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Year: 2025

‘We are not afraid’: Erika Kirk vows TPUSA will continue campus debates nationwide

‘We are not afraid’: Erika Kirk vows TPUSA will continue campus debates nationwide

Erika Kirk, the widow of the late Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk, told Fox News’ Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday” that the organization intends to resume its nationwide presence on college campuses. “We are not afraid,” she said, adding that the TPUSA team will continue to host “Prove Me Wrong”–style debates as part of its campus outreach. ERIKA KIRK DOUBLES DOWN TO FIGHT FOR CHARLIE’S LEGACY: ‘I’M NOT AFRAID Charlie Kirk was assassinated during an outdoor event on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University. The gathering marked the first stop on TPUSA’s planned “American Comeback Tour,” and at first, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. The charismatic TPUSA founder rose to prominence through his signature political debates on college campuses. Moments before the fatal shot, he sat beneath a white tent emblazoned with the slogan “Prove Me Wrong,” fielding open-mic questions from thousands in attendance. CHARLIE KIRK HONORED BY 90K IN ONE OF THE LARGEST MEMORIALS FOR A PRIVATE CITIZEN His death left behind a movement that reshaped conservative youth politics — one that his widow, Erika Kirk, told Bream she intends to carry forward. Charlie Kirk began building that movement as a teenager. At 18, Kirk dropped out of community college to co-found Turning Point USA (TPUSA).  By his mid-20s, he became the youngest speaker at the Republican National Convention in 2016 and a household name in conservative circles. By 31, he commanded a $95 million political empire, galvanized millions of followers online and established a direct line to President Donald Trump. TPUSA BEGAN AS A SCRAPPY CAMPUS GROUP AND GREW INTO A NATIONAL, MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR POLITICAL FORCE With backing from Republican donors like Foster Friess, Kirk turned the scrappy campus operation into one of the fastest-growing conservative nonprofits in America. Today, it’s a political juggernaut — its revenue, according to tax filings, soared from just $2 million in 2015 to $85 million in 2024. That legacy, carried forward by his widow, comes as the organization sees a surge in campus chapter enrollments, signaling continued momentum among conservative students nationwide.

