
The UK opposition parties and some ruling Conservative Party MPs have called on the government to resume Parliament after its Easter recess period on April 21 in a virtual form, given the social distancing measures in place to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer, leading the calls…
British home secretary Priti Patel on Saturday (11) warned the UK public to continue to follow the strict social distancing as the death toll from coronavirus rose by 917 to hit a total of 9,875. The senior Cabinet minister, who led the daily Downing Street briefing, said that a majority…
Britain's prime minister Boris Johnson was making "very good progress" on Saturday in his recovery in hospital from coronavirus, officials said, as the number of deaths in Britain from the disease approached the grim milestone of 10,000. The 55-year-old leader was spending his second full day out of intensive care…
By Amit Roy THERE is a simple reason why Omar Sheikh has not been hanged under Pakistani law for masterminding the kidnap and beheading of the Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Karachi in 2002 – and that is because he was working for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). While…
By Amit Roy THE chairman of the British Medical Association (BMA) council has written to the home secretary, Priti Patel, pointing out that international doctors are dying in the service of the NHS and suggesting the government waive the health surcharge doctors have to pay at least during the period…
The UK government on Tuesday (31) confirmed that foreign health professionals whose visas were set to expire before October this year will get an automatic extension for a year as they battle the coronavirus pandemic. The extension, announced by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, will apply to around 2,800 migrant…
The UK’s counter-terrorism chief, Neil Basu, has made a plea for compassion as police officers adjusted to “new responsibilities” of dealing with the lockdown, adding that “how we police this pandemic will be remembered for many years to come”. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner struck a…
The UK government on Thursday (26) handed police forces in England the power to fine and even arrest those repeatedly breaking strict lockdown rules in place in the country to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. UK home secretary Priti Patel said that to ensure people stay at home…
By Amit Roy AT 5.30AM (12am GMT) last Friday (20), four men – Mukesh Kumar Singh, 32; Akshay Kumar Singh, 30; Vinay Sharma, 26; and Pawan Gupta, 25 – were “hanged simultaneously” in Tihar Jail in Delhi. They were put to death for the gang rape on December 16, 2012,…
PRITI PATEL has called for banning passengers from “coronavirus hotspots”. The home secretary sought to block entry of travellers from places with high rates of COVID-19 infections, such as China, Iran and the US. Patel said flights from such hotspots should be banned as long as the UK was under lockdown,…
By Sunder Katwala Director, British Future IN NORMAL times, the Windrush Lessons Learned report would have dominated the national news agenda for days, being among the most extraordinary dissections of a major department that any government has had to publish. Home secretary Priti Patel published the independent review within a…
A British MP said that she will be returning to her previous role of a care-worker on Tuesday (24) to join the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in the UK. Nadia Whittome, born in the UK to a Punjabi father, became the youngest MP in the House of Commons representing…
The UK''s strict three-week lockdown announced by prime minister Boris Johnson to control the spread of the deadly coronavirus remains in question with the country's underground trains seen packed during the rush hour on Tuesday as people continue using the limited services in operation. Johnson on Monday enforced the strictest…
The UK on Tuesday (24) announced the extension of all expiring or expired visas of foreign nationals, including Indians, who are unable to return home due to the coronavirus pandemic until May 31. Home secretary Priti Patel said no enforcement action will be taken against anyone caught up due to…
UK home secretary Priti Patel on Sunday (22) issued an open letter of gratitude to the country’s emergency services who are on the frontline of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed more than 200 lives in the country. The letter addressed to the UK’s “incredible” emergency services,…
UK home secretary Priti Patel on Thursday (19) issued a formal apology for the Windrush immigration scandal, which wrongly denied the citizenship rights of some Commonwealth citizens brought to Britain to address labour shortages in the wake of World War II. The cabinet minister said she was 'truly sorry' for…
By Barnie Choudhury Former BBC Journalist MAKE no mistake, Labour is in trouble. It has no credible leader. It has no credible deputy leader. It has no credible policies. Worst of all, it is fighting a fake war within itself. By taking so long to answer charges of anti-Semitism, making a…
