UK Politics

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 ThomasEditorCabinet minister Lucy Powell has insisted that a Labour MP who rents out properties with black mould and ant infestations should not resign.The Leader of the House defended Jas Athwal, who was leader of Redbridge Council before being elected as the MP for Ilford South at the last election.Mr Athwal has described himself as “furious” after the appalling state of flats he rents out in east London was revealed which also included fire alarms hanging off the ceilings and a washing machine dumped next to a set of stairs.Labour MP Jas Athwal has apologised over the state of his properties (Jonathan Brady/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 ThomasEditorNew technology will allow the UK to receive earlier warnings of floods and droughts, the Government has said.As part of a scheme to improve the Government’s response to extreme weather, a UK-wide network is to be established, with a focus on pinpointing where incidents are likely to occur and implementing plans to limit their impact.The project will aim to “halt damage and cut eye-watering cost to the economy”, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said.There is no time to waste in backing our researchers and innovators to ensure we are better prepared for floods and droughts strikingTechnology Secretary Peter KyleData will be gathered by sensors in rivers across the UK to identify potential flashpoints, which the Government hopes will save lives, and reduce damage to homes and businesses.Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “Flooding and droughts can devastate UK communities, from leaving people stranded, to destroying homes, gardens, roads and businesses, and even claiming lives.“With climate change sadly making extreme weather events more common and adding an eye-watering cost to the economy, there is no time to waste in backing our researchers and innovators to ensure we are better prepared for floods and droughts striking.“This project will help drive that progress, with dedicated teams using the most advanced tech to crunch data gathered from our rivers and paint a clear picture of its likely impact – using the power of science and tech to keep the public safe.”The Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure project will receive £40 million in funding, and will be led by the Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc) and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.Findings from the project will be shared with bodies such as the Environment Agency to steer the UK response to extreme weather, while also acting as a hub for researchers to pursue new innovations with discoveries.Floods minister Emma Hardy said: “In the case of extreme flooding and drought, preparation and prediction are everything.“Our new institute will bring together a team of world-leading researchers and the latest technology to ensure our communities, businesses and farms are protected from these devastating events.” 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 ThomasEditorAngela Rayner has been spotted raving behind the DJ decks at a nightclub in Ibiza. Following a meeting with mayors and housing regulators on Wednesday, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary was filmed just hours later dancing with the Australian DJ Fisher in front of a vast crowd at an Ibiza superclub.In footage posted to Instagram by actor and presenter Denise van Outen, the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne could be seen singing along to a remix of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” with the DJ’s headphones around her neck, as a sea of smartphones held aloft in front of her captured the moment.While parliament is currently in summer recess and not due to return until Monday, Ms Rayner earlier on Thursday shared photographs of herself attending a meeting with mayors and regulators in a bid to expedite the removal of flammable cladding from thousands of buildings.Her appearance at the 5,500-capacity Hi Ibiza club came as Sir Keir Starmer failed to deny reports he was considering banning smoking outside nightclubs and in pub gardens, and as Tory MPs criticised proposals for flexible working which could allow people to work four-day weeks.Ms Rayner was previously spotted behind the decks in 2022, playing “Set You Free” by N-Trance at a battle of the DJs charity event in Manchester, where she went up against Greater Manchester and Liverpool mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotherham.It is unclear when the deputy PM was due to return from Ibiza, but she has previously spoken of her love for raving and “lethal” cocktails.Speaking at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year, the 44-year-old told comedian Matt Forde that she had just returned from Spain.