The biggest losers of 2025: Who fell flat as the year closed

The biggest losers of 2025: Who fell flat as the year closed

2025 didn’t just expose Democratic divisions — it created a short list of political losers whose missteps are already shaping the battlefield for 2026. From establishment leaders squeezed by a restless progressive base to national figures who burned precious time, this past year has left behind a series of cautionary tales for a party out of power. MODERATE DEMOCRATS PUSH BACK AS PROGRESSIVES MOVE TO OUST JEFFRIES, CLARK OVER TRUMP STRATEGY The loudest, most visible Democratic figures haven’t just voiced opposition to the Trump administration — they’ve also made it clear they expect a new version of the party to emerge going forward. From Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in New York City promising expansive government program increases to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s hint that she could beat Vice President JD Vance in a bid for the presidency, progressives can easily say they had some of the most visible momentum in 2025. And that’s bad news for old-school Democrats.  As recently as last month, both House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and House Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., faced primary challenges from their progressive base. These challengers cited dissatisfaction with their resistance against the administration. It’s unclear if those calls are disproportionately loud in a moment where Democrats find themselves out of power. But many moderate Democrats told Fox News Digital they don’t think it’s helping win over the electorate’s political middle. Should progressives continue to crowd out the picture in 2026, more establishment Democrats may find it increasingly difficult to ignore pressure from their far-left flank as the nation heads into the midterms. GOP SEIZES ON DEM CIVIL WAR AS PROGRESSIVES JUMP INTO KEY 2026 SENATE RACES: ‘THEY’RE IN SHAMBLES’ California Gov. Gavin Newsom is running out of time to prove why he could be something more than a party messaging figure. In the past year, he’s pigeonholed himself into exactly that role.  In 2025, Newsom cemented himself as one of the key Democratic foils to Trump’s agenda. And on that front, there’s little question he capitalized on the attention. Most notably, Newsom pushed through a redistricting effort meant to squeeze five Republicans out of office after Texas advanced a similar plan earlier this year. While the plan received mixed reviews — even from Democrats in the state who were wary of fighting fire with fire — it has certainly advanced Newsom’s national status. But like every would-be Trump foil, Newsom finds himself somewhat reliant on Trump for his next move. Should Newsom begin to position himself for a 2028 bid for the White House, he won’t have that luxury around forever, and he only has one more year as California’s governor.  Newsom burned precious time in 2025 to show voters in California and across the country what kind of executive he could be.  DEMOCRATIC HEAVYWEIGHTS HARRIS, NEWSOM TURN HEADS, FUEL 2028 SPECULATION On several key issues, former President Joe Biden’s legacy has already grown old in 2025.  It took just weeks for the Trump administration to dismantle the claim that Biden was doing everything he could to stop illegal border crossings from pouring into the United States. With a few key executive orders, Trump brought the country to one of its lowest levels of border encounters ever. And while that’s the most notable entry, the list of double-takes doesn’t end there. An autopen investigation in the House of Representatives revealed Biden had delegated an unprecedented amount of authority to his aides. Moreover, a book put out by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson took a deep look at just how hard his inner circle had worked to maintain the president’s image amid concerns about his age and cognitive ability.  Taken together, Biden’s administration just one year removed has plunged Democrats into questions of where to go next and provided Republicans with a wealth of evidence to make the case that Democrats weren’t as transparent about the country’s problems as they could have been.  ‘ROCK STAR’ NEWSOM STEALS THE SHOW AT DNC SUMMIT AS DEMOCRATS HUNT FOR 2028 CONTENDER TO TAKE ON TRUMP Few political figures have had as politically damaging a year in 2025 as the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. He received most of the blame for a disastrous 43-day government shutdown that largely left Democrats empty-handed. While Schumer himself didn’t vote with the eight Democrats who eventually supported a Republican plan to end the shutdown, he received calls to step aside in the aftermath for failing to keep Senate Democrats on the same page. According to many Republicans, the political calculus for Schumer during the shutdown was more about putting up a good enough fight to appease the progressive side of the Democratic base.  But Schumer also failed to do that too. During the shutdown, the New York City mayoral race had come to its final stretch with little word from the Senate Minority Leader. When it became clear the self-proclaimed socialist Zohran Mamdani would capture the party’s nomination, Schumer tried to dodge questions about whether he would support his bid. That reluctance never went away and questions about the relationship between the two Democrats only intensified.  Just days removed from the election, Schumer continued to give non-answers about Mamdani.  Now at the close of 2025, Schumer has left questions unanswered about whether he can still effectively lead the party and whether he represents the party’s future. 

How Charlie Kirk learned to turn off the phone — and why the Sabbath shaped his life and posthumous book

How Charlie Kirk learned to turn off the phone — and why the Sabbath shaped his life and posthumous book

