Furious Keir Starmer backs our campaign to stop deportation of ‘brave Afghan pilot who fought with UK troops’

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( March 30, 2023 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / [‘It’s a disgrace’: Furious Keir Starmer backs our campaign to stop deportation of ‘brave Afghan pilot who fought with UK troops’]( Keir Starmer has backed [The Independent’s campaign](to stop the deportation of an Afghan war hero threatened with removal to Rwanda. In a dramatic intervention, the Labour leader said it was “a disgrace” that a [brave pilot who fought alongside British troops]( faced “being forced out”. He also accused the government of a “shameful level of incompetence” as he called on ministers not to deport him. The Independent [revealed this week](that the Afghan Air Force veteran had fled the Taliban and arrived in Britain on a small boat because he could secure no safe and legal route to the UK. Rishi Sunak has promised that the Home Office will review his case. But as anger over the situation grew, senior military chiefs, politicians and diplomats lined up to demand he not be sent to Rwanda. Sir Keir told The Independent: “It’s a disgrace that this brave pilot who fought alongside British troops is facing deportation at the hands of the government’s unworkable gimmick.”   2 / [Tory backlash over plans to put asylum seekers on barges and in military bases]( One Tory MP tells parliament barges should be ‘out of the question’, while another says legal action will be launched over RAF base conversion 3 / [Three arrested after two men shot dead in ‘targeted’ attacks in Cambridgeshire]( Police called to a property in Meridian Close, Bluntisham, just after 9pm last night following reports of gun shots 4 /[Tributes paid to Paul O’Grady after ‘unexpected death’]( Star also worked with Camilla to help Battersea Dogs’ Home 5 / [Russia stages major nuclear missile exercises with 3,000 troops as Vladimir Putin seeks show of strength to West]( Kremlin steps up implied threat by ordering drills with ballistic missile system, as defence chiefs stop issuing test warnings to US   The Big Question What does the newly uncovered group chat in the Gwyneth Paltrow ski collision trial reveal? Online posts by a man suing [Gwyneth Paltrow]( over a ski collision seven years ago might have changed the course of the bombshell trial — but they were only discovered by an internet sleuth after both sides in the litigation failed to retrieve them. Attorneys for Terry Sanderson, 76, have argued that the Hollywood star ploughed into him on the slopes of Flagstaff Mountain at the Deer Valley Resort on 26 February 2016. Mr Sanderson [claims Ms Paltrow slammed into him in a “full body hit”]( leaving him with a permanent traumatic brain injury that has robbed him of “his enjoyment for life.” Meanwhile, Ms Paltrow alleges it was Mr Sanderson who crashed into her. New evidence was unveiled earlier this week after online sleuth Michael Fletcher accessed a link that Mr Sanderson had emailed to his three daughters after the collision — which the defence early alleged was broken. Speaking with The Independent on Wednesday, Mr Fletcher said he only had to create an account on the website Meetup and go back to the group chat’s discussion on the day the ski crash took place. [For the full story click here >]( £99 £20 for 1 year ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more [SUBSCRIBE NOW](   Watch/ [Paul O’Grady: Best moments of TV star who rose to fame as Lily Savage]( NUMBER OF THE DAY 3,000 – Moscow has launched a series of major military exercises involving a tactical nuclear weapon system, in Vladimir Putin’s latest show of strength to the West as his invasion of [Ukraine]( rages on. About 3,000 troops are taking part in drills using the [Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system](, which is the backbone of [Russia](’s nuclear arsenal. Read more here]( Quote of the day “We are shirking our responsibilities towards Afghans who risked their lives to fight alongside us and who are now at risk of their lives.” – Former international development secretary Rory Stewart as senior military chiefs, politicians and diplomats have joined a growing band of supporters calling on Rishi Sunak to prevent an Afghan war hero being deported to Rwanda. [Read more here](     Other stories you might like [Ministers unveil plan to ‘power up Britain’ with boost for offshore wind]( [King vows to strengthen ties between UK and Germany in banquet speech to mark first state visit]( [Halt development of new AI to protect humanity, Elon Musk urges tech titans](   Articles available exclusively to subscribers Alex Horton - [Surviving on a perpetual frontline in the Ukraine war](   OTHER NEWSLETTERS YOU MIGHT LIKE [The Race Report]( The Race Report Fortnightly, 6pm (UK time) Written by Nadine White [Join now]( [The View from Westminster ]( The View from Westminster Every weekday, 6pm (UK time) Written by John Rentoul [Join now]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Download the free Independent app Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter. 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