The Home Secretary will later announce a series of changes to the UK’s asylum policy, leading most of the day’s newspapers. “The most radical reforms to asylum rules in a generation,” declares The Guardian, pointing to Shabana Mahmood’s earlier warning that anger over illegal immigration could “turn against second-generation migrants” and break down community relations.
“First states face visa ban in migrant return drive,” reads the Times, reporting that Mahmood is set to announce that the UK will stop granting visas to people from three African countries if their governments do not improve cooperation on removing illegal immigrants. According to the newspaper, the first countries subject to the ban will be Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Daily Telegraph runs a similar story, noting that the visa bans mirror measures introduced by US President Donald Trump during his first term. The document says countries with a history of refusing to accept returned asylum seekers could be the focus of future repressive measures; lists Somalia, Bangladesh, Iran and Egypt as the worst offenders.
“Cruel to be kind?” asks the Metro, reporting that the reforms are based on strict laws introduced by the centre-left government in Denmark. He writes that the changes have been mocked by shadow home secretary Chris Philp, who called them a “gimmick” by a government that is “incapable of delivering real change beyond its left-wing MPs”. The paper predicts Monday’s announcement by the Home Secretary will “ignite even more civil war” in the Labor Party, which it says is “already divided by talk of leadership challenges.”
People granted asylum in the UK will have to wait 20 years before they can apply for permanent settlement, according to Metro. Amid the upcoming reforms, the newspaper notes that fresh protests have taken place over plans to house 600 asylum seekers at a former military site in East Sussex.
“Lawyers and Labor MPs will torpedo Mahmood’s asylum plan,” the Daily Mail reports, reporting that the Home Secretary has been warned that asylum seekers will be able to avoid deportation “as long as Britain continues to respect human rights laws.” The paper says the proposed reforms have resulted in significant backlash for Mahmood from a number of Labor MPs and charities.
The Mirror says Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor faces “new humiliation” and reports that Falklands authorities have removed “all plaques” bearing his name. The former prince had already received a warm welcome in the archipelago, after having served as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War. A source told the newspaper that the Falklands were Andrew’s “last remaining source of pride”.
“Trade negotiator Trump attacks Europe for delays in reducing tariffs,” headlines the Financial Times. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told the newspaper that negotiations remain a “flash point” with Washington, despite the agreement reached between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier this year. Officials say the delays risk “wasting a period of improved relations” between the United States and Europe.
The front page of The Sun newspaper shows a photograph of what is supposedly the forest “lair” of Christian Brückner, who was released from prison earlier this year. The German citizen has been named by prosecutors as the main suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Brückner has never been charged with any crime in connection with the case and denies any involvement.
Government measures to ease prison overcrowding are a “betrayal” of victims and their families, says the Daily Express. The newspaper reports that the Labor Party is “pushing for sentencing reforms” that would allow “murderers and abusers” to be released early. The early release plan began in September 2024 and has come under fire in recent weeks following several high-profile erroneous releases.
I’m A Celebrity cast member Kelly Brook is front and center with the Daily Star making a public bid to crown the model this year’s ‘Queen of the Jungle’.
The Guardian says the Home Secretary’s plans to reform the asylum system have caused “significant unrest” among senior Labor advisers and ministers, with at least one being under “resignation watch”. Party members have told i Paper that the success – or otherwise – of the changes will determine whether or not Labor wins the next general election. The Times describes the plans as a “significant escalation” of government action against illegal immigration. But the Daily Mail claims Labor MPs and left-wing lawyers are prepared to defeat them.
The Sun’s editorial also sounds a note of skepticism about the likely success of Shabana Mahmood’s plans. He says they are “doomed to fail unless she takes the one step she must deep down know will end the crisis: abandoning the flawed and obsolete European Convention on Human Rights.” The Telegraph focuses on the government’s plan to stop issuing UK visas to people from three African countries that refuse to accept rejected asylum seekers. The newspaper says the bans reflect a policy introduced by Donald Trump and could apply to Iran, Bangladesh and Somalia in the future.
There is still a lot of pre-budget speculation. The Times claims a new tax will be imposed on tourists, allowing metropolitan mayors to raise hundreds of millions of pounds for local services. The Telegraph claims a tax on smoothies is in the works to make the public healthier. The Financial Times believes online sports gambling is in the chancellor’s sights, but says horse racing will be exempt.
The Mirror says all license plates bearing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s name have been removed from the Falkland Islands. He says he was once hailed as a hero there but has now been “erased” due to his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The Times believes there are signs that striking resident doctors in England are turning against their union, the BMA. It cites a letter to hospital bosses from the NHS chief executive, which says “there have been fewer doctors on strike” in this strike than in any of the previous 12 rounds of industrial action. The BMA has said strike action is a last resort.
