Record numbers of Americans seeking UK citizenship because of London’s values, says mayor
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has said a record number of Americans have applied for British citizenship following the election of Donald Trump, which he attributed to the city’s “liberal values”.In an opening salvo ahead of the US president’s state visit, Khan said he wanted to challenge the idea that London was in turmoil and said that more Americans than ever were seeking to make it their home.He said liberal US citizens identified with London because of the city’s “fundamental values, like adhering to the rule of law, being proud of our diversity and championing the rights of minority communities”.New figures from the Home Office show a rise of 50% in citizenship applications from Americans – putting it at the highest since records began.Between April and June, there were a record 2,194 applications, compared with 1,465 the previous year.
Khan and Trump have clashed publicly, including over the president’s “Muslim ban” in his first term.Trump has called Khan “a nasty person” who has “done a terrible job” and rightwing commentators in the US have routinely attacked crime rates in London and the diversity of the capital’s population.Speaking to the Guardian, Khan said there were many Americans who took the opposite view of London.“Prominent figures in the US and UK deliberately talk down our country, and in particular our capital city.Yet the latest evidence is clear – a record number of US citizens are now applying for citizenship here in the UK,” he said.
“For many Americans I speak with, it’s because of our values,” he said,“As well as being the UK’s financial, legal and governmental centre, in London we offer an ecosystem that is unparalleled around the world, from our brilliant universities to our culture and our creative industries,“But it’s also our liberal values that make us stand out – celebrating our diversity in London as a strength, not as a threat to society,”Since the start of 2025, the Home Office has received citizenship applications from 4,125 US citizens, a rise of 40% compared with 2024,The prime minister, Keir Starmer, intervened to defend Khan when Trump mentioned him during their meeting at the White House, saying: “He’s a friend of mine, actually.
”Trump has frequently made social media posts about Khan, calling him a “stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London”,A mass demonstration is planned in London by the Stop Trump Coalition for Wednesday, the first day of the president’s state visit, when he will spend time with King Charles and Starmer,Sign up to Headlines UKGet the day’s headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morningafter newsletter promotionA spokesperson for the demonstration has condemned the British government for offering the president a second state visit – the first time in history such an honour has been extended,The visit will take place over parliamentary recess, meaning that the government swerves the question over whether he should address parliament,“We know that Trump is deeply unpopular with the public,” the spokesperson said.
“We mobilised hundreds of thousands of people against Trump during his first term, and he has only got worse since then.“We are working at speed to bring together all the movements – for democracy, for equality, against climate change, for a free Palestine – to show our unity against Trump.”The march will come less than a week after a mass far-right rally in London, which was addressed by former Trump adviser Elon Musk, who warned of a potential violent uprising.His remarks have been condemned by the prime minister.
Get tough on tobacco and alcohol firms to improve public health | Letters
The “timid” approach by the government when it comes to regulating businesses is a shift from the promises of just a year ago to face down the nanny-state jibes to secure the long-term future of the NHS (Editorial, 9 September). This approach is also at odds with public sentiment. Recent polling showed 74% of people want the government to prioritise people’s health over business growth.With millions of people affected by preventable diseases caused by tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food, we need stronger action from the government to match the rhetoric – including minimum unit pricing to prevent strong alcohol being sold cheaply, a levy on the profits of the tobacco industry and the implementation of mandatory policies to improve food and drink.This will not just benefit the NHS but support the government’s growth ambition, given the heavy toll of poor health on productivity and the wider economy
Reasons for rise in caesarean births | Letter
The rise in the rate of medically assisted births in the UK, particularly caesareans, is laid firmly at the feet of women for being older, larger and having more complex medical problems (Report, 11 September). This ignores a range of clinical and societal factors that contribute. Maternal factors play a part, but so does the rise in defensive clinical practice, the loss of midwives’ and obstetricians’ skills and confidence in supporting physiological birth, and the proliferation of misinformation and scare stories on social media that increase parental anxiety.All these factors have led us to the current crisis, where more than 50% of babies are born with surgical intervention, with no concomitant improvement in maternal or perinatal mortality and with unknown consequences for the health and wellbeing of future generations. Dr Debbie GarrodMidwife and antenatal educator, Abingdon, Oxfordshire Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section
Prisons in England and Wales to cut spending on education courses by up to 50%
Prisons across England and Wales are set to slash frontline spending on education courses by up to 50%, despite promises from Keir Starmer to improve “access to learning” in last year’s general election manifesto.The budget for classroom courses at HMP Leicester will be cut by 46.5%, another men’s prison is cutting spending by 25%, while a women’s prison is cutting its provision in education by 26%, sources have confirmed.In one prison, there will be a reduction in the number of basic English and maths courses, including cuts to the hours of a specialist teacher who helps illiterate prisoners to read.Labour promised in 2024 to “work with prisons to improve offenders’ access to purposeful activity, such as learning”, acknowledging that “prison leavers are more likely to reoffend if they do not have the tools to move away from crime
Government considering compensation for victims of carer’s allowance scandal
The government is considering compensation payouts for unpaid carers who have been unfairly hit with huge financial repayments in recent years after inadvertently falling foul of harsh carer’s allowance benefit rules.Ministers vowed to fix problems with the benefit after a Guardian investigation revealed how draconian penalties coupled with Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) administrative failures had plunged hundreds of thousands of carers into debt.More than 144,000 carers are now repaying £251m in benefit overpayments that typically amount to £5,000 but can be as high as £20,000. Some face life-changing bills after accidentally breaching earnings rules by a few pence a week.The Guardian’s reporting of the DWP’s often brutal treatment of carers who were accidentally caught out by carer’s allowance earnings rules caused public outrage and led to comparisons with the Post Office scandal
‘I kept asking: “Why? What did I do?”’ How come so many young, fit, non-smoking women are getting lung cancer?
For decades, lung cancer has been viewed as a disease of older men who smoked. Now, cases among young women are on the rise and doctors are baffled. Could air pollution be behind it?Towards the end of 2019, Becca Smith’s life was full and hectic. At 28, she had taken on a unit in Chester to convert into a yoga studio, poured in all her savings and hired teachers, while at the same time working as a personal trainer. Her days started at 5am; she was driven, stressed, excited, and had no time for the back pain that just would not subside
NHS access to promising sleeping pill daridorexant is patchy, say doctors
Tens of thousands of prescriptions have been issued in England for a promising and non-addictive new sleeping pill, but doctors say NHS uptake is being held back by cost and patchy awareness.Daridorexant, approved last year, has been prescribed 67,000 times since November 2023, at an estimated cost of £2.6m to the NHS. The drug has been hailed for helping people fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and wake up clear-headed – without the dependency risks of traditional pills.But access is uneven
Jaguar Land Rover extends production shutdown after cyber-attack
UK pay growth stays high – but Britons are feeling the pinch
What did Elon Musk say at far-right UK rally and did his remarks break the law?
US and China reach deal to transfer TikTok ownership, trade officials say
England wing Tommy Freeman sets sights on switch to centre for club and country
Ireland’s near-empty cricket summer in stark contrast to England’s slate