Post-Brexit youth visa scheme with EU given green light

The European Union has given the green light to post-Brexit youth visas with the UK, after member states approved talks on how they would work in practice.

Campaigners welcomed what they hailed as a “massive step forward for young people in the UK.”

The European Council, which comprises the leaders of EU member countries, has backed opening up detailed discussions with the UK to determine how many visas would be issued and what conditions they would have.

Britons lost the right to live and work in the EU – so-called “freedom of movement” – and vice versa, after the UK left the bloc. But there have long been calls for a scheme for 18-30 years olds that would allow Brits to work on the continent, and young people from EU countries to come here, for a short period of a few years.

Britain already has similar agreements on youth mobility with 13 separate countries, including Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Iceland, Uruguay, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Most of these are open to 18 to 30-year-olds or 18 to 35-year-olds, depending on where they are from, and allow them to live and work in the UK for up to two years.

But idea of a youth visa deal with the EU has proven controversial, with Labour ministers forced to defend it and deny it’s a return to pre-Brexit style freedom of movement.

Earlier this year Downing Street made clear that anyone coming to the UK as part of a youth mobility scheme with the EU will not be able to access benefits, nor bring family members with them.

It is understood that they would also have to pay an immigration health surcharge to use the NHS.

The council has now adopted plans to open official negotiations with the UK on such a scheme.

Alfred Quantrill, from the Young European Movement UK, said: “The EU deciding to formally start talks on a Youth Experience Scheme is a massive step forward for young people in the UK.

“Young Brits deserve the same chances enjoyed by most of their peers across the continent.

“Whether you call it a Youth Experience Scheme or Mobility Scheme, it amounts to the same – more opportunities for a whole generation of young Brits who have seen their chances of working and studying abroad shrinking for a decade.

“That means rejoining schemes like Erasmus+, but also opening up broader access to apprenticeships, internships, and leisure. While our parents could freely work, study and travel across borders, this generation is trapped by paperwork and high costs. The Youth Experience Scheme is Starmer’s chance to fix this failure.”

The moves comes just days after a poll showed that nearly nine years on from the narrow Brexit referendum result, which led to the UK leaving the union, most Britons want to see the UK return to the EU.

The YouGov poll survey highlighted the extent to which the UK public is “Bregretful” about the outcome of the vote, which ended David Cameron’s term as prime minister.

Putin declares ‘all of Ukraine is ours’ in latest blow to peace talks

Vladimir Putin has declared that “all of Ukraine is ours” in one of his most hardline comments on the country since Donald Trump took power.

In recent months, the Russian president has danced around involvement in peace talks – without making any firm commitments – and even suggested he would be prepared to meet with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zekelensky.

But during a Q&A session at an investment event in St Petersburg, Putin was asked about his goal in the protracted war in Ukraine, which is nearing the three-and-a-half-year mark.

“I have said many times that I consider the Russian and Ukrainian people to be one nation. In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours,” Putin said, according to Sky News.

“There is an old rule: ‘Where a Russian soldier sets foot, that is ours.’” An audience of Russian politicians and business figures responded to the president’s words with applause.

Russian troops continue to push forward in eastern areas of Ukraine, concentrating the bulk of their attacks in the Donetsk region. On Saturday, the Russian defence ministry said it had captured another village, the settlement of Zaporizhzhya.

Putin appeared to later threaten the use of nuclear weapons on Ukraine, and promised “catastrophic” consequences for his enemy if they were to use the dirty bomb in their defence against Russia. Kyiv has always denied it would use a dirty bomb, a device containing radioactive material alongside explosives.

“This would be a colossal mistake on the part of those whom we call neo-Nazis on the territory of today’s Ukraine. It could be their last mistake,” Putin said.

“We always respond and respond in kind. Therefore, our response will be very tough.”

During nearly three years of war while the Biden administration was in power, Moscow’s sabre-rattling about the use of nuclear weapons was a regular occurrence.

