People granted asylum in Britain could have to repay the government about £10,000, roughly more than $13,000, for accommodation and basic living support before they can become eligible to apply for settlement, officials announced on Monday.

This comes as immigration has become one of the most important issues in British politics, consistently ranking among voters’ top concerns in polling.

Under the proposed rules, the government says repayments would be means-tested and limited to adults above an income threshold. Officials say safeguards would be included to prevent people from being pushed into extreme poverty, though key details of the threshold and enforcement mechanism have not yet been published.

FARAGE SAYS MASS MIGRATION HAS CHANGED THE UK ‘LITERALLY BEYOND RECOGNITION,’ BELIEVES PARTY CAN WIN ELECTION

The rules would not be applied retrospectively and children would not be subject to the payments.

«Receiving asylum support is a right, but it is also a responsibility,» Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said. «Once people can contribute and repay the generosity of the British people, we expect them to do so.»

Mahmood explained that her latest reforms aim to reduce the burden on taxpayers’ wallets.

The government would only charge adults who can afford to pay. (Geography Photos/Universal Images Group)

The Home Office also said over the weekend that it aims to remove 45,000 more people with no legal right to remain and foreign criminals within the next decade, in addition to the tens of thousands already being removed on a yearly basis.

The center-left Labour Party has increased efforts to curb both legal and illegal immigration as it seeks to counter the rising popularity of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which has vowed to deport up to 600,000 asylum seekers and other people whose claims or appeals have failed.

«Mass migration has changed this country, certainly in many of our cities, literally beyond recognition,» Farage told Fox News Digital last week. «We’ve not been selective about who’s been able to come into the country. That is a major contributory factor.»

KEIR STARMER RESIGNS AS BRITISH PRIME MINISTER AFTER DEVASTATING LABOUR REVOLT AND LOCAL ELECTION LOSSES

Shabana Mahmood, Britain’s home secretary, said the reforms aim to reduce the burden on taxpayers’. (Getty Images)

Refugee advocates and migration researchers have criticized the proposal, arguing it could punish people who fled persecution and questioning whether many refugees would earn enough to repay the proposed sum. Critics have also warned that tying repayment to settlement could create uncertainty for people trying to rebuild their lives in the UK.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The Labour Party has faced internal divisions over how tight its immigration policy should be, and the party is up against further overall uncertainty after its leader, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, announced last week that he will resign.

Reuters contributed to this report.

El estallido de un paquete bomba en la entrada de un edificio residencial de Mónaco dejó tres personas heridas de gravedad, entre ellas el empresario ucraniano Vadim Irmolaiev, según informaron medios franceses y ucranianos, mientras las autoridades del principado y de Francia buscan al presunto autor, que cruzó la frontera francesa tras el ataque. El hecho ocurrió el lunes por la noche cerca del límite entre ambos países y las autoridades investigan el móvil del atentado.

La explosión se produjo alrededor de las 21:00 hora local (19:00 GMT) en el vestíbulo de un edificio situado cerca de la frontera con Francia. El gobierno monegasco informó inicialmente que dos adultos, una pareja de entre 50 y 60 años, sufrieron heridas graves y que un adolescente de 13 años también resultó lesionado, aunque en un primer momento no reveló la identidad de las víctimas.

Más tarde, una fuente cercana a la investigación confirmó a AFP una información difundida por la cadena BFMTV según la cual uno de los heridos es Vadim Irmolaiev, un magnate ucraniano de la construcción que reside en Mónaco. La identidad de las víctimas, sin embargo, todavía no recibió confirmación oficial por parte de las autoridades del principado.

El ministro de Estado de Mónaco, Christophe Mirmand, informó que el sospechoso escapó a pie hacia Francia después de la explosión. Según explicó, las cámaras de videovigilancia permitieron identificar su recorrido tanto en Mónaco como en la localidad francesa de Beausoleil, situada junto al principado.

Las fuerzas de seguridad de ambos países participan en el operativo para localizar al presunto responsable. Un funcionario de la Policía Nacional francesa confirmó que las autoridades francesas colaboran con la investigación y mantienen la búsqueda del sospechoso, aunque evitó ofrecer detalles adicionales sobre el caso.

El fiscal general de Mónaco, Stéphane Thibault, explicó a la AFP que el artefacto explosivo se encontraba dentro de una bolsa o paquete que una persona dejó en el vestíbulo del edificio antes de retirarse del lugar.

En un mensaje publicado en la red social X, el gobierno monegasco señaló: “Esta noche, poco antes de las 21H00, se escuchó en el Principado una violenta explosión relacionada con un paquete bomba, no muy lejos de la Place des Moulins”.

Mirmand calificó el episodio como un hecho sin precedentes para el país. “Es la primera vez en la historia, que yo sepa, que se produce un acto de este tipo en el Principado”, afirmó durante una comparecencia ante la prensa.

Tras el atentado, las autoridades reforzaron el dispositivo de seguridad en el microestado, que ya cuenta con una importante presencia policial. Mirmand indicó que todos los servicios del Estado permanecen movilizados mientras continúa la investigación para determinar el motivo del ataque.

