Rishi Sunak

The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary appeared alongside police officers in Essex before Mr Sunak set out his 'zero tolerance' approach to anti-social ...

"We are confident we have designed a piece of legislation that will tackle this problem and will do so while being in compliance with the laws that we are a party to." Vicky Tennant told Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme the legislation is "in breach of international law" and that it could set a "global precedent". Speaking on Sunday the UN Refugee Agency's representative to the UK said the proposals "effectively extinguishes the right to seek asylum in the UK for all but a very few refugees".

The Prime Minister made an appearance at Chelmsford Amateur Boxing Club this morning to officially launch the Government's anti-social behaviour action plan.

“We will ban nitrous oxide – [the drug] is not acceptable and we will also extend the power of police to do drug testing on arrest. Addressing the public he said: “It’s not OK for our children to have to deal with [anti-social behaviour] – that’s not the type of community we want, or the type of county that we are, so it’s important to do something about it. The Prime Minister, who stressed the importance of “strong communities built on values”, said anti-social behaviour was “not the type of country that we are and that is why it is important we do something about it”.

The PM and Home Secretary made a visit to Chelmsford this morning (March 27)

Welcome to this live blog as the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, visits Chelmsford. In it they explain their new policy, including how they will go further on the current level of action. The Tories won every seat in the county in both the 2017 and 2019 general elections. It is not the first time a serving Prime Minister has visited Essex. It’s something that the Southend West Tory MP Anna Firth has long been campaigning for. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is visiting Essex later today.

The Prime Minister was cornered during a question and answer session in Chelmsford this morning as he launched a £160million package of proposed reforms.

Speaking to members of the public, he said: 'We're going to ban nitrous oxide. Victims of anti-social behaviour will get a say in the punishment. Police will also be given new powers to drug test suspected criminals on arrest for substances including cannabis, speed and ketamine. 'Our 24/7 hotline for neighbours means anyone can contact us directly about a concern with a listing and we investigate and take action on reports received. Victims of anti-social behaviour will be given a say in how criminals are disciplined to ensure justice is visible and fits the crime, according to the Department for Levelling-Up, Housing and Communities. The plan to tackle homelessness and nuisance begging forms part of a package of measures aimed at stamping out anti-social behaviour which is due to be unveiled by the Prime Minister on Monday. And we're also going to expand the power of the police to do drug testing on arrest for far more crimes and far more drugs and tackle the scourge of drugs.' Taking a question from a member of the public during Q&A in Chelmsford, Essex, the PM said: 'It should be easy for you to say this is what I've seen, this is what's going on and then have the local authorities and the police report back on what they've done about it so that you feel that your concerns are being listened to.' Mr Sunak this morning spoke about the importance of 'hotspot policing' and 'immediate justice', as he stressed the need for a 'zero-tolerance' approach to anti-social behaviour. Fly-tipping and graffitiing will be punishable with fines of up to £1,000 under plans Mr Sunak unveiled in Essex today. As he seeks to wrestle back the Tories shrinking reputation as the party of law and order the Prime Minister (pictured on a walkabout in Chelmsford) vowed stronger powers for the police and punitive action against local hooligans. Fly-tipping and grafittiing will be punishable with fines of up to £1,000 under plans Mr Sunak unveiled in Essex today

Prime Minister and Home Secretary told: 'We don't want you here' during walkabout in Chelmsford.

During the heckling, Mr Sunak was speaking to the two officers furthest from the woman. [his anti-social behaviour action plan](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/03/26/rishi-sunak-get-tough-anti-social-behaviour/) and took questions from an assembled crowd. [into our country](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/03/26/rishi-sunak-set-open-safe-routes-20000-migrants-year/)” and said refugees “should be allowed in Britain”.

Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman were berated by a lone protester as they took a brief stroll through the streets of Chelmsford this morning before formally ...

Under the blueprint all Channel arrivals would be subject to immediate deportation without being able to claim asylum. 'Discussions are going on... [Sunak](/news/rishi-sunak/index.html) is walking a tightrope over his flagship plans to 'Stop the Boats', with both wings of the [Conservatives](/news/conservatives/index.html) and Cabinet ministers up in arms. 'But this Bill is a well-designed, well-constructed Bill designed to stop the boats which the public expect the Government to do.' Mr Sunak is walking a tightrope over his flagship plans to 'Stop the Boats', with both wings of the Conservatives and Cabinet ministers up in arms [Rishi Sunak](/news/rishi-sunak/index.html) and [Suella Braverman](/news/suella-braverman/index.html) were heckled over the Channel boats crackdown during a walkabout in Essex today.

