Illegal Migration Bill is heading for parliamentary ‘ping pong’ – could the government make more concessions?

Published

2 years ago

July 12, 2023

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The Illegal Migration Bill is heading back to the House of Lords later after MPs voted against almost all of the changes previously proposed by peers.

The controversial legislation bans people from claiming asylum if they arrived in the UK illegally, and puts a legal duty on the Home Office to remove them.

Tonight the bill will go through a process known as parliamentary “ping pong” – with the bill going between the two houses until both are in agreement.

The Illegal Migration Bill had an extremely bumpy ride in the Lords last time around, with the government suffering a record 20 defeats. Peers sent the bill back to the Commons with a long list of amendments which MPs debated and voted on last night.

In a marathon session of 18 separate formal votes, lasting nearly four hours, the Lords’ amendments were almost all entirely overturned, despite a small group of Tory rebels fighting to keep the peers’ proposals on unaccompanied children, safe and legal routes, and modern slavery protections.

The only proposals from the Lords that remained came in the form of a series of government amendments that were tabled as concessions. These were announced at the eleventh hour by the Home Office, caving to Tory rebels on a number of key issues like reducing the length of time unaccompanied children and pregnant women can be detained, as well as u-turning on the plan to retrospectively apply the new law to illegal migrants arriving in the UK since March.

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While the prime minister’s spokesperson insisted yesterday there was no timetable for the legislation, these changes were clearly designed to try and speed its passage through Parliament before the summer recess.

The bill is the cornerstone of Rishi Sunak’s key pledge to stop the small boat crossings – and with the numbers virtually as high as last year, and the Rwanda plan stalled in the courts – the government is determined to make some kind of tangible progress.

But it was clear from the debate and the number of Conservative rebels that many Tory backbenchers are still deeply concerned about the bill.

Former Prime Minister Theresa May made a fervent speech objecting to the fact the bill limits the ability of modern slavery victims to seek help from the authorities, arguing it would ‘consign more people to slavery’ as a result.

She told MPs this would mean someone illegally trafficked into sexual exploitation would receive no support from the police if they were able to escape and urged the government to support the Lords on this issue.

The amendment was voted down – but 16 Tory MPs rebelled, including Mrs May, and a number of other former ministers and senior party figures including Damian Green, Sir Robert Buckland, Caroline Noakes and Sir Ian Duncan Smith.

15 Conservatives voted against their own government’s proposals about the detention of unaccompanied children. Former children’s minister Tim Loughton was highly critical of the late appearance of the government’s concessions, arguing “assurances that we were promised have not materialised or, if they have, I am afraid nobody understands them”.

Former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland meanwhile urged the government to move faster on the publication of safe and legal routes for migrants. In response, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick would only say that they would do this as soon as practicable, and certainly by the end of 2024. This wasn’t good enough for many of the rebels – with 13 Tories voting to accept the Lords amendment on this point.

In his opening speech during the debate Mr Jenrick was bullish in tone, accusing the Lords of passing a series of “wrecking amendments” filled with “exceptions and get out clauses” which would prevent the legislation from fulfilling its function in stopping the small boats. He urged peers to respect the will of the elected House of Commons.

But is the strength of rebellion enough to force further concessions from the government before the game is over?

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‘Horrific incident’ at sheriff training facility in LA – at least three people dead

Published

21 mins ago

July 18, 2025

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'Horrific incident' at sheriff training facility in LA - at least three people dead

At least three people have been killed after a “horrific incident” at a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department training facility, officials have said.

A spokesperson for the department said there was an explosion at the Biscailuz Center Academy Training in east LA.

The incident was reported at around 7.30am local time (3.30pm UK time).

Aerial footage from local channel KABC-TV suggests the blast happened in a parking lot filled with sheriff patrol cars and box trucks.

Attorney general Pam Bondi wrote on X: “I just spoke to @USAttyEssayli about what appears to be a horrific incident that killed at least three at a law enforcement training facility in Los Angeles.

“Our federal agents are at the scene and we are working to learn more.”

California congressman Jimmy Sanchez said the explosion had “claimed the lives of at least three deputies”.

“My condolences to the families and everyone impacted by this loss,” he said.

The attorney general said in a follow-up post that agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are “on the ground to support”.

The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, said the LAPD bomb squad has also responded to the scene.

“The thoughts of all Angelenos are with all of those impacted by this blast,” she said.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the incident, his press office said in a post on X.

“The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is in contact with the Sheriff’s Department and closely monitoring the situation, and has offered full state assistance,” it added.

The cause of the explosion is being investigated.

