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 ThomasEditorJunior doctors hailed a “positive meeting” with Wes Streeting on Tueday, describing it as a “first step” towards ending their long-running dispute over pay. Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairmen of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) Junior Doctors’ Committee said there are no plans for further strike action “at the moment”, with further negotiations expected next week. It came after Mr Streeting said he was optimistic ahead of the talks with striking junior doctors, describing the change of government as “an important reset moment” in relations between the government and the (BMA).Dr Robert Laurenson (left) and Vivek Trivedi, the co-chairmen of the BMA’s junior doctors’ committee, spoke to the media after leaving the Department for Health (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 ThomasEditorReform made gains in hundreds of seats across the country at last week’s general election, voting data shows. Though Nigel Farage’s right-wing challenger party only won five seats in parliament, Reform took 14 per cent of the national vote — exceeding the Lib Dems at 12 per cent.Reform made significant headway in over 100 seats, despite problems that arose with several candidates, many of whom were chosen in a scramble before the deadline.Reform gained over 19 per cent of the vote in 102 seats, spread over the country but largely concentrated in East Anglia and the Midlands. Crucially, Reform’s largest 100 swings in vote share are all in formerly Conservative seats.Reform came second in at least 55 seats, largely those where Labour won; ousting the Conservatives from a possible second place. Interestingly, the Lib Dems did not win any of the seats where Reform had the largest swings, suggesting that they successfully targeted distinct demographic areas. In fact, some of the highest swings in favour of Reform correlate to huge drops in the Conservative vote, as shown below.In Clacton, where Mr Farage won a seat for the first time, Reform took 46.2 per cent of the vote; while the Conservatives lost 44 per cent. The numbers are similarly comparable in all five Reform seats.In those five Reform seats, however, the strength of MP’s majorities varies greatly. On the highest end, Mr Farage holds 18.3 per cent over the Conservatives, while Reform’s majority in Great Yarmouth is only 3.5 per cent over Labour.Meanwhile, Reform MP James McMurdock won South Basildon and Thurrock by just 98 votes (0.2 per cent). 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 ThomasEditorWatch as Suella Braverman and Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg address a Popular Conservatism post-election event on Tuesday 9 July.Ms Braverman has already hit out at “liberal Conservatives” after the Tory party’s defeat at last week’s general election.The former home secretary, who is among the likely candidates to succeed Rishi Sunak as leader of the Conservatives, told the National Conservatism conference in Washington DC the party had taken a “good hiding”.She put the blame for the defeat, in which the Tories lost more than 250 seats, on failures to keep their promises.Ms Braverman, who will speak via a video link to the Popular Conservatism post-election event alongside Sir Jacob and Lord Frost, also criticised the flying of the Progress Pride flag to “show how liberal and progressive we are” during her Washington speech.She was last week elected as MP in the redrawn constituency of Fareham and Waterlooville with a 6,000 majority. 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 ThomasEditorOver a dozen anti-abortion MPs have lost their seats in the recent general election – sparking hopes abortion could soon be decriminalised.Some 15 Tory MPs with a record of voting against legislation that supports abortion rights lost their seats during the snap election last week – with Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, Maria Caulfield, Fiona Bruce, Liam Fox, and Miriam Cates among them.Sir Jacob previously branded the legal procedure of abortion as morally wrong and a “cult of death” and has said he is even against terminations in cases of rape or incest.A list of 25 anti-abortion MPs, compiled by leading abortion provider British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) and shared exclusively with The Independent, shows 10 MPs with a history of voting against abortion rights held onto their seats. This includes Labour MP Mary Glindon, DUP MP Carla Lockhart, the Conservative Party’s Iain Duncan Smith and others.BPAS chief executive, Heidi Stewart, said parliament could now be the most pro-abortion rights in its history.Iain Duncan Smith More

Sir Tony Blair has blasted the lack of focus on real issues during the general election campaign.The former prime minister appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday morning (9 July) to discuss why the UK should “fully embrace” artificial intelligence, before referencing the coverage of Tory gaffes over the last six weeks.“If you think of this election campaign and how many days we spent on Rishi Sunak and his wet suit, and then how many days we spent on D-Day and him missing that ceremony, and how many days we spent on betting… in the end, none of those things will determine the future of this country,” Sir Tony said. More

Sir Tony Blair has urged the Labour government to “fully embrace” artificial intelligence to fuel growth and productivity.The former prime minister is set to say that the modern technological revolution means “there has never been a better time to govern” in a major speech in London on Tuesday 9 July.He will also set out how a package of measures including private and public sector adoption of AI, preventative healthcare, digital ID and embracing technology in education could boost growth and generate savings.Speaking to BBC Radio 4 ahead of his speech, Sir Tony suggested the “good news” is that Britain is already in a strong position globally when it comes to AI. 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 ThomasEditorWatch live as new MPs are sworn into the House of Commons on Tuesday 9 July, following the general election.There will be 411 MPs representing Labour thanks to their landslide win, while the Conservatives form the opposition with 121 seats.The Liberal Democrats take 72 seats in the Commons, with the SNP on nine, Reform UK on five and the Green Party on four.Once the new arrivals are sworn in, Labour’s Diane Abbott will earn the symbolic title Mother of the House.The moniker is given to the female MP with the longest continuous service.Ms Abbott, 70, was first elected in June 1987 – becoming the first black woman elected to the House of Commons.Some believed that her ally, Jeremy Corbyn, would become Father of the House.But Sir Edward Leigh, 73, Conservative MP for Gainsborough, pipped him to the title, as he was sworn in moments before Mr Corbyn after the June 1983 election.Elsewhere, the youngest MP is believed to be Sam Carling, 22, the new Labour MP for North West Cambridgeshire.He narrowly won the seat, with Conservative candidate Shailesh Vara just 39 votes behind. More

Nigel Farage arrived at parliament on Tuesday 9 July for his first day in the House of Commons at the head of Reform UK’s first elected MPs.The group of five men, including party chairman Richard Tice and former Tory MP Lee Anderson, had been expected to stage a Reservoir Dogs-style entrance to Westminster, referring to the Quentin Tarantino film about a failed diamond heist.The other new arrivals were Rupert Lowe, former chairman of Southampton FC and now MP for Great Yarmouth, and James McMurdock, a 38-year-old former banker who unexpectedly edged the contest in South Basildon and East Thurrock by 98 votes. More