For Suella Braverman, there is no such thing as a quiet trip abroad.
Once again her language is attracting attention, her words heard well beyond the shores of Samos in Greece.
On a trip to talk about immigration, the questions following her are about pro-Palestinian protestsand her claim homeless people pitching tents are making a "lifestyle choice".
Speaking exclusively to Sky News, she said she has a "thick skin" when it comes to criticism.
Her language is characteristically provocative. She warned anyone vandalising the Cenotaph on Armistice Day "must be put into a jail cell faster than their feet can touch the ground" - and says cities can't be "ruined and blighted" by homeless people's tents.
Criticism will follow - Labour say she is "overseas to distract" - but Ms Braverman is appealing to a specific chunk of the electorate and of her party.
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She knows the next Conservative leadership race is likely to be fought on the right.
But as home secretary, Ms Braverman will be judged above all by the government's pledge to "Stop the Boats".
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The number of small boat crossings in the UK - 27,000 so far this year - is lower than it was in 2022, but a long way from the few hundred recorded five years ago when the government declared the number of crossings a "major incident". She certainly cannot claim to have stopped the boats.
Ms Braverman said she is "not claiming success yet" but refused to set a target for where the number of crossings should be by the next election. "It will be obvious" if the government has succeeded, she added.
She believes the UK can "learn" from Greek deterrence methods on immigration.
The Greeks have gone from nearly a million small boat crossings in 2015 to 12,700 last year - a lower number than in the UK.
But Greece has also been accused of controversial "pushback" tactics at sea - and charities say they have evidence of strip searches and beatings at the Greek border.
Ms Braverman insists pushbacks are not the UK approach, but "tough" deterrents must be looked at.
Numbers in Greece have also fallen because of a returns deal with Turkey - and so far, the UK has had little success in securing an effective returns deal with France.
Over the last few days, we have seen Ms Braverman as she would like to be portrayed: out on a border patrol with Hellenic coastguard, walking along a 75-mile (120km) steel fence at the land border between Greece and Turkey.
A home secretary talking tough on immigration on the world stage.
The images of Ms Braverman sitting in the captain's chair aboard a patrol cutter felt reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher's famous appearance on the Challenger Tank (or Liz Truss's later re-enactment).
I asked her if she relishes her position as the most controversial cabinet minister. She said: "Personal attacks will always come with the territory."
But Brand Braverman is provocative to say the least.
The home secretary may be here to talk about immigration, but her ambition stretches well beyond stopping the boats.
Hundreds of demonstrators stopped traffic for more than an hour as they staged a sit-in at the corner of Oxford Circus and Regent Street during the shopping district’s busiest hours.
It came ahead of a huge protest in another part of central London which police believe attracted around 30,000 people. A total of 29 arrests were made in the capital, including two people on suspicion of breaching the Terrorism Act over the wording of banners at the event.
A man suspected of making anti-Semitic comments in a speech was also arrested suspicion of inciting racial hatred, while three others were arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.
Later in the evening, police said some demonstrators launched fireworks into crowds and toward officers, resulting in a dispersal order being issued to clear the area.
Commander Karen Findlay said: “It is disappointing that various splinter groups were again responsible for behaviour which has no place in London and we are determined to deal with this robustly. Fireworks were directed towards officers and four officers were injured.”
Similar protests took place in other towns and cities, including Sheffield, Manchester and Glasgow, with Palestinian flags held aloft as others – some in tears – let off flares, played bongos and led chants of “Ceasefire now”, “From the river to the sea” and “Israel is a terror state”. In London, police filmed speeches from the steps of the National Gallery.
It comes as tensions mount ahead of pro-Palestinian marches planned for Armistice Day next weekend. Rishi Sunak has called for a crackdown on the protests, condemning them as “provocative and disrespectful”, while home secretary Suella Braverman has denounced them as “hate marches”.
The Oxford Circus event was organised by the Free Palestine Coalition which includes Black Lives Matter UK, Sisters Uncut and Black Jewish Alliance, who said there would be “no business as usual while Britain is supporting a genocide that has killed 9,000 people”. Organisers encouraged bystanders to join: “Don’t just stand there, sit down with us!”
The Met Police hit out at the sit-in, saying it “clearly impacts London’s ability to function normally”.
