Mr. Karan Rana appointed as Honorary Trade Commissioner for Strengthening India–PNG Trade Relations

Richard Tice has launched a scathing attack on the Conservatives as Shadow Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho unveiled the party’s plan to scrap Net Zero.Speaking to GB News, the Deputy Leader of Reform UK argued although he is “optimistic” about their new direction, the Tories “created the disaster that it Net Zero”.Speaking at a press conference in Westminster, Ms Coutinho said that “one of the biggest problems” Britain faces today is “the fact that we have the highest electricity prices in the developed world”. She said: “There is simply no such thing as a high growth, low energy country. And as our electricity has got cleaner, it’s also got more expensive. That means we are using less of it, just as the rest of the world is using more. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say “Our entire energy policy was based on this promise that all this wind and solar was going to cut bills, and yet, when I combed through the spreadsheets put in front of me, I realise that they didn’t have the evidence there to back it up. “The truth is that too much wind and solar creates all of these extra hidden costs. It’s like a Ryanair flight – the ticket might look cheap, but once you pay for a bag, a seat and a sandwich – you realise you’ve been stung.”Reacting to the move, Mr Tice told GB News: “I’m very proud that we’ve moved the Conservative Party from its previously disastrous position of promoting Net Zero towards actually getting rid of it. “My issue about this report is that whilst it’s a step in the right direction, it’s still trying to sort of sit on the fence and be all things to all men and women. The simple reality is that if you keep pushing down more renewables, you have to have more backup for when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine.”Mr Tice argued we need to produce “a lot more gas” and “a lot more nuclear” rather than replace the renewables once they expire.He said: “My issue is we need a lot more gas, and yes, we need more nuclear, but as the current renewables expire, the wind turbines offshore as they basically wear out, which they will, what mustn’t happen is to replace them, because the cost of all of the renewables, which we were told would bring bills down, has actually increased bills. “And just in the last couple of days, the Government has unbelievably announced that it’s going to subsidise more gas production because it’s suddenly realised that you need lots of backup.”Mr Tice continued: “The confusion around all of this, you cannot sit on the fence and have the best of both worlds. So what we’re saying is actually, you’ve got to be bolder, braver, and say, yes, more nuclear. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:Angela Rayner says pocketing £105k for speeches is not second job as her own voters earn £692 a weekClimate activist and Labour donor Dale Vince explains U-turn on North Sea oil and gasRichard Tice doubles down on climate change remarks after urging Britons to ‘celebrate’ heatwaves”Of course, we’re all up for that, but we’ve got lots of gas in the North Sea and indeed onshore gas, and we should be using that and promoting it.”The Reform deputy leader urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham and the Labour Government to “change course dramatically” and also scrap Net Zero policy.He told GB News: “I will continue to bring the Conservative Party towards where they need to be in order to bring bills down, but I don’t want to wait that long, I want to get on with it.”And I want to urge this Government to change course dramatically, because just in the last couple of weeks, we’ve literally seen the risk of blackouts, the risk of a shortage of energy, some days we’ve been importing almost 30 per cent electricity from our good friends, the French and other European partners.”Asked by host Miriam Cates how Reform would “fund the capital investment that’s required to make these changes”, Mr Tice made clear the “faster and cheaper route is a lot more gas, and not to replace the renewables”.He concluded: “What I see in this report is a wish to continue replacing renewables along the way, and I think that is completely wrong. So a blend of gas and nuclear is what is required and less renewables as they essentially wear out, that’s the key thing. “Because otherwise, it’s a simple basic maths, the cost of renewables plus backup must cost more than backup.”And that’s what this Government is finding out after the Conservatives, of course, created this disaster, when actually, guess what, Claire Coutinho was the Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in 2023!” Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