The US president has now appeared to take a back seat in the Ukraine crisis and shifted his attention to the Middle East instead, where Iran and Israel are embroiled in a bloody air conflict.

Earlier this week, Washington disbanded a working group tasked with finding ways to pressure Russia into having peace talks with Ukraine, according to a report.

Efforts from the inter-agency working group came to a screeching halt when members realised Mr Trump was not interested in taking a tougher stance with Moscow, three US officials told Reuters.

Postmaster who lost father in Air India crash faces battle with Royal Mail to save business

A village postmaster grieving the loss of his father in the Air India plane crash is facing a battle with Royal Mail to save his business.

Umang Patel flew out to India to join the hundreds of people who attended the funeral of his father, Kirit, who died when the London-bound flight crashed during takeoff in Ahmedabad earlier this month.

Kirit Patel was on the flight for his annual summer visit to the UK, where he hoped to support his son and his son’s wife, Vaishali, who run a Post Office and shop in the Somerset village of Pensford, near Bristol.

But their immense personal loss is not the only battle the family is facing, with a decision by Royal Mail to close a small delivery office in the branch threatening their livelihood.

In April, Umang Patel called on the village for support when he told the local parish council that the post office made up 60 per cent of his income, and without it, the branch would not be viable.

Councillors responded by writing to oppose the closure, arguing it was a “lifeline” for vulnerable residents in the community, with the nearest branch three miles away.

A petition has also been launched, with more than 1,200 people signing it, many after the loss of Mr Patel’s father last week. The family was also the subject of a crowdfunding campaign that raised £11,000 after his death, but they asked for it to be taken down after costs had been met because they “did not want to take advantage”, according to villager Jim Beacham.

Royal Mail confirmed that a plan was in place to shut the small delivery office, with the date for closure understood to be in September.

A spokesperson said: “Our small delivery office within Pensford post office is being merged into the new Paulton delivery office. Relocating to a larger, dedicated facility will provide better working conditions for our posties and support a more efficient delivery service.

“Residents can be assured that deliveries will continue as normal.”

A Post Office spokesperson said a post office area manager had been working with Mr Patel to help limit the “financial implications” of the move. Ways to grow the business were also being explored, they added.

They said: “We have offered our sincere condolences to Pensford postmaster, Umang Patel, for the tragic death of his father Kirit Patel in the Air India plane crash. Umang, his wife Vaishali and two sons are much-loved members of the village community. Umang and Vaishali have run a first-class post office and shop for more than 10 years and are very popular, as demonstrated by the community rallying round to support them at this very difficult time.”

Why the ‘conscience vote’ of MPs had its own assisted death last week

Two votes in the Commons, split by four days, have laid the ground for a seismic shift in British social policy, making last week one of the most significant in the modern history of parliament.

But while the votes on abortion (Tuesday) and assisted dying (Friday) were officially matters of individual conscience, the evidence from both suggests that the UK is now closer than ever to a US-style party politicisation of moral issues.

If you vote Labour or Lib Dem, you are much more likely to get a “pro-choice” MP; if you vote Conservative or Reform, you are more likely to get one who is “pro-life”. This is not an accident: it is increasingly by design.

On Tuesday, an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to decriminalise abortion up to birth, laid down by Labour Gower MP Tonia Antoniazzi, won by 379 to 137.

Looking at these figures in detail, we can see that 291 Labour MPs voted in favour and just 25 against, while 63 Lib Dems were in favour and only two against.

On the other side of the House, 92 Tory MPs voted against and just four in favour. Another four abstained by voting in both lobbies. No Reform MPs supported the amendment, and four voted against it.

The split was not as stark in Friday’s assisted dying vote, but nevertheless revealed a trend.

Kim Leadbeater’s bill had the support of 224 of her fellow Labour MPs, with 160 against, and 56 Lib Dems, with 15 against.

Meanwhile, the Tories split 92 against to 20 in favour, while Reform were three against and two in favour.

