Tag: Home Office

The press release issued by the Home Office on 13 April 2026.

The Home Secretary has announced the appointment of Tim Jacques as the government’s new Independent Prevent Commissioner.

Today, the Home Secretary has announced the appointment of Tim Jacques as the government’s new Independent Prevent Commissioner, following a robust open competition. 

In December 2024, the role was created by the former Home Secretary to provide consistent oversight, increase effectiveness and develop insight into the Prevent system over the longer term.

Tim brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles as Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Counter Terrorism Policing, as well as Senior National Coordinator for Prevent and Pursue. In June 2022 he became an executive advisory board member at The Leadership in Counter Terrorism Alumni Association too. Tim is also Chief Executive Officer of the Vault Youth Zone, Preston, a charity that provides young people access to facilities and activities in sports, arts, performance and enterprise. 

Welcoming the appointment, the Security Minister, Dan Jarvis, said:

I am delighted to announce that Timothy Jacques has been appointed as the Independent Prevent Commissioner.

Protecting the public is this government’s first duty and Prevent remains a vital tool in keeping people safe by intervening early to stop individuals from being drawn into terrorism. I am confident that Mr Jacques’ experience and expertise will support continued improvements to the programme and help ensure Prevent continues to operate effectively and proportionately.

I’d like to thank Lord Anderson for his time as interim Independent Prevent Commissioner and for his report ‘Lessons for Prevent’, which has made a significant contribution to strengthening Prevent and will continue to shape the government’s work in this area. We are incredibly grateful for the knowledge, sense of purpose and duty he brought to the post.

Independent Prevent Commissioner, Tim Jacques, said:

I am delighted, honoured and humbled to be appointed to this important, independent public role. I am grateful to Lord Anderson and his team for the work already undertaken as the Interim Prevent Commissioner, and for his support to me in taking up this position.

Preventing terrorism matters. I believe the British public want a system that is understandable, accessible, coherent and consistently applied, in a fair and non-discriminatory way.

Most of all we need a system that works, as best as it possibly can, in preventing terrorist atrocities and terrorist motivated offending, with all the ensuing human cost, and wider societal impact.

This role was introduced to bring independent, objective oversight and scrutiny of Prevent and its effectiveness. In order meet this requirement I will work with and listen to anyone with a genuine interest in Prevent, be they policy makers, practitioners, proponents, informed observers or those with genuine concerns.

As part of his role, Mr Jacques will provide independent strategic oversight and a review function for Prevent to ensure that it can meet its objectives as effectively as possible. He will begin his tenure on Tuesday 14 April, the day after Lord Anderson’s tenure finishes. 

The press release issued by the Home Office on 10 April 2026.

£5 million funding boost to increase deployment of highly trained officers to identify and disrupt criminals and terrorists in key public spaces.

Communities across the country, particularly Jewish and other faith communities, will be supported by additional specialist officers on the streets thanks to £5 million of new funding.

New funding will increase deployments under Project Servator, a national policing tactic which disrupts criminal activity and protects communities through highly visible and unpredictable deployments.

The specialist officers are trained to spot suspicious activity and identify individuals who are preparing to commit serious crimes, including acts of terrorism.

Funding will be initially focused on supporting communities in London and Manchester, with the Metropolitan Police Service and Greater Manchester Police expected to step up patrols to stop potential terrorist threats and reconnaissance.

It comes during a period of increased concern for some communities across the country as both antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate crime have reached record highs.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said:

At a time of heightened concern for some communities, it is vital that we step up our support.

Project Servator has a proven track record of stopping criminals and terrorists through highly visible, unpredictable deployments that vary in time and location, deterring those planning harm and reassuring the public.

This new funding will back the police with the resources they need to step up patrols, protect communities, and keep people safe in the places where they live, work and worship.

The uplift in Servator deployments follows the arson attack on the Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green, the charging of individuals under the National Security Act for alleged surveillance of Jewish sites, the terrorist attack at Heaton Park synagogue and arson attack at Peacehaven mosque last year.

Project Servator officers disrupt crime through highly visible and unpredictable deployments, consisting of uniformed and plain clothes officers, as well as specialist units. Previous deployments have led to arrests, seizures of drugs and weapons, and the collection of critical intelligence to support counter-terrorism investigations.

Officers also engage with the public and businesses to further heighten awareness, encouraging everyone to stay alert and act swiftly on anything unusual.

Matt Jukes Deputy Commissioner at the Metropolitan Police Service said:

Our communities are the heart of policing, and everything we do is focused on keeping people safe and feeling protected where they live, work and worship. Servator deployments are an important way we deliver that, by placing specialist officers at key locations to deter criminal activity and provide visible reassurance.