Andy Burnham sent his “best wishes and love” to the family of a young girl fighting for her life after a “terrible tragedy” at sea in West Sussex.There was a huge emergency service response to the incident in Shoreham-by-Sea, when police were told four people had got into difficulty in the water.It is thought the four family members went into the water for a swim.Sussex Police confirmed on Tuesday night that a man, a woman and a teenage girl had died, while a younger girl from the family was in a critical condition in hospital. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Mr Burnham has now warned about the dangers of open water swimming.Asked during a visit to the North East if the Government needed to do more to tackle water safety, the Prime Minister replied: “Always.”It’s so sad to hear what happened yesterday, and obviously we think there’s a young girl still in the hospital fighting for her life, and we send our best wishes and love to wider friends and family. But a real tragedy, a real terrible family tragedy.”There’s more that can be done. Obviously, we will look in detail at what happened. The thing I can say today, and there is still, I think, a further heatwave to come in this summer period, it is just to remind people about the dangers of open water swimming.”The Prime Minister continued: “The coldness, even in when it feels hot outside, it can shock people, and that can cause the the difficulties. So people just need to remember that at all times.“I do need to praise the emergency services, who I know were on scene very quickly yesterday. “They’ve had a busy summer, but they were there, and we thank them. As I say, just huge sympathy to the friends and the family.”Officers have not named the victims but said their next of kin had been informed and were being supported by specialist officers.LATEST DEVELOPMENTSShoreham Port: Three dead after family who ‘got into difficulty’ pulled from East Sussex harbourMan dies after getting into difficulty at Essex beach as emergency services rush to sceneDrowning prevention week aims to reduce UK water deaths as temperatures heat upA resident, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Telegraph: “I heard from friends in the coastguard that it was a family who had been living in tents by the harbour front.”They were camping just between the harbour arm and the fort. They have been there for a couple weeks, I’ve walked my dog past them. People don’t usually camp there.”Alan Facer, a fisherman from Hove, added: “The wind earlier was south-westerly so usually the waves pick up quite a bit. At 3pm, the tide would have been quite high. “I was thinking the other day that someone is going to get hurt around here.”Several ambulances were at the scene on Tuesday, as well as two air ambulances, an HM Coastguard helicopter and rescue teams from Littlehampton, Newhaven and Shoreham and the RNLI lifeboat.Police said the coastguard has searched the water and is not looking for anyone else. Shoreham RNLI was tasked by HM Coastguard at around 3pm on Tuesday, an RNLI spokesman said.The lifeboat station and shop was closed to visitors on Wednesday but the lifeboat was still on service.East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tom Rutland said the community in Shoreham “will be hoping and praying for the recovery of the young girl.” Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

Andy Burnham has been dealt a scathing blow by Andrew Bowie over his delay on whether Labour will give the go ahead on two North Sea projects.Speaking to GB News, the Shadow Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero declared that the Prime Minister has shown a “total unseriousness” since coming into office.Mr Burnham is expected to delay the announcement on whether the Government will go ahead with the two North Sea oil and gas projects.Consultations on the Rosebank oilfield and the Jackdaw gasfield have both closed within the last week with a decision expected to be made next month, resting on both the Prime Minister and Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Criticising the Government for the delay, Mr Bowie argued that the delay on the decision shows a “complete dearth of seriousness” from Mr Burnham.He told GB News: “I think it shows a total unseriousness at the heart of this Government. “If they’re more concerned about what it looks like on the gram or on TikTok than what it actually means for our energy security or our economy, or those hundreds of thousands of high skilled British jobs, then that just shows a complete dearth of seriousness at the centre of Andy Burnham’s Government, carrying on from that woeful Government that we had under Keir Starmer.”The Tory MP made clear that the other Parliamentary parties “need to see these decisions taken and taken soon”. He stressed: “We need Jackdaw, we need Rosebank, we need it for our energy security, we need it for our revenue, and we need it to secure those jobs here in the United Kingdom because they aren’t here, they’re going to go overseas. “The oil and gas industry is booming around the world. Just last week, we had reports that BP were signing a new contract in Venezuela, two weeks after they had announced they were pulling out of the UK’s North Sea. “If that doesn’t send a signal to this Government about the situation we find ourselves in in comparison to our competitors across the world, I don’t know what will.”Mr Bowie told GB News that the UK should take a more “pragmatic approach” to reaching a cleaner energy system, combining greater domestic gas production and nuclear power with renewables where they are affordableLATEST DEVELOPMENTS:Andy Burnham accused of ‘virtue signalling’ after pledging to tackle rough sleeping ‘by Christmas’Andy Burnham handed £350k in donations months before entering No10Andy Burnham vows to ‘get everyone in for Christmas’ as PM launches drive to end rough sleepingThe shadow minister argued the Government’s focus on a wholly renewable grid risks creating additional costs, pointing to payments made to wind farms when they are unable to generate electricity and the infrastructure required to transport power from new generating sites. He said: “Of course we want to maximise what we can