Politics latest: Assisted dying bill almost certain to fail due to lack of extra debate time

The number of asylum seekers being housed in hotels across the UK has dropped to the lowest level for 18 months, new data shows.

At the end of 2025, there were 30,657 people seeking asylum being housed in hotels, down from a peak of 56,018 under the previous Tory government at the end of September 2023, Home Office figures reveal.

However, that is slightly higher than when Labour took office, when there were 29,561 people in government-funded hotel housing.

There were 20% fewer asylum seekers in hotels at the end of 2025 compared to the end of the previous year, the three months from September to December saw a 15% drop.

Asylum claims also fell by 6.5% from 108,000 to 101,000, despite a rise in small boat arrivals last year on 2024.

The government has pledged to end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers by the end of this parliament.

Fewer visas issued last year

Last year also saw a 13% drop in the number of study, work, or family visas issued compared to 2024 - 757,000 were granted in 2025, compared to 874,000 in 2024.

Although there was a 2% rise in the number of study visas issued, there was a 30% drop in work visas and 22% drop in family visas granted.

In a statement, a Home Office spokesperson said: "These statistics show real progress as we restore order and control to our borders.

"We have removed nearly 60,000 illegal migrants, numbers in asylum hotels are down, law enforcement action against people smugglers is at record levels and we are bearing down on the asylum backlog.

"But we must go further. The number of people crossing the Channel is too high, and too many hotels remain in use.

"That is why the home secretary is introducing sweeping reforms to tackle the pull factors drawing illegal migrants to Britain, and we are ramping up removals of those with no right to be here."

The interim report into maternity and neonatal services across England also found that black babies are twice as likely to be stillborn than white babies, some Asian women are stereotyped as overreacting to things, and black women are deemed as more able to tolerate pain.

Speaking to Mornings With Ridge And Frost, investigation lead, Baroness Amos said: "Undoubtedly there is systematic racism, which then is experienced through individual behaviours.

"It is part of culture and leadership, and I have to say that I and members of the team were quite shock at some of what we were told."

She pointed out that this is not the first time this has been raised, but "the kind of systemic change to deal with this is still lacking".

These failures are leading black women to "deliberately make choices that they know may put them in harms way", such as choosing a home birth over a hospital birth when they have pre-existing conditions that would make the latter safer.

"This should not be happened. This is 2026 - we should have a situation where women and families are able to make the choices that are right for them," Amos said.

Asked if Britain is a safe country to give birth, the peer said it "absolutely is" in some place, but in others it is not - and care could be "patchy" even within the same NHS trust.

She concluded: "Of course it's safe - there are many instances of safe, good practice out there.

"But when it goes wrong, it goes spectacularly wrong, and it should not be happening."

Have you been affected by poor maternity care? Email maternitystories@sky.uk

An interim report into maternity and neonatal services across England has uncovered shocking allegations of racism, bullying, crumbling infrastructure, and births in undignified circumstances.

The investigation lead, Baroness Amos, has been speaking to Mornings With Ridge And Frost, and she explained that what they have heard from the more than 400 families they have spoken to so far "have been borne out by the visits that we have done, the staff that we have spoken to, the leaders that we have spoken to".

She went on: "There are many families that are looking for accountability and for justice, and I completely understand that. They've been harmed, they've been traumatised, they have lost their babies.

"What we are trying to do is look as deep as we can, as wide as we can, and come up with some recommendations that will make immediate change."

Some families told the investigation that baby deaths were being misclassified as stillbirths because coroners cannot legally investigate them.

Amos explained: "The very strong feeling from families is if they have felt a sign of life, but they have been told that there [was] not, this is because a trust does not want to go through having a coroner's inquest."

Asked if the law should change, the peer said she is not sure that as an investigation team, they are "qualified to be able to make that as a recommendation", but they are examining what they can recommend in that area.

Have you been affected by poor maternity care? Email maternitystories@sky.uk

An interim report into maternity and neonatal services across England has unveiled shocking allegations, including that some baby deaths were being misclassified to prevent further investigation.

On Mornings With Ridge And Frost, we asked government minister Alison McGovern for her reaction, and she replied that while the government will formally respond to the report, she is personally "really worried" about it.

"I've met parents who've been failed by NHS maternity, and your heart breaks into a thousand pieces to understand what those parents have gone through," she said.

The minister went on to point to the Hillsborough Law that will bring in a legal duty of candour to ensure all public officials are bound by law to be open, honest, and transparent.

The report also found that black babies are twice as likely to be stillborn than white babies, some Asian women are stereotyped as overreacting to things, and black women are deemed as more able to tolerate pain.

Asked if she agrees that there is unacceptable racism in the NHS, McGovern replied that there are "longstanding" and "deep-seated" issues of racism in society, and said we all need to "try to build a different culture".

