Starmer’s new year nightmare continues as MPs prepare to debate immediate general election
A petition will be debated on January 12.
The Prime Minister could face further difficulty (Image: Getty Images)
A petition calling on the government to hold a general which called for “an immediate general election to be held”, added “we think the majority need and want change.”
An original response to the petition after it gathered 10,000 signatures said: “The Prime Minister can call a general election at a time of their choosing by requesting a dissolution of Parliament from the Sovereign within the five-year life of Conservative MP John Lamont will open the debate in Westminster Hall on January 12 with Labour MP Anna Turley set to respond on behalf of the government.
MPs are set to debate the petition (Image: Getty Images)
Mr Lamont said: “People are sick of all the mistakes that Keir Starmer and this Labour Government are making. Whether it’s the tax on jobs, the Family Farm Tax, a U-turn Winter Fuel Payments, Digital ID, the list is endless. People have had enough, and they want change.”
Labour won a landslide victory in the 2024 general election but have seen their popularity plummet in the 18 months since after a series of mishaps and missteps.
The government has been beseiged by protests from a string of groups, ranging from Palestine Action supporters to farmers.
The Cabinet Office said: “The Prime Minister can call a general election at a time of their choosing by requesting a dissolution of Parliament from the Sovereign within the five-year life of a Parliament.
“The Government was elected by the British people on a mandate of change at the July 2024 General Election.
“This Government is fixing the foundations and delivering change with investment and reform to deliver growth, with more jobs, more money in people’s pockets, to rebuild Britain and get the NHS back on its feet.
“This will be built on the strong foundations of a stable economy, national security and secure borders as we put politics back in the service of working people. On entering office, a £22billion black hole was identified in the nation’s finances.
The debate will take place on January 12 (Image: Getty Images)
“We inherited unprecedented challenges, with crumbling public services and crippled public finances, but will deliver a decade of national renewal through our five missions: economic growth, fixing the NHS, safer streets, making Britain a clean energy super-power and opportunity for all.
“This is what was promised and is what we are delivering. The Government’s first Budget freed up tens of billions of pounds to invest in Britain’s future while locking in stability, preventing devastating austerity in our public services and protecting working people’s payslips.
“Mission-led government rejects the sticking-plaster solutions of the past and unites public and private sectors, national, devolved and local government, business and unions, and the whole of civil society in a shared purpose. The Government will continue to deliver the manifesto of change that it was elected on.”
Keir Starmer told ‘watch and learn’ as EU country cracks down on illegal migrants
The country’s Government has implemented strict rules at its borders to prevent illegal migration.
The country’s Government has implemented strict rules at its borders to prevent illegal migration (Image: Getty)
One major European country has successfully reduced its illegal migration figures to almost zero thanks to its security measures at its 109-mile border with Serbia. Established during the 2015 European migrant crisis, with the aim of ensuring border security, Hungary installed a 9.6-mile-wide and 15-foot-high double fence, topped with coils of barbed wire.
Border police continuously patrol the fences, looking for suspicious activity, aided by thousands of surveillance cameras and a continuous length of the fibre optic cable that alerts officers to any interference with the fences. The number of illegal entries into Hungary declined significantly after the barrier was completed, as it effectively prevented unauthorised entry into Hungary. In fact, the number of attempted crossings decreased from over 100,000 in 2022 to just 12,000 last year.
Hungary declared the EU “too slow to act”, and started construction of the barrier in June 2015 (Image: Getty)
While most attempts are stopped by police, those migrants who do successfully make it through the fence are not allowed to remain in Hungary. According to GB News, Police Colonel Levente Bauko said that Hungarian law allows the police to use force to detain migrants and return them through a gate in the fence to Serbia.
In 2015, hundreds of thousands of Arabs would cross the border into Hungary, seeking entry into the EU and access to Western European social security systems. Hungary declared the EU “too slow to act”, started construction of the barrier in June, and it was completed the following September. Hungary then went on to construct barriers on minor sections of the Croatian border that are not separated by the Drava River.
According to Col. Bauko, migrants used ladders to scale the fences, but after authorities increased the height of these structures, they began digging tunnels underneath them. In 2022, border guards discovered 30 completed tunnels.
More recently, gangs began cutting holes in the wire, prompting authorities to reinforce the fences with steel. Guards told The People’s Channel that they are also able to use drones and can call on helicopters if needed.
Under Viktor Orban’s legal changes, the number of asylum claims from 122,000 in 2016 to just 25 in 2024 (Image: Getty)
In 2015, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán declared that “Hungarians should decide who they want to live with,” reinforcing Hungary’s rejection of EU migration policies. Under his legal changes, anyone seeking asylum in Hungary must do so from an Embassy in another country. This “embassy first” policy has reduced the number of asylum claims from 122,000 in 2016 to just 25 in 2024.
Hungary’s Interior Minister described its actions as the “strictest immigration law in the EU”.
However, the measures incurred the wrath of the EU, with Brussels slapping the Hungarian Government with a €200million (£174million) fine in addition to a daily penalty of €1 million (£868,000). Nevertheless, the Hungarian Government believes that this money is well spent to mitigate the negative economic and social consequences of mass migration that have affected the UK.
The revelation of Hungary’s border security impressed many GB News readers.
“Wish I could afford to go and live there and feel safe again as I used to in this country once!” one commented, while another said: “Watch and learn, Starmer“.
A third wrote: “A country that most Brits would think are behind us. But are obviously way far ahead of us on criminal immigration.”
EU country’s huge migration crackdown revealed – shows UK how it’s done
One European country has taken drastic action to reduce the number of people claiming asylum.
Sweden has taken measures to tackle immigration (Image: Getty Images)
Sweden has seen a dramatic reduction in the number of people applying for asylum in the past year. According to data, the Scandinavian country saw applications fall by 30% between 2024 and 2025.
The sharp decrease comes after the election of a centre-right Swedish government in 2022, supported by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, running on an anti-immigration ticket. Over the past decade, the country has seen an increase in violent crime and murder linked to organised criminals in major cities against a backdrop of high immigration. Swedish migration minister Johan Forssell has hailed several measures taken by the government to restrict immigration, including the introduction of stringent conditions for gaining citizenship and increasing removals.
In 2015, a large number of asylum seekers made their way to Sweden (Image: Getty Images)
He said: “In 2025, the number of asylum seekers to Sweden continued to decline. It’s a sharp decrease. A 30% drop in just one year.”
From next year, migrants who choose to return voluntarily to their home countries from 2026 will be eligible for payments of up to 350,000 kronor (around £28,000).
Data from the Swedish Migration Agency shows that Sweden issued 79,684 residence permits in 2025, with just 6% linked to asylum claims — down from 18% in 2018, when 133,025 permits were granted.
In parallel, 8,312 people left Sweden last year to return to their countries of origin.
Forssell hailed his country’s achievements in reducing immigration (Image: Getty)
Forssell added: “The change isn’t just about numbers in terms of lower immigration, it’s also about the way that’s made up, who is coming to Sweden with the proportion from asylum at a record low.”
Sweden has been followed by Germany in heavily clamping down on immigration in order to address concerns that have led to a rise in support for far-right parties.
Germany has seen the number of illegal migrants trying to enter the country drop to its lowest level in over a decade – barring the first year of the pandemic.
The astonishing reduction has happened on the watch of Germany‘s CDU Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The Conservative politician had pledged to crackdown on immigration during federal elections in 2025. In the first eleven months of last year, 106,298 first-time asylum applications were recorded by the national migration agency Bamf.
This puts Germany on course for its smallest annual total since 2013. By way of comparison, the figure in 2024 was over double, at 229,751.