One woman told them: "Go away. We don't want you here.”

[charities told HuffPost UK the measures will “punish the poorest”](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/rishi-sunak-begging-crackdown-will-punish-punish-the-poorest-charities-warn_uk_642166c0e4b048e0689f6cd3?lj7) in society. The prime minister and home secretary were told to “go away” on a visit to Chelmsford town centre on Monday morning. [Rishi Sunak](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/rishi-sunak/) and [Suella Braverman](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/suella-braverman/) were heckled over their immigration plans during a walkabout in Essex.

Essex Police welcomed the Prime Minister and Home Secretary today as new £160million plans to cut antisocial behaviour have been announced.

“Our town centre teams are a really important example of this. Their focus is on being visible in local communities, preventing crime and building on the high levels of public trust and confidence which we work hard to maintain in Essex.” [history](/news/nostalgia/) and we’re determined to do all we can to make sure the positive trend continues.” Chief Constable Harrington said: “It was a pleasure to welcome the Prime Minister and Home Secretary to the county and tell them about the great work we are doing in Essex to tackle criminals and cut “Essex is a bigger force than ever before and that means more officers out on the streets patrolling, responding to emergency incidents and detecting crime than at any point in our [The Prime Minister and Home Secretary were then taken on patrol in the city](https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/23414480.prime-minister-rishi-sunak-agrees-pay-rise-essex-police/).

The Prime Minister was speaking for the first time since the Chinese-owned app was banned on all government and parliamentary devices. | ITV National News.

Mr Sunak told Here's the Story: "We think it's a proportionate response to the challenge that is posed and is a response that is in line with most of our other ally countries [...] given the security concerns we have". The majority of ITV News' Here's the Story are based on TikTok and would be watching the PM's interview on the app. I think that's perfectly normal."

It comes after the prime minister announced a new £160m crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

But the pledge comes following 13 years of cuts to frontline policing. Those caught breaking the rules will be made to clean up the streets within 48 hours instead of going to court. Under the new rules, drinking alcohol at bus stops and war memorials will be banned, and four-figure fines for graffiti and fly-tipping, as well as a ban on nitrous oxide. The woman added: “Go away. “We are committed to being good partners to local communities in the UK, and have long supported the introduction of a national short-term lets register to give authorities better visibility of activity in their area.” Home secretary Suella Braverman visited the Essex town alongside Mr Sunak and the pair were heckled and told to “go away” during a short walkabout in the town centre.

In a final series of questions, Sir Bill Cash (Con) says that the Windsor Framework does not represent the kind of union that the people of Northern Ireland ...

He says their policy on small boats treats people humanely and safeguards children’s welfare but also breaks the cycle of criminal gangs. Sunak faced another tricky Braverman-related question at the hearing when he was asked about her claim that the south of England is facing an “invasion” of asylym seekers. The committee has moved onto the issue of small boats. He adds that what matters is action – to which Johnson quips: “language matters, doesn’t it prime minister?” The Mail on Sunday splash headline attributed the promise to Braverman. Giving evidence to the Commons liaison committee, asked about reports about this supposed pledge, he replied:

Tory critics of PM's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda say failure could do lasting damage to party.

it makes a requirement on the face of the bill that there will be safe and legal routes as part of this legislation going through,” he said. It faced criticism from both wings of Sunak’s own party in the hours before being debated on Monday, with MPs from the right receiving reassurances that the European courts will not be able to intervene to stop flights to Rwanda in future. This is evidence, they say, that people entering the UK will change their behaviour if they see planes taking off for Kigali.

Under the government's controversial Illegal Migration Bill, asylum seekers could be detained without bail or judicial review. Advertisement. The refugees would ...

“No one has promised flights by the summer,” he said. “The idea that that is a justification for locking up children is absolutely disgraceful,” he said. Sunak said the “policy objective is not to detain children” but addded they would be if they were with their families.

Speaking to the Commons Liaison Committee on Tuesday afternoon, the Prime Minister said that flights to the African country would only take place “once the ...