Kemi Badenoch put a two-line whip on the abortion vote rather than allowing a completely free vote. This indicated a party position without the threat of disciplinary action that would come with a three-line whip. But remarkably, after the abortion vote, senior Tories were complaining that Badenoch had not withdrawn the whip from the four MPs who voted for decriminalisation.

The last time the UK saw its parliament vote on such seismic social change was back in 1967, with Liberal MP David Steel’s abortion legislation and Labour MP Leo Abse’s Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised homosexuality.

In each of those cases, the parties split down the middle, which saw the odd alliance of right-wing Tory MP Enoch Powell and left-wing Labour MP Tony Benn as they came together to support legalising homosexuality.

The erosion of the conscience vote in the UK has actually come more from a hardening of positions within progressive left-wing parties in Britain, exacerbated by the so-called culture wars.

In 2012, Ed Miliband imposed a three-line whip on Labour MPs for the vote on gay marriage. That was the end of LGBT+ matters being treated as a question of individual conscience.

Then in 2019, Roger Godsiff was dropped as a Labour candidate for supporting parents in his Birmingham constituency who were protesting against primary-school children being taught about same-sex relationships.

This year, we have seen Reform UK banning LGBT+ flags from county halls in places where it has taken control, and attempting to purge councils of diversity, equality and inclusion officers and policies.

And there is not even a pretence when it comes to transgender issues now, with Tories and Reform firmly in the anti camp, and Badenoch making her gender-critical stance part of her political identity.

While abortion has officially remained a matter of conscience, a comment by the now home secretary Yvette Cooper in 2017 about Jacob Rees-Mogg being unfit to be a party leader because of his views on abortion was enlightening.

What has happened over a number of years is that the majority of socially conservative, mostly Catholic tradition in Labour, and evangelical tradition in the Lib Dems, have been quietly removed through screening during the selection process.

An ongoing legal case involving the Liberal Democrats and one of its former candidates has highlighted an apparently major shift in British politics towards the party politicisation of conscience issues.

Former BBC journalist David Campanale was kicked out as the candidate for Sutton and Cheam ahead of the last election, and he claims it was because of his Christian beliefs.

According to documents presented in the case, Luke Taylor, who replaced Campanale as the candidate, is alleged to have claimed that the party of past prominent Liberal Democrats with Christian beliefs, such as Shirley Williams and Charles Kennedy, was “over”, and that he and others were building a “secular party” that would have no place for Christians expecting to “hold to their religious or conscientious opinions”.

Taylor was the teller for the votes in favour of the abortion amendment on Tuesday, and he described the vote in favour of the assisted dying bill, which he supported, as a good way to “neatly bookend the week”.

If Campanale wins his case, it will for the first time provide evidence that selection is taking place on conscience issues as well as other matters.

The Lib Dems have denied the claims and pointed out that their leader, Ed Davey, goes to church. But some Christian Lib Dems, including former deputy leader Simon Hughes, have voiced concerns, and the party has been condemned by two bishops and a former Archbishop of Canterbury. Added to that, Tim Farron, who voted against abortion and assisted dying last week, was ousted as leader over his Christian beliefs in 2017.

During the assisted dying vote, a number of supporters of the bill suggested that religious belief had no place in deciding such issues. A real departure from conscience. But a brand of conservatism is emerging in the UK that openly embraces traditional Christian values.

Reflecting on the assisted dying vote, Tory MP Danny Kruger, a leading opponent of the bill, said: “If we are to withstand our enemies, bring our society together, and tame the technium (somehow ensure that human values govern the new age of machines), we are going to need values that are up to the job.

“I don’t think humanist atheism, or progressive liberalism, or whatever the new religion should be called, is up to it. Christianity is. Only Christianity is.”

In the US, the conscience vote rapidly became more party-politicised as a result of the Roe v Wade abortion ruling in 1973. Social conservatives gradually began to take over the Republicans on the right, and social progressives started to take over the Democrats. This in turn has had an impact on the selection of Supreme Court justices, who recently in effect overturned Roe v Wade with a conservative majority.

