Cooper won't put a number on migrant returns to France

17 minutes ago Share Save Jennifer McKiernan • @_JennyMcKiernan Political reporter, BBC News Kate Whannel Political reporter Share Save

Watch: Home secretary explains small boats pilot plan as it comes into force

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has declined to put a figure on how many migrants will be returned to France under a new scheme that comes into force today. Some migrants arriving in the UK on small boats will be detained and returned to France under the deal agreed with French President Emmanuel Macron. In return, the UK will accept asylum seekers who have not tried to cross and can pass security and eligibility checks. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the plan was a "product of months of grown-up diplomacy" which would "deliver real results" but the Conservatives said it would "make no difference whatsoever".

As of 30 July, more than 25,000 people had crossed the Channel in small boats in 2025 - about 49% higher than at the same point in 2024. UK and international law prevents the government from sending asylum seekers back to their country of origin before their claim has been considered and turned down. However, they can be sent to safe countries prepared to consider their claim. Under the plan, an adult migrant who tries to get to the UK by crossing the Channel could be returned to France if their claim for asylum was deemed to be inadmissible. Returns could begin to take place within weeks. However, Cooper would not be drawn on how many returns were likely to be made, stressing the scheme starting up was a trial. "The numbers will start lower and then build," she told BBC Breakfast, saying the were two reasons for not setting out numbers at this point. "First of all because those numbers will vary and will increase and we haven't picked an overall number for the scheme, although we obviously want it to increase as much as possible. "But also, second, because we're not going to provide operational information about which numbers, which days, that the criminal gangs will then use to continue to ply their vile trade in human beings." There have been reports that 50 people per week could be returned, compared with the weekly average of more than 800 people currently making the crossing. Peter Walsh, a senior researcher at the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory, said the number of returns would need to be higher to have a deterrent effect. Asked whether 50 returns a week would have an impact on crossings, he said: "On the current rate of arrivals, that would be roughly a 5% chance of being returned. "People are already taking such a big risk, they're risking their lives by getting in a small boat, so you'd have to imagine that that kind of percentage might not be enough to move the needle. "Small boat arrivals are a very clear sign of a lack of control over the border. These are unauthorised arrivals and that's why people are concerned."

Countries gather to thrash out deal on 'plastic crisis'

5 hours ago Share Save Esme Stallard Climate and science reporter, BBC News Share Save

Nipah Dennis/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Plastic production has exploded in the last century - to some it has been a miracle product while to others it is a pollution nightmare. Scientists have estimated that there are nearly 200 trillion pieces floating in the world's oceans, and this could triple if no action is taken. In 2022, countries agreed to develop a legally binding global treaty to cut the waste and the harmful chemicals some plastics contain - but after two years no agreement has been reached. On Tuesday, the world's nations meet again at a UN conference in Geneva - could they finally agree how to curb the plastic excesses?

Why is plastic such a valuable product?

Human societies have used plastics that occur naturally in the environment for hundreds of years, in the form of rubber, horn and shellac. But the 20th Century brought the explosion of synthetic plastics, made from processing fossil fuels. The material's versatility, strength and heat-resistant properties has lent itself to thousands of uses, from sewage pipes to life-saving medical equipment, to clothing. It has become ubiquitous in a short time without understanding its full impact, explains Dr Alice Horton, research scientist at the National Oceanography Centre. "Proportional to life on earth, plastics have been around for no time at all, there are people alive that weren't using plastics as children. I think that's what makes this quite a concerning material," said Dr Horton. "It has exploded in such a way that we are using it in every application in our lives and yet we are suddenly realising there may be problems with it."

How are plastics impacting our planet?

Levels of plastic production have grown exponentially over the last few decades. In 1950 two million tonnes was produced, by 2022 that had risen to 475 million tonnes. Although plastic can be reused, the cost and availability of recycling infrastructure means very little is. About 60% of all plastics are single use and just 10% are estimated to be recycled, according to analysis in Nature. Plastic has been shown to accumulate in the marine environment where it poses particular problems for wildlife who can ingest it. "They can confuse it as food, which then harms their internal organs and also can lead to fatalities, because of digestion difficulties," said Zaynab Sadan, global plastics policy lead at WWF. She said they could also become entangled in discarded fishing gear or plastic packaging that has entered the ocean from sewage systems.

When it enters the environment, most plastic breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces - known as microplastics. They have been found across all geographical ranges, from the deep sea to mountain tops, and across all living systems ever tested. Research is continuing to understand the full impact, with different species faring better than others. But Dr Horton from the National Oceanography Centre warns there is a threshold where animals will start to be harmed. "When we [get] accumulation of plastic in tissues we start seeing inflammation, cell damage, hormonal changes. Things that are not outright going to kill an organism but likely to have this accumulative, long-term effect whereby they get weaker and weaker, and sicker and sicker, and either become diseased or die," she explained.

