Markus Andrews

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseRobert Jenrick has suggested he regrets covering up cartoon murals at a processing centre for lone child migrants when he was serving as immigration minister.The Tory leadership hopeful has said for the first time that he would not make the same decision again after it emerged last year he had ordered the images, which included Mickey Mouse, be taken down.At the time, he was reported to have felt the images at the Kent Intake Unit were too “welcoming” for the children being processed at the centre after arriving in the UK on small boats.He has repeatedly defended the decision since, telling attendees at Tory conference that many of those being processed at the centre were “young adults who were posing as children” and the vast majority were 16 and 17-year-olds.But, speaking on Friday to LBC, Mr Jenrick said he would not make the same decision again.The murals, photographed by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, were painted over on the former immigration minister’s orders at the Kent Intake Unit More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseThe Tory leadership race has intensified as Robert Jenrick denied he has plans to revert to the centre-ground if he succeeds Rishi Sunak.The former immigration minister had long been seen as a moderate in the Conservative ranks, but is now considered a staunch right-winger.And, as the battle between him and Kemi Badenoch, also courting voters on the right of the party, heats up, Mr Jenrick has been forced to deny he is planning to pivot back to centrism if elected leader.Asked by the BBC about anonymous briefings from Tory colleagues that he has promised to rein in his right-wing views if he wins the contest, Mr Jenrick said: “I would not believe everything you read in the papers… I have not said that.”He added: “I actually don’t see these labels as at all relevant. What I want to see is the Conservative Party occupy what I describe as the common ground of British politics.Robert Jenrick denied claims he has promised colleagues to lead as a centrist if he takes over the Conservative Party More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseLabour’s vote share since winning power has continued its dramatic slide to less than 30 per cent after voters aged 55 and over abandoned Keir Starmer’s party, new polling has revealed.The Techne UK weekly tracker poll for The Independent has registered support for Labour falling to 29 per cent down five points from the election and two points below last week. But with the Tories still undecided on a new leader, they failed to capitalise on Labour’s loss of popularity with a gain of just one point from last week to 24 per cent. Meanwhile Nigel Farage’s Reform UK were also up one to 19 per cent.The Lib Dems stayed the same on 12 per cent while the Greens were unchanged on 7 per cent.Starmer is losing support among voters More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseKeir Starmer is set to chair his first devolved government summit on Friday – but without his new envoy and former chief of staff Sue Gray.Ms Gray was forced out as Sir Keir’s key adviser and asked to take on a new role as his representative for the nations and regions last weekend.Ms Gray, whose new position was confirmed after weeks of turmoil behind the scenes in Number 10, will be a notable absence as she takes a brief hiatus before changing jobs.At the time of her latest appointment it was claimed that Sir Keir had asked her to take on the role because reseting the relationship between the UK government and devolved government was “a priority for him”.Sue Gray has taken on a new role in Government after resigning as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff (Stefan Rousseau/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseRachel Reeves is being warned that a massive hike in capital gains tax could endanger her hopes of creating economic growth.It comes as a row has broken out over claims that the chancellor has asked Treasury officials to model capital gains tax rates of 39 per cent and 33 per cent, well above the second home rate of 24 per cent.While sources close to Ms Reeves have tried to dismiss Budget speculation and allegations of disarray, the concerns have dropped at a time of intense pressure for the chancellor and Sir Keir Starmer. It follows:The Institute for Fiscal Studies warning that she will need to raise £25bn in extra taxes to meet Labour’s spending commitmentsLabour support dropping to less than 30 per cent in Techne UK’s weekly tracker poll for the first time in more than two and a half years as voters turn their backs on the new governmentStarmer repeatedly refusing to rule out a hike on employer contributions to national insurance – a move critics believe will destroy jobsPersistent question marks over Labour plans to tax non-doms and add VAT to private school fees.Criticism that Reeves should have held her first Budget soonerThe row over capital gains was broken in The Guardian, which claimed to have seen papers on modelling requested by Ms Reeves on an increase of up to 39 per cent.A source close to the chancellor dismissed the story and denied the government was in “disarray” over its tax plans, adding that they would “not be drawn on Budget speculation”.But with the Budget set for 30 October, time is running out for Ms Reeves to close a £25bn gap in her spending commitments and available financing identified by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). This is on top of the £22bn “black hole” that Ms Reeves claims to have been left by the Tory government.The IFS has speculated Ms Reeves might try to change her fiscal rules to loosen up her ability to borrow but its director Paul Johnson warned “this could spook the markets”.Starmer has promised sustained economic growth and stability More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseBoris Johnson has mounted a defence of Donald Trump’s role in the Capitol riots, insisting the former president did not intend to “overthrow the constitution”.The former prime minister claimed what happened was “the peaceful transfer of democratic power from one administration to another”.And, asked about Mr Trump’s repeated claims that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine had he remained in the White House, Mr Johnson said it is a “credible assertion”.In an interview with Times Radio to promote his new book Unleashed, Mr Johnson said: “On Ukraine, I think that some of the pessimism is overdone and I think that Donald actually… he gave the javelins to the Ukrainians where the Democrats didn’t, right?Donald Trump and Boris Johnson at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseMilitary chiefs are considering sending British troops to Ukraine to train soldiers and boost Kyiv’s recruitment efforts, it has emerged.Ministry of Defence (MoD) sources confirmed to The Independent that discussions are ongoing about whether to send troops to the country to support it amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.There is already a small number of British medical personnel in Ukraine, delivering training and mentoring to the country’s armed forces.Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is greeted by Keir Starmer as he arrives at Downing Street on Thursday More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseAt about 2.30pm yesterday James Cleverly was with his entourage talking to representatives of the Girl Guides who had a stall for the day in Portcullis House on the parliamentary estate. He seemed relaxed and confident just a like man destined to go through to the final round of the Tory leadership contest.But already things were going badly wrong for the former home secretary. An hour later Bob Blackman, chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 committee, announced that he had been eliminated from the contest.It led to the question: How could Mr Cleverly have got two votes less than he had done in the previous round when he had been the clear winner before, and favourite to be Rishi Sunak’s replacement.Fingers were being pointed to his campaign manager former cabinet minister Grant Shapps – or Mr Spreadsheet as he is often known. Shapps has made a reputation of being able to work out numbers down to the exact detail in previous contests. Had he been responsible for a cunning plan to get rival Robert Jenrick as Cleverly’s main opponent only for the whole thing to backfire?Robert Jenrick may have been lucky to get to the final two More