Afternoon summary
Mick Lynch, the RMT general secretary, has said his union is no closer to calling off its rail strikes, despite a meeting with Mark Harper, the new transport secretary, that he described as “positive”. (See 2.02pm.) After the meeting, Harper said he thought there was “a deal to be done”. (See 3.03pm.)
Michael Gove is facing mounting pressure to fully explain his role in the government’s award of large PPE contracts to a company that was first recommended to him by the Tory peer Michelle Mone.
Net migration to the UK has reached a record level of 504,000 after the arrival of Ukrainians and Hongkongers under government schemes and a jump in the number of international students.
The cost to the government of shielding households from soaring energy bills is expected to double in the new year to up to £5bn a month, as ministers prepare to push the button on a public information campaign to reduce usage.
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Today’s asylum figures (see 12.49pm) show the system “in serious peril”, according to the IPPR thinktank. In a briefing , Marley Morris, the IPPR’s associate director for migration, trade and communities, said:
The new migration statistics today tell two stories about immigration to the UK. On the one hand, higher net migration is driven in large part by rising student numbers and the new Ukraine humanitarian routes – reflecting the generosity of the British public in opening their homes in exceptional numbers to welcome Ukrainians escaping the Russian invasion.
On the other hand, the figures also show an asylum system in serious peril, with the backlog of claims growing further. Urgent action is needed to tackle the backlog and to work with local authorities to find suitable accommodation for asylum applicants.
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