Migrants are falsely claiming to be victims of domestic abuse in order to stay in the UK, a BBC investigation has discovered.

They are exploiting rules brought in by ministers to help genuine victims of abuse to secure permanent residence more quickly than through other routes, such as asylum.

Lawyers have said inadequate Home Office checks are allowing them to do so on the basis of little evidence, while their unsuspecting British partners have had their lives turned upside down by the false accusations.

In response, Jess Phillips, the minister for safeguarding in the Home Office, has said: “Sham lawyers facilitating this advice abuse will be put behind bars and their dirty money seized will be reinvested to shut down the crime they once bankrolled.

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UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has shelved his Chagos Islands deal amid worsening relations with US President Donald Trump, after the US failed to formally confirm its approval.

Trump had urged Starmer to scrap the deal despite earlier expressing support for the treaty. In January the president called the plan an “act of total weakness”.

UK government officials have said they are not entirely abandoning the agreement – which would hand sovereignty of the British territory to Mauritius – but have run out of time to pass legislation before Parliament is prorogued in the coming weeks.

However, a new Chagos bill is not expected to feature in the King’s Speech in mid-May.

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Donald Trump has removed a controversial Truth Social post depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure, after a growing backlash.

The AI-generated image, which showed Trump appearing to heal a sick man in a hospital bed, sparked fierce criticism from across the US political spectrum, including from some of Trump’s most ardent supporters.

It was published hours after Trump posted a lengthy message attacking Pope Leo XIV, a vocal critic of the US and Israeli military operation in Iran, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”.

Pope Leo – the first American Pope – has condemned the war in Iran, saying it has led to “absurd and inhuman violence”. The Pope said he had “no fear” of the Trump administration or “speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do”.

Trump acknowledged posting the picture, telling reporters he thought it was “me as a doctor”. The now-deleted image showed Trump, wearing a white robe, with a glowing hand on the forehead of a sick man, which critics said was similar to religious paintings showing Jesus healing the infirm.

The background of the images included the Statue of Liberty, a large US flag fluttering, fighter jets and an eagle, as well as a nurse, a woman praying and what appeared to be a soldier in uniform.

Meanwhile US warships have begun enforcing a blockade of Iran and the strait of Hormuz. Oil prices have edged up after the failure of peace talks between the US and Iran. And in Lebanon, Israel is continuing its assault in the south of the country.

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Aleem Maqbool, James Landale, Frank Gardner, Sarah Smith, Chris Mason, Simon Jack and Hugo Bachega.

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Donald Trump said Israeli and Lebanese leaders have agreed to a temporary ceasefire beginning on Thursday. In a social media …

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A US blockade of Iran’s ports in the Strait of Hormuz has began on Monday after peace talks between the two countries ended without a deal over the weekend.

In a social media post, US President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian “fast attack ships” caught trying to approach the blockade “will be immediately ELIMINATED”.

But what will the blockade do and what are its risks?

The BBC’s security correspondent Frank Gardner explains how it will work and its potential impacts across the globe.

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