Britain’s security depends on more than soft power | Letters

I am very surprised by Simon Jenkins lamenting the lack of soft power shown to Russia (Note to Starmer and the other sabre-rattlers. Why spend billions on weapons – soft power would keep us safe, 26 June). He writes: “Every conceivable tool should have been deployed to introduce Russia into the European community of nations.”Russia was incorporated into the G7, received a state visit from the Queen, and was added to Eurovision. Tony Blair gave Vladimir Putin silver cufflinks for his birthday, and supported Russia’s war in Chechnya

Judge grants Palestine Action urgent hearing to try to stop ban taking effect

Palestine Action has been granted an urgent high court hearing on Friday to try to prevent a banning order against it from coming into effect.An order was laid before parliament on Monday that would proscribe the group as a terrorist organisation, making being a member of or inviting support for Palestine Action a criminal offence carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in jail.The move, announced by the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, last week, would place Palestine Action alongside the likes of al-Qaida, Islamic State and National Action. The move has been criticised as draconian by protest groups, civil liberties organisations and various politicians.The order seeks to ban three groups – the others being Maniacs Murder Cult, which has been accused by the US of “planning and soliciting a mass casualty attack” in New York, and the Russian Imperial Movement, which Washington says has “provided paramilitary-style training to white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Europe”

Bridget Phillipson says she wants more young people in UK to have children

Bridget Phillipson has expressed concern at the UK’s falling birthrate, with the education secretary saying she wanted more young people to have children.In an article for the Daily Telegraph, written to promote a government policy of providing new nursery places inside about 200 schools across England, Phillipson said she hoped to make it easier for people to have children.The fertility rate in England and Wales is now at 1.44 children per woman, the lowest since records began in 1938 and below the figure of about 2.1 needed to maintain a population

Members of public to be selected for ‘honest conversation’ about MPs’ pay

The thorny topic of MPs’ pay and funding will be debated by randomly selected members of the public at a new citizens’ forum, as parliament’s watchdog said it was launching an “open and honest conversation” about what democracy is worth.Invitations are being sent out by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), which this year set the basic annual salary for an MP from 1 April 2025 at £93,904. It is also responsible for approving MPs’ expenses, which it prefers to call business costs.The watchdog, set up in the aftermath of the MPs’ expenses scandal in 2010, will send out 10,000 letters via a lottery system in the coming weeks, and about 25 people will ultimately be chosen to sit in the forum and express their views.The sessions, which will involve a modest payment for participants of about £250, will involve two full days and two evenings of online discussion about pay and funding for MPs

UK government agency not accepting eVisas as ID from job applicants

The Home Office-sponsored agency that licenses hundreds of thousands of security guards has become the latest to confirm that it will not accept newly introduced eVisas from job applicants, the Guardian has learned.eVisas are designed to replace physical biometric residence permits that show proof of the right to reside, rent, work and claim benefits. However, the rollout has been beset with difficulties.There have been reports of banks and some academic institutions refusing to accept eVisas, and the Solicitors Regulatory Authority has previously refused to accept them as proof of ID.Some NGOs have reported problems with clients accessing child benefit using eVisas as proof of eligibility but the Department for Work and Pensions has disputed this

Man criticises Home Office for keeping visa fee of wife who died before reaching UK

A grieving husband has criticised the Home Office for holding on to thousands of pounds in visa fees he paid for his wife to come to the UK, despite the fact that she died before she was due to arrive in the country.Ubah Abdi Mohamed, 25, from Kenya, was granted a spouse visa to join her husband, Mohamed Jama, 47, a British citizen of Somali heritage who lives in north London.UK visa fees usually include an immigration health surcharge (IHS) to fund any NHS care the person applying for the visa might need while they are in the UK. As his wife’s sponsor, Jama paid the visa application fee of £1,938, plus a £3,105 IHS.In March 2024, Ubah Abdi Mohamed was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer