Red-Faced: Keir Starmer is greeted by Albanian Prime Minister Ed Rama in Tirana on Thursday © Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo
The Government will “take back control of our borders” the Prime Minister announced this week – a repeat of the divisive phrase you can expect to hear more often from the Government, that is in no way related to the surge of Reform UK at this month’s local elections… honest. The Immigration White Paper published on Monday set out a number of proposals including closing the social care visa route to overseas recruitment; increasing the threshold for skilled worker visas to graduate level; reducing the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies to 18 months; only allowing a narrow list of critical shortage occupations onto the Temporary Shortage List and restricting dependants for lower skilled workers; increasing salary thresholds for all visa holders seeking to bring in dependants; increasing English language requirements for visa holders and dependants; and introducing legislation ‘to make clear it is the government and Parliament that decides who should have the right to remain in the UK.’
Launching the new Immigration White Paper, the Prime Minister faced a backlash from a number of his backbenchers and amongst campaigners and media organisations on the left, for his use of the word “strangers”, that an unwitting speechwriter will likely have been kicking himself over since Monday… Comparisons of Starmer’s use of the phrase “we risk becoming an island of strangers”, with Enoch Powell’s “strangers in their own country” Rivers of Blood speech, have however only amplified the announcements in the speech and it awaits to be seen whether they will have any impact on his current record low favourability rating, either way. The Prime Minister then used a visit to Albania to announce he plans to set up a series of “return hubs” outside the UK for asylum seekers who have had their application to stay in the UK rejected; only for the Albanian Prime Minister to reject the suggestion this would take place in his country… The Opposition jumped on the announcement, to criticise the PM for cancelling the last Government’s plans to send asylum seekers arriving in the UK to Rwanda for processing, and for failing to agree a plan with Albania. The announcement felt like a bit of an avoidable sideshow ahead of the real reason Keir Starmer was in Tirana – for a meeting of the European Political Community with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, to discuss further sanctions on Russia.
10% – People who have no savings at all, according to the Financial Conduct Authority.
0.7% – UK GDP growth in the first quarter of 2025.
3 – New prisons to be built by the Government, as Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed the Treasury would fund the prisons expansion plans “in full”.
1 – Week to go until Parliament takes a well-earned break in recess.
$142bn – Value of the arms deal signed by the USA and Saudia Arabia.
75% – Increase in the number of disabled households in England that faced homelessness last year compared to 2019.
The prison estate will run out of places in just six months’ time, the Justice Secretary announced at a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday. With the male prison population currently at 99% capacity, Shabana Mahmood announced the recall period for prisoners sentenced to between one and four years, who commit another offence or breach the conditions of their early releases, will be limited to 28 days, to free up prison spaces whilst new prisons are built.
The Sustainable Farming Incentive was reopened for applications this week after the Food Security Minister admitted a mistake had been made causing confusion amongst farmers applying for the scheme when it was abruptly halted in March. Around 3,000 applicants who started their applications but were unable to complete them will have another 6 weeks to make a submission, under a number of new restrictions and a smaller budget.
The French are coming! Buckingham Palace announced that French President Emmanuel Macron had accepted an invite for a State Visit from 8-10 July. Elected President of France in 2017, it will be Macron’s first State Visit to the UK, and comes ahead of Donald Trump’s second State Visit to the UK, currently expected to take place in September.
Patrick Spencer MP was charged with two counts of sexual assault. The Tory MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich has been accused of attacking two different women at the Groucho Club in London almost a year before he was elected to Parliament, in August 2023. He has been suspended from the Conservative Party and asked not to attend Parliament during the investigation. Mr Spencer is the son of billionaire businessman and founder of NEX Group Lord Spencer of Alresford, and is married with two children.
Defence Sec John Healey launched a new ‘Tech Scaler’ pilot at the London Stock Exchange. The new MOD Marketplace will aim to ‘drive innovations from idea to front line, with enterprise agreements for software, data and AI suppliers, to make it easier for innovative businesses, of all sizes, to do business with defence.' As part of the pilot, the MOD has signed four enterprise agreements with a total value of up to £50m with firms including Adarga, Haedean, Oxford Dynamics and WhiteSpace.
The Chancellor and leading pension providers signed the Mansion House Accord at a roundtable on Tuesday. 17 workplace pension providers, managing around 90% of active savers’ defined contribution pensions signed the agreement, pledging to invest 10% of their workplace portfolios in assets that boost the economy such as infrastructure, property and private equity by 2030. At least 5% of these portfolios will be ringfenced for the UK, expected to release £25bn directly into the UK economy by 2030.
The Prime Minister held a call with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, fresh from his election win, in which they discussed the Coalition of the Willing in Ukraine and 'reflected on the opportunities to deepen the friendship between the two countries, including through economic cooperation and technology'. The call came shortly before an interview in which Mark Carney said Canadians “weren’t impressed” the UK had invited Donald Trump for a second State Visit, when they were trying to send a message to the US President about the sovereignty of their country.
