New sanctions targeting the finances of people smuggling networks will make it harder for gangs to profit from the deadly trade, the Home Office has said.

The government has said the proposed measures aimed at curbing illegal migration into the UK are expected to come into force this year.

The sanctions, designed to disrupt the flow of money, are thought to be the world's first to specifically target people smugglers.

Sir Keir Starmer said the move would hamper "illicit finance rings allowing smugglers to traffic vulnerable people across Europe".

"We must dismantle the crime gangs facilitating breaches of our borders," the prime minister said.

Under the proposed measures, which are yet to be finalised, UK-based individuals and financial institutions would be banned by law from dealing with sanctioned groups.

The government will bring forward new legislation for the scheme, drawn up by government sanction experts alongside law enforcement and Home Office staff.

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Foreign Secretary David Lammy will set out further details in a speech on Thursday.

Ahead of his address, he said the measures would "help to prevent, combat, deter and disrupt irregular migration and the smuggling of migrants into the UK".

In 2024, the number of people detected crossing the English Channel in small boats was up by a quarter, from 29,437 in 2023 to 36,816.

However, this was lower than the record 45,755 seen in 2022.

Under enhanced powers to tackle people smuggling announced in November, the UK's Border Security Command was given permission to freeze smuggling networks' bank accounts.

Meanwhile, ministers announced new laws allowing travel bans, social media blackouts and phone restrictions for suspected people smugglers earlier this month.

Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said Labour had "no credibility on dealing with the evil trade in people smuggling".

"In Parliament they voted against tougher punishments and life sentences for people smugglers, abolished the Rwanda deterrent and campaigned in favour of the rights of dangerous criminals and foreign national offenders, over the safety of the British people."

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has told Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer he risks fuelling accusations of "a cover up" by refusing to hold a national inquiry into grooming gangs.

She also accused the PM of not wanting questions asked "of Labour politicians who may be complicit".

Sir Keir argued that several inquires had already been held into abuse carried out by gangs of men, predominantly of Pakistani heritage, and that a new probe would only delay the action the victims wanted.

And he said he would "call out" anyone who prevented victims of sexual abuse from coming forward.

The Conservatives have tabled an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill which calls for a national inquiry.

In the unlikely event the amendment is approved the bill, which includes measures aimed at protecting children and tougher rules around home-schooling, as well as changes to academies, would be scuppered.

Sir Keir said it was "shocking" Conservative MPs would try to block a bill aimed at helping vulnerable children by voting for the Tory amendment and accused Badenoch of "weak leadership".

Making her argument for a fresh inquiry, Badenoch said "no one has joined the dots, no one has the total picture".

She noted that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which lasted for seven years and concluded in 2022, had not had a specific focus on grooming gangs.

"We don't need to repeat the work that has already been done. Let's look at new areas."

She said a new inquiry could explore "if there was a racial and cultural motivation to some of these crimes".

Sir Keir said "reasonable people could agree or disagree" on whether there should be a fresh probe and acknowledged that there were mixed views among victims and survivors.

However, he accused Badenoch of only recently taking an interest in the subject and said she had failed to take action when she was in government.

"I can't recall her once raising this issue in the House, once calling for a national inquiry," he said.

US President Joe Biden has said he thinks he would have defeated Donald Trump and won re-election in November.

Speaking to USA Today in an exclusive interview, Biden did, however, add that he was unsure if he would have had the stamina for another four-year term.

"So far, so good," the 82-year-old said. "But who knows what I'm going to be when I'm 86 years old?"

In the wide-ranging interview with Susan Page, Biden also said he was still considering pre-emptive pardons for foes of Donald Trump, including former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney and former senior health official Dr Anthony Fauci.

In the interview published on Wednesday, Biden said he had been "very straightforward with Trump" about the potential pardons during their Oval Office meeting shortly after the November election.

"I tried to make it clear that there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores," Biden said, adding Trump did not push back, but "just basically listened".

Biden said his ultimate decision will depend on who Trump selects for his cabinet.

At that same meeting, Biden said Trump was "complimentary" about his economic record.

"He [Trump] thought I was leaving with a good record," the Democrat said.

The interview with USA Today is the only exit interview Biden has so far given to a print publication.

Media access to Biden has been strictly controlled by the White House - and the president has not held a news conference since he dropped out of the race on 21 July.

In the interview, the outgoing president also defended the full and unconditional pardon he issued to his son, Hunter Biden, who was facing sentencing for two criminal cases - tax evasion and illegally buying a gun - despite repeatedly insisting he would not do so.

Biden, who first came to Capitol Hill in 1972 as a US senator, drew criticism from his own party over his apparent reluctance to drop out of the presidential race amid concerns over his age and mental acuity.

Speaking to USA Today, Biden said "based on polling" he believed he would have won, but conceded his age may have affected him in office.

"When Trump was running again for re-election, I really thought I had the best chance of beating him. But I also wasn't looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old," Biden said. "But I don't know. Who the hell knows?"

Following Vice-President Kamala Harris' loss to Trump, high-ranking members of the Democratic party, such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have said the Democrats might have fared better in the election had Biden exited the race sooner.

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Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has told Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer he risks fuelling accusations of "a cover up" by refusing to hold a national inquiry into grooming gangs.

