Browsing: UK politics

The UK and EU have finalised a post-Brexit trade deal after extensive negotiations, addressing contentious issues including fishing rights, which will now allow EU access to UK waters for 12 years.

A coalition of leading UK charities, including Save the Children and the Child Poverty Action Group, is intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to abolish the two-child benefit cap.

The UK and EU agreed a new 10-year fishing deal, giving EU boats continued access to British waters, in a major breakthrough, years after Britain left the EU. The agreement was seen as key to unlocking progress in wider trade discussions.

Sir Keir Starmer expressed concerns that Britain could become an “island of strangers” if immigration issues are not addressed, drawing criticism for similarities to past inflammatory rhetoric.

Friday’s newspaper front pages cover the fallout from Albania’s rejection of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s migrant deal. On his first official visit to Albania, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that the UK is in talks with other countries to establish overseas “return hubs” for failed asylum seekers.

The UK’s leading business lobbying group, the CBI, is calling for a major reset in relations with the EU, saying the current post-Brexit setup is “no longer fit for purpose”. Ahead of a UK-EU summit on 19 May, the group has urged both sides to rebuild trust and take “practical steps” to reduce red tape, ease staff mobility, and coordinate on climate, defence and energy.

MPs are set to debate the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill again on Friday, following major amendments and months of committee scrutiny. The bill, first passed in November by 330 votes to 275, would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales to seek assisted dying.

Victims’ watchdog Baroness Newlove expresses serious concerns regarding the government’s changes to prisoner recall release policy, questioning the early release of certain sexual and violent offenders.

Sir Keir Starmer is in Albania to strengthen measures against migrant smuggling gangs, aiming to reduce both legal and illegal migration levels.

Much of Wednesday’s headlines are dominated by the news that a man – convicted of the horrific murder of Diane Sindall in 1986, has finally been cleared and freed after new DNA evidence ruled him out.

Peter Sullivan has spent nearly 40 years behind bars in what is believed to be the longest miscarriage of justice involving a living prisoner in British legal history.

A new study has highlighted the benefits of weight-loss drugs beyond tackling obesity in the UK – other benefits include halving the risk of heart attacks and strokes and appearing to protect the heart almost immediately.

Assisted dying is also dominating the UK news this morning with GPs deeply divided on the issue. It comes after the Scottish assisted dying bill passed its first vote at Holyrood.

On the international front, Donald Trump has announced he will lift sanctions on Syria – as he embarks on a whirlwind tour of the Middle East, aimed at securing deals for the US and his private businesses.