The protesters began this morning outside the BBC in Portland Place with a view to merging with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign rally which took place later in the day.
Zami Jackson, a spokesperson for the Free Palestine Coalition, said: “This demonstration represents the huge numbers of people across the country who are devastated by the genocide in Gaza and are demanding the UK government calls for a ceasefire now.
“We can and must come together to demand justice for the Palestinian people. We will escalate our protests until the government, the media and the people in power reflect the will of the people.”
Demonstrators continued their sit-in action at Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross station later in the day.
One mother who brought her two children in a pram to Trafalgar Square said: “It is amazing how many people are here.”
Nadia Dunne, Jordan Allison, 29, and their sons Aran, 10, and younger brother Rian travelled from Buckingham to show their support with homemade signs.
Their mother Nadia told The Independent: “It is so nice to see support, you can feel very isolated at home, looking at the horrific images coming out of Gaza. I want my boys not to be afraid to be counted on the right side of humanity.”
Tamara Okuonghae, 8, was holding a Palestinian flag in front of Neturei Karta, a group of anti-Zionist Jews, on the steps of Trafalgar Square. Her mother Huda Okuonghae, 35, told The Independent: “This is a great example. It’s not about race or religion it’s about humanity. It’s important to have members of the Jewish community all here.
“It’s not a hate march as some would have you believe. This is the opposite, we’re here to save children dying – that’s a great example.”
And at another separate protest outside the Home Office, demonstrators called on Ms Braverman to stop “stirring up hatred and fear”.
Weyman Bennett, co-convenor of Stand Up To Racism, said the home secretary should “put some handcuffs on herself and hand herself in to the nearest police station”.
The day of action comes after a week of similar disruptive actions at major UK transport hubs – Birmingham New Street and three London stations including Waterloo, Liverpool Street and Kings Cross.
A huge crowd descended on Oxford Circus at midday on Saturday, with protesters stopping at the junction with Regent Street
(Maira Butt)
Scotland Yard said officers have been “briefed to be vigilant and will proactively engage and enforce any allegations of crime” at such protests.
Tens of thousands of pro-Palestine protesters have attended marches across the UK since the war began on 7 October.
Previous protests, and counterdemonstrations, have come under scrutiny, with a small number of campaigners arrested for alleged hate crimes.
Before the rallies on Saturday, the chief rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, said the lines between pro-Palestinian protesters and “those who support the brutal terrorism of Hamas” had become “badly blurred”.
Writing in The Times, Sir Ephraim highlighted a Manchester protest with a banner showing support for “Palestinian resistance” and said there was no ambiguity in the words used.
He wrote: “Did every person who attended that march truly wish to associate themselves with acts of such barbarity? I sincerely hope that they did not.
Previous protests, and counterdemonstrations, have come under scrutiny, with a small number of campaigners arrested for alleged hate crimes
“Nevertheless, it could not be clearer that, at the very least, the lines between those who wish only to advocate for the welfare of innocent Palestinians and those who support the brutal terrorism of Hamas have become badly blurred.
“Those lines have remained blurred in the subsequent demonstrations, in which a minority have proudly displayed their extremism on their banners and in their chants, while the majority stand alongside them.”
On Friday, a row erupted when the prime minister backed a crackdown on what he condemned as “provocative and disrespectful” pro-Palestine marches due to be held on Armistice Day.
Hundreds staged a sit-in at Trafalgar Square
The prime minister said the “right to remember, in peace and dignity, those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice” had to be protected and home secretary Suella Braverman went a step further, claiming it was unacceptable to “desecrate” the day with a “hate march” through London.
The Labour mayor of London Sadiq Khan accused the government of playing politics over the “terrible tragedy” unfolding in Gaza, after organisers said they had no plans to disrupt Remembrance weekend events.
Organisers said previous marches had attracted 100,000 people and that claims they were disrespectful were “dangerous and disingenuous”.
Demonstrators demanded a ‘ceasefire now’ at Trafalgar Square before joining the march
They insisted they had no plans to disrupt the two-minute silence at 11am on Remembrance Sunday and that their route would avoid the Cenotaph altogether.
Five people were arrested during a pro-Palestinian sit-in at London’s King’s Cross station on Friday night.
Transport secretary Mark Harper said he had given the order to allow police to stop the demonstration on Friday evening under Section 14a of the Public Order Act 1986.
