Guardian UK Politics
Labour to back down on foie gras and fur bans to ease EU trade deal
The Labour government is set to abandon its manifesto pledges to ban imports of foie gras and fur, after the EU made scrapping these restrictions a condition of ongoing trade deal negotiations. Animal welfare charities have reacted with sharp criticism, accusing ministers of sacrificing campaign promises for the sake of diplomatic progress. The climbdown is a significant early test of Labour's credibility on animal welfare policy.
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Ministers working with Labour backbenchers to temper Mahmood immigration plans
Labour ministers are quietly coordinating with backbench MPs to water down Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood's proposed immigration restrictions, which would tighten the path to settled status in the UK. The internal rebellion signals significant unease within the parliamentary party, with Starmer facing pressure to carve out broader exemptions before the plans advance further. The episode exposes a widening fault line between the government's push to appear tough on immigration and the tolerance of its own MPs.
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Workers, pensioners and children: all better off. Ignore the critics – we really are standing up for working people | Keir Starmer
New employment protections take effect Monday, granting workers day-one rights to statutory sick pay and paternity leave — measures Starmer frames as the most significant expansion of workers' rights in a generation. Writing in The Guardian, the Prime Minister draws a direct line to Labour's introduction of the minimum wage 27 years ago, casting both reforms as acts of political courage against entrenched opposition. Starmer also sharpened his attacks on the Greens, warning that votes for Labour's rivals jeopardize the very rights now coming into force.
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UK has detained 76 ‘age-disputed’ children under one in, one out scheme
The UK government has detained 76 children whose ages were disputed by the Home Office in adult immigration facilities since the "one in, one out" removal scheme launched in September. The arrangement allows small boat arrivals to be forcibly returned to France in exchange for another migrant, but critics are raising alarms over the placement of potential minors in adult detention centres. The cases highlight growing scrutiny over how the Home Office assesses and handles the claims of young people fleeing conflict zones.
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Rise in number of girls being identified as victims in county lines exploitation, data shows
Girls now account for 22% of county lines exploitation cases handled by national support charity Catch22, up from 15% the previous year. Experts warn that a gendered blind spot in how the crime is understood means services routinely fail to identify girls and young women as victims. The data signals an urgent need to rethink who county lines exploitation actually targets.
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