Closing summary
Angela Rayner urged the government to acknowledge people’s “real concerns” and flagged high levels of deprivation where the worst riots erupted last summer nearly a year on from the disorder. The deputy prime minister told Cabinet colleagues that immigration and increasing time spent online are having a “profound impact on society”.
James Cleverly, a former home and foreign secretary, is making a return to the Conservative front bench as shadow secretary of state for housing, communities and local government. He will shadow Angela Rayner and it comes as Kemi Badenoch is conducting a wider shake-up of her top team.
Edward Argar has stepped down as shadow health secretary, which he said was on the advice of his doctors after a “health scare” earlier this summer. He will be replaced by Stuart Andrew, a former minister who has been shadow culture minister.
Kevin Hollinrake, who had been shadow housing and communities secretary, will become party chair. He takes over from Nigel Huddleston, who will be the new shadow culture secretary.
Conservative Senedd member Laura Anne Jones has joined Reform UK, becoming the party’s first Member of the Senedd (MS).
The UK government borrowed more than expected in June amid speculation the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will need to raise taxes at the autumn budget to repair the public finances. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed public sector net borrowing rose to £20.7bn, up by £6.6bn from the same month a year earlier to reach the second-highest June borrowing figure since monthly records began in 1993.
Artificial intelligence technology will be trialled to assess disputed ages of asylum seekers who say they are children, the Home Office has said. Ministers hope to roll out facial age estimation for migrants arriving by small boats and lorries over 2026, subject to further testing of the technology to go ahead this year.
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UK border officials to use AI to verify ages of child asylum seekers
Kiran Stacey is a political correspondent based in Westminster
Officials are to start using artificial intelligence to help estimate the age of asylum seekers who say they are children.
Angela Eagle, the immigration minister, said on Tuesday the government would test technology that judges a person’s age based on their facial features.
It is the latest example of Labour ministers turning to AI to help solve problems with public services without spending significant amounts of money.
The decision was announced on the same day that David Bolt, the chief inspector of borders and immigration, published a highly critical report into the haphazard way in which officials estimated the age of new arrivals.
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