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 ThomasEditorViolence and self-harm in Britain’s prisons is soaring while drugs are readily available with almost a quarter of jails overcrowded, grim new data has revealed.Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures on Thursday laid bare the scale of the chaos in UK prisons, days after the justice secretary announced emergency measures to ease the crisis.The figures showed self-harm rates in UK prisons are at their highest on record, with 73,804 incidents of self-harm in the past year, the equivalent of one prisoner hurting themselves every seven minutes. Assaults hit a post-pandemic high in the last year, with 28,292 violent assaults across the estate.Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood claimed the government had ‘no option’ but to release prisoners early (Joe Giddens/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 ThomasEditorThe Labour government has used flights scheduled to deport migrants under the Tories’ scrapped Rwanda scheme to return failed asylum seekers to Vietnam and Timor-Leste. The Home Office has announced that a charter flight took 46 migrants to the Asian countries on Wednesday. Home secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs this week that flight planning for the scrapped Rwanda deportation scheme would be redirected to deport criminals and immigration offenders. She said: “We have immediately replaced the flight planning for Rwanda with actual flights to return people who have no right to stay to their home countries instead.”Wednesday’s flight is the UK’s first charter returns flight to Timor-Leste, and the first to Vietnam since 2022, the Home Office said. Officials said the flight arrived at Timor-Leste at around 9am on Thursday, having stopped in Vietnam. The Home Office described migrants on the deportation flight as “46 criminals and immigration offenders”. Home secretary Yvette Cooper said the government was taking ‘quick and decisive action’ 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 Conservatives have kicked off a leadership contest after Rishi Sunak led the party to its worst election defeat in history. A string of senior figures have thrown their hats in the ring to succeed the former PM and lead the party through the next five years in opposition. Possible candidates must win the support of 10 Conservative MPs before the Monday deadline in order to make it onto the ballot paper. With the shortlist to be whittled down gradually until a final four are paraded in front of the party faithful at October’s Tory conference, The Independent looks at the runners and riders to take the reins from Mr Sunak. Who has officially declared? James Cleverly Former home secretary James Cleverly avoided losing his seat, unlike many of his cabinet colleagues 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 ThomasEditorTom Tugendhat has emerged as an early frontrunner in the Tory leadership contest because he has the lowest negative rating with members of the public.According to Savanta, the former security minister has a net rating of -3 with the wider public and +28 with 2024 Tory voters.It comes in stark contrast to former home secretary Priti Patel who has scored -28 net rating with the public and +7 with Conservative voters.The pair are among seven MPs understood to be entering their names into the race as nominations open today for contenders to replace Rishi Sunak. They are set to close on Monday with those getting the support of 10 other Tory MPs allowed to go forward.A four month contest will see members eventually pick from a final two decided by Tory MPs with the winner unveiled on 2 November after four months.Tom Tugendhat hs emerged as the most popular contender (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 ThomasEditorWatch as John Healey and his Polish counterpart, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, made joint statements in Warsaw on Wednesday, 24 July.The new defence secretary has made his first visits to France, Germany, Poland and Estonia.His whistlestop 48-hour tour is aimed at sending a message that European security will be the government’s “first foreign and defence priority”.In Germany, Mr Healey signed a joint defence declaration agreeing to closer cooperation as the first step in a new UK-German defence relationship.He said the new Labour administration is “getting on with the job” and “resetting our relationships” with allies on the Continent.The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said ministers agreed on six priorities for tighter collaboration as part of the new accord, including “comprehensive” co-operation in the field of long-range capabilities.Other key goals are “strengthening UK and German defence industries, reinforcing Euro-Atlantic security, improving joint operations, confronting evolving security challenges” such as cyber threats, and supporting Ukraine. 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 ThomasEditorTom Tugendhat has emerged as an early frontrunner in the Tory leadership contest because he has the lowest negative rating with members of the public.According to Savanta, the former security minister has a net rating of -3 with the wider public and +28 with 2024 Tory voters.It comes in stark contrast to former home secretary Priti Patel who has scored -28 net rating with the public and +7 with Conservative voters.The pair are among seven MPs understood to be entering their names into the race as nominations open today for contenders to replace Rishi Sunak. They are set to close on Monday with those getting the support of 10 other Tory MPs allowed to go forward.Tom Tugendhat hs emerged as the most popular contender (Lucy North/PA) More

Starmer dodges SNP question on two-child benefit cap rebellionSupport 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 has stood defiant over his decision to suspend seven MPs following their rebellion over the two-child benefit cap. A spokesperson for Sir Keir said voting against the government over the King’s Speech is a serious matter, after a number of MPs broke ran and voted to scrap the policy. “We’ve been very clear on our position on the child limit and why we did not commit to removing it both during the campaign and since. And that is because given the economic situation we’ve inherited, we are very clear that we’re not going to make promises that we can’t keep,” the spokesperson said. “Now, clearly, voting against the party’s position on the King’s Speech is a serious matter.”She added Sir Keir is “focused on delivering the change” the public voted for rather than dwelling on the rebellion. The Labour leader dodged questions over the two-child benefit cap during his first Prime Minister’s Questions since leading Labour to an election victory and entering Downing Street. Although the move has been seen as a show of strength by the Labour leader, Ms Sultana, representing Coventry South, claimed she was a victim of Sir Keir’s “macho virility test”.Show latest update 1721832069Suspended MP accuses Labour of offering domestic abuse support to back two-child benefit capApsana Begum has accused the Labour Party of offering her support on domestic abuse violence if she voted with Sir Keir Starmer to back the two-child benefit bill.The MP for Poplar and Limehouse claimed she was left “shocked” by the way she was treated by her party.Speaking on Sky News: “That is unacceptable. That demonstrates I think the way in which that draconian stance was taken in regards to the scrapping of the two-child limit.”Ms Begum added: “Many of my colleagues are quite surprised in the way in which the operations took place yesterday around the vote. “I myself was quite shocked and surprised to see the way in which I was treated. I had a very difficult election. I had an election in which many people said to me ‘we are happy to support you as an individual but we find it very hard to support Labour at this time’. For a number of different reasons. “But one of the reasons is that we don’t see a difference between the two main parties in parliament.“I had to contend with that and with the fact I am a survivor of domestic abuse and coercive control, unfortunately I had my ex husband standing against me.”( More