In recent months, we have increased our presence around faith and community sites, strengthened the way we support victims and investigate hate crime, and continued to build strong relationships with faith leaders and local representatives. We welcome this funding, which will help us go further in working alongside communities and safeguarding what matters most to them.

This new funding forms part of a package of measures to protect communities across the country, including a record £73.4 million in funding for protective security at Jewish, Muslim, and other faith sites.

It also follows a fundamental reset in how we approach countering extremism so that the government can keep the public safe, with new measures introduced to expand our visa taskforce to stop foreign extremists from ever setting foot on UK soil and bolster our disruption capability to dismantle extremist networks nationwide and keep the public safe.

Greater Manchester Police Inspector Chris Hadfield, our Tactical Lead for Project Servator said:

Project Servator plays a vital role in our approach to public safety, by providing a combination of police visibility, community engagement and partnership working to protect our people across GM.

This additional funding strengthens our commitment to Project Servator and will allow us the opportunity to expand the work we do in disrupting criminal activity. Our specially trained officers spot the tell-tale signs that someone is planning to commit an act of crime, while maintaining a strong and reassuring presence within the local communities.

Since launching at GMP in 2016, Project Servator has continued to work in busy areas across the city, as well as maintaining safety at wider public events that visit Manchester, such as the BRIT Awards earlier this year.

Our patrols are highly visible, but deployments are unpredictable, and can happen at any time, in any given location. The teams also regularly conduct deployments in and around local faith communities, supporting with cultural events and holy days.

It is our aim that this funding will continue to support this mission and ensure the public always know the best places to report any suspicious or unusual activity.

Project Servator was devised by the City of London Police.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 7 April 2026.

Over 3,000 additional police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) have been put into neighbourhood roles in less than a year, as new figures reveal the government has hit this target 2 months ahead of schedule. 

While murders and serious violent crimes are at their lowest level for more than a decade, communities have continued to be blighted by shop theft, mobile phone theft and drug offences.

Figures released today show that 3,123 additional neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs have been hired or redeployed since April last year and are now focused on fighting local crimes in communities.

Last year the government pledged to have 3,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel by the end of March 2026, meeting the target in January.

The increase in neighbourhood officers is already delivering results. The Home Office’s Winter of Action scheme across December and January saw almost 18,000 arrests across more than 600 towns and cities as police presence and patrols were ramped up.

Of these, over 5,000 were for retail crime, over 1,000 for sexual offences, almost 1,000 for street crime, and over 10,000 – more than half – were for violent assault.

Crime and Policing Minister, Sarah Jones, said:  

Neighbourhood policing was hollowed out under the previous government. Communities were left to face an epidemic of everyday crime that all too often seemed to go unpunished.

To make matters worse, too many officers have been stuck behind desks in support roles when we need them out on our streets.

We’re delivering the biggest reforms to policing in over 200 years and, crucially, putting 13,000 more neighbourhood officers where they belong – on the beat and fighting crime in our communities. The government will halve knife crime within a decade, saving lives and protecting communities.

Significant successes have been seen across some of the busiest individual forces in country, including these self-reported examples:

• South Wales reporting a 37% reduction in home burglaries and a 14% reduction in anti-social behaviour
• Greater Manchester Police making more than 1,300 arrests – more than 400 were for anti-social behaviour, 272 for retail crime, and 170 for serious violent crime
• Merseyside Police making 1,045 arrests, with retail crime arrests up 26% on the previous 2 months before the campaign, while street crime arrests increased by 71%

The early delivery of additional neighbourhood officers marks a major milestone in meeting the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which will ultimately see 13,000 additional neighbourhood personnel by the end of this parliament – an increase of more than 75%.

The guarantee is putting officers back on the beat, tackling the issues that matter most to their local communities. Arrests already rose by 5% last year, as the renewed focus on neighbourhood policing delivers real results.

All police forces have now also published bespoke antisocial behaviour action plans – another key commitment of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee – setting out how they intend to continue tackling antisocial behaviour (ASB) in their communities. The plans were published by each force’s designated antisocial behaviour lead, roles that were established last year as part of the guarantee.

John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch Network, said:

The government increasing the number of neighbourhood police officers is welcome and essential, and the quality of relationships built with communities will embed confidence. That is where the benefit of working with people and community organisations is realised.

Neighbourhood Watch has been advocating for named, contactable local officers for many years. Local people know their areas best, and when police engage with communities meaningfully, it generates valuable intelligence and insight that simply cannot be gathered any other way.