"It's behaviour over time that can change that culture and stop those kinds of racist attitudes that you mentioned being so pervasive as they are.

"But I applaud all of the people that have worked with Baroness Amos to come forward and tell the truth about what what they perceive to have happened, because that is a hard thing to do."

Have you been affected by poor maternity care? Email maternitystories@sky.uk

An interim report into maternity and neonatal services across England has uncovered shocking allegations of racism, bullying, crumbling infrastructure, and births in undignified circumstances.

Some families said that baby deaths were being misclassified to prevent further investigation.

Baroness Amos, who is leading a national investigation into maternity care, said: "Maternity and neonatal services in England are failing too many women, babies, families, and staff."

Investigators spoke to hundreds of harmed families and staff across 12 NHS trusts in England, many of whom shared shocking accounts of their experiences.

Some families alleged in the report that their babies were designated stillborn instead of dying after birth.

"They felt the system incentivised the recording of deaths as stillbirths as this prevents the case from being investigated by a coroner," the report said.

Jack and Sarah Hawkins, whose daughter Harriet was stillborn, were not part of the Amos investigation, but have fought to get a separate inquiry launched for bereaved and harmed families in Nottingham.

Jack said: "We have met a number of people and heard reports from a number of people whose babies they say were born alive and who the hospital say were born dead.

"And that is a horrific position, a horrific thing to say, and yet of course we believe the victims, not the NHS, who have shown themselves to be sparing with the truth around some of these issues."

Neither supported Baroness Amos' inquiry. Sarah said it "isn't going to change anything".

NHS England has been contacted for comment.

Have you been affected by poor maternity care? Email maternitystories@sky.uk

The Speaker of the House of Lords is having an urgent meeting with the Metropolitan Police today after he was incorrectly linked with providing information to the force about Peter Mandelson.

After the former UK ambassador to the US was arrested on Monday, it was reported that the Lords Speaker, Michael Forsyth, had told the force that he was going to flee to the British Virgin Islands.

But it emerged yesterday that it was actually the Commons Speaker who shared information with the Met.

Sources say Forsyth expects to receive clarification about how he came to be incorrectly named as the source of information, and why the false information about him was not corrected.

He also wants an apology from those responsible for the error.

Last night, the Met Police said it has apologised to Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle for "inadvertently revealing information" relating to Lord Mandelson's arrest.

Mandelson's legal team had already hit out at an allegation that he was preparing to leave the UK for the British Virgin Islands.

His lawyers said he had already agreed to attend a voluntary interview in a fortnight's time, and had asked the Met for the "evidence relied upon to justify the arrest".

Hoyle told MPs earlier today that it was he who passed information to the police, saying he had done so "in good faith, as is my duty and responsibility".

Mandelson was arrested on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office and was later bailed. He denies any wrongdoing.

It's 7am, which mean the polls have now opened in the parliamentary by-election in Gorton and Denton.

Eligible voters in the Manchester seat will be able to cast their ballots to elect a new local MP until 10pm.

The law means that we as a broadcaster cannot discuss the election or the issues in it until polls close, so you won't see any coverage of it from us until then.

But do join us from 10pm as the votes start getting counted, and we'll have a special programme from midnight bringing you the result as it happens.

Good morning!

Welcome back to the Politics Hub on this Thursday, 26 February.

The Speaker of the House of Lords is having an urgent meeting with the Metropolitan Police today after he was incorrectly linked with providing information to the force about Peter Mandelson.

After the former US ambassador was arrested on Monday, it was reported that the Lords Speaker, Michael Forsyth, had told the force that he was going to flee to the British Virgin Islands.

But it emerged yesterday that it was actually the Commons Speaker who shared information with the Met, leading to officers apologising to him privately and publicly.

The Lords Speaker wants an explanation for why he was named, and why the incorrect information was not corrected by the force.

Mandelson's lawyers have said claims he was planning to flee are "baseless", and he has denied any wrongdoing.

In other news, the government is announcing measures to tackle homelessness today.

The new left-wing endeavour, Your Party, will announce the results of its first leadership election later.

And voters are heading to the polls in the parliamentary by-election in Gorton and Denton. Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm. Join us on Paste BN for coverage after polls, and a special programme from midnight.

We're pausing our coverage for now.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle revealed this morning that he was the one who passed information to the Metropolitan Police suggesting Peter Mandelson was a flight risk.

That led to Lord Mandelson's arrest on Monday.

The Met has apologised to Hoyle for "inadvertently revealing information" relating to Lord Mandelson's arrest.

Lord Mandelson's legal team have called the allegation he was preparing to leave the UK for the British Virgin Islands "baseless". He denies any wrongdoing in relation to the allegation of misconduct in public office.

Bye for now.