Are plastics harmful for us?

Plastics are a "grave, growing and under-recognised danger" for human health, according to a new expert report. The Lancet Countdown estimated that health-related disease and death from the "plastic crisis" is responsible for at least $1.5tn (£1.1tn) a year in health-related damages.

Gerald Anderson/Anadolu/Getty Images Informal waste workers - common in many countries - are at risk of burns, cancer and stillbirths according to the Lancet

These impacts can range from air pollution from the production of plastic, through to elevated risk of cancer, respiratory illnesses and miscarriages from plastic contamination in our bodies. Plastics contain more than 16,000 chemicals such as dyes and flame retardants, some of which are toxic and cancer-causing. Despite the growing body of evidence of the hazards of plastic, the Lancet report highlights that there is a lack of transparency as to what is in most products. Just a quarter of plastic chemicals have data on their impact, but of those tested 75% were found to be "highly hazardous".

What are countries trying to agree?

In 2022, countries agreed a global treaty was needed in two years to tackle the issue. That deadline passed in December 2024, after five rounds of negotiations, with no treaty having been signed. On Tuesday, more than 170 nations will meet again to try to get a deal over the line. The main issues they are trying to get agreement on include: Targets on cutting the production levels of single-use plastics

Bans on some of the most harmful chemicals in plastic

Universal guidance on the design of plastic products

Financing of this effort Products that have to meet consistent design standards can help to improve recycling, save costs and reduce the demand for virgin plastics, Rob Opsomer, executive lead of plastics and finance at the Ellen McArthur Foundation, which co-convenes the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, told the BBC. "So, to give you one example, a drinks bottle, if it is coloured, the value of what you can get from it if you sell the recycled material is half the value of a clear, uncoloured bottle," he explained. Nearly 100 countries, including the UK, are calling for an "ambitious" treaty which would include a commitment to limit production levels. But there has been strong opposition from a group of oil-producing nations including Russia and Saudi Arabia who want the talks to focus not on producing less, but recycling more. Demand for oil in global energy and transport systems is expected to peak in the next few years as countries move to greener technologies. This could leave plastic as one of the few growth markets for the oil industry. Any efforts to limit production could pose short term economic damage to the petrostates. But for those users of plastics not having clear, global regulations is costing them. "It is a fundamental risk. Businesses don't want packaging with their brand name on it to be littering the streets and our oceans," said Mr Opsomer. He said there was also the cost for businesses of having to comply with hundreds of new standards globally every year on plastics. The Business Coalition, which includes some of the biggest global users of plastic such as Nestle and Unilever, is calling for governments to introduce coordinated taxes on their businesses to help pay for the cost of recycling and cleaning up plastic waste.

What can you do to reduce plastic waste?

Single-use plastic is the biggest contributor to plastic waste in the environment, and most of our daily consumption of this comes from food packaging. You can take a reusable container or cup if you are getting a takeaway, and when food shopping consider taking a reusable sealed bag to weigh your fruit and vegetables. It is estimated that more than a quarter of microplastics in the environment come from car tyres. For those that are able, walking and cycling to the local shops or sharing car journeys with friends or neighbours can help. And avoid plastics that break down to microplastics more easily - such as chewing gum and glitter. There are many non-plastic alternatives still available which means you can keep having fun at festivals.

Charity shreds 'irreplaceable' adoption files to save space

3 hours ago Share Save David Cowan BBC Scotland home affairs correspondent Share Save

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A charity has apologised for the "inexcusable" destruction of around 4,800 personal records linked to adoptions in Scotland, including irreplaceable photographs and handwritten letters from birth parents. Edinburgh-based Birthlink has been fined £18,000 after shredding the files to free up space in its filing cabinets four years ago. The Information Commissioners' Office (ICO), which imposed the fine, described the lost material as "deeply personal pieces in the jigsaw of a person's history, some now lost for eternity". The charity's board said it was "deeply sorry" and that it was impossible to say how many people were affected.

A statement added: "We want to assure everyone who's interacted with Birthlink that we will do everything in our power to ensure this does not happen again." A spokesperson for the Movement for Adoption Apology Scotland campaign said: "These items weren't stored out of administrative duty, but held in the hope that one day, someone would come looking. "That hope has now been shredded, quite literally."

