No deportation flights to Rwanda will take off under a Labour government, Sir Keir Starmer has told Sky News.
The Labour leader told Sky News political editor Beth Rigby “there’ll be no flights” as he wants to “scrap the scheme”, which aims to send asylum seekers entering the UK illegally from a safe country, such as France, to Rwanda.
But Sir Keir told Sky News: “There’ll be no flights. I want to scrap the scheme so that means the flights won’t be going.
“There will be no flights scheduled or taking off after the general election if Labour wins that general election.
“No flights, no Rwanda scheme, it’s a gimmick, it’s very expensive, it won’t work.”
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Migrants arrive in Dover
Sir Keir earlier announced his plan to tackle small boat crossings, which also included a new Border Security Command with “hundreds of specialist investigators”, new counter-terrorism powers to target people smugglers, hopes for a new Europol partnership and a rules-based asylum system.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called Sir Keir’s plan “rank hypocrisy” and said everything the Labour leader announced today “are all things that we’re already doing”.
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“Punching through the backlog, having more law enforcement officers do more, that’s all happening already,” he said.
“We’ve announced all of that more than a year ago. The question for Keir Starmer if he cares so much about that, why did he vote against the new laws that we passed to give our law enforcement officers new powers?
“They’ve now used those to arrest almost 8,000 people connected with illegal migration, sentenced them to hundreds of years in prison.
“And if it was up to him, all those people would be out on our streets so I think it’s rank hypocrisy of his position.”
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Sir Keir revealed Labour’s plan at a speech in Dover alongside his newest MP, Natalie Elphicke, who defected from the Conservatives.
Her defection has been met with outrage by some Labour MPs as she was seen to be on the right of the Tory Party, especially with her views on immigration.
She also faced criticism for supporting her ex-husband, former Dover MP Charlie Elphicke, after he was convicted of sexually assaulting two women. She has now apologised for supporting him.
Sir Keir said accepting Mrs Elphicke into the party shows it has changed and shows how the Conservatives are “no longer the party that can take our country forward”.
Image: Sir Keir said Natalie Elphicke’s defection shows the Tories are no longer the party to govern. Pic: PA
Asked if he was ruthless, he said: “Yes, I’m ruthless in trying to ensure we have a Labour government who can change this country for the better.
“Not ruthless for my own ambition, not ruthlessness particularly for the Labour Party.
“I’m ruthless for the country.”
He added that the only way to bring about change in the UK is “if we’re ruthless about winning the general election and putting in place a government of public service”.
Ruthless Starmer spoils Sunak’s moment
“I am ruthless.”
That was Sir Keir Starmer’s account of himself and his decision to let Natalie Elphicke into the Labour Party on our trip to Dover on Friday to unveil his plan to stop the small boats. Because for all the controversy her arrival on the Labour benches caused this week, for Sir Keir it was worth it.
It allowed him to take the fight on migration directly to the frontline, Dover, and stand next to the now Labour MP, Ms Elphicke, telling the cameras that Mr Sunak had “failed to keep the borders secure” and “can’t be trusted”.
As a piece of political theatre, it was ruthless. And the timing was ruthless too, coming on the day the UK had come out of recession.
Rishi Sunak had wanted the television bulletins to lead on turning the economic corner and “sticking with the plan”.
The latest polling, carried out by Survation and published on 9 May, has Labour winning the next general election with a landslide victory of 486 seats – 45% of the vote, with the Tories 19 points behind on 26%.
Taking an average of the most recent polls from each major pollster, Labour is set to win with 43.5% of the vote, with the Tories taking 23.5% and the Liberal Democrats 9.7%.
Sir Keir said he does not know if he can win a majority but he hopes so.
In May 2023 he ruled out any sort of deal with the SNP if he did not win a majority but would not rule out a deal with the Liberal Democrats.
On Friday he said: “I’m ruling out any sort of deal with the SNP before or after the election.
“Am I going for a majority Labour government? Yes, I am.
“That depends on whether we can earn the trust and confidence of voters across the country.”