The home office is being sued by a top police officer, who claims he’s being paid less than a black female colleague because he is a white man. Matt Parr, one of the five inspectors of constabulary monitoring UK’s police forces, noted that his annual salary of £140,000 was way…
NEXT month, the race for the Labour leader and deputy leader will come to a close. Following Jeremy Corbyn’s resignation in December, Indian-origin MP Lisa Nandy announced she would be standing as a candidate to succeed him. Meanwhile, fellow ethnic minority MPs Rosena Allin-Khan and Dawn Butler are both running…
By Amit Roy DIANE ABBOTT does not attack other black politicians but, sadly, has shown little generosity of spirit in dealing with two Asian MPs, Priti Patel and Keith Vaz. Having herself suffered vile abuse as a black woman, it is a matter of regret that Abbott displayed a remarkable…
A CARTOON on Priti Patel as a “sacred cow” to some, a “bull-y” to others has stirred social media, with tweeple finding it “racist”, “derogatory” and amounting to “a hate crime”. The cartoon by Steve Bell in the Guardian, featuring bovine caricatures of the home secretary and the prime minister,…
PRITI PATEL, who was struck by a “tsunami” of allegations, has been buoyed by strong backing from nearly 100 allies. In a letter sent to The Telegraph, people who had worked with the home secretary at various stages defended her as a “tough, assertive and effective leader”. Patel had been…
WITHIN hours of Prime Minister Boris Johnson reiterating his confidence in Priti Patel amidst a “tsunami” of allegations, the home secretary was accused of flinging a file at an official’s face. A Whitehall source told a daily: “She was being briefed by officials for an event and there was a…
BORIS JOHNSON has strongly defended Priti Patel, reiterating that she was doing an “outstanding job” as home secretary. The prime minister turned combative as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn termed Patel’s alleged behavior at work as “shocking” and “unacceptable” during PMQs today (4). Johnson fired back that Patel was “keeping the…
By Amit Roy SIR PHILIP RUTNAM, who resigned last Saturday (29) as permanent secretary at the Home Office after clashing with home secretary Priti Patel, said he would be “issuing a claim against the Home Office for constructive dismissal”. But is this wise? His critics – and they appear to…
UK home secretary Priti Patel has expressed her “regret” over the recent resignation of the top civil servant in her ministry, Sir Philip Rutnam, and stressed that she valued the work of all her aides in the UK Home Office. In her first response to the controversy surrounding Rutnam’s shock…
PRITI PATEL seems to have no breathing space in the controversy over her style of working. With reports surfacing on a civil servant’s suicide attempt after Patel allegedly lambasted her, critics urged the home secretary to relinquish duties until her name was cleared of bullying charges. The Labour party mounted…
LONDON MAYOR Sadiq Khan has led tributes to Ramniklal Solanki, a giant of Gujarati journalism and pioneer of British Asian media, who passed away on Sunday (1), after a brief illness. He was 88. Mr Solanki was in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, when he suffered a stroke last week. He was admitted…
By Priti Patel, home secretary Ramniklal Solanki CBE, was the founding father Asian media in the UK. Like so many of his generation, he came to Britain in 1964 as a newspaper columnist and grasped an opportunity to start his own paper. In the true spirit of an entrepreneur he…
The Labour Party on Sunday (1) called on home secretary Priti Patel to address Parliament on the allegations of bullying against her following the resignation of one of her top civil servants. Sir Philip Rutnam resigned from the important post of Permanent Secretary in the Home Office on Saturday blaming…
SIR Philip Rutnam, who resigned as permanent secretary today, said he would sue the government for his “constructive and unfair” exit. The resignation came after the civil servant was recently caught in the vortex of a “toxic feud” involving Home Secretary Priti Patel, who was accused of “bullying” officials. Turning…
SOURCES close to Priti Patel have trashed reports that she was avoiding official interactions with Sir Philip Rutnam. The home secretary’s allies alleged that it was the permanent secretary who had skipped a scheduled meeting yesterday (27). Reports of a “toxic battle” between the two have been doing the rounds,…
By Amit Roy SHOULD Sir Philip Rutnam be sacked as permanent secretary at the home office, the most senior civil servant in the department, for allegedly frustrating Priti Patel and previous home secretaries? To be sure, he seems to have a problem with Priti, who is accused of “bullying” senior…
CABINET SECRETARY Sir Mark Sedwill has made a rare intervention to try end the ongoing “toxic briefing war” involving Home Secretary Priti Patel. Taking note of “recent stories of tensions within Whitehall”, he wrote to civil servants that “unattributable briefings and leaks” were besmirching “this country’s hard-won reputation for good…