Harvinder Saimbhi, CEO of ASB Help, said:

It’s positive to see 3,000 neighbourhood officers are now in place, with a mandate to deliver the ASB Action Plan and work with key local agencies on priorities most important to communities.

For ASB victims to be able to have direct conversations about their concerns will provide crucial reassurance that their experiences are taken seriously, and that meaningful steps will be taken to address the issues affecting their daily lives.

Dal Babu, former Chief Superintendent at the Metropolitan Police, said:  

The government’s investment in an extra 3,000 neighbourhood officers is an excellent opportunity to focus on the crimes which cause huge harm in our communities.

As someone who worked on reducing anti-social behaviour in my 30-year police career, I am extremely pleased to see the decades-long hollowing out of neighbourhood policing is being reversed.

Association of Convenience Stores Chief Executive, Ed Woodall, said:  

We strongly welcome the government’s commitment to increasing police presence in communities, which has led to a majority of retailers reporting better relationships with their local police forces.  

We now need to capitalise on this momentum so that more repeat shop thieves are brought to justice and taken out of the cycle of reoffending. Local shops remain committed to working with the police to make this happen.

Today, the government will launch its plan to halve knife crime within a decade. Titled ‘Protecting Lives, Building Hope’, it will save lives, transform the futures of young people and protect communities across the country. 

To tackle knife crime, the government will support young people so they get the best start in life, stop those at risk from turning to knife crime and police our streets to catch and punish perpetrators.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 5 April 2026.

New figures show a record year for County Lines enforcement, with more gang leaders charged and knives seized than ever before, backed by £34m in new funding.

More drug lines have been closed, gang leaders arrested and dangerous weapons seized than ever before due to County Lines operations.  

New data released today shows that 2,740 County Lines have been closed, 1,657 gang leaders charged and 961 knives were seized in 2025. Since the election, these operations have resulted in 3,785 line closures, 2,175 gang leaders charged and 1,229 knives taken off the streets.   

County Lines are a method of drug dealing by gangs, running drugs from metropolitan cities to smaller towns – leaving a trail of exploited children and violence across the country.  

The Government funds police operations under the County Lines Programme to dismantle criminal gangs that use violence and exploit children to transport drugs and knives. 

The funding supports police operations which include intelligence gathering on gangs, targeted house raids and drug seizures across the transport network, putting gang leaders behind bars and ensuring the phones lines used for drug deals cannot be brought back into use.  

County Lines Programme has led to a 25% reduction in hospital admissions for stabbings in key areas, preventing more than 800 stabbings a year.  

The figures come as next Tuesday, the Government will launch its plan to halve knife crime within a decade. Titled “‘Protecting Lives, Building Hope”, it will save lives, transform the futures of young people and protect communities across the country. 

To tackle knife crime, the Government will support young people so they get the best start in life, stop those at risk from turning to knife crime and police our streets to catch and punish perpetrators. 

Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones said: 

“We are shutting down more criminal lines, busting more gang leaders and seizing more dangerous knives off our streets than ever before.  

“I will not rest in the relentless pursuit of these horrific criminals that leave a trail of violence and exploitation in their wake. 

“The Government will halve knife crime within a decade, saving lives and protecting communities.” 

Building on these results, the Government will invest more than £34 million in the County Lines Programme this year, ensuring the national fight continues against the violent gangs who exploit children and fuel serious violence. 

The new funding includes more than £28 million for policing, as confirmed through the Police Funding Settlement, ensuring forces have the resources they need to disrupt organised drug networks, close down active lines and safeguard those at risk of exploitation. 

Naomi Hulston, Chief Executive Officer, Catch22 said:  

“Catch22 is proud to deliver the national County Lines Support Service, working alongside Government and police to safeguard thousands of child victims through trauma-informed support and achieve the incredible impact of the County Lines Programme.   

 “No child should become a victim of violence, County Lines, or exploitation. Across our services we have seen a worrying trend of younger victims and an increasing impact on girls and young women, so collaborative approaches are even more vital.   

“As a member of the Government’s Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, Catch22 is committed to working together to draw a line under violence and exploitation for good.” 

These new Programme results follow the most successful County Lines Intensification Week from 2-8 March, involving forces across England, Wales and Scotland taking targeted action against County Lines gangs. In the space of a week, police closed 355 lines, resulting in 2,180 arrests and 1,348 people safeguarded.  

Detective Superintendent Dan Mitchell, Head of the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC), said:  

“As the results from our latest intensification week demonstrate, tackling County Lines remains a top priority for policing.  