One video posted on X/Twitter appears to show a man draped in a Palestinian flag shouting “Free, free Palestine” while being carried away from the station by three officers.
PM Rishi Sunak has said that planned protests on Armistice Day would be "provocative and disrespectful".
There is a "clear and present" risk war memorials such as the Cenotaph in London could be "desecrated", he added.
It comes as a pro-Palestinian march is planned in London on Saturday 11 November.
Organisers said they had no plans to be near the Cenotaph and understand the sensitivity of the date.
The Met Police said it was planning a "significant" operation and was in contact with organisers, who said they were "willing to avoid the Whitehall area", where the war memorial is located.
Pro-Palestinian protests have been held in London, and other cities globally, each Saturday since the Israel-Gaza war began.
Mr Sunak said on Friday: "To plan protests on Armistice Day is provocative and disrespectful, and there is a clear and present risk that the Cenotaph and other war memorials could be desecrated, something that would be an affront to the British public and the values we stand for."
He has also written a letter to Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley, saying the force has the government's "full support in making robust use of all your powers to protect Remembrance activity". He added he was "deeply concerned that a number of protests are currently planned to disrupt" acts of remembrance.
Sir Mark responded by saying police "recognise the profound importance of remembrance events" and are committed to ensuring they "take place without disruption".
Mr Sunak has asked the Home Secretary Suella Braverman to support the police in "doing everything necessary to protect the sanctity of Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday".
Ms Braverman said there was an "obvious risk of serious public disorder, violence and damage" if a protest on 11 November goes ahead, describing it as a "hate march through London".
Several events to mark the end of World War One are typically held across the UK on Armistice Day, which is always on 11 November.
This year these include a two-minute silence commemorating the war dead, and the daytime and evening Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, with the latter performance usually attended by members of the Royal Family.
On Remembrance Sunday, which this year falls on 12 November, thousands of servicemen and women usually march past the Cenotaph war memorial in central London, where military veterans are joined by senior politicians and members of the Royal Family.
The 11 November protest is expected to call for a ceasefire on the Gaza Strip.
Organisers said they were aware of the importance of the date, and their previous demonstrations had been peaceful and orderly.
Ben Jamal, director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said it had "made clear that we have no intention of marching anywhere near Whitehall out of respect for events taking place at the Cenotaph".
He added the march will begin almost two hours after the silence of commemoration for the war dead.
"Each of the protests we have called have been peaceful, orderly, and attended by hundreds of thousands of demonstrators from a diverse cross section of British society," he said, adding that "to suggest that undertaking protests well away from Whitehall is a disrespect for the war dead is an insult to those marching for peace".
Ismail Patel, spokesman for Friends of Al-Aqsa, a pro-Palestinian non-governmental organisation, said: "We definitely will not be at the Cenotaph. We understand the sensitivity of the date."
Responding to Mr Sunak's comment about "disrespectful" protests, Yasmine Ahmed, UK director of the international campaign group Human Rights Watch, called it "cynical, culture war politics and an attack on our democratic freedoms".
The Met said a "significant policing and security operation" would be conducted on 11 and 12 November, and that it was "absolutely committed to ensuring the safety and security of anyone attending commemorative events".
"We will use all the powers available to us to ensure anyone intent on disrupting it will not succeed," a spokesperson said.
They added that the police were aware of a "significant demonstration" planned for 11 November, but not Remembrance Sunday, and that organisers were "engaging with our officers and have said they are willing to avoid the Whitehall area, recognising the sensitivities around the date".
Writing in the Times on Saturday,Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the lines between those who wish only to advocate for the welfare of innocent Palestinians and those who support Hamas have become badly blurred.
"Those lines have remained blurred in the subsequent demonstrations, in which a minority have proudly displayed their extremism on their banners and in their chants, while the majority stand alongside them," he said.
On Friday, five people were arrested during a pro-Palestinian sit-in at London's King's Cross station after the demonstration was banned. Transport Secretary Mark Harper said he had given an order to allow police to stop the protest.
Israel has been bombarding Gaza with prolonged air strikes following the 7 October attacks on southern Israel by Hamas, in which they killed 1,400 people and took more than 200 hostage.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says Israeli air strikes have killed more than 9,000 people.