The most interesting US development is the way in which a man like Donald Trump, previously ambivalent over abortion, has adopted a strong anti-abortion line in an effort to please his base. This played out in the 2022 midterms, to the detriment of the Republicans, with the Democrats using the threat to abortion rights to great effect. But it did little to help Kamala Harris in 2024.

What that shows, though, is that parties with very strong views one way or the other can be elected largely on economic grounds but bring with them a great deal of baggage on conscience issues. After this week, some would argue that the same thing has happened, in the opposite direction, in the UK.

Self-swab ‘rape kits’ being marketed at students a ‘serious concern’

Rape support groups have expressed “serious concerns” over self-swab “rape kits” being marketed towards university students in the UK.

The kits allow people who have been sexually assaulted or raped to take a swab themselves and send it off to a lab to be tested for the DNA of the alleged perpetrator. Half the sample is frozen and can be kept for up to 20 years and handed to the police if the incident is later reported.

Such kits have been handed out to students on UK university campuses in recent months, with companies saying the kits act as a deterrent and provide a simpler way to report a rape.

However, Rape Crisis England and Wales has warned that although the kits might seem like a good idea, there are concerns about how they work.

It warned survivors that the kits may not be able to collect the evidence needed to prove rape and that any evidence gathered may not be legally admissible – giving them “false hope” that it could help in a legal case.

“Rape Crisis England & Wales (RCEW) are aware that in parts of the country, self-swab ‘rape kits’ are being marketed to students and universities as a way for survivors – primarily, but not always, women and girls – to report rape, and to deter rapists,” a statement issued by Rape Crisis said.

“Although a self-swab kit might seem like a good idea, evidence collection needs to be done in a safe and legally compliant way for it to have most use in criminal trials.”

It added: “At-home kits can’t offer that level of protection and may give survivors false hope that any evidence they gather could be relied on in a criminal trial.”

It said this was because professional forensic medical examinations take place in forensically cleaned, controlled environments with strict rules to avoid contamination, making the evidence reliable.

Unlike self-swab kits, they also include assessments of injuries, clothing, blood samples, and other medical findings.

The kits have emerged amid a low rate of convictions for rape, with as many as five in six UK victims choosing not to report a rape at all.

In 2024, 71,227 rapes were recorded by police, but only 2.7 per cent of these had resulted in charges by the end of the year.

Companies selling the kits say they provide survivors with a “simpler, easier way to report and create real deterrence”.

Enough, a company that has handed out free kits at the University of Bristol and also sells them online for £20, says their main aim is to act as a deterrent, not to provide criminal justice.

It told The Independent that 70 per cent of polled students in Bristol said the kits had prevented sexual violence on campus, 90 per cent are aware of the not-for-profit, and over 200 reports have been made in just six months.

“Survivors are asking for Enough. The most common question they ask is: ‘How does this not already exist?’ They thank Enough for stopping young women being raped,” Katie White, the Enough co-founder, said.

Its website says that if a person is seeking to report a rape to the police, they should go to a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) first.

It also says that leading KCs had confirmed DNA evidence collected by its kits, which are made by the same forensic experts that make them for the police, may be admissible at trial but there are no guarantees of this.

Rape Crisis said while these self-swab kits may provide DNA evidence, it is rarely used in rape trials as they cannot prove any activity was non consensual.

Although Enough points people to where they can get further support on its website, Rape Crisis also raised concerns that the kits don’t offer specialist, in-person support: “Survivors need trauma-informed care, reassurance, and to be heard and believed. A self-swab kit can’t provide emotional support or explain next steps, but a trained support worker in a Rape Crisis centre, or an Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) can.”

Rape Crisis is the latest organisation to voice its concern over the kits, after the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine (FFLM) issued a joint statement on the issue last year.

It said it did not currently support the use of self-swab kits, and it could “put survivors at risk” if they did not have the correct information.

What’s the secret to a truly stress-free holiday?

High-end cruising has entered a new era. Today’s luxury travellers aren’t looking for big flashy experiences. They want slow-paced, intimate travel and authentic cultural immersion. More than anything else, they’re looking for ease: that feeling of being genuinely cared for, safe in the knowledge that they’re experiencing the best of the best.

