UK Politics

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseRachel Reeves will unveil her historic Budget – the first by a Labour chancellor in 14 years – with a message of hope for the UK as she pledges to deliver economic growth and put money back in people’s pockets with a rise in the national minimum wage.In what is expected to be a Budget of record-breaking tax rises involving “tough choices” to “fix public services”, Ms Reeves will hold out some hope with a rallying cry that she intends to “invest, invest, invest” to turn the country around.The rhetoric appears to deliberately echo Tony Blair’s three priorities of “education, education, education” ahead of the 1997 election as Ms Reeves attempts to grasp the optimism of his New Labour government in what is widely expected to be a gloomy Budget.The first female chancellor in the position’s 803-year history will tell the country her “belief in Britain burns brighter than ever” and while she will be making some difficult decisions “the prize on offer to today is immense”.Reeves prepares for the autumn Budget More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseThe Labour mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has broken ranks with Sir Keir Starmer to reject controversial plans to raise the bus fare cap by 50 per cent.The cost of a bus journey in the city will still be capped at £2, Mr Burnham has announced.Sir Keir announced in a speech in Birmingham on Monday the maximum bus fare will rise to £3 in England until the end of 2025, in a bid to ease pressure on the public finances.The hike will be announced at Rachel Reeves’ Budget on Wednesday as the government tries to plug a £22bn hole in the public finances.But Mr Burnham said on Tuesday that Manchester would “proceed with our plan to introduce a new simpler, flatter fare structure based around a £2 single fare” at the start of January.Andy Burnham said bus fares will still be capped at £2 in Manchester More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseMillions of workers will be handed inflation-busting pay increases as Rachel Reeves hikes up the minimum wage by 6.7 per cent.The chancellor will increase the measure, also known as the national living wage, from £11.44 per hour to £12.21 in April next year.The change amounts to a £1,400 annual pay rise for a full-time worker on the national living wage. The government will also increase the minimum wage for 18- to 20-year-olds by £1.40 per hour as part of a plan to end the disparity between younger and older adult workers. In total, the change means 3.5m people workers on the minimum wage will receive a pay boost.Rachel Reeves will deliver her first Budget on Wednesday More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseWelcome to an exclusive Ask Me Anything session with me, Andrew Grice, political columnist for The Independent.Keep scrolling for more. If you want to jump straight to the Q&A click here.The Conservative Party leadership race has entered its final stage, with Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick the last two candidates vying to lead the party and become the next leader of the opposition.With voting set to close on 31 October and the winner announced on 2 November, the question now is: who will galvanise the party ahead of the next general election?Both candidates are seen as representing the right wing of the party, but significant differences in their policy focus and leadership styles have triggered debate among MPs and party members. Badenoch, known for her outspoken opposition to “woke” culture and her stances on immigration and gender identity, presents herself as a strong cultural warrior. Jenrick, on the other hand, brings his experience in housing and immigration policy, though he’s faced criticism for past controversies, particularly around accusations of bias during his time as housing secretary.As the party grapples with internal divisions and declining public trust, key questions remain: Can either candidate succeed in reducing the perception of sleaze within the party, following a series of scandals in recent years? For the uninitiated, what are the key differences between the two candidates — if any exist?And, perhaps most crucially, does either Badenoch or Jenrick have what it takes to unite the party and lead it to victory against Keir Starmer’s Labour in the next general election?If you have a question about the candidates, their policies, or the future direction of the Conservative Party, submit it now or join me live for our “Ask Me Anything” event on Thursday 31 October at midday.Register to submit your question in the comments box under this article. If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments section to leave your question. For a full guide on how to comment click here.Don’t worry if you can’t see your question – they may be hidden until I join the conversation to answer them. Then join us live on this page at 12pm as I tackle as many questions as I can. More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseTrade union leaders are already squaring up for a fight with Rachel Reeves over pay, even before she has published her first Budget.The Independent has been told that union bosses have made it clear they expect massive public sector rises in the new year “after 14 years of Tory austerity and wage constraint”.It is another headache for the chancellor who is expected to be forced to bring in some of the biggest tax rises in history to cover a £40bn black hole in Labour’s spending plans. Ms Reeves is expected to increase employers national insurance contributions and capital gains tax among a range of measures.With her main objective to bring economic growth, Ms Reeves has also pledged to her party and unions that “there will be no more austerity”.Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaking in the Commons (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA) More