PRITI PATEL is said to be “absolutely livid” over accusations that she had been bullying officials, and MI5 was frustrated with her. The home secretary has reportedly demanded an inquiry into the “damaging leaks” about her office and style of functioning, even as allies rallied in her support. One major…
INDIAN industry and students' groups in the UK have welcomed the points-based visa system announced by Home Secretary Priti Patel. “We welcome the Home Office’s proposed new system, which rightly recognises that immigration to the UK should be based on skills, salaries and knowledge of the English language,” said Jim…
PRITI PATEL has been accused of bullying and creating an “atmosphere of fear” in the Home Office. Reports said the home secretary was engaged in a “toxic clash at the top” and wanted to “oust her most senior civil servant”. Sources in the department alleged that Patel bullied and belittled…
By Barnie Choudhury Former BBC Journalist IT WOULD seem that British politics is more ruthless than the Game of Thrones. Last September, Sajid Javid was Ned Stark. He rallied the party faithful during the Conservative conference in Manchester. We learnt his mother thought that the first south Asians to…
By Sunder Katwala Director of British Future THIS was expected to be a quiet reshuffle. So, the brutal Valentine’s Eve political power play which saw chancellor Sajid Javid crash out of government took Westminster by surprise. Javid had been the only Cabinet minister to receive a public commitment that…
BRITISH home secretary Priti Patel on Wednesday (19) announced the launch of a new points-based immigration system which is expected to benefit thousands of Indian talents. The new immigration system aims to ensure that the UK continues to attract the brightest talent from around the world, including India. The new…
PRITI PATEL says rapper Dave’s racism charges against Boris Johnson are “utter nonsense” and “highly inappropriate”. The home secretary was reacting to queries from Sky News and BBC on Dave calling the prime minister a “real racist” at the Brit Awards on Tuesday (18). Dave, 21, who won the Album…
AFTER delivering on the promise of getting “Brexit done”, the government’s next top agenda was implementing a points-based immigration system, said Home Secretary Priti Patel. The new system “will turn off the tap of cheap, foreign low-skilled labour”, she added. “On Friday (14), the new Cabinet backed mine and the…
HOME SECRETARY Priti Patel has formally apologised to Yvette Cooper after a Tory activist was jailed last week for texting that he was hiring “crackheads” to get the Labour MP beaten up. In a message sent last April to an online acquaintance, Joshua Spencer had implied that Cooper should be…
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and home secretary Priti Patel have finalised plans for a new post-Brexit points-based visa and immigration system, which is expected to see the UK allowing greater numbers of skilled professionals from around the world, including India, to live and work in the country. At a…
Priti Patel has proposed to reverse former prime minister Theresa May’s bail reforms, which led to violent and sexual offenders being released without restrictions. The Home Secretary has sought to double or treble the length of pre-charge bail, which is currently limited to 28 days as per rules that May…
A man was shot dead by armed Scotland Yard officers in south London on Sunday in a terror-related stabbing incident which injured at least two people. Emergency services, including paramedics and armed police, responded to the incident on Streatham High Road, from where social media images showed plain-clothed policemen pursuing…
THE UK has been advised against adopting an Australia-style, points-based system under post-Brexit immigration plans, days before the country leaves the European Union on Friday (31). A report by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), an independent body which advises the government, said a full shift to the points-based system was…
CHILD sex abuse websites hosted in south Asia are being shut down thanks to a partnership between the countries’ authorities and a British charity. The UK-based Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) in 2018 helped to remove seven websites where obscene material or servers were stored in India. Action was also taken…
The UK government on Monday (27) unveiled what it termed as an "unlimited" fast-track visa offer to attract top scientists, researchers and mathematicians from across the world, including from India. The bespoke "Global Talent" route, set to kick in from next month, will have no cap on the number of…
Priti Patel assailed British companies for being “far too reliant” on “low-skilled” and “cheap” labour” from the European Union. The home secretary asserted that business houses would have to invest more on British workers as per post-Brexit rules. The statements regarding new policy shifts came on Monday (27), just days…
By Barnie Choudhury Former BBC Journalist I LOVE this country, and I would be willing to die for it. Britain has given me almost everything, and for the past 50 years, it has been home. It gave me my career in journalism. It let me join a quintessential symbol…