“Since the Home Office-funded County Lines Programme was established, we are now closing more lines, charging more violent offenders, and protecting more children and adults at risk of exploitation and other harms than ever before. 

“As County Lines gangs’ methods evolve, our policing approach – led by the NCLCC – does too. We remain committed to pursuing high-harm County Lines and those controlled by violent drug dealers, so that we can prevent harm, protect children and vulnerable adults, and disrupt criminal activity.”

Tackling County Lines is central to the mission to halve knife crime. By relentlessly disrupting the drug networks that fuel serious violence and exploit young people, the County Lines Programme is helping to drive lasting reductions in harm. It has led to a 25% fall in hospital admissions for stabbings across key County Lines exporter areas, preventing more than 800 stabbings each year. 

The ongoing funding will help the police across the UK to continue to work together effectively to tackle County Lines drug supply, violence and exploitation. It will also support work with local partners to protect young people who are at risk, deal with the causes of knife crime and help keep communities safe. 

This includes doing more to stop children being exploited by criminals. The Government is bringing in a new child criminal exploitation offence through the Crime and Policing Bill to prosecute adults criminally exploiting children. It will also introduce new court orders to stop this exploitation before it happens or stop it from happening again. 

These changes will help target the gangs who groom and pressure young people into violence and criminal activity. 

The Bill also creates new offences to tackle practices used by County Lines gangs, including taking over someone’s home to deal drugs (known as cuckooing) and forcing people to conceal drugs inside their bodies (internal concealment). 

Together, these measures will give the police stronger powers to break up organised crime gangs, go after those who exploit others, and better protect children and vulnerable people. 

Kathy Betteridge, Director of Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery for The Salvation Army, said: 

“We welcome the Government’s action to tackle County Lines and the violence and devastation of lives that goes with it. We recognise the vital focus on prevention, the continued investment, and the clear results it is bringing. 

“Through our work supporting survivors and in the heart of communities across the country, we see first-hand the devastating impact of County Lines exploitation, where young and vulnerable people are groomed, coerced and drawn into violence by criminal gangs. 

“For future investment to succeed, it must continue to prioritise early intervention, trusted relationships and long-term support to protect people from harm and help them build safer futures.”

The press release issued by the Home Office on 1 April 2026.

New law will target those who harass women and girls in public because of their sex.

Everyone will be safer to walk the streets freely without fear of public sexual harassment after the government brought in a powerful new law today.

For far too long, women and girls in particular have been expected to endure obscene comments, threats of sexual violence, and unnecessary, threatening invasions of their personal space to intimidate them in public.

These behaviours can force women and girls to change their routes, routines and behaviour just to feel safe. The perpetrators can all too often leave their victims feeling anxious, shattering their confidence, and forcing them to stay on high alert just to go about their lives freely. Too often, when this behaviour goes unchecked, we know that it can form part of a wider pattern of behaviour involving more serious crimes.

This government will not tolerate this. We have declared violence against women and girls a national emergency and are using the full power of the state to tackle these crimes with the seriousness they deserve, stepping in early to stop harassment escalating into more serious violence.

The new sex-based harassment offence introduced today gives police stronger powers to act decisively. It covers intentional harassment directed at someone because of their sex including where perpetrators target women and girls in public places, including streets, parks, public transport, taxis, shops and other everyday spaces.

Crucially, the law, which began as a Private Members’ Bill brought in by Greg Clark and Lord Wolfson of Tredegar, sees perpetrators receiving tougher consequences, including up to 2 years behind bars.

The government will work closely with police, frontline organisations, and campaign groups to ensure the new law is enforced robustly.

Police will follow new statutory guidance published today so the law is applied consistently across England and Wales, ensuring offenders have nowhere to hide and face real consequences.

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, said:

The sad reality is that many women and girls have been cornered, leered at or shouted at in public, or have faced intimidating threats of violence.

Too often they’ve been made to feel like it’s their problem to manage. That is not good enough.

Instead of forcing women and girls to change their behaviour, we are going after those who choose to target and intimidate them.

These new laws put the focus on perpetrators. If you harass someone in public because of their sex, it will not be tolerated and you can face a criminal record and up to 2 years behind bars.

Rose Caldwell, the CEO at Plan International UK, said:

Everyone deserves to move through public spaces without fear. For too long, girls and young women have been left alone to navigate harassment that chips away at their confidence, dignity and freedom. Today marks a long-overdue shift that will make a genuine difference to their lives.

As the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act comes into force, we now have clear guidance that names these behaviours for what they are: illegal and unacceptable. Girls shouldn’t have to fear uninvited touching on public transport or accept that it’s ‘just the way things are’ when they get catcalled on the street.

