UK Politics

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 CorrespondentPubs could be forced to call last orders early as the government is considering new measures to target harmful drinking, a health minister has said. Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, public health minister Andrew Gwynne said the government is considering “tightening up the hours of operation” of bars and pubs as part of an attempt to improve health and combat anti-social behaviour.But a Department for Health spokesman said: “This is categorically untrue.”Andrew Gwynne is considering the measure to improve public health (Victoria Jones/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseMy recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyondEric GarciaWashington Bureau ChiefHalf of Britons say they are disappointed with Labour’s performance in government so far, including a quarter of Labour voters, according to a new Ipsos poll.The findings suggest that the “honeymoon period” following Labour’s 2024 General Election victory may be coming to an end, indicating growing public dissatisfaction with Keir Starmer’s leadership.The poll was conducted just before Labour’s first party conference since their landslide win in July.The initial post-election optimism has faded, with frustration growing over leaks and hostile briefings about Downing Street operations. There is also significant division within the party, particularly over Rachel Reeves’ decision to means-test the winter fuel allowance, leaving millions of pensioners without the support they would usually expect.Last week, Keir Starmer also faced scrutiny over accepting donations, which included items such as clothing, glasses, and a private box at Arsenal FC. This controversy coincided with the revelation that his chief of staff, Sue Gray, earns more than the prime minister.Is your “honeymoon” with Labour over? How have recent events impacted your opinion of Starmer and his government?Share your thoughts by adding them in the comments — we’ll highlight the most insightful ones as they come in.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 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 CorrespondentJess Phillips has warned local providers are not doing enough to ensure victims of domestic violence are prioritised on housing waiting lists.The safeguarding minister said housing is the “biggest issue by a considerable country mile” for victims in the UK, warning some allocators are “not playing their fundamental role” in ensuring there are safe places for survivors to live.Her comments come a week after The Independent launched its campaign to raise £300,000 to build a haven for women escaping their abusive partners, which has received £70,000 in donations so far.Be a brick, buy a brick and donate here or text BRICK to 70560 to donate £15Ms Phillips said many domestic abuse survivors are waiting too long for housing 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 will tell an “exhausted Britain” that the tough decisions he is taking for the short term are the first steps towards national renewal and higher living standards.The prime minister will give one of the most important speeches of his political career on Tuesday as he addresses Labour delegates at the party conference in Liverpool.It comes as sources close to him admit he urgently needs to project a longer-term vision of hope and optimism after a first 10 weeks in power characterised by gloom and despair over the state of the finances and problems facing the country.The prime minister is understood to blame the summer riots for preventing him from having enough time to properly consider his long-term vision in the immediate wake of the election.Keir Starmer is pictured walking with his deputy prime minister Angela Rayner 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 CorrespondentTech giants should help promote stories from local newspapers to help fight disinformation, Lisa Nandy has said.The Culture Secretary praised local newspapers during a meeting on the fringe of the Labour Party conference on Monday, saying they had played an important during the summer riots.She said: “We have got to make sure that those local newspapers and regional newspapers are protected, not least because when there was so much disinformation online, it was often local journalists who were first on the scene and saying that’s not what’s happening here.“They were penetrating that disinformation, mythbusting for people, helping to create calm in communities and we lose them at our peril.”Ms Nandy, whose department oversees media policy, told the meeting she had kicked off a local and regional news strategy to help support local papers, and was engaging with tech companies to encourage them to give greater prominence to local news stories.She said: “One of the issues is that the big online companies like the Googles and the Facebooks often don’t promote their content like they promote others.“We need to provide a fair playing field for local and regional papers.”Shortly after the election, the Society of Editors wrote to the Prime Minister urging action to protect local newspapers, including finding alternative sources of funding for the sector.Asked whether she thought there was a case for greater Government funding of local news, Ms Nandy said there was a case but was wary of too much Government involvement in the media.Saying there had to be a “firewall”, she added: “Unlike the last Tory government I don’t think it’s appropriate at all for the government to be telling newspapers and broadcasters what they can and can’t print, what they can and can’t say, who they can and can’t feature.“That’s a question for them. Our job is to create the framework in which good journalists can thrive independently of government.” 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 CorrespondentLabour has been accused of censoring pro-Palestinian activists at its party conference after ordering a group to remove the words “genocide” and “apartheid” from the listing for an event about Israel’s war in Gaza.The party was condemned by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) for refusing to promote its fringe event titled “Justice for Palestine: Confronting genocide and ending apartheid”.The event has been listed in the brochure as simply “Justice for Palestine”.Rachel Reeves saw her speech disrupted by pro-Palestinian protestors calling for the suspension of all arms sales to Israel More

Protester grabbed by neck and thrown out of Labour party conference in Reeves’ speechYour support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseMy recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyondEric GarciaWashington Bureau ChiefNurses across the country have rejected Rachel Reeves’ offer of a 5.5 per cent pay rise – just as the chancellor was delivering her keynote conference speech.The announcement by the Royal College of Nursing came as Ms Reeves addressed Labour activists in Liverpool. Sir Keir Starmer’s government has faced heavy criticism over its winter fuel allowance cut and gifts accepted by ministers. The chancellor’s message is that there will be “no return” to austerity at her first budget on 30 October in a move to “rebuild Britain”.She also defended her decision to scrap the winter fuel allowance, blaming the unpopular cut on the economic inheritance left by the last Conservative government. Earlier, boos were heard in the hall as a debate on the cut was pushed back from today to Wednesday, the final morning of the conference.Minutes into the speech, a protester shouted out and was removed from the hall. The Independent’s political team will be reporting live throughout the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.Show latest update 1727103260Welsh first minister: ‘Time to give hope to voters across Britain’Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan has declared it is time to “give hope” to voters across Britain.She told the conference: “With Welsh Labour governments in Cardiff and Westminster, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a fairer, greener and more prosperous future for everyone.“Let’s seize this moment, let’s work tirelessly to deliver the change that people deserve. Let’s give hope not just to Wales but for Britain, to all who believe in the power of progressive politics to transform lives.”( 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 CorrespondentWatch as Rachel Reeves addressed the Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool on Monday, 23 September.In her first party conference speech as chancellor, she insisted that “tough decisions” are needed with public finances and attempted to persuade her critics that there will be “no return to austerity”.However, Labour’s decision to take away winter fuel payments from 10 million pensioners is likely to be the focus on Monday.Boos were heard in the conference hall as complaints were raised about a debate on union calls for the winter fuel allowance cuts to be reversed not taking place today.Lynne Morris, who chairs the conference arrangements committee (CAC), was heckled by some delegates as she said: “This is a really busy conference and we are trying to accommodate as much as we can, and I’m going to take this back straight to CAC and I’ll come back to you with an answer ASAP.”Winter fuel payments will be stopped for millions of pensioners this winter as the government pushes on with plans to boost public finances by means-testing the cold weather benefit.Ms Reeves has said the change is amongst several cost-cutting measures designed to plug the £22bn “black hole” in public finances which Labour argues was concealed by the previous government. More