Drivers over 70 could be banned from roads under 'tougher' rules

'I'll believe it when I see it': Badenoch on expansion of 'deport now, appeal later'

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch was also asked about the expansion of the government's "deport now, appeal later" scheme for foreign criminals.

Ministers plan to extend the scheme to 15 more countries, making 23 in total.

Badenoch says: "I think it's very interesting that... when we were deporting criminals, Sir Keir Starmer was writing letters trying to stop our deportations.

"I'll believe it when I see it. 

"This is the sort of stuff that they should have been doing on day one. 

"The fact that they tried to stop deportations before means that I don't really believe it. 

"The government has released 26,000 prisoners since it came to power, released them early, there are now more criminals on our streets. 

"That's what I'm really worried about. "

Badenoch suggests setting up 'camps' could be alternative to migrant hotels

Kemi Badenoch suggested the idea of setting up of "camps" when speaking about possible alternatives to using hotels to house asylum seekers.

As she met members of the community in Essex, the Conservative leader said: "We've got to turn things around very quickly. 

"We cannot use rules from 1995, or 2005, or even 2015 for 2025.

"Our world is changing very quickly, and we need to adapt to it."

Badenoch said: "Is it possible for us to set up camps and police that, rather than bringing all of this hassle into communities?

"As a party, we need to also hear from the community about what you think the solutions are. We don't have all the answers; it’s important that we make sure that the community is part of the problem solved."

One member of the community had earlier accused Badenoch's "lot" of shutting down "the police station, they've closed the magistrates' court, they've closed the probation offices – the whole legal system was done away with".

Badenoch, who is MP for North West Essex, replied: "I wasn't there. 

"But I remember the argument that 'we've run out of money, we've got to save money from somewhere'."

'Never trust Putin as far as you could throw him'

Russian President Vladimir Putin should never be trusted “as far as you could throw him,” Downing Street said.

Asked whether Sir Keir Starmer thought the Russian leader could be trusted in peace talks over the future of Ukraine, his spokesperson said: "Never trust President Putin as far as you could throw him, but we obviously will support Ukraine.

“We will obviously support President Trump and European nations as we enter these negotiations.

“But it is exactly why we’ve been leading this work on the coalition of the willing, because any ceasefire, as I say, cannot just be an opportunity for President Putin to go away, re-arm, restrengthen, and then go again.

“So we’re not going to leave it to trust. We’re going to ensure that we’re prepared such that we achieve a ceasefire.

“The coalition of willing and the security guarantees are in place… that learns the lessons of the past, where we clearly have not had those meaningful security guarantees in place, which did allow President Putin to re-arm and go again.”

Palestine Action was proscribed based on 'strong security advice'

There's been a lot of discussion today around Palestine Action, after 522 people were arrested at the group's rally this weekend.

Asked about the decision to proscribe Palestine Action, Sir Keir Starmer's spokesperson said this was based on "strong security advice".

They pointed out that members had "caused violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage".

The spokesperson said "three separate acts of terrorism" were committed.

Chagos deal 'costing an average of £100m a year' - No 10

A deal to transfer the Chagos islands to Mauritius will cost "an average of £100m a year", Number 10 has said.

Sir Keir Starmer's spokesperson said this will total less than £3bn.

It comes as Dame Priti Patel accused the government of attempting to "cover up" the true cost of the divisive agreement.

There have been suggestions that the deal could cost the UK around £34.7bn over 99 years.

The spokesperson said: "We are clear it is costing an average of £100m a year, less than £3bn in total."

They said this "compares favourably with other base agreements" and equates to "less than 0.2%" of the defence budget.

Prison population in England and Wales close to record levels

The prison population of England and Wales has jumped to its highest number in nearly a year and is close to record levels, Ministry of Justice figures show.

A total of 88,238 people were in prison as of 11 August, up 231 on the previous week and a rise of more than 1,200 in the past two months, according to data published on Monday.

The total is now just 283 below the record high of 88,521, which was set on 6 September 2024 in the aftermath of last summer's disorder in towns and cities across parts of the country.

The rise in the prison population comes despite thousands of inmates being released early in recent months under a government scheme to tackle overcrowding.

Palestine Action is 'not a non-violent organisation' - Cooper

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has just been answering questions about more than 500 arrests that took place at a Palestine Action rally this weekend.

Is this a good use of police time?

Cooper says: "Proscription is not about protest around Palestine or Gaza, where we had tens of thousands of people protesting lawfully just this weekend about some of the horrendous events that we've seen in the Middle East."

Instead, she says, proscription is about those "involved in violent attacks, including injuries involving weapons" and the aftermath of smoke bombs.

"Whether there's been clear security assessments and advice, there may be people who are objecting to proscription who don't know the full nature of this organisation because of court restrictions on reporting. 

"But it's really important that no one's in any doubt that this is not a non-violent organisation itself."

Ministers 'considering whole range of proposals' on road safety

The health secretary also addressed news that drivers over 70 could be banned from British roads if they fail compulsory eye tests.

Wes Streeting says Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is "considering a whole range of proposals" and is currently consulting on these.

He adds: "It cannot be right that we've ended up in a situation where the NHS is hit with a £2bn a year bill because we are not taking road safety seriously enough - particularly as we get older and the quality of our eye health deteriorates, that we're not keeping a regular check."

Streeting says Alexander will reveal her proposals in "the not too distant future".

Conduct of war in Gaza of 'enormous concern', says Streeting

Next, Health Secretary Wes Streeting is asked about news that five Al Jazeera journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike.

The minister says that the "the conduct of the war in Gaza has been an enormous cause of concern not just for the UK government but for so many countries around the world".

He adds that the "multiple examples" of the targeting of journalists and humanitarian workers in the region "particularly concerns us".

"This should never happen in war and in conflict," he says.

"We are once again urging the Israelis to act in accordance with international law, to make sure that journalists, health care workers and civilians are protected."

Threats to women and girls are a 'national emergency', says Pochin

Sarah Pochin is now speaking at the Women for Reform press conference.

Reform UK's latest MP insists that the "heightened and increasing threat to the safety and security of women and girls" is a "national emergency".

She accuses the government of "enabling" this through illegal immigration and criticises the use of hotels to house asylum seekers.

Touching on this, she says that "few areas of the UK have remained untouched by this wave of state supported illegal migration".

The government has pledged to end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers by 2029.

But Pochin adds: "We're talking about the daily influx of people who do not share our values, who do not share our culture, but who are being welcomed into this country, all at vast expense to us, the taxpayer."

The government is 'in denial'

She goes on to allege that the majority of those arriving in the UK illegally are "young military aged males", from "predominantly Muslim countries like Afghanistan", who hold a "medieval view of women's rights" and become "sexually frustrated".

Pochin calls this a "betrayal of our women and girls", and accuses the government of being "in denial".

She pledges that Reform will deport all migrants who arrive in the UK illegally and leave the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

-SKY NEWS