General Sir Gwyn Jenkins has been appointed First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff. General Jenkins is the first Royal Marine to be appointed to the role, and until last year served as the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff. His appointment came just two days after BBC Panorama aired an investigation in which it claimed he failed to report evidence of alleged SAS war crimes in Afghanistan when head of the UK Special Forces in between 2021 and 2022.
12,000 civil servant roles will be shifted outside of London under new plans announced by the Cabinet Office this week that will close 11 central London offices and save £94m per year. This includes closing a series of iconic buildings sch as the Ministry of Justice on Petty France, the DWP at Caxton House, and the Department for Health and Social Care on Victoria Street – all within a stone’s throw of Parliament.
A 21 year old Ukrainian national has been charged with arson and intent to endanger life, relating to fires at two properties and a car linked to the Prime Minster. The CPS have issued a warning about reporting and commentary online, reminding the media and public of the defendant’s right to a fair trial.
Donald Trump undertook his first major international trip in a visit to the Middle East. He agreed America’s ‘largest defence agreement’ ever with Saudi Arabia, signing off a package worth over $140bn covering air and missile defence, air force and space advancement and maritime security. He also, controversially, accepted a replacement jet for Air Force One from Qatar as a presidential gift; and met with Syria’s new leader to discuss the suspension of sanctions on the country, describing him afterwards a ‘young, attractive’ man…
The Great British Energy Bill completed its passage through Parliament this week and received Royal Assent, establishing a publicly owned energy company to support investment in clean domestic power. While ministers hailed it as a landmark moment for energy policy and the UK’s net zero strategy, opposition MPs raised concerns over funding and long-term delivery. Meanwhile, ahead of next week’s UK-EU Summit, the Conservative Party used its Opposition Day debate to focus on UK-EU relations, with MPs trading blows over post-Brexit trade barriers, border friction, and regulatory differences. We await the outcome of Monday’s summit to see whether the UK and EU are ready to cozy up or if we’re in for another bout of the brr-exit cold shoulder. Also in the Commons, the Assisted Dying Bill returned for debate, following a marathon committee stage which saw the proposal of over 500 amendments.
In the House of Lords, members considered and agreed to amendments to the Bank Resolution (Recapitalisation) Bill, which also received Royal Ascent this week. Peers also considered the Data (Use and Access) Bill, which will return back to the Lords on Monday. The Employment Rights Bill progressed at committee stage, which focuses on ‘fire and rehire’ practices and zero hours contracts, alongside the Renter’s Rights Bill which completed its committee stage in the House of Lords and will now move on to report stage.
Half of Britons believe that Britain should prioritise building a closer trade relationship with the EU, even if it could lead to increasing trade barriers with the US, according to an Ipsos poll. This belief rose from 42% in March, suggesting that the United States’ “liberation day” could have impacted the perceptions of Britain’s trade relations. The perceived importance of the EU as a trading partner rose across all voter groups since November 2024. Reform UK voters and the only group who lean towards the US, with 40% still naming the US as more important, down from 57%.
European states would need to invest significant resources in their military capacity, in addition to existing plans, if NATO in Europe is to defence against a future Russian threat without the United States, according to a report from the IISS. The study estimated that costs to replace key parts of the US contributions would amount to approximately $1 trillion.
55% of Britons believe that nail bars should be subject to stricter immigration enforcement, according to a YouGov poll. Following Starmer’s announcement of plans to tighten legal migration rules, YouGov asked respondents which of 15 industries should face tougher enforcement. Nail bars topped the list (55%), followed by car washes (53%), beauty salons (51%), and food delivery services (50%). In contrast, a significant proportion of the public believe enforcement should be less strict for key professions: 33% for nurses and 30% for doctors.
Who says click bait is for the tabloid media… Shadow Policing Minister Matt Vickers MP took to X this week with a new policy announcement that may or may not have gone through some slightly dodgy AI tune up software (we’ll let you make your own mind up…). Declaring he has a real problem with “TOSSERS” - his all-caps term for those who chuck rubbish from car windows or fly tip - Vickers proposed amendments to the Policing & Crime Bill to give offenders up to three points on their licence.
Remember when Rishi Sunak was mocked for his short stature? Well, this week Keir Starmer had to come face to… chest… with it too, when meeting 6ft 7in tall Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana (see above). It reminds us of the time the 5ft 7in tall British PM greeted his Albanian opposite number on the steps of Downing Street in 2023… it’s worth noting his successor is only 5ft 8in tall himself.
And finally… the big news out this week was confirmation of the cast of Celebrity Traitors, due on our screens in the Autumn (not a moment too soon!) So thanks to Ipsos for their public service this week conducting a poll of who the public think will win it. The results are in and unsurprisingly Stephen Fry is well out in front, as well as best traitor and best faithful. Whilst coming mid-table for most likely to win, national treasure Clare Balding comes a close second on best ‘faithful/traitor hunter’, with Jonathan Ross and Kata Garraway close behind. Autumn couldn’t come soon enough…
