Markus Andrews

‘70%’ chance Conservatives and Reform UK will merge before general electionYour support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreUS vice president JD Vance has backed Brexit voters in an anti-immigration rant at the Munich Security Conference.“No voter on this continent went to the ballot box to open the floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants,” he said.”But you know what they did vote for in England? They voted for Brexit and, agree or disagree, they voted for it. “And more and more all over Europe, they’re voting for political leaders who promised to put an end to out-of-control migration. Now, I happen to agree with a lot of these concerns, but you don’t have to agree with me.”Mr Vance then began to criticise freedom of speech laws in the UK and social policies across Europe. It comes as Sir Keir Starmer said he will visit the United States later this month to meet with President Donald Trump amid tensions between the two countries on potential tariffs and Ukraine.The Labour government has distanced itself from the Trump administration’s stance on Ukraine, as Sir Keir said Britain is committed to Ukraine being on an “irreversible path” to joining Nato after the US appeared to rule out membership.Starmer must be clear with Trump that his Ukraine proposals are ‘unacceptable’, Ed Davey saysLiberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said the Prime Minister should “seize the moment” and go to the Munich Security Conference to make clear to Donald Trump that his proposals on Ukraine are “unacceptable.”Responding to news of Sir Keir Starmer’s call with the US president on Thursday, Sir Ed said: “Keir Starmer must be clear with Donald Trump that his proposals on Ukraine are unacceptable.“There is not a moment to lose. It is critical that the Prime Minister joins the gathering of global leaders taking place this weekend at the Munich Security Conference, and does all he can to bolster support for Ukraine.“Keir Starmer must seize the moment and ensure that Trump’s plans to lock Ukraine, the UK and European allies out of decisions about our shared future do not succeed.”Jabed Ahmed14 February 2025 14:38Exclusive | Reform deputy who mocked Reeves over CV exaggeration found to have exaggerated on his own CVRichard Tice has repeatedly mocked Rachel Reeves for having allegedly embellished her CV, but The Independent can reveal the Reform UK deputy leader has in fact exagerrated his own business success on his CVJabed Ahmed14 February 2025 14:19Full report | Starmer on collision course with Trump over VAT and future of UkraineJabed Ahmed14 February 2025 13:59Politics Explained | Will Labour’s new towns succeed in fixing the housing crisis?The announcement of the project has prompted keen interest from local authorities. But will the plan work? Sean O’Grady looks at what happened last time new towns were builtJabed Ahmed14 February 2025 13:27Watch | Conservatives and Reform UK are ‘likely’ to merge before General ElectionConservatives and Reform UK are ‘likely’ to merge before General ElectionJabed Ahmed14 February 2025 12:59Firm behind beleaguered Bibby Stockholm migrant barge handed another £150m government contractOur Social Affairs Correspondent Holly Bancroft reports: Jabed Ahmed14 February 2025 12:39Full report | Starmer backs Ukraine’s ‘irreversible path to Nato’ in apparent swipe at TrumpOur Political Correspondent Archie Mitchell reports: Jabed Ahmed14 February 2025 12:18UK announces further sanctions on Putin’s inner circle Foreign Secretary David Lammy will meet the widow of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny at a major security summit as Britain announces further sanctions on people with links to Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.The Foreign Secretary will have talks with Yulia Navalnaya and reflect on her husband’s enduring legacy at the Munich Security Conference nearly a year on from his death.Mr Lammy said in a statement: “I am announcing further sanctions to keep up the pressure on Putin. Ukrainians are fighting for their country’s future and the principle of sovereignty across Europe at the frontline.“Nearly a year on from the death of Alexei Navalny, I am honoured to meet with Yulia Navalnaya and make clear our commitment to weaken Putin’s attempts to stifle political opposition and crack down on the Kremlin’s corrupt dealings globally.“We are calling on our friends and allies to continue to step up in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.”The sanctions announced target high-profile figures working in the Russian government, including Pavel Fradkov, a Russian defence minister, and Vladimir Selin, who heads up an arm of the Russian ministry of defence, the Foreign Office said.They also target Artem Chaika, whose extractives company supports Russian state-owned business.Jabed Ahmed14 February 2025 11:59Starmer to visit US to meet with Trump Sir Keir Starmer discussed “his forthcoming visit to the US” with Donald Trump on Thursday night during a meeting with the President’s special envoy to the UK, Downing Street has said.A spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister was pleased to host President Trump’s special envoy to the United Kingdom, Mark Burnett, at Downing Street last night, during which he took a call from President Trump and discussed his forthcoming visit to the US.“Mr Burnett and the Prime Minister agreed on the unique and special nature of the UK-US relationship, the strength of our alliance, and the warmth of the connection between the two countries.“Mr Burnett reflected on his personal connections to the UK, and his mother’s experience working part-time in Downing Street as a waitress over 30 years ago.“They emphasised the huge potential for even stronger collaboration on trade, tech and cultural matters between the US and the UK, and looked forward to working together.”