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 ThomasEditorSuella Braverman has become the first potential Conservative leadership candidate to admit that the party’s very existence is now at stake after the most disastrous general election result in its history.The former home secretary was one of three potential leadership candidates to do the Sunday morning political shows along with ex-health secretary Victoria Atkins and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick in an attempt to start diagnosing what went wrong.It followed the Tories winning a mere 121 seats, their worst result in the party’s 346-year history, as millions of their voters switched to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.Suella Braverman believes Nigel Farage could destroy the Tories (Victoria Jones/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 Labour cabinet minister has ruled out the introduction of digital ID cards after Tony Blair called for their use to help control migration. Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds initially said the government would be “looking at all sorts of things” and he did not want to pre-empt that work.But in an interview nearly two hours later he said: “I can rule out ID cards for you. That’s not something which is part of our plans.”The idea was one of the former prime minister’s flagship policies in Downing Street, but it was killed off after he lost power.Pushing the new government to embrace the scheme, he said: “We need a plan to control immigration. If we don’t have rules, we get prejudices.” On Sunday, Mr Reynolds said the home secretary Yvette Cooper would look at “all sources of advice” on the issue. But sources close to Ms Cooper said ID cards were not Labour policy and that had not changed.He later told Times Radio he could rule out ID cards. Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the new government would “look at all sources of advice” on the issue 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 European Union is willing to offer Keir Starmer a new deal on post-Brexit issues, the Irish prime minister has indicated. Simon Harris said there was “space” to work more closely with the UK – and Ireland would be an ally in any negotiations. His comments were welcomed by the new business secretary Jonathan Reynolds, who said the UK should explore ways to improve trade relations with the bloc. But he ruled out any return to freedom of movement. Taoiseach Simon Harris has said he wants to see improved Anglo-Irish relations (Brian Lawless/PA) More

The UK’s youngest MP was praised by BBC Breakfast hosts for “batting back” their questions on life experience during an interview on Sunday morning (7 July).Sam Carling, who has been elected Labour MP for North West Cambridgeshire, narrowly won the seat with Conservative candidate Shailesh Vara just 39 votes behind.He is just 22 years old.During an appearance on the BBC, Mr Carling was asked how he will offer “real-world experience” to the House of Commons.“I always get a little bit frustrated when people mention life experience, because no one has yet to explain to me why being older makes you better at the job,” he responded.After a quick back and forth with presenter Roger Johnson, Mr Carling suggested they were “going round in circles” and was praised for “batting back”. 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 ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer’s new Labour government must fully embrace artificial intelligence (AI) as a “game-changer” in fuelling economic growth, his predecessor Sir Tony Blair has urged.While Britain is stuck in a “horrible and unvirtuous circle” of high taxation, spending and debt but with “poor outcomes”, advances in the new technology mean there has never “been a better or more exciting time to be governing”, the former Labour prime minister claimed.Hailing Sir Keir for his landslide general election victory, the last Labour leader to achieve such a feat in 1997 described Thursday’s result as “the most remarkable turnaround in recent British electoral history and the most stunning in the 120-year history of the Labour Party”.Tony Blair and Keir Starmer at the Future of Britain Conference in London More

Jeremy Corbyn claimed Labour lost votes in the general election over the war in Gaza.The independent MP for Islington North attended a pro-Palestinian march in central London on Saturday (6 July).The former Labour leader told protesters on stage: “Palestine was on the ballot in this election – and I promise to stay true to my word to stand up for the Palestinian people.”Mr Corbyn also suggested the pro-Palestinian marches had directly influenced the results of the general election.He said: “The Labour vote was lower on Thursday than it was in 2019 and 2017, and Labour lost seats to independents – five independents were elected.“The common thread running through their campaigns was Gaza.” 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 UK’s fifth MP James McMurdock is about to take one of the biggest pay cuts in Westminster to take his seat in parliament.The surprise late entry to “Reform bridgehead” in the Commons was working for a big financial firm in the City of London when he put his name forward as a paper candidate for the seat of South Basildon and East Thurrock.Then on Friday, just after 5am, long after most candidates had gone to bed for a long sleep, Mr McMurdock was declared as the 650th and final MP elected in the 2024 general election.James McMurdock enjoys a pint with Nigel Farage 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 ThomasEditorThere is now a 58-year age gap between the oldest and youngest MPs, as Britain’s first representative born in the 21st century is elected.When Sir Roger Gale was first elected to parliament in 1983, Sam Carling – now MP for North West Cambridgeshire – would not be born for another 19 years.Aged just 22, Mr Carling will now officially be the ‘Baby of the House’, having won his seat by a thin margin in Labour’s electoral landslide on Thursday.The Cambridge graduate only sat his GCSEs in 2018 and is now – just six years later – North West Cambridgeshire’s first-ever Labour MP.Originally from the North East of England, he has described himself as coming from “a totally apolitical family, in quite a deprived part of the North East”, before he moved to Cambridge to study natural sciences at the age of 18.“I saw a lot of things getting worse around me,” he told the BBC. “I was concerned about shops closing on local high streets that used to be a thriving hub and are basically now a wasteland.“And the sixth form closed, but I didn’t make the connection to politics until later.”His LinkedIn profile suggests that despite his young age, he is well qualified for the job, having bagged six A* grades in his A-levels.Alongside his studies he has been a staff writer at the university’s newspaper, co-chair of the Cambridge University Labour Club and a city councillor for West Chesterton since May 2022.His win in North West Cambridgeshire was unexpected, with him beating his veteran Tory opponent Shailesh Vara by just 39 votes.He had been ushered in as Labour’s candidate as a second selection after the party’s first was ousted and his candidacy was met with ridicule online.“Hi Sam, have you had a real job before?” One Twitter/X user asked. Another said: “Another one of Labour’s creche kiddies.”Mr Carling beat veteran Conservative Shailesh Vara More