Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

UK calls for calm as British MPs divided over Article 370 revocation

The UK government on Tuesday (6) said that it was monitoring the situation in Kashmir closely and called for calm as the country's parliamentarians echoed some of the wider divisions over the India's decision to revoke Article 370 and bifurcate the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indian government on Monday revoked Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and proposed that the state be bifurcated into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.


"We are following developments closely and support calls for the situation to remain calm," said a Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spokesperson, in reference to the issue which has led British MPs to express both "grave concern" and "strong support".

The chair of Britain's All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Kashmir has written to UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab to flag the human rights concerns and ask if the UK will be raising the issue at the next UN Security Council in September.

"We are gravely concerned at the announcement by Indian home minister, Amit Shah, that Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, has been removed by Presidential Order," Debbie Abrahams, a Labour Party MP and chair of the APPG on Kashmir, notes in her letter to the FCO minister.

"The unilateral decision made by the Indian government to remove Article 370 betrays the trust of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, dating back to the accession of 1947, and threatens to escalate tensions in the region even further. It also contravenes international law," she said, calling on the senior minister to urgently inform Britain's MPs of the representations being made by the UK on the issue.

Abrahams also issued a letter to the Indian High Commissioner to the UK Ruchi Ghanashyam, calling for a meeting to discuss the position of the Indian government even as she drew parallels with the United Kingdom's own devolved government with regions such as Scotland.

She called for a "moratorium" to allow the citizens affected by the action to have their say and asked that international observers be sent to the region.

The cross-party APPG on Kashmir, which claims to be made up of MPs and peers of both Indian and Pakistani heritage, was created to support the "right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people through dialogue" and campaigns for a process of peace and reconciliation in Kashmir on both sides of the Line of Control.

Another very vocal British MP on the issue is the Chair of the APPG on British Hindus, Conservative Party MP Bob Blackman, who described Article 370 as an "anomaly" which has held Kashmir back by starving it of investment through the prevention of external ownership of land.

"I strongly support the revocation of Article 370… Narendra Modi has again shown proper and strong leadership in honouring the manifesto of the BJP – now is the time to properly integrate Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian Constitution," said Blackman.

"Kashmiri Pandits must be guaranteed right of return after they were the victims of ethnic cleansing and this move should prevent any other minority groups being forced to leave the Kashmir Valley.

"The Valley provides excellent opportunities for agricultural and cultural handicraft exports, the development of hydro-electric power and tourism. Most important, however, is clearing the area of terrorists – high security is paramount," Blackman said.

The UK is home to a significant Kashmiri-origin population, with many of these groups similarly divided in their reaction to the Indian government's move.

"What happens in Kashmir resonates in the UK," says Raffaello Pantucci of the UK-based think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

"Talk to any [British] MP who represents a constituency with a substantial South Asian population, and they will tell you about the degree to which issues in the subcontinent show up regularly in their surgeries," he said.

More For You

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case
Bhim Kohli

Court to review teen's sentence in Bhim Kohli case

THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

The Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday (5) that the teenager’s sentence will now be considered by the Court of Appeal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attends a prayer meet held for his long life at the Dalai Lama temple in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, July 5, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Dalai Lama hopes to live 'beyond 130 years'

THE Dalai Lama said on Saturday (5) he hopes to live until he is more than 130 years old, two decades longer than his previous prediction, following his assurance to followers that he would reincarnate as the spiritual head of the faith upon his death.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking during a ceremony organised by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday (6), and as China insists it will choose his successor. The Dalai Lama told Reuters in December he might live to 110.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave by mid-July

Daytime temperatures meeting or exceeding set thresholds of 25°C

iStock

Met Office warns of potential third UK heatwave by mid-July

Key points

  • Met Office forecasts rising temperatures by mid-July
  • Possible third heatwave after record-breaking June
  • High pressure system likely to bring hot air from the Atlantic
  • Yellow rain warning and flood alerts issued in parts of Scotland and Cumbria

Possible heatwave to return by mid-July

The UK could experience its third heatwave in a month by mid-July, the Met Office has said. Forecasters expect rising heat and humidity during the second weekend of July, following two weekends of unusually warm weather in late June.

June was officially the hottest on record in England, and the return of high temperatures could mean another heatwave for parts of the country. However, the Met Office cautioned that it is too early to confirm how hot conditions will get.

Keep ReadingShow less
crypto

Two men have been jailed for defrauding investors of £1.5 million through a fake crypto investment scheme. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Two jailed over £1.5m crypto investment scam

TWO people who duped investors of £1.5 million by selling fake investments in crypto have been jailed for 12 years, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.

Raymondip Bedi, of Bromley, and Patrick Mavanga, of Peckham, conned at least 65 people by cold-calling them between February 2017 and June 2019. They operated companies including CCX Capital and Astaria Group LLP.

Keep ReadingShow less
Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

Photo for representation. (iStock)

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Manchester Police probes over 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects

GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE is now investigating more than 1,000 child sexual abuse suspects, following years of public criticism and institutional failings in tackling child sexual exploitation.

A new report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has revealed the force has made “significant improvements” in dealing with group-based sexual abuse and related crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less