Britain on Tuesday (21) unveiled plans to end the early release of terrorism prisoners and increase their sentences, following last year's London Bridge attack by convicted terrorist Usman Khan. The government said it would launch a "major review" of how convicted terrorists are managed in response to the November 29…
BRITISH boxing star Amir Khan has opined that England is not a racist country and “people in Britain are very loving”. The former Olympic gold medallist commented after he met Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, when they visited Bradford on Wednesday (15). Speaking inside the MyLahore Asian restaurant, he said he hoped the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as…
By Amit Roy PERHAPS it’s a little premature to consider who might succeed Boris Johnson as the next Conservative party leader, but according to The Sunday Times, “the contest to replace Johnson, in about nine years’ time, will be between Rishi Sunak (backed by Oliver Dowden and Robert Jenrick)…
UK home secretary Priti Patel on Monday (13) dismissed suggestions that some of the country's media coverage of Meghan Markle had racist connotations, ahead of crisis talks to be hosted by Queen Elizabeth to chalk out the future roles for Prince Harry and his wife. Patel will oversee the final…
FRESH fears have been raised over the government’s immigration plans after the Conservatives’ emphatic election victory. Charities are worried about the Tories’ proposals, which include the Australian-style points system and free movement ending after Brexit, following the party’s 80 seat majority last week. During the Queen’s speech last month, which…
By Amit Roy ALTHOUGH David Cameron has been pilloried for calling the EU referendum, leading to a disunited kingdom from which Scotland might break away, I still make him the man of the decade – politically, at least, and very much from the Indian point of view. The decade has…
By Barnie Choudhury Former BBC journalist FOR the past 20 years, I have been resolute that I would return to karate. I gave up soon after our daughter was born, and the once-toned muscles of a former British champion went to mush. Perhaps writing it down, in black and…
The UK government on Monday announced to double fast-track visas for scientists from around the world, including India. UK home secretary Priti Patel said the number of eligible fellowships which can offer accelerated endorsement for visas for scientists wanting to conduct research in the UK will double from 62 to…
by SUNDER KATWALA Director, British Future AS THE newly elected parliament met earlier this week, it did not take long for prime minister Boris Johnson to declare that its first task will be to “get Brexit done”. Once Britain leaves the European Union in January, it will be just as…
THREE Indian-origin ministers, including UK home secretary Priti Patel, have retained their posts in prime minister Boris Johnson's Cabinet, which met on Tuesday (17) ahead of the first Parliament session since the Conservative Party won a strong 80-seat majority in the General Election last week. The newly-elected MPs and ministers…
British Asian candidates across both the Conservative and Labour parties on Friday (13) registered strong results in the UK's general election, with around a dozen MPs retaining their seats alongside some new faces. Prime minister Boris Johnson clinched an emphatic victory in Thursday's election, setting the UK on course for…
A RECORD number of ethnic minority MPs have been elected in the general election, figures revealed on Friday morning (13). One in ten representatives are now from an ethnic minority background, an increase from a decade ago when the figure was one in 40. There will be 65 BAME MPs…
by RITHIKA SIDDHARTHA PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson has praised the Indian community in the UK, saying they are one of Britain’s “greatest national assets”. In an exclusive interview with Eastern Eye ahead of Thursday’s (12) general election, the leader of the Conservative party also paid tributes to immigrants, saying they…
With just days to go before the UK General Election on Thursday (12), the new Parliament set to be voted in is expected to be the most diverse in Britain's history based on projections and what experts believe has been a late surge in diversity from the country's main political…
British prime minister Boris Johnson has made a pledge to partner with prime minister Narendra Modi on his mission to build a new India, as he and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds visited Neasden Temple to woo Indian diaspora votes ahead of Thursday's General Election. Dressed in a bright pink silk…
THE man who stabbed and killed two people in the London Bridge terrorist attack on Friday (29) has been identified as a convicted terrorist who was jailed seven years ago over a plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange and build a terrorist training camp on land owned by his…
