Reform’s only Black branch chair quits over ‘harmful’ migration debate

The only Black branch chair of Reform UK has left the rightwing populist party, saying the tone of Britain’s migration debate is “doing more harm than good”.Neville Watson, from north London, told the Guardian he had not experienced any racism in Reform, where there were “a lot of good people”. However, the former leader of the party’s Enfield branch said he was alarmed by the growing influence of Christian nationalism – the hard-right movement that blends politics with fundamentalism.Watson added that he was dismayed by rising levels of Islamophobia, feared some people within the party were “sympathetic” to the far-right activist Tommy Robinson, and was concerned British politics was “losing its compassion” as parties vied to compete with Reform.The son of Jamaican, Windrush-generation parents, Watson,whose professional background is in social enterprise, youth work and special educational needs, played a key role in welcoming voters from London’s diverse communities into the party

Jess Phillips has ‘full backing’ of PM over grooming gangs inquiry, says minister

A minister has said the government has “full confidence” in Jess Phillips after four abuse survivors called for her resignation as a condition for their participation in the national grooming gangs inquiry.The crisis engulfing the inquiry deepened on Wednesday as the four survivors accused Phillips of “betrayal” and said she was “unfit to oversee a process that requires survivors to trust the government”.But a government minister insisted on Thursday that Phillips would “stay in post” as safeguarding minister, saying she was “a lifelong advocate and champion for young girls who’ve been abused”.Josh MacAlister, the children’s minister, said Phillips had the “full backing of the prime minister and the home secretary”.“She has already shown that she is properly engaging with the survivor community,” he told Sky News

Shabana Mahmood says damning report shows Home Office ‘not fit for purpose’

Shabana Mahmood has said the Home Office is “not yet fit for purpose” after the release of a damning report that was kept secret for years.The review, written under the previous government, uncovered a series of perceived shortcomings including a “culture of defeatism” on immigration, a lack of trust from other departments, and “several confused and conflicting systems”.Written by the former Home Office special adviser Nick Timothy in 2023, it has been released after a two-year legal battle by the Times.Responding to the revelations, Mahmood, who took over as home secretary from Yvette Cooper in September, vowed to overhaul the department, which she said had been “set up to fail”.Timothy, who was given access to the department during a two-month review, found an excessively “defensive approach” among the Home Office’s lawyers and a reluctance among senior officials to tell “difficult truths” to ministers

Police take no further action against men arrested for Trump Windsor projections

No further action will be taken against four men arrested in connection with projecting an image of Donald Trump and the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on to Windsor Castle, police said.The stunt during Trump’s unprecedented second state visit on 16 September by the political campaign group Led By Donkeys attempted to draw attention to the US president’s long friendship with Epstein.A letter the US president allegedly sent to Epstein was also projected on to the castle, along with pictures of Epstein’s victims, news clips about the case and police reports.A 60-year-old man from East Sussex, a 37-year-old man from Kent, and two men from London aged 36 and 50 were arrested on suspicion of “offences including malicious communications and public nuisance”.But on Wednesday, Thames Valley police said the investigation had concluded and no further action would be taken

Keir Starmer prepares to miss key green target in effort to keep energy bills down

Ministers are considering dropping one of their central green pledges in an effort to keep energy bills down, sources have told the Guardian.Government insiders say Keir Starmer is prepared to miss his own target of removing almost all fossil fuels from the UK’s electricity supply by 2030 if doing so proves much more expensive than building gas power instead.The issue will come to a head within weeks as Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, decides how much renewable energy to commission for the next few years. Allies say Miliband is willing to buy less than experts say is needed to hit the 2030 target, if paying for them would push energy bills much higher than their current levels.Concern is growing in Downing Street that the cost of living is fuelling the rise of Reform UK, which leads national polls and is predicted to take the Welsh Senedd seat of Caerphilly in a byelection this week

Attacks on UK cabinet secretary ‘stink of political cowardice’, union leader says

Attacks on the UK’s cabinet secretary “stink of political cowardice”, the head of the senior civil servants’ union has said as concerns mount inside the government about his performance.The general secretary of the FDA, Dave Penman, said anonymous criticism of Chris Wormald was “hugely damaging” to the government and its prospects of recruiting talented officials to top jobs.Keir Starmer chose Wormald from a shortlist of four in December to lead the civil service, but within months people inside the prime minister’s circle began raising concerns about his performance.The Guardian reported in July that No 10 had “buyer’s remorse” about the appointment, with Starmer’s aides viewing Wormald as “insipid” and entrenched in the status quo. The Times reported this week that he was unlikely to survive in the job beyond January