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Wed, 26 March 2025
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Yvette Cooper MP

Yvette Cooper MP

Labour MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford and chair of the Home Affairs Committee

Home Secretary Announces 'Rapid Audit' of Grooming Gangs Plus Backing For New Local Inquiries
Home affairs
Home Secretary Announces "Rapid Audit" of Grooming Gangs Plus Backing For New Local Inquiries
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced a "rapid three-month audit" of the scale and nature of grooming gangs in the UK, as well as "stronger national backing for local inquiries".
Labour MP Welcomes New Law To Criminalise 'Sophisticated' 3D Guns
Home affairs
Labour MP Welcomes New Law To Criminalise "Sophisticated" 3D Guns
A Labour MP who is leading calls to outlaw 3D guns has welcomed the news that the Home Office will introduce legislation to close what she described as a "really bizarre" and dangerous loophole.
New Report Urges Government To Overhaul Asylum Seeker Accommodation System
Home affairs
New Report Urges Government To Overhaul Asylum Seeker Accommodation System
An influential left-leaning think tank has urged the Government to overhaul the provision of asylum seeker accommodation and give more powers to local bodies.
Government Spent £80m Fighting Legal Challenges Against The Home Office Last Year
Home affairs
Government Spent £80m Fighting Legal Challenges Against The Home Office Last Year
The Government spent more than £79m fighting legal challenges against the Home Office in 2023 — more than in the previous three years combined.
Labour MP For Hartlepool Says 'Broken' Asylum System Needs Review After Riots
Communities
Labour MP For Hartlepool Says "Broken" Asylum System Needs Review After Riots
The new Labour MP for Hartlepool has said he has “deep frustrations” about the lack of openness and transparency of private companies operating in the UK asylum system, but insisted this was a “separate conversation” to tackling the riots affecting his constituency and other areas.
Keir Starmer Announces 'National Capability' Across Police Forces To Tackle 'Mindless' Disorder
Home affairs
Keir Starmer Announces "National Capability" Across Police Forces To Tackle "Mindless" Disorder
Keir Starmer has announced a new “national capability” across police forces nationwide in response to "mindless" disorder in the wake of the Southport knife attack.
Rwanda Scheme Has Cost Britain £700 million
Political parties
Rwanda Scheme Has Cost Britain £700 million
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said the Rwanda Scheme legislated for by the previous Conservative government has already cost the taxpayer £700million.
Labour Wants Local Authorities To Have A Say On Asylum Seeker Accommodation
Home affairs
Labour Wants Local Authorities To Have A Say On Asylum Seeker Accommodation
The Labour Party is tabling an amendment to the government’s Illegal Migration Bill that would put a duty on the home secretary to consult with local authorities when choosing areas for asylum seeker accommodation.
UK Economy Forecast To Shrink, Teachers Set To Strike, Labour Calls For Anti-Social Crime Crackdown
Economy
UK Economy Forecast To Shrink, Teachers Set To Strike, Labour Calls For Anti-Social Crime Crackdown
The UK is the only country in the developed world whose economy is expected to shrink next year, according to a new IMF report which has placed the blame on high energy prices and government spending rules.
Rishi Sunak Holds Cabinet Away Day, Matt Hancock Assault Suspect Charged, Pressure To Get Child Refugees Out Of Hotels
Home affairs
Rishi Sunak Holds Cabinet Away Day, Matt Hancock Assault Suspect Charged, Pressure To Get Child Refugees Out Of Hotels
Rishi Sunak is expected to strategise for the next election alongside senior ministers at Chequers today, in a Cabinet "away day" at the Prime Minister's country residence.
Tory MPs Criticise Harry And Meghan, Jeremy Hunt's Major Financial Reform, Labour To 'Fast-track' Asylum Claims
Political parties
Tory MPs Criticise Harry And Meghan, Jeremy Hunt's Major Financial Reform, Labour To "Fast-track" Asylum Claims
Conservative MP Bob Seely has said he is planning to bring forward legislation in an attempt to strip Harry and Meghan of their titles in the wake of their controversial Netflix documentary in which they are highly critical of the royal family and the British media.
Immigration Minister Warns Against 'Demonising' Migrants After Suella Braverman's 'Invasion' Comment
Communities
Immigration Minister Warns Against "Demonising" Migrants After Suella Braverman's "Invasion" Comment
Robert Jenrick has said that ministers need to "choose words carefully" after the Home Secretary has faced criticism for describing migrants arriving on the south coast of England as an "invasion" in a Commons debate on Monday.