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was exhausted and in physical pain when Pastor David Engelhardt persuaded him to pause his work week for one day and honor the Sabbath by turning off his phone and disconnecting from politics.  Years later, Kirk authored a book championing how honoring the Sabbath transformed his life and opened doors to build better foundations for his relationships — whether it be with his wife, Erika, and their children, family and friends, and his relationship with God.  “He would turn his phone off so he wouldn’t be distracted by his work. . . .  He would spend his time with his wife and kids, and they would rest, and they would go on walks and . . . spend some time in scripture. He practiced it from Friday to Saturday. That’s what worked best for his schedule,” Englhardt, a TPUSA board member who has been a friend and pastor to the Kirks stretching back years, told Fox News Digital.  Engelhardt, who is the pastor of Kings’ Church in New York City, spoke to Fox News Digital following the release of Kirk’s best-selling posthumous book, “Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life,” which celebrates that honoring the Sabbath is the answer to an exhausted, anxious, always-online America.  TURNING POINT USA HOLDS AMERICAFEST CONFERENCE FOLLOWING CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION Engelhardt met Charlie Kirk through Erika Kirk when she lived in New York City, the pastor explained. He took Fox Digital through a conversation he shared with Charlie Kirk in 2021, when Englhardt took notice that the TPUSA chief was physically and mentally drained and on a trajectory to burnout.  “He was physically in pain,” Engelhard told Fox News Digital. “He was having back issues, and knee issues and the burden of the organization was really heavy on his shoulders. And I said, ‘Charlie, I don’t think you can continue to do this unless you take the Sabbath. Unless you take this biblical command.’”  The TPUSA chief initially resisted shutting off for one day to recalibrate for the next week.  VANCE SAYS ‘AMERICA FIRST’ MOVEMENT REJECTS ‘PURITY TESTS,’ WELCOMES CRITICAL THINKERS “I think one of the things Charlie said was, like, ‘What if the president calls me? Like, what am I supposed to do?’ We live in a day and age where anyone can call you at any time . . . and he’s dealing with massive important matters of state. And you know the pushback, the response is like you actually have to care for yourself more than you care about your appearance in the eyes of the world. And you actually have to know that if you obey this and you actually turn off for 24 hours, it will bring blessing into your life,” he said.  Engelhardt recounted that the pair “kind of argued about it for a minute” before Kirk warmed to the idea and adopted it with great success.  “I just said, ‘Trust me, if you rest, you’ll have more energy and more capacity and more ability.’ And because he’s insanely disciplined, or was insanely disciplined, he started, I think, the next week after I challenged him, and he told me it saved his life, he told it changed his life. And I think that’s there’s so many people that burn out and crash and burn their lives, because they just don’t care for themselves They don’t take care of the body. They don’t recognize that we’re not machines, that we need seasonal rest.” DAVID MARCUS: ERIKA KIRK IS THE MOTHER SQUABBLING CONSERVATIVES NEED Honoring the Sabbath is one of the 10 Commandments, with Engelhardt pointing to both the Old and New Testaments outlining that God, Himself, did not need to rest on the seventh day as described in the Book of Genesis, as He is all powerful, but showed people that they need a pattern of weekly cycles of ends and new beginnings.  “The commandment is that you’re not supposed to work on the Sabbath,” Engelhardt said. “And the idea is, the scripture says, in six days you shall labor, and on the seventh day you shall rest, because it is holy. And so it follows a pattern, the same pattern that we see in Genesis, where God works. He creates the whole world, and then He rests on that seventh day.” “The scripture says, His mercies are new every morning. And so, it’s a really important scripture or principle in the scripture that allows us to start again, to start afresh, to incorporate things like repentance,” the pastor said.  Kirk’s posthumous book was released Dec. 9 and quickly became a best seller on Amazon lists, walking readers through how “observing the Sabbath isn’t a rejection of modern life but a rebellion against busyness and a pathway to genuine connection, peace, and presence,” the book description outlines, specifically, “how to unplug, recharge, and reconnect with God, family, and yourself in a way that nurtures your soul.” ERIKA KIRK WELCOMES ATTENDEES TO FIRST AMERICAFEST SINCE HUSBAND’S DEATH, ENDORSES JD VANCE FOR PRESIDENT The book’s release was followed by TPUSA holding its AmericaFest event in Arizona from Dec. 18 to Dec. 21, where conservatives, supporters of President Donald Trump and others took the stage, frequently celebrating Trump’s accomplishments following his return to office, as well as remembering Kirk following his assassination in September.  Engelhardt told Fox Digital that Kirk’s book on the Sabbath was one of about four book projects Kirk was thinking about and working on ahead of his death, remarking that “Charlie was really excited about it … he just kept saying, ‘I have to get this Sabbath book out.’” During AmFest, old footage of Kirk celebrating his embrace of the Sabbath was projected out to the crowds.  “I actually don’t work one day out of the week, so I take a Sabbath every Saturday, turn my phone off,” Kirk was heard saying in footage played on the first day of AmFest. “No work, just kids,

Trump, Zelenskyy to meet Sunday, as Ukrainian leader vows country will ‘do whatever it takes’ to end war

Trump, Zelenskyy to meet Sunday, as Ukrainian leader vows country will ‘do whatever it takes’ to end war

