Nigel Farage has warned that the ongoing conflict in Syria will lead to waves of young male migrants trying to cross the Channel to Britain.
It comes as the Syrian government is attempting to regain control from rebels and Islamist forces who have gained control of at least two cities. The rebels, led by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al Sham, took over most of Aleppo on Saturday, and also claimed to have entered the city of Hama, reigniting the conflict.
The rebel operation is the biggest advance and the largest challenge to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in years in a civil war where front lines had largely been frozen since 2020.
Now, the Reform UK leader has called for Sir Keir Starmer to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which he has blamed for stopping migrant deportations.
He told The Telegraph: “We must protect ourselves from the stupidity of the EU and leave the ECHR or face yet more waves of young men coming to the UK.”
Since the start of 2014, 1.6 million Syrian asylum seekers have arrived in the European Union, peaking in 2015 and 2016, when 693,175 arrived over the course of two years.
Italian foreign minister and former European Parliament president Antonio Tajani said: “We risk a migratory collapse. If the civil war continues we risk seeing a repeat of what happened a few years ago when millions of Syrians fled the country.”
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Returning the Elgin Marbles to Greece is ‘not on the agenda’ for Sir Keir Starmer
Sections of the Parthenon Marbles in London’s British Museum
PA
Downing Street has said returning the Elgin Marbles to Greece is not on the agenda for Sir Keir Starmer as he meets his Greek counterpart.
The Prime Minister will welcome Kyriakos Mitsotakis to No. 10 today, the Greek leader’s first official visit to the UK since a quarrel with the previous government over the ancient marbles, also known as the Parthenon Sculptures.
Greece has long maintained that the Elgin Marbles were illegally removed from their place high atop Athens’ acropolis during a period of foreign occupation. The Government and the British Museum reject this characterisation.
Ahead of the meeting between the two premiers, Starmer’s official spokesman suggested conversation would not touch upon the marbles.
The spokesman said: “It’s not going to be on the Prime Minister’s agenda. His focus will be on support for Ukraine, the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza…Our position on the ElginMarbles has not changed.
“It remains a matter for the British Museum, and the Government has no plans to change the law to permit a permanent move of the Parthenon Sculptures.”
GB NEWS EXCLUSIVE: Labour candidate who gambled on himself losing seat proposes Bill to ban all candidates from political bets
A Labour candidate at the last election who was suspended by the party after admitting placing a bet on himself to lose as been cleared by the gambling regulator.
Kevin Craig has now drawn up a draft law – the ‘Gambling on Elections Bill’ – which would ban any candidate from betting on the outcomes of elections.
Craig – a long standing donor to Labour which returned £100,000 in donations to him after the news broke – said he has also now been readmitted to the party.
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WATCH: Stride says Keir Starmer is failing to ‘get a grip’ on the issues people care about
Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has accused Keir Starmer of “failing to get a grip” of the key issues in the UK.
The MP for Central Devon told GBN Breakfast that: “We’re seeing this right across the piece, not just with small boats where the numbers have been going up, as we’ve discussed, but also on the economy where these additional taxation is now, according to the office for budget, responsibility can lead to higher unemployment, higher inflation.
“We’re going to be seeing higher interest rates, lower wages. These are the kind of issues that this government is really got to get a grip on. And I’m afraid at the moment they’re simply not doing that.”
Reeves appoints ‘covid corruption minister’
The Chancellor has appointed Tom Hayhoe as Covid corruption commissioner to claw back taxpayers’ money wasted on deals during the pandemic.
He has started a review of £8.7 billion worth of PPE bought during the pandemic that was later written off the government’s books.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves previously said she had ditched Tory plans to waive £674 million of the more than £1.2 billion of PPE contracts in dispute and that those deals will be assessed by the commissioner.
Hayhoe has chaired NHS trusts and worked in corporate strategy and consumer marketing. He became chairman of the Legal Services Board’s consumer panel in May.
Labour MP says UK is in ‘desperate need’ of Iron Dome defence system
A Labour MP has claimed the Ministry of Defence has “neglected” funding protection against aerial threats – leaving the UK vulnerable to Russia and Iran.
North Durham MP Luke Akehurst said: “We need a properly integrated air and missile defence system that can defend against the whole range of aerial threats.
“This must be an urgent political, funding and industrial priority before it is too late – and our integration with new and bolstered air defence systems that our European allies have already had the foresight to invest in will be crucial.”
