Kate forbes has confirmed that she will not run to be the next leader of the snp, as john swinney announced his intention to stand as the next snp in the leadership race. Well get the latest from the scotland , and latest from the scotland, and predictions state that britain will be the slowest growing economy in the g7 next year, as we suffer economic downgrade. All of that coming up and course, one more story and after 100 years of talks , a tunnel 100 years of talks, a tunnel that could link europe to africa may be built by 2030, costing a whopping £6 billion. A tunnel linking europe to africa. What could possibly go wrong . Thats all coming up in your next hour. Welcome to the show. I want to hear from you. Please get in touch. Gbnews. Com yoursay your your topics today. I want you to get firing on. Weve seen woke protesters blockading a bus , protesters blockading a bus, leaving with Asylum Seekers allegedly bound for the bibby stockholm and a sit down protest. Is it time to send in the cops . Theyre stopping the the cops . Theyre stopping the legal removal of illegals. Is it legal removal of illegals. Is it time to send the water cannon in, even because donald trump and america has said radical leftists are ruining our country is the same here. The home office is digging in. It wont allow rwanda deportations to go ahead, sit in pro palestine protests on University Campuses and 100 police are mighty. 100 have been deployed to the irish border to try and stem Asylum Seekers getting into ireland from the uk. But the police and the Northern Ireland, well, theyre not reciprocating the deal theyre not reciprocating the deal. Is it time to admit that Northern Ireland and ireland have got a huge problem with their border . Remember, ireland didnt want a border back in the days of brexit. Now all of a sudden they do. But first its time for your latest News Headlines. Good afternoon. Its 3 02. Im sophia wenzler in the gb newsroom. Your top story this houn newsroom. Your top story this hour. 711 people were detected crossing the English Channel on wednesday, the highest number on a single day so far this year, according to home office figures. It brings the total number whove crossed so far this year to nearly 8300. Thats 34 higher than the total at the same point last year. Meanwhile, protesters have surrounded a coach at a Migrant Accommodation Centre in south london in order to prevent the vehicle leaving with migrants on board, the activists formed a wall around the coach in peckham and jammed a rental scooter under the vehicle. Its believed the coach was headed to the bibby stockholm barge in dorset. It comes a day after the home Office Confirmed that it had started the process of detaining Illegal Migrants ahead of the first flight to rwanda, which is due to take off in july. First flight to rwanda, which is due to take off in july. A due to take off in july. A spanish Brazilian National has appeared in court charged with the murder of schoolboy Daniel Anjorin in north east london. Marcus aurelio ordini monzo, from newham in london, is also charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of grievous bodily harm. The prosecutor alleges the defendant was armed with a samurai sword. Was armed with a samurai sword. Daniel was fatally injured as he walked to school on Tuesday Morning. Four other people, including two Police Officers, were injured next to wales, where a womans body has been found on a beach. Pembrokeshire police say the body of 32 year old sian batchelor was found near Pembroke Dock. In near Pembroke Dock. In a tribute, her family described her as beautiful, tribute, her family described her as beautiful , funny and her as beautiful, funny and lovely person. Officers say they are treating her death as unexplained and are now appealing for information from the public. Voters are heading to the polls today in a series of local elections across the country. There are elections in 107 local authorities across england as well as 11 mayoral races. A by election will elect a new blackpool south mp following the resignation of former conservative scott benton. Police and Crime Commissioners will also be chosen. Prime minister rishi sunak has been out and about campaigning today. Sunak has been out and about campaigning today. Meanwhile, campaigning today. Meanwhile, labour leader keir starmer was at the polling station and lib dems leader ed davey was also casting his vote, as well as Reform Party Leader richard tice, who was also out casting his vote. This morning. John swinney could become scotlands first minister as early as next week. Hours after mr swinney confirmed hes standing his would be rival , former holyrood would be rival, former holyrood finance secretary kate forbes confirmed she wouldnt be running against him. If successful, it will be the second time mr swinney, who was deputy first minister for more than eight years under Nicola Sturgeon, has led his party. He previously held the post between 2000 and 2004. Speaking in edinburgh, he confirmed he would be running for first minister to build on the work of the snp government to create a modern, diverse and dynamic scotland that will ensure opportunity for all of our citizens. I want to unite the snp and unite scotland for independence. Unite scotland for independence. Now today could be the warmest day of the year so far , warmest day of the year so far, after heavy rain and thunderstorms hit southern