Markus Andrews

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorStaff who are consistently contacted by bosses outside of normal working hours could be in line for thousands of pounds of compensation under Labour plans.The government’s plans to introduce a right to switch off, establishing a barrier between workers’ professional and home lives, could see staff securing bumper payouts at employment tribunals.The policy, which will see employees and employers agree to an expected set of hours during which they can be contacted, has been based partly on examples in Belgium and Ireland.Angela Rayner said Labour will ‘bring together workers and businesses for the good of the economy’ More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorJames Cleverly has emerged as the favourite to take over as Tory leader among party members, the first major poll of the contest has shown, while Tom Tugendhat appears to be the most popular among the wider public.In the first poll of Conservative Party members since the race began at the end of July, 26 per cent put the shadow home secretary as their first choice. Following behind in second place was Priti Patel, with 20 per cent saying she was their top choice.The Techne poll, conducted between August 2 and 12, put Kemi Badenoch in third place at 14 per cent support, Mr Tugendhat in fourth with 11 per cent backing and Robert Jenrick in fifth on 10 per cent.Shadow home secretary James Cleverly (Lucy North/PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorA British Foreign Office official has resigned in protest at the continued arms sales to Israel by the UK. Mark Smith, a counterterrorism official based in the British embassy in Dublin, said he can no longer “in good conscience continue to work with a government which is complicit in war crimes”. In a statement following his resignation, issued on Sunday, Mr Smith said he had worked as a policy advisor in the Middle East and North Africa department for most of his career. He added that he was “the lead author of the central assessment which governs the legality of arms sales” in that department, where it was his job to assess international law compliance and information about civilian casualties. In the statement, issued through media organisation Neon, Mr Smith said: “To export arms to any nation, the UK must be satisfied that the recipient nation has in place robust procedures to avoid civilian casualties and to minimise harm to civilian life. It is impossible to argue that Israel is doing that.”He said he had written to foreign secretary David Lammy to inform him of his resignation from the Foreign Office and urged him to urgently review the UK’s approach to Gaza. People mourn next to the bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza on Sunday More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorMore than half of people think Britain is “moving in the wrong direction”, according to a new poll that shows a drop in favourability of Sir Keir Starmer and his cabinet. The poll by Ipsos, which was conducted between 9-12 August, shows that people still prefer Labour leaders to Conservative ones but that there has been an increase in criticism of the new government. Fifty-two per cent of adults polled said that they thought Britain was heading in the wrong direction, while 22 per cent said things were heading in the right direction. Sir Keir remains the most popular politician asked about, with 38 per cent of people thinking of him favourably compared to 38 per cent unfavourably. This is however a drop compared to his ratings just after the election. His net favourability rating has now gone from plus 7 to 0. Conservative leader Rishi Sunak is on a net rating of minus 10. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has had to deal with riots across the country since taking office More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorThe last Tory rail minister has made a surprise intervention in the row over train driver pay – praising railway staff and saying he understands why Labour ministers chose to “cut a deal” with the train drivers.Last week the new transport secretary, Louise Haigh, reached an agreement with the train drivers’ union, Aslef, for a “no-strings” pay rise worth 15 per cent over three years.Members will begin voting on the offer, for which union leaders have urged acceptance, on 28 August. A large majority is expected in favour of the deal.But within 48 hours of reaching an agreement, Aslef announced fresh strikes by train drivers working for the state-owned East Coast Main Line operator LNER.The train drivers’ union says drivers will strike each weekend until 10 November following “a breakdown in industrial relations, bullying by management, and persistent breaking of agreements by the company”.Weekend strikes are planned on LNER services More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorLabour will end “divise rhetoric” and blame culture towards people on benefits, the new work and pensions secretary has said. Liz Kendall has said that an overhaul is needed to get people back to work, warning that the increasing number of people needing financial support from the state is unsustainable.Britain’s welfare bill is set to increase by £60bn over the next four years, according to analysis from think tank the Resolution Foundation. This has been driven by the growing number of people claiming disability or incapacity benefits and by guarantees for pensioners. In an interview with The Observer, Ms Kendall said: “I do not think it’s sustainable when you’re seeing those levels of increases, but we can do something about it.”She criticised the Tory government for “divisive rhetoric that blames people and doesn’t support them”. In May, ministers opened a consultation on the disability support system PIP, with ideas including replacing cash benefits with a voucher scheme and one-off grants.Liz Kendall will also chair a child poverty taskforce with education secretary Bridget Phillipson More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorPenny Mordaunt has accused the government of burying its head in the sand on defence, amid reports Labour is planning on cuts in the forthcoming budget. Writing in The Independent, the former Tory leadership hopeful warned that Labour’s first Budget, which will be delivered on 30 October, “is the only opportunity they have” to demonstrate that the UK is serious about “playing their part in defending our collective interests”.Ms Mordaunt warned that it is a “diplomatic signal as well as a fiscal event”, saying any decision not to invest enough in defence could indicate that the UK is “not a reliable partner” and lead to “grave consequences” for the nation.Penny Mordaunt argued ‘what the UK chooses has never mattered more’ More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorThe Labour government is incapable of tackling racism and Islamophobia effectively, a member of its own national committee has claimed in the wake of widespread race riots. In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Labour’s National Executive Committee member Mish Rahman has criticised Sir Keir Starmer for his failure to categorise the attacks as “terrorism”. He claimed the reluctance to label the violence as an act of terrorism reveals a troubling double standard, adding: “It suggests to me that it is terrorism when only committed by a Muslim. Language matters.”This view was echoed by Britain’s former head of counter-terrorism Neil Basu, who warned that the worst far-right violence seen during riots across the country should be treated as terrorism during the start of the disorder.Mish Rahman has criticised the Labour Party for its stance on Islamophobia and racism More