Newslinks for Wednesday the 30th April 2025

Conservative party accuses immigration judges of breaking their own code of conduct

“Immigration judges have been accused of potentially breaching the judicial code of conduct by advocating highly charged political views. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said the immigration courts – which can over-rule the Home Office in asylum cases and other types of immigration claims – had been infiltrated by ‘activist judges’. Research compiled by the Conservative party showed immigration judges have made political remarks about the system they are supposed to adjudicate upon impartially. One judge works for an organisation which provides weekly advice sessions for migrants in northern France who are seeking to enter Britain illegally by small boat. Another has publicly backed calls for changes in immigration law by a charity which previously played a key role in legal challenges against the Conservatives’ Rwanda asylum scheme. Mr Jenrick expressed concern that some immigration judges’ activities indicated a ‘clear breach’ of the judicial code of conduct. ‘If a judge’s record of activism means they would be expected to recuse themselves from hearing certain cases, their position is untenable’ he said” – Daily Mail

• Small boat crossings pass 10,000 in record-breaking year – The Times
• Labour MPs turn on Starmer over migration – Daily Telegraph
• Keir Starmer faces Labour revolt as MPs rage over migration madness – Daily Express
• Asylum Fury. Iranian sex toy smuggler allowed to stay in Britain after claiming his X-rated enterprise would see him jailed back home- The Sun
• Migration madness as ‘bogus asylum seekers’ use new scam to stay in UK – Daily Express
• Afghan addict can stay because Taliban are too hard on drug users – The Times

Immigration a key issue in by-election battleground of Runcorn

“It’s lunchtime on St George’s Day and the Royal pub in Runcorn is a festival of flags, fags and Farage. “I’m sorry,” says Mike Kneale, a painter, as he explains which party he will back in this week’s crucial byelection: “But it’s Nigel Farage.” The Reform UK leader’s Cheshire cat grin leaps out from billboards and doormats all over this constituency, where his party is odds-on to win its fifth MP and deliver a blow to Keir Starmer Labour won Runcorn and Helsby, on the industrial banks of the River Mersey, with a thumping 14,696-vote majority only 10 months ago. But a drunken assault by the sitting MP Mike Amesbury means its 16th safest seat is up for grabs and the “dogfight” between Starmer’s party and Reform is getting ugly. “Labour are fucked,” says Kneale, 52, drinking a £1.95 pint of Foster’s beneath a giant St George’s flag. “I’ve been Labour all my life but never, ever again. They’ve done nothing but lie to us.” – Guardian

• Kemi Badenoch: It’s not just us – voters are wishing a plague on Labour – Daily Telegraph
• Moment wannabe Labour MP humiliated on doorstep – Daily Express
• None of the above! Voters lack faith in any of the main party leaders, pollster warns before local elections – Daily Mail
• Thirst past the post. I’ll never give up booze, vows Nigel Farage as Reform tipped to make huge gains in local elections – The Sun

Comment

• Britain needs a plan, not a protest. Think twice before voting Reform – Rupert Lowe Daily Telegraph
• Runcorn has lost all hope. All faith in conventional politics is gone – Tanya Gold Unherd
• Whatever happens in the local elections, the mainstream is dead – John Curtice Daily Telegraph
• Nigel Farage is on the verge of a huge victory on Thursday but then Reform’s real test starts – Henry Hill The Sun
• Labour and the Tories are about to get a kicking from Reform. It’s immigration, stupid – Allison Pearson Daily Telegraph

>Today

Runcorn has got a bit lost in the election speculation, but it’s telling us more than you think

>Yesterday

Can the Conservatives rebuild through the mayors?

