United Kingdom

    The Home Office did set targets for the voluntary removal of illegal immigrants, it has emerged. A 2015 inspection report shows the department set a target of 12,000 voluntary departures in 2015/16, up from 7,200 in 2014/15. The disclosure of the regional targets, split between 19 Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) teams across the UK, contradicts evidence given by Home Secretary Amber Rudd to Parliament on Wednesday. We don't have targets for removals, she told the Home Affairs Select Committee. If you are asking me if there are numbers of people we expect to be removed, that's not how we operate. Speaking after Ms Rudd's appearance, a spokesman for her department said it has never been Home Office policy to take decisions arbitrarily to meet a target....

    The DUP has threatened it will bring down Theresa May's Government if Northern Ireland is forced to stay in the Single Market or Customs Union after Brexit. Nigel Dodds, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party at Westminster, said his party would vote against the Government if any of its red lines on Brexit are crossed. It comes as Britain and the EU are deadlocked over how to ensure that there is no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit. Mr Dodds told the Conservativehome website: If, as a result of the Brexit negotiations for instance, there was to be any suggestion that Northern Ireland would be treated differently in a way, for instance that we were part of a customs union and a single market and the rest of the UK wasn’t ... for us ...

    A growing number of cases of Home Office mistreatment of non-Caribbean Commonwealth-born citizens are emerging, indicating that the problem is likely to spread beyond the Windrush group. Immigration charities and MPs reported that numerous new cases had been reported this week of individuals from countries from India, Kenya and Cyprus to Canada. Echoing the hidden nature of the Windrush cases the scale of the problems experienced by those from non Windrush nations appears to be only gradually emerging. A spokesperson at the Canadian high commission said: To the best of our knowledge, the High Commission of Canada has not been contacted by any Canadians seeking assistance in matters related to Windrush. But Margaret O’Brien, 69, who moved to the UK from Canada in 19...

    Two men from Rome have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a Liverpool supporter was left fighting for his life following an altercation between fans ahead of the Champions League semi-final at Anfield. The man, believed to be from Ireland and with his brother, is being treated for his injuries at Walton Neurological Centre, where his condition is described as critical, Merseyside Police said. The 25-year-old and 26-year-old were arrested after police launched an operation to track down the man’s assailants amid scenes of violent disorder ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Roma. Detective Inspector Paul Speight, said: We believe the victim was in Liverpool with his brother for the Liverpool v Roma semi-final and was assaulted during an altercation bet...

    A top Foreign Office official has been forced to apologise after mistakenly referring to one of the world's most revered Sikh temples as a mosque. Sir Simon McDonald said I was wrong after inadvertently referring to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, as the Golden Mosque. His blunder came as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn promised he would launch an independent inquiry into Britain's military role in the Indian army's 1984 raid on the Golden Temple if he became prime minister. Sir Simon's embarrassing gaffe was made on Twitter, where the Foreign Office permanent secretary referred to a picture of the Golden Mosque being presented to the UK's deputy high commissioner. Bhai Amrik Singh, chairman of the Sikh Federation, said: "This was a major gaffe by a top civil se...

    Theresa May defeated three times in one day on Brexit bill. Peers have inflicted three defeats in a single afternoon on Theresa May's Brexit plans. The most significant will see human rights laws to protect EU citizens maintained after the transition period ends at the end of 2020. Lords voted 316 to 245 on Monday afternoon to amend the Government's flagship Brexit bill so it includes the European Charter of Fundamental Rights (ECFR). The Charter protects political, social and economic rights. And it would continue to give the European Court of Justice some say over UK laws after it has officially quit the bloc. Ten Conservative peers joined forces to back the move, including former universities minister David Willets. All the changes will have to be passed b...

    Celebrities and politicians have been sending their best wishes to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on social media. I wish them great happiness for the future, she added. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tweeted: On behalf of Londoners, I want to send our warmest congratulations to the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their baby boy. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott also sent their congratulations as politicians from across the political spectrum reacted with joy to the news of a new royal baby. All the Best Photos from When Will and Kate Welcomed George and Charlotte to the World Mr Johnson offered his huge congratulations to Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the safe delivery of their bab...

    Policing the Royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could cost as much as £6m, according to estimates based on new figures relating to Prince William and Kate Middleton's big day in 2011. Figures obtained by the Press Association through several Freedom of Information requests show that, in total, £6.35m was spent policing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding. Next month's wedding of Harry and Meghan at Windsor Castle is expected to be on a smaller scale - but with a similar price tag. Thames Valley Police are preparing for around 100,000 spectators in what will be one of the force's largest-ever security operations. Reinforcements have been drafted in from other police forces, including the Metropolitan Police. Anti-monarchy campaigner Graham Smi...

    Downing Street have warned Tory rebels that an upcoming vote on whether Britain should stay in a customs, union with the EU after Brexit will effectively be a vote of confidence in Theresa May's leadership. Next month, MPs will vote on an amendment to the government's Trade bill which seeks to keep Britain in a customs union with the EU. Ten Conservative MPs have already signed it. The vote will not only have huge ramifications for May's Brexit policy but could pose a threat to her place in Downing Street. That's because the government is considering treating the vote as a matter of confidence, the BBC reports. It is not clear what this would mean in practice if the government was to lose. Formal confidence votes cannot take place under the Fixed Term Parliaments A...

    The Duchess of Cambridge has gone into labour with her third child. Kate has been admitted to the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, central London the same hospital where she gave birth to Prince George and Princess Charlotte. It was announced last September that the Duke and Duchess were expecting their third baby. Like her two previous pregnancies, they had to announce the news before she had reached the 12-week stage because she was suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, an extreme form of morning sickness. File pic: Police officers standing guard when Kate was delivering her second child. In October, the palace said the baby was due in April. Her actual due date has never been confirmed and it is understood that the Duke and Duchess do not know...