parts of england and wales overnight. Two buildings in sussex were damaged by lightning strikes, according to west sussex fire and rescue. A care home in elma and rescue. A care home in elma was struck with damage to its roof , while a university roof, while a University Building in chichester sustained damage to its roof and power system. Storms hit the southeast , southwest and wales, the met office warned storms might cause travel disruption and some flooding, leading to difficult driving conditions and some road closures. And the prince and closures. And the prince and princess of wales have released a photograph of their daughter to mark her ninth birthday. Catherine took the photo of Princess Charlotte with a beaming smile. It comes as the family continues to navigate catherines cancer treatment. Catherines cancer treatment. And for the latest story, sign up to gb news alerts by scanning the qr code on your screen or go to gb news. Com slash alerts. Now its back to. Martin. Now its back to. Martin. Thank you sofia. Now yesterday marked the busiest day for small boats arrivals of this year so far, with 711 small boats arrivals yesterday alone. And this takes the total for the year now to 8278. Exactly one third more than the same period last year. 14 boats were detected yesterday , suggesting detected yesterday, suggesting an average of 51 people per boat. And a Home Office Spokesperson said this the unacceptable number of people who continue to cross the channel demonstrates exactly why we must get flights to rwanda off the ground as soon as possible. Well, im joined now by our home and security editor, mark white. Mark, welcome to the show. So yesterday was the good news day, operation vector. 800 officers in a new clampdown. Today the news couldnt be more stark and the timing terrible for Prime Minister rishi sunak. Yeah, the optics are terrible because actually, on the day that the home office was alerting us all to the fact that finally they could say there was momentum in this long stalled rwanda policy , we with the first rwanda policy, we with the first of those Asylum Seekers that are earmarked to go to rwanda, being rounded up around the country with 800 Immigration Enforcement officers involved in that operation at that very same time, 711 more migrants were crossing the English Channel in 14 small boats. So they are not getting the message, that message of deterrence out that rishi sunak says the rwanda policy will be about. Now, the government might quite understandably, perhaps turn round and say, well, look , a round and say, well, look, a flight hasnt yet left for rwanda. Wait until the policy is properly working and judges on whether this is a deterrent then. But these are the same ministers, martin, who just this week have been telling us how rwanda is a deterrent already, how its driving people en masse over the border from Northern Ireland down into the republic of ireland because they are so frightened about the prospect of being sent to rwanda. You cant being sent to rwanda. You cant claim one aspect as a deterrent yet the other aspect, clearly its too early to say that its a deterrent or not. And mark wyatt, another couple of grim milestones amidst all of this. That now brings us to 45,000 arrivals by small boats. Since rishi sunak became Prime Minister and 10,000 since James Cleverly became the home secretary. It never rains, but it pours. Well, indeed. And what this actually does as well, with these record arrivals yesterday , these record arrivals yesterday, is it pushes the number of migrants whove come across since the 1st of january to more than 8200, a third up on where we were last year and what that does. Martin is it effectively cancels out the gains that we saw last year when the government said that the small boats policy was behind the reduction in the numbers crossing the channel, they were very pleased to announce that the number of migrants crossing the number of migrants crossing the channel had dropped by a third. Well, now , as i say, that third. Well, now, as i say, that has been cancelled out. However, the government is saying that the government is saying that the reason now that were seeing an increase in the numbers crossing the channel, theyre not mentioning the small boats policy. Theyre talking about policy. Theyre talking about the fact that criminal gangs are persuading increasing numbers of migrants from vietnam to come across and fill those boats. Okay. Mark wyatt , excellent okay. Mark wyatt, excellent as ever is. It shouldnt be time to admit, like king canute , this to admit, like king canute, this is a tide that cannot be stopped. Mark white thank you. Excellent as ever. And meanwhile, tense tensions beg your pardon . Continue to rise as irelands government has confirmed that there will be no irish Police Deployed to the border on the island. And were joined now by the author and commentator on irish politics, kevin maher. Kevin, welcome to the show. Always a delight. The tensions are escalating in ireland. The blame game seems to ireland. The blame game seems to be deployed. We saw a tented city cleared in dublin yesterday. Meanwhile 100 cops apparently here are being deployed to the irish side of the border. But Northern Ireland arent reciprocating in a like for like manner. Does that mean that the irish seem to want some kind of hard border . It may sound a bit paradoxical, given that the long, drawn out debate