Protests in London have been largely peaceful, although there have been 99 arrests of people who attended the three massive weekly marches in London. BBC reporters who have witnessed the demonstrations have seen a wide range of people from different backgrounds attending, including lots of families with children.
On Friday, two women were charged with a terror offence after allegedly carrying "an image displaying a paraglider" at a pro-Palestinian protest in London, and police are still looking for a third woman.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said it was "incredibly important" that demonstrators understood the importance of Remembrance events, telling PA News: "I'd encourage the organisers to work with the police to stay away from the Cenotaph."
It comes as Met commissioner Sir Mark told the London Assembly that he was "deeply concerned" about the impact on community policing after 3,500 officers were redeployed to central London protests in the past three weeks.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has also written an open letter to Sir Mark, after he said hate crime laws "probably need redrawing" as he faced questions about the policing of pro-Palestinian marches.
The letter, signed by lawyers, said it is "quite clearly the case that there are existing laws that are simply not being applied or enforced with sufficient rigour" by the Met.
Ahead of planned protests this coming weekend, the Met says there will be a "sharper focus" on potential criminal behaviour, and will be using facial recognition technology to identify known suspects, including potential terrorists.
Scotland Yard also said that since 1 October it has received 554 crime reports of antisemitic incidents - in the same period last year the police investigated 44 such reports.
The number of reported Islamophobic hate crimes for the same period has reached 220 - up from 70 during the same period last year.
So far 133 people have been arrested. Of those, 26 have so far been charged - 14 in relation to alleged antisemitism and six for alleged Islamophobia.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk
Chief forecaster Frank Saunders called it "fairly typical autumnal weather" - but rain falling on already sodden ground was partly why the warning had been issued.
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However, it's better news for people heading out for Bonfire Night, with Mr Saunders predicting a "largely dry and settled" Sunday - albeit colder than last week.
Image:A car struggles through a flooded road in Yapton, West Sussex, earlier this week
Image:Newhaven harbour wall in East Sussex, pictured on Thursday
Storm Ciaran was still causing some knock-on problems for the railways on Friday.
LNER, which runs the line between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley, advised passengers not to travel until Saturday.
Delays and cancellations were expected because trains and staff were out of position due to power failures.
Other operators also warned of disruption as they cleared debris off tracks.
Image:Flood warnings and alerts are also in place across the UK. Pic: Environment Agency
Storm Ciaran had now moved into the North Sea - but its southern edge has caused chaos in parts of Italy.
Official said six people died and two were missing after rivers in Tuscany burst their banks following torrential rain overnight into Friday.
There were fears that Florence could be flooded, but the historic city avoided any major incidents.
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Tuscany hit by flooding after heavy rain
Italian Civil Protection officials said 200mm (7.87in) of rain fell in a three-hour period stretching from Livorno on the western coast to the inland valley of Mugello.
Tuscany's president, Eugenio Giani, said it had never had so much rain in such a short space of time.
He told Sky TG24 that experts believe it was the worst downpour in 100 years.
"What happened overnight in Tuscany has a clear name: CLIMATE CHANGE," he wrote on X.
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A yellow weather warning for rain has been issued for Saturday as downpours are expected to hamper down ahead of bonfire night.
Thunderstorms are likely to catch in the southeast as up to 30-40mm are expected in the coastal regions.
The Met Office said: “A spell of heavy rain early in the day clears northwards but is followed by fairly frequent heavy and blustery showers.”
It comes as at least 12 people have died across Europe as Storm Ciarán unleashed chaos and widespread flooding, while thousands of homes in the UK are still without power.
There are over 70 flood warnings across the England, Wales and Scotland this morning as heavy downpours are set to hamper parts of the country today.
Nearly 150,000 homes were left without power in the height of the storm, and by 4pm on Thursday, around 11,300 properties still had no electricity.
In Italy’s Tuscany, residents were trapped in their homes on Friday after record-breaking rainfall swept away cars on the roads.
Winds from Storm Ciarán whip up a wildfire in Spain
A wildfire abetted by storm winds in eastern Spain has burned some 2,000 hectares (4,900 acres) of land and forced the evacuation of 850 people from four towns, officials said Friday.
