United Kingdom

    Boris Johnson could be forced into holding a second referendum on Brexit next summer if he fails to win a majority in the House of Commons but remains as prime minister, according to a new report by academics at University College London. The detailed analysis of how a referendum could be triggered, how long it would take, and how it would work concludes that a second public vote in which the options would most likely be Johnson’s deal versus remaining in the EU would be very much on the cards if the Conservatives are denied a majority, or are returned with only a very slender one, on 12 December. The report by UCL’s constitution unit in collaboration with research initiative UK in a Changing Europe is a reminder of the high stakes, and high risk, of the election to...

    A widow who has lived in the UK for a decade has been ordered to move out of her home months after her husband’s death due to a controversial Home Office immigration policy. Nasra Nur, 38, who lives in Leicester, said she had been left suicidal after being told by her housing provider that she must urgently vacate her property just four months after her British husband, Sharif Ibrahim, died of kidney failure and heart disease. The Somali national was informed by housing provider PA Housing that she could not succeed Mr Ibrahim's tenancy due to her irregular immigration status, in line with the government's the right to rent policy, which requires landlords to check the status of prospective tenants. She has been warned that she has until 22 December to leave the pr...

    Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn claims documents obtained by his party confirm the NHS would be on the table in post-Brexit trade talks with the US under a Tory government. Mr Corbyn revealed 451-pages of unredacted information today and said it showed a very different version of events to details officially released by the Government. He made the claims at an event in London, in which he again refused to apologise for alleged anti-Semitism within the Labour Party Boris Johnson has blasted claims the NHS would be included in negotiations as nonsense, while international trade secretary Liz Truss has likened Mr Corbyn's comments to conspiracy theories. Mr Corbyn, who insisted his party would never include the NHS in trade talks, said: Perhaps he'd like to explain why t...

    A quarter of adults in the UK would not feel proud to have an LGBT child, a new study reveals. On online poll of 2,109 people by YouGov on behalf of the LGBT youth homelessness charity akt (formerly known as the Albert Kennedy Trust) asked people how they would feel in a range of scenarios if they had a child who came out to them as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. When respondents were asked whether they would feel proud to have an LGBT child, 26 per cent of those polled disagreed. Less than half (46 per cent) of people surveyed agreed with the statement that they would feel proud to have a child who had come out. The poll, which was undertaken in October, also found more than one in 10 (11 per cent) would feel uncomfortable living at home with their lesbia...

    Children are among 13 migrants rescued from a boat in the English Channel. The vessel was spotted attempting to cross shortly after 9.30am on Sunday. HM Coastguard and Border Force were deployed and met the boat near Folkestone and 13 individuals, including several children, were brought ashore. They were being transferred to a specialist unit for people wishing to claim asylum. The past year has seen a dramatic increase in attempted crossings by dinghies in the English Channel, prompting increased security along the French coast and efforts to return migrants to France. Smugglers have also used lorry trailers, including one where 39 Vietnamese people were found dead in Essex in October. On Wednesday, 16 people were found in a sealed trailer on a ferry sailing fr...

    A Muslim woman has been hailed as "incredibly brave" after she confronted a man over his antisemitic rant at a Jewish father and son on the Tube. British Transport Police are investigating the incident which happened on the Northern Line in north London at around noon on Friday. Footage posted online showed a man reading a Bible passage with a quote about "the synagogue of Satan" as he leaned towards the little boy, before accusing Jews of being "imposters" who started the slave trade. When a male passenger confronts him, the man says "Get out of my face. I will smack you right in your nose" before making further threats and swearing. Filmmaker Chris Atkins, who posted footage of the incident on Twitter after asking the Jewish father's permission, told Sky News th...

    Jeremy Corbyn says he will adopt a neutral Brexit stance if Labour wins the general election and a second referendum takes place. The Labour leader made the admission as he took audience questions during a BBC Question Time special on on Friday evening. It comes despite Labour's official Brexit position being to negotiate a new deal that would then be put to the British people in a referendum. The party would then decide whether to campaign for or against their own deal at a special conference. An audience member asked: Will you campaign to remain or leave the EU if elected. Why would anyone vote Labour without knowing the answer to that question? Mr Corbyn replied: One, we will negotiate a credible Leave deal with the European Union, at which point the audience ...

    Jeremy Corbyn has pledged to increase public sector pay by 5% if Labour wins the election. The party's radical manifesto, launched in Birmingham today, says all public sector workers would get a pay rise of 5% - an average of £1,643 from April 2020. After 2020, Labour promised to deliver year-on-year above-inflation pay rises...to reward and retain the people who do so much for us all. Labour said the 105-page manifesto was fully costed, as was the Liberal Democrats manifesto launched on Wednesday. Labour says it would raise an additional £82.9bn through a variety of taxes, including increasing income tax for the richest 5% and those earning more than £80,000, raising corporation tax and extending stamp duty reserve tax for financial transactions. Money would als...

    The Prince of Wales advised the Queen that she must effectively sack Prince Andrew to safeguard the long-term future of the monarchy, the Evening Standard has learned. Prince Charles moved decisively to end his brother’s career in public life because of the damage being caused by the Duke of York’s “ill-judged” friendship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. This is not about personalities, this is about protecting the institution of the monarchy itself, a senior figure said. Officially, Andrew, 59, made the decision to step down from royal duties for the foreseeable future after discussion with senior royals. But sources said he was given no choice as Charles on tour in New Zealand and the Queen felt swift action was needed. After informing the wider roy...

    Undecided voters gave Jeremy Corbyn a 59-41 per cent lead over Boris Johnson as best performer in last night’s ITV general election leaders’ debate, according to details of YouGov polling. The two leaders were tied almost neck-and-neck among viewers overall in the survey, with Mr Johnson edging the contest by 51-49 per cent. But Labour will be heartened by the fact that their leader appears to have gone down better with the potentially crucial swing voters who could decide the outcome of the 12 December general election. Although almost four times as many said they had made up their minds, it is the smaller group of undecideds – making up around 20 per cent of the electorate – who the parties must win over to stand a chance of improving their position on Election D...