Migrants will have to prove they are contributing to British society to earn the right to remain in the UK, the new home secretary has told the Labour conference. Shabana Mahmood wants to draw a “clear dividing line” between the government and Reform UK, said the BBC, as she takes the fight to Nigel Farage’s party on immigration.

What did the commentators say?
The former justice secretary has “been placed in the centre of the storm” in her new role, said Jonathan Rutherford in The New Statesman. If Mahmood can “stop the boats, restore trust in policing and reduce levels of immigration”, Labour “has a fighting chance” of winning the next election.

Her move to the Home Office feels like Labour’s “last chance to stave off” Farage, said John Rentoul in The Independent. Her “record suggests that she would not be squeamish about trying policies” on immigration “that may have once seemed unthinkable”.

Mahmood’s “task is really to save Starmer’s skin”, said Anne McElvoy in The i Paper. That “raises the question” of whether she may one day decide “her own future might lie” in being Labour leader, rather than “just acting as its emergency callout service when things fall apart”.

But it’s “extremely unlikely” that Mahmood’s immigration measures will be enough to “restore Labour’s fortunes”, said Peter Franklin on UnHerd. Shutting the migrant hotels will only boost the party if the plan for replacement “purpose-built accommodation” works. Finding a solution to the issues with the European Convention on Human Rights is “another uphill struggle”, and the one-in, one-out deal with France “won’t satisfy the none-in, all-out mood of the Reform-voting electorate”.

What next?
Mahmood’s proposals on tightening the criteria for indefinite leave to remain – which, along with evidence of giving back to society, include having a high standard of English, not being on benefits and not having a criminal record – will go out for consultation later this year.

She’s outlined a vision of an “open, tolerant, generous country”. The real question, said Sky News, is whether that vision will wobble as “the first of the so-called ‘Boriswave’” of immigrants qualify to apply for indefinite leave to remain next year.

A three-decade-old manga symbol may seem an unlikely choice but the “One Piece” pirate flag has been brandished by disaffected young people at recent anti-corruption protests worldwide, from Jakarta to Paris to Kathmandu.

Depicting a skull with hollow cheeks, a broad grin and a straw hat, the the flag is “an example of how Gen Z is reshaping the cultural vocabulary of dissent”, said media expert and academic Nuurrianti Jalli, from Oklahoma State University, on The Conversation.

What is One Piece?
A hugely popular Japanese manga created by artist Eiichiro Oda, the One Piece series follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates, led by Monkey D. Luffy, who stand up to repressive rulers, fighting against slavery, racism and xenophobia. First published in 1997, it holds the Guinness World Record for the most copies published in the same comic book series by a single author and has spawned a long-running TV series and live-action films. 

Why has Gen Z adopted it?
The One Piece concept “arrived at the birth of Gen Z”, said Jalli on The Conversation, and for fans who grew up with the comics, the flag is “not a casual decoration but an emblem of defiance and perseverance”. Yet “part of the flag’s effectiveness comes from its ambiguity”, which “makes it difficult for governments to suppress without appearing authoritarian”.

After cropping up sporadically at protests over the past couple of years, the symbol went viral during this summer’s “Dark Indonesia” student protests in response to budget cuts and growing military influence in civilian affairs. It has since become the defining image of youth-led demonstrations across the region, including anti-corruption marches in the Philippines and recent protests that toppled the government in Nepal.

Most recently, the flag has been spotted at demonstrations in Slovakia, Rome, New York and Paris. Its meaning has obviously “resonated across borders”, said The Guardian, as a “symbol of defiance and hope for Gen Z protesters”.

A raven calls out from a charred tree in Canada’s Jasper National Park. The photograph, taken by Maxime Légaré-Vézina after wildfires devastated the region last year, won the silver award for best portrait in the 2025 Bird Photographer of the Year competition.

Maxime Legare-Vezina / Bird Photographer of the Year

Fancy a holiday with a difference? Look no further than our pick of the UK’s quirkiest hotels. From a setting fit for an Agatha Christie novel to a night in a former prison, these novel options promise a stay like no other.

Georgian House Hotel, Pimlico, London
Inconspicuous on the surface, the Georgian House Hotel’s greatest secrets lie within. “Set across three beautifully restored Georgian townhouses”, the hotel has its fair share of “‘standard’ boutique rooms”, said The Telegraph. But on the lower ground floor, hidden behind “two false bookcases”, lie the “Wizard Chambers” offering an adventurous stay. There‘s even a “wizard-themed afternoon tea”.

Burgh Island Hotel, Devon
Agatha Christie wrote two books at the Burgh Island Hotel, but there is more on offer than its connection to the crime writer. Located on a tidal island, the hotel is reachable only by the “iconic sea tractor”, said Luxury Lifestyle Magazine, and only if the tides are low enough.

The Standard, King’s Cross, London
The Standard (pictured above) is a Michelin-recommended “Central London hotspot for the city’s young fun-seeking crowd”, said Time Out. With its “boutique-y” affluent rooms and notorious lift – flying “up and down the outside of the building like Charlie’s Great Glass Elevator”  – it’s “a new frontier of the idea of the luxury hotel.” 

Bodmin Jail Hotel, Cornwall
Housed in a restored and converted 18th-century prison, Bodmin Jail Hotel is “the closest thing law-abiding travellers may ever get to spending a night behind bars”, said The Telegraph. Whether you’re interested in the facility’s history or just looking for a comfortable yet slightly off-the-wall stay, the hotel has something for everyone.

All Brits should be made to take the good citizen test
Simon Kelner in The i Paper 
“Are you a good citizen?” writes Simon Kelner. I ask because the government plans to “make migrants prove their social worth before they are allowed to settle permanently in Britain”. I’m not sure I’d pass such a test of my “contribution to society”. This proposal is “an unworkable ambition aimed to appease potential Reform voters”. Yes, “good citizenry” should be encouraged, but “it’s not some kind of game show in which the first prize is a blue passport”.

Brexit and Forget It? At Your Own Peril
Adrian Wooldridge on Bloomberg
We’ve “done a first-class job of memory-holing” Brexit, writes Adrian Wooldridge. Britain’s relationship with the EU once “consumed” our politics, but “regular people got bored with the European question” and voted to just get the divorce “done”. Yet “forgetting” about such a “great trauma” is “far from healthy”. How can we make sense of “the radical right that is playing such a role” in today’s politics if we don’t “understand its origins in the ‘Leave-or-Remain’ morass”?

First jobs are awful. You should get one anyway
Victoria Richards in The Independent 
My first job, on a supermarket checkout, was “torturous” in its “crushing boredom”, writes Victoria Richards. But “even if you hate it”, it’s “character-building to be in work”. I “wholeheartedly support” Rachel Reeves’ new plans to get nearly a million young people “back into paid work”. It is not “so much what you do, but the act of doing itself” that “can be key to giving people purpose”.