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Prince Harry has denied having a fight with Prince Andrew after it was claimed “punches were thrown” between the pair in 2013.
The allegations appeared in excerpts from a new book on the Duke of York being serialised in the Daily Mail.
It claims a row started after Prince Andrew said something behind Harry’s back, with Andrew “left with a bloody nose” and the pair needing to be broken up.
It also claimed the Duke of York once warned his nephew about marrying Meghan and suggested it wouldn’t last long.
However, a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex strongly denied the claims.
“I can confirm Prince Harryand Prince Andrew have never had a physical fight, nor did Prince Andrew ever make the comments he is alleged to have made about the Duchess of Sussex to Prince Harry,” a statement said.
They said a legal letter had been sent to the Daily Mail due to “gross inaccuracies, damaging and defamatory remarks” in its reporting.
The book – Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York – is billed as the first joint biography of Prince Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
It’s said to be based on interviews with “over a hundred people who have never spoken before”.
He said his brother once knocked him to the floor amid a confrontation over Meghan’s “rude” and “abrasive” behaviour.
“It all happened so fast. So very fast,” Harry wrote in the book.
“He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me.”
“I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out,” the prince added.
Harry claimed his brother wanted him to hit him back “but I chose not to”, and that William later returned and apologised.
The Duke Of Sussex has described his relationship with his family as extremely strained after he quit as a working royal and took legal action against the media, and over the removal of his UK police protection.
He claimed earlier this year the King wouldn’t speak to him and there had “been so many disagreements between myself and some of my family”.
Martin Lewis says motorists who were mis-sold car finance are likely to receive “hundreds, not thousands of pounds” – with regulators launching a consultation on a new compensation scheme.
The founder of MoneySavingExpert.com believes it is “very likely” that about 40% of Britons who entered personal contact purchase or hire purchase agreements between 2007 and 2021 will be eligible for payouts.
“Discretionary commission arrangements” saw brokers and dealers charge higher levels of interest so they could receive more commission, without telling consumers.
Image: Pics: PA
Speaking to Sky News Radio’s Faye Rowlands, Lewis said: “Very rarely will it be thousands of pounds unless you have more than one car finance deal.
“So up to about a maximum of £950 per car finance deal where you are due compensation.”
Lewis explained that consumers who believe they may have been affected should check whether they had a discretionary commission arrangement by writing to their car finance company.
However, the personal finance guru warned against using a claims firm.
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“They’re hardly going to do anything for you and you might get the money paid to you automatically anyway, in which case you’re giving them 30% for nothing,” he added.
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Who’s eligible for payout after car finance scandal?
Yesterday, the Financial Conduct Authority said its review of the past use of motor finance “has shown that many firms were not complying with the law or our disclosure rules that were in force when they sold loans to consumers”.
The FCA’s statement added that those affected “should be appropriately compensated in an orderly, consistent and efficient way”.
Lewis told Sky News that the consultation will launch in October – and will take six weeks.
“We expect payouts to come in 2026, assuming this will happen and it’s very likely to happen,” he said.
“As for exactly how will work, it hasn’t decided yet. Firms will have to contact people, although there is an issue about them having destroyed some of the data for older claims.”
He believes claims will either be paid automatically – or affected consumers will need to opt in and apply to get compensation back.
The FCA says you may be affected if you bought a car under a finance scheme, including hire purchase agreements, before 28 January 2021.
Anyone who has already complained does not need to do anything.
The authority added: “Consumers concerned that they were not told about commission, and who think they may have paid too much for the finance, should complain now”.
Its website advises drivers to complain to their finance provider first.
If you’re unhappy with the response, you can then contact the Financial Ombudsman.
Any compensation scheme will be easy to participate in, without drivers needing to use a claims management company or law firm.
The FCA has warned motorists that doing so could end up costing you 30% of any compensation in fees.
The FCA estimates the cost of any scheme – including compensation and administrative costs – to be no lower than £9bn.
But in a video on X, Lewis said that millions of people are likely to be due a share of up to £18bn.
The regulator’s announcement comes after the Supreme Court ruled on a separate, but similar, case on Friday.