This is a win for all those who campaigned for safer streets and really matters in a world where we are seeing women and girls’ rights increasingly under attack. We’ll keep advocating to ensure victims feel safe to report this crime and continue banging the drum that this must be paired with prevention. This includes tackling misogyny early in our schools. Without addressing root causes of sexual harassment, we won’t fix the system that holds us all back from a fairer world.

Georgia Theodoulou, Director of Advocacy at Our Streets Now, said:

As a grassroots organisation, we are extremely proud to have affected legal change in the UK, which is testament to the power of young campaigners and the MPs and lawyers who supported us over the years.

We know that whilst this sends a message that public sexual harassment will no longer be normalised for so many women and girls, the law alone will not change the problematic culture we still live in.

We will carry this success forward in our preventative education work with professionals and young people in the UK.

Michael Kill, CEO of Night Time Industries Association, said:

This is a significant and welcome step forward in tackling behaviour that has too often been normalised or dismissed. No one should feel unsafe or intimidated simply for going about their daily life, and it is right that the focus is now firmly on those who perpetrate this conduct rather than those who endure it.

From an industry perspective, particularly across the night-time economy, we recognise both the responsibility and the opportunity to support these measures. Venues, transport providers and security teams all play a vital role in creating safer public spaces, and clear legislation strengthens the framework we operate within.

However, legislation alone is not enough. Consistent enforcement, public awareness, and partnership between government, police and businesses will be key to making this meaningful in practice.

This must mark the beginning of a cultural shift where harassment is not tolerated anywhere, at any time.

Plan UK, Our Streets Now and organisations across the violence against women and girls sector have long called for stronger action on public sexual harassment, and today’s commencement delivers on what campaigners have been urging for years.

This legislation reflects the tireless work of VAWG charities, survivors and advocates who have consistently highlighted the harm caused by public sexual harassment and pushed for meaningful change.

The rollout of the law is a key delivery milestone from the government’s violence against women and girls strategy published in December, which focuses on prevention, early intervention and relentless action against offenders.

Other sweeping measures in the strategy include ensuring there are specialist rape and serious sexual offence teams in every police force to ensure rapists and serious sexual offenders are tracked down and brought to justice.

At the same time, the government is tackling violence before it starts, with new lessons to challenge misogyny and promote healthy relationships in schools, stronger guidance on teenage relationship abuse, and early intervention to challenge harmful attitudes among boys and young men.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 26 March 2026.

Miners and campaigners will finally get the answers they deserve as the government launches an inquiry into the violent events at Orgreave in 1984.

From today (26 March), the inquiry will begin investigating the violence that arose between police and picketing miners at Orgreave Coking Plant on 18 June 1984, resulting in 95 arrests and scores of injuries. Those arrested were charged with riot and unlawful assembly, but all charges were later dropped after police evidence was discredited.

The terms of reference, which have been published today, were developed in consultation with the Chair, the Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox, the Bishop of Sheffield, informed by his engagement with campaigners, policing bodies, and local representatives.

The inquiry will focus on securing and disclosing historical material so that the full picture can finally be understood. Using its statutory powers where necessary, it will have access to relevant records including those held by police, central and local government, trade unions, media organisations, and other public and private bodies.

The inquiry will seek to establish what happened at Orgreave by examining:

Planning undertaken by the police and government for the policing of the demonstration at Orgreave on 18 June 1984: This includes relevant decision-making in the leadup to the day.

What happened on the day and afterwards: The inquiry will examine the events at Orgreave on 18 June 1984, the immediate aftermath, and the lasting impact on individuals and communities, as well as the public narrative.

What happened to those arrested: This includes the charging decisions and prosecutions, all of which collapsed after police evidence was discredited.

The inquiry will also establish a publicly accessible digital archive of disclosed material. This approach reflects the strong views of campaigners that transparency must sit at the heart of the inquiry.

Minister of State for Policing and Crime, Sarah Jones MP, said:

For more than four decades miners, their families and their communities have lived with unanswered questions about what happened at Orgreave. Today we have delivered on our promise to these tireless campaigners to ensure the facts finally come to light.

The terms of the inquiry have been shaped by the Chair’s close engagement with campaigners, and they place transparency at the very heart of the panel’s work.

I am confident that they will bring the independence, expertise and balance needed to uncover the truth of what happened — however difficult that truth may be.

The Right Reverend Dr Pete Wilcox, Chair of the Inquiry said:

I am very pleased the Orgreave Inquiry, announced by the UK government in July 2025, is now live.

In reaching this point, the government has approved the Terms of Reference and confirmed the Panel to support me as Chair; and I am fully satisfied with both.