She also accused the PM of not wanting questions asked "of Labour politicians who may be complicit".

Sir Keir argued that several inquires had already been held into abuse carried out by gangs of men, predominantly of Pakistani heritage, and that a new probe would only delay the action the victims wanted.

And he said he would "call out" anyone who prevented victims of sexual abuse from coming forward.

The Conservatives have tabled an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill which calls for a national inquiry.

In the unlikely event the amendment is approved the bill, which includes measures aimed at protecting children and tougher rules around home-schooling, as well as changes to academies, would be scuppered.

Sir Keir said it was "shocking" Conservative MPs would try to block a bill aimed at helping vulnerable children by voting for the Tory amendment and accused Badenoch of "weak leadership".

Making her argument for a fresh inquiry, Badenoch said "no one has joined the dots, no one has the total picture".

She noted that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which lasted for seven years and concluded in 2022, had not had a specific focus on grooming gangs.

"We don't need to repeat the work that has already been done. Let's look at new areas."

She said a new inquiry could explore "if there was a racial and cultural motivation to some of these crimes".

Sir Keir said "reasonable people could agree or disagree" on whether there should be a fresh probe and acknowledged that there were mixed views among victims and survivors.

However, he accused Badenoch of only recently taking an interest in the subject and said she had failed to take action when she was in government.

"I can't recall her once raising this issue in the House, once calling for a national inquiry," he said.

The pound has fallen to its lowest level for nine months after UK government borrowing costs continued to rise.

The drop came as UK 10-year borrowing costs surged to their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis when bank borrowing almost ground to a halt.

Economists have warned the rising costs could lead to further tax rises or cuts to spending plans as the government tries to meet its self-imposed borrowing target.

The government said it would not say anything ahead of the official borrowing forecast from its independent forecaster due in March.

"I'm obviously not going to get ahead ... it's up to the OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) to make their forecasts."

"Having stability in the public finances is precursor to having economic stability and economic growth," the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.

Shadow chancellor Mel Stride claimed that the Chancellor's significant spending and borrowing plans from the Budget are "making it more expensive for the government to borrow".

"We should be building a more resilient economy, not raising taxes to pay for fiscal incompetence," he said in a post on X.

Gabriel McKeown, head of macroeconomics at Sad Rabbit Investments, said the rise in borrowing costs "has effectively eviscerated Reeves' fiscal headroom, threatening to derail Labour's investment promises and potentially necessitate a painful recalibration of spending plans."

The warning comes after the cost of borrowing over 30 years hit its highest level for 27 years on Tuesday.

Meanwhile the pound dropped by as much as 1.1% to $1.233 against the dollar, marking its lowest level since April last year.

The government generally spends more than it raises in tax. To fill this gap it borrows money, but that has to be paid back - with interest.

One of the ways it can borrow money is by selling financial products called bonds.

Globally, there has been a rise in the cost of government borrowing in recent months sparked by investor concerns that US President-elect Donald Trump's plans to impose new tariffs on goods entering the US from Canada, Mexico and China would push up inflation.

Laith Khalaf, head of investment analysis at AJ Bell, said chancellor Rachel Reeves' Budget in October, which increased borrowing, may have had a small impact but said the UK rises were similar to those in the US.

"In the UK higher yields put pressure on government finances and increase the risk that Reeves will come back with another tax raising Budget," he said.

But he also said the current rises in borrowing costs could be "a storm in a tea cup which dissipates quickly."

The official forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), will start the process of updating its forecast on government borrowing next month to be presented to parliament in late March.

Ryanair is pursuing legal action against a passenger who allegedly caused a major disruption on a flight from Dublin to Lanzarote.

The airline is seeking £12,500 in damages to cover expenses incurred when the plane had to divert to Porto, Portugal.

On Wednesday, the airline announced it had filed proceedings against the passenger, whose behaviour on the flight last April was described as "inexcusable" and "completely unacceptable".

Ryanair stated that it will "continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behaviour on aircraft" in an effort to ensure the safety and comfort of all passengers.

The airline said the passenger's behaviour forced the flight in question to divert to Porto, where it was delayed overnight, and caused 160 passengers to "face unnecessary disruption as well as losing a full day of their holiday".

The damages sought would cover the cost of overnight accommodation and other expenses for the passengers affected by the diversion.

Announcing what the airline described as a "major clampdown", a spokesperson on the airline's website said: "It is unacceptable that passengers – many of whom are heading away with family or friends to enjoy a relaxing summer holiday – are suffering unnecessary disruption and reduced holiday time as a result of one unruly passenger's behaviour."

The airline added it hoped the civil proceedings in the Irish court would deter further disruptive behaviour on flights.

The passenger has not been named.

Under EU laws, passengers are entitled to compensation for flights within the EU that are cancelled or delayed by three hours or more.

Hotel accommodation must be offered free of charge if an overnight stay becomes necessary, as well as transport between the hotel and the airport along with a free meal and refreshments.

A passenger who disrupted a Ryanair flight to Athens in 2020 was convicted last month in a Greek court and given a five-month suspended jail sentence, along with a €400 ($412) fine.

The BBC has asked Ryanair for comment on the details of the incident.