Connect with us

Published

on

Britain is at risk of forgetting “how to do things for ourselves”, the home secretary will warn, as she increases pressure on Rishi Sunak to cut net migration.

The home secretary will use a speech at the National Conservatism Conference today to call for the Conservatives to renew their 2019 manifesto commitment, which promised “fewer lower-skilled migrants” and that “overall (migrant) numbers will come down”.

Ms Braverman is expected to tell the conference: “I voted and campaigned for Brexit because I wanted Britain to control migration, so that we all have a say on what works for our country.

“High-skilled workers support economic growth. Fact.

“But we need to get overall immigration numbers down, and we mustn’t forget how to do things for ourselves.

“There is no good reason why we can’t train up enough HGV drivers, butchers, or fruit pickers.

“Brexit enables us to build a high-skilled, high wage economy that is less dependent on low-skilled foreign labour.

More on Suella Braverman

“That was our 2019 manifesto pledge and what we must deliver.”

Ministers braced for migration figures

It comes as ministers are reportedly braced for official figures expected to show net migration of between 650,000 and 997,000.

This would be more than the previous peak of 504,000 in the year to June 2022.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Home secretary visits Rwanda

Read more:
Home Office ‘demonising’ illegal immigrants by closing bank accounts in new crackdown
Is the government’s new Illegal Migration Bill legal?

Home Office confirms plan to house asylum seekers on giant barge

Ms Braverman will say: “It’s not xenophobic to say that mass and rapid migration is unsustainable in terms of housing supply, service, and community relations.

“Nor is it bigoted to say that too many people come here illegally and claim asylum, and we have insufficient accommodation for them.”

‘It’s not racist for anyone to want to control our borders’

She will also use the speech to insist that there is nothing wrong with someone from an ethnic minority background – like herself – making such arguments.

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

“I’m not embarrassed to say that I love Britain – no true conservative is. It’s not racist for anyone, ethnic minority or otherwise, to want to control our borders.

“I reject the left’s argument that it is hypocritical for someone from an ethnic minority to know these facts, to speak these truths.

“My parents came here through legal and controlled migration. They spoke the language. They threw themselves into the community, embraced British values.

“When they arrived, they signed up to be part of our shared project because the UK meant something to them. Integration was part of the quid pro quo.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Migration bill ‘morally unacceptable’

Row increases pressure on Sunak

The row over immigration will increase pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who recently saw his party lose nearly 1,000 councillors at local elections.

His government’s plan to deal with the increasing number of migrant boats coming from France has also been criticised in recent days, after the Archbishop of Canterbury labelled it “morally unacceptable and politically impractical”.

The Illegal Migration Bill aims to ensure that people arriving in the UK without permission will be detained and swiftly removed, either to their home country or to a third country such as Rwanda.

Continue Reading

Business

Bodycare to close 56 remaining stores – with nearly 450 to be made redundant

Published

on

By

Bodycare to close 56 remaining stores - with nearly 450 to be made redundant

High Street beauty chain Bodycare is to close its 56 remaining stores, resulting in 444 redundancies, administrators have said.

Last week it announced the closure of 30 shops, having collapsed into administration earlier this month.

A shortage of stock and the cost of running stores meant it was no longer viable to keep its 115 stores open, administrators said at the time.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the latest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

Business

Trump reveals Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch could be involved in TikTok deal

Published

on

By

Trump reveals Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch could be involved in TikTok deal

Donald Trump has revealed that media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan could be part of a deal in which TikTok in the United States will come under American control.

The US president also namedropped Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, as a possible participant in the deal during an interview with Fox News, which is owned by the Murdochs.

“I think they’re going to be in the group. A couple of others. Really great people, very prominent people,” Mr Trump said. “And they’re also American patriots, you know, they love this country. I think they’re going to do a really good job.”

Mr Trump said that Larry Ellison, founder and CEO of software firm Oracle, was part of the same group. His involvement in the potential TikTok deal had previously been revealed.

President Donald Trump speaking to reporters outside the White House. Pic: AP/Mark Schiefelbein
Image:
President Donald Trump speaking to reporters outside the White House. Pic: AP/Mark Schiefelbein

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Saturday that Oracle would be responsible for the app’s data and security, with Americans set to control six of the seven seats for a planned TikTok board.

