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Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, said, ‘We risk becoming an island of strangers’ as the government published a white paper, Restoring Control Over the Immigration System. He stood by his words but ‘completely rejected’ suggestions that they echoed Enoch Powell’s phrase ‘strangers in their own country’ from his 1968 speech. The white paper said care workers would no longer be recruited from overseas. Migrants would have to wait ten years to apply to settle in Britain, instead of qualifying after five. Adult dependents would have to show basic English language skills. A tax on universities’ income from foreign students could also be introduced. A migrant died in a fire on a small boat trying to reach England; another 891 did reach England in the seven days to 12 May, bringing the year’s total to 12,407. The Sun reported that the Southport killer, Axel Rudakubana, 18, had thrown boiling water over a prison officer in Belmarsh jail. A Lambeth council low-traffic neighbourhood scheme in Dulwich was ruled unlawful by the High Court. Half the London Underground was halted in a power cut associated with a fire at the same electricity substation at Maida Vale that caught fire a fortnight ago. A man was arrested in connection with a fire that damaged the front door of Mr Starmer’s north London house.
Britain agreed a framework to reduce American import taxes on a set number of British cars and allow some steel and aluminium into America tariff-free. But a 10 per cent tariff would remain on most British goods. The government said US hormone-treated beef would still be prevented from entering the UK. The Bank of England cut interest rates from 4.5 to 4.25 per cent. Payrolled employees fell by 53,000 (0.2 per cent) in the first quarter of 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics. The head of the ONS, Sir Ian Diamond, resigned for health reasons. The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill passed its first stage. Without competitive tender, the new contract to run Scotland’s west coast ferry services was awarded by the Scottish government to the publicly owned CalMac. A man from Billericay caught a 105lb carp in Lake Balaton, Hungary.
A jury found Daniel Graham, 39, from Carlisle, and Adam Carruthers, 32, from Wigton, guilty of cutting down the renowned Sycamore Gap tree on Hadrian’s Wall. Peter Sullivan, 68, who has spent 38 years in prison for the murder of a woman, and was called ‘The Beast of Birkenhead’, had his conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal thanks to new DNA evidence. Patrick Spencer MP, 37, was charged with two counts of sexual assault after an incident at the Groucho Club in August 2023 (allegations he denies); he had the Tory whip suspended. Marks & Spencer revealed that customers’ data was stolen in last month’s cyber attack. The new chief of MI6 is to be a woman.
Abroad
The heads of government of Britain, France, Germany and Poland visited Kyiv to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and called on Russia to begin a 30-day unconditional ceasefire from 12 May. Mr Starmer said that President Donald Trump of America, who had spoken on the telephone, was ‘absolutely clear that this is a demand that must be met’. Late that night President Vladimir Putin of Russia called on television for ‘direct talks’ with Ukraine on 15 May in Istanbul. After Mr Trump posted, ‘HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!’, Mr Zelensky declared: ‘I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally.’ Xi Jinping, the ruler of China, sat next to Mr Putin for the Victory Day parade in Red Square. China and America agreed reduced levels of tariffs for 90 days.
India and Pakistan began a ceasefire announced by Mr Trump after days in which each side made missile strikes. The world was worried because both countries possess nuclear arms. Port Sudan underwent a week of drone attacks. In Afghanistan, the Taliban banned chess.
Cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, an American missionary with US and Peruvian citizenship, was elected Pope, becoming Leo XIV. Hamas released an Israeli-American hostage, Edan Alexander, on the eve of a visit to the Middle East by Mr Trump, who signed a $142 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, where he also met President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria and lifted US sanctions against his country. The Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged. Nissan said it would cut another 11,000 jobs, bringing its layoffs to 20,000 in the past year. CSH
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