EU rejected UK push for single market on goods Politics The EU rejected a UK proposal to set up a single market for the trade of goods because the UK refused to allow freedom of movement. Michael Ellam, Britain’s chief negotiator, proposed that the UK align with UK regulations to allow free trade with the bloc, but the idea was rebuffed by Brussels. The rebuttal [...]
Mahmood agenda bites: Migrant worker applications nearly halve in a year Politics The number of applications for skilled worker visas has nearly halved in a year after home secretary Shabana Mahmood raised the barriers to entry for migrants. Official data released by the Home Office showed that there were 34,700 skilled worker visa applications in the year to March. This was a 44 per cent decrease from [...]
‘Cracks are showing’: Asylum contract deadline pushed back as pressure on Labour grows Politics The Home Office has pushed back a crucial deadline for private sector companies to bid for a key asylum accommodation contract, piling pressure on the government to see through its effort to reform the wider immigration system. A deadline for businesses to engage the Home Office on a new contract for managing asylum accommodation has [...]
Children today will ‘work until 75’ amid pensions timebomb, think tank warns March 15, 2026 Children currently in primary school are set to work until the age of 75 as the “collapsing” birthrate blows a black hole in public finances, a think tank has warned. The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has released a report claiming the UK is heading towards a “demographic cliff edge”. The report suggests the state [...]
Brain drain: Net migration plummets to pre-pandemic low as more Brits flee November 27, 2025 Net migration has fallen to a pre-pandemic low, official statistics have shown, as successive Tory and Labour governments have looked to tighten controls on visas. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said net migration dropped to 204,000 in the year ending June 2025, around two-thirds lower than levels a year earlier. The large fall [...]
UK population: High migration drives near record growth September 26, 2025 The UK population increased by 755,300 in the year to mid-2024, marking the second-largest annual rise in over 75 years, mainly due to high net migration. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) stated that the UK population had reached 69,281,400, with England experiencing a larger increase than other nations. Net migration reached 738,700 over the 12 months [...]
Nigel Farage rows back on key migration pledges September 24, 2025 Nigel Farage has appeared to row back on key aspects of his legal migration pledges amid mounting questions over whether his figures stand up as well as fierce criticism from top lawyers and researchers on the viability of his plan to end Indefinite Leave to Remain. The Reform UK leader told LBC on Wednesday morning [...]
Rents rise at slowest rate for four years, Zoopla warns September 12, 2025 Skyrocketing rents in the UK have given way to a steadier increase as the supply of homes rises and tenant demand falls, according to new figures. Average rents are 2.4 per cent higher than a year ago, the lowest annual rate in four years and less than half of that recorded 12 months ago, Zoopla [...]
Immigration is top voter concern, exclusive poll says August 5, 2025 Reducing immigration became more important to voters in July, polling has shown, amid social instability over anti-migrant protests and more calls from top UK economists for a greater focus on getting Brits into the labour market before hiring overseas workers. Research by CityAM/Freshwater Strategy has shown reducing immigration is the single most important issue [...]
Migrant returns deal to begin ‘within days’ August 5, 2025 The UK’s migrant returns deal with France is set to begin “within days”, the government has said, as Home Office officials brace to defend the pact against any legal challenges after “learning from the errors” of the previous government’s Rwanda deal. In the first agreement of its kind, the UK will return dozens of illegal [...]