This comes after Mr Trump said he and China’s Xi Jinping held a “very productive call” on Friday, discussing the final approval for the TikTok deal, much of which is still unknown.

Once confirmed, the deal should stop TikTok from being banned in the US after lawmakers decided it posed a security risk to citizens’ data.

More on Tiktok

Officials warned that the algorithm TikTok uses is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to push specific content on the social media platform in a way that is difficult to detect.

Congress had ordered the app shut down for American users by January 2025 if its Chinese owner ByteDance didn’t sell its assets in the country – but the ban has been delayed four times by President Trump.

Read more from Sky News:
Trump delivers speech at Charlie Kirk’s memorial
Pentagon orders journalists to agree to reporting rules

Mr Trump said on Sunday that he might be “a little prejudiced” about TikTok, after telling reporters on Friday: “I wasn’t a fan of TikTok and then I got to use it and then I became a fan and it helped me win an election in a landslide.”

After the call with Mr Xi, Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post: “We made progress on many very important issues, including Trade, Fentanyl, the need to bring the War between Russia and Ukraine to an end, and the approval of the TikTok Deal.”

Mr Trump later told reporters at the White House that Xi had approved the deal, but said it still needed to be signed.

Representatives for the Murdochs, Mr Dell and Mr Ellison have not yet commented on a potential TikTok deal.

Continue Reading

Business

Gatwick second runway given green light by government

Published

on

By

Gatwick second runway given green light by government

Gatwick’s second runway has been given the go-ahead by the government.

The northern runway already exists parallel to Gatwick‘s main one, but cannot be used at the same time, as it is too close.

It is currently limited to being a taxiway and is only used for take-offs and landings if the main one has to shut.

The £2.2bn expansion project will see it move 12 metres north so both can operate simultaneously, facilitating 100,000 extra flights a year, 14,000 jobs, and £1bn a year for the economy.

It would also mean the airport could process 75 million passengers a year by the late 2030s.

Gatwick is already the second busiest airport in the UK, and the busiest single runway airport in Europe.

No public money is being used for the expansion plan, which airport bosses say could see the new runway operational by 2029.

Read more from Sky News
Minister defends France migrant returns deal
Lib Dems pledge windfall tax on banks

The expansion was initially rejected by the Planning Inspectorate over concerns about its provisions for noise prevention and public transport connections.

Campaigners also argued the additional air traffic will be catastrophic for the environment and the local community.

A revised plan was published by the planning authority earlier this year, which it said could be approved by the government if all conditions were met.

The government says it is now satisfied this is the case, with additions made including Gatwick being able to set its own target for passengers who travel to the airport by public transport – instead of a statutory one.

Nearby residents affected by noise will also be able to charge the airport for the cost of triple-glazed windows.

And people who live directly under the flight path who choose to sell their homes could have their stamp duty and estate agent fees paid for up to 1% of the purchase price.

CAGNE, an aviation and environmental group in Sussex, Surrey, and Kent, says it still has concerns about noise, housing provision, and wastewaster treatment.

The group says it will lodge a judicial review, which will be funded by local residents and environmental organisations.

‘Disaster for the climate crisis’

Green Party leader Zack Polanski criticised the second runway decision, posting on X: “Aviation expansion is a disaster for the climate crisis.

“Anyone who’s been paying any attention to this shambles of a Labour Govenrment (sic) knows they don’t care about people in poverty, don’t care about nature nor for the planet. Just big business & their own interests.”

Friends of the Earth claimed the economic case for the airport expansion has been “massively overstated”.

Head of campaigns Rosie Downes warned: “If we’re to meet our legally-binding climate targets, today’s decision also makes it much harder for the government to approve expansion at Heathrow.”

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden welcomed the decision but said it “should have been made months ago”, claiming Labour have “dithered and delayed at every turn”.

“Now that Gatwick’s second runway has been approved, it’s crucial Labour ensures this infrastructure helps drive the economic growth our country needs,” he said.

A government source told Sky News the second runway is a “no-brainer for growth”.

“The transport secretary has cleared Gatwick expansion for take-off,” they said. “It is possible that planes could be taking off from a new full runway at Gatwick before the next general election.

“Any airport expansion must be delivered in line with our legally binding climate change commitments and meet strict environmental requirements.”

Continue Reading

Trending