British politicians from all three major parties have been talking immigration.

Opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband kicked off the round with an apology for Labour’s mistakes in government. His Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper outlined demand-side proposals pledging tougher enforcement of labour regulations (minimum wage) aimed at protecting the most vulnerable workers and promised apprenticeships for British youth. Read more

British Prime Minister David Cameron wants a new kind of European Union – or, at the very least, a new relationship between Britain and the EU, where there will be a “two-way flow,” powers flowing not just from nations states to Brussels but the reverse too. He is all set to unveil his plans at a speech in the Netherlands on Friday, and Indian diplomats would do well to grab a seat. Read more

Governments around the world are having to learn on the hoof how to deal with the impact of social media on law and order. Banning websites is at best a short-term solution. At worst it exposes the government to charges of intolerance and failing to take preventative intelligence-led measures. Read more

In the aftermath of London 2012 Olympics success, Prime Minister David Cameron dismissed Indian dance as not-physical education. Sports lessons in schools were being filled with “Indian dance or whatever,” he said – activities that “you and I wouldn’t think of as sport.” Read more

The Olympics are supposed to bring together nations and peoples – as also the people of the host nation. For the last three weeks, Britain has become used to calling itself Great Britain, and with good reason: after a hesitant start in the medals tally (when it immediately slipped into the usual grumbling mode), the country has done superbly to finish third after the US and China. Read more

The news for Indian and other foreign students wishing to study in Britain’s excellent universities is not getting any better. This, reportedly, is because the government needs to make cuts in the number of foreign students if it is to fulfill its pledge to cut immigration numbers to “tens of thousands, not hundreds of thousands.” Read more

The Planning Commission Deputy Chairman was in London last week for the Clean Energy Ministerial meeting – leading the Indian delegation in the absence of Dr Farooq Abdullah, the Minister for New and Renewable Energy. It was an important conference to attend, as India is a major partner in this 23-nation initiative. Read more

British papers have written about the “weary inevitability” caused by the revelations this week that Prime Minister David Cameron has been offering dinner – and the chance of influencing British government policies – at his taxpayer-funded Downing Street home to those willing to donate hefty amounts to his Conservative Party. Read more

There’s a phony war being whipped up over the £280m worth of British aid that goes to India every year, and both India and Britain should be very careful about how they respond. It is being whipped up by a small number of MPs belonging to the ruling coalition’s Conservative party, a few right wing pro-Conservative newspapers and rent-a-quote pressure groups. Read more

Rickie Sehgal, the Indian businessman with Conservative Party links, was in all probability merely boasting when he allegedly told an undercover British reporter he could get him David Cameron’s mobile (cell) phone number if he joined his elite club of South Asian Tory supporters. The price? A mere £10,000 a year, apparently. Read more