weve had in the post brexit era about keeping the border open for trade. But this this is, this is this is a new and compelling problem. And, you know, weve just heard theyre just you know, in terms of the crossings coming across the English ChannelRecord Number again today that, you know, western governments, the British Government, the Irish Government are being overwhelmed. And whats happened very much in ireland is that, irelands gone from a position in the very relatively recent past of not having very much immigration historically, having a lot of immigration historically , but immigration historically, but not much immigration. And its going through the kind of process that perhaps weve gone through over 25 years, which is which is some immigration comes its broadly accepted because the population are nice people and perfectly liberal and all the rest of it. And then it gets to a point where people sort of say, wait a minute, actually, this is going a bit too far. Now you asked us to move up the bench a little bit to let the ukrainians in and some other people, and weve done that, but were facing a housing crisis of our own. Were facing a crisis of Public Services, of our own islands doing very well economically. But its public economically. But its Public Services are geared towards an irish population , which is now irish population, which is now swelling very rapidly. And there is nowhere , literally nowhere to is nowhere, literally nowhere to put all these Asylum Seekers, which is which is driving the irish public, crazy. Frankly, irish public, crazy. Frankly, theyre getting very frustrated with their politicians. The politicians have started, i think, to pick this up and started to think, actually, weve got an Election Year in ireland. We could have a general election in ireland and the same week as we have in britain, even, its becoming a real hot topic issue. And people are saying, look, enough is enough. Weve played the game. This isnt about not liking foreigners and all the rest of it, but literally there is no where to put them. And the Irish Government keeps trying to push Asylum Seekers into small hotels and b bs in rural ireland. Its causing an awful lot of tension and an awful lot of frustration, and an awful lot of frustration, andifs and an awful lot of frustration, and its got to that point where you know, somethings got to give and thats thats pretty much what weve seen. This week. Okay, kev. And yet the British Government is now accusing the irish of cherry picking from the good friday agreement the common travel area, the brexit withdrawal agreement. Beloved of open borders as an eu member state and now suddenly , as you say, and now suddenly, as you say, there is a very real political backlash , big European Elections backlash, big European Elections coming up. This could cost them dearly. Is this politicians appearing to act tough with abject hypocrisy because they know if they dont do something, theyre in for a good hiding at theyre in for a good hiding at the electoral debate. The electoral debate. Thats pretty much it. I mean, the way that you discipline your politicians is giving them a very hard kick at election time. And as you say, theres local elections and European Elections in ireland in june and a general election by probably the autumn, the autumn as well. But i probably the autumn, the autumn as well. But i mean, probably the autumn, the autumn as well. But i mean, what the as well. But i mean, what the nub of it this week seems to be is dublin is saying that britain has britain entered into an arrangement, a treaty with ireland in november 2020, for return of Asylum Seekers that come across the border from Northern Ireland into the irish republic . Now, now rishi sunak is saying were not taking any back now. Downing street, interestingly, is not denying that there is a deal. The question is whats the legal validity of that deal . Now, if, validity of that deal . Now, if, if, if, for example, the irish are right and rishi sunak is wrong, then rishi sunak is going to have to eat humble pie, i suspect to make a big u turn and accept some of these returns back into Northern Ireland. If the British Government is right and the Irish Government is wrong, whats going to happen then i think, is that dublin will harden its approach to Asylum Seekers already as as i say, its run out of space to put these people in. Its giving them tents and its just cleared a pile of a tent settlement in the centre of dublin the other day, so its getting a tougher line and what that might see is some of these Asylum Seekers voluntarily returning back across the border into Northern Ireland themselves. I mean, ultimately , whether, you know, ultimately, whether, you know, for the British Government or for the British Government or for the British Government or for the Irish Government, you cant just keep passing the parcel. This is a much bigger problem for western democracies, for western European Countries and the kinds of levels of migration and Asylum Seekers that were seeing today is nothing compared to what its going to be in 5 or 10 years time. So rather, in a sense, than just shuffling around the problem, weve got to address it collaboratively and do something to cut off supply. And that means, i think, working much more closely , particularly with more closely, particularly with northern african countries as well, which is obviously the stopping off point to