Source: Sky News

Government & Politics

Channel crossings on the rise despite Rishi Sunak’s ‘stop the boats’ pledge — as yearly total passes 10,000 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made 'stop the boats' one of his priorities, but this week has seen an increase in Channel crossings and Home Office data shows the annual total now stands at 10,139.

June 18, 2023   

(Sky News) More than 10,000 people are known to have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year, latest figures show. A jump in arrivals in recent days — 486 on Friday and 374 on Saturday — saw the […]

Legal

Financial analyst jailed after creating bomb factory in a lock-up Asad Bhatti was described in court as a loner who had a deep-seated hatred for those he considered as 'hypocrites' — along with others for their ethnicity and sexuality. He was convicted of having a stash of bomb-making materials after police received a tip-off from a computer repair shop.

June 12, 2023   

(Sky News) A financial analyst from Surrey has been jailed for eight years for terrorism offences after he was caught with a bomb factory in a lock-up when he took his laptop in for repair. Asad Bhatti, 50, from Redhill, who worked […]

Children & Teens

Lee Rigby’s son speaks out for first time since his dad was murdered 10 years ago Jack Rigby was a toddler when his dad was murdered. Now aged 12, he is fundraising for charity to mark the 10th anniversary of his father's death.

May 18, 2023   

(Sky News) Lee Rigby’s 12-year-old son has spoken out for the first time since his dad was murdered in 2013. Jack Rigby was just two-years-old when Fusilier Lee Rigby was killed by Islamic extremists outside his barracks in Woolwich, south London, in […]

Internet

Twitter user who published image of severed head sentenced to five and a half years in prison As well as tweeting out a picture of French teacher Samuel Paty's severed head, he also sought to encourage attacks on the governments of countries he believed to be 'acting against Islam,' the prosecutor said.

May 11, 2023   

(Sky News) A Twitter user has been jailed for more than five years after using the platform to publish images encouraging the beheading of teachers for blasphemy against Islam. Ajmal Shahpal, 41, from Nottingham, made the comments shortly after a teacher was […]

Crime

Suella Braverman: Illegal immigrants ‘at odds with British values’ — as small boats bill passes next hurdle The home secretary claims criminality is 'very closely linked' to Channel crossings, with 'many' people getting involved in drugs, violence and prostitution. Meanwhile, MPs voted through controversial legislation to tackle small boats and it will now head to the Lords.

April 26, 2023   

(Sky News) The behaviour of people arriving in the UK on small boats is “at odds with British values,” the home secretary has claimed. Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Suella Braverman said people making the dangerous Channel crossing — who include asylum […]

Children & Teens

Suella Braverman describes grooming gang comments as ‘unfashionable facts’ after backlash The home secretary claimed it was not racist to speak 'plain truths' after she was accused of amplifying far-right narratives with claims most grooming gang members are British-Pakistani.

April 20, 2023   

(Sky News) Suella Braverman has defended her use of language after claiming grooming gang members are “almost all British-Pakistani,” describing them as “unfashionable facts” in the face of a backlash. In a column for the Spectator, the home secretary said it was […]

Legal

Shabazz Suleman: British IS recruit who claimed he spent time in Syria ‘on Playstation’ pleads guilty to terror offence Shabazz Suleman, who was arrested after returning to Heathrow in 2021, previously insisted he spent most of his three years in terrorist territory playing PlayStation and riding his bike.

April 14, 2023   

(Sky News) A former grammar school pupil has pleaded guilty to travelling to Syria to join Islamic State, despite previously claiming he had spent his time there playing computer games. Shabazz Suleman had just completed his AS-levels at a grammar school in […]

Children & Teens

Muslim groups urge Suella Braverman to withdraw ‘irresponsible and divisive’ grooming gang comments A Home Office-commissioned study in 2020 found that group-based child sexual exploitation offenders are most commonly white.

April 11, 2023   

(Sky News) Suella Braverman has been urged to withdraw “divisive” comments around child sexual exploitation (CSE) by dozens of medical bodies, businesses and Muslim community organisations, Sky News can reveal. A number of Muslim organisations across the country have written to Rishi […]

Government & Politics

Home Office confirms plan to house asylum seekers in giant barge in Dorset The plan has proved controversial after the local MP and council raised concerns the area is inappropriate for hundreds of asylum seekers to be placed. But the government has said it needs to move them out of expensive hotels.

April 5, 2023 and   

(Sky News) A giant vessel docked off the Dorset coast will be used to hold hundreds of asylum seekers, the Home Office has confirmed, despite legal threats from local Tories. The barge, called the Bibby Stockholm, will be berthed in Portland Port […]

Government & Politics

Manchester Arena attack victim’s father intends to sue MI5 for failing to stop bombing Andrew Roussos, father to victim Saffie Roussos, said that the apology from MI5 came too late, and he wishes he could have his daughter back.

