She was also awarded the freedom of her Co Armagh home borough in Northern Ireland in 2024, becoming the first woman to receive the honour

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TV presenter Gloria Hunniford is to receive The Freedom Of The City Of London at an event in the city’s historic Guildhall.

The Northern Irish star, who is best known for her work on shows such as Rip Off Britain, Loose Women and The One Show, will receive the honour on May 14.

She said: “This will be an extremely special and exciting day for me and my family and I am delighted that I have been chosen to receive this honour.

“Since being given a job at BBC Radio 2 in the 80s, London has been my home and some of my most treasured moments in broadcasting have taken place in this city, so it is extremely humbling that I have been awarded this accolade.”

In 2017, Hunniford became an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her contribution to cancer charities through breast screening services and cancer support.

She was also awarded the freedom of her Co Armagh home borough in Northern Ireland in 2024, becoming the first woman to receive the honour for her outstanding contributions to broadcasting and charity.

After receiving the honour, she said: “County Armagh and Portadown, my home town, has always held a very special place in my heart, and to be recognised in this way is incredibly humbling – it’s great to be home.”

The presenter set up the Caron Keating Foundation in memory of her daughter, who died from breast cancer in 2004.

Hunniford is also known for her appearance on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2005, where she was partnered by professional dancer Darren Bennett and eliminated in the third week during the show’s third series.

She lost her husband of more than 20 years, Stephen Way, in 2024 and said he had left “the most enormous void, not only in my life”.

Last year, she took part in The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer.

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No single issue has dominated the agenda ahead of the Scottish parliament election in May. But immigration, despite being a matter not devolved to Holyrood, has been part of campaigns. This is because some parties use it to feed wider anxieties about housing, jobs, public services and identity.

Glasgow has been a particular flashpoint because of its role as a City of Sanctuary for asylum seekers. About 6% of the UK’s asylum seekers live in Scotland, with over half in Glasgow, though data suggests this proportion is falling.

Reform UK has sought to capitalise on this. Although no small boats have landed on Scottish coastlines, Reform’s leader in Scotland, Malcolm Offord, unveiled a billboard in Glasgow with an image of migrants crowded into a dinghy. Large red text reads: “Scotland is at a breaking point.”

Polling shows that cost of living, health and the economy rank above immigration as voter priorities in Scotland. Yet these issues can be closely connected in public debate throughout the UK. If people worry about GP appointments, housing waiting lists or jobs, some politicians will blame migration – even if the underlying causes lie elsewhere.

Reform’s Scotland manifesto mentions “strangers” being “prioritised ahead of Scots” by local councils in terms of access to social housing. Offord has claimed that asylum seekers arriving in Glasgow are “jumping the queue”, and his party has promised to “prioritise local people” for such housing.

Asylum seekers are not prioritised for housing because of their immigration status. But Scottish councils are obliged to prioritise homeless people seeking temporary housing – who may be asylum seekers.

What the parties are saying

All major parties recognise that Scotland faces population and economic challenges. An ageing population, low birthrates and labour shortages are affecting sectors such as health, housing, agriculture, social care and hospitality.

Many industries understand that without immigration, parts of the Scottish economy would struggle. That reality has, for years, sustained a relatively broad pro-migration consensus across the Scottish political spectrum.

The governing Scottish National Party argues that Scotland needs a more flexible migration system tailored to Scottish demographic and economic needs. Its 2026 manifesto presents migration as both a social good and an economic necessity. The manifesto is also strong on refugee protection, and argues for a Scottish-specific visa scheme.

Reform UK, polling consistently as the second or third leading party, has spotlighted immigration in its manifesto. One of the party’s five core pledges is to “prioritise local people in communities and restore law and order”.

Like the SNP, the Scottish Liberal Democrats champion relatively pro-migration policies for Scotland. The Lib Dem manifesto states that the party “believe[s] in fairness for everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from”. The manifesto mentions making immigration policy that is “sensitive to the skills needs” of certain sectors, as well as allowing asylum seekers to work if they have waited more than three months for a decision on their application.

For Scottish Labour, the emphasis has been less on immigration and more on housing, jobs and public service reform. Its campaign focus on affordable homes, more support for teachers, improving childcare and better economic competency suggests an awareness that many Scottish voters are more concerned with delivery of key services than anti-migrant rhetoric.