LONDON Bridge has been shut down this afternoon (29), after several people were injured and a man was held following a stabbing in the British capital. The Metropolitan Police said it was called at 1:58 pm (1358 GMT) to a stabbing at a premises near the bridge, which in…
by LAUREN CODLING BAME voters could influence the outcome in at least 100 marginal seats in the upcoming general election, research by think tank Operation Black Vote (OBV) has shown. Among key constituencies where the ethnic minority population is more than the margin of victory include seats in Kensington, Keighley,…
The Labour Party on Tuesday (26) unveiled a special manifesto on race and faith, proposing that children be taught about colonialism, injustice and the British empire. The party's pre-election proposals are aimed at reducing the "significant inequalities in employment, education and representation in public life" faced by ethnic minority and…
Home secretary Priti Patel has come under fire for saying the Tory government should not be held responsible for poverty in the UK. When asked about the fact that four in 10 children in parts of Barrow in Cumbria are born into poverty, Patel passed on the blame to local…
by SUNDER KATWALA Director, British Future WHEN the class of 1987 saw Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng, Bernie Grant and Keith Vaz become the first black and Asian members to enter the Commons in the post-war era, that breakthrough quartet accounted for one in every 165 MPs. Even a decade ago,…
by NADEEM BADSHAH RISING hate crime should be a top priority for the next government, community leaders have said, urging ministers to invest more in police forces and support for victims. Hindu, Muslim and Sikh groups are calling for racist views to be challenged more, further research to be done…
BRITAIN’S parliament could be the most diverse ever – with 67 ethnic minority MPs – when the results of the December 12 election are announced next month, a leading thinktank has predicted. There were 52 BAME MPs when parliament was dissolved in October, in the run up to the general…
by LAUREN CODLING THE ruling Conservative and opposition Labour parties both outlined their respective plans for immigration during election campaigns this week, without committing to numbers or confirming if migration will increase or decrease after Britain leaves the EU. Policies regarding immigration and a control over numbers entering the UK…
HOME secretary Priti Patel did not block the rescue of British orphans and unaccompanied minors from Syria, foreign secretary Dominic Raab has said. According to reports, during a National Security Committee meeting last month Patel raised objection to bringing British children from Syria citing security reasons. When quizzed about this…
by NADEEM BADSHAH TOUGHER punishments are needed for people trafficking gangs after 39 people were found dead in a refrigerated trailer, lawyers and charities have urged. They have called for a fresh clampdown on criminals convicted of making a fortune from smuggling migrants to the UK, and more investment towards…
by Barnie Choudhury IN THE late 1960s, those east African-Asians who saw signs that things were about to change for the worse fled Uganda. A few years later the dictator, Idi Amin, expelled the remaining 60,000, generously allowing them the clothes on their back and £5 in their pockets. Among…
BRITISH home secretary Priti Patel has said that the Conservative PArty would cut "immigration overall" to the UK after Brexit if they were to win the December 12 general election. "We will reduce immigration overall while being more open and flexible to the highly skilled people we need, such as…
MEDICAL professionals will be able to move into the UK from around the world easily to provide care at the NHS. A new NHS visa will be part of the new points-based immigration system (PBIS), which the UK will be able to introduce as it is leaving the EU. It…
UK home secretary Priti Patel on Tuesday (5) announced a new special envoy for countering violent extremism as part of a wider counter-terrorism strategy. Former Labour Party MP John Woodcock, who has experience working on counter-terrorism legislation as a former member of the Parliament’s Defence Select Committee and Home Affairs…
The UK government on Monday (4) announced a lowering of its terror threat level from “severe” to “substantial” for the first time in five years. UK home secretary Priti Patel announced the scale-down, which means a terrorist attack is now likely as opposed to highly likely, after an independent analysis…
RIGHTS campaigners have brought a legal challenge to Home Office on algorithm used to stream visa applicants to the UK. They argue that the AI system used for granting UK visas is biased and it affects policy decisions on who is allowed into the country. The case brought by the…
THE BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Neasden Temple) celebrated Diwali and the Hindu new year. Thousands of devotees, including British home secretary Priti Patel, Indian High Commissioner to the UK Ruchi Ghanashyam, and others took part in the two-day-long celebrations started on Sunday (27). Patel launched a pyromusical fireworks display in…
