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.Read moreTop Tory Richard Holden has accidentally exposed his own party’s shocking record on increasing prison capacity, revealing that the Conservatives increased jail spaces by just 455 places in fourteen years. In what appears to have been an attempt to dig up information on Labour’s record, the shadow paymaster general used a written parliamentary question to ask how many new prison places were built under the previous Labour administration, between May 1997 and May 2010, and the previous Tory administration, between May 2010 and July 2024. Responding, justice minister Sir Nicholas Dakin revealed that the Tories increased the capacity of the prison estate by just 455 spaces in their fourteen years in power – fewer spaces than the current government has created in its seven months in office. Former Tory minister Richard Holden said the Prime Minister has serious questions to answer over the meeting (James Manning/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.Read moreBoris Johnson has hit out at Donald Trump’s claims that Ukraine started the war with Russia, dismissing them as inaccurate. The former prime minister said the US president’s statements on Ukraine – which were the latest in a series of controversial interventions by the Trump administration – “are not intended to be historically accurate, but to shock Europeans into action”.Mr Trump caused outrage when he wrongly claimed Kyiv started the war, as well as claiming Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky’s approval rating stands at 4 per cent and the country should hold an election. Downing Street has so far remained silent over Mr Trump’s remarks, as European leaders are set to meet in Paris for the second time this week to thrash out a response to the US president’s stance. The prime minister will not attend Wednesday’s meeting, it is understood. Boris Johnson said Trump’s comments “are not intended to be historically accurate, but to shock Europeans into action” 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.Read moreSir Keir Starmer’s popularity as prime minister has tanked to below the level of Boris Johnson, in a damning new poll from YouGov.The Labour leader is only ahead of Liz Truss in a list of recent prime ministers and is lagging far behind David Cameron, Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher.After seven months in power, nearly half of Britons (45 per cent) now say that Mr Blair did a better job as prime minister than Sir Keir, according to the poll.Voters also favour Gordon Brown’s tenure in Downing Street over Starmer’s by a margin of 42 per cent to 12 per cent.The Iron Lady is the Conservative prime minister judged to have performed better than Sir Keir by the largest margin, with 44 per cent of Britons seeing her premiership as better than Starmer’s.Boris Johnson, who was embroiled in the Partygate scandal during the Covid pandemic, is also shading Sir Keir in the polling by 3 per cent.Nearly half of Britons (45%) say that Blair was a better prime minister than Starmer 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.Read moreSir Keir Starmer’s business secretary has been accused of fabricating his CV, after saying he was a solicitor despite never qualifying. Jonathan Reynolds, who never finished his training contract because he quit to stand for parliament in 2010, claimed on his old constituency website that he worked as a solicitor at the Manchester branch of the law firm Addleshaw Goddard before becoming an MP.In 2014, during a speech on a piece of transport legislation, he told the House of Commons he “worked as a solicitor in Manchester city centre”. His LinkedIn profile also previously stated he was both a “trainee solicitor” and “solicitor” with an overlap in dates. The profile has since been updated. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick claimed Mr Reynolds had “fabricated his CV” but Labour sources argued the website entry was a “human error from his office”. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds 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.Read moreA civil servant who lost her job after blowing the whistle about the UK’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan has won her case for unfair dismissal against the government. Josie Stewart, a former senior official who had worked at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for seven years, lost her job after giving an anonymous interview to BBC Newsnight which saw her speak about her “traumatic experiences” working in the Afghanistan Crisis Centre in summer 2021. Following the Taliban gaining control of Afghanistan, the British government evacuated 15,000 people from Kabul in what was known as Operation Pitting.Ms Stewart’s security clearance was revoked and she subsequently lost her job after it emerged she revealed failings in the withdrawal from Kabul, as well as leaking emails suggesting that former prime minister Boris Johnson had prioritised staff from the animal charity Nowzad for evacuation over more deserving cases.Josie Stewart 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.Read moreBritons have been warned by a senior MP not to holiday in Iran “because they think it looks cool on Instagram” after a British couple were detained in the country.Shadow home office minister Alicia Kearns issued the travel warning after Craig and Lindsay Foreman were arrested while on a round-the-world motorcycle trip and charged with espionage.The former chair of the foreign affairs committee told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday: “The priority is people need to listen to the travel advice. It is not safe for British nationals, most certainly not dual nationals, to travel to Iran.“I beg anyone who is thinking of doing it, either because they think it looks cool on Instagram, or because it’s a country that – look, I would love to visit as well, beautiful people – please do not go. The risks are really high – you don’t have to have a reputation or a history or an Iranian passport as well to be at risk. Please do not travel.”Ms Kearns, who led the foreign affairs committee’s report into the UK’s response to hostage-taking, called for specific information to be added to the travel advice page for every country on whether there is a high risk of arbitrary detention there, as was advised by her inquiry – “because unfortunately it’s not even countries you would think of where there’s a risk”. Shadow home office minister Alicia Kearns has urged Britons not to holiday in Iran ‘because they think it looks cool on Instagram’ 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.Read moreSir Keir Starmer has found himself in a row with the most senior judge in England and Wales after criticising an immigration decision at last week’s Prime Minister’s Questions. A judge had granted a Palestinian family the right to remain in Britain after they applied through a scheme designed for Ukrainian refugees, which both the prime minister and Conservative leader said was “wrong.”The Lady Chief Justice said she was “deeply troubled” about the remarks, adding that “both question and the answer” from Sir Keir and Mrs Badenoch were unacceptable.But hitting back on Tuesday evening, the prime minister repeated his previous comments that it was “for Parliament to make laws and for the government to decide policy”.“Where the law is not working as we think it should be, the government will take action to tighten up the rules – and that is what we are doing,” a government spokesman said.The lady chief justice, said she was “deeply troubled” about last Wednesday’s Commons session More