Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Justice secretary Yousaf wants to hold clubs to account for fan behaviour

Justice secretary Yousaf wants to hold clubs to account for fan behaviour

THE justice secretary has said that parliament may have to take action if clubs are failing to deal behaviour of fans, also suggesting for the need of an independent regulator.

Following the violence from Rangers fans in Glasgow city centre, Humza Yousaf said strict liability for football clubs is “on the table”.


The guidelines were issued and the fans were urged by the Rangers to follow coronavirus, but he added the messaging could have been more “explicit”.

Regarding the violence, SNP’s James Dornan raised an urgent question in the Scottish parliament and said he is “sick and tired of Rangers fans thinking they are above the law”.

Yousaf said: “I’m disappointed on many levels, with the selfishness of the Covid breaches, perhaps more so with the violence and vandalism we saw in George Square and with the anti-Catholic bigotry we saw on display.”

He said Rangers were working closely with Police Scotland to identify those engaged in criminal activity.

The justice secretary added: “I think it is important to engage with the clubs. I think it is important to try and bring them with us in this journey, as opposed to trying to impose measures upon them.

“But ultimately that is what we may have to do, if the clubs are unwilling to acknowledge, unwilling to accept, unwilling to confront the fact that there is a problem among some fans.”

More For You

Seema Malhotra

The UK is moving towards a "contribution-based" system, where settlement depends on economic contribution

Getty Images

Seema Malhotra raises concern over student asylum claims during India visit

Highlights

  • Indo-Pacific minister addresses immigration concerns during Chennai visit.
  • 16,000 students applied for asylum in UK after finishing studies last year.
  • Indian student numbers to UK drop 11 per cent amid tougher immigration rules.
Britain's Indo-Pacific minister Seema Malhotra has stood by the government's immigration reforms while visiting India, highlighting concerns over international students who claim asylum after their courses end.
During her visit to Chennai, Malhotra told the BBC that the reforms were "in line with what countries around the world do" to stop abuse of immigration systems. She stressed there was a "very strong message we also send, which is that we welcome those coming legally".
The minister disclosed that roughly 16,000 international students worldwide had filed asylum applications in the UK following the completion of their studies last year, describing this trend as clear evidence of legal pathway abuse. Latest Home Office data indicates an additional 14,800 students made similar asylum claims between January and June 2025.

Student number drops

India continues to be a major source of international students for UK institutions, representing a quarter of all foreign student arrivals in 2023-2024. Despite this, interest appears to be waning, with an 11 per cent decline in Indian student applications from the previous year as stricter immigration measures come into force.

This downturn has raised alarm amongst British universities already facing financial pressures and dependent on international student revenue.

Keep ReadingShow less