Markus Andrews

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentSir Keir Starmer has been given the use of a corporate box by Arsenal football club worth thousands of pounds, it has been reported, amid the ongoing row over the prime minister’s donations. The PM – a season ticket holder and an avid supporter of the team – used the box for the first game of the season according to ITV News. The prime minister is unable to use his normal Arsenal seats as a result of security concerns.The box is advertised as costing at least £8,750 per game.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in the stands during a Premier League match at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton (Mike Egerton/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentAn error in the negotiation of post-Brexit trade rules has reportedly delayed the replacement of the UK’s Border Force fleet, increasing the cost to the taxpayer by hundreds of millions. According to The Times, the replacement of five cutters and six patrol vessels used to monitor Britain’s borders and pick up people attempting to cross the Channel are delayed until at least 2030, while costs are likely to increase to £300 million — six times the original budget.Dame Angela Eagle, the border security and asylum minister, described the situation as a “cock-up” from the previous government, saying the error was “entirely avoidable”.Rules agreed as part of the UK’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) after exiting the EU in 2020 mean that government contracts must be open to international competition.More than 10,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel since Labour won the general election (Gareth Fuller/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentThe accounts of several British politicians and organisations around the world have been hacked on X.On Wednesday evening, the accounts of a number of MPs including Shabana Mahmood, the Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Chris Elmore, Labour MP for Bridgend and Porthcawl and Carolyn Harris, Labour MP for Neath and Swansea East, all shared the same message on their X profiles.They were quickly deleted but could still be viewed via Tweetdeck – the social media dashboard for management of X, formerly Twitter, accounts.It read: “THIS IS HACKED ACCOUNT!!!! INTRODUCING $HACKED ON SOLANA on each account we hack we publish the token address so we pump it and make profits together.”The message also featured a lengthy code.Other accounts which have the same message include the X accounts for the World Health Organisation (WHO) at the European Union in Brussels, the Great British Menu and Lenovo India.Most quickly deleted the hacked message, but some remined visible for some time.British comedian and actress Sooz Kempner shared to X her account was hacked and she had changed her password.She posted: “I was just having a nice drink with a friend when my boyfriend called to tell me my account had just been hacked. I have changed my password, ha ha.” More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentWes Streeting has vowed to fight “loud opposition” to his health reforms on both the left and the right of politics as he warned the future of the NHS was at stake.But the health secretary said that when it came to improving the nation’s lifestyles he wanted to make changes “with” people and not “to” them, adding he was not the “fun police”.He also said he would not ban cake in the Department of Health, advocating an approach of moderation. He was speaking at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), as the think tank launched a report warning that Britain is the “sick man of Europe”.Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that he expects ‘loud opposition’ to reforming the NHS (Aaron Chown/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentWes Streeting has praised The Independent’s reporting on a children’s hospital where staff allegedly physically abused patients by dragging them by the feet, saying that the exposé was “truly shocking”.Joyce Parker Hospital, a children’s mental health unit run by Cygnet Health Care in Coventry, will now close following the claims first highlighted by this publication.Earlier this year The Independent revealed a leaked letter from the Care Quality Commission to the hospital that warned that inspectors had allegedly found CCTV of staff abusing children while restraining them.Speaking about the case, the health secretary said: “It is truly shocking the way in which children were treated in a place where they were supposed to be safe. I think the closure decision is the right one and we are working to make sure that the appropriate placements are provided for those young people.” He added: “Sunlight is the best disinfectant. I think it’s a truly terrifying example of what happens when patient safety is not taken seriously. And I don’t want to read about any more of these sorts of cases. Joyce Parker Hospital, a children’s mental health unit run by Cygnet Health Care in Coventry, is set to close More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentSir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff received a pay rise after the election which means she is now paid more than the prime minister.Sue Gray asked for and was given a salary of £170,000 – £3,000 more than the PM and more than any cabinet minister – or her Conservative predecessor, it has emerged. One source told the BBC: “It was suggested that she might want to go for a few thousand pounds less than the prime minister to avoid this very story. She declined.”Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Sue Gray is paid more than the prime minister More