A full team at the Home Office is working on the Bill. He responds: “We need to let the legal process play out. “It’s clear that the scale of the small boats problem is growing. “The policy objective is not to detain children, but it’s important that we don’t create a policy that incentivises people to bring children here. Our track record on this is very strong. “It’s right that we have a migration system and asylum policy that targets our generosity and resources on the most vulnerable, accepting that we will never be able to bring everyone here who would like to be here.”

The prime minister faces a 90-minute cross-examination by the Commons liaison committee on Tuesday afternoon, the only group which gets to question the PM.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick defused a rebellion by up to 60 MPs by promising he would “engage closely” with their concerns – saying he wanted the bill to “survive the kind of egregious and vexatious legal challenges that we have seen in the past”. [Caroline Nokes](/topic/caroline-nokes) – the senior Tory MP who has likened Mr Sunak’s “horrendous” asylum plans to Donald Trump’s “caging of children” – will quiz him on small boats. Rishi Sunak will be grilled by a committee of senior MPs on the juddering economy, his planned crackdown on

Essex Police's chief constable warned that officers are leaving the force to be paid better elsewhere.

Mr Sunak added: "Inflation is what is making people feel poorer, the thing that is eating away at living standards and making people feel stressed. Mr Sunak said: "What we have done more broadly is accept the recommendations from an independent body of pay for police officers. The average earnings for someone in full-time employment in the UK for the previous tax year was £33,000, a 5.7 per cent increase on the previous year. He even said that some officers are turning to food banks so they can go home to a hot meal at the end of their shift. Instead, he referenced the July 2022 recommendation from the Police Remuneration Review Body to increase police pay by £1,900 per year, which the Government accepted. Another officer could not afford the daily commute and resigned to work in the family restaurant nearer to home, and a detective with two years of experience was tempted back to her old job selling double glazing, and commission.

PM agrees to look at tougher measures to prevent European Court of Human Rights from blocking deportations to Rwanda.

“I don’t think we can rely on assurances that the Government may have received from Strasbourg that judges there will respect this law in a way that they didn’t respect the last one. [by Christmas](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/12/13/rishi-sunak-announces-new-small-boats-operational-command-unit/). His climbdown came with more than 60 Conservative MPs threatening to vote against the Government in the Commons on Monday night. [in human rights law](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/03/06/suella-braverman-vows-push-boundaries-international-law-stop/)”. [blocking deportations to Rwanda](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/03/25/european-judges-may-overruled-rwanda-deportations/). [his small boats plan](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/03/07/key-points-rishi-sunaks-small-boats-bill/).

The nasty party is revealing its true colours once more, with charities condemning Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's plans to crackdown on beggars, warning that ...

Together we can find the stories that get lost. Responding to the proposed plans Matt Downie, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: “It cannot be understated how traumatic, dangerous and dehumanising life on the streets is. We deliver progressive, independent media, that challenges the right’s hateful rhetoric. If we built more affordable housing, funded support services and invested in housing benefit so people can pay their rent we could end rough sleeping for good, which is a commitment the Government itself has made and shouldn’t need reminding of. It’s incredibly disappointing to see the Government resorting to this rhetoric at a time when rough sleeping numbers are once again surging as the rising cost of living pushes more people into poverty. But there’s a problem: we need readers like you to

The Prime Minister has insisted the Government will continue to abide by its 'international obligations'

Mr Loughton told MPs: “I think this Bill is a genuine attempt to get to grips with it [the small boats crisis]. It would be much more palatable and much more workable, if it contained a balance that has safe and legal routes written into the Bill that come in at the same stage.” He added that he had been given assurances by ministers that they would consider his proposals. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Loughton said the Bill “must have safe and legal routes in it if it is to be properly balanced”. His amendments, which are supported by Labour and have a strong chance of passing, call for “specific safe and legal routes” to be written into the Bill so “asylum seekers can enter the United Kingdom in an orderly and sustainable way”, Mr Loughton said. Mr Sunak had yet to give such assurances to a rebellion from the moderate wing of the Tory party, led by former minister Tim Loughton, who insisted he would push his plans to require safe and legal routes to a vote unless there were “substantial reassurances” from the Government.

Sunak's proposal is that potential eviction can be threatened to tenants whose behaviour is 'capable' of annoyance and disruption.