DAESH bride Shamima Begum has once again requested to be allowed back into the UK saying she fears for her life at the al-Roj camp in Syria. Begum said the camp is very tense and she keeps a bag packed at all times, ready to move fast "like in the…
BRITISH prime minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday (23) said "violence and intimidation anywhere is wholly unacceptable", as pro-Pakistani demonstrators plan to stage Kashmir protests outside the Indian High Commission in London on Diwali day. During the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session in Parliament, Conservative Party MP Bob Blackman spoke of…
by NADEEM BADSHAH ‘DEPRESSED’ coastal areas and northern towns are set for a boost under the government’s new immigration plans, but a point-based system needs to be reviewed, campaigners have said. Migrants seeking to come to the UK after Brexit will be given extra points if they agree to take…
The BBC has apologised after Andrew Marr accused home secretary Priti Patel of laughing during an interview about business leaders' Brexit concerns. Marr was questioning Patel, who appeared via video link on the October 13 show, about the impact of Britain's exit from the European Union when he suddenly looked…
A London school girl who travelled to Syria to join Daesh (Islamic State) now wants to return home to argue she was a victim of statutory rape, it was reported on Tuesday (22). Shamima Begum, who left the UK when she was 15, could claim she was subjected to statutory…
Rishi Sunak, the chief secretary of the treasury, made great strides in his career this year which was reflected in his rise to seventh in this year GG2 Power list. Speaking to the BBC, Sunak reveled his delight at making in on the coveted annual list that showcases the 101…
Mayor Sadiq Khan has condemned plans to hold an anti-India march in London on the Kashmir issue on Diwali next Sunday (27), saying it would deepen divisions in the UK capital and called on the organisers and prospective participants to cancel the protest rally. According to Met Police an estimated…
MINISTERS have been warned that ethnic diversity in Parliament is on course to “stall” after it was revealed that there has been a significant drop in the number of candidates selected from a black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) for the next general election. Both the Conservatives and Labour Party…
A LEADING corporate boss, a prominent mental health advocate and a lawyer to the stars were among the winners at this year’s annual GG2 Leadership Awards in London last Thursday evening (10). Nitin Paranjpe, chief operating officer at Unilever, one of the world’s most renowned consumer goods companies, scooped the…
A fair, modern and global immigration system was listed at the heart of a series of policies tabled by the Boris Johnson led government as part of the Queen’s Speech in Parliament on Monday (14). The speech, read out by Queen Elizabeth, sets the government’s agenda for the parliamentary year…
Furious Tories have lashed out at BBC presenter Andrew Marr who on Sunday (13) accused home secretary Priti Patel of "laughing" at Brexit fears after she appeared to smirk during their interview. While talking about industry groups who expressed concern at their future after Brexit, the veteran political presenter stopped…
AN NHS doctor has expressed frustration at the Home Office's refusal to let his mother stay in the UK, and on Monday (7) appealed directly to prime minister Boris Johnson and home secretary Priti Patel to resolve the situation. Dr Nishchint Warikoo, the lead psychiatrist for child and adolescent mental…
A LEADING corporate boss, a prominent mental health advocate and a lawyer to the stars were among winners at this year’s annual GG2 Leadership Awards in London on Thursday evening (10). Nitin Paranjpe, chief operating officer at Unilever, one of the world’s most renowned consumer goods companies, scooped the…
CHANCELLOR Sajid Javid has been named the most influential Asian in Britain for the second consecutive year, as the annual edition of the GG2 Power List will be unveiled this evening. Britain’s first Asian chancellor of the exchequer tops the ranking, while Priti Patel, Javid’s successor in the Home Office and…
HOME SECRETARY Priti Patel has revealed the Australian government is advising ministers on plans to introduce a points-based system for migrants after Brexit. Patel said that the Department of Home Affairs in Canberra was “engaging” with the Home Office over the new proposals. Patel met Peter Dutton, her Australian counterpart,…
The UK government''s independent advisor on extremism on Monday (7) called for a complete overhaul of its extremism strategy by setting up a new taskforce to study the different forms it takes, including Sikh activism. Sara Khan, the head of the Commission for Countering Extremism, released a major report and…
British home secretary Priti Patel on Friday (4) issued an open letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, alongside her counterparts in the US and Australia, to warn him that the social media giant's end-to-end encryption of messages across its platforms puts public safety at risk. The senior-most minister in the…
