A Big Bill for the Home Office

The Home Office has paid out over £21m in compensation to 850 people who were wrongfully detained, reports have shown.

Between 2012 and 2015 alone, £13.8m was paid to those who were unlawfully detained, many of whom were living in the UK legally. The report from the Home Office also shows that during this time, bonuses were paid to both senior and junior Home Office staff according to targets for removals from the UK.

This report is especially troubling in light of the recent Windrush generation scandal – home secretary Sajid Javid has promised to provide figures next month for how many Windrush citizens were wrongfully detained, having already revealed that 63 were already mistakenly deported.

May heads to Brussels

Theresa May is headed to Brussels today, and is reportedly seeking to make progress on negotiations with the EU – and contrast the appearance of a ‘warring cabinet’ in the UK. The meeting comes after businesses in the UK have spoken out about the possible consequences of a no-deal Brexit.

But the UK will take second billing on the agenda, as the migration crisis reportedly must be discussed between EU leaders before any further talks on Brexit can take place.

A senior government source said the following: “The PM will re-emphasise the UK’s commitment to working with the EU to address the common challenge posed by illegal migration now and after the UK leaves the EU,”

On that ‘warring cabinet’…

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss has publicly attacked senior ministers in a speech at London School of Economics, over calls for higher spending.







Speaking on Wednesday, Truss said: “Too often we’re hearing about not drinking too much, eating too many doughnuts, drinking from disposable cups through plastic straws, or enjoying the warm glow of our wood-burning Goves… I mean stoves,”

Downing Street reportedly rebuked Truss for her comments.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Environment secretary Michael Gove have all reportedly been calling for extra cash.

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BMA backs referendum on Brexit deal

The British Medical Association has shown its support for a ‘People’s Vote’ – a referendum on the final Brexit deal. A motion calling for the ‘People’s Vote’ was passed at the annual BMA meeting in Brighton. Dr Paul Williams, a GP and Labour MP, said the motion was “a sign of the growing momentum behind the People’s Vote campaign”. Dr William Sapwell, who proposed the motion said: “Brexit is bad for Britain’s health, let’s put that on the side of a big red bus and once we have made that clear, the public should vote on the deal.”

A People’s Vote March took place in London on Saturday, with over 100,000 people demonstrating in central London in support of a referendum on the final Brexit deal.