https://www.scmp.com/rss/524595/feed The latest news and top stories on Shabana Mahmood, Justice Secretary. A British politician and barrister, she has served as MP for Birmingham Ladywood since 2010. Appointed Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice in July 2024, she is the first Muslim and third female to hold this historic role. Her responsibilities include overseeing the justice system, judicial policy and legal aid. She has focused on tackling prison overcrowding, implementing early release schemes and emphasising... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters The British government was under growing pressure on Monday to bar American rapper Kanye West from entering the country after he was named as the headline act for the Wireless Festival of rap and hip-hop music set for July. West, now known as Ye, has been criticised in the past for antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism, which have led on several occasions to his ‌social media accounts, including on X, being barred. The decision to book Ye prompted several companies to pull their... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349199/pressure-mounts-uk-government-ban-kanye-west-after-festival-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349199/pressure-mounts-uk-government-ban-kanye-west-after-festival-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 23:06:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Hundreds of people turned out in London on Sunday for a pro-Palestinian march banned by the government after police said it was organised by a group “supportive of the Iranian regime”. Police said in a statement they had arrested 12 people and were investigating anti-Israeli chants allegedly made at the rally. Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said earlier this week she had agreed to the ban to “prevent serious public disorder” in the context of the continuing conflict in the Middle East, where... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346690/police-arrest-12-hundreds-join-banned-pro-palestinian-march-london?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346690/police-arrest-12-hundreds-join-banned-pro-palestinian-march-london?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 19:43:29 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Nearly 670 Hongkongers have been granted settlement in the United Kingdom under its bespoke BN(O) visa pathway, although the total number of applicants has fallen short of the British government’s lowest “core” estimate five years after its launch. While tens of thousands of Hongkongers are set to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain, or settled status, this year, experts suggested that uncertainties over the UK’s long-term settlement of migrants could deter future applications. The UK... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3344988/670-hongkongers-granted-settlement-uk-under-bno-visa-scheme-launch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3344988/670-hongkongers-granted-settlement-uk-under-bno-visa-scheme-launch?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 13:42:04 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A defiant British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought to move on Tuesday from fevered speculation about his future after fighting off strident calls to resign over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Following a day of drama on Monday, the Labour leader told a meeting of government ministers that they were “strong and united” after he vowed not to depart office just 19 months into a five-year term. Starmer’s position had looked precarious on Monday when Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar demanded his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343103/starmer-claims-uk-government-united-amid-calls-quit-over-epstein-fallout?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343103/starmer-claims-uk-government-united-amid-calls-quit-over-epstein-fallout?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:48:51 +0000 Ng Kang-chung,Connor Mycroft Ng Kang-chung,Connor Mycroft Hongkongers who were minors at the time of the 1997 handover to China will be eligible to apply for the British National (Overseas) pathway to UK citizenship independently of their parents, with 26,000 arrivals expected under the expanded scheme in the next five years. The move was a response to the 20-year prison sentence handed to former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying for convictions of national security-related charges in the city on Monday morning. In a statement on Monday, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3342966/uk-expands-bno-scheme-more-hongkongers-following-jimmy-lai-sentencing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3342966/uk-expands-bno-scheme-more-hongkongers-following-jimmy-lai-sentencing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:26:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The British government said on Sunday it will unveil plans this week to create a new national police force, dubbed the “British FBI”, to take charge of complex investigations such as counterterrorism, fraud, online child abuse and criminal gangs. The National Police Service will bring under the same umbrella the work of existing agencies dealing with terrorism and crime, police helicopters and policing of the roads, and regional organised crime units in England and Wales. Home Secretary Shabana... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341189/uk-create-british-fbi-bring-national-investigations-under-single-police-force?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341189/uk-create-british-fbi-bring-national-investigations-under-single-police-force?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 22:37:46 +0000 dpa dpa Mobile phones and SIM cards will be seized from migrants without needing to arrest them from Monday as part of UK efforts to tackle Channel crossings and people smugglers. Officers will begin taking electronic devices from people at Manston processing centre in Kent in the southeast of England, with technology on site to download data from them in a bid to gather intelligence on people smugglers. The new powers for police agencies are hoped to speed up investigations and come after the Border... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338705/powers-seize-mobile-phones-over-channel-migrant-crossings-come-force?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3338705/powers-seize-mobile-phones-over-channel-migrant-crossings-come-force?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 23:44:44 +0000 Willa Wu Willa Wu A group of Labour Party MPs have urged the British government to ensure changes to permanent residency requirements do not undermine support for Hongkongers on a bespoke visa pathway or others admitted on humanitarian grounds. They have asked the Home Office to consider exempting the BN(O) routes from the government’s proposed overhaul of the wider settlement system as part of four requests to extend support for Hongkongers under the scheme. James Naish and 33 of his Labour colleagues sent a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3337096/labour-mps-urge-uk-protect-hong-kong-bno-migrants-residency-reforms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3337096/labour-mps-urge-uk-protect-hong-kong-bno-migrants-residency-reforms?