Blair hits out at Labour’s Net Zero policies saying they’re ‘doomed to fail’

“Sir Tony Blair has attacked Sir Keir Starmer’s net zero policies. The former prime minister said it was wrong that people were “being asked to make financial sacrifices and changes in lifestyle when they know that their impact on global emissions is minimal”. In a significant intervention, Sir Tony said politicians must face “inconvenient facts” that “present policy solutions are inadequate”. His language echoes that of Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, who said last month that reaching net zero by 2050 was “impossible”. While Sir Keir remains publicly committed to the target, Labour has rowed back on elements of its green agenda in recent months, backing a third runway at Heathrow and delaying plans to ban new hybrid cars in 2030” – Daily Telegraph

• Tony Blair blows a hole in Ed Miliband’s net-zero plans – The i
• Blair Blast. Sir Tony Blair slams Labour’s net zero crusade as ‘doomed to fail’ in extraordinary broadside – The Sun
• Heat pumps ‘pay monthly’ plan to make them more affordable – The i
• UK took control of British Steel before assessing cost to taxpayers, letters show – FT
• Now mad Ed Miliband’s Net Zero drive slammed as ‘absolute bonkers’ by Union chief – The Sun

Comment

• What Blair gets right about Ed Miliband Ross Clark Spectator

Phillipson told VAT on school fees won’t fix teacher shortage

“Labour’s plan for 6,500 new teachers funded by private school VAT might not even fix the shortage, according to a new official report. The National Audit Office (NAO) said it is ‘not clear’ whether the pledge will solve the problem as there is currently no ‘delivery plan’. It said Government projections for future teacher shortfalls do not take into account ‘existing shortages’. n addition, the Department for Education (DfE) has admitted delivering the 6,500 pledge will be a ‘significant challenge’. This is partially because offering teachers cash incentives will be tricky in a ‘fiscally constrained environment’, the NAO said. The Government has repeatedly said its promise of 6,500 extra teachers by the end of this Parliament justifies its tax raid on private school fees. From January this year, fees have been subject to VAT of 20 per cent, with some families now priced out of the sector.” – Daily Mail

• Labour’s pledge to hire 6,500 extra teachers in England will be a ‘challenge’ – Guardian

Comment

• Bridget Phillipson’s Ofsted reforms are a mess – Kristina Murkett Spectator

Rap band Kneecap gets a kicking after on stage comments urging people to kill MPs

“The controversial Irish rap group Kneecap have apologised to the families of two murdered MPs after video emerged in which they appeared to make incendiary comments about “dead Tories”. The trio posted a lengthy statement on X in which they sent “heartfelt apologies” to the families of Sir David Amess and Jo Cox, having faced criticism from Downing Street and Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, after a video surfaced from one of their gigs. Taken from a performance in November 2023, it appears to show one of the trio glorifying violence against politicians, saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” – The Times

• Controversial Irish rappers Kneecap dropped from top music festival after they told cheering concert-goers to ‘kill your local MP’ – as pressure mounts for Glastonbury to axe them from its line-up – Daily Mail

Comment

• Kneecap’s phoney punk act has been unmasked – Brendan O’Neill Spectator

Met Police charge only one in 20 shoplifters

“Only one in 20 shoplifting offences in London last year led to a suspect being charged, according to figures that expose the number of crimes going unsolved across Britain. Of 88,248 shoplifting offences reported to the Metropolitan Police last year, 4,629 led to a suspect being charged, equalling 5.25 per cent. Leicestershire police recorded the lowest rate of shoplifting offences being solved, with 4.5 per cent of 8,345 reports. Across England and Wales, 18 per cent of all 516,791 shoplifting offences reported by police led to a suspect being charged, slightly higher than the 17 per cent recorded the year before. Humberside police solved the highest rate of shoplifting offences with 31 per cent, followed by Norfolk police with 30 per cent.” – The Times

News in brief

• Our housing crisis is tearing England apart – Katie Lam MP CapX
• Supreme Court challenge is a last howl from dying trans activism – Josephine Bartosch Unherd
• Trans activism is Progressive Man’s manosphere – Victoria Smith The Critic
• How will Mark Carney govern? – Martin Taube Spectator