Asylum seekers could be housed in ‘modular buildings on industrial sites’ when hotels close, No 10 says – as it happened

Yvette Cooper said she flew UK, England and Yorkshire flags in her own home. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

5.46pm BST

Afternoon summary

• Zack Polanski has won the election to lead the Green party in England and Wales, with an overwhelming mandate for the party to adopt his vision to become a mass membership “eco-populism” movement directly taking on Reform UK. In an interview with Times Radio after his election, Polanski described Donald Trump as a “fascist”. Asked to defend his past comments suggesting the UK may need to leave Nato (see 12.57pm), Polanski said:

The situation has changed where we have a fascist in the White House. And I think it’s important to call Donald Trump what he is …

The idea that we would be in a nuclear first alliance with a man who is threatening to annex Greenland is something that causes me to prompt that question … What I am saying is we need to have conversations right now with our European partners about what do alternative alliances look like based on peace.

• Britain’s long-term borrowing costs have hit their highest level in 27 years, intensifying the pressure on the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, before the autumn budget.

• Tens of thousands of foreign students are to be contacted directly by the government and warned that they will be removed from the UK if they overstay their visas.

• Downing Street has confirmed that it is considering housing asylum seekers in prefab units on industrial sites when it removes them from hotels. (See 2.27pm.)

• Tens of thousands more criminals will be tagged and monitored over the next three years under the measures in the sentencing bill published today, the Ministry of Justice has said.

For a full list of all the stories covered on the blog today, do scroll through the list of key event headlines near the top of the blog.

Updated at 5.48pm BST

5.25pm BST

Devolution bill will bring in 'new era for Britain', claims Rayner, as Tories argue it will create 'puppet mayors'

New combined local authorities will get wide-ranging new powers under the government’s devolution bill, Angela Rayner has told MPs.

The deputy PM made the claim as she opened the second reading debate on the English devolution and community empowerment bill.

As PA Media reports, under the bill powers including transport, planning and housing will be devolved into new unitary local authorities. It will mean the end of two-tier district and county councils, and their replacement with one body.

Rayyner told MPs:

I worked on the frontline of local government, and I saw how it changes people’s lives.

So I know I won’t achieve our goals unless we fundamentally change the way our country is run.

And that means handing power back to where it belongs: to local people with skin in the game so that they can make decisions on what really matters to their communities.

This is what the bill will do: drive the biggest transfer of power from Whitehall to our regions and communities in a generation, and ending the begging bowl, micro-managing culture.

It will be making devolution the default setting, giving mayors new powers over planning, housing and regeneration to get Britain building as part of our plan for change, rebuilding local government so that they can once again deliver good local services that people can rely on, and empowering local communities to have a bigger say in shaping their global area.

This bill and our response heralds a new era for Britain. A new way of governing which puts politics in the service of working people.

James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, said the Tories were opposed to the bill. He explained:

This bill is not about empowering local communities, and it is definitely not about empowering local councils. It is about creating a cohort of puppet mayors controlled by [Rayner’s] department …

This bill wastes money while families are facing higher bills because of Labour’s mismanagement. This bill disrupts and distracts councils from building the homes that local people need.