“The girls I was raving with are half my age, and I was like: ‘I’m a grandma’. I was proud of that,” she said. “4pm I started, and I got home at six o’clock in the morning when the sun was shining and I was like, ‘Yes, I can do it’.”Asked whether she had managed it “with or without chemical support”, Ms Rayner reportedly said she just drank vodka, adding: “You’ve got to go with the music, the vibes. You’ve got to be in the moment and it takes you.”Angela Rayner is filmed dancing in Ibiza during parliament’s summer recess 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 MP is renting out flats in London scourged by black mould and ant infestations, his tenants have said.Jas Athwal, the newly-elected MP for Ilford South, is parliament’s biggest landlord, co-owning a total of 18 rental properties, 15 of which are residential.Redbridge Council, which Mr Athwal led until becoming an MP in July, has now been urged to investigate his properties after journalists and a City Hall member visited and spoke to tenants about the conditions there.Describing himself as a “renters’ champion”, Mr Athwall told The Independent in a statement that he was “shocked at the reported condition of a number of the properties” and “profoundly sorry that tenants have been let down”.In one block of seven flats owned by Mr Athwal, nearly half the tenants said they had to regularly clean their bathroom ceilings to remove mould, according to the BBC, which reported seeing evidence of ant infestations in a number of those properties, which are situated above a shop in Ilford.“The ants are everywhere,” one resident was quoted as saying, while pointing to insects climbing up a door frame. “They are on my kid’s body and on their clothes.”The communal areas in the properties were dirty and lights did not work, while fire alarms were hanging loose from the ceiling and a washing machine had been dumped next to a set of stairs, the BBC reported.One resident said their family member is a “clean freak” who keeps scrubbing the black mould on their bathroom ceiling to keep it from spreading, while another said: “The whole ceiling would be black if we didn’t clean it every few weeks.”None of the tenants spoken to wanted their names to be included, with some reportedly saying this was due to a fear of being evicted. The BBC visited a number of flats owned by Jas Athwal 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 ThomasEditorKeir Starmer is under growing pressure to relent on his opposition to introducing the Youth Mobility Scheme to allow under-30s to travel freely between the EU and UK and rejoin the Erasmus scheme for students.A petition launched by the pro-EU European Movement supporting both schemes has hit 50,000 signatures, piling pressure on the Labour government to agree to it.The new prime minister has vowed to renegotiate the flawed agreement made by Boris Johnson with the EU and began work this week by launching talks for a new bilateral deal with Germany to be concluded in six months.The prime minister was on a whistlestop tour of Germany and France meeting chancellor Olaf Scholz and French president Emmanuel Macron.Starmer met Macron in Paris this week 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 ThomasEditorNewcastle United has distanced itself from Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick, after he filmed a promotional video with the club’s former owner in St James’ Park.In the video, Jenrick and businessman Sir John Hall stand on the pitch of the Newcastle stadium discussing the “indoctrination” of people in the northeast as Labour Party supporters, and expressing “concern” at the “culture of our nation”.Speaking on X, Newcastle’s head of communications, Lee Marshall, said the pair had not been given permission to film a political advert – even suggesting the club had been duped into allowing them to film in St James’ Park.“This was not approved by anyone connected with Newcastle United. The club was told Sir John wished to film a biographical piece on his own life,” Mr Marshall wrote.A Newcastle spokesperson confirmed to the Independent that the visit would not have been permitted had the club been aware of the nature of the film, adding that this would have applied to any political affiliation. In the video, Sir John reveals that his dad was a miner and that he first visited St James’ Park 84 years ago – when he was eight years old – in what appears to be the only biographical information in the film.He goes on to express concerns about the direction of the UK before endorsing Jenrick as the next leader: “Coming to the leadership election with people like yourself etcetera, who would come with another message, I would hope.”“That’s what I’m trying to do. That’s why I’m standing to be leader of the party,” Jenrick replies.“This is a great part of the country, but we’ve got to give it hope and optimism, and that’s what the Conservative Party has got to do in the future.”Sir John bought Newcastle in 1992 before selling his 41 percent stake to sports retail magnate Mike Ashley in 2007, a highly unpopular owner accused of presiding over an era of decline at the club.The Leazes stand of St James’ Park is named after the 92-year-old businessman, who appointed manager Kevin Keegan, the manager who brought Newcastle closer than ever to a Premier League title in 1996.Former Newcastle United chairman Sir John Hall, pictured in 2017, stopped backing the Tories and became a Reform UK donor during the election More