These foundations allow us to begin the inquiry’s work with confidence, and engagement with stakeholders will begin immediately.

I am acutely aware of the weight of expectation placed on this inquiry. It is my ambition, with the panel, to deliver an outstanding inquiry as swiftly as thoroughness will allow.

The Orgreave inquiry was a government manifesto commitment to ensure the truth about the events at Orgreave comes to light. The inquiry will be carried out independently by the Chair and its carefully selected panel.

The 4 panel members who will support the Bishop in delivering the inquiry have been confirmed today as:

Wendy Williams CBE, a former chief prosecutor in the Crown Prosecution Service and, between 2015 – 2024, an Inspector in His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. She published the report of her independent Windrush Lessons Learned Review in March 2020, and her update report on the Home Office’s response in March 2022. Ms Williams will provide independent insight on police governance, and the decision-making and effectiveness of police forces.

Baroness Mary Bousted, a former senior trade union leader representing teachers, leaders, and support staff and workers. She led the panel which, in April 2025, published the report of its independent review of the Police Federation of England and Wales. Baroness Bousted will provide relevant knowledge and insight concerning the strategic and operational leadership and management of trades unions.

Doctor Joanna Gilmore, Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of York, whose research expertise includes public order law, human rights and policing policy. Drawing on her socio-legal and historical research into the 1984-85 miners’ strike, Dr Gilmore will contribute analysis of the broader societal, legal and political issues arising from the events at Orgreave.

Doctor Angie Sutton-Vane, a historian with extensive experience in evidence-based research, historical accountability and the archiving, preservation of and access to police force records. Dr Sutton-Vane will provide expertise on the interpretation of historical records, particularly those of the police.

This panel has been carefully selected to ensure the inquiry is independent, fair, and equipped with the necessary expertise.

Chris Kitchen, General Secretary, National Union of Mineworkers said:

The National Union of Mineworkers welcomes the government’s announcement today launching the inquiry into the battle of Orgreave, delivering on a long-standing manifesto commitment.

We have full confidence that the Chair, Rt Reverend Dr. Pete Wilcox, and the panel members, have the knowledge required to get to the truth about what happened, why it happened, who orchestrated the events at Orgreave on 18 June 1984, and why no one was held accountable. The NUM are fully committed to assisting the inquiry in its work.

Our hope is that once the truth has been brought to light, those directly and indirectly affected can finally start to move on.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 20 March 2026.

Entering a football match without a ticket will become a criminal offence this weekend, with offenders facing a banning order alongside up to £1,000 fine.

Football fans who try to enter grounds without a ticket will face lengthy banning orders and hefty fines under strict new laws that come into force this weekend. 

The government and authorities have teamed up as part of the clampdown on ‘tailgating’ – where supporters force their way through stadium turnstiles by staying closely behind legitimate ticket holders. 

Bespoke new laws will be in place from Sunday ahead of the Carabao Cup Final between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley. The national stadium was the scene of serious disorder at the Euro 2020 Final as thousands of ticketless hooligans smashed their way in using this tactic. 

The new act makes it illegal to enter a football match without a ticket, stopping tailgating and forced entry to keep fans and matchday staff safe. It will also be illegal to knowingly attempt to gain entry using forged tickets, passes and accreditation documents, or by posing as a member of stadium or playing staff.

Until now, there were no specific legal penalties for entering a football match without a ticket – a gap this act firmly closes. 

Offenders will be arrested and face a football banning order of up to 5 years – preventing repeat offenders for jeopardising public safety – and a fine of up to £1,000.

Tailgating and forced entry puts fans at risks, particularly at sold out or high-profile fixtures. They can cause overcrowding and injury, divert police resource away from other critical areas, and increase tension between legitimate ticket holders and ticketless fans.  

Crime and Policing Minister, Sarah Jones, said:  

Football fans should be able to enjoy the game without feeling unsafe or threatened. We’re giving the police the tools they need to ensure the chaos we saw at Wembley 5 years ago never happens again.  

Anyone who endangers others by forcing their way into stadiums faces serious consequences.

In response to the Euro 2020 final, the Football Association (FA) commissioned Baroness Louise Casey to undertake an independent review into the disorder at Euro 2020.  

The review recommended strengthening the legal framework to deter football-related disorder, including tailgating and forced entry.  

A government-sponsored Private Member’s Bill was introduced by Linsey Farnsworth, Labour MP for Amber Valley.  

With England and Wales set to co-host Euro 2028, the Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Act will tackle these risks now so that fans can enjoy world-class football safely. 