get from our own North Sea, but this is more about moving away from this obsession with a net zero grid, a wholly renewables based system that Labour driving this country towards, with no comprehension of the hidden costs that are going to fall on British consumers and British businesses. “What we’re saying is a different way of doing this. Let’s put our foot on the pedal, let’s build more gas, let’s build more nuclear, and yes, where it’s affordable and not going to cost the British people prohibitive amounts, let’s see more renewables on the grid. “That way we get to where we need to get to quicker, we get a cleaner grid, but we do it at a far less of a cost, falling on the shoulders of the British people.”GB News host Ellie Costello challenged Mr Bowie over whether the Conservatives were now simply “chasing Reform votes”.He rejected the suggestion, arguing that there had been criticism within the Conservative Party of the 2050 target since it was first introduced. He said: “In 2019, Kemi was one of the few MPs actually in Parliament to speak out against that. She’s been utterly consistent on this, and in fact, one of her first announcements when she became leader was that we were no longer going to be tied to arbitrary dates and targets, such as net zero by 2050, because it was making this country poorer, it was making us uncompetitive. “So what we need to do is take a much more pragmatic approach, one that prioritises British consumers and British business, which doesn’t lead to the deindustrialisation that we’ve seen across the country, saves British jobs, makes us more energy secure. “But yes, leads us to that cleaner future that we all want to see. But right now, the path that the Labour Party are taking us down is making us poorer, more insecure and not having any impact at all on global emissions.” Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

More Britons back standing up to France to curb migrant crossings than deeper cross-Channel cooperation, new polling has revealed.The bombshell survey, conducted by YouGov, found 41 per cent of Britons believe the UK is more likely to solve the migrant crisis by standing up more forcefully to France.Meanwhile, 35 per cent suggested pursuing a closer relationship with France to halt small boats.Labour continues to pay the French authorities hundreds of millions of pounds in an attempt to curb crossings, with the “one-in, one-out” deal supposedly acting as a deterrent to those wanting to make the perilous 21-mile journey. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say However, GB News revealed earlier this year that the overall bill footed by taxpayers in payments to France now stands at at least £1.4billion.Despite costs spiralling since 2018, the Home Office consistently rejects GB News’s requests for information on the transaction, including a breakdown of payments.Reform UK and the Tories have both called on the Home Office to suspend payments until French authorities bring attempted crossings under control. YouGov’s polling also found that Reform UK and Tory voters were the most likely to believe it is time to stand up to France.The figure stood at 79 per cent among those who voted for Reform UK in 2024 and 67 per cent for Conservative supporters.However, the figure slumped to just 24 per cent among both Labour and Liberal Democrat voters, dropping to 19 per cent among 2024 Green supporters.Despite Andy Burnham and Sir Keir Starmer pointing out that there has been a 43 per cent drop in small boat crossings compared to this time last year, two-in-five Britons stated they believe there has been an increase in arrivals.Around one in five said the figure had decreased, with an additional 21 per cent believing the figure remains about the same.LATEST DEVELOPMENTSEd Davey blames Nigel Farage and Brexit for migrant crisis as Lib Dems back joining EU asylum schemeLib Dem MP handed GB News grilling on call to join EU ‘migration pact’: ‘How is this better?!’Andy Burnham accused of ‘virtue signalling’ after pledging to tackle rough sleeping ‘by Christmas’Mr Burnham personally credited the French authorities for the dip in arrivals witnessed this year. Speaking to GB News, the Prime Minister said: “There is more law enforcement on the other side of the Channel in summer 2026 than there was last summer, and that has led to quite a reduction in the number of crossings.”But that’s not good enough. People will say to me, we don’t want any crossings. I understand that concern.”There are further things that we are doing, and we will keep going at this issue until we deliver that eradication that people are looking for.”However, Mihnea Cuibus, a senior researcher at Oxford University’s Migration Observatory, suggested the deal with France has failed to deliver when it comes to returning small boat migrants and may come under fresh pressure as people smugglers explore launching departures from Belgium. The £100million “one-in, one-out” deal has so far seen just 1,087 small boat migrants return to France, while 1,117 have been transferred to the UK. Reform UK and the Tories have adopted hardline stances to curb Channel crossings. Zia Yusuf, who serves as Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman, intends to deploy the Royal Navy to return migrants to France. He also backs withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights and barring anyone who arrives in a small boat from claiming asylum. The Tories’ plan also revolves around leaving the ECHR, with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp eyeing up 150,000 removals a year. However, the Conservatives have also suggested they will support allies abroad to prevent illegal entry into Europe. Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey wants the UK to rejoin the EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact, giving Britain the legal power to return small boat arrivals to the first EU country they entered and access to the EU’s biometric asylum database. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