Minister Defends Government Cyber-Security Practices After Liz Truss Hacking Claims
Defence
Minister Defends Government Cyber-Security Practices After Liz Truss Hacking Claims
Conservative MP and government minister Mark Spencer has insisted that ministers are warned against using personal phones for official business after Liz Truss was reportedly targeted by Russian hackers.
Rishi Sunak Criticised For Reappointing 'Careless And Slapdash' Suella Braverman After Security Breach
Home affairs
Rishi Sunak Criticised For Reappointing "Careless And Slapdash" Suella Braverman After Security Breach
Labour has called for clarity about the nature of the security breach that led to Suella Braverman’s resignation last week after she was reappointed to her previous role as home secretary in Rishi Sunak's new cabinet.
Labour will continue to take a lead on tackling violence against women and girls
Home affairs
By Yvette Cooper MP
Labour will continue to take a lead on tackling violence against women and girls
Everyone should be able to feel safe in our homes, on our streets and in our communities. All of us should be able to live in freedom from fear. Yet for too many women that is just not the case, and we should not stand for this.
Boris Johnson Accused Of 'Deflecting Attention” From Meeting With Ex-KGB Agent
Foreign affairs
Boris Johnson Accused Of "Deflecting Attention” From Meeting With Ex-KGB Agent
A senior Labour MP has accused Boris Johnson of trying to “deflect attention” from his meeting with ex-KGB agent Alexander Lebedev without officials present when he was Foreign Secretary by highlighting connections other MPs have to his media mogul son.
Priti Patel Accuses Rwanda Scheme Critics Of Degrading The African Country
Home affairs
Priti Patel Accuses Rwanda Scheme Critics Of Degrading The African Country
Home Secretary Priti Patel has accused the Labour party and opponents of the government’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda of talking down and “traducing” the east African state.
The Yvette Cooper interview: 'Priti Patel's Home Office is failing'
Home affairs
By Sienna Rodgers
The Yvette Cooper interview: 'Priti Patel's Home Office is failing'
Yvette Cooper is back on the Labour front bench and in a brief which is familiar territory. The shadow home secretary talks to Sienna Rodgers about how she hopes new leadership will change Labour’s fortunes – and why she would do a better job than Priti Patel
Yvette Cooper Says Priti Patel Is The “Weakest Home Secretary I’ve Ever Seen”
Home affairs
Yvette Cooper Says Priti Patel Is The “Weakest Home Secretary I’ve Ever Seen”
Exclusive: Yvette Cooper has described Priti Patel as “the weakest Home Secretary that I’ve ever seen” and declared that “Priti Patel's Home Office is failing” amid widespread criticism of the UK’s Ukrainian refugee scheme.
Ukrainian Refugees Facing Homelessness Are Abandoning The UK's 'Shambolic' Visa Scheme
Communities
Ukrainian Refugees Facing Homelessness Are Abandoning The UK's "Shambolic" Visa Scheme
Desperate Ukrainian refugees say they are facing homelessness after some have been left waiting over a month for Home Office approval to travel to the UK.
Government Accused Of 'Unworkable, Unethical And Extortionate' Rwanda Asylum Seeker Relocation
Foreign affairs
Government Accused Of "Unworkable, Unethical And Extortionate" Rwanda Asylum Seeker Relocation
The Home Secretary has defended her plans to "relocate" asylum seekers to Rwanda after a wave of criticism over a new scheme to deport people who have illegally entered the UK to the African country.
Priti Patel Has Apologised For 'Frustrating' Delays To Ukraine Refugee Visa Scheme
Defence
Priti Patel Has Apologised For "Frustrating" Delays To Ukraine Refugee Visa Scheme
Home Secretary Priti Patel has apologised for delays to the Ukraine visa scheme as data reveals fewer than 3% of applicants have arrived in the UK.
Changes To Ukrainian Refugee Visas 'A Step In The Right Direction' But Priti Patel Faces Calls To Go Further
Home affairs
Changes To Ukrainian Refugee Visas "A Step In The Right Direction" But Priti Patel Faces Calls To Go Further
A 'streamlined' Ukrainian refugee visa process has been hailed as “a step in the right direction” by some Conservative MPs, but Priti Patel is still under pressure to reform the policy further after a week of Home Office chaos.
Priti Patel Announces 'Streamlining' Of Ukrainian Refugee Visa Process After Major Backlash
Foreign affairs
Priti Patel Announces "Streamlining" Of Ukrainian Refugee Visa Process After Major Backlash
Ukrainian passport holders will now have access to a new online system for securing UK visas from next week, the home secretary has announced.
