Sir Keir Starmer has accused proscribed terror group Palestine Action of targeting Jewish-owned businesses.
A source told The Times that the Prime Minister said at a meeting of Labour’s National Executive Committee: “It’s not just the RAF bases, they’ve planned and attacked Jewish-owned businesses.”
Starmer was also said to have claimed that there “some incidents that were well known, and others that were not”.
However, the Prime Minister has insisted that the ban is “not intended to stifle debate” on Gaza, with the Government last week setting out its plan to recognise Palestine.
Despite MPs voting to proscribe Palestine Action, a number of high-profile left-wing Labour rebels spoke out against the decision.
Ex-Shadow Defence Secretary Clive Lewis argued that the UK has a “long history… of direct action which pushes the boundaries of our democracy”.
Meanwhile, former Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon warned proscribing the group risked “criminalising thousands of volunteers and supporters”.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said: “Those who seek to support this group may not yet know the true nature of this organisation.
“But people should be under no illusion, this is not a peaceful or non-violent protest group, and we’re also clear that their activities do not reflect or represent the thousands of people across this country who continue to exercise their fundamental right to protest on different issues.”
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Prime Minister confirms first illegal migrants detained under UK-France pilot scheme
Keir Starmer has confirmed that the first illegal migrants have been detained under the recent UK-France migrant deal which came into effect this week.
“We have detained the first illegal migrants under our new deal before returning them to France,” he said.
“If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back.”
The Prime Minister said that if he says “I will stop at nothing to secure our borders, I mean it.”
Chris Philp: Conservatives will repeal the Human Rights Act in order for UK to deport foreign criminals
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp
GB NEWS
The Shadow Home Secretary doubled down on the Conservatives repealing the Human Rights Act in relation to immigration matters.
“We’ve already said we’ll repeal the Human Rights Act … which means domestic UK judges can’t stop the deportation of foreign criminals or people who are here illegally or people that have crossed the Channel,” Philp told GB News.
“Those people should all be removed, so repealing the Human Rights Act is the first step.”
Philp said the UK “may need to go further”.
“And come out of the ECHR entirely, we’ve got a top lawyer looking at that who’s going to report back in just a few weeks time and if we need to leave the ECHR in order to deport foreign criminals, people who are here illegally, and people illegally crossing the Channel, if we need to leave the ECHR to do that … then we are going to,” he added.
When questioned about the Conservatives plan, Philp said to “bare with us for a few more weeks”.
“It is important to think it through properly rather than shoot from the hips, so obviously it’s easy for Reform … just to go we’ll do this or do that … without thinking it through, that actually does the British public a disservice,” he said.
“If politicians say things … and then can’t deliver them, that’s actually bad for the country … we are doing the work … we’re doing it properly.”
Shadow Home Secretary says illegal working is ‘rampant’
Chris Philp has declared “illegal working is completely unacceptable” after sharing his experience at an asylum hotel in central London.
“(I) discovered a compound next to that hotel full of bikes for Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eats,” he told GB News.
“I spoke to local people that told me that illegal working at that hotel was rampant and the same story is true up and down the country.”
The Shadow Home Secretary said it was “serious” for a number of reasons – one being it being a “pull factor”.
“People smugglers say to illegal immigrants in Europe, ‘come to the UK and you can work illegally’ … that is a pull factor that attracts people over,” he said.
“It’s also actually dangerous, particularly for women and girls, because if they order a takeaway … and the person delivering it is an illegal immigrant with no checks … Deliveroo’s got no idea who they actually are, that obviously poses a risk to women and children.”
Philp said that the Government must tell asylum claimants that if they are “working illegally” then they should say “good bye to their asylum claim”.
Labour MPs warn Keir Starmer against alienating ‘nimby’ voters
Sir Keir Starmer needs to tone down his attack on “nimbys”, Labour MPs have warned.
The Prime Minister is being urged to show “goodwill” to the dozens of rural constituencies that voted for Labour for the first time at the last General Election.
Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, who chairs the Rural Research Group and won the seat of Suffolk Coastal for Labour for the first time in 2024, told The Times: “We need to put the term ‘nimbyism’ to bed. It excludes a whole set of voters from a conversation about what local growth and local opportunity means for them, in their area.
“Shouting people down and calling them nimbys won’t win support for local growth.
“But if we capture what matters locally, build in for nature, and make growth inclusive for our rural areas — we can succeed where the previous government failed.”