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Unmasked: The 18 Russian spies who mounted series of attacks on UK

Published

21 mins ago

July 18, 2025

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Unmasked: The 18 Russian spies who mounted series of attacks on UK

Dozens of Russian spies have been sanctioned by the government – including those responsible for targeting Yulia Skripal five years before her attempted murder in Salisbury.

The Foreign Office has announced that three units of the Russian military intelligence agency (GRU) have been hit with sanctions, alongside 18 military intelligence officers.

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GRU officers attempted to murder Yulia Skipal and her father Sergei using the deadly Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury.

The 18 military intelligence officers have been targeted because of a sustained campaign of malicious cyber activity over many years, including in the UK, the Foreign Office said.

The government also accused the GRU of using cyber and information operations to “sow chaos, division and disorder in Ukraine and across the world”.

One of the groups sanctioned, Unit 26165, conducted online reconnaissance to help target missile strikes against Mariupol, including the bombing of Mariupol Theatre where hundreds of civilians, including children, were murdered.

Other military officers who have been sanctioned previously targeted Yulia Skripal’s mobile phone with malicious malware known as X-Agent.

The Skripals had moved to the UK after Sergei Skripal became a double agent, secretly working for the UK. He was tried for high treason and imprisoned in Russia – and later exchanged in a spy swap.

But five years after Yulia’s phone was targeted, the pair were poisoned with the nerve agent, Novichok, in Salisbury. Russia has always denied being involved in the chemical attack.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.

“The Kremlin should be in no doubt: we see what they are trying to do in the shadows and we won’t tolerate it.”

He said the UK was taking “decisive action” with the sanctions against Russian spies.

“Putin’s hybrid threats and aggression will never break our resolve. The UK and our allies’ support for Ukraine and Europe’s security is ironclad.”

Those sanctioned today include:

Aleksandr Vladimirovich Osadchuk

Yevgeniy Mikhaylovich Serbriakov

Anatoliy Sergeyvich Kovalev

Artem Valeryvich Ochichenko

The 161st Specialist Training Centre (TsPS) (Unit 29155) of the GRU

Vladislav Yevgenyevich Borovkov

Nikolay Aleksandrovich Korchagin

Yuriy Federovich Denisov

Vitaly Aleksandrovich Shevchenko

Ivan Sergeyevich Yermakov

Aleksey Viktorovich Lukashev

Sergey Sergeyevich Vasyuk

Andrey Eduardovich Baranov

Aleksey Sergeyevich Morenets

Sergey Aleksandrovich Morgachev

Artem Adreyevich Malyshev

Yuriy Leonidovich Shikolenko

Victor Borisovich Netyksho

Dmitriy Aleksandrovich Mikhaylov

African Initiative

Artyom Sergeevich Kureyev

Anna Sergeevna Zamaraeva

Victor Aleksandrovich Lukovenko

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Antarctica’s oldest ice arrives in UK for analysis on climate shifts

Published

21 mins ago

July 18, 2025

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Antarctica's oldest ice arrives in UK for analysis on climate shifts

Antarctica’s oldest ice has arrived in the UK for analysis which scientists hope will reveal more about Earth’s climate shifts.

The ice was retrieved from depths of up to 2,800 metres at Little Dome C in East Antarctica as part of an international effort to “unlock the deepest secrets of Antarctica’s ice”.

The ice cores – cylindrical tubes of ancient ice – will be analysed at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in Cambridge, with the ultimate goal of reconstructing up to 1.5 million years of Earth’s climate history, significantly extending the current ice core record of 800,000 years.

The research is also expected to offer valuable context for predicting future climate change, Dr Liz Thomas, head of the ice cores team at the British Antarctic Survey, said.

Over the next few years, the samples will be analysed by different labs across Europe to gain understanding of Earth’s climate evolution and greenhouse gas concentrations.

Dr Thomas said: “It’s incredibly exciting to be part of this international effort to unlock the deepest secrets of Antarctica’s ice.

“The project is driven by a central scientific question: why did the planet’s climate cycle shift roughly one million years ago from a 41,000-year to a 100,000-year phasing of glacial-interglacial cycles?

“By extending the ice core record beyond this turning point, researchers hope to improve predictions of how Earth’s climate may respond to future greenhouse gas increases.”

The ice was extracted as part of the Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice project, which is funded by the European Commission and brings together researchers from 10 European countries and 12 institutions.

“Our data will yield the first continuous reconstructions of key environmental indicators-including atmospheric temperatures, wind patterns, sea ice extent, and marine productivity-spanning the past 1.5 million years,” Dr Thomas said.

“This unprecedented ice core dataset will provide vital insights into the link between atmospheric CO₂ levels and climate during a previously uncharted period in Earth’s history, offering valuable context for predicting future climate change.”