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 moreSir Keir Starmer risks a blow to his pledge to reset relations with the European Union after Brexit amid fears one of his key allies could be ousted in Friday’s elections in Ireland.The Labour prime minister has built a strong personal rapport with the Irish leader Simon Harris since his election in July.But a new poll for the Irish Times suggests Mr Harris’ Fine Gael has slumped from first to third place – after a gaffe which has been compared to Gordon Brown’s 2010 ‘bigoted woman’ comments.Mr Harris walked away from disability care worker Charlotte Fallon when she tried to ask him about low pay in her job sector. She responded “keep shaking hands and pretending you’re a good man” in an exchange that has since racked up millions of views online. At the end of the last Labour government, then prime minister Mr Brown’s election campaign was thrown into turmoil after he was caught on a live mic calling a Labour supporter a “bigoted woman”. Taoiseach Simon Harris and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer swapped personalised jerseys (Peter Morrison/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 moreThe pub landlord behind the viral petition calling for a general election has revealed why he decided to start it.Michael Westwood launched the petition – which has now gained over 2.5 million signatures – last week after growing “fed up” with Sir Keir Starmer just four months after Labour won the general election in a landslide.“I just thought they were being so negative all the time,” he told the MailOnline.“They were putting the fear of God into people that everything was so bad. They had also gone back on their manifesto promises. I was just frustrated at what I was seeing and hearing it all the time and it really annoyed me.“I just typed into Google ‘how to change the prime minister’ and it came back with start a petition. So that’s what I did.”Michael Westwood launched the petition – which has now gained 2.5 million signatures – last week after growing “fed up” with Sir Keir 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.CloseRead moreThe debate over assisted dying has reignited, with Parliament gearing up for a historic vote on Friday. If passed, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow those with less than six months to live to end their lives with medical assistance, under strict safeguards requiring approval from two doctors and a High Court judge.Supporters argue the bill represents compassion and choice for those facing unbearable suffering. Proponents, including prominent ministers such as Lisa Nandy and Ed Miliband, call it the most robust assisted dying law in the world, designed to prevent coercion with severe penalties for abuse.However, the proposal has faced significant backlash. Opponents, including faith leaders, former prime minister Gordon Brown, and MPs like Shabana Mahmood, worry it could lead to a “slippery slope” and potential misuse. The debate has also sparked controversy within the Labour Party, with accusations of discrimination over comments about religious motivations in opposing the bill.The issue is divisive, raising profound ethical, religious, and societal questions: and now we want to know where you stand. Is assisted dying a compassionate step forward or a dangerous precedent? Share your thoughts in the comments — we’ll feature the most compelling responses.All you have to do is sign up and register your details — then you can take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen. 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 moreJacob Rees-Mogg has hinted at a dramatic return to politics on the back of his fly-on-the-wall family documentary dubbed the “British Kardashians”.Less than five months after spectacularly losing his North East Somerset seat, the former Tory minister, who once reportedly considered a bid to become party leader, will appear in the Discovery+ reality show, Meet The Rees-Moggs.It marks a stark change in direction for the arch-Brexiteer who invited cameras into his 17th-century Somerset mansion, Gourney Court, to document family life with his wife, Helena, and their six children in the run-up to the general election.Yet despite the first step into reality television and the end to his 14-year stint as a Tory MP, the divisive figure has still revealed he would like to return to Parliament.Speaking during a cosy sit-down interview with comedian Matt Forde ahead of the show on Monday night, the GB News presenter discussed everything from abuse on the campaign trail to his fondness for Greggs’ cream buns.Jacob Rees-Mogg said he’d love to return to politics when questioned during a premiere of ‘Meet the Rees-Moggs’ 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 will today announce plans to bring more people back into work and reduce the country’s benefits bill, with Keir Starmer admitting Britain “simply isn’t working”.The government will replace the network of Jobcentres with a new National Jobs and Careers Service, while more NHS staff will be sent to areas with higher rates of joblessness.Additional employment and training opportunities will be given for young people and extra powers provided to mayors to develop their own employment plans.The reforms, to be unveiled by work and pensions sectretary Liz Kendall today, will also see an expansion of mental health support and efforts to tackle obesity.The ‘Get Britain Working Again’ white paper is part of a government pledge to bring more than two million people back into work. While unemployment stands at almost 1.5 million, economic inactivity has also soared to more than nine million, with 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term sickness – a major driver of the rise in joblessness since the pandemic.Sir Keir said: “From the broken NHS, flatlining economy, and the millions of people left unemployed and trapped in an inactivity spiral – this government inherited a country that simply isn’t working. But today we’ve set out a plan to fix this.“Our reforms put an end to the culture of blaming and shaming people who for too long haven’t been getting the support they need to get back to work.”Keir Starmer and DWP secretary Liz Kendall are set to unveil the ‘Get Britain Working Again’ white paper on Tuesday 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 moreRachel Reeves has been accused by business chiefs of making it hard to invest in Britain, prompting her to insist there was no alternative.Directly facing her critics at the CBI conference after weeks of negativity about her autumn Budget, a defensive chancellor pledged that businesses in the UK will not have to suffer another one like it before the next election.Squaring up to her detractors, she told them: “I have heard a lot of feedback about my Budget but not any alternative suggestions.”Ms Reeves insisted that the government had provided a “rock of stability” so that industry could be confident in their future planning.Businesses have not held back their anger on the increase in national insurance contributions, which has been branded a “jobs tax”.Rachel Reeves insisted to the CBI that she had provided a rock on which industry could build More