Los tres heridos fueron trasladados a hospitales de la ciudad francesa de Niza, ubicada a unos 20 kilómetros de Mónaco, donde recibieron atención médica.

El príncipe Alberto II de Mónaco condenó el atentado mediante un comunicado oficial y expresó el respaldo de las instituciones del principado a la investigación. El jefe de Estado calificó el episodio como “un crimen atroz” y sostuvo que representa “un golpe para toda la comunidad monegasca”.

Además, el soberano reafirmó la prioridad que el país asigna a la seguridad y aseguró que “la seguridad” del microestado europeo “siempre ha sido una prioridad” y “lo seguirá siendo más que nunca, sean cuales sean las amenazas”.

El ministro Mirmand también confirmó que el fiscal general Stéphane Thibault ofrecerá una rueda de prensa para informar sobre el avance de las investigaciones y las actuaciones judiciales.

Medios franceses y el sitio ucraniano Ukrainska Pravda identificaron al empresario herido como Vadim Irmolaiev, quien desde diciembre de 2023 figura bajo sanciones impuestas por el Consejo Nacional de Seguridad de Ucrania mediante una decisión promulgada por el presidente Volodimir Zelensky.

Según diversos medios que citan a los servicios de seguridad ucranianos, esas sanciones responden a la decisión del multimillonario de mantener actividades vinculadas al comercio de alcohol en la península de Crimea, territorio bajo ocupación rusa.

Las autoridades de Mónaco señalaron que la investigación continúa abierta para establecer el motivo del ataque y determinar la responsabilidad del autor, mientras los equipos de seguridad de Mónaco y Francia mantienen el operativo de búsqueda del sospechoso.

(Con información de AP y EFE)

Lindsay James, a state legislator and Democratic candidate for Congress in Iowa, missed over half of her votes in the state’s House of Representatives this past year, records show.

In 2026, James missed 177 of 342 votes, according to the legislature’s records, accounting for 51.7% of the whole.

The absences clash with assurances James made about how her campaign might impact her legislative duties and has opened her up to Republican-led criticisms that she has prioritized her potential role instead of the one she has now.

«Lindsay James promised Iowans that campaigning wouldn’t distract her from the job she was elected to do. That didn’t last long,» Emily Tuttle, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said.

DEM REP MIKIE SHERRILL SKIPS 145 HOUSE VOTES AS NJ GOVERNOR’S RACE HEATS UP

«James chose her own political ambitions over showing up for work, proving that when given the choice between serving constituents and serving herself, she puts herself first,» Tuttle continued.

James’ campaign said that she has a track record of representing constituents well.

«Lindsay has always fought for Iowa families, taking on corporate greed and predatory landlords and writing the bill to cap the cost of insulin,» Jackson Smith, a spokesperson for the campaign, said in a statement to Fox. 

«While Lindsay listens to and works for the Iowans making impossible economic choices caused by Joe Mitchell and his Washington allies, Mitchell has been using his campaign cash to party with Washington insiders and will be a rubber stamp for the policies raising Iowa families’ costs,» Smith said, referring to Joe Mitchell, a former state representative and a Republican candidate for the seat.

At the outset of her campaign, James told viewers in an interview that she would continue to prioritize her work in the House of Representatives despite intentions to campaign «full-time.»

«Full-time campaigning and, of course, fulfilling my important work in the Iowa legislature,» James said when asked whether she would also continue working as a minister.

«You know me, I have a pretty strong work ethic at the capitol, early, very late, providing for my constituents. That will never stop. That’s just who I am and how I’m wired,» James said.

Even so, James, who first joined the Iowa House in 2019, has missed several key votes in the chamber.

LAKEN RILEY ACT ROILS NJ GOVERNOR’S RACE AS 2 DEMS SKIP ROLL: ‘THE MORE SOMEONE CAMPAIGNS THE LESS THEY VOTE’

The Iowa State Capitol building is seen in Des Moines, Iowa, on Oct. 9, 2019, ahead of the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses scheduled for Feb. 3, 2020. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Instead of voting on a bill to limit screen time for students in schools, she held a campaign event in Cedar Rapids on April 20, roughly two hours from Des Moines.

Just ten days later, James also missed a vote on whether to make animal torture a felony on April 30 to host a meet-and-greet at a brewery in Decorah, Iowa.

In a third case, she also skipped the chamber’s consideration of whether to lower property taxes in order to host another candidate activity in Dubuque — a three-hour drive from the capitol.

James recently won a Democratic primary earlier this month as she wages a campaign to fill the seat currently held by Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa.

SWALWELL’S ‘I SHOULD BE WORKING’ GYM, POOL VIDEOS RESURFACE AS DEM RIVAL HAMMERS HIS MISSED HOUSE VOTES

Rep. Ashley Hinson speaks to guests during her Ashley’s BBQ Bash fundraiser in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Aug. 23, 2025. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Hinson, who has represented the district since 2021, announced she would not seek reelection as she pursues a Senate seat to replace outgoing Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.