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A total of 20 prisons are to pilot the chemical castration of sex offenders, the Justice Secretary has said. The Government is exploring whether to enforce the chemical castration on offenders as mandatory, Shabana Mahmood told MPs, after recommendations from the independent sentencing review to explore its use further to reduce the risk of reoffending. The review led by former justice secretary David Gauke recommended reforms to overhaul the prisons system and […]

The difference between the number of people moving to the UK and leaving the country is estimated to have halved, in the biggest fall in net migration since the pandemic. The figure stood at an estimated 431,000 in the year ending December 2024, down 49.9% from 860,000 a year earlier, the Office for National Statistics said. This is the biggest calendar-year drop since the early stages of the pandemic when […]

A judge has cleared the way for the Government to sign its deal over the Chagos Islands after discharging a High Court injunction which blocked the end of negotiations. The deal, which would see Britain give up sovereignty of the island territory to Mauritius and lease back a crucial military base there, was due to be signed on Thursday morning but was temporarily blocked by an injunction hours before. Mr […]

Marks & Spencer has reopened its website for customers to browse online after taking the site down overnight as part of efforts to recover following a major cyber attack. The retail giant had taken the site down in order to carry out updates, with visitors met with the message: “Sorry you can’t browse the site currently. We’re making some updates and will be back soon.” It confirmed the site was […]

Diversity must be formally embedded into the national curriculum as part of a “new era” of racial inclusion, a report has suggested. The Government should make anti-racism a “key thematic priority” and teacher training on inclusion and inclusive practices should be “mandatory”, according to the Centre for Young Lives think tank. Children from some ethnic minority groups have “disproportionately negative experiences and outcomes” in schools, the think tank’s report warned. […]