UK Politics

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreMatt Hancock has urged MPs to back Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying bill, recounting his experience with a constituent suffering from terminal cancer who begged him to change the law.The former health secretary told The Independent it is time for the law to change, saying it is wrong that some people are “still forced to have very painful deaths”.“I can remember the moment that I changed my mind and became in favour of assisted dying when I was health secretary”, Mr Hancock said, telling the story of David Minns, one of his Suffolk constituents, who died last year.Mr Minns nursed his daughter, who was diagnosed with cancer, through a very painful death. Months later, he himself fell ill with a very similar type of cancer.“He knew what was coming”, Mr Hancock said. “Talking to him and his family was incredibly moving. He knew his death was inevitable and risked being painful, and he begged me to get the law changed and it didn’t change him in time for him. He died last year.”Matt Hancock said he remembers the moment he changed his mind on assisted dying More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreA controversial former Conservative minister has defected to join Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party. In a blow to the new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, Dame Andrea Jenkyns said she was “joining the party of the brave”. The former education minister will run as the party’s candidate for mayor of Lincolnshire. She hit the headlines in 2022 when she appeared to raise middle finger at Downing Street protesters.A Boris Johnson loyalist she later claimed she was provoked by a “baying mob”.Andrea Jenkyns at a Reform UK press conferece announcing her defection More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreA drone boat which could be deployed by the Royal Navy on reconnaissance and defence missions without endangering the lives of sailors has been operated remotely for the first time in UK waters.The Pacific 24 rigid inflatable boat (Rib), which is normally used to intercept drug-runners and take sailors ashore, was tested without a crew in Portsmouth Harbour following successful trials overseas.It was controlled both autonomously and remotely from the Navy’s experimental ship XV Patrick Blackett off the Hampshire coast.A Royal Navy spokesman said: “The week-long trials pushed the uncrewed vessel to its limits with rough seas and even snow, testing its systems and software in a range of operational scenarios.“The autonomous tests saw it pre-programmed to follow certain manoeuvres and directions while the remotely piloted tests saw it controlled by a Royal Marine using a console on board the ship.”The spokesman explained that the Autonomous Pacific (Apac) boats could be deployed to carry out reconnaissance missions as well as to launch weapons and provide protection against threats while minimising the risk to sailors.He said: “With cameras and sensors on board, the robot Rib fed back a live camera feed to control units and computers on XV Patrick Blackett, which could then be analysed.“Other sensors and weapons could be added to further enhance its use as a vessel for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations with data fed back in real-time.”Commander Michael Hutchinson, commanding officer of XV Patrick Blackett and head of experimentation of NavyX, the Navy’s team of autonomous experts, said: “Integrating crewed and uncrewed systems and operating them at the same time is a huge step forward for the Royal Navy.“This is the first time a fully autonomous and crewless boat has been operated in UK waters and we have achieved this throughout the week in different conditions and completing a range of tests.“It forms the backbone for further integration that future ships will have with autonomous technology.“The trials and experiments we do will develop the standard operating procedures for the APAC and how to use uncrewed systems effectively for warfighting.” More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreNet migration to the UK has fallen this year, after reaching a record high of more than 900,000 in 2023 – 166,000 more than previously thought. It fell to 728,000 in the year to June 2024, a decline of 20 per cent. But this came after net migration figures for the year to June 2023 were revised upwards to 906,000 from the initial estimate of 740,000, provisional data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicates. A similar change was made for the year to December 2023, which was initially estimated to be 685,000, and is now thought to be 866,000 – an increase of 181,000.The figures, covering the previous Conservative government’s administration prior to the general election, come as new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch admitted her party had failed on migration.In a speech on Wednesday, she said there had been a “collective failure of political leaders from all parties over decades” to grasp the issue, adding: “On behalf of the Conservative Party, it is right that I as the new leader accept responsibility, and say truthfully we got this wrong.”The prime minister’s official spokesperson accused the previous government of having “effectively run Britain as an experiment in open borders”, saying the record high is a result of “policies and decisions taken by the last government”.“This government has been elected on a mandate to change the country and put the people’s priorities at the heart of delivery, and that means bringing down these record high levels of legal migration and tackling the root causes behind it”, he added.The total for the 12 months to June 2023 has been revised upwards by 166,000 from the initial estimate of 740,000 More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreKeir Starmer has been warned to expect more disruption from angry farmers after Holyhead port in North Wales became the second to be blockaded within 24 hours last night.Farmers turned up in a convoy of tractors at around 11pm and stayed until 3am in a stand-off to prevent access to one of the main ports serving Ireland.It followed a slow-drive protest at Dover ferry port on Wednesday as protests continue against the so-called family farm tax or tractor tax from the Budget.Last week more than 10,000 farmers and their supporters descended on Westminster to express their anger over changes in inheritance tax in chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget to include agricultural land.Farmers turned up in a convoy of tractors at around 11am and stayed until 3pm More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreDame Esther Rantzen has defended Sir Keir Starmer for staying silent on how he plans to vote on the assisted dying bill on Friday.With the vote teetering on a knife edge, the prime minister has faced criticism for refusing to reveal his stance – despite high profile interventions from ministers including Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood.Sir Keir has confirmed he will vote, but not yet whether he will support Kim Leadbeater’s bill.But Dame Esther Rantzen, who is terminally ill and has argued strongly for a change in the law, has defended the prime minister;s decision not to reveal how he will vote.Asked whether she would have wanted to hear more from the PM, Dame Esther said: “I think he did the right thing. I think he said this was not a political issue… This is a personal issue of conscience, and I think he is taking it very seriously.”Dame Esther Rantzen said the PM has ‘done the right thing’ More