United Kingdom

    Children as young as seven are being targeted for grooming, violence and exploitation by drug gangs enslaving them into criminality, says a report from the Children’s Society. The charity says the main age bracket for criminal exploitation of children is 14 to 17, but warns the age at which youngsters are being targeted for grooming is getting younger. “There is evidence that primary school age children as young as seven are targeted,” states the report. There can be a lack of recognition of criminal exploitation of younger children and so opportunities to protect under-10s can be missed, it added. The report focuses on the criminal exploitation of children, best known via the county lines tactic, whereby drug gangs use children to break into new markets. Children...

    Boris Johnson’s campaign has been funded by a billionaire family behind a development he approved while mayor. The scheme was labelled unacceptable at the time as there is no social housing. Labour’s Len Duvall said: It begs the question of whether this is a sign of what’s to come if he enters Downing Street. Johnson has boasted in his Tory ­leadership battle he is the man to unite Britain, but the Daily Mirror can reveal as London mayor he signed off a property development with no affordable homes excluding hard-pressed residents. And the frontrunner’s battle to replace Theresa May was supported by a donation from one of the tycoons he is accused of helping to get the scheme through. Johnson controversially gave the nod to ­Westminster council’s recommendation f...

    China on Wednesday said it lodged an official protest with London after British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned Beijing of serious consequences if it breaches the Hong Kong handover agreement. He seems to be fantasising in the faded glory of British colonialism and in the bad habit of gesticulating while looking down on other countries affairs, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular briefing. Mr Hunt had said that Hong Kong authorities should not use an outbreak of vandalism in the legislative chambers by protesters on Monday night as a pretext for repression. He said the authorities need to understand the root causes of what happened, which is a deep-seated concern by people in Hong Kong that their basic freedoms are under attack. Mr Geng s...

    Boris Johnson’s allies today unleashed a heavy onslaught on Jeremy Hunt’s do-or-dither position on quitting the European Union, in a crunch battle for No 10. They sought to portray the Foreign Secretary as a “flip flopper” over the date of Brexit, suggesting the EU would welcome him as Theresa May in trousers. However, former Chief Whip Sir Patrick McLoughlin hit back against the attack on Mr Hunt by Mr Johnson’s campaign chairman Iain Duncan Smith, arguing that it showed the Boris camp was rattled. The Tory big beasts locked horns as Conservative HQ prepared to send out ballot papers to party members later this week to elect their new leader. Former party leader Mr Duncan Smith sought to make a clear dividing line between the two contenders over quitting the EU o...

    Downing Street has described the news that Iran has breached the 2015 nuclear deal it signed with major foreign powers as extremely concerning. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Iran had stockpiled more low grade enriched uranium than the deal permits - raising the spectre of greater confrontation with the US. Theresa May's spokesman said the UK was working with partners to decide what action should be taken. He added: We have been consistently clear that our commitment to the (deal) depends on Iran complying in full with the terms of the deal and we urge them to reverse this step. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is speaking to Sky News Kay Burley live from 7pm this evening, said he was deeply worried about the breach, adding that the...

    Boris Johnson could be stopped from becoming prime minister even if he is elected as the new Conservative leader, two of Britain’s leading constitutional experts have said. With Tory MPs threatening to withdraw support for the party under his stewardship, Johnson is warned that he could be prevented from ever entering Downing Street should it become clear he cannot command a majority in the House of Commons. It is the latest sign of the parliamentary crisis that could face Johnson upon his election. It risks involving the Queen in politics and could pull Theresa May back into the Brexit impasse; as the incumbent prime minister, she will be key in recommending to the palace who should be called to form the next government. Johnson’s legitimacy would be challenged if...

    Six people have now died during our searing heatwave - as thousands of Brits flock to the water to cool down from the blistering heat. A man was confirmed dead after being rescued from the sea off the Isle of Wight yesterday. This came shortly after another man's body was pulled from the water in Scotland. The men are the fifth and sixth people to die in just two days during our scorching weather. Emergency crews scrambled to Bothwell at around 10pm last night after receiving reports of two men in the River Clyde. One man managed to climb to safety but tragically a 30-year-old man could not be found, reports Glasgow Live . His body was recovered by divers in the early hours of this morning. A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: "At 10.10pm emergency services r...

    Private firms have raked in millions of pounds through the Home Office’s newly outsourced visa system as people are forced to pay extortionate fees and travel long distances to apply for UK status. Immigration lawyers have warned legal migrants risk being thrown into the hostile environment after the visa processing service was outsourced to French firm Sopra Steria last November. Those affected include some people applying for EU settled status ahead of Brexit despite the government stating that this application is free. While visa applicants could previously go to their local post office to upload documents and provide biometric data such as fingerprints, they must now attend one of just six core centres across the country which offer a free service, or another 5...

    Boris Johnson today warned Vladimir Putin that he will be proved wrong by history after the Russian president suggested Western liberalism was obsolete. Speaking to The Evening Standard, Mr Johnson, the frontrunner to be the next Prime Minister, also hit back against the Russian leader over the Salisbury Novichok poisonings, stressing the need for justice, the rule of law and a simple of code of decency in international relations. His strong words showed that he would be prepared to be tough with Russia over aggressive acts if he gains the keys to No10. In an interview with The Financial Times, the Russian leader said the liberal idea had outlived its purpose. However, Mr Johnson rejected this argument and also highlighted how the West had united in horror against...

    Boris Johnson has given his strongest signal yet that he could suspend parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit against the will of MPs. The Tory leadership front runner insisted that he was not attracted to the idea of ‘proroguing’ parliament, and that he believed the “common sense” of MPs would bring about a deal all sides could agree upon by the October 31 deadline. But asked to categorically rule out proroguing parliament, he said: “I’m not attracted to the idea of a no-deal exit from the EU but, you know, I think it would be absolutely folly to rule it out. I think it’s an essential tool of our negotiation. I don’t envisage the circumstances in which it will be necessary to prorogue parliament, nor am I attracted to that expedient. When asked if it’s stil...