Britain's opposition Labour Party plans to convince the EU to let the UK rejoin the monthly meeting
Labour will try to persuade the EU to allow the UK to re-engage in some of its monthly meetings. The move has sparked public fears that a future Labour government will try to make concessions on Brexit.
However, shadow foreign secretary David Lamy has repeatedly insisted that Britain will not rejoin the customs union or the single market if Labour is elected. Instead, Lamy and his Labour colleagues want closer ties with the EU on foreign affairs and security issues. He hopes that the Labour government will be able to attend the monthly meetings of the EU's Foreign Affairs Committee.
The monthly Council is convened by the foreign ministers of the 27 EU member states to discuss the most pressing international issues and coordinate the EU's diplomatic efforts.
The move builds on Sir Kyle Starmer's pledge to negotiate a new security deal with the EU after the general election.
Lamy argues that given the importance of foreign affairs to British national security and the economy, the UK needs to engage in a "more structured dialogue" with Europe.
In an 11-page article published in Foreign Affairs magazine, the shadow foreign secretary wrote: "Given the difficult debate with the United States on the sharing of the defence burden coming forward, it is all the more important for the UK to develop closer diplomatic and security cooperation with the EU." Both sides must honestly recognize the gravity of this moment. From Ukraine to Gaza and the Sahel, conflict and instability near Europe's borders also affect the interests of Britain and continental Europe. However, the EU and UK governments do not have formal means of cooperation on foreign policy. ”
Boris Johnson, who had previously canceled the idea of attending the monthly meeting in Brussels, rejected a diplomatic and security deal with the EU, preferring instead to focus on a trade deal.
Since then, the UK government has turned to bilateral discussions with EU foreign ministers. The EU itself is also considered to be opposed to Lamy's idea, claiming that given that the UK is no longer a member of the EU, it is unlikely that the UK will attend meetings on a regular basis.
A diplomat told the Financial Times that in order to gain access, the UK "could start making voluntary contributions to the EU budget and adjusting all legislation".
Mr. Lamy also urged closer ties with France, Germany and Poland to join the "Weimar Triangle".
Prince William returned to royal office for the first time after Kate announced that she had cancer
Prince William will return to royal office for the first time this Thursday since his wife Kate announced to the public that she is undergoing preventive chemotherapy for cancer.
In a video message last month, Kate, Princess of Wales, 42, said she found cancer during a routine check-up after major abdominal surgery in January, which she described as a huge shock to her and her family.
William, 41, has been absent from official events at the British royal family since then, and the royal couple and their three young children have come to terms with the impact of the bad news on the family.
Although he and his eldest son, Prince George, were photographed in the stands at a match for their favourite football team, Aston Villa, last week, Thursday marked Willian's first official public appearance since Kate's highly personal statement.
William's first official event was a visit to the work of a surplus food redistribution charity, followed by a visit to a youth centre that regularly receives deliveries from the organisation.
Princess Kate's office said she will return to public office in person when her medical team deems her well, but there is no specific timeline yet. Her illness coincided with William's father, King Charles, being treated for an unspecified form of cancer. He has also been absent from public affairs since his diagnosis, but after the Easter church service at the end of March, he greeted the crowd as he walked.
With the introduction of the main e-visa, millions of visa holders in the UK will be able to obtain a digital visa
Paper visa documents will be phased out, and by 2025, almost all visa holders living in the UK will be using an e-Visa
With the start of the Home Office's digital immigration reform, millions of foreign nationals with physical immigration documents will be invited to switch to an e-visa.
The Home Office said on Wednesday that the government aims to have a fully digital immigration and border control system by 2025.
From Wednesday 17 April, UK visa holders will receive an email from the Home Office inviting them to create a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account to view their eVisa.
The UK Home Office has vowed that the physical document known as a biometric residence permit (BRP) will be phased out and that by 2025, almost all visa holders living in the UK will be granted an e-visa. The government hopes that the introduction of e-visas will reduce the risk of immigration fraud, loss and misuse of physical documents, and strengthen border security.
But the changes will also streamline the travel process for millions of visa holders, who are currently required to present physical documents when returning to the UK from overseas travel and holiday.
If a BRP card is lost or stolen abroad, visa holders must currently pay £154 to replace it so they can re-enter the UK.
Minister for Legal Immigration and Borders Tom Pursglove said replacing the physical BRP card with a digital system would ensure strict controls on foreign nationals entering the UK.
"We have taken very important steps to digitalize our borders and immigration systems, and the wider rollout of e-visas is a key part of this process. Replacing physical immigration documents with e-visas will ensure tight control over who comes to live, work or study here, strengthen border security and prevent abuse of the immigration system, while saving costs for UK taxpayers. ”
Those checking immigration status will be able to use the online service to conduct a single check, and visa clients will be able to access their digital visa status in real-time anytime, anywhere.
The eVisa is linked to the holder's biometrics to prevent identity fraud. Invitations will initially be sent out in phases. The process will be open to any Briton with physical immigration documents in the summer of 2024.
Customers will be able to create a free UKVI account to access their eVisa. Creating an account does not change, affect or cancel their current immigration status or rights in the UK.
London rents 'out of control', up 11% in a year
According to the latest data, rents are rising much faster than wages
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that rents in London rose by 11.2% year-on-year in March 2024.
The boom in the private rental market in the UK capital continues, with annual growth rates reaching the highest ever in the UK's Office for National Statistics.
According to Rightmove's latest report, the average rent on rental advertising in London is currently £2,631.
Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, a UK housing charity, said: "Rent increases are out of control. We've been feeling the effects of sky-high rents and unaffordable rent increases since 2021, and we've reached the limits of what we can afford, with the costs of the rental crisis continuing to rise and our wages not keeping up as inflation eases significantly. ”
According to today's Office for National Statistics (ONS), inflation has slowed to 3.2% in March from 3.4% in the previous month. Wages rose 6% in the three months to February, but rental inflation remained well above those two measures.
North London estate agent Jeremy Leaf said rents continued to rise because there were not enough homes to meet the needs of tenants.
"On a practical basis, we're finding affordability to be the main reason, although today's news of a slowdown in the rate of cost of living is certainly going to help tenants, especially those who are spending most of their wages on the cost of living," Leaf said. Most of our landlords also recognise that quality tenants are better than rents as high as possible, even though many landlords are struggling to pay higher tax, loan and regulatory costs. ”
After years of almost zero interest rates, mortgages are rising above the Bank of England's current benchmark rate of 5.25%, the highest level in more than a decade.
Soaring rents aren't just the reason landlords are passing on higher costs to tenants.
"It's not just because of the increased costs for landlords, more than half of all private rental homes are loan-free – it's clear that landlords are raising rents while knowing that their tenants have no choice but to pay these high prices. A ban on unaffordable rent increases will provide renters with much-needed breathing space, and the government must set out to build more affordable social housing to address the shortfall that is causing this. ”
Recent data from Barclays Bank warns that a quarter of Londoners are worried about not being able to pay their monthly rent.