HOME secretary Priti Patel said today (1) the UK government will end free movement and introduce an Australian-style points-based immigration system once the country leaves the European Union. Addressing the Conservative Party's annual conference in Manchester, Patel said her Brexit mission is "to end the free movement of people…
A British jihadi bride dubbed Daesh (Islamic State) 'matchmaker' has begged to return to the UK to face justice in court, it was reported on Sunday (29). Tooba Gondal has pleaded with the government to let her return to the UK with her "innocent" children. All three of her husbands…
British home secretary Priti Patel has slammed Labour's decision to allow unlimited freedom of movement if they win an election. A motion tabled by the Labour Campaign for Free Movement was passed at the party’s conference in Brighton on Wednesday morning. It said: “Free movement, equality and rights for migrants,…
by NADEEM BADSHAH MINISTERS have been criticised by top doctors after it emerged that overseas medics are not being able to start work in the NHS due to visa delays. Dozens of doctors have voiced their concern, with some warning that it will lead to staff shortages and potential risks…
NEXT Wednesday (2), there will be a commemoration event at the site of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi – to mark his 150th birthday – in London’s Parliament Square. The statue, sculpted by Philip Jackson, is a stunning example of its kind. Jackson worked from a photograph of Gandhiji just…
By Nadeem Badshah TOP female chefs have backed calls for more women to work in south Asian restaurants to save the industry from staff shortages. Fewer than one in five chef positions in the UK is held by females and that figure is believed to be lower in Asian eateries.…
By Lord Jitesh Gadhia THE publication of David Cameron’s long-awaited memoirs last week could not have come at a more awkward time for the former British prime minister. Cameron bided his time for more than three years, hoping that the outcome of the 2016 Brexit referendum – which prompted his…
British prime minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday (24) announced to the UN Security Council a plan to stop sharing of violent terrorist videos on social media platforms. The Home Office will make £600,000 available to develop an algorithm to improve the way that technology companies detect violent and harmful videos…
IN a bid to improve the lives of those who experience domestic abuse, the government on Wednesday (18) appointed Nicole Jacobs as the country's first domestic abuse commissioner. Jacobs, who has worked for domestic abuse charities for two decades, will work with councils, police and the NHS to identify victims…
THE British government has been urged to overhaul its systems to ensure that the Windrush generation mistakes are not repeated. Lessons Not Learned, the report published on Wednesday (18) by Freedom from Torture and seven other leading organisations, exposes the government's "historical and systemic failures of asylum decision-making." The report…
British home secretary Priti Patel has brushed off former prime minister David Cameron’s stinging attack on her and her Brexiteer colleagues, saying the Tories have moved on. In Cameron’s autobiography, being serialised in the Times, he has lashed out at a number of his former colleagues, including Boris Johnson and…
Former British prime minister David Cameron has slammed home secretary Priti Patel, alongside prime minister Boris Johnson and other prominent leaders who backed Brexit in the lead up to the June 2016 referendum. In his memoir For The Record, Cameron makes a withering attack on some of his former Conservative…
THE UK has announced a new two-year post-study work visa for international students. The new ‘graduate’ immigration route will be open to all international students who have a valid British immigration status as a student and have successfully completed a course of study at undergraduate level or above with an…
by NADEEM BADSHAH THE first ever conviction last month of a man for controlling his wife’s and daughter’s lives is an “important moment in the Asian community” to stamp out the practice, campaigners said. Salamat Khan, 64, was found guilty of coercive control for making the lives of his spouse…
In a move that addresses a long-standing demand to boost number of Indian students choosing British universities, the UK government on Wednesday (11) announced a new two-year post-study work visa route for all international students. The new 'Graduate' route, to be in place by next year, will be open to…
by LAUREN CODLING ETHNIC minorities in the UK have been urged to consider a career in the police as a campaign to recruit 20,000 new officers was launched by the government last Thursday (5). Prime minister Boris Johnson officially unveiled the national campaign last week, saying it was set to…
EU migrants will be allowed to come to Britain for up to three years to work, visit or study in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the government admitted on Wednesday (4). This deal will allow EU citizens arriving in the UK before the cut-off date to remain in the…