( More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreRichard Tice has been accused of “rank hypocrisy” after he appeared to have exaggerated his own business success on his website just a day after mocking Rachel Reeves over errors on her LinkedIn page.The Reform UK deputy leader claims to have tripled the share price of real estate firm CLS holdings as chief executive from 2011 to 2014. But The Independent has discovered that the share price did not triple under Mr Tice’s tenure. It is an embarrassing revelation for Mr Tice, who on Thursday told this paper: “Rachel Reeves cannot even manage her own CV let alone manage the economy.” The former businessman, who was replaced as Reform leader when Mr Farage returned to fight the general election, has repeatedly attacked the chancellor as “Rachel from accounts”, a reference to allegations she embellished her CV relating to her time working at the Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS).Nigel Farage’s right hand man has repeatedly dubbed the chancellor ‘Rachel from accounts’ in a dig at her reportedly having embellished her CV More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreTechnology experts have expressed concern that the Government is “pivoting away from ‘safety’ towards ‘national security’” after it announced a rebranding of the AI Safety Institute.Peter Kyle, the Technology Secretary, rechristened the agency on Friday as the AI Security Institute (AISI), saying it would refocus its work on crime and national security issues.But while Mr Kyle insisted the AISI’s work “won’t change”, his department revealed it would no longer focus on “bias or freedom of speech”, sparking concern from experts in the field.Michael Birtwistle, associate director at the Ada Lovelace Institute, said he was “deeply concerned that any attention to bias in AI applications has been explicitly cut out of the new AISI’s scope”.He said: “A more pared back approach from the Government risks leaving a whole range of harms to people and society unaddressed – risks that it has previously committed to tackling through the work of the AI Safety Institute.“It’s unclear if there’s still a plan to meaningfully address them, if not in AISI.”Pointing to a series of scandals involving bias in AI in Australia, the Netherlands and the UK, Mr Birtwistle said there was a “real risk that inaction on risks like bias will lead to public opinion turning against AI”.As well as the AISI’s new name, Mr Kyle announced the creation of a new “criminal misuse” team within the institute to tackle risks such as AI being used to create chemical weapons, carry out cyber attacks and enable crimes such as fraud and child sexual abuse.Crime and security concerns already form part of the institute’s remit, but it currently also covers wider societal impacts of artificial intelligence, the risk of AI becoming autonomous and the effectiveness of safety measures for AI systems.Established in 2023, then-prime minister Rishi Sunak said the institute would “advance the world’s knowledge of AI safety”, including exploring “all the risks from social harms like bias and misinformation, through to the most extreme risks of all”.Mr Kyle said the AISI’s “renewed focus” on security would “ensure our citizens – and those of our allies – are protected from those who would look to use AI against our institutions, democratic values and way of life”.But Andrew Dudfield, head of AI at fact checking organisation Full Fact, said the move was “another disappointing downgrade of ethical considerations in AI development that undermines the UK’s ability to lead the global conversation”.Describing security and transparency as “mutually reinforcing pillars essential to building public confidence in AI”, Mr Dudfield added: “If the Government pivots away from the issues of what data is used to train AI models, it risks outsourcing those critical decisions to the most powerful internet platforms rather than exploring them in the democratic light of day.”Friday’s announcement comes after the Government began the year pledging to make the UK a world leader in AI and to put the technology at the heart of Whitehall.But it also comes in the same week that the UK joined the US in refusing to sign an international agreement on AI at a summit in Paris.The Government said it had declined to sign the communique issued at the end of the French-hosted AI Action Summit as it had not provided enough “practical clarity” on “global governance” of the technology or addressed “harder questions” about national safety. More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreSir Keir Starmer is on a collision course with Donald Trump over the president’s latest threat to impose tariffs on the UK and over the future of Ukraine. The US president announced on Thursday that he would impose “reciprocal tariffs” on all other countries, charging the same amount as levies imposed on American exports – claiming such a move was “fair to all”.The impact of the announcement on the UK was not immediately clear, but the policy published by the White House included VAT as a target for reciprocal tariffs – which analysts have suggested could knock around £24bn off UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the next two years. It comes amid growing concern over how Mr Trump’s agenda could impact the global defence landscape, after he held shock talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and the US suggested Ukraine may be forced to give up some of its territory.Sir Keir Starmer was pressed on his response to Donald Trump’s tariffs at Prime Minister’s Questions (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreSir Keir Starmer has reaffirmed Britain’s support for Ukraine joining Nato in a call with Volodymyr Zelensky as world leaders gather for a major security summit in Munich. In the first talks between the pair since Donald Trump and his defence secretary said it was unlikely Ukraine would join Nato, but in an apparent swipe at that stance, the prime minister reiterated the UK’s commitment to the country’s path into the alliance. “The prime minister reiterated the UK’s commitment to Ukraine being on an irreversible path to Nato, as agreed by Allies at the Washington Summit last year,” a readout of the call said, in a pointed message to the US. Keir Starmer reiterated Britain’s commitment to Ukraine joining Nato More