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 10:34:03 +0000 Reuters Reuters Police in Britain will be able to require illegal migrants to remove their coats and allow mouth searches at British ports so officers can look for mobile phones or SIM cards and gather intelligence on their journey, the government said on Monday. The Home Office (interior ministry) said the new powers would support investigations aimed at dismantling criminal gangs suspected of smuggling migrants across the Channel. It said the gangs frequently use phone contacts and social media to recruit... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334824/illegal-migrants-face-clothing-and-mouth-searches-phones-uk-ports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3334824/illegal-migrants-face-clothing-and-mouth-searches-phones-uk-ports?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 23:14:33 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle Britain’s crackdown on immigration accelerated last week with the unveiling of radical reforms which will make it more difficult for those embarking on a new life in the country to settle there. The sweeping changes will apply not only to asylum seekers but to migrants who have entered the UK lawfully since 2021. The goalposts are moving. Tighter restrictions for people who relocate to the UK through legal routes, such as for work or study, are the subject of a 12-week consultation. The aim,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3333813/bn0-visa-holders-deserve-clarity-pathway-new-life-uk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3333813/bn0-visa-holders-deserve-clarity-pathway-new-life-uk?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 15:43:39 +0000 Matthew Cheng,Vivian Au Matthew Cheng,Vivian Au Hongkongers hoping to settle in the United Kingdom under a bespoke visa pathway will face a tougher English test and potentially an income threshold as part of an overhaul of the country’s immigration system, British authorities have told the Post. The confirmation came as BN(O) visa holders, who were relieved about the unchanged five-year settlement qualifying period revealed by the UK government on Thursday, plunged into anxiety hours later after reading the fine print of the consultation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3333751/hong-kongs-bno-holders-face-tougher-english-test-possible-income-threshold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3333751/hong-kongs-bno-holders-face-tougher-english-test-possible-income-threshold?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 14:31:03 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng Britain has reaffirmed its commitment to the Hongkongers it “repatriated” under a bespoke migration pathway, but it remains unclear how the scheme will be affected by what London has called “the most significant reform” to its immigration system. Consultations will be announced later this week to discuss the proposed changes to make asylum seekers wait 20 years, up from the current five-year requirement, before they can permanently settle in the United Kingdom. But concerns have been raised... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3333222/britain-reaffirms-support-hongkongers-bno-visas-amid-sweeping-asylum-reforms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3333222/britain-reaffirms-support-hongkongers-bno-visas-amid-sweeping-asylum-reforms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 06:18:12 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain on Monday said it would make refugee status temporary and speed up the deportation of those who arrive illegally, in a major overhaul aimed at stemming the rise of the populist Reform UK party and tackling abuse of the current system. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood outlined changes to how the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) should be interpreted by UK courts to give the government greater control over who can remain in Britain. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a former human... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333164/britain-toughens-asylum-policy-major-overhaul-anti-immigration-sentiment-rises?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333164/britain-toughens-asylum-policy-major-overhaul-anti-immigration-sentiment-rises?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 18:28:24 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Britain will drastically reduce protections for refugees and end automatic benefits for asylum seekers, the Labour government announced late on Saturday, under new plans aimed at slashing irregular immigration and countering the hard-right. The measures, modelled on Denmark’s strict asylum system, were announced as Prime Minister Keir Starmer comes under pressure from surging popularity for the anti-immigrant Reform UK party. “I’ll end the UK’s golden ticket for asylum seekers,” interior... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332956/uk-says-its-ending-golden-ticket-refugees-asylum-overhaul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332956/uk-says-its-ending-golden-ticket-refugees-asylum-overhaul?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 22:32:49 +0000 Reuters Reuters British health minister Wes Streeting denied on Wednesday he was plotting to bring down Keir Starmer, after allies of the prime minister briefed newspapers that they feared an attempted coup could come later this month after the budget. Starmer steered his Labour Party to one of the biggest election victories in British history in 2024, but just 16 months later it is languishing in the polls and poised to break one of its main election pledges to increase income taxes for the first time since... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332478/uk-health-secretary-denies-plot-topple-pm-starmer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3332478/uk-health-secretary-denies-plot-topple-pm-starmer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:55:58 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press UK police on Monday charged a 32-year-old man with attempted murder over a mass stabbing attack on a train that wounded 11 people and revealed that he may have stabbed two other people in the 24 hours before the attack. British Transport Police said Anthony Williams is charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, one of actual bodily harm and one of possession of a bladed article over the attack on Saturday. Police said Williams is also charged with attempted murder over an earlier incident at... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3331344/man-charged-10-counts-attempted-murder-over-uk-train-stabbing-wounded-11-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3331344/man-charged-10-counts-attempted-murder-over-uk-train-stabbing-wounded-11-people?