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 ThomasEditorThe government is investigating reports that voters in constituencies across the UK have not yet received their postal votes ahead of general election polling day on 4 July.There are concerns that thousands could miss out on the chance to vote as people in up to 90 constituencies have raised concerns about their ballots not yet arriving, according to reports.Royal Mail has come in for criticism but the company denied it is the source of the issue, saying there is no backlog.Postal affairs minister Kevin Hollinrake told The Telegraph: “We urge Royal Mail to do all they can to make sure that postal votes get to the right people at the right time, and time is completely of the essence now.For the latest political updates ahead of the general election, follow The Independent’s live coverage“There’s a resourcing issue. They have recruited extra people and I welcome that but they’ve got to make sure they’ve got the right number of people to deliver the mail at busy times like this.”A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Where concerns have been raised, we have investigated and confirmed ballot packs are being delivered as soon as they arrive in our network.”The option to vote by post is offered to all registered voters in the UK, but must be applied for in advance. Voters should then receive their ballot in the post, fill it out as soon as possible, and post it to their local polling station to arrive in time for 10pm on polling day.People may choose to vote by post for a number of reasons, most commonly because they are away on polling day. Only voters in Northern Ireland are required to give a reason.What should I do if I’ve not yet received my postal vote?If you’ve been affected by this issue and have not yet received the ballot you applied for in the post, you will still be able to vote.Anyone in this situation must request a replacement postal ballot pack in person from their local authority. This can be done by up to 5pm on polling day, and you must take ID.The authority’s elections office will usually be located at the town hall or the main council building. Most will offer the option to complete a ballot on site and hand it back to them, ensuring your vote is received.Alternatively, a replacement can also be sent by post up until 5pm on Wednesday 3 July or voters can authorise someone to collect it on their behalf, according to the Electoral Commission, which oversees elections in the UK.The independent elections body also offers a handy postcode checker to find the contact details of your local election team.Voters can also choose to hand their postal vote in to their local polling station if they are concerned about posting it, or ask a trusted person to do so for them (who must fill out a form).If you still choose to post your ballot, the Royal Mail says it should be sent no later than Wednesday 3 July. You must ensure it arrives in the post box before final collection time. 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 new study has found that posts from 10 “bot-like” X accounts spreading disinformation and hate have been viewed more than 150 million times ahead of the UK General Election.The accounts in question have shared more than 60,000 posts on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, since May 22, with those posts estimated to have been seen 150 million times, an investigation by non-governmental organisation (NGO) Global Witness found.Many of the posts from these 10 prolific accounts contain “extreme and violent” hate speech, disinformation, conspiracy theories and praise Russian President Vladimir Putin, the organisation said.It found that posts amplified by these bot-like accounts have spread Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia and transphobia, state that climate change is a “hoax”, that vaccines have created a “genocide”, and that Mr Putin is “the greatest president ever”.The investigation found the bot-like accounts by searching among hashtags on migration and climate change covering a wide spectrum of views, from #welcomerefugees to #migration and #stoptheboats.Frequent posting is considered to be a characteristic of a bot-like account (James Manning/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 ThomasEditorA new study has found that posts from 10 “bot-like” X accounts spreading disinformation and hate have been viewed more than 150 million times ahead of the UK General Election.The accounts in question have shared more than 60,000 posts on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, since May 22, with those posts estimated to have been seen 150 million times, an investigation by non-governmental organisation (NGO) Global Witness found.Many of the posts from these 10 prolific accounts contain “extreme and violent” hate speech, disinformation, conspiracy theories and praise Russian President Vladimir Putin, the organisation said.It found that posts amplified by these bot-like accounts have spread Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia and transphobia, state that climate change is a “hoax”, that vaccines have created a “genocide”, and that Mr Putin is “the greatest president ever”.The investigation found the bot-like accounts by searching among hashtags on migration and climate change covering a wide spectrum of views, from #welcomerefugees to #migration and #stoptheboats.Frequent posting is considered to be a characteristic of a bot-like account (James Manning/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 ThomasEditorRishi Sunak is set to begin a 48-hour blitz around the country with a desperate final appeal to voters to support him in order to “stop a Labour supermajority”.The prime minister will kick off a final push on the last two days of a dramatic general election campaign, with a speech claiming that just 130,000 voters could make the difference.He told demoralised supporters and party activists to remember the spirit of the England football team pulling level in the 95th minute on Sunday, saying: “It’s not over until it’s over.” It comes as:Sir Keir Starmer starts his own final push in the key battleground of the MidlandsA leading pollster warned the result will be much closer than the polls seem to indicateTory MPs in the North and Midlands said they believe they are in close fights and can winLabour privately warned the polls may have made their supporters complacentSupport for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK appears to be ebbingRishi Sunak says he has not given up hope 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 ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer is being urged to abandon Rishi Sunak’s “sneaky” post-Brexit wine tax if he wins the keys to Downing Street this week. Britain’s wine drinkers will have to pay a little-known “sauvignon surcharge” from February next year, as part of changes brought in after the UK left the European Union. As the prime minister uses the election campaign to repeatedly accuse Labour of planning secret tax rises if they get into power, experts and industry leaders have today called for his booze levy to be dropped. They warn that it will lead to products disappearing from the shelves, raise the price of some red wines by more than 40p a bottle, and increase the number of tax bands for wine from one to 30. Now, in a letter to the country’s next leader, seen by The Independent, they say the next government “must act” to avoid “needless cost increases and unnecessary red tape”.Experts warn some wines will become more expensive – and some could disappear from the shelves entirely More