Smith apologised today for a 2010 email hed sent, saying a pregnant subpostmistresses prison sentence was brilliant. Prison sentence was brilliant. News. A moroccan Asylum Seeker on trial for the murder of a pensioner in hartlepool told police he was motivated by the conflict in gaza. 45 year old ahmed ali denies murdering 70 year old Terence Carney as well as the attempted murder of his housemate javid nouri last october. He says he carried out the attacks as an act of revenge for what he called israels killing of children in the palestinian conflict. He also accused. Hes also accused , accused. Hes also accused, rather of assaulting two female Police Officers whod interviewed him after his arrest. A change to family visa rules comes into force today as part of the governments plan to reduce immigration in its part of the home secretarys promise to transform the uks immigration system. Cut off unfair levels of migration and ensure those arriving here dont burden the taxpayer. The measure will see the minimum income for a family visa rise by more than £10,000 to £29,000. Thats an increase of more than 55, and by early 2025 that will increase once again two more times, rising to £38,700. And lastly, a new poll suggests rishi sunak and other conservatives may keep their seats in the next general election because of voter id confusion. A poll thats been released today by the Campaign Group best for britain found 16 of people didnt know theyd need a photo id to vote in upcoming general and local elections. That upcoming general and local elections. That means around 5 Million People could be turned away from polling stations , the away from polling stations, the poll says. The government passed the legislation in 2022, and the new rules came into force last yeah new rules came into force last year. Thats the news for the latest stories. Do sign up for gb news alerts. Scan that qr code on your screen right now , code on your screen right now, or go to gb news. Com alerts. Or go to gb news. Com alerts. Now, when britain voted to leave the European Union in june 2016, all those years ago, few people would have thought that nine years later, eu citizens were still automatically have the right to vote in british elections. But thats exactly elections. But thats exactly whats happening. Why well, because of changes to the elections act in 2022 of local Voting Rights for eu citizens, where they will not take effect until immediately after the may 2024 election. So tonight, im asking you a simple question. Is this right. 7 should millions of eu citizens be able to vote in the upcoming may elections. 7 the upcoming may elections . Email me farage at gbnews. Com or on ex tweet the hashtag farage on ex tweet the hashtag farage on gb news with your comment. Now lets turn to polling expert. The legend that is the professor of politics at the university of strathclyde, sir john curtice. Sirjohn, welcome john curtice. Sir john, welcome to farage on gb news. Great to see you there. Hi, christopher. Hi, christopher. Can you explain just for laymen, why are eu citizens voting in uk elections . So long after we left the European Union . Well, 7 well, its 7 well, its a . Well, its a perfectly good question though. Im going to disappoint you because im actually going to tell you that actually, for the most part, eu citizens are to keep their citizens are going to keep their rights to vote in elections even beyond these 2024 local elections. The what the government has decided to do is to allow anybody who was already resident in the uk up to the end of the transition period that is, to the end of 2020, to keep the Voting Rights they acquired as eu citizens. And i think that at least seems to be required, seems to regard it as maintaining fairness to the eu citizens who already had that right to vote. Yeah. What will what will end after these local elections is the right of those eu citizens who have come to the uk since , the end of the uk since, the end of the transition period, unless its, they come from spain, portugal, luxembourg or poland, because in the case of those four countries, we have reached a reciprocal agreement whereby british citizens will continue to have the right to vote in local elections there. And in return for that , the united return for that, the United Kingdom is going to retain the right, even for new migrants from spain, portugal, etc, to vote here. So, the number of people who are going to fall off the register. Well, at the moment its reckoned there are about 2 million eu citizens on the register. Thats about 5 of the register. Thats about 5 of the electorate able to vote in local elections, not in the general action, its reckoned only around 120, 130,000 of them will be taken off. As i understand it, probably the reason why its not already taken effect is that what returning officers are going to be required to do under the law is to spend three months trying to work out which of the eu citizens that are on the register will still have the right to be on the register, because they were here before the end of 2020, and i suspect , the end of 2020, and i suspect, therefore, what the government decided was we better not do that just before the local elections, because thats going to cause all sorts of mayhem. Although of course it will be something the returning officers will have to cope between will have to cope with between now next years local now and next years local elections, with, of course, the small matter a general small matter of a general election out the way. Goodness gracious, lets lets few questions then lets a few quick questions then. Affects local. It only affects local elections mayoral elections , elections and mayoral elections, not the general election. Is that right . Correct. And it also affects the pcc election. I should also say, however, it doesnt affect local elections in either scotland or the scotland or wales or the devolved elections because both in scotland and in wales , the in scotland and in wales, the devolved institutions have decided that anybody who is permanently resident in scotland or in wales, irrespective of