Ministers delaying inquiry into treatment of migrant carers, RCN says
Ministers are dragging their heels on an investigation into the mistreatment of migrant carers, the country’s largest nursing union has said, as it continues to receive complaints about low pay, substandard accommodation and illegal fees,Nicola Ranger, the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, has written to Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, to urge her to speed up her promised investigation into the abuse of foreign care workers,Despite the government’s promises to clamp down on abusive practices by rogue employers and agencies, the RCN says it continues to receive more than 100 calls a year from nurses who say they are being mistreated,Ranger said in her letter: “The RCN is deeply concerned by reports of exploitative workplace practices that many international educated nursing staff in the care sector face,Our members report a range of issues from long working hours, excessive repayment fees to exit contracts, substandard and crowded accommodation, and illegal work finding fees.
”Cooper promised last June to hold an investigation into the experiences of people coming to the UK to work in the social care sector, after the Guardian uncovered widespread allegations of mistreatment.The investigation showed how dozens of migrant nurses had been induced to pay tens of thousands of pounds for their visas on the promise of a job, only to find little or no work when they arrived.Some were sharing rooms, and even beds, with other migrant workers, to make ends meet.The problems stem from the decision by the previous government to relax the rules around sponsoring care worker visas, which ministers took in response to a staffing crisis in social care.Cooper said at the time the Guardian’s revelations were a “disgrace”, adding: “There must be a full investigation into these reports to ensure standards are upheld, and exploitative employers are prosecuted.
”Since winning the election, Labour has indicated it will conduct this investigation through a new employment regulator which ministers are setting up as part of the employment rights bill,The government is yet to decide the exact remit for the new regulator, however, suggesting it will take several more months to establish,Ranger said in her letter: “I am concerned that based on current timelines, the creation of the single enforcement body – subject to the passing of the employment rights bill – will not be until spring 2026 at the earliest,A subsequent investigation is likely to take several months to conclude,Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotion“In the meantime, these exploitative practices will continue, and I fear, will become more frequent.
I urge officials in the Home Office and across government departments to launch the promised investigation now to ensure that victims are not let down by lengthy processes,”The RCN says that in the last few years, complaints to its hotline from carers who say they are being mistreated have shot up from just 12 in 2020 to 110 last year,Several people have complained about having to pay “repayment” fees when trying to leave a job to cover debts their employers say they have incurred during the hiring process,One nurse who contacted the union said she had been ordered to pay £25,000 to leave her job – the highest the RCN says it has ever seen,The Home Office has been approached for comment.
‘Major brand worries’: Just how toxic is Elon Musk for Tesla?
Globally renowned brands would not, ordinarily, want to be associated with Germany’s far-right opposition. But Tesla, one of the world’s biggest corporate names, does not have a conventional chief executive.After Elon Musk backed Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) – calling the party Germany’s “only hope” – voters are considering an alternative to Tesla. Data released on Thursday showed that registrations of the company’s electric cars in Germany fell 76% to 1,429 last month. Overall, electric vehicle registrations rose by 31%
Crypto giant Tether CEO on cooperating with Trump administration: ‘We’ve never been shady’
Paolo Ardoino – head of the world’s most traded cryptocurrency, which is backed by Trump aide Howard Lutnick – claims Tether is benefiting the USPaolo Ardoino, CEO of the cryptocurrency company Tether, was flying over Switzerland last week as he contemplated the changing regulatory landscape.Tether used to be at war with the establishment. Now it is the establishment.The crypto giant – tether is the most traded cryptocurrency in the world – has had a strange trip. Four years ago, banks were dropping Tether as a client, and regulators in New York had the company against the wall over questions about commingled client and corporate funds
Australian Tesla sales plummet as owners rush to distance themselves from Elon Musk
Australian Tesla owners troubled by the increasingly extreme rightwing politics of the company’s co-founder, Elon Musk, are offloading their electric vehicles or using bumper stickers to distance themselves from the Trump-aligned billionaire.Fresh vehicle sales data for February – which covered the weeks after Musk’s apparent fascist salute at a Trump inauguration rally – showed a steep decline in Tesla purchases. Sales were down about 72% compared to the same month in 2024.Sales of Tesla’s Model 3 – the company’s entry-level model which had been the second-best selling EV in Australia in 2024 – were down 81%.Tesla’s sliding popularity in Australia comes amid several other trends in the market such as the move away from pure battery electric cars in favour of hybrid vehicles; the increasing availability of cheaper Chinese rivals; and the broader waning appetite for cars that saw Australians buy 10,000 fewer vehicles in February than the same month in 2024
‘Trump Gaza’ AI video intended as political satire, says creator
The creator of the viral “Trump Gaza” AI-generated video depicting the Gaza Strip as a Dubai-style paradise has said it was intended as a political satire of Trump’s “megalomaniac idea”.The video – posted by Trump on his Truth Social account last week – depicts a family emerging from the wreckage of war-torn Gaza into a beachside resort town lined with skyscrapers. Trump is seen sipping cocktails with a topless Benjamin Netanyahu on sun loungers, while Elon Musk tears flatbread into dips.The video first emerged in February, shortly after Trump unveiled his property development plan for Gaza, under which he said he wants to “clean out” the population of about 2 million people to create the “Riviera of the Middle East”.Trump then posted the clip without any explanation on his Truth Social platform on 26 February
UK watchdog drops competition review of Microsoft’s OpenAI partnership
The UK’s competition watchdog will not hold a formal investigation into Microsoft’s partnership with the startup behind the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, stating that while the $2.9tn (£2.3tn) tech company has “material influence” over OpenAI it does not control it.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said Microsoft, OpenAI’s biggest financial backer with a $13bn investment, acquired material influence over the San Francisco-based business in 2019 but did not exercise de facto control over it – and therefore did not meet the threshold for an official inquiry.The decision follows expressions of disquiet over the appointment of the former boss of Amazon UK, Doug Gurr, as the CMA’s interim chair
Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon among tech companies making $27bn from Australians
The top 16 tech companies are collectively making $26.7bn in revenue each year from Australians, a Parliamentary Budget Office analysis has found, as the Greens call for a 3% tax on the biggest players that would bring in more than $11bn.The analysis, conducted on behalf of the Greens, found in 2022-23 Google made $8.7bn across advertising and cloud services, Microsoft made $2.9bn, Meta made $1
Another Simple Favor review – supremely silly sequel serves more absurd twists
Bill Dare obituary
The Guide #181: TV has given up on live music – but social media won’t let it die
Noel Clarke has made ‘wild allegations’ against his abuse accusers, court told
Jimmy Kimmel on Trump’s tariffs: ‘Can you believe we’re shaking down Canada?’
Sole portrait of England’s ‘nine-day queen’ thought to have been identified by researchers