By LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s interior minister pledged on Sunday to reform what she described as a broken asylum system and to stop people arriving through illegal routes from making “endless legal claims to remain in our country”.Slideshow Home Secretary Priti Patel, who presents herself as tough on issues of law, order and immigration, has denounced as unacceptable a rise seen during the summer in the number of small boats carrying migrants across the Channel from France.The numbers attempting the crossing, about 5,000 so far this year, are tiny compared with migrant flows in many...…By LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s interior minister pledged on Sunday to reform what she described as a broken asylum system and to stop people arriving through illegal routes from making “endless legal claims to remain in our country”.Slideshow Home Secretary Priti Patel, who presents herself as tough on issues of law, order and immigration, has denounced as unacceptable a rise seen during the summer in the number of small boats carrying migrants across the Channel from France.The numbers attempting the crossing, about 5,000 so far this year, are tiny compared with migrant flows in many...WW…

By LONDON (Reuters) - Grief and rage over the murder of Londoner Sarah Everard should be channelled into efforts to stop men’s violence against women, not into political arguments about police tactics at a vigil, one of the women arrested at the event said on Monday.Everard, 33, was abducted as she walked home in south London on March 3 and a police officer has been charged with her kidnap and murder, provoking a national debate over how British society deals with male violence against women.But the political focus shifted onto London’s Metropolitan Police after officers tried to disperse a...…By LONDON (Reuters) - Grief and rage over the murder of Londoner Sarah Everard should be channelled into efforts to stop men’s violence against women, not into political arguments about police tactics at a vigil, one of the women arrested at the event said on Monday.Everard, 33, was abducted as she walked home in south London on March 3 and a police officer has been charged with her kidnap and murder, provoking a national debate over how British society deals with male violence against women.But the political focus shifted onto London’s Metropolitan Police after officers tried to disperse a...WW…

By , LONDON (Reuters) - The City of London on Thursday approved the removal from its ceremonial Guildhall home of statues of two figures that symbolise the financial sector’s historic role in slavery.Slideshow The move, voted through by the City’s elected representatives, is part of a wider debate over how Britain remembers and represents its history, sparked by the spontaneous toppling of a slave trader’s statue in the city of Bristol during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.Following those protests, the corporation that runs the Square Mile financial district set up a task force on...…By , LONDON (Reuters) - The City of London on Thursday approved the removal from its ceremonial Guildhall home of statues of two figures that symbolise the financial sector’s historic role in slavery.Slideshow The move, voted through by the City’s elected representatives, is part of a wider debate over how Britain remembers and represents its history, sparked by the spontaneous toppling of a slave trader’s statue in the city of Bristol during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.Following those protests, the corporation that runs the Square Mile financial district set up a task force on...WW…

By LONDON (Reuters) - More than 100 British musicians, from Ed Sheeran, Sting and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters to classical stars like conductor Simon Rattle, have said tours of Europe by British artists are in danger because of Brexit.In a letter to The Times newspaper published on Wednesday, the musicians said the government had “shamefully” broken a promise to negotiate a deal allowing musicians to perform in the European Union without the need for visas or work permits.They called for a reciprocal deal allowing paperwork-free travel for both British and European touring artists.“The deal...…By LONDON (Reuters) - More than 100 British musicians, from Ed Sheeran, Sting and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters to classical stars like conductor Simon Rattle, have said tours of Europe by British artists are in danger because of Brexit.In a letter to The Times newspaper published on Wednesday, the musicians said the government had “shamefully” broken a promise to negotiate a deal allowing musicians to perform in the European Union without the need for visas or work permits.They called for a reciprocal deal allowing paperwork-free travel for both British and European touring artists.“The deal...WW…

By , LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is preparing to become the first country to roll out the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine this week, initially making the shot available at hospitals before distributing stocks to doctors’ clinics, the government said on Sunday.Footage posted by the National Health Service (NHS) showed boxes containing doses of the vaccine being delivered to Croydon University Hospital in south London and being stored in a special, securely locked fridge.“This is just so exciting. It’s a momentous occasion,” said Louise Coghlan, joint chief pharmacist at the Croydon health...…By , LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is preparing to become the first country to roll out the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine this week, initially making the shot available at hospitals before distributing stocks to doctors’ clinics, the government said on Sunday.Footage posted by the National Health Service (NHS) showed boxes containing doses of the vaccine being delivered to Croydon University Hospital in south London and being stored in a special, securely locked fridge.“This is just so exciting. It’s a momentous occasion,” said Louise Coghlan, joint chief pharmacist at the Croydon health...WW…

By LONDON (Reuters) - Top U.S. infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci apologized on Thursday for casting doubt on the rigor of the British regulators who approved the Pfizer Inc vaccine against COVID-19, saying he had faith in the quality of their work.Britain announced the approval of the vaccine on Wednesday, with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) saying it had rigorously assessed the vaccine data and had cut no corners.It gave the UK the jump in the race to begin mass inoculation against a virus that has killed nearly 1.5 million people globally and...…By LONDON (Reuters) - Top U.S. infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci apologized on Thursday for casting doubt on the rigor of the British regulators who approved the Pfizer Inc vaccine against COVID-19, saying he had faith in the quality of their work.Britain announced the approval of the vaccine on Wednesday, with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) saying it had rigorously assessed the vaccine data and had cut no corners.It gave the UK the jump in the race to begin mass inoculation against a virus that has killed nearly 1.5 million people globally and...WW…

By LONDON (Reuters) - Britain reduced its foreign aid spending commitment on Wednesday to 0.5% of gross domestic product from 0.7%, causing one minister to resign and an immediate outcry from development organisations and the spiritual head of the Church of England.The move, announced by finance minister Rishi Sunak as part of an annual review of government spending, will be popular among some voters and media who argue that COVID and the resulting economic crisis mean Britain should spend less on aid.“During a domestic fiscal emergency, when we need to prioritise our limited resources on...…By LONDON (Reuters) - Britain reduced its foreign aid spending commitment on Wednesday to 0.5% of gross domestic product from 0.7%, causing one minister to resign and an immediate outcry from development organisations and the spiritual head of the Church of England.The move, announced by finance minister Rishi Sunak as part of an annual review of government spending, will be popular among some voters and media who argue that COVID and the resulting economic crisis mean Britain should spend less on aid.“During a domestic fiscal emergency, when we need to prioritise our limited resources on...WW…

By , LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called the devolution of powers to Scotland “a disaster”, a comment that played into the hands of Scottish nationalists as recent polls show a majority of Scots now support independence.The bonds holding the United Kingdom together have been severely strained over the last five years by Brexit, the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and repeated calls by the Scottish National Party (SNP) for a new referendum on independence.In a video call on Friday with northern English lawmakers from his Conservative Party,...…By , LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called the devolution of powers to Scotland “a disaster”, a comment that played into the hands of Scottish nationalists as recent polls show a majority of Scots now support independence.The bonds holding the United Kingdom together have been severely strained over the last five years by Brexit, the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and repeated calls by the Scottish National Party (SNP) for a new referendum on independence.In a video call on Friday with northern English lawmakers from his Conservative Party,...WW…

By , LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s Labour opposition suspended its former leader Jeremy Corbyn on Thursday after he downplayed a report that detailed serious failings in the party’s handling of persistent anti-Semitism complaints during his 2015-2019 leadership.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it had found evidence of failure to adequately train people investigating alleged anti-Semitism, political interference in the processing of complaints, and harassment of individuals.Corbyn’s successor, Keir Starmer, said he accepted the findings in full.“It is a day of shame for...…By , LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s Labour opposition suspended its former leader Jeremy Corbyn on Thursday after he downplayed a report that detailed serious failings in the party’s handling of persistent anti-Semitism complaints during his 2015-2019 leadership.The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it had found evidence of failure to adequately train people investigating alleged anti-Semitism, political interference in the processing of complaints, and harassment of individuals.Corbyn’s successor, Keir Starmer, said he accepted the findings in full.“It is a day of shame for...WW…