The Scottish Greens approach migration through a lens of refugee protection, anti-racism and social justice, with a manifesto prioritising public services for everyone, regardless of immigration status. In addition to calling for the UK government to devolve immigration to the Scottish parliament, the party would also pilot giving asylum seekers the right to work.

The Scottish Conservative party, while aligned with UK-wide calls for firmer border control, has focused on taxation, public services, crime and policing, SNP competence and the state of the union in its manifesto. Issues of immigration and asylum are contained mainly to attacking the SNP. The Scottish Conservatives have accused the SNP of a “reckless” open-door policy on immigration that has led to “an influx of immigrants” and made Glasgow a “magnet for asylum seekers”.

Scotland’s immigration story

Scotland often tells itself a comforting political story: that it is a progressive society, more welcoming of newcomers, and less susceptible to anti-immigrant politics than other parts of Britain.

There is some truth in this. The Scottish government’s “New Scots” strategy is generally regarded as a positive statement for welcoming and integrating migrants to Scotland.

Survey data has generally shown attitudes in Scotland to be slightly more positive towards migrants and migration, while openly hostile rhetoric has been less common in mainstream politics. Yet national myths can conceal uncomfortable realities. Scotland is not immune to xenophobia, racism or populism, nor, as Reform’s rhetoric around social housing suggests, is it protected from the politics of scapegoating.

Public services are under pressure, housing shortages do exist, and trust in politics has weakened. But migrants did not create decades of underinvestment, stagnant wages or failures in social housing supply. Migrants are often caught within those same crises, even if headlines rarely acknowledge this.

Most of Scotland’s political parties are comfortable supporting the “good migrant” – NHS nurses, engineers, scientists, international students or seasonal workers. Far fewer defend asylum seekers, undocumented migrants or family reunion rights. A hierarchy of deservingness can emerge: migrants are welcomed when economically useful, yet become politically expendable when portrayed as costly or controversial.

Scotland cannot be complacent in its self-image. Years of anti-Irish prejudice, racism towards minority ethnic communities, and longstanding discrimination against Gypsy and Traveller communities tell their own story. Matters of economic insecurity and contested identities can be converted into anti-migrant rhetoric.

Immigration matters in Scotland because the country is vulnerable to the same pressures seen elsewhere. But ultimately, migrants should not be used as political cover for deeper failures of policy and governance.

“There is an amber weather warning in place for wildfires today, so please remain vigilant and follow our fire safety advice. If you see a fire, call 999 immediately.”

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service have advised the public to remain vigilant after a number of wildfires in the Mournes have been brought under control.

An amber weather warning for wildfires is in place for Thursday as dry weather continues.

While wildfires in the Mournes have been brought under control, 30 firefighters remain at a wildfire in Dungiven.

A NIFRS spokesperson said: “The wildfires in Sandbank Road, Hilltown, Chimney Rock Mountain, Newcastle, and Cranny Road, Crassmaglen, have now all been dealt with.

“The initial call for the wildfire on Sandbank Road, Hilltown, was received at 9.01am on Sunday 26 April 2026. At the height of the incident, approximately 50 Firefighters were involved in tackling the wildfire expanding 1,500 hectares. The cause of the wildfire is under investigation and the incident was dealt with by 10.40am on Thursday 30 April 2026.

“The initial call for the wildfire on Chimney Rock Mountain, Newcastle, was received at 12.12pm on Tuesday 28 April 2026. At the height of the incident, approximately 45 Firefighters were involved in battling a 600m fire front. The cause of the wildfire is under investigation and the incident was dealt with this morning (Thursday 30 April 2026).

“The initial call for the wildfire on Cranny Road, Mullaghbawn, Crossmaglen, was received at 2.11pm on Wednesday 29 April 2026. At the height of the incident, approximately 30 Firefighters were involved extinguishing the 8 acres of fire. The cause of the wildfire is believed to have been deliberate ignition and the incident was dealt with by 9.21pm on Wednesday 29 April 2026.

“There are currently approximately 30 Firefighters at a wildfire on Polly’s Brae Road, Dungiven, tackling a fire front of approximately 500m. We are urging the public to please avoid the area.

“There is an amber weather warning in place for wildfires today so please remain vigilant and follow our fire safety advice. If you see a fire, call 999 immediately.”