[mattomac]

Government carries out core function of government, and gets it in the neck anyway.

Nearly 60,000 unauthorised migrants and convicted criminals have been removed or deported from the UK since Labour took office, the Home Office has said.

The announcement came amid claims that the government was promoting “harmful stereotypes” by equating migration with criminality.

Officials said the figure was the highest number in a decade.

The department said 15,200 people who were in the UK illegally were removed since the 2024 election – a 45% increase on the previous 19 months.

A statement said 43,000 people left voluntarily after being told they were in the UK illegally. Deportations of foreign national offenders have risen by 32%, with more than 8,700 deported under this Labour government.

The Home Office also released footage showing a recent removals flight, with detainees, their faces blurred, being escorted on to a plane destined for eastern Europe.

The figures have been released as the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said she would “scale up” the number of deportations even further.

Right Media- Labour is soft on foreign criminals. Don't vote Labour!
Labour- we're actually deporting many more of them than the Tories could be bothered to do.
Another part of the media- Labour is being disgraceful, it says that migrants are all criminals. Don't vote Labour!

The Right Media must laugh its arse off at the way this works.

I don't like at all that they're making citizenship much harder to get, especially changing rules for people already here, and hope that this gets amended. But most of the stuff is what Government should have been doing for ages.

I know our University has been a lot harder on student visas, I assume it’s across the board, I do find these photos a bit OTT.

[davidjay]

The great irony is that one of the biggest attractions for illegals is the Daily Mail. They run headlines about four star hotels and free money, the gang leaders show them to desperate refugees and next thing they're in a dinghy.

[The Weeping Angel]

Good thread here. Plenty of pundits said it was a good appointment at the time.

[davidjay]

As I saw on of all places Facebook, so many men named but the only one in prison is a woman.

[Youngian]

Good thread here. Plenty of pundits said it was a good appointment at the time.

Trying to remember what I wrote, prefer a professional diplomat but kinda trusted the logic of appointing a connected schmoozer and political operator as Trump isn't a normal leader. And as an EU trade commissioner, Mandelson settled down to a new role and was very effective.

[Oboogie]

Excellent interview with Gordon Brown about Mandelson on The Today programme this morning, just after 8am.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002r38v

[Tubby Isaacs]

Professional diplomats can schmooze.
I credited Mandelson with a relatively good result on tariffs. But someone pointed out that Trump was probably inclined to hit the EU harder anyway. So perhaps I was too kind.