March 5, 2023   

(Sky News) The father of the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena bombing intends to sue MI5. Eight-year-old Saffie Roussos was one of the 22 people killed in the attack by suicide bomber Salman Abedi, 22, in May 2017. Now her father, […]

Academics & Education

Suella Braverman alarmed by ‘death threats’ against pupils who allegedly damaged Koran The home secretary made the remark after four students were suspended over an incident at a school in West Yorkshire. A copy of the Islamic text was reportedly brought into school before its cover was slightly torn and smears of dirt were found on some pages.

March 4, 2023   

(Sky News) Reports of death threats against West Yorkshire school pupils who allegedly damaged a copy of the Koran are alarming, the home secretary has said. Suella Braverman has spoken of her “deep concern” over the case and said it raises broader […]

Government & Politics

Clare O’Neil says protecting Australians is ‘driving force’ for decisions in the case of domestic terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil has faced questions around the release of one of Australia’s most infamous domestic terrorists, as his detention order is set to expire.

February 27, 2023   

(Sky News) Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil has reassured Australians that national security is of utmost importance while being quizzed about the potential release of Abdul Nacer Benbrika. The infamous domestic terrorist’s future is up in the air, with a detention order […]

Government & Politics

Humza Yousaf’s absence from key vote on gay marriage being ‘dragged up’ for political reasons, SNP leadership candidate says Regarding religious concerns about homosexuality, Humza Yousaf tells Sky News that while he 'can't change what's in scripture,' he will not allow 'personal faith to be the basis of legislation.'

February 26, 2023   

(Sky News) One of three candidates vying to take over from Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the SNP says his absence from a key vote on gay marriage is being “dragged up” for political reasons. Humza Yousaf told Sky News that his […]

Crime

Six men jailed for people-smuggling after joint operation by British and French police The French authorities were alerted about an illicit shipment which saw the launch of surveillance leading to 'one of many significant operational results over the last two to three years' and disruption to a number of organised gangs.

February 8, 2023   

(Sky News) Six men have been convicted of people-smuggling and sent to prison following a joint operation between British and French police. The men were given sentences ranging from two to five years after a trial in the French city of Douai. […]

Health & Medicine

Man charged with terrorism offences after incident at Leeds St James’s Hospital maternity unit Mohammad Farooq has been charged with engaging in the preparation of an act of terrorism and with explosives and firearms offences following the incident at St James's Hospital.

January 26, 2023   

(Sky News) A man has been charged under the Terrorism Act following an incident at a hospital’s maternity wing in Leeds. Mohammad Farooq, 27, of Roundhay, Leeds, was charged with engaging in the preparation of an act of terrorism and with explosives […]

Health & Medicine

Barber shop owner who sent COVID grants money to Islamic State fighters jailed Police identified transfers of money with a total of about £11,280 — while the court heard Tarek Namouz was recorded telling a visitor in prison he had sent around £25,000.

January 5, 2023   

(Sky News) A barber shop owner who sent thousands of pounds to Islamic State (IS) fighters in Syria after claiming COVID grant payments has been jailed for 12 years. Tarek Namouz, 43, from Hammersmith in west London, had received the bounce-back loans […]

Government & Politics

Rishi Sunak’s Albania immigration strategy unlikely to reduce Channel crossings, claims source The prime minister's flagship policy is unlikely to reduce overall illegal immigration, a senior source at the Home Office has warned.

January 3, 2023   

(Sky News) Rishi Sunak’s flagship policy to stop Albanian migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats is unlikely to reduce overall illegal immigration because of “infinite” demand, Home Office sources have warned. The prime minister’s five-point plan, launched last month, specifically […]

Immigration

Record number of people cross Channel to UK in small boats in 2022 — as arrivals soar by 60% in a year The figures, compiled and analysed by Sky News, show a sharp rise in the number of arrivals last year — a continuation of a years-long trend that shows no signs of stopping.

January 1, 2023   

(Sky News) A record 45,728 people crossed the English Channel to the UK on small boats in 2022, up more than 60% on the previous year as migrants continue to risk their lives making the dangerous journey. The perils of the deep […]

Government & Politics

Disused cruise ships could house asylum seekers — as government due to spend £2.3bn a year on hotels The home secretary told peers at a committee there are 117,000 people in the UK's asylum system, with 40,000 in hotels, which is costing more than £5m a day.