That means excellent quality food and drink, of course – it’s got to be restaurant standard and cater to all tastes – but also onboard enrichment experiences of the highest calibre. The great beauty of cruising has always been that not a second is wasted. Savvy travellers get to explore a rich and rewarding variety of exotic, off-the-beaten track locations, but instead of spending half their holiday stuck in motorway traffic, they’re honing their swing in the golf net, or sipping on a cocktail on the upper deck as they travel from destination to destination.

When they’re onshore they want genuinely immersive experiences that get them under the hood of a destination: think cellar tours of local vineyards or speedboat cruises to hidden beaches. Done right, a high-end all-inclusive cruise is the ideal form of slow travel, offering a perfect balance of adventure and indulgence, proper pampering and a thrilling sense of discovery.

The world’s most luxurious fleet

First among equals when it comes to the new era of luxury cruising is Regent Seven Seas Cruises, which offers more than 170 different itineraries visiting over 550 ports of call worldwide. Each of the six ships in their fleet is opulently appointed with beautifully designed communal areas and a huge array of amenities, but none of them has a capacity of more than 746 guests, ensuring space and freedom for all aboard.

The all-suite accommodation means that the private spaces are similarly roomy, each having a private balcony and marble bathroom. And service is always impeccable with a crew-to-guest ratio that’s nearly one-to-one, meaning that the team can always go that mile extra for all travellers.

Across the ships, the food is uniformly excellent. As well as Regent’s signature Compass Rose restaurant, with its daily changing menu of bistro classics like lobster bisque and New Zealand lamb chops, the different ships also feature a range of speciality dining venues. These include Prime 7, a New York-style steakhouse, Pacific Rim with its pan-Asian menu (be sure to try the miso black cod), and fine-dining destination, Chartreuse, where the chefs turn out sophisticated plates of upscale French cooking like Beef Tenderloin Rossini and Seared Foie Gras.

With a number of long cruises on their roster, Regent has made sure that each of its ships is akin to an ultra-luxury, boutique floating hotel with an incredible variety of things to do during the day and top-level entertainment at night. There are courts for paddle tennis and bocce, and the onboard spa offers a range of exclusive bespoke treatments. The ships host talks by experts in their field and cooking lessons are also available on some of the ships at the culinary arts kitchens where visiting chefs guide guests in how to make wow-factor dishes that relate to the ports of call. In the evening, the Constellation Theatre hosts lavishly staged productions from a team of Broadway choreographers and artists.

Destinations that match the onboard luxury

Of course, none of this onboard luxury would mean much if the destinations weren’t up to scratch, but Regent’s superbly curated itineraries are up there with the very best. Its week-long trips include culture-packed European tours like Glories of Iberia which sails from Barcelona to Lisbon, and thrilling frontier explorations such as the Great Alaskan Adventure from Whittier to Vancouver.

Longer trips include four-week Legendary Journeys from Athens to Montreal, and fully immersive explorations of the Arctic. Long or short, these itineraries are all underpinned by a commitment to taking guests right to the heart of a destination with the kind of bespoke onshore activities and expert-led insights that mean on a Regent Seven Seas Cruises voyage, adventure is guaranteed.

Visit Regent Seven Seas Cruises now to uncover the true meaning of luxury and start booking your ultimate stress-free getaway

Every baby’s DNA to be screened on the NHS under new plans

All babies could have their DNA mapped to test for future illnesses under a plan unveiled by the government, it has been reported.

Labour is set to pour £650m into DNA technology in an effort to treat serious illnesses before they become a problem.

In comments first reported in the Daily Telegraph, health secretary Wes Streeting said new technology in areas such as genomics would help “leapfrog” illnesses.

The outlet says that within a decade every baby will undergo whole genome sequencing as part of the drive.

The investment in genomics is expected to support the government’s 10-year plan for the NHS, which will see a greater focus on technology and prevention.