Baroness Casey of Blackstock said:

Forcing your way into a football match without a ticket isn’t harmless. It jeopardises the safety of legitimate fans and staff. 

Making tailgating a criminal offence makes it clear that this behaviour is dangerous, won’t be tolerated and those who do it will face consequences.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 19 March 2026.

The UK makes it quicker to return Nigerians with no legal right to remain.

Visa overstayers, foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers will be removed from British soil far more easily under a new agreement struck this week during the state visit of Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu.

UK letters, an alternative identification document issued to individuals without a valid passport and used to support the return of people with no right to remain in the UK, will be recognised by the Nigerian government for the first time.

The agreement, reached between the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, and Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, removes one of the major administrative hurdles to returning people, meaning the UK will no longer have to wait for emergency travel documents to be issued by Nigeria.

The new deal adds to the sweeping reforms the Home Secretary has made to the UK immigration system to secure the UK’s borders and remove incentives attracting illegal migrants to Britain.

Minister for Border Security and Asylum Alex Norris said: 

Anyone who abuses our systems, breaks our laws or tries to cheat their way into Britain will be stopped and removed.

Today’s agreement is another step in our mission to restore order to the border by ensuring those who have no right to be here are swiftly removed.

Nigeria is a key partner in our work to tackle illegal migration, as the UK’s largest African visa market and home to thousands of Nigerians who have built their lives here. We owe everyone across the system fairness.

Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said:  

For us, as a country, we keep saying that we are totally committed to being a responsible country in fulfilling our core obligations.

It is good that we are starting this with the UK. This relationship with the UK means a lot to Nigeria. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has shown great commitment to this.

So it is one relationship that we aim to be able to sustain for generations yet to come. And for us to sustain that relationship, we must remember: ‘He who comes to equity must come with clean hands.’ So we need to be as open and as fair as possible.

Hopefully, this strengthened partnership will be a template for other bilateral understandings.

The agreement marks a shared commitment to safe, fair and well‑managed migration. Annual returns to Nigeria have nearly doubled to 1,150. Returns and deportations of illegal migrants and foreign criminals from the UK have reached nearly 60,000 since the 2024 election.

A further agreement to launch joint operations and share information has been reached to crack down on criminal gangs abusing visa routes, making sure all arrivals are genuine and ready to contribute.

Following a series of high‑profile cases involving fake job sponsorships, sham marriages and forged financial or employment records, a new standardised document‑checking system will verify the authenticity of applications. Nigeria will also review its laws to tackle immigration crime, ensuring the toughest possible sentences are handed down to offenders.

The UK has strengthened its commitment to protecting Nigerian women and children at risk of exploitation, while improving business‑visa schemes to help UK and Nigerian companies pursue investment opportunities aimed at driving economic growth.

A new partnership targeting online scammers involved in romance fraud, investment scams and cryptocurrency schemes will also deliver stronger protections for the UK public. The new “fusion cell” model will bring together public‑sector bodies, banks, tech firms and communications companies to rapidly share intelligence on criminal tactics so swift action can be taken.

The UK’s National Economic Crime Centre already uses this fusion‑cell model with strong results, including more than 400 arrests and £7.5 million seized under Operation Henhouse in February 2025.

Today’s partnership will build on work already disrupting high‑harm fraud networks, preventing millions in losses and protecting vulnerable people across the UK. Earlier this year, National Crime Agency officers and the Nigerian Police Force worked with Meta to uncover hundreds of cryptocurrency‑linked social media accounts used to target UK residents, leading to the arrest of 7 suspects in Agbor, Nigeria.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 19 February 2026.

Government announces a record £73.4 million in funding in 2026 to 2027 for protective security at Jewish, Muslim, and other faith sites.

Faith communities across the UK can feel safer, thanks to record levels of funding for protective security announced today.

Up to £73.4 million in funding will be available in 2026 to 2027 through the government’s different protective security schemes for Jewish, Muslim and other faith sites. This funding will pay for on-site security staff and equipment such as CCTV, fencing, intruder alarms and floodlights. 

Up to £28.4 million will be available through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant, which is managed by the Community Security Trust (CST), for measures at synagogues, Jewish schools and community centres. 

Up to £40 million will be available through the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme, which supports mosques, Muslim schools and community centres.

Eligible organisations can apply on a rolling basis directly with the Home Office. 

Last October, the Prime Minister announced the Jewish and Muslim protective security schemes would receive an additional £10 million uplift in 2025 to 2026 to respond to increased threats. Today’s announcement confirms those record funding levels will be maintained through next year.

