By the Population Decides team. Every story summarised from several outlets, with links to the originals.
Good morning. It is Sunday 1 November 2026. The Home Secretary is expected to soften plans that would make migrants wait longer to settle in the UK, the Prime Minister says he is open to a formal apology for the slave trade, and former army chiefs say the Budget is too slow on defence. Here is what happened and what it means for you.
Home Secretary expected to soften plans to make migrants wait longer to settle
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to water down plans to make most migrants wait 10 years, instead of 5, before they can settle permanently in the UK, LBC reports.
Settling permanently is called indefinite leave to remain. It lets people live, work and study here with no time limit, and claim benefits if they qualify. Under the plans, some lower paid workers could have faced a 15 year wait. Reports say most social care workers already in the UK will now be spared that longer wait, and people on higher pay or who contribute to their communities could still qualify sooner.
The plans followed record net migration under the last government. The Home Office estimates that care workers and adult dependants who qualify between 2026 and 2030 could cost the public finances around £10 billion over their lifetimes. The government had 200,000 replies to its consultation.
More than 100 MPs signed a letter against the plans, and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has called them "un-British". Campaigners warned they could repeat the mistakes of the Windrush scandal. The Conservatives say the government is backing down. The final plans are due in Parliament next week. See where your MP stands at your MP and try the choices yourself in the game.
Explain it like I'm 15
Right now most migrants can apply to stay in the UK for good after 5 years. The government wants that to be 10 years for most people, but may make exceptions, for example for care workers already here.
The People's Verdict: How long should most migrants wait before they can settle permanently in the UK?
Prime Minister open to a formal apology for the slave trade, but says no to reparations
Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he is open to calls for Britain to formally apologise for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, but he has ruled out paying reparations, which means compensation.
Writing in the Guardian before a Commonwealth summit in Antigua and Barbuda next week, he expressed "sorrow and regret" and proposed a structured dialogue with the countries affected. He said British people today cannot be held liable for historical wrongs. He also wants to help Caribbean countries repay debts over longer periods at better rates.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the idea a "navel-gazing distraction". She said slavery involved people from every continent and that the Commonwealth should look forward. Campaigners for reparations said the Prime Minister's statement was disappointing and called for a full apology now. The King, on a tour of the Caribbean, acknowledged past suffering this week but did not apologise.
Explain it like I'm 15
Caribbean countries want Britain to say sorry for the slave trade, and some want money too. The Prime Minister says he might agree to a formal apology, but not to paying money.
The People's Verdict: What should the UK do about calls for an apology for the slave trade?
Former army chiefs say the Budget is too slow on defence
Former heads of the British Army say the government is not moving fast enough on defence and that Wednesday's Budget was "kicking the can down the road".
Chancellor John Healey filled a £4.7 billion gap in the plan for defence equipment. Defence spending will reach 2.7% of the economy, measured as GDP, by 2027, with a promise of 3% by 2030. NATO allies have agreed to aim for 3.5% by 2035. Details of how it will be paid for are left to a spending review expected next autumn.
Lord Dannatt, a former head of the Army, said the government was using "creative accounting". The chair of the Commons Defence Committee said decisions had been delayed. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the government is doing as much as it can, as fast as it can, and called it the biggest lasting rise in defence spending since the Cold War. He also said other areas of spending could be squeezed. Read more in our Budget key points.
Explain it like I'm 15
The government is spending more on the armed forces, but critics say not fast enough. More for defence usually means less for something else, or higher taxes or borrowing.
The People's Verdict: How fast should the UK raise defence spending?
Budget energy help: what changes for your bills, and why some say it misses the mark
Homes in England in council tax bands A to D will get a £100 payment to help with energy bills, one of the main measures in Wednesday's Budget.
The payment costs £2.6 billion. The Budget also asks Ofgem to move the gas standing charge, the fixed daily fee, onto the price per unit as early as 2027, affecting around 23 million homes, and keeps VAT off household electricity bills for three more months, to July 2027. The government's forecaster, the OBR, says fossil fuel prices rose 83% in the year to September. Fuel duty stays frozen, with the 5p cut kept. From today, electricity at public and workplace electric car chargers is charged 20% VAT, as set out in the Finance Bill.
The Resolution Foundation, which studies living standards, said the £100 payment neither targets low income homes nor homes that use the most energy, and that about three in five of the richest fifth of households qualify. It called the Budget "scattergun". The government says it is setting a new course to break the grip of gas on bills. Check your own position with Am I better off after the Budget? and read more on energy.
Explain it like I'm 15
Most homes in England will get £100 off energy costs, and the fixed daily gas fee could go as early as 2027. Critics say the help goes to lots of people who do not really need it.
The People's Verdict: Who should get government help with energy bills?
Prime Minister meets Scottish and Welsh leaders in Glasgow, but rules out a new independence vote
Prime Minister Andy Burnham met the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales in Glasgow on Friday after a meeting of the National Economic Council, which brings the UK's governments together on growth.
The leaders agreed to start a short burst of joint work, led by the Prime Minister's Manchester office, on giving regions more power, bringing back industry and growth "in every postcode". The UK government said it would look at issues raised by Scotland's First Minister, but not a second independence referendum, which it said is off the table. Cardiff will host the next meeting in spring 2027. Scottish and Welsh voters choose their councils on 6 May 2027: see elections in 2027.
Explain it like I'm 15
The leaders of the UK, Scotland and Wales met to talk about jobs and growth outside London. The UK government said no to another vote on Scottish independence.
Police officers work rest days to guard Number 10 North, says police staff body
Greater Manchester Police officers are having rest days cancelled to protect the Prime Minister's Manchester office, Number 10 North, according to the Police Federation, which speaks for officers.
The office was one of Andy Burnham's first moves after he took over from Keir Starmer in July. The Federation says officers are tired and wants extra money for policing the site. Greater Manchester's mayor, Bev Craig, backed the call so neighbourhood policing does not suffer. The government says the office brings government closer to communities and that police funding is £18.5 billion, with a £33.3 million cash rise for Greater Manchester Police. The force says the work is covered by voluntary overtime.
Explain it like I'm 15
Guarding the Prime Minister's new Manchester office takes police time. Officers say they are being stretched, and the government says the force has had more money.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband confronted Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov at a G20 meeting in Atlanta on Friday, telling him "you are the aggressor" in Ukraine. The US approved the sale of 500 Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine, to be paid for by European allies and Canada.
Former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, in his first big speech since leaving office, told a business dinner in Dublin that Europe must take more charge of its own defence because the change in US policy is permanent.