UK Politics

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind 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 survey commissioned by a right-wing think tank has suggested that 53 per cent of Conservative Party members would support a merger with Reform UK.A huge 70 per cent said they would want a closer relationship with Nigel Farage’s party, the survey showed.The poll, conducted between 23-27 September, surveyed 470 Tory members. It was carried out by the right-wing Popular Conservatism (PopCon) organisation, which was founded by Liz Truss, the shortest-serving prime minister in British history.Annunziata Rees-Mogg, PopCon’s head of communications and a former Brexit Party MEP, said: “Every Conservative activist and canvasser knows people who had been Tories, but voted Reform UK in July.Nigel Farage’s party won five seats and 4 million votes at the last election More

Immigrants who see Israel as enemy ‘not welcome’ in UK says Kemi BadenochYour support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseMy recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyondEric GarciaWashington Bureau ChiefRobert Jenrick has drawn criticism for his own colleagues for doubling down on a claim that UK special forces are “killing rather than capturing terrorists”.The frontrunner to replace Rishi Sunak defended his assertion that the military is taking lethal action because of fears that European laws would free any detained assailants as “absolutely correct”.Asked on Tuesday whether he could back up the claim, he insisted he could not “elaborate on particular cases.Leadership rival Tom Tugendhat said he was “extremely concerned” at Mr Jenrick’s remarks. Former foreign secretary and fellow contender James Cleverly urged him to justify his statement. “The British military always abide by international humanitarian law, the law of armed conflict,” he said. “We have, I was about to say some of the most… no, we have the most professional military in the world. Our military do not murder people.”Former Conservative attorney general Dominic Grieve described the clip as “one of the most astonishing videos I have ever seen posted by a Conservative MP, let alone a candidate for the leadership”.The Independent’s political team will be reporting live throughout the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.Show latest update 1727794430China could help prop up UK TV by buying Peppa Pig now the licence fee is ‘unsustainable’, Cleverly saysChina could help prop up UK TV by buying Peppa Pig and other content now the licence fee is “unsustainable”, James Cleverly has suggested.On the future of the TV Licence, Mr Cleverly said: “I had a delegation from the BBC come along to me and say, when I was a new MP, and they did the usual thing: ‘Oh, because of the unique way the BBC is funded ya-ya-ya.’“And I said to them, and I said to them at the time, this was back in 2015, I said ‘if I were you, at the next renegotiation of the licence fee, I would start your planning to become a subscription service.“‘You have a back catalogue of some of the best television in the world’. If Disney and Netflix can make money on the subscription model, the BBC should, because the bottom line is, in the era of streaming services, the tax to watch television is an unsustainable business model.“And that back catalogue of content that we have already paid for, why don’t we make sure that when China obsesses about Peppa Pig – apparently Peppa Pig is very popular in China – and other content, that they pay for it rather than demanding that we pay for it all over again?”Jabed Ahmed1 October 2024 15:531727793412Cleverly suggests Jenrick needs to ‘justify his words’ over special forces claimJames Cleverly has suggested leadership rival Robert Jenrick should “justify his words” after claiming that British special forces are “killing rather than capturing terrorists”.Asked about the remarks, which were made by the former immigration minister in a campaign video, Mr Cleverly said: “Look, whoever said that needs to justify their words.“I’ve never accused the British armed forces of murdering anybody and if you’re going to make that accusation you need to back it up.”Millie Cooke1 October 2024 15:361727792853Cleverly claims dozens of migrants could have been sent to Rwanda if election was delayedConservative Party leadership contender James Cleverly said “dozens” could have been sent to Rwanda under Rishi Sunak’s plans for asylum seekers and illegal migrants, if the election had been delayed.Speaking on the main stage of the Conservative Party conference, Mr Cleverly said if the election had not taken place earlier this year – with the incoming Labour Government scrapping the policy – more people would have gone to the East African country.He said: “I reckon at this point we could have sent dozens of people to Rwanda.“It’s not just about the people that you sent to Rwanda, because ideally you don’t want to be receiving people in the UK and sending them to Rwanda, you want people to stop coming to the UK.”He compared the plan to the success of the agreement with Albania, which saw illegal arrivals from the country drop by 90%.Mr Cleverly said: “The deal that we had with Albania… we didn’t need to send very many Albanians back to Albania before the message cut through ‘Don’t waste your time and money trying to get to the UK, because all they do is kick you out again’. That’s what would have happened once we got Rwanda up and running.”