Brandon Lewis Confirms British Troops Will Not Be Deployed To Ukraine As UK Looks For Diplomatic Solution
Foreign affairs
Brandon Lewis Confirms British Troops Will Not Be Deployed To Ukraine As UK Looks For Diplomatic Solution
Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis said the UK is focused on a “diplomatic solution” to Russian aggression against Ukraine as he confirmed British troops will not be sent to the region.
Action, not warm words, is needed to stamp racism out of policing for once and for all
Home affairs
By Yvette Cooper MP
Action, not warm words, is needed to stamp racism out of policing for once and for all
Nearly four decades on from Stephen Lawrence’s racist murder, the police and government need to deliver urgent change so that community confidence and the long-standing principle of fairness in policing are not permanently undermined.
MPs Call For Six-Month Limit On Domestic Abuse Assault Prosecutions To Be Scrapped
Home affairs
MPs Call For Six-Month Limit On Domestic Abuse Assault Prosecutions To Be Scrapped
A cross-party group of MPs has proposed an amendment to the government’s policing bill which would give domestic abuse victims more time to bring assault charges against their abusers. 
Border Guards Don’t Know How Many Fake Covid Test Certificates Are Used To Get Into UK
Transport
Border Guards Don’t Know How Many Fake Covid Test Certificates Are Used To Get Into UK
The number of people entering the UK with a fake negative Covid test is “inherently unknowable” and the current immigration system is “based on trust”, say border staff.
Boris Johnson Warns France May Go On Travel “Red List” To Prevent Covid Variants Arriving Across The Channel
Coronavirus
Boris Johnson Warns France May Go On Travel “Red List” To Prevent Covid Variants Arriving Across The Channel
Boris Johnson has admitted that putting France on the "red list" for travel was "something that we will have to look at" to prevent importing new Covid variants.
Home Office Housed Asylum Seekers In “Filthy, Impoverished And Unsafe” Barracks During Pandemic
Coronavirus
Home Office Housed Asylum Seekers In “Filthy, Impoverished And Unsafe” Barracks During Pandemic
A highly critical report into the use of “filthy” army barracks to house asylum seekers during the Covid-19 pandemic is “damning criticism of the leadership and culture of the Home Office”, according to Yvette Cooper.
Priti Patel Blames “Mingling” Asylum Seekers For Covid Outbreak At Napier Army Barracks
Coronavirus
Priti Patel Blames “Mingling” Asylum Seekers For Covid Outbreak At Napier Army Barracks
The Home Office has revealed that 178 asylum seekers caught coronavirus last month while being held at an army barracks in Kent in a dramatic Commons committee hearing this morning.
The Government Must Take Stronger Action On Borders To Protect Us From New Covid Variants
Coronavirus
By Yvette Cooper MP
The Government Must Take Stronger Action On Borders To Protect Us From New Covid Variants
The government’s Covid border policy isn’t working. Rightly ministers said they wanted to prevent the new South Africa variant taking hold in the UK and threatening to undermine our vaccine programme.
Yvette Cooper Calls Government A “Chaotic Mess” Over Delay In Demanding A Negative Covid Test At The UK Border
Coronavirus
Yvette Cooper Calls Government A “Chaotic Mess” Over Delay In Demanding A Negative Covid Test At The UK Border
Yvette Cooper has said that hold-ups on the requirement for a negative Covid test before being admitted into the UK shows the government has “never had a proper effective system in place.”
Coronavirus: Failure to toughen border measures made pandemic 'much worse' for UK, MPs say
Coronavirus
Coronavirus: Failure to toughen border measures made pandemic 'much worse' for UK, MPs say
A series of "critical errors" in the Government's approach to travellers entering the UK made the coronavirus pandemic much worse, a cross-party group of MPs has said.
Priti Patel says it was ‘absolutely right’ to wait until June to bring in coronavirus quarantine in committee clash with Yvette Cooper
Coronavirus
Priti Patel says it was ‘absolutely right’ to wait until June to bring in coronavirus quarantine in committee clash with Yvette Cooper
Priti Patel has said it was “absolutely right” for the Government to wait until June to bring in quarantine measures for all international arrivals to the UK.
Boris Johnson under mounting pressure to protect child refugees as Immigration Bill rebellion grows
Home affairs
Boris Johnson under mounting pressure to protect child refugees as Immigration Bill rebellion grows
Boris Johnson is under increasing pressure to guarantee the rights of child refugees, as support for cross-party amendments to the government's Immigration Bill grows.