President Donald Trump will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday in the latest effort to close out four years of war. Zelenskyy will meet Trump in Florida at the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate, where he has spent much of his time over the holiday period. Ukraine’s leader emphasized the need to negotiate from a position of strength in a public statement released prior to their meeting. Russian and Ukrainian negotiations have repeatedly broken down over where the final territorial lines will fall in a peace agreement. “Ukraine is willing to do whatever it takes to stop this war,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “For us, priority number one – or the only priority – is ending the war. For us, the priority is peace. We need to be strong at the negotiating table. To be strong, we need the support of the world: Europe and the United States.” TRUMP’S TEAM REPORTS CONCRETE PROGRESS IN UKRAINE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS WITH EUROPEAN PARTNERS “In this war of Russia against Ukraine, we want peace, and Russia demonstrates a desire to continue the war. If the whole world – Europe and America – is on our side, together we will stop Putin. Because together we will all want the same thing: an end to the war, peace – a normal peace, a sustainable peace, safe for the whole world,” he continued. “If anyone – whether the U.S. or Europe – is on Russia’s side, this means the war will continue. There are no other options here. And this is a risk for all countries in the world. Because Russia will not stop, regardless of any agreements, any eloquent messages from them. They will not stop at Ukraine,” Zelenskyy warned. Zelenskyy’s statement came after Russia redoubled its attacks against Kyiv, sending an overnight assault involving hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles on Saturday. Zelenskyy said the attack put the “true attitude” of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle on display. TRUMP TOUTS ‘TREMENDOUS PROGRESS’ BUT SAYS HE’LL MEET PUTIN AND ZELENSKYY ‘ONLY WHEN’ PEACE DEAL IS FINAL The overnight blitz in Ukraine’s capital left at least one person dead and 27 injured, local authorities told The Associated Press. Trump, ahead of the meeting with Zelenskyy, has said he will call the final shots on a peace deal to end the conflict. “He doesn’t have anything until I approve it,” Trump told Politico Friday. “So we’ll see what he’s got.”  Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,403

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,403

These are the key developments from day 1,403 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. By News Agencies Published On 28 Dec 202528 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Here is where things stand on Sunday, December 28: Fighting At least two people were killed in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and the surrounding region, after Russian forces launched a massive attack with hundreds of missiles and drones, ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with United States President Donald Trump to work out a plan to end nearly four years of war. The attack also wounded at least 46 people, including two children, according to Ukrainian officials. Zelenskyy, who was on his way to meet Trump in Florida, said that Russia had launched nearly 500 drones and 40 missiles, targeting energy and civilian infrastructure. Ukraine’s state grid operator, Ukrenergo, said that energy facilities across Ukraine were struck, and emergency power cuts had been implemented across the capital. DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, said the attack had left more than a million households in and around Kyiv without power. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said that more than 40 percent of residential buildings in Kyiv were left without heat, as temperatures hovered around 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) following the attack. Poland’s Air Navigation Services Agency said in a statement on X that the Rzeszow and Lublin airports in the country’s southeastern region were temporarily shut following Russia’s strikes on Ukraine. The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said that Polish and allied jets were deployed during the attack, but no violations of Polish airspace were reported. In Russia, air defence forces shot down 11 drones headed for the capital, Moscow, according to the city’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin. Russia’s aviation watchdog, Rosaviatsia, said that Moscow’s Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo airports imposed temporary restrictions on airspace due to security reasons. Russia’s Ministry of Defence also said that its air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed more than 100 Ukrainian drones in three hours over six other Russian regions. Russian commanders told President Vladimir Putin that Moscow’s forces had captured the Ukrainian towns of Myrnohrad, Rodynske and Artemivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, as well as Huliaipole and Stepnohirsk in the Zaporizhia region, the Kremlin and Russian news agencies said on Telegram. But Ukraine’s military said in its daily battlefield update that its forces had beaten back Russian attempts to advance in the vicinity of Myrnohrad and Huliaipole. Politics and diplomacy Advertisement Zelenskyy announced in a Telegram message that he would hold talks with European leaders after his meeting with Trump on Sunday, as Kyiv pushes for a stronger position in the ongoing ceasefire negotiations to prevent Russia from prolonging the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy said he wants to discuss with Trump territorial issues, the main stumbling block in talks to end the war, as a 20-point peace framework and a security guarantee deal near completion. On the way to the meeting in Florida, Zelenskyy stopped in Canada’s Halifax to meet Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister said in a statement after the meeting. Carney denounced the latest Russian attack as “barbarism”, stressing that it is important for allies to “stand with Ukraine in this difficult time”. He also announced $1.83bn in additional economic aid to Ukraine. Zelenskyy spoke to European leaders following the meeting with Carney. In a statement posted on X, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “We welcome all efforts leading to our shared objective – a just and lasting peace that preserves Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. And that strengthens the country’s security and defence capabilities.” Antonio Costa, the president of the European Council, which represents the bloc’s 27 member states, echoed von der Leyen’s promise to continue backing Ukraine, saying on X: “The EU’s support for Ukraine will not falter. In war, in peace, in reconstruction.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Zelenskyy had “the full support” of European leaders ahead of his talks with Trump. The leaders of NATO and the European Union said they would work “in close coordination” with the US “for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine”, Merz added in a statement. French President Emmanuel Macron said in a call with Zelenskyy that the latest Russian strikes on Kyiv showed that Moscow was not interested in ending the war, the AFP news agency reported, citing officials from Macron’s office. During the call, Macron highlighted what he called the “contrast” between “the willingness of Ukraine to build a lasting peace and Russia’s determination to prolong the war that it started”, the report said. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia could see Kyiv was in no hurry to end the war by peaceful means, according to the Interfax news agency. Putin said that if Ukraine did not want to resolve the conflict peacefully, then Russia would accomplish all goals of its “special military operation” by force, Russian state news agency TASS reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (right) and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (left) speak to the media as they meet in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, ahead of the former’s meeting with US President Donald Trump on Sunday [Ukrainian Presidential Office/Handout Photo via AFP] Adblock test (Why?)