December 21, 2022   

(Sky News) Disused cruise ships could be used to house asylum seekers — while the government expects to spend £3.5bn on people who have come to the UK to find sanctuary from persecution this fiscal year, the home secretary has said. Suella […]

Government & Politics

Tories call for changes to modern slavery rules to send ‘bogus asylum seekers’ home A group of Tory MPs wants to make it easier to return 'bogus asylum seekers' to the homes 'in the villages from which they came from.'

November 28, 2022   

(Sky News) A group of more than 50 MPs has written to PM Rishi Sunak, urging him to introduce emergency legislation which will cut small boat crossings of the Channel. The group, which includes former cabinet ministers, called for the rapid implementation […]

Academics & Education

Shamima Begum: Police and school ‘missed opportunities’ to stop her leaving UK, lawyers claim Questions have been raised over whether 'key indicators' that Ms Begum and her two school friends were at risk of being trafficked were missed.

November 22, 2022   

(Sky News) The police and her school missed opportunities to stop Shamima Begum travelling to Syria and joining ISIS and should have stopped her, according to her lawyers. There were questions about whether “key indicators” that Ms Begum and her two school […]

Children & Teens

Shamima Begum was sexually exploited by ISIS, appeal hearing told Ms Begum, now 23, left Britain with two friends from the Bethnal Green Academy in east London, who are thought to have been killed in the conflict.

November 21, 2022   

(Sky News) Shamima Begum, the jihadi bride, was trafficked by ISIS for sexual exploitation, her lawyers have told a hearing to appeal against her deprivation of citizenship. She launched her main appeal against the decision, with her lawyers telling a tribunal: “Shamima […]

Legal

Drill rapping ‘terrorist’ Al Arfat Hassan ‘threatened blood and torment if his girlfriend left him,’ court hears Al Arfat Hassan, 19, from Enfield, told his girlfriend he would 'blow sh*t up' if she broke up with him and told her she couldn't visit her eight-year-old cousin without wearing a veil.

October 18, 2022   

(Sky News) A drill rapping alleged terrorist threatened to bring “blood, terror and torment” when his girlfriend told her she was splitting up with him, a court has heard. Al Arfat Hassan, 19, had a series of arguments with a girl he […]

Demonstrations

Revealed: The breadcrumb trail that identified the IS ‘Beatles’ Police followed a 'trail of very small breadcrumbs' to identify the British terrorists, but one piece of information a hostage felt was 'fairly unremarkable' turned out to be hugely significant.

August 17, 2022   

(Sky News) Freed hostages were able to give British police key information identifying an IS kidnap gang nicknamed “The Beatles” which had held and tortured them, Scotland Yard has revealed. Officers have disclosed key breakthroughs that allowed them to identify the jihadis […]

Government & Politics

Liz Truss says she would ‘support and extend’ the [government’s] controversial Rwanda deportation policy ‘to more countries’ The government announced its plan to send migrants who arrive illegally in the UK to Rwanda just three months ago, saying it would deter people from making the Channel crossings.

August 3, 2022   

(Sky News) Liz Truss has said she would “support and extend” the government’s controversial Rwanda deportation policy “to more countries.” The widely criticised strategy, introduced by the current Conservative government, has been the subject of numerous court cases and received widespread international […]

Citizenship

Shamima Begum: IS bride insists she ‘didn’t hate Britain’ when she fled to Syria — and now wants to face trial in UK She left home in London aged 15 for the promise of paradise, instead she found 'hell, hell on Earth.' Begum rejects accusations that she carried out atrocities as part of IS as 'all completely false.'

November 21, 2021   

(Sky News) Shamima Begum, the Bethnal Green schoolgirl who fled to Syria and joined IS, has told Sky News she was groomed by friends and older men she met online before joining the terror group. Speaking from a prison camp in Syria, […]

Law Enforcement

Man charged with terror offences after arrest at Heathrow Airport, Thames Valley Police say Shabazz Suleman, 25, who is accused of being a member of the so-called Islamic State terrorist group, will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Wednesday.

October 5, 2021   

(Sky News) A man has been charged with terror offences after being arrested at Heathrow Airport, Thames Valley Police said. Shabazz Suleman, who is also accused of being a member of the Islamic State group, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on […]

Government & Politics

Afghanistan: Person on no-fly list flown into UK during evacuation operation, MPs told The individual, who is not being identified by the government, is understood to have reached UK soil on a British military plane, with officials being alerted overnight.'

August 23, 2021 and   

(Sky News) A person from Afghanistan on the UK’s no-fly list has been flown into Birmingham as part of the British evacuation operation in a potential security breach, MPs have been told. The individual, who is not being identified by the government, […]

Law Enforcement

Fishmongers’ Hall: Intelligence warned killer might attack on release — but it wasn’t widely circulated, inquest told Before Khan's release, a policeman's pocket book recorded he was a 'radicaliser of others' and in prison 'holds shariah court.'

May 19, 2021   

(Sky News) Intelligence warned the Fishmongers’ Hall killer might launch an attack on his release from prison — but it was not shared with his probation officer, an inquest has heard. Usman Khan was handed an indeterminate sentence in 2012 for plotting […]

Citizenship

Shamima Begum: IS bride ‘angry, upset and crying’ after court rules she can’t return to UK Her friends at their camp in northern Syria told Sky News she is refusing to speak to them.

February 27, 2021   

(Sky News) IS bride Shamima Begum is “very angry, upset and crying” after being refused permission to return to the UK to fight a decision to strip her of British citizenship. On Friday, five Supreme Court justices unanimously turned down her request […]

Government & Politics

Terrorists should ‘not necessarily’ serve full jail term, says Jeremy Corbyn The father of terror victim Jack Merritt does not wish his son's death to be 'used as a pretext for more draconian sentences.'

December 1, 2019 and   

(Sky News) Jeremy Corbyn has told Sky News that convicted terrorists should “not necessarily” automatically serve their full prison sentences. The Labour leader’s comment comes in the wake of Friday’s London Bridge terror attack, which left two people dead. The attacker, 28-year-old […]

Law Enforcement

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi death: Monitoring of Islamist extremist suspects in Britain stepped up The move is precautionary amid warnings of potential reprisal attacks after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed himself in a US raid.

October 28, 2019   

(Sky News) Security officials are increasing monitoring of high-priority Islamist extremist suspects in Britain following the death of the leader of Islamic State, according to Sky sources. The move is precautionary amid warnings of the potential for reprisal attacks by supporters of […]

Children & Teens

Jeremy Corbyn: Removing IS teen Shamima Begum’s UK citizenship ‘not right’ The Labour leader questions the government's action against the 19-year-old and claims 'she should be brought back' to Britain.

February 21, 2019   

(Sky News) Jeremy Corbyn has told Sky News stripping Islamic State recruit Shamima Begum of her British citizenship is “not the right thing to do.” The Labour leader questioned Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s decision to bar the 19-year-old from the UK, adding […]

Children & Teens

Shamima Begum: 78% of Britons support revoking IS bride’s UK citizenship — Sky Data poll Eight in 10 Britons think Sajid Javid is right to remove her UK citizenship — as Bangladesh insists she is not a dual citizen.

February 20, 2019   

(Sky News) The vast majority of the British public support the home secretary’s decision to remove the UK citizenship of Islamic State recruit Shamima Begum, a Sky Data poll reveals. Eight in 10 Britons (78%) think Sajid Javid was right to remove […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Tory vice-chair Kemi Badenoch says ‘political motive’ to Islamophobia call Conservative rising star Kemi Badenoch is rebuked by a Tory peer for dismissing the demands of the Muslim Council of Britain.

November 4, 2018   

(Sky News) A high-ranking Tory has suggested demands for an inquiry into allegations of Islamophobia within the party have a “political motive,” prompting a backlash from a Conservative peer. Party vice chair and Saffron Walden MP Kemi Badenoch, considered a rising star […]

Clothing

Boris Johnson stands by burka remarks, accusing colleagues of ‘confected indignation’ Mr Johnson also tells Sky News he is worried the EU may go for the Chequers proposal as it's 'a great deal for them.'

September 28, 2018   

(Sky News) Boris Johnson has refused to apologise for comparing women wearing burkas to “bank robbers” and accused colleagues of whipping up “confected indignation” over the remarks. In a wide-ranging interview with Sky News, Mr Johnson also warned that the EU may […]

Clothing

Met Police chief: Boris Johnson’s burka comments not a criminal offence The former foreign secretary faces criticism for a column which argued against banning the full-face veil in Britain.

August 9, 2018   

(Sky News) Boris Johnson’s comments comparing women who wear the burka to “bank robbers” and “letter boxes” would not “reach the bar” for a criminal offence, the head of the Metropolitan Police has said. Commissioner Cressida Dick said “some people have clearly […]

Government & Politics

Those who stand up to extremism ‘vilified’ in UK, says commissioner Sara Khan Counter-extremism commissioner Sara Khan admits she has received death threats in the course of her work.

July 11, 2018   

(Sky News) People are being “vilified” for standing up to extremism in some UK communities, the counter-extremism commissioner has told Sky News. Sara Khan said some stories have left her “heartbroken,” while the problem is increasing in scale and becoming more professionalised. […]