Politics LIVE: 'Europe is more important!' Rachel Reeves shuns US for the EU despite crunch talks in Washington

Over 40 failed asylum seekers and foreign offenders returned on a charter flight to Nigeria and Ghana

The Home Office has announced 43 failed asylum seekers and foreign offenders were returned on a charter flight to Nigeria and Ghana, as the government says it will be ramping up international collaboration to secure our borders.

Those removed had no right to be in the UK and included 15 failed asylum seekers and 11 foreign national offenders who had served their sentences as well as seven people who returned voluntarily.

Minister responsible for Irregular Migration Baroness Chapman of Darlington said: "Working with other countries and partners around the world is critical to tackling irregular migration, by working internationally, we will meet this global challenge together.

"I welcome our strong cooperation with Ghana and Nigeria to return those with no right to be in the UK, secure our borders, and deliver on the Plan for Change."

RECAP: Reform make gain in West Sussex by-election, Labour and Lib Dems hold on in Suffolk and West Berkshire

Reform UK took a seat off an Independent candidate in the last set of by-elections ahead of next week's local elections.

Giuliano Leo Pinnelli won the seat for Nigel Farage's party in the Marine Ward in the Arun Council by-election, just ahead of Paul Wells for the Liberal Democrats in second and Labour's Alison Terry in third.

Meanwhile, Adele Cook held on in the St Johns ward in Suffolk County Council for Labour and the Liberal Democrat candidate Tom McCann comfortably won in the Thatcham North East by-election for West Berkshire Council.

Jess Phillips REJECTED Oldham Council’s invitation for meeting over abuse gangs crisis

Jess Phillips rejected a request to meet with Oldham Council as it requested government support to investigate the town’s grooming gangs scandal, GB News can reveal.

The Safeguarding Minister wrote to the local authority in December to say that neither her nor the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper would be able to meet the council leadership "due to the demands on our time."

The letter was sent over two months after Oldham’s chief executive wrote to Cooper requesting a meeting on how the council could improve its safeguarding services.

READ THE FULL STORY FROM CHARLIE PETERS HERE.

Reform UK takes lead in key mayoral polls ahead of May 1 elections in grim news for Labour

Reform UK has taken the lead in two key mayoral polls ahead of next week's local elections in worrying news for Labour.

A set of YouGov polls have Reform UK candidate for Hull and East Yorkshire Luke Campbell is on 35 per cent of the vote, clearly ahead of Liberal Democrat Mike Ross on 21 per cent.

Meanwhile, Andrea Jenkyns holds a decent lead in her quest to become the first mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, with 40 per cent intending to vote for the former Tory minister turned Reform candidate, and 25 per cent currently supporting Conservative Rob Waltham.

The polls may also provide a boost for Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives as Tory candidate in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Paul Bristow is on 32 per cent of the vote, way ahead of Reform UK’s Ryan Coogan on 20 per cent and Labour’s Anna Smith on 19 per cent.

There was also positive news for the Green Party for the West of England Mayoral election, with candidate Mary Page currently polling at 27 per cent of the vote, just ahead of Labour’s Helen Godwin, on 23 per cent of the vote.

SNP MP accuses Labour of 'leaning into Reform UK agenda' in Commons outburst 

An SNP MP has accused Labour of "leaning into this Reform UK agenda" as he argued that Holyrood should receive more powers to make policy about immigration.

MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry Stephen Gethins told the Commons: "Migration’s a good thing. It benefits. All of us throughout time have benefited from migration.

"I’ve been deeply disappointed by, I’m sorry to say, the poison that often seeps into our rhetoric when we discuss that particular issue, that we need to be honest – nobody’s talking about uncontrolled migration, you need a migration policy

"We lean in, or Labour leans in, to this Reform agenda, it’s very disappointing that they’re not in their place, that is so poisonous to our political rhetoric, when we talk about migration and refugees, two entirely separate issues."

Badenoch calls for cooperation with Donald Trump over Ukraine deal

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for cooperation with the United States over the future of the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Tory chief said: "I have always said that President Zelensky was a hero. I think that he is fighting a war on behalf of all of Europe, we all know that Russia is the aggressor here.

"But this is something that we need to be very careful about, in how we provide support. We should do it with the United States.

"When the Prime Minister talked about boots on the ground, I asked him exactly what that meant, who was in the coalition of the willing, because we don’t want to put British troops in a situation that’s going to create more danger and escalate things.

"What we want to see is a de-escalation of the war […] we should do all that we can to help President Zelensky protect Ukraine."

Labour considers allowing thousands of Europeans into Britain as part of 'one in one out' youth mobility scheme

Yvette Cooper is said to be "open" to a youth mobility scheme with the EU on a "one in one out" basis.

Sources told The Times the Home Secretary is now supportive in principle of the plan provided it would be "capped" to ensure that there could be zero return to pre-Brexit freedom of movement.