Meanwhile, the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme, which is for all non-Jewish or Muslim faiths, will receive an uplift of £1.5 million, bringing the total available to protect Christian, Hindu, Sikh, and other faith sites to a record £5 million.

The next application window for this scheme will open later this year.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said:

Nobody should be forced to live a smaller life in this country because of their faith. 

The funding we have announced today will protect places of worship, faith-based schools and community centres across the country. 

This government will never tolerate religious hatred or intimidation.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said:

We are ensuring record funding to protect faith communities all across the UK.

This goes further than cameras and alarms, it’s about restoring peace of mind and sending the message: religious persecution and intolerance has no place in Britain.

Hate crime sits at unacceptable levels across the UK. The 2025 hate crime statistics for England and Wales show overall religious hate crime was at all-time record levels. Jewish people were proportionately more affected by these shameful crimes, while 45% of all religious hate crimes last year targeted Muslims. Meanwhile, statistics published by the CST last week show that antisemitic incidents in 2025 were at their second-highest levels since the CST began keeping records.

Local police forces have also stepped up patrols in at-risk areas, and we have given police more powers and resources to manage repeat, intimidating protests, investigate religious hate crimes, and support communities who feel targeted.

The press release issued by the Home Office on 12 February 2026.

Border Force and police seizures of ketamine and cannabis at all-time high and Border Force ramps up the return of foreign smugglers.

Seizures of ketamine, cannabis and nitrous oxide are at an all-time high following a record-breaking year of interceptions by Border Force and police. 

Cocaine interceptions by police are also at record levels with 23,706 seizures in the year to March 2025.  

Almost 150 tonnes of illegal drugs – equivalent to two Boeing 737s – with a street value of £2.6 billion was seized by Border Force. This is a 40% increase on the total quantity seized in the previous year and the highest since records began. 

Border Force and police forces intercepted drugs on a record-breaking 269,000 occasions – an increase of 24% on the previous year.  

The seizures come as new data shows the success of an innovative pilot to immediately remove foreign cannabis smugglers from the UK.   

Border Force’s ‘Seize and Return’ policy, introduced last year, allows officers to return cannabis traffickers to their country of origin, often within hours of arriving. 

To date, 165 criminals responsible for smuggling over 4 tonnes of cannabis into UK airports have been returned.  

This has saved British taxpayers an estimated £11.4million – easing pressure on the prison estate, preventing foreign offenders clogging up the courts system and heading off any potential asylum claims. The scheme has now been rolled out across England and Wales. 

Cannabis was present in 93% of all drugs seized by Border Force in the year ending March 2025, with over 62,000 illegal imports intercepted.  

A record 4 million doses of nitrous oxide was seized by Border Force and police, representing a 2,185% increase from last year.  

The same year also saw a surge in criminals attempting to smuggle ketamine into Britain. The total quantity seized by Border Force and police increased by 55% from the previous year to 1.3 tonnes. 

Home Office Minister Mike Tapp said:  

Drug seizures are at a record high under this government – with British law enforcement depriving evil gangs of almost £3billion worth in one year alone. 

Every seizure strikes a blow at the heart of organised crime and stops dangerous drugs from inflicting misery on our communities.  

We will continue to do whatever it takes to secure Britain’s borders against those doing harm to our country.

Border Force Director General Phil Douglas said:  

Our innovative Seize and Return policy is delivering real results – removing smugglers within hours, saving taxpayers millions, and freeing up our officers to pursue the organised crime gangs that cause the most harm. 

Border Force will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of dangerous criminal networks and disruption of drug supply. 

Working in partnership, police forces, Border Force, the National Crime Agency and international partners use intelligence and technology to keep the UK’s borders safe, prevent drug trafficking and bring those responsible to justice.    

Border Force has also intensified efforts to tackle drug smuggling at sea as organised crime groups attempt to use maritime routes and a range of methodologies, including ‘at-sea-drop-offs’ to smuggle drugs into the country.  

In January last year, 1.5 tonnes of cocaine with a street value of just under £60 million was detected on a vessel arriving into Dover from Peru.  

Officers use a range of methods including hi-tech search equipment to detect and stop illegal and restricted goods that criminals attempt to bring into the country.  Border Force also employs specialist officers trained to conduct deep searches of ships and vessels.  

Organised crime gangs are increasingly using expensive equipment to conceal drugs in the hope that law enforcement will be deterred by the potential costs involved with destroying it. In September last year, Border Force outsmarted criminals who hid one tonne of cocaine in two industrial generators valued at £720,000.   

Under the Plan for Change, Border Force will continue to build on last year’s success through ongoing operations targeting drug smuggling networks.