Shabana Mahmood herself has said that illegal immigration was putting immense strain on the country and undermining the contract between the government and its citizens. This week, Mahmood visited reception and removal centres for asylum seekers near Copenhagen, the Danish capital, to examine how a tougher set of policies were working in practice.
"The distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change. That's why the distraction needs to end, and the leadership in Downing Street has to change... We cannot allow the failures at the heart of Downing Street to mean the failures continue here in Scotland. I have to be honest about failure wherever I see it - the situation in Downing Street is not good enough."
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has denied accusations that Chancellor Rachel Reeves misled the cabinet or the public over the state of the public finances ahead of last week's Budget, after a fresh row erupted between the Treasury and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Speaking at a nursery in London, Starmer defended Reeves' tax rises and her decision to scrap the two-child benefit cap, despite weeks of speculation over possible income tax hikes. He insisted that revenue-raising measures were unavoidable and dismissed allegations that the government exaggerated the scale of its fiscal challenges. "There was no misleading," he said. "It was inevitable we would always have to raise revenue. I was clear we needed more headroom."
Helm CEO Andreas Adamides said members felt "betrayed, ignored and genuinely let down". "These aren't faceless corporates - they're founders who've risked everything to build businesses, create jobs and drive the economy forward," he said. "They wanted to believe Labour understood them. Instead, they've read endless speculation about punishing tax rises and listened to ministerial rhetoric that dismisses their concerns. The sense of betrayal is palpable.
What I can tell you is that under the last government, for quite some time, there were, on average, 17 wrong releases. Under this government that has risen. It's 22 that is completely unacceptable. It was unacceptable before, it's unacceptable now. Even one is too many, and the justice secretary is gripping this by appointing Dame Lynne Owens, who is the former director of the National Crime Agency, to make sure that we really grip this
Kemi Badenoch has proposed working with the Labour government to address the militant doctors' strike but demands a reversal of Keir Starmer's key election pledge regarding pay rises.
Sir Keir Starmer has opened the door for the Labour government to unleash both wealth taxes and an extension of stealth taxes in a bid to balance the books following his welfare U-turns.
The public no longer gives politicians the benefit of the doubt, as Labour's U-turn on winter fuel payments shows a crisis of trust rather than a change of heart.
By dismissing trans identities and rights as Prime Minister Starmer has done, the government risks repeating historical injustices that have profoundly affected LGBTQIA+ communities.