their citizenship, will not now have the right to vote. And thats already been implemented in both parts of the uk and that includes Holyrood Elections to the Scottish Assembly and the senate. It means american senate. It means american citizens, brazilian citizens. So its long been the case that commonwealth citizens could vote here and that right will still remain. But if you live in scotland or wales, whether youre an eu or non eu , anybody youre an eu or non eu, anybody who is resident here will already has the right to vote in local elections. Local elections. Extraordinary, and do they have to be living here to vote or can you vote . Can you move to spain or wherever . And then vote by post . Well, thats right. Were talking were now talking about british citizens. British citizens , the right of british citizens, the right of british citizens, the right of british citizens to vote while living abroad. It actually has been abroad. It actually has been extended. There was a time limit that time limit is now being got rid of. And to that extent, at least so far as general elections are concerned, not local elections. The rights of british living abroad british citizens living abroad have extended , and eu have now been extended, and eu citizens go home they citizens who go home can they maintain a right to vote in the uk . Having left they once though no longer resident here, they will their right to vote. Will lose their right to vote. Is this at all its done to allow for an unwinding of the arrangement to being part of the European Union. But arrangement to being part of the European Union. But is it . Do you find it surprising or acceptable , or kind of a very acceptable, or kind of a very british way to get round a difficult situation . Well, i mean, i think you have to ask yourself, christopher. Well why is it that somebody who was born , in somebody who was born, in southern ontario and who comes to the uk to live can vote while somebody who comes from Northern Michigan cannot, somebody who comes from Northern Michigan cannot , the truth is michigan cannot, the truth is that our rules on voting are a result of historical accretion. We have long as i said earlier, allowed commonwealth citizens to vote. We have long allowed irish citizens to vote, then when we join the eu and the eu introduced local elections , introduced local elections, voting for eu citizens. We added that too, though only for local elections. At some point there is a argument for saying we ought to look at this sensibly and decide, well , ought to look at this sensibly and decide, well, is this only for british citizens, in which case we make it only for british citizens . Or are the scotland and wales have decided . Well, actually we allow anybody who is permanent resident here to vote. Those are at least two logical positions. What weve got at the moment is, frankly, a bit of a historical potpourri , but it historical potpourri, but it should sort itself out, is what youre hoping. It just seems extraordinary that with nine years after we leave the were still giving leave the eu, were still giving the rights to vote on elections in country to eu citizens. In this country to eu citizens. Yeah, sure. I mean, i entirely understand your point, but the truth is, you know, history vie keeps a long legacy and the right of eu citizens who are already here before we got out of the eu, that that right has been retained and will be retained even after these local elections. We can argue about it. But of course, the historical decision legacy that weve decided to retain. Just finally, sir john, i thank you for joining just finally, sir john, i thank you forjoining us just finally, sir john, i thank you for joining us tonight and thank you for giving us the chapter and verse for our viewers and listeners. Ill viewers and listeners. And ill be you say. Be responding to what you say. Is are we over generous . Are is it are we over generous . Are the countries as generous as we are about the right to vote . Well as ive already suggested, i scotland and wales are well as ive already suggested, i unique tland and wales are well as ive already suggested, i unique tlmoving wales are well as ive already suggested, i unique tlmoving towards re well as ive already suggested, i unique tlmoving towards the not unique in moving towards the results systems around a results based systems around a half or so of eu countries. Give non citizens the right to vote irrespective of whether theyre from the eu or not. And those countries actually also uk citizens living there will also be able to vote. So in other words, there is actually something of a move , certainly something of a move, certainly within europe towards a residency based qualification rather than a citizenship based one. Well, listen, sir john curtice, professor of politics at strathclyde university, thanks for joining us. Explaining that , to our explaining that, to our listeners and viewers tonight on farage, on gb news. Thank you. Well, today marks the first day of an Asylum Seeker standing trial at Teesside Crown court accused of the murder of a pensioner in hartlepool and the attempted murder of his housemate. This is the story we have covered at the time on this programme and gb News Reporter anna riley has been watching in court, watching the first day unfold and is there in middlesbrough for us now. Anna, whats latest . Whats the latest . Well, chris, a jury today heard at Teesside Crown court that moroccan Asylum Seeker, 45 year old ahmad ali, who is on trial for the murder of a pensioner and the attempted murder of his housemate, told police that he was motivated by the conflict in gaza and to further his desire that palestine would be free from the zionists. Now, the 45 year old denies murdering 70 year old terrence khan in hartlepool town centre, as well as the attempted murder of his housemate javid noun murder of his housemate javid nouri on sunday. The 15 of october last year. We heard from the prosecution that ali was living in Home Office Accommodation along with three other Asylum Seekers, one of these being javid noori, and they