Sir Ed Davey has unveiled plans to join the European Union’s asylum scheme after blaming Brexit for the UK’s small boats crisis. Setting out his proposed plan, the Liberal Democrat leader took aim at Reform UK and the Tories, saying they should “hang their heads in shame”.Sir Ed’s party has argued Brexit has made it more difficult to carry out checks, as the Home Office no longer has access to EU-wide databases with background information, criminal history and data on whose asylum applications have been denied elsewhere.The Liberal Democrats now want the UK to sign up to the bloc’s new Migration and Asylum Pact, which would give the UK new powers to legally return migrants to the first EU country they entered. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Sir Ed said: “Farage and the Conservatives should hang their heads in shame for breaking our borders with their bad Brexit deal.”But instead of apologising to the British public, they are now exploiting the mess they created for their own gain.”We have a plan that would finally end the small boats crisis: a pact with every EU country that will allow us to return people who come over the Channel, taking away the major pull factor that Farage and co created and destroying the business model of the criminal gangs.”Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson also said the party was calling for a “humane and cost-effective asylum system”.Speaking to GB News this morning, Mr Wilkinson said: “No one wants to see small boat crossings, but the UK does have a historic role in making sure that there are safe ways for refugees and asylum seekers to get here, but no one wants to see it happen in a disorderly way. “The Liberal Democrats are rightly pointing out today that since Brexit it has become more disorderly.”Those people…Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, the Conservative Party and Reform, they said that we would have more control over asylum if we left the EU and in fact we’ve had the opposite.”He added Reform’s policy to send in the navy to deal with the boats was “just totally absurd” and “irresponsible”.LATEST DEVELOPMENTSAndy Burnham accused of ‘forcing’ 1,250 illegal migrants on Piddington community despite ‘zero’ consultationStranded small boat migrants tugged to shore by jetski after breaking down in ChannelMigrant crisis: Housing asylum seekers in former military base will cost ‘£500 a night’, protesters claimThe pact includes a new version of the Dublin Agreement called the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation, which introduces a new duty on asylum seekers to apply for asylum in the first country they enter.Under the previous Dublin agreement, asylum seekers could be returned to their EU country of first arrival.However, research from the Migration Observatory found few people were returned under the agreement when the UK was still a member of the EU, with the average sitting at around 560 a year between 2008 and 2020.Between ‭2016 and 2020, 3,830‬ people were transferred into the UK under the scheme. Robert Bates, research director at the Centre for Migration Control, told GB News: “Just look at how the French have treated us during the Channel crisis. “It is fanciful to think that the European Union would not treat us in a similar manner should we join its asylum pact. “This plan would require Britain to take a huge number of asylum seekers from Europe, even more than we were taking under the previous Dublin regulations, and there is no guarantee that it would even stop the boats.”The Lib Dems have woefully misread the mood of the British public, who want much less migration, not the opening up of new routes.”Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf also criticised the Lib Dem policy. He told GB News: “The answer to our illegal migration crisis is not to hand powers and sovereignty back to Brussels. “This is a pathetic and transparent attempt by a Liberal Democrat party who would sell this country down the river in an instant if it meant we could rejoin the European Union.“Britain is perfectly capable of stopping this invasion ourselves. By leaving the ECHR, detaining and deporting illegal migrants and intercepting boats in the Channel we can secure our borders.”Meanwhile, a Labour spokesman said more than 47,000 crossings had been prevented in two years and 70,000 people with no right to be in the UK had been removed.They added: “There’s more to do and that will only happen by working in collaboration with the EU.”So far this year, more than 14,000 people have arrived in the UK by small boat, marking a fall of 43 per cent compared to the previous year., A recent survey conducted by YouGov, found 41 per cent of Britons believe the UK is more likely to solve the migrant crisis by standing up more forcefully to France.Meanwhile, 35 per cent suggested pursuing a closer relationship with France to halt small boats. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter