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Sir Keir Starmer has told Rishi Sunak to “start governing for once and get a grip” as he blamed 12 years of Tory leadership on the “broken” asylum system.

The Labour leader questioned how problems the UK is facing could be anyone’s fault but the Conservatives, as the pair clashed on immigration at PMQs.

The Home Office is grappling with a huge backlog in processing asylum claims as record numbers of people continue to cross the Channel on small boats, with the government accused of “presiding over a shambles” amid overcrowding at the Manston processing centre in Kent.

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Sir Keir opened PMQs asking: “His Home Secretary says the asylum system is broken. Who broke it?”

Mr Sunak pointed to his party’s record on immigration, saying Brexit has given the UK control of its borders while Labour has “no plan” for immigration.

But Sir Keir hit back that the Conservatives have “lost control of the borders”, adding: “Four prime ministers in five years. It’s the same old, same old, he stands there and tries to pass the blame.

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“If the asylum system is broken, and his lot have been in power for 12 years, how can it be anyone’s fault but theirs?”

Sir Keir pointed to the Rwanda deportation scheme, saying it has cost the UK £140m and rising yet “the number of people deported to Rwanda is zero”.

“Since then, 30,000 people have crossed the channel in small boats.

“It’s not working, is it? He hasn’t got a grip.”

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Sunak ‘hammered’ on migration policy

He repeated this attack line several times, while Mr Sunak sought to taunt the Labour leader over his support for his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.

Sir Keir also hit out at Suella Braverman, the home secretary, saying that only 4% of people arriving in small boats last year have had their asylum claim processed to date.

He joked that the bookies have Ms Braverman with more chance of “becoming the next Tory leader than processing an asylum claim in a year”.

He also referenced the 4,000 people at the Manston air base – which is only designed to hold 1,600 – asking whether the home secretary received legal advice that she should move people out.

Mr Sunak did not answer the question, but acknowledged the Channel crisis is a “serious and escalating problem” and admitted that “not enough” asylum claims are being processed.

Listing steps the government is taking to “fix this”, the PM said the government has increased the number of processing officials by 80%, procured 4,500 more hotel beds for asylum seekers and appointed a senior general to control the situation at Manston, while increasing staff there.

Read More:
Migrants packed into processing centre ‘threatening self-harm and hunger strike’
Tory MP says situation at Manston migrant centre ‘a breach of humane conditions’

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Migrants ‘threatening self-harm’

“These are significant steps that demonstrate that we are getting a grip of this system,” the PM said.

“We will make sure that we control our borders and we will always do it fairly and compassionately because that is the right thing.”

‘Start governing for once and get a grip’

Sir Keir, in his concluding remarks, turned to the controversial reappointment of Ms Braverman as home secretary, six days after she resigned from the role for breaking the ministerial code.

He said: “I think the answer to the question whether the home secretary received legal advice to move people out of Manston is yes – he just hasn’t got the guts to say. Weak.

“He did a grubby deal with her – putting her in charge of Britain’s security just so that he could dodge an election. She’s broken the ministerial code, lost control of a refugee centre and put our security at risk.”

He added: “She did get one thing right – she finally admitted the Tories have broken the asylum system. Criminal gangs running amok, thousands crossing the Channel in small boats every week, hardly any claims processed.

“So why doesn’t he get a proper home secretary, scrap the Rwanda gimmick, crack down on smuggling gangs, end the small boat crossings, speed up asylum claims and agree an international deal on refugees? Start governing for once and get a grip.”

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Stock markets slump for second day running after Trump announces tariffs – in worst day for indexes since COVID

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Stock markets slump for second day running after Trump announces tariffs - in worst day for indexes since COVID

Worldwide stock markets have plummeted for the second day running as the fallout from Donald Trump’s global tariffs continues.

While European and Asian markets suffered notable falls, American indexes were the worst hit, with Wall Street closing to a sea of red on Friday following Thursday’s rout – the worst day in US markets since the COVID-19 pandemic.

As it happened: Worst week’s trading in five years

All three of the US’s major indexes were down by more than 5% at market close; The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 5.5%, the S&P 500 was 5.97% lower, and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 5.82%.

The Nasdaq was also 22% below its record-high set in December, which indicates a bear market.

Read more: What’s a bear market?

Ever since the US president announced the tariffs on Wednesday evening, analysts estimate that around $4.9trn (£3.8trn) has been wiped off the value of the global stock market.

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Mr Trump has remained unapologetic as the markets struggle, posting in all-caps on Truth Social before the markets closed that “only the weak will fail”.

The UK’s leading stock market, the FTSE 100, also suffered its worst daily drop in more than five years, closing 4.95% down, a level not seen since March 2020.

And the Japanese exchange Nikkei 225 dropped by 2.75% at end of trading, down 20% from its recent peak in July last year.

Pic: Reuters
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US indexes had the worst day of trading since the COVID-19 pandemic. Pic: Reuters

Trump holds trade deal talks – reports

It comes as a source told CNN that Mr Trump has been in discussions with Vietnamese, Indian and Israeli representatives to negotiate bespoke trade deals that could alleviate proposed tariffs on those countries before a deadline next week.

The source told the US broadcaster the talks were being held in advance of the reciprocal levies going into effect next week.

Vietnam faced one of the highest reciprocal tariffs announced by the US president this week, with 46% rates on imports. Israeli imports face a 17% rate, and Indian goods will be subject to 26% tariffs.

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Do Trump’s tariffs add up?

Read more:
Markets gave Trump a clear no-confidence vote
There were no winners from Trump’s tariff gameshow

China – hit with 34% tariffs on imported goods – has also announced it will issue its own levy of the same rate on US imports.

Mr Trump said China “played it wrong” and “panicked – the one thing they cannot afford to do” in another all-caps Truth Social post earlier on Friday.

Later, on Air Force One, the US president told reporters that “the beauty” of the tariffs is that they allow for negotiations, referencing talks with Chinese company ByteDance on the sale of social media app TikTok.

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Tariffs: Xi hits back at Trump

He said: “We have a situation with TikTok where China will probably say, ‘We’ll approve a deal, but will you do something on the tariffs?’

“The tariffs give us great power to negotiate. They always have.”

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Financial markets were always going to respond to Trump tariffs but they’re also battling with another problem

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Financial markets were always going to respond to Trump tariffs but they're also battling with another problem

Global financial markets gave a clear vote of no-confidence in President Trump’s economic policy.

The damage it will do is obvious: costs for companies will rise, hitting their earnings.

The consequences will ripple throughout the global economy, with economists now raising their expectations for a recession, not only in the US, but across the world.

Tariffs latest: FTSE 100 suffers biggest daily drop since COVID

Financial investors had been gradually re-calibrating their expectations of Donald Trump over the past few months.

Hopes that his actions may not match his rhetoric were dashed on Wednesday as he imposed sweeping tariffs on the US’ trading partners, ratcheting up protectionism to a level not seen in more than a century.

Markets were always going to respond to that but they are also battling with another problem: the lack of certainty when it comes to Trump.

More on Donald Trump

He is a capricious figure and we can only guess his next move. Will he row back? How far is he willing to negotiate and offer concessions?

Read more:
There were no winners from Trump’s tariff gameshow
Trade war sparks ‘$2.2trn’ global market sell-off

These are massive unknowns, which are piled on to uncertainty about how countries will respond.

China has already retaliated and Europe has indicated it will go further.

That will compound the problems for the global economy and undoubtedly send shivers through the markets.

Much is yet to be determined, but if there’s one thing markets hate, it’s uncertainty.

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Court confirms sacking of South Korean president who declared martial law

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Court confirms sacking of South Korean president who declared martial law

South Korea’s constitutional court has confirmed the dismissal of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached in December after declaring martial law.

His decision to send troops onto the streets led to the country’s worst political crisis in decades.

The court ruled to uphold the impeachment saying the conservative leader “violated his duty as commander-in-chief by mobilising troops” when he declared martial law.

The president was also said to have taken actions “beyond the powers provided in the constitution”.

Demonstrators who stayed overnight near the constitutional court wait for the start of a rally calling for the president to step down. Pic: AP
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Demonstrators stayed overnight near the constitutional court. Pic: AP

Supporters and opponents of the president gathered in their thousands in central Seoul as they awaited the ruling.

The 64-year-old shocked MPs, the public and international allies in early December when he declared martial law, meaning all existing laws regarding civilians were suspended in place of military law.

Read more from Sky News:
Highs and lows of Five-Year Keir
MP tells Sky News she was targeted online by Tate brothers

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The Constitutional Court is under heavy police security guard ahead of the announcement of the impeachment trial. Pic: AP
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The court was under heavy police security guard ahead of the announcement. Pic: AP

After suddenly declaring martial law, Mr Yoon sent hundreds of soldiers and police officers to the National Assembly.

He has argued that he sought to maintain order, but some senior military and police officers sent there have told hearings and investigators that Mr Yoon ordered them to drag out politicians to prevent an assembly vote on his decree.

His presidential powers were suspended when the opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on 14 December, accusing him of rebellion.

The unanimous verdict to uphold parliament’s impeachment and remove Mr Yoon from office required the support of at least six of the court’s eight justices.

South Korea must hold a national election within two months to find a new leader.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, is the early favourite to become the country’s next president, according to surveys.

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