Mr Streeting said: “The revolution in medical science means that we can transform the NHS over the coming decade, from a service which diagnoses and treats ill health to one that predicts and prevents it.

“Genomics presents us with the opportunity to leapfrog disease, so we’re in front of it rather than reacting to it.”

Mr Streeting has previously spoken about his desire to make the NHS more preventative, reducing rates of serious illness and saving money in the process.

The plan is also likely to see a greater role for artificial intelligence and other technologies to predict illness and allow treatment or medication to be offered much earlier.

He added: “With the power of this new technology, patients will be able to receive personalised healthcare to prevent ill health before symptoms begin, reducing the pressure on NHS services and helping people live longer, healthier lives.”

Along with a greater focus on prevention, the government’s 10-year plan is expected to include Mr Streeting’s two other “shifts” in the NHS.

That will see a shift away from hospitals towards more community-focused care, and from analogue to digital services.

It follows chancellor Rachel Reeves’s announcement that the government would increase NHS funding by £29bn per year in real terms over the next three years as it tries to cut waiting lists in line with its election promises.

My doctor ordered me to stop doomscrolling for medical reasons

At a particularly dark time for world affairs, I often find myself compulsively doomscrolling on my phone, sometimes disappearing into the bathroom to do it. It often feels like a brief escape from the kids. But I had no idea that it can cause serious health problems.

Earlier this week, Dr Punam Krishan, the resident doctor on BBC Morning Live, claimed that sitting on the loo and scrolling on your phone has been known to cause haemorrhoids – or worse. It can also give you a weakened pelvic floor, which can trigger bladder issues such as incontinence, or even result in prolapse.

If being exposed to too much bluescreen isn’t giving you sleepless nights, that surely will.

But doomscrolling on the loo is a habit that, according to a YouGov poll, 57 per cent of Britons admit they have – myself included.

It’s so easy for a three-minute trip to the loo to turn into 15 to 20 minutes of scrolling, posting and texting. And it’s the reason I ended up in hospital last week.

I’ve had insomnia, which has weakened my immune system. It turns out that waking at 3am and checking your phone, thinking “Has the US bombed Iran yet…?”, interferes with your sleep patterns, suppressing melatonin production and making it harder to drift off and stay asleep.

A recent study showed how an extra hour of screen time each day was linked to a 33 per cent increase in insomnia risk. And, earlier this month, another study – of teenagers’ habits – revealed that spending more than two hours a day scrolling on phones or tablets doubles the risk of anxiety disorders and increases the chances of depression fourfold.

I hit rock bottom in my bathroom last week. Having lost all sense of time, I eventually realised I’d been scrolling through stories about the Air India crash for 45 minutes, which itself is pretty unhealthy. But “toilet-scrolling”, as it’s known, is a double-whammy health hazard.

The combination of the pressure on your lower quarters from prolonged sitting and the negative impact on mental health of doomscrolling finally took its toll on me: I had to go to hospital.

In hindsight, I had been needing to use the bathroom more frequently, which had meant scrolling even more than usual while locked in there… and eventually I started to feel quite unwell. But I had no idea that, on a Sunday at an urgent walk-in centre, I would be diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.

I was given emergency antibiotics – but it didn’t get any better. When I developed a mild fever and a rash on my leg, I was directed to A&E as there was a chance the infection could be sepsis. When I did the “blanching test”, the rash didn’t fade when pressed with a clear glass.

Typically, before I was called to give a urine sample, do blood tests and have an ultrasound to check my kidneys, I spent my time in the hospital waiting room doomscrolling. I was put on new, mega-strong antibiotics and ordered to rest in bed, which I’m not good at. I was also told that I needed to look at the stress levels in my life and make changes. Doomscrolling on the loo has got to go.

To avoid further bladder issues, I have now weaned myself off toilet-scrolling – a filthy habit that triggers a dopamine release but is just not worth it.

So, goodbye, doomscrolling. Catching up on all the bad news from around the world on your phone is one thing – but doing it on the loo is a recipe for disaster.