Andy Burnham has accused Tony Blair of “retro thinking” in response to the scathing critique of Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour.
Rejecting calls for further deregulation, the Mayor of Greater Manchester said the former Prime Minister’s suggestions could “doom Britain into repeating past mistakes”.
He added: “If we’re not careful, (they will) prevent us from protecting children by failing to regulate social media, artificial intelligence and big tech.”
The Manchester Mayor accused Mr Blair of “not understanding what’s going on” in modern Britain in his rebuke in the Times.
Mr Burnham agreed Labour should focus on “domestic issues, and fixing our own underlying problems, rather than on re-running divisive arguments about rejoining the European Union.”
He also supported Mr Blair’s suggestion that the number of young people on benefits is too high.
It comes after the latest official data revealed a sharp spike in youth unemployment under Sir Keir Starmer’s government, with the total number of young people aged 16-24 not in Education, Employment, or Training surpassing the 1 million mark.
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AI facial recognition to check age of asylum seekers claiming to be children
The Home Office is set to begin using AI facial recognition tests to estimate the age of asylum seekers claiming to be children.
Harlow-based IT company Akhter Computers has been awarded a £322,000 contract to provide “an algorithm that can accurately predict the age of a subject”, according to an official notice published on Friday.
It added the Home Office could use the technology to determine the age of people who lack “verifiable identity documents”, such as those arriving in the UK on small boats.
Unaccompanied children seeking asylum are treated differently to adults, and being under the age of 18 can in some cases have an impact on whether asylum is granted.
Age assessments are currently carried out by immigration officers in cases where the age of an asylum seeker is disputed.
Lalia Cunningham calls for the release of the bodycam footage after murder of Henry Nowak
Lalia Cunningham is Reform UK’s London Mayoral Candidate
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GB NEWS
Reform UK’s London Mayoral Candidate Lalia Cunningham calls for the release of the bodycam footage of the police officers who were at the scene of the murder of Henry Nowak.
Speaking to GB News, Ms Cunningham said: “Henry Novak’s family and him deserve justice.
“Until we see what happened, all we can see now is that a boy bled in the police’s arms, and he was the one who was handcuffed.
“I think that doesn’t really leave much to speculate about. He must have been bleeding quite a bit, and I think they should release the body-worn as soon as possible.
“I was a prosecutor. I actually saw how allegations involving race or so-called racial slurs suddenly changed the atmosphere around a case. That takes priority over everything. As a senior prosecutor, I could discontinue many cases, quite serious cases. But if those cases involved a racial slur, then I’d have to get my seniors to approve the discontinuation.
“That’s how seriously we take racial slurs as opposed to violence. And sometimes the fear of getting the race issue wrong seems to take precedence over getting the whole case right.
“That’s what frustrates people.”
She added: “I think the situation is pretty heated right now.
“We have a boy who was murdered by someone, and he was the one who was handcuffed.
“I don’t think we should belittle it. I don’t think there’s any time to waste. I think the body-worn video should be released ASAP.
“I think the country deserves to know the answers straight away. And his family does, because policing should never be. Policing should never be about who the person is, what community they come from, or how politically sensitive an allegation may be. It should be about facts, evidence and protecting life.
“The fundamental question is, did the police prioritise protecting his life? If they did? Show us the evidence, and then we can have a discussion.”
Home Office spending £1.2m a year to buy and maintain Channel rescue boats
The Home Office is splashing out a staggering £1.2million a year to buy and maintain Channel rescue boats.
The fleet, which patrols the English Channel, has aided the crossing of more than 70,000 small-boat migrants since Labour came to power in 2024.
The £1.259million contract covers the rental of the crewed rigid-hull inflatable boats (RIBs) for a year, with an option to extend the deal for an additional two years.