( More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind 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 ThomasEditorKemi Badenoch warned the Conservatives are no longer the “natural party of government” and may soon not even be the main opposition party as older Tory voters die off and younger voters look elsewhere.In a 20,000-word, 40-page essay, Ms Badenoch sets out how the Conservatives’ dire approval ratings among under-35s pose an existential challenge to the party and could see it relegated to the sidelines of British politics.And in a bid to pitch herself as the woman to revive the Tories’ fortunes, she claims a new and growing so-called “bureaucratic class” is behind “the rise of identity politics” and the UK’s stagnant economic growth.Kemi Badenoch claims “conservatism is in crisis” in a 20,000-word, 40-page essay More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind 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 ThomasEditorRobert Jenrick is closing in on Kemi Badenoch in the race to become the next Tory leader, a new poll has indicated.Six weeks ago, YouGov put Ms Badenoch 15 points ahead of Mr Jenrick, with party members backing the former business secretary by 48 per cent compared to Mr Jenrick’s 33 per cent if the two went head-to-head in the final round.But the latest polling puts Ms Badenoch just four points ahead of the ex-immigration minister. Conservative Party leadership contenders Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch, waiting to appear on Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg (Jeff Overs/BBC/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind 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 ThomasEditorOne of Boris Johnson’s most outspoken Conservative critics has called on the party to ban those who put personal ambition above public duty from becoming Tory MPs.Ex-Tory minister Jesse Norman warns the party risks an even bigger defeat at the next election unless it takes “drastic remedial action”.Among his proposals designed to win back voters’ trust is a refusal to allow anyone to stand as a Tory at the next election without a proven track record of “meaningful public service”.Jesse Norman said the Tories should not stand candidates without ‘a track record of public service’ More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind 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 ThomasEditor Albanian opposition lawmakers violently disrupted a Parliament session Monday to protest the imprisonment of a fellow legislator for alleged slander.The conservative Democratic Party of Albania has long accused the ruling Socialist Party of usurping all the powers, including the judiciary, and staged violent protests against the government since 2013. Democrats shoved microphones off tables, hurled objects at the seats of the Parliament’s speaker and government ministers and burned chairs, saying Ervin Salianji’s prison sentence was politically motivated. They have also called for protests they say will block the capital, Tirana, starting next week. In 2018, Salianji demanded the resignation of the Socialist Party’s then-governing interior minister Fatmir Xhafaj after a video circulated where two men claimed his brother was involved in illegal activities. The files and recordings they offered turned out to be fabricated and they have since fled the country. Salianji was accused of slander and last week the appeals court confirmed his sentence of a year in prison. He has to petition the supreme court to appeal the verdict while in jail. Parliament Speaker Elisa Spiropali of the left-wing ruling party said the burning of chairs was a sign of “disrespect of the citizens, the law and the institutions of the democratic state.”Democrats’ leader Sali Berisha, who is under house arrest on corruption charges, said the protest was the start of the opposition’s battle to reclaim power ahead of next year’s parliamentary election.“Technical Cabinet. Free elections. Rotation. Opposition’s victory,” Berisha said, citing his party’s demands while speaking from his apartment’s window in downtown Tirana where a small group of supporters gather every night.The opposition has been harshly divided after Berisha and his family members were barred from entering the United States in 2021 and the United Kingdom in 2022 because of alleged involvement in corruption. The opposition lawmaker has denied the accusations repeatedly, saying Prime Minister Edi Rama was behind them, without providing evidence. The Socialists have 73 lawmakers in the 140-member chamber and easily pass almost all draft laws.Post-communist Albania has struggled to fight corruption, which has impeded the country’s democratic, economic and social development.Albania has launched full membership negotiations with the European Union in 2020.___Follow Llazar Semini at https://twitter.com/lsemini More