Mahmood threatens Trump-style visa ban on several countries: Live updates

The home secretary has condemned speculation around the Labour leadership as “deeply mortifying” as allies of Angela Rayner were forced to deny a bid to topple the prime minister, just days after the health secretary had to do the same.

Shabana Mahmood said the past week of Labour infighting has been “horribly embarrassing” as she called on ministers to “focus on the job” rather than engage in “tittle tattle”.

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The home secretary was warned Labour MPs that “dark forces” are stirring up anger over migration.

It comes after suggestions senior Labour figures are uneasy over Shabana Mahmood’s radical proposals to overhaul the immigration system.

In a piece in The Guardian Ms Mahmood said: “I know that a country without secure borders is a less safe country for those who look like me.

“Dark forces are stirring up anger in this country, and seeking to turn that anger into hate. We must take the opportunity we have to stop that from happening. And I know we can,” she wrote.

“The true nature of this country is openness, tolerance and generosity. We want to provide sanctuary to those in danger. We want to be a Greater Britain, not a littler England. To do so, we must restore order and control.”

Home Office officials have claimed the ECHR “is allowing large numbers of people to stay in the UK, against the public’s wishes”, and that new legislation will allow Britain to ramp up the number of removals.

But critics have hit out at the proposals, warning any move to alter how the UK interprets the rules will drive asylum seekers underground and leave them vulnerable to exploitation.

Caitlin Doherty has the full story…

In one of the other week’s major stories, shadow home secretary Chris Philp has warned sending BBC licence fee money “over to Mar-a-Lago” would not be a “smart” thing to do.

It comes after Donald Trump threatened to sue the corporation for up to $5bn.

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Nigel Farage has said Shabana Mahmood “sounds like a Reform supporter” as she laid out her plans to overhaul the asylum system.

In a post on X the Reform leader said: “It’s a shame that the Human Rights Act, ECHR and her own backbenchers mean that this will never happen.”

Reform’s head of policy Zia Yusaf hit back at what he called “unreasonable” questions over his own parent’s reasons for emigrating to the UK from Sri Lanka in the 1980s.

When asked by presenter Matt Barbet why his family chose the UK, Mr Yusaf said: “Well you should probably speak to my parents about that, but I actually don’t think it’s particularly relevant.

“My parents did not come here on a boat across the channel illegally. They came legally, they contributed to this country, and I put it to you – there is something fundamentally interesting about you asking me that question, because the insinuation of your question is that there is a limit to how restrictive an immigration policy I can advocate for on the basis that my parents happen to be immigrants.

“I’m afraid I think there is something very unreasonable about that line of questioning.”

Shabana Mahmood has threatened three countries with Trump-style visa bans if they do not improve their cooperation with taking back their citizens.

According to reports in The Times, Ms Mahmood wrote to the embassies of Angola, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in London on Thursday to warn them of the potential changes.

But why has she picked on these three countries?

The Times report says the Home Office said the three African countries were the most “obstructive” in refusing to take back their citizens.

But a number of other countries – including India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Bangladesh, are also believed to be on the home secretary’s watchlist.

“In Britain, we play by the rules. When I said there would be penalties for countries that do not take back criminals and illegal immigrants, I meant it,” she said. “My message to foreign governments today is clear: accept the return of your citizens or lose the privilege of entering our country.”