Labour has also signed a three-year deal to repair other RIBs and boats, costing the taxpayer an additional £1.6million.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
‘Absolute madness!’ Shadow Defence Minister slams Labour for raising taxes on businesses and causing rising levels of youth unemployment
David Reed is the Shadow Defence Minister
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GB NEWS
Shadow Defence Minister David Reed MP slams Labour for raising taxes on businesses and causing rising levels of youth unemployment.
He told GB News: “This is absolute madness.
“Just looking at labour economics, this is socialism 101. They put all these new taxes on businesses. You think about employers’ National Insurance increases, increases in the national minimum wage, and business rate increases.
“And then you compound all of that with higher energy costs, and then throw in a bunch of new legislation around employee rights. And you realise why businesses are closing and are not able to take on young people.
“And in the same breath, then you’re saying, right, we’re going to give government-funded or taxpayer-funded grants out for businesses to be able to take on young people. It’s absolute madness.”
Rachel Reeves to smack ‘countless’ landlords with ‘nice pub tax’ on beloved country inns
Rachel Reeves is set to smack landlords with a “nice pub tax” on some of Britain’s beloved country inns.
Tax officials have been handed new guidance by HMRC which will see pubs in “character properties”, those nestled in more “attractive locations”, or ones which play a vital role in the community, hit with higher business rates.
The Conservative Party has branded the measure a “nice pub tax,” warning it threatens the survival of cherished locals.
The guidance represents a significant shift in how nearly 40,000 pubs will be assessed during this year’s revaluation exercise.
Industry figures caution that many venues simply cannot absorb the anticipated increases.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
MoD exposing £1.5BILLION in British taxpayers’ cash to fraud amid calls for ‘radical change’
The Ministry of Defence is exposing an eye-watering £1.5billion in taxpayers’ cash to fraud each year, a damning new report has revealed.
Parliament’s spending watchdog has demanded “radical change” to address the deteriorating state of the public purse, while the Government is being urged to boost defence spending.
The report claims the MoD is “achieving little” in its response to hundreds of allegations of suspected economic crime.
Over the past four years, the MoD has recovered as little as 48p for every pound of the on-average £5.7million a year it has splashed on tackling fraud and economic crime.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Henry Nowak’s murder should be treated like George Floyd’s, demands Robert Jenrick amid calls to ban Sikh knives
Robert Jenrick has called for Henry Nowak’s murder to be treated in the same way as George Floyd’s.
On Thursday, Vickrum Digwa, 23, was found guilty at Southampton Crown Court of murdering the 18-year-old university student.
Mr Nowak was killed on December 3 last year as he was walking home from a night out in Southampton.
He was stabbed 5 times, including a fatal wound to the chest, by a 21cm Sikh ceremonial blade, and called out “I can’t breathe” as he lay dying in the street.
Writing in The Telegraph shortly after the verdict was returned, Mr Jenrick pointed out Labour’s “stony silence” surrounding the case.
He wrote: “Not a peep from the Home Secretary. Not a word from the Prime Minister who is normally quick to respond to deaths involving the police, both in the UK and abroad.
“Remember the spectacle of him ‘taking the knee’ over George Floyd’s death?”
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Labour pledges 300,000 new work placements ‘to help young people build lasting careers’
The Government have pledged to introduce tens of thousands of new work experience and training placements from construction to hospitality for young people as part of efforts to tackle the joblessness crisis.
The 300,000 new placements over the next three years are backed by some of Britain’s biggest employers, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said.
These include Manchester and Gatwick airports, and the Government has vowed that placements will reach young people across the country.
The placements, also expected to include health and social care, have been confirmed just a day after a report warning of the risk of a “lost generation”.
The number of the UK’s 16 to 24-year-olds not in employment, education or training – known as Neets – rose to more than a million, figures published on Thursday confirmed.
Former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn, who was tasked with leading the review into Neets, wrote that lack of work experience is “the single most-cited barrier to work amongst young people”.
His report said: “At present, the provision of work experience is an afterthought for many schools. Students are often told to find their own placements. Unsurprisingly, those without strong networks and connections are more likely to miss out.”
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