Polls open in Myanmar as military holds first election since 2021 coup

Polls open in Myanmar as military holds first election since 2021 coup

Polls have opened in Myanmar’s first general election since the country’s military toppled Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in a 2021 coup. The heavily restricted election on Sunday is taking place in about a third of the Southeast Asian nation’s 330 townships, with large areas inaccessible amid a raging civil war between the military and an array of opposition forces. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Following the initial phase, two rounds of voting will be held on January 11 and January 25, while voting has been cancelled in 65 townships altogether. “This means that at least 20 percent of the country is disenfranchised at this stage,” said Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, reporting from Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon. “The big question is going to be here in the cities, what is the turnout going to be like?” In Yangon, polling stations opened at 6am on Sunday (23:30 GMT, Saturday), and once the sun was up, “we’ve seen a relatively regular flow of voters come in,” said Cheng. “But the voters are generally middle aged, and we haven’t seen many young people. When you look at the ballot, there are only few choices. The vast majority of those choices are military parties,” he said. The election has been derided by critics – including the United Nations, some Western countries and human rights ⁠groups – as an exercise that is not free, fair or credible, with anti-military political parties not competing. Aung San Suu Kyi, who was deposed by the military ​months after her National League for Democracy (NLD) won the last general election by a landslide in 2020, remains in detention, and her party has been dissolved. Advertisement The pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is widely expected to emerge as the largest party. The military, which has governed Myanmar since 2021, said the vote is a chance for a new start, politically and economically, for the nation of 55 million people, with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing consistently framing the polls as a path to reconciliation. Dressed in civilian clothes, the military chief cast his ballot shortly after polling stations opened in Naypyidaw, the country’s capital. He then held up an ink-soaked figure and smiled widely. Voters must dip a ⁠finger into indelible ink after casting a ballot to ensure they do not vote more than once. He told reporters afterwards that the elections are free and fair, and the vote was not tarnished because it is being held by the military. The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar, in an opinion piece on Sunday, said the poll would open a new chapter and “serve as bridge for the people of Myanmar to reach a prosperous future”. Earlier, it reported that election observers from Russia, China, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Nicaragua and India have flown into the country ahead of the polls. ‘A resounding USDP victory’ But with fighting still raging in many areas of the country, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Tom Andrews called on the international community to reject the military-run poll. “An election organised by a junta that continues to bomb civilians, jail political leaders and criminalise all forms of dissent is not an election – it is a theatre of the absurd performed at gunpoint,” Andrews said in a statement. “This is not a pathway out of Myanmar’s crisis. It is a ploy that will perpetuate repression, division and conflict,” he said. The civil war, which was triggered by the 2021 coup, has killed an estimated 90,000 people, displaced 3.5 million and left some 22 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, more than 22,000 people are currently detained for political offences. In downtown Yangon, stations were cordoned off overnight, with security staff posted outside, while armed officers guarded traffic intersections. Election officials set up equipment and installed electronic voting machines, which are being used for the first time in Myanmar. The machines will not allow write-in candidates or spoiled ballots. Among a trickle of early voters in the city was 45-year-old Swe Maw, who dismissed international criticism. Advertisement “It’s not an important matter,” he told the AFP news agency. “There are always people who like and dislike.” In the central Mandalay region, 40-year-old Moe Moe Myint said it was “impossible for this election to be free and fair”. “How can we support a junta-run election when this military has destroyed our lives?” she told AFP. “We are homeless, hiding in jungles, and living between life and death,” she added. The second round of polling will take place in two weeks’ time, before the third and final round on January 25. Dates for counting votes and announcing election results have not been declared. Analysts say the military’s attempt to establish a stable administration in the midst of an expansive conflict is fraught with risk, and that significant international recognition is unlikely for any military-controlled government. “The outcome is hardly in doubt: a resounding USDP victory and a continuation of army rule with a thin civilian veneer,” wrote Richard Horsey, an analyst at the International Crisis Group in a briefing earlier this month. “But it will in no way ease Myanmar’s political crisis or weaken the resolve of a determined armed resistance. Instead, it will likely harden political divisions and prolong Myanmar’s state failure. The new administration, which will take power in April 2026, will have few better options, little credibility and likely no feasible strategy for moving the country in a positive direction,” he added. The Southeast Asian nation of about 50 million is riven by civil war, and there will be no voting in rebel-held areas, which is more than half the country [Nhac Nguyen/AFP] Adblock test (Why?)

