His Majesty’s chief inspector of prisons has said one-in-10 prisons in England and Wales are barely fit for purpose and should be shut down if alternative spaces can be found. Charlie Taylor told the Guardian that Victorian-era inner city jails in particular “have got just far more prisoners than they were originally designed for.” Overcrowding […]
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The home secretary has ordered a review of armed policing after the army was put on standby to cover Met police officers who have downed their weapons. Suella Braverman has acted to try and quell what the Guardian calls a “growing rebellion of about 100 [firearms] officers” after one of their colleagues was charged last […]
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Rishi Sunak has told the Chinese premier he has “serious concerns” about Beijing’s interference in Britain’s democracy after police arrested a suspected Westminster spy working for China. Sunak challenged Li Qiang, China’s premier at the end of the G20 summit in Delhi, following a report by the Sunday Times of the arrest of a parliamentary […]
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Ben Wallace has announced he is quitting politics at the next general election and will step down as defence secretary in the next cabinet reshuffle. Wallace is reported to have had a bust-up with Suella Braverman after the home secretary asked for soldiers to cover for Border Force staff who are striking over pay. The […]
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The UK government’s response to tackling the threat posed by China “has been completely inadequate,” a blistering report by one of parliament’s most senior committees has found. China is “prolifically and aggressively” targeting the UK’s interests using a “‘whole of state’ approach” ranging from universities to nuclear power, the report by parliament’s intelligence and security […]
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An investigation has been launched after the Royal Navy’s HMS Glasgow was “damaged intentionally” with dozens of its cables cut at a Scottish shipyard. The UK Defence Journal reports “claims that a group of disgruntled contractors have interrupted the fitting out process of the Type 26 Frigate by severing over 60 cables.” “The suspected motive” […]
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The Greater London Authority (GLA) has become the latest UK organisation to block staff from having TikTok on their devices. Security concerns over the Chinese social media app are being taken “extremely seriously” said the GLA which follows the UK government’s lead in banning ministers from having TikTok on their work phones this week. Both […]
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In a recently published survey, the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner (OBSCC) has said the UK government should be concerned about using Chinese surveillance cameras and equipment. Report authors suggest that UK police forces are ‘shot through’ with Chinese-manufactured CCTV, drones, and other security equipment, which they feel raises significant ethical and security-related questions. Professor […]
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The UK prime minister has vowed “nothing is off the table” when it comes to the UK answering Vlodymyr Zelenskiy’s appeal for British fighter jets to Ukraine. The Russian Embassy in London warned there would be a response and told the UK that sending fighter jets would lead to a “bloody harvest” affecting all of […]
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Defence secretary Ben Wallace has been told by a senior US general that the British army is no longer considered a top level fighting force. Decades of cuts to army spending – while huge investments have been made to air and naval defence – has resulted in Britain’s war fighting capacity being seriously reduced. UK […]
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