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 09:59:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press British police said on Sunday that one of two men arrested in connection with a mass stabbing attack that spread fear and panic on a London-bound train a day earlier has been released without charge, and that one person, a “heroic” member of the railway staff, remains in a life-threatening condition. In a statement Sunday evening, police said the only remaining suspect was a 32-year-old British man who remained in custody on suspicion of attempted murder. A second man initially arrested as a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3331260/uk-police-release-1-2-men-arrested-over-train-stabbings-laud-heroic-rail-worker?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3331260/uk-police-release-1-2-men-arrested-over-train-stabbings-laud-heroic-rail-worker?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Nov 2025 22:34:26 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press British police dismissed speculation on Sunday that a mass stabbing attack on a London-bound train the previous evening was terrorist-related and said two people who were injured in the incident remain in life-threatening condition. Police also said two men, born in the United Kingdom, remain in custody. They were arrested eight minutes after the first emergency calls were made from aboard the train, where passengers had reported scenes of panic and chaos with many running through the carriages... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3331203/uk-police-arrest-2-after-multiple-people-stabbed-train-near-cambridge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3331203/uk-police-arrest-2-after-multiple-people-stabbed-train-near-cambridge?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 23:26:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Police said on Sunday they were investigating a suspected arson at a mosque in southern England as a “hate crime”, days after a fatal attack on a synagogue. Officers were called to the incident at the mosque in the southern coast town of Peacehaven late on Saturday. While no one was injured, the fire caused damage to the mosque’s front entrance and a car parked outside. In the wake of the attack, Sussex Police shared images of two masked men dressed in dark clothing and appealed for help from... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327937/uk-police-investigate-fire-sussex-mosque-hate-crime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327937/uk-police-investigate-fire-sussex-mosque-hate-crime?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Oct 2025 19:55:27 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A pep talk from Australian leader Anthony Albanese kick-started UK Labour’s annual conference on Sunday, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer struggling to convince nervous members that he can lead the “fight of our lives” against the surging hard-right. Although the ex-lawyer led Labour back to power in Britain in July last year after 14 years in opposition, scandals and policy missteps have already raised doubts about his future. The four-day gathering in Liverpool, northwest England, comes amid... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327167/starmer-warns-uk-labour-fight-our-lives-party-meets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3327167/starmer-warns-uk-labour-fight-our-lives-party-meets?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Sep 2025 17:55:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Clashes erupted on Saturday as more than 100,000 people turned out in central London for a rally organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, with police arresting nine people after facing “unacceptable violence” trying to control the crowds. The huge crowds, many draped in English and British flags, gathered from late morning in and around Westminster for what Robinson, a veteran of UK far-right organising, branded the country’s “biggest free speech festival”. Around 5,000 people turned out... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3325441/1000-london-police-brace-simultaneous-anti-immigrant-anti-racism-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3325441/1000-london-police-brace-simultaneous-anti-immigrant-anti-racism-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Sep 2025 10:36:39 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Three people are believed to have been crushed to death and three others were missing in two separate incidents as migrants attempted to cross the English Channel, French officials said on Wednesday. The latest tragedies, which took place in northern France overnight on Tuesday to Wednesday, bring the number of deaths this year linked to crossings in overcrowded dinghies to at least 23, according to official French data. Laurent Touvet, the top state official for the northern region of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3325091/grim-night-english-channel-3-die-3-go-missing-trying-cross-uk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3325091/grim-night-english-channel-3-die-3-go-missing-trying-cross-uk?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 14:36:54 +0000 Reuters Reuters Homeland ministers from Britain, the United States and the other “Five Eyes” alliance will announce new measures this week to increase border security and target people smugglers, newly appointed British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said on Sunday. The ministers from the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network – the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – will meet in London on Monday and Tuesday, Britain’s Home Office said, with measures to “smash criminal smuggling gangs” the focus... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324674/five-eyes-ministers-discuss-targeting-people-smugglers-uk-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3324674/five-eyes-ministers-discuss-targeting-people-smugglers-uk-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Sep 2025 20:37:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters Convicted criminals could face being banned from going to the pub, music concerts and sports events such as football matches under new plans by the British government as it seeks ways to address the country’s overflowing prison crisis. Under the new sentencing powers, judges would be able to limit offenders’ freedoms with a range of measures such as driving limits, travel bans and confining them to certain zones, moves which the government says will help force them “back onto the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3322950/criminals-uk-could-face-pub-bans-and-travel-curbs-under-tough-new-laws?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3322950/criminals-uk-could-face-pub-bans-and-travel-curbs-under-tough-new-laws?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Aug 2025 00:43:31 +0000