British home secretary Priti Patel's move to scrap EU free movement rules have been abandoned amid fears that the government will be sued, it was reported on Sunday (1). The proposal to ditch the rules has been put on hold after lawyers hired by the Home Officer said it could…
A POLICE chief has defended his decision to hire a social media officer with a higher starting salary than some frontline officers, after home secretary slammed him for the move. The Dorset Police force had advertised for a social media officer vacancy and the salary for the role is listed…
LABOUR has accused prime minister Boris Johnson of misleading the public after leaked correspondence between home secretary Priti Patel and London mayor Sadiq Khan showed that new police officers will be allocated "between territorial, regional and national policing functions." Johnson had promised to recruit 20,000 police officers in a bid…
Home secretary Priti Patel on Friday (23) demanded assurances from Sadiq Khan that he was "putting as much resource as you possibly can into the Metropolitan Police Service”. In a letter to Khan, Patel alluded that the London Mayor was spending money on public relations that could go towards fighting…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan has slammed the government's move to instantly end free movement of EU citizens in the event of a no-deal Brexit. In a letter to home secretary Priti Patel on Monday (19), Khan said he was “very concerned” about plans to end free movement on day one…
Home secretary Priti Patel on Monday (19) launched plans to pave the way for new powers to tackle violent crime in the UK. Patel has opened a consultation process that would lead to changes in the UK's Offensive Weapons Act to give courts additional powers to issue control orders related…
Britain's home secretary reportedly wants to enforce tough border controls for EU citizens on day one of a no-deal Brexit. Priti Patel is pressing for border restrictions to be imposed immediately on October 31, reported The Independent. This move has been slammed by the Liberal Democrats, who accused Patel of…
MPs on Thursday (15) called on home secretary Priti Patel to "get a grip" and put an end to the "terrifying rise in violent crime," after it was revealed that the number of offenders avoiding prison for assaulting police officers has doubled over the past decade. On Thursday night, PC…
THE UK home secretary will be urged this week to raise the proposed £30K minimum salary threshold for all the new workers from outside the country. Priti Patel will be asked to respect her vow to restore integrity to the country’s immigration system by insisting all the immigrant workers must…
BRITAIN will relax its immigration rules to attract more elite scientists after Brexit by seeking to fast-track visas, prime minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday (7). "To ensure we continue to lead the way in the advancement of knowledge, we have to not only support the talent that we already…
by HARRIS BOKHARI National board member Prince’s Trust Mosaic Initiative PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson has brought together the most diverse cabinet in our political history to match the most diverse parliament that has ever been elected, but will his new top team tackle some the most pressing challenges facing our…
by BARNIE CHOUDHURY Former BBC journalist “I HEAR you’re the most hated Asian in the BBC,” the national newspaper journalist said. It was December 2001, and I was at a Radio 4 Today Christmas party. “I was told by one of your Asian colleagues that you’re a sell-out, an Uncle…
INDIAN origin British home secretary, Priti Patel signals the return of zero-tolerance policing to make criminals ‘feel terror’ on the streets. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Patel said her department would take steps to empower the police officers to harden their stand against criminals in a bid to…
India and the UK will jointly launch a global coalition for disaster resilient infrastructure on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September, British High Commissioner Dominic Asquith said on Wednesday (31). The idea to set up the coalition was first mooted by prime minister Narendra…
By Barnie Choudhury Former BBC Journalist I WILL never forget the first time I got up close and personal with Boris Johnson. It was in New York in 2017, and we were at the UK embassy. He was the foreign secretary and I was the Commonwealth secretary-general’s media and PR…
By Nirj Deva I TRIED not to whoop with joy last Friday (26) as I saw the unfolding story of Boris Johnson’s appointments to his new cabinet and government. The chancellor is my friend Sajid Javid, son of a Pakistani Muslim immigrant; the home secretary Priti Patel from a…
By Sunder Katwala I cast my first vote just eight days after my 18th birthday, a coincidence of the timing of the April 1992 General Election. I was keen enough to stay up until 5 am on election night to find out whether John Major or Neil Kinnock would be…