Some 200 firefighters and army emergency unit soldiers were deployed to try to extinguish the day-old blaze near the eastern town of Montitxelvo. The regional government of Valencia said it hoped five water-carrying planes and helicopters would be deployed in the operation.
Regional president Carlos Mazón called on people to avoid travel in the area or activities in forests that could start fires.
Yellow weather warnings in place for Friday and Saturday
A yellow rain warning will be in place from 5am to midnight on Saturday across all of southern England, including Cornwall, Kent and the Isle of Wight.
There will be frequent heavy and blustery showers throughout the day, with the odd thunderstorm and 30 to 40mm of rainfall possible in coastal, south-eastern areas.
Oli Claydon, spokesperson for the Met Office, said: “[It is] all being driven by another area of low pressure that’s crossing the United Kingdom through Saturday.
“Obviously it’s nothing urgent or to the same extent as we saw with Storm Ciaran, and that will clear out into the North Sea by the time we get to Saturday evening.”
Another yellow rain warning is currently in place in north-east Scotland until 5pm and may cause some disruption.
More broadly on Friday, it remains blustery along the east coast and a few showers still persist, particularly in western areas, but it is “nothing much to be too concerned about”, Mr Claydon said.
Weather warning covers parts of Scotland on Friday
(Met Office )
Weather warning covers parts of southern England for Saturday
Rail services remain disrupted as the UK feels the after-effects of the devastating Storm Ciaran.
LNER, the main train operator on the East Coast Main Line between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley, advised passengers not to travel until Saturday.
A significant number of delays and cancellations was expected as trains and staff are out of position following power supply failures at both ends of the route on Thursday.
A power surge caused a signalling failure at Edinburgh Waverley, while damage to overhead wires in the Peterborough area led to the line being blocked.
Several other train operators also warned over disruption on Friday while debris from Storm Ciaran was cleared from tracks.
The threat of flooding remains high in the south of England.
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AI company trialled to predict power outages caused by storms
A power company is trialling the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to predict faults in the electricity network so it can restore power to homes faster.
ScottishPower Energy Networks (SPEN) is using AI technology to better pinpoint potential faults caused by severe weather and ensure engineers and equipment are mobilised to tackle problems when - and even before - they occur.
The firm, which serves more than three million homes and businesses across the UK, has described the £5 million Predict4Resilience project as “revolutionary” as it will use AI to predict where outages could occur up to a week in advance.
The technology will use historic weather and fault data along with network asset and landscape information to develop machine learning models.
This will be combined with real-time weather forecasting to inform control room staff where bad weather will hit and what kind of damage to expect with improved accuracy.
A number of cars were left abandoned in waist-deep floodwater as Storm Ciaran battered Jersey on Thursday 2 November. Travel was heavily disrupted in the morning as roads and rail tracks were blocked with fallen debris and flights were cancelled. On Friday, the threat of flooding remains high in the south of England as the UK feels the after-effects of the devastating storm. Almost 90 flood warnings are in place with more than 235 flood alerts stretching up through the country, after the south coast and the Channel Islands were battered with heavy rain and gusts of up to 100mph yesterday.
A yellow weather warning for rain has been issued for Saturday as downpours are expected to hit England.
The Met Office said: “A spell of heavy rain early in the day clears northwards but is followed by fairly frequent heavy and blustery showers.
“These are likely to be focused in some southern and southeastern coastal counties by afternoon, with thunderstorms catching a few locations.
“Around 15-25 mm of rain will fall in some places but with perhaps 30 - 40 mm by the end of the day in coastal southeast England. Additional hazards could include large waves and spray along some southern coasts.”
Five killed in Italy’s Tuscany as death toll from storm in Europe rises to 12
At least 12 people have died across Europe as Storm Ciarán unleashed chaos and widespread flooding.
Five people were killed in Italy’s Tuscany as the storm trapped residents in their homes, inundated hospitals and overturned cars.
Italian Civil Protection authorities said nearly eight inches of rain fell in a three-hour period, from the city of Livorno on the coast to the inland valley of Mugello, and caused riverbanks to overflow.
Video showed at least a dozen cars getting pushed down a flooded road.
“There was a wave of water bombs without precedence,” Tuscany governor Eugenio Giani told Italian news channel Sky TG24 as he tried to describe the downpour.
He reported the five deaths on social media and posted photos of vast inland areas inundated by the flooding.
