6:51 am, March 19, 2023
Home secretary making plans to deport migrants to Rwanda by summer
The home secretary is making plans to deport migrants to Rwanda by the summer.
A Home Office source said ‘we are certainly working towards getting the flights off before the summer’, adding that Suella Braverman acknowledged it was dependent on the pending legal battles.
Speaking in Rwanda’s capital Kigali on her first official visit as home secretary, Braverman also said the Illegal Migration Bill as it stands ‘does not take us out of the ECHR (European Convention of Human Rights)’, but added: ‘Nothing is off the table, ultimately.’
Johnson to submit defence dossier to MPs investigating partygate
Boris Johnson will submit a written dossier of evidence to MPs as he attempts to clear his name over allegations he misled Parliament over the partygate scandal.
The former prime minister will provide the statement to the Privileges Committee as he battles to save his political career.
Johnson will appear before the panel on Wednesday for a televised grilling, and it is expected he will submit his written evidence before then.
Indefinite strike to go ahead after bus drivers back industrial action
An indefinite strike by thousands of bus drivers will go ahead from Monday after they voted in favour of industrial action in a dispute over pay.
More than 3,000 members of Unite employed by National Express in the West Midlands backed walkouts by 71 per cent.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘National Express is an extremely wealthy company and makes considerable profits from the hard work of our members, who are not paid enough for the difficult and stressful job they do. The company must come back with an offer our members can accept.’
Russia and Ukraine extend grain deal to aid world’s poor
An unprecedented wartime deal that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat has been extended.
The extension was announced by the United Nations and by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but neither confirmed the length of the extension. The UN, Turkey and Ukraine had pushed for 120 days, while Russia said it was willing to agree to 60 days.
Ukrainian deputy prime minister Oleksandr Kubrakov tweeted on Saturday that the deal would remain in effect for the longer, four-month period. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian news agency Tass that Moscow ‘agreed to extend the deal for 60 days’.
Saturday Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Used car sales dropped by over 10 per cent in February for Top 200 most-stocked dealers
- Car dealer sees fraud trial in relation to £40,000 Porsche 911 Targa delayed
Listen to the latest Car Dealer Podcast
Motom’s Julian Humphreys joins the Podcast this week. The team discuss Jaguar’s dealer chop, Jardine Motors’ acquisition, and why you shouldn’t let James Baggott near your stately home. Listen below or on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
BBC chairman ‘helped friend get role’ advising corporation on standards
Embattled BBC chairman Richard Sharp reportedly helped his close friend get a paid role advising the corporation about its editorial standards.
Sharp put forward Caroline Daniel, a public relations executive and former editor of the FT Weekend, for a position in the wake of the Martin Bashir scandal, according to the Sunday Times. He was an usher at her wedding to ex-Emmerdale actor Christopher Villiers in 2019 – with whom he is also close, the paper reports.
Sharp, who has been embroiled in a cronyism row over helping former prime minister Boris Johnson secure an £800,000 loan facility in recent months and who’s position has been brought into question regarding Gary Lineker, has been contacted for comment.
Mobile users to get emergency alert in nationwide test on April 23
A siren-like emergency warning message will be sent by the government to mobile phone users across the UK next month to test a new public alert system.
Phone users will be unable to use other features on their devices unless they acknowledge the alert, due to be sent on Sunday April 23.
The system – modelled after similar schemes in the US, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan – is intended to be used in life-threatening situations including flooding and wildfires.
Weather outlook
Rain in the south-east will clear leaving a day of sunny spells and patchy cloud, reports BBC Weather. The mixture of sun and cloud will be repeated across most of the country. Rain will arrive in Northern Ireland and western Scotland later.
Cloud will build for all tonight. Showers in southern Scotland and northern and central England.
Pictured top: Suella Braverman and the Rwandan minister for foreign affairs and international co-operation, Vincent Biruta
