UK Politics

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseJames Cleverly was eliminated from the Tory leadership race because Robert Jenrick’s team ruthlessly targeted his supporters “who hated Kemi Badenoch”, The Independent can reveal.The former home secretary looked to have been a certainty for the final two of the contest to go to Conservative members when the penultimate set of results were announced on Tuesday, putting him eight ahead of the previous frontrunner Mr Jenrick.With Mr Jenrick just one vote ahead of Ms Badenoch and 20 votes to be distributed from the eliminated Tom Tugendhat, his team thought that they were about to fall at the last hurdle.What followed was a ruthless whipping operation led by Mr Jenrick’s core supporters including campaign manager Danny Kruger, Common Sense group chair Sir John Hayes, One Nation cheerleader John Lamont, Brexiteer Europe Research Group chair Mark Francois, and former minister Neil O’Brien.Robert Jenrick is one of the final two candidates in the Conservative Party leadership contest alongside Kemi Badenoch More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseThe government has apologised for accidentally leaking the email address of one of the world’ richest men in the lead up to a major summit hosted by Britain.The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has referred itself to the data protection watchdog and apologised for the “human error” after officials sent round a message about the global investment summit next week. The email displayed the contact details of fashion mogul Bernard Arnault and other business leaders.Mr Arnault, a French tycoon who founded and owns the luxury goods firm LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), has an estimated net worth of 177 billion dollars (£135 billion) and is currently ranked as the world’s third richest person, according to Bloomberg Billionaire’s Index. The 75-year-old entrepreneur saw his net worth leap by approximately £23 billion earlier this month, leapfrogging Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg’s net worth. He is one of around 300 industry leaders invited to attend the Government’s International Investment Summit in London next Monday, where ministers will pitch the UK as a more attractive destination for business.Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton More

Zelensky visits No 10 to ask Starmer for greater support for UkraineYour support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseSir Keir Starmer‘s popularity has hit a new low after a new poll revealed that nearly 60 per cent of the public disapproves of the government’s performance so far.As Labour approaches its 100th day in power, the government is facing a rocky start. A YouGov survey found 59 per cent of voters feel unimpressed with the new government with only 18 per cent expressing approval.Adding to the prime minister’s challenges, another recent poll found a concerning decline in the party’s support.The Techne UK weekly tracker poll for The Independent has revealed voters aged 55 and over have abandoned Sir Keir’s party, with a dramatic slide to less than 30 per cent.It comes as the prime minister chaired his inaugural devolved government summit today, but his new envoy, Sue Gray, was absent.Defending his colleague, cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden said Ms Gray has “been through quite a lot” in recent weeks, explaining her career break.In the Tory leadership race, Robert Jenrick has admitted regret over his decision to order the removal of murals depicting cartoon characters from a children’s asylum centre. Speaking on LBC, he reflected on his time as immigration minister and claimed “lessons have been learned”. Show latest update 1728657625PM discusses growth deals with Northern Ireland leadersThe prime minister has met with Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill and her deputy Emma Little-Pengelly during the inaugural Council of Nations and Regions in Edinburgh. This meeting comes amid growing concerns from Northern Irish leaders following the government’s announcement last month that it would pause four city and growth deals in the area. It later emerged that the Belfast and the Londonderry and Strabane deals would not be affected because those were at a later stage.( More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseSir Keir Starmer’s popularity has fallen to a record low as a majority of voters are disappointed by the Labour government’s actions so far, new polling shows.As the prime minister marks 100 days in office on Saturday, a pair of damning polls show his approval rating plummeting and almost half of those who voted for Labour saying they feel let down.It comes amid an ongoing reset in Downing Street as Sir Keir tries to seize back control of the political agenda. His first three months in government have been dominated by infighting among his top team that led to the depature of his top aide Sue Gray, an ongoing row about freebies and donations and opposition to the government’s decision to scrap winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners.Sir Keir Starmer has had a tricky start to his time in office More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseTory grandee Damian Green, who was deputy prime minister under Theresa May, has urged fellow moderate party members to get behind Kemi Badenoch in the leadership election.The significant intervention by the former chair of the liberal One Nation caucus of Conservative MPs came after the Tory Reform Group (TRG) on the left of the party refused to endorse either rightwing candidate.This was followed by members of the TRG announcing they would boycott a contest where the last centrist candidate James Cleverly was eliminated by MPs, meaning there was only a choice of two members from the right of the party.Former Tory MP Damian Green is a leading voice on the left of the party More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseA councillor who had oversight of Grenfell Tower and dismissed some residents’ complaints about refurbishments as “grossly exaggerated” has donated to Kemi Badenoch’s Tory leadership campaign.Quentin Marshall, who has been a councillor in Kensington and Chelsea since 2008, has given £5,000 to the right-winger’s bid to succeed Rishi Sunak.Mr Marshall, who has served as chairman of the Housing and Property Scrutiny committee, as well as the Planning committee, complained about “a very unpleasant campaign” against Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), which owned Grenfell Tower, 15 months before the fire broke out.Emails seen by the public inquiry into the tragedy show Mr Marshall said he was “not massively sympathetic to general ‘it’s all terrible’ complaints” from residents concerned about the amount the council was investing.Appearing before the public inquiry, Mr Marshall said his committee had “lacked a little humanity”. He added: “I would like to apologise to the people involved for that. I think we could have done better.”Conservative Party leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch was given £5,000 by the councillor More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseRobert Jenrick has suggested he regrets covering up cartoon murals at a processing centre for lone child migrants when he was serving as immigration minister.The Tory leadership hopeful has said for the first time that he would not make the same decision again after it emerged last year he had ordered the images, which included Mickey Mouse, be taken down.At the time, he was reported to have felt the images at the Kent Intake Unit were too “welcoming” for the children being processed at the centre after arriving in the UK on small boats.He has repeatedly defended the decision since, telling attendees at Tory conference that many of those being processed at the centre were “young adults who were posing as children” and the vast majority were 16 and 17-year-olds.But, speaking on Friday to LBC, Mr Jenrick said he would not make the same decision again.The murals, photographed by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, were painted over on the former immigration minister’s orders at the Kent Intake Unit More