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 moreParliament will vote on an assisted dying bill tomorrow for the first time in nearly a decade.Labour MP Kim Leadbeater proposed the Private Members Bill in mid-October, which will legalise assisted death under certain conditions for terminally ill adults in England and Wales. The bill would apply to those who are over 18 years old, have mental capacity, and have six months left to live, with the consent of two medical professionals. The bill has generated strong opinions from both sides of the assisted dying movement, while even some of those in favour have voiced concerns over the lack of safeguarding in the bill.A group of MPs have also pushed an amendment which may stop the bill from progressing to a vote this week.The Independent analysed public statements from all 650 MPs, in addition to news reports and other available information, to find which MPs will likely vote for or against the assisted dying bill this week. The analysis will be updated as more MPs come forward.The bill is open to a “free vote”, meaning that the party whips will not dictate whether to support or oppose the bill. Individual MPs are free to vote based on their own values and opinions of their constituents, regardless of whether they are Labour, Tory, or otherwise. Note: the voting intention of MPs is not final until the votes have been cast on Friday. As this is a sensitive issue, many MPs are still deciding and some could change their mind from previous positions.Our updated analysis has found that at least 90 MPs are likely to vote in favour of the bill, while at least 83 are likely to vote against it.Dozens of MPs have come out in the last few days alone in support or criticism of the bill, as political heavyweights on either side of the debate have published their thoughts in the papers.Some 477 MPs have either not made their opinion on assisted dying public, said they are still weighing up both possibilities or said they will abstain from the vote. Taking this into consideration, it will be difficult to say exactly whether the vote will pass. There is a significant degree of “unknown”, particularly among first-time MPs who are facing the issue for the first time.Meanwhile, when also including voting intentions shared privately off-record, The Times reports that 265 MPs are planning to vote for the assisted dying bill, and 216 plan to vote against it. Both our analysis and The Times’ analysis indicate that slightly more MPs are leaning in favour of the assisted dying bill than not. Within the parties, our analysis found MPs are divided between voting for and against the bill, according to public declarations, reports, and working group memberships.Labour MPs are more likely than Tories to lean towards supporting the assisted dying bill, which was proposed by a fellow Labour MP.However, influential Labour figure Gordon Brown penned an op-ed in opposition of assisted dying, which has been shared by several Labour MPs.At present, an estimated 54 Labour MPs will support the bill, while 44 will vote against it. Among those against the bill are some of Labour’s most prominent members, including health secretary Wes Streeting, and long-standing MP Diane Abbott. Health secretary Wes Streeting has spoken out against the assisted dying bill More

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (Ben Whitley/PA) 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 moreLabour’s biggest union backer is taking Sir Keir Starmer’s government to court over the decision to scrap winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners.With temperatures dropping, Unite has applied to the High Court for a judicial review of the prime minister’s move to means test the payment, which will see it withdrawn from around 10m elderly people.General secretary Sharon Graham said Sir Keir’s decision was “wrong on every level”, calling on the courts to “hold the government to account and reverse this cruel cut as quickly as possible”.But government figures are confident the policy will not be overturned by the courts.Keir Starmer and Sharon Graham, right, have clashed over the policy 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 is set to be invited to a meeting of EU leaders in what will be seen as a sign of success for his plans for a great Brexit “reset’”. It will be the first time a British prime minister has been asked to attend such a gathering since the UK’s exit from the European Union in 2020. And it will be seen as an early win for Sir Keir’s plans to improve the UK’s damaged relationship with the bloc in the wake of Brexit. The event will see EU leaders meet to discuss European security at an informal retreat in Belgium on February 3.The PM will be asked to dine with the leaders of the 27 member states by António Costa, the incoming president of the European Council, two EU officials told the Financial Times.Keir Starmer is set to be invited to a meeting of EU leaders 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 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