UK curbs DRC visas, announces migrant return deals with Angola, Namibia

UK curbs DRC visas, announces migrant return deals with Angola, Namibia

The United Kingdom has imposed visa restrictions on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, accusing its government of failing to cooperate with its new policy on the return of undocumented migrants and those who commit criminal offences. The UK Home Office announced the measures in a statement late on Saturday. It also said that Angola and Namibia have agreed to step up efforts to take back their citizens. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The agreements mark the first major change under sweeping reforms unveiled by Secretary of State for the Home Department Shabana Mahmood last month to make refugee status temporary and speed up the deportation of those who arrive without documents in the UK. There was no immediate comment from the DRC, Angola or Namibia. The Home Office said the DRC failed to meet the UK’s requirements for cooperation and has now been stripped of fast-track visa services and preferential treatment for VIPs and decision makers. Mahmood said the UK could escalate measures to a complete halt of visas for the DRC unless cooperation rapidly improves. “We expect countries to play by the rules. If one of their citizens has no right to be here, they must take them back,” she said. “I thank Angola and Namibia and welcome their co-operation. Now is the time for the Democratic Republic of Congo to do the right thing. Take your citizens back or lose the privilege of entering our country. “This is just the start of the measures I am taking to secure our border and ramp up the removal of those with no right to be here,” she added. Prime Minister Keir Streamer’s centre-left government unveiled sweeping changes to the UK’s asylum system last month, including drastically cutting protections for refugees and their children, as part of a bid to stem the arrivals of irregular migrants that have fuelled rising anger on the far-right. Advertisement More than 39,000 people, many fleeing conflict, have arrived in the UK on small boats this year, more than for the whole of 2024 but lower than the record set in 2022, when the Conservatives were in power. Mahmood told lawmakers that the reforms, modelled on Denmark’s strict asylum system, would discourage refugees and asylum seekers from crossing the English Channel from France on small boats. She described the current system as “out of control and unfair”, adding that it was an “uncomfortable truth” that the government must face. Under the reforms, refugee status will become temporary and will be reviewed every 30 months. Refugees will be forced to return to their home countries once those are deemed safe. They will also need to wait for 20 years, instead of the current five, before they can apply for permanent residency. The government has also said it will legislate to make it harder for irregular migrants and foreign criminals to use the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to stop deportation. Since July last year, the UK has “removed more than 50,000 people with no right to remain”, a 23 percent increase on the previous period, and instructed diplomats to make returns a top priority, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Yvette Cooper said. The policy has been facing criticism, however, with Mark Davies, a former adviser to the Foreign Office, calling it “shameful” and a departure from “Britain’s historic commitment to support refugees”. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also described the policy as “draconian”, adding that it tries to “appease the most ghastly, racist right-wing forces all across Europe”, while undermining the UN Convention on Human Rights. Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, urged the government to reconsider, warning the plans “will not deter” crossings, and that refugees who work hard should be able to build “secure, settled lives”. Official figures cited by the AFP news agency showed that asylum claims in the UK are at a record high, with about 111,000 applications made in the year to June 2025. But the number of initial positive decisions the UK authorities granted fell from 2023 to 2024. Most asylum seekers and refugees arrive in the UK legally. Net migration reached a record high of 906,000 in the year to June 2023, before it fell to 431,000 in 2024, partly reflecting the tighter rules. Adblock test (Why?)