But the private rented sector is already heavily weighted in favour of landlords; there will need to be assurances in place to ensure that rogue landlords can’t use these new proposals to evict tenants quickly (a backdoor once Section 21 notices are scrapped), or to get around rules on raising rent by bringing in new tenants on a new lease. But there was little I could do to get my landlord to address the issue – after all, it’s their house, I was just living in it. Last summer’s white paper also took statements from tenants who said they were often reluctant to complain about flaws with a property ‘due to the fear of being evicted’. Apart from the fact that two weeks is a very, very short amount of time for a tenant to find a new home, these things seem broadly sensible – after all, landlords are providing a house, but it’s not through goodwill: they deserve for their property to survive untainted, and genuinely disruptive tenants are difficult. This Bill includes a renewed commitment to abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions (under which tenants could be asked to leave a property within two months, with no reason given), as well as including a ban on landlords raising their rents more than once a year. This is a worrying development which is set to be published in the Renters’ Reform Bill, in conjunction with policies designed to protect tenants.

Rishi Sunak has claimed it's “not appropriate to hijack elections” over a single issue after being confronted over Scottish independence.

Mr Sunak replied: “I think in elections people vote on all sorts of different things, and I don't think it’s appropriate to try and hijack a general election. We’ve also delivered on all the commitments that were made to devolve greater power to Scotland, which is now, I think, the most powerful devolved assembly anywhere in the world.” In that case, why would you prefer Scotland to go down the election route for independence rather than the referendum route?”.

PM tells MPs 'no one has promised' flights by summer, after Home Office source said plans were on track.

He told MPs the controversial policy should include families to prevent an “incentive” for people to bring minors with them. But the prime minister indicated he would not concede ground to more liberal Tories who want to prevent children being detained indefinitely if they arrive in the UK by unauthorised means. It means services will not stop in Euston in central London for years to come. If it goes in the government’s favour and backs the original ruling, ministers expect to press ahead with flights immediately. It’s only after the legal process has been completed – now people may speculate on when that is likely to happen or not … There is every possibility that we can move quickly if we get a good line of judgment in our favour.”

Rishi Sunak has defended plans to detain child migrants as part of his new immigration bill, claiming excluding them from the legislation would ...

For him to try to draw and to invent a causal link where none exists, again, is a consistent line of the way this government acts." Labour MP and former shadow chancellor John McDonnell backed Mr Loughton, adding: "This bill... "We need some serious assurances... Liberal Democrat Alistair Carmichael said he would try to get the measure "excised" from the bill", saying it was is "so fundamentally removed from the way we would tolerate the treatment of our own children". that the sort of protections which children have been entitled to, and we are proud to give them those safeguards and have done in the past, why the law needs to be changed in the way that the government is now proposing to do." Mr Sunak told the group of committee chairs: "The intention of this policy is not to detain children, but it's important that we don't inadvertently create a policy that incentivises people to bring children who wouldn't otherwise come here.

Sky News' political editor travels to Pendle to ask local members what they think of the current government, and if the tides against them will turn in ...

For now, in Pendle, the mood is that May's local elections are a write off. "I don't think that's the right thing to do. At local level, the council is on a knife edge. But after the duo leave the club, local supporters are not so sure. "They're not migrants. "He runs it like a business," is how one ally described it to me, and what he wants to sell to voters in the run-up to 2024 is the impression of a prime minister who is working hard for the public and trying to fix difficult problems. "In truth it's not one single element, it's 30 or 40 different things we have to do to make it work," said one Number 10 figure, with the task in hand to at least be able to show the public that the numbers are going in the right direction - downwards. Ms Nokes has described the asylum plans as "horrendous", but Mr Sunak and his team are pressing on, well aware that his handling of the small boats crisis could make or break his chances in a general election, however hard the task. At the liaison committee on Wednesday, Mr Sunak defended some of the most controversial elements of this policy and the language of "invasion" used by his home secretary and some voters to describe small boat crossings. "Somebody will foolishly want to punish the government without realising they're not punishing the government, they're punishing themselves by putting in a [Labour] council." "They'll want to give the government a punch in the nose, but its the wrong place to punch," says Mike Sutcliff, a retired veteran. So for the local council Tory chairman, Nadeem Ahmed, the deputy chairman on Pendleton Conservatives, Hassan Mahmood, and the handful of Conservative voters I met in the club, there's a lot at stake - if Pendle goes red in 2024, then the chances are that Sir Keir Starmer is heading for victory and Rishi Sunak is out.