Brightly illuminated orange letters at Rarotonga airport cry: ‘Kia orana!’ You’ll hear those words a lot if you’re lucky enough to visit this tiny, lushly forested extinct volcano rearing from the Pacific bed. They mean ‘may you live long’ in Maori, and the etiquette is to reply ‘kia orana’. Make sure you do: bleary-eyed after … Read more
Tony Smith CBE, former head of the Border Force, told a committee today that he cannot see an immediate end to the crisis The ex-Border Force chief has today said migrants crossing the English Channel are a ‘major threat’ to UK borders as another boat is picked up today, taking the total number to a … Read more
A British fisherman has claimed French patrols are ‘escorting’ migrants across the Channel to the UK as Border Force officials pick up another boat today, taking the total to more than a record 588 this month. Skipper Matt Coker accused the authorities of making little effort to stop the crossings into the UK, saying more … Read more
Boris Johnson bowed to massive pressure to drop the NHS surcharge for foreign health and care workers tonight – his second U-turn in 24 hours. The PM declared that the £400-a-year levy will be dropped after senior Conservatives complained it was ‘immoral’ and ‘mean-spirited’ that those on the frontline of the coronavirus battle were being forced … Read more
Boris Johnson bowed to massive pressure to drop the NHS surcharge for foreign health and care workers tonight. The PM declared that the levy will be dropped after senior Conservatives complained it was ‘immoral’ and ‘mean-spirited’ that those on the frontline of the coronavirus battle were being forced to pay. Hassan Akkad, a BAFTA award winning … Read more
Nigel Farage has accused France of assisting an ‘invasion’ of migrants across the Channel after its border patrol ships were filmed escorting dinghies into UK waters. The Brexit Party leader, 56, claimed today would be ‘another record day’ for crossings with nine migrant boats already reported to be on the Channel. A record 531 migrants have made … Read more
New thermal imaging cameras which can check the temperatures of airline passengers as they enter Britain are today set to be rolled out at the country’s busiest airport as bosses look at ways to kick-start the travel industry in the wake of the coronvirus outbreak. Heathrow will introduce the tripod mounted cameras in one of … Read more
Boris Johnson’s reasoning for refusing to exempt foreign NHS workers from the healthcare surcharge began unravelling tonight when a top economist slapped down his suggestion it would cost hundreds of millions. The Prime Minister today hailed the £400 annual fee for migrants as a £900million revenue raiser, as he swatted away calls for the government … Read more
Nigel Farage today took to the English Channel in a chartered fishing boat and rescued more than 20 migrants trying to cross the Channel in two tiny dinghies. The Brexit Party leader, who has been campaigning on the issue of migrants making the dangerous crossing, saw them desperately trying to bail out water as it got … Read more
50,000 extra non-EU workers and their families will be let into the UK each year under new immigration system… but there will be 80,000 FEWER migrants from EU countries Home Office admitted extra 50,000 workers could arrive from rest of the world A further 25,000 students will bring the total up to 75,000 each year … Read more