heard that the pair initially got on and that the defendant believed that nuri javid nuri was a muslim because of his cleanliness. But it was when mr noori started attending church and converting from the islam faith to christianity that things broke down between the two and that mr noori then went on to Contact Police because he felt threatened by the defendant. It was then heard that on the 15th of october, in the early hours of the morning , the early hours of the morning, that the defendant entered mr norris room as he lay sleeping and stabbed him multiple times while shouting allahu akbar, allahu akbar, meaning god is great. Another housemate contacted police and that 999 call was played to the jury in which the cries of allahu akbar were heard. Now mr nouri managed to fight off the defendant due to fight off the defendant due to his larger size and eject him from his room. Then we heard from his room. Then we heard from the prosecution then that the defendant went out into hartlepool and stabbed terrence khan to death as he was out on his morning walk. Police then managed to apprehend the defendant and we heard from body cam footage that was shown that were recorded him in the custody suite, which was played to the jury suite, which was played to the jury. He said, that he launched jury. He said, that he launched into a speech in arabic, and he said that for the people of gaza and allah willing, gaza would return to be an arab country. And that he then went on to praise allah and spoke of him being displeased with those who went astray. He spoke about palestine and said that jews had divided arabs, and said that his hands were injured. Otherwise he hands were injured. Otherwise he would have continued what he referred to as the raid. He then was next. The next day interviewed by police, and in this he made several statements saying that the murder of mr khan was an javid. Nouris attempted murder was in revenge for what he believed to be the killing of children by israel, and that he said they killed children and i killed an old man. When he said that two victims being lost was better than the whole of britain being lost, and said the attacks were for the sake of palestine so that we could live in peace. The interview concluded with the defendant swearing to allah that he ready shadow shadowy he was ready for shadow shadowy martyrdom, then the martyrdom, and then the prosecution on to say that he prosecution go on to say that he attacked two female Police Officers and that his own solicitor had to make a 999 call for assistance. This trial will continue for around four weeks and we will be providing the latest updates as that trial continues. Continues. Anna oreilly. Thank you. Now coming up, well be hearing from british businessman and former ukip donor arron banks, and he doesnt hold back on what he thinks will happen if nigel farage. Yes, that man again returns to political fold later this year. This is farage with me. Gb news. Now before the break, i asked you if you thought it was right that eu citizens would be able to vote at the upcoming may elections and heres what you had to say. Pam says only british voters should be allowed to vote in the uk. Im sure british citizens cannot vote in the eu. Patricia says. No, they should not be allowed to vote in the uk elections has no exceptions. Terry says eu citizens should absolutely not be allowed to vote. Exclamation mark this once great country is going right down the pan and sally says the worlds gone mad. Sally says the worlds gone mad. This cannot be right. No, no, we should refuse. Keep them coming should refuse. Keep them coming in now. Well be reading them out on our through the show now. Earlier today, i sat down for an explosive interview with arron banks, the former ukip donor and multi millionaire businessman. You can catch the full podcast from 6 am. Tomorrow on spotify, youtube, gb news website or wherever you get your podcasts. But for now, heres a sneak preview you wont want to miss it. Frankly, the polls have suggested that, so tory is going to be dozens come across, i think more than dozens tory mps just say that because, you know, theyre at a point where they cant win as a conservative, but they might have half a chance as a reform. When you say that you say that you think, yeah. Or have you do you know names that you cant say now . Or you can say, i know least 3 or 4 names of who are in talks now. Yeah. The people are talking about that. And i would expect this just to accelerate. But this is the farage factor that if he comes back and then they pick up another 2 or 3 points in the polls. So richard tice has done a good job. But i think the when you see 15 points in the polls, thats really the hope factor thats really the hope factor that nigels coming back. Right. But actually if he does come back and gets traction and you start to see, i think theres some polls out already saying that theyre ahead in with men in the midlands. And if you break it down, break it down. Theyre already leading in certain places. And i think the tory party have given up on they know going to so know theyre going to lose. So theyre trying focus on, you theyre trying to focus on, you know, re emergence or one nation soft tory, the mp for reigate, you know, was that kind of tory mp should be quite clear if nigel farage came to lead reform uk. I think ten, nigel farage came to lead reform uk. I think ten, i nigel farage came to lead reform uk. I think ten, i think ten uk. I think ten, i think ten tory mps will walk across the, the thing straight away and i think as well that thats part of his calculus. You know , mps of his calculus. You know, mps are in contact with him daily about this kind of thing and i think, you know, if he does come back, it will be on the back of something fairly spectacular , something fairly spectacular, fairly spectacular interview indeed. Now joining me now to discuss this is conservative holmes, Deputy Editor henry hill. Henry, good evening. Good evening. Good evening, did you hear aaron banks there . Henry hes saying there that the farage factor could pull ten tory mps across t