Shabana Mahmood softens immigration plans in face of cabinet backlash

Labour’s recently departed grandees are keen to defend their legacies. Is Andy Burnham really offering Britain something new? Rachel Reeves wants you to know she thinks Britain’s future belongs in Europe. She would also like to mention that she “absolutely” got all the big calls right as chancellor, even if there were a few things she would have done differently, and that John Healey’s budget last week would have been far harder for him if she hadn’t put in so much of the groundwork. The gist of

Watchdog writes to Nigel Farage’s party to ask what action it is taking to comply with the Equality Act The official equalities watchdog has written to Reform UK to raise concerns after an undercover TV documentary showed councillors and candidates for the party expressing racist and misogynistic views, with one of the party’s MPs complaining about ingrained sexism. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it had written to Nigel Farage’s party in the wake of revelations in ITV’s Und

The trip sparked a backlash with some questioning the value for money, but No 10 says security, cost and "operational requirements" were all factored in.

As home secretary Shabana Mahmood announces her controversial migration plans, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the political context that has led to this announcement and why the timing for Andy Burnham – who is out of the country – is very convenient for him You can read Pippa’s story about reparations for the transatlantic slave trade here Send your questions for Pippa and Kiran to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com You can watch Politics Weekly on our YouTube channel here Continue reading