Ali Fortescue

YouTube video by Sky News 'Can't guarantee lives won't be lost' because of a coal tip disaster, says Welsh government

Almost 60 years after Aberfan, the Welsh Gov has told Sky News it would "be difficult" to give "a cast iron guarantee" that lives won't be lost because of a coal tip disaster.

@alifortescuenews.bsky.social’s report from the south Wales valleys

youtu.be/mmF6l3JM_Ug

Lord Sugar says it’s “strange that someone like Keir Starmer has never approached me”

“The people that he has in his government don’t know anything about business”

Our analysis shows a clear uptick in the number of Channel crossings on the weekend, particularly Saturdays - Last year 40% of all crossings were on the weekend 👇👇

Migrant crossings: Why are more people crossing the Channel on the weekend? The reasons behind a weekend uptick in the number of migrants arriving in the UK on small boats "are not necessarily predictable ones".

Excl: 40% of all Channel crossings last year were on the weekend.

We’ve been trying to work out why👇👇

news.sky.com/story/why-ar...

Could we be about to witness a seismic political shift in Wales? Politics in Wales has long been dominated by Labour. However, Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party are eyeing up the Senedd elections due to take place in the first half of 2026.

"There's nothing Welsh about Reform...they're very much an English focussed party" the First Minister tells Sky News. As @alifortescuenews.bsky.social
explores the rise of smaller parties in Wales ahead of next year's Senedd elections.

news.sky.com/story/could-...

Bonjour - Je pourrais vous parler pour un article que je travaille sur s’il vous plait? (Pardon pour mon orthographe Francais!)

Excl: Can the Home Sec be sure fewer Syrians will now seek asylum in the UK? “We've seen people trying to cross the border from Turkey back into Syria and so people travelling in that direction... there's so much instability. We don't know yet, what, how that will play out or what that will mean"

Excl: Sat down with Home Sec - on pausing Syria asylum decisions / rule out going as far as Austria? (repatriate/deport people): “We don’t yet know how things are going to play out.. we will need new guidance for Syria for making those asylum decisions”

*Briefly* caught up with the French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau outside the “Calais Group” meeting today.

Says “better relations” with the new Home Sec + laughs off q about future of Le Touquet agreement (allows UK border controls in French + vice versa)

PM says he’s not going to disclose “private” information that came to light regarding former transport Secretary Louise Haigh

Responding to Kemi Badenoch at PMQs PM “gently reminds her two of her predecessors had convictions”

#PMQs

New: Lab source says weather has played a "significant part" in high small boat numbers.

Leaked analysis shows 2 small boats, carrying 122 people reached UK overnight. Total since election now 20,110.

Home Sec statement in the commons tomorrow.

👇full story

news.sky.com/story/channel-…

Lots of migration stats out today, some of the most interesting:

⚪️10,000(just under): Rise in number of asylum seekers in hotels 3 months to Sept.

⚪️£5.38bn: Spending on asylum system in the UK 23/24

⚪️728,000: Net migration year to June, down 20% from new high of 906,000.

Net migration down to 728,000 - because prev figure (YE June 23) revised up to 906,000.

ONS say 2 reasons for revision:

1. Better monitoring transfers from one visa to another: Adds 36,000 to immigration + takes 62,000 off emigration

2. Better monitoring of Ukraine visas: +44,000 to immigration

“Very difficult” not to see the net migration numbers falling - Professor Brian Bell ahead of ONS figures released tomorrow.

OBR predicts net migration will fall from around 700,000 last year to 300,000 in the next four years.

Labour can't take credit - or be blamed - for latest migration numbers New statistics for the number of people entering the UK in the year to June will be released on Thursday morning. With Labour taking in office in July, these figures will instead show the inheritance ...

Net migration expected to fall tomorrow - range of factors incl tighter legal migration rules eg ban on care worker dependents (brought in in March by Cons kept on by Lab) and fewer people coming on humanitarian routes (Hong Kong + Ukraine).

Analysis 👇👇

news.sky.com/story/labour...

Really sad news about John Prescott. Blair’s left hand man. From cruise ship steward to Deputy PM, that’s one hell of a journey.

👇👇This from @samcoatessky.bsky.social is worth a listen

“Boring but nice”

Angela Rayner Vs Alex Burghart

What can we expect at Deputy PMQs?

👇👇👇

Yvette Cooper just said police forces will be compensated for NI rise.

Full quote 👇

Alex Burghart will be doing DPMQs for the Tories on Wednesday

On immigration deals - Home Office source tells me the agreements they are exploring are “not really Meloni-style” in that they are not about paying governments to stop people leaving the country but more broadly about “boosting border security and organised immigration crime”.

Not today I’m afraid! But lovely Amanda Akass will be!

Interesting from transport sec Louise Haigh on buses:

Look to establish “more targeted approaches” from £3 bus cap after next year - suggests best approach could be targeting young people as happens with over 65s

Speaking to Trevor Philips this morning.

Something strange happening at Sky News today

I’ve made a starter pack of lobby (ish) journos - those reporting on UK politics

Give me a nudge if you think you should be on it and I missed you!

go.bsky.app/H3jDVJb

Hello BlueSky?

New here - any tips welcome!