Files destroyed

Birthlink did not keep a log of what was destroyed but it believes only "a very small proportion" of the records included personal documents, which do not exist in any form elsewhere. Since 1984, the company has operated the Adoption Contact Register for Scotland. It enables adopted people, birth parents and others to register their details with a view to being "linked" and potentially reunited. If a connection was made, Birthlink retained what were called "linked records" - closed paper files stored in filing cabinets - in case they could be of further use in the future. But by January 2021, the charity was running out of space and reviewed whether it could destroy the files. Following a board meeting, it was agreed that only replaceable records could be disposed of.

PA Media In 2023, the then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon apologised to people affected by forced adoption

A few months later, the contents of 24 filing cabinet drawers were bagged up and shredded. Birthlink has estimated that personal data from around 4,800 individuals was destroyed and that less than 10% of the lost files contained "cherished items". These include photographs, handwritten letters from birth mothers and fathers to their children and handwritten letters from birth families to siblings. Another 8,300 files survived the process unscathed. The culling of the records only came to light two years later, after the Care Inspectorate carried out a short-notice inspection at Birthlink in September 2023. An internal investigation, ordered by Birthlink's interim chief executive, found that a member of staff had expressed concern about shredding photographs and other records at the time. But they were told "it needed to be done". Birthlink reported itself to the ICO, who said the charity could have prevented the destruction with "cost effective and easy to implement" policies and procedures. The regulator imposed a £45,000 fine, later reduced to £18,000, to promote compliance with data protection and deter others from "making similar mistakes".

'Poor understanding'

Sally Anne Poole, the ICO's head of investigations, said: "The destroyed records had the potential to be an unknown memory, an identity, a sense of belonging, answers. "It is inconceivable to think, due to the very nature of its work, that Birthlink had such a poor understanding of both its data protection and records management process." The ICO welcomed the steps taken by Birthlink to ensure it does not happen again, including new policies and the appointment of a data protection officer.

Jobs in video games dried up, so we made our own

14 minutes ago Share Save Share Save

Studio Morgan Harvey Hayman and Holly Hudson founded their own studio after graduating from a game design course

When Holly Hudson enrolled on a university video game design course, she imagined a job at a studio would be waiting at the end of it. Her dream was to work as a 3D artist, but the reality has been different. "I've applied to so many jobs this year," says the 25-year-old. "But it's just, it's really tough." Holly graduated in 2023, just as a wave of layoffs and studio closures began to sweep across the industry she hoped to enter. It's a trend that's continued and, in 2025, the picture is still fairly bleak for those looking for jobs in gaming. According to industry body UKIE, as of June this year, there were just under 700 active vacancies in UK game development. Fewer than 5% of those were in junior positions, it said. But Holly and others like her are finding ways to follow their passions and get their creations out there.

Despite struggling to find a full-time job in the industry, Holly has just released her first commercial game alongside uni course mate Harvey Hayman. Morgan: Metal Detective - a "cosy" slow-paced adventure game set in Cornwall -began life as their end-of-year project. Players take on the role of Morgan, a young girl who uses her late grandfather's metal detector to find lost items and return them to residents on a small island. Holly and Harvey tell BBC Newsbeat it's a personal project for both of them, inspired by childhood holidays in south-west England, but one they've had to work hard to get over the line. Funding for new video games has also declined in the past two years, so the project has been largely self-financed. "It's basically Holly and I trying to pick up contracting work where we can," says Harvey, who also has a job at a TV production company. "And so it's like having to balance these different things," he says. "We really want to release this game, but also we need some money to live on and make sandwiches."

Studio Morgan Harvey and Holly have managed to make Morgan: Metal Detective available on most major gaming platforms

The most recent figures from the UK Parliament show that 4,800 students began video game-related degrees in 2021. Holly believes that the route she and Harvey have taken is "quite common" among their peers. "There's a couple of us that have gone on to start our own studios," she says. Other young people are finding success via Roblox and Fortnite - using in-game tools to create levels and experiences to share with others. For those willing to put the hours in, it can be lucrative.

Sonny Tranter, 23, started making maps in Minecraft before moving over to Fortnite, where his creations caught on and found an audience. This led to partnerships with well-known brands, and Sonny, better known as Driz, has recently set up his own studio dedicated to building Fortnite content. Epic Games, which makes the multiplayer hit, says 40% of its net revenue is shared among creators according to the level of engagement they generate. If an "island" - as the creations are known - attracts new players, brings back lapsed fans or gets regular return visits, it will generate more money for its makers. Sonny says Fortnite uses an algorithm based on these metrics, similar to YouTube, to decide which ones to promote to users. He admits that can make it difficult for newcomers to make a mark and push more unique creations. "If you want to make a game that's different, but still does well, I think the best strategy is probably build off what's already popular and make it unique in your own way," he says.

