Markus Andrews

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 moreThousands of farmers are set to head to London for the latest in a series of protests as the ‘Pancake Day Rally’ against Labour changes to inheritance tax gets underway.Farmers and their allies will begin to gather from midday on Tuesday for speeches outside Parliament. Industry leaders say the plan put forward by chancellor Rachel Reeves during her first Budget last October, is “marching the UK into a food crisis”.Police have warned attendees that they face arrest if they bring unauthorised tractors to Whitehall, as has been seen at previous events. This marks the first time such a warning has been put in place, with several tractors hitting the streets on central London in recent months.Farmers and their tractors protest in Whitehall, London, February 2025 (Gareth Fuller/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 moreDonald Trump criticised European leaders including Sir Keir Starmer on Monday, deriding their weekend talks over Ukraine and launching a furious new attack on Volodymyr Zelensky for saying a peace deal is still “very, very far away”.In what could be a major setback in ending Russia’s war on Ukraine, the US president fired off a tirade just as the prime minister was on his feet in the Commons insisting America was vital, sincere and indispensable in the path to peace.Sir Keir rejected calls from MPs for Britain to shun Mr Trump and America after last week’s extraordinary ambush on Mr Zelensky in the White House Oval Office.However, in a hint the US could be prepared to withdraw military aid to Ukraine, the president said in a social media post: “This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelensky, and America will not put up with it for much longer! This guy doesn’t want there to be peace as long as he has America’s backing.”And in a sideswipe at Sir Keir and other European leaders, he added: “In the meeting they had with Zelensky, [they] stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US – probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?”Ed Davey said that ‘President Trump is not a reliable ally with respect to Russia’ 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 moreThe centuries-old leasehold system in England and Wales will be abolished before the next general election, the housing minister has promised. The sale of new leasehold flats will be banned under government plans to make commonhold the default tenure, handing homeowners greater control over their properties. After years of complaints from leaseholders about crippling costs and deteriorating buildings, housing minister Matthew Pennycook vowed an end to the “feudal” system. He said homeowners have been subject to “unfair practices and unreasonable costs” for too long, with measures set out in a commonhold white paper on Monday marking the “beginning of the end” for the system. Under the current system, third-party landlords can own a building’s lease and therefore make decisions on behalf of homeowners.The government has proposed bringing the leasehold system to an end, as promised in Labour’s manifesto, giving homeowners more control over how their buildings are run.Housing minister Matthew Pennycook 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 moreEmmanuel Macron has said that France and Britain are proposing a limited month-long ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure”.But Kyiv has raised reservations about any end to the fighting without security guarantees for the country against any further aggression from Vladimir Putin.Speaking more cautiously, Britain said there were several possible proposals on the table for a possible Ukraine ceasefire. European countries, led by Britain and France, are looking at options for a peace proposal including Ukraine after last week’s Oval Office rupture between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.”There are clearly a number of options on the table,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman said. “I’m just not getting into a running commentary on the options.”In an interview given on his way to the summit, Mr Macron raised the possibility of a one-month ceasefire, although so far there has been no public endorsement from other allies.”Such a truce on air, sea and energy infrastructure would allow us to determine whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is acting in good faith when he commits to a truce,” French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Monday. “And that’s when real peace negotiations could start.”European ground troops would only be deployed to Ukraine in a second phase, Mr Macron said in the interview published in Le Figaro.Mr Starmer hosted a summit of European leaders in London on Sunday and said European leaders had agreed to draw up a Ukraine peace plan to present to the United States.Mr Zelensky, asked if he was aware of the plan mentioned by Macron, told reporters in London: “I’m aware of everything.”Keir Starmer hosts European leaders for talks on peace in Ukraine, 2 March 2025 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 moreLord Mandelson has said Ukraine should be the first side to declare a ceasefire in its war with Russia as he called for Volodymyr Zelensky to back Donald Trump’s minerals deal in a clash with Downing Street’s position on the war.The UK ambassador to the US said president Zelensky needs to “get back on the same page” as his US counterpart after a White House meeting between the pair descended into an extraordinary shouting match. After Mr Zelensky was asked to leave the White House early, without signing a deal giving the US access to Ukrainian minerals, Lord Mandelson said a “very radical reset” was needed.Lord Mandelson was slapped down over the remarks, with a minister describing them as ‘not government policy’ 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 moreDonald Trump is set to become the first US president to receive a second state visit to the UK, but calls are growing for it to be scrapped in the wake of his Oval Office clash with Volodymyr Zelensky.Critics – including SNP leader John Swinney and senior Conservative MP Alicia Kearns – say Britain should not reward a president who has undermined a key ally. Kearns, who is shadow minister for foreign affairs, warned that no visit should proceed unless America’s commitment to its allies is assured, adding: “State visits should be conferred to the most honourable of allies, not to curry favour.”However, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has dismissed demands to withdraw the invitation, insisting he won’t be “diverted” by those ramping up rhetoric.Lib Dem leader Ed Davey agreed, adding that the visit should be used to secure stronger commitments from Trump on Ukraine.With Trump’s recent behaviour and stance on Ukraine raising concerns, we want to know what you think. Is rolling out the red carpet the right move, or should Britain take a stand?Share your thoughts in the comments – we’ll feature the most compelling responses.All you have to do is sign up and register your details – then you can take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen. 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 moreMinisters, top civil servants and members of the royal family are receiving fast-tracked tax advice through a little-known HMRC helpline, it has emerged.The VIPs are having queries dealt with by the taxman eight times faster than the general public, new figures reveal. Millions with tax queries for HMRC face an average wait time on the phone of 18 minutes, with more than 2 million calls abandoned or cut off altogether in the last six months of 2024 due to a lack of staff. VIP taxpayers are having calls dealt with faster by HMRC 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 more Christian Stocker was sworn in as Austrian chancellor on Monday as a new government, a three-party coalition, took office after a five-month wait following elections in September. The new government will have to deal with rising unemployment, a recession and a creaking budget. Its coalition agreement, presented on Thursday after the longest negotiations in post-World War II Austria, also foresees strict new asylum rules in the European Union country of 9 million people.This is the country’s first three-party government, bringing together Stocker’s conservative Austrian People’s Party, the center-left Social Democrats and the liberal Neos. The alliance in the political center came together only at the second attempt after the far-right Freedom Party emerged as the strongest political force in a parliamentary election on Sept. 29. More