11/02/2025 06:51
The Guardian
In today’s newsletter: As the Home Office trails a tough new stance against illegal immigration, Daniel Trilling explains what an alternative approach might look likeGood morning. Last night, the Home Office published footage of a group of men being escorted from a bus onto a deportation flight. With that release, the Labour government gains the dubious honour of being the first to publish that kind of footage. It follows the publication on Sunday of video showing immigration raids on illegal workers, and comes as ministers announce that nearly 19,000 refused asylum seekers, foreign criminals and other immigration offenders had been returned to their home countries since the election. Labour explains that it has a good story to tell.All of this makes for bleak viewing – and that’s the point. The Labour government is pushing a well-trailed effort to counter Reform and the Conservatives on immigration by showing it is every bit as tough as its rivals. As well as the videos, there are Facebook ads – styled in Reform’s signature turquoise – and a leaflet resembling a red-top newspaper declaring that “Labour is tackling illegal immigration”. Taken together, the implication is clear: the hostile environment has not gone away.Trump tariffs | Donald Trump announced 25% tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum on Monday, ramping up his controversial bid to boost the US economy by hiking taxes on imports from overseas. The changes are not due to come into effect until 4 March, raising the prospect of the White House brokering deals with governments seeking reprieve.Assisted dying | MPs are to scrap the requirement for a high court judge to decide on assisted dying cases, with an expert panel to scrutinise decisions instead. The removal of mandatory high court involvement is likely to worry MPs who had been reassured the safeguards were uniquely robust.Israel-Gaza war | Hamas has said it is delaying the release of Israeli hostages indefinitely over “violations” of the ceasefire deal, prompting Israel’s defence minister to order the military to prepare for “any scenario in Gaza”. Mediators now fear that the three-week old ceasefire is in jeopardy.UK politics | Labour was warned more than a year ago about a “vile” WhatsApp group involving two of the party’s MPs, local councillors and a series of offensive messages, the Guardian has been told. The disclosure came as the MP Oliver Ryan was suspended over his membership of the group a day after health minister Andrew Gwynne was sacked and suspended by the party.Technology | Elon Musk escalated his feud with OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman on Monday, leading a consortium of investors that announced it had submitted a bid of $97.4bn for “all assets” of the artificial intelligence company. Altman rejected the offer and suggested he would buy X from Musk for a tenth of that price. Continue reading...
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