Driz Driz has worked on Fortnite Islands based on well-known brands, such as manga series My Hero Academia

Developers like Holly and Harvey face a similar problem of visibility. With thousands of new games released each year - getting yours seen is another huge challenge for independents. "We've tried as hard as we can without spending a lot of money," says Harvey. "Because there's one way to guarantee game sales - have a load of cash so you can just put marketing on the side of buses. "But we don't have that." Harvey says he and Holly have taken opportunities to showcase the game whenever they've arisen - even being flown out the USA. He says each appearance usually leads to a bump in wishlists - where potential players can register their interest on online stores - which have "built up slowly over time".

UKIE, which represents the games industry, says there are "more routes than ever" into gaming careers but access to entry level jobs remains "challenging". "We're seeing the tools and knowledge needed to build a game become more accessible every year, which is helping to democratise entry into the industry," a spokesperson said. They said UKIE was in discussions with the government about ways apprenticeships and similar programmes can "provide pathways for new entrants and help upskill the current workforce". Scott Alsworth, from the IWGB Union's game workers' branch, said the UK games industry faced "apocalyptic conditions" after years of mass layoffs, overspending "and AI-driven displacement". He said workers at all levels of also struggled to find stable employment in the current climate, on top of the outlook for graduates or new entrants. "Aspiring working-class developers have it particularly bad," he said, adding that the UK's gaming workforce lagged behind industries such as film and TV in terms of representation.

Despite this, both Holly and Harvey wouldn't discourage those with a passion for games from following it. Holly says the games industry is "so friendly" and supportive and meeting others in the same situation has made the past two years "more manageable" for her. She expects more young developers to launch their own studios in the coming years. "It's quite an interesting path to take rather than just being rejected over and over again," she says. "But I think hopefully it's quite inspiring and it shows people that actually there are different ways to make games rather than getting a publisher and finding money that way."

Change is coming then.

How much - and exactly what that change looks like - remains to be seen but what we do know is that until the ECB's broadcast deal with Sky finishes at the end of the 2028 season, no more teams will be added.

However, with Vikram Banerjee, managing director of The Hundred, saying in February that expanding the competition in future was a "no-brainer", additional franchises is one significant change highly likely to be considered at some stage.

The number of teams might not differ but come next year, some may have new identities.

Should the deals for stakes in Invincibles and Rockets be rubber-stamped, four Hundred sides will be at least partially influenced by Indian Premier League (IPL) owners.

The Sun Group, owner of IPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad, has paid just over £100m for a 100% stake in Northern Superchargers.

Indian company RPSG Group, which owns Lucknow Super Giants, has purchased 70% of Manchester Originals, while GMR Group, which owns Delhi Capitals, has bought 49% in Southern Brave.

Reliance Industries Limited, owned by the multi-billionaire Ambani family who control Mumbai Indians, is also set to purchase a 49% stake in Oval Invincibles.

The ECB has already received applications for the names of Superchargers and Originals to be changed.

Reports, external say RPSG Group plan to bring the latter in line with their teams in Lucknow and Durban by renaming them Manchester Super Giants before the 2026 season.

It would be no surprise to see Invincibles, Superchargers and Brave go the same way.

Following the templates they've used in franchise leagues in South Africa, the United States and the United Arab Emirates, it could be a warm welcome to MI Oval, Sunrisers Northern and Southern Capitals.

Player salaries have increased for this year's tournament, with the top men's players now earning up to £200,000, up by 60%, while leading women's salaries have risen 30% to £65,000.

But, with fresh investment, there is the potential for further increases to help attract the world's best short-form players - something the men's tournament has struggled with amid competition from the Caribbean Premier League and Major League Cricket in recent years.

Replacing the current draft system with something closer to the IPL auction might enable that, and the ECB announcing a new The Hundred Board - which will include representatives of the investors and host counties - with "delegated authority" over player salaries and the draft, opens the door to that possibility.

The ECB does still own the competition itself and have control over the regulations and length of the window in which it is played.

But if their new partners push to ditch the 100-ball format, played solely in the UK, in favour of the globally popular T20, or want six weeks rather than four following a future expansion, tough decisions - guaranteed to be unpopular with one group or another - will have to be made.

Meanwhile, ECB chief executive Richard Gould has hinted "de-coupling" some women's and men's matches will be considered.

Double-headers have been the norm since The Hundred began in 2021 and Gould says a capacity crowd for a women's game is a target within "the next couple of years".