Windrush Day has been held on 22 June since 2018, to celebrate the contribution Caribbean migrants and their families have made to the UK. HMT Empire Windrush docked in Tilbury, Essex, in 1948, bringing hundreds of passengers from the Caribbean to the UK. In 2018, it emerged that the government had not properly recorded the details of people granted permission to stay in the UK, and many were wrongly mistreated. What is the Windrush generation? HMT Empire Windrush became a symbol of a wider mass-migration movement. People in the Caribbean were invited to the UK to help rebuild post-war Britain.…
Author: dmnews
Campaigners have urged the government to step in to protect the future of Notting Hill Carnival as they mark Windrush Day. The west London carnival is in jeopardy, its chairman Ian Comfort said in a letter leaked to the BBC on Wednesday, in which he asked Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to provide “urgent funding” for public safety measures. While the government acknowledged the significance of the event, it stopped short of offering financial backing and urged organisers to work with local authorities and the police. Jacqueline McKenzie, a campaigner and human rights lawyer who helped victims of the Windrush scandal, said the…
The government will meet food delivery companies for talks next week after reports that some asylum seekers are working illegally as couriers within hours of arriving in the UK. The Sun newspaper reported that Channel migrants were able to rent out other people’s Deliveroo and Just Eat delivery accounts via social media groups. Asylum seekers are not allowed to work for the first 12 months of being in the UK, or until their asylum application is approved. A Downing Street spokesman said it was “right that spotlight is being shone on this racket” and the government will not stand for it.. Food delivery…
Migrant, asylum seeker, refugee – what does it all mean? Today’s conversation about migration is full of misinformation, so we’ve set out the answers to the common questions about migrants and refugees that we hear. Who is a refugee? According to the UNCHR definition, a refugee is someone “who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside his country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who,…
Asos shoppers have expressed anger after their accounts were shut for returning too many orders. Some customers have received emails in recent days informing them they are banned for allegedly breaching the online fashion giant’s fair use policy. It comes after the company last year began charging a controversial £3.95 fee if customers make frequent returns and keep less than £40 worth of items in an order. In a statement, Asos told the BBC: “We recently closed the accounts of a small group of customers whose shopping activity has consistently fallen outside our fair use policy. “This helps us maintain our commitment…
A “dismal” month for supermarkets led to retail sales falling in May at the fastest pace for more than a year, the UK’s statistics body has said. Sales volumes dropped 2.7% in May, the biggest monthly fall since December 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Food retailers saw lower sales of alcohol and tobacco as households cut back, while clothing and household goods stores reported “slow trading”, the ONS said. Separate figures on the UK economy showed that government borrowing hitting the second highest level for May since monthly records began in 1993. Borrowing – the difference between spending and…
The Bank of England has hinted at further interest rate cuts, which could come as soon as August. It decided to keep rates at 4.25% on Thursday with inflation, the rate prices rise at over time, remaining at its highest level for more than a year and above the Bank’s target rate. Governor Andrew Bailey said interest rates “remain on a gradual downward path”, but warned: “The world is highly unpredictable.” There are concerns that the conflict between Israel and Iran, a major oil producer, could send energy costs higher and drive overall prices up, which would impact further rate…
The government has unveiled a plan for trade aimed at boosting exports and protecting UK firms at a time of growing uncertainty for businesses following the introduction of US tariffs. It aims to remove obstacles for UK businesses selling abroad while also bolstering the country’s trade defences to avoid the risk of cheap imports undercutting domestic companies. Some sectors are concerned that cars and steel originally destined for US markets will be diverted to UK shores, as President Donald Trump’s tariffs make it significantly more expensive to sell in America. But Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the UK’s plan would…
A former National Trust volunteer says he feels “disappointed” that members will no longer be able to visit one of the trust’s properties for free. The charity is set to hand over management of Coughton Court in Warwickshire to the Throckmorton family. The family has lived there for 600 years, up to the present day, but in 1946 agreed to hand over the property’s ownership to the trust. But a term in the lease enables the family to take over the running of the site – an option it has exercised. As a result, trust members will have to pay…
The recently elected leader of Warwickshire County Council has resigned, leaving his 18-year-old deputy in charge. Reform UK councillor Rob Howard released a short statement in which he said he had made the decision with “much regret”. Howard was elected in May, when Reform made unprecedented gains in the local elections, becoming the largest party in Warwickshire and forming a minority administration. The outgoing leader cited his health as the reason for his decision, adding: “The role of leader is an extremely demanding role and regretfully my health challenges now prevent me from carrying out the role to the level…