A Home Office source told The Times: "Yvette’s primary objective is to reduce net migration and any discussion about visa schemes needs to be seen in that light. It needs very careful thought."

Cooper had reportedly argued internally against a scheme allowing Europeans to stay for more than 12 months because of fears the arrivals would inflate migration figures.

However, the "one in one out scheme" would limit the annual numbers of young EU students allowed to come to the UK to a proportion of young Britons travelling to Europe.

A Home Office spokesman told The Times: "These are matters for the Cabinet Office. No proposals have been put to the home secretary or suggested by her."

WATCH: Former Labour MP tells GB News the Government should focus on the 'quality' of migrants

Former Labour MP Steve McCabe has called for the UK government to focus on the "quality" of immigrants rather than their countries of origin.

Speaking about immigration policy, McCabe emphasised that "people with a trade" should be the priority.

READ THE FULL STORY.

German ambassador 'really optimistic' about youth mobility scheme prospects 

The German ambassador to the UK has said he is "really optimistic" about the prospects of a youth mobility scheme.

It comes after a meeting took place between Sir Keir Starmer and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

Miguel Berger told the BBC: "I am now pretty optimistic that we are moving in a good direction.

"It would make it possible for young people with parents with a lower income to experience the possibility to work abroad, to learn a language, and we would like to have this in both directions."

Greens challenge Nigel Farage to televised 'climate debate'

The Green Party has thrown down the gauntlet for Nigel Farage, challenging the Reform UK leader to a televised climate debate.

Reacting to the Clacton MP's comments about carbon emission earlier this week, co-leader Adrian Ramsay said "Nigel Farage is a performer, a con artist. He will say or do anything. He will happily dance to a populist tune regardless of its impact.

"Let’s not forget he’s bankrolled by fossil fuel interests, climate deniers, and major polluters—taking in £2.3 million since the 2019 election.

"This morning’s performance suggested he hasn’t got the slightest grasp of even the most basic climate science. But I think it’s worse than that. He understands all too well human-made climate change, but he is willing to pretend he doesn’t and stand in the way of climate action for his party’s populist agenda.

"If he really does believe what he says, let’s see if his ridiculous rhetoric stands up to actual scrutiny – let’s see if he is prepared to take part in an hour-long TV debate about climate change and the challenge of reaching net zero?"

Starmer insists Ukraine must be at the table at peace deal negotiations in direct challenge to Trump

The Prime Minister has insisted that Ukraine must be at the table and decide the terms of any peace deal with Russia in a challenge to Donald Trump's proposals.

Sir Keir Starmer also said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not at fault for the failure to strike an agreement ending the war, in a contradiction to Trump.

Starmer told The Telegraph: "We are at an intense stage in the negotiations.

"In the end I’m always mindful of the fact that it is Ukraine that must decide on those issues, it’s not for other people to decide on behalf of Ukraine. It is for Ukraine to decide. And Russia must come to the table for that unconditional ceasefire."

Reed says 'all options are on the table' over Ukraine support package

Environment Secretary Steve Reed has said that "all options remain on the table" when it comes to support for Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, but declined to say whether troops would definitely be sent.

It comes after reports the UK could abandon plans to send troops to Ukraine due to perceived risks.

Asked about this on Sky News, Reed said: "Those negotiations are still under way. There haven’t been any decisions taken yet, but all options remain on the table, whether that’s land, air or sea.

"We need a strong alliance of countries – a coalition of the willing as the Prime Minister calls it – to make sure that any peace deal can hold, because nobody wants to see this situation happening again in Ukraine."

Pushed again on whether ground troops would not be sent from the UK, he added: "All options remain on the table."

Lib Dems call for Police and Crime Commissioners to be scrapped with investment diverted to frontline policing 

The Liberal Democrats have called for Police and Crime Commissioners to be scrapped with the savings directed to frontline policing.

Home Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Smart MP said: "It is completely scandalous that every single day, thousands of victims are denied the justice they deserve.

"This is the Conservative’s legacy of failure of crime. Every community should feel safe, and that means that if they are a victim of a crime, they can be confident that they will get the support they need.

"The Government cannot afford to dither and delay, they must crack down on unsolved crimes. This starts with a return to real community policing, to keep our neighbourhoods safe."

Sir James Cleverly tells GB News the Tories should stop ‘obsessing’ about Reform

Former Home Secretary Sir James Cleverly has told GB News that the Conservatives should stop "obsessing" about Reform UK.

The former home secretary urged his party to address why people were backing Reform rather than trying to "calibrate (our) actions to respond to the existence of Reform."

Speaking to Gloria De Piero, Cleverly, the MP for Braintree, said: "The question we ask ourselves is does Reform exist because of other things that have happened? And my contention is that it does.

"And so if we address the reasons why people are going to Reform, you don’t then need to address Reform. And this, I think, is what we need to do.

"There is a bigger issue than just Nigel Farage and one party. And if we make the mistake of obsessing about him and the one party, we will fail to address the underlying issues that are causing that disenchantment."