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 moreA senior minister has revealed that plans exist to deal with food shortages if farmers go ahead with their threat to strike over the controversial family farm tax.Transport secretary Louise Haigh revealed the plans, as part of the government’s “business as usual” preparations, in an interview with Sir Trevor Phillips on his Sunday morning show on Sky News, as concerns mount over the furious backlash to a decision to apply inheritance tax to farms.Farmers are set to descend on London in their thousands on Tuesday to protest against plans to impose a 20 per cent inheritance tax on farms worth £1m or more. They have warned that the policy will destroy family farms across the country or see them broken up.But more worrying for the government are the plans by farmers to go on strike and stop food production to give ministers a taste of what it would be like if the UK food-producing sector were no longer operating.Transport secretary Louise Haigh has said she is not concerned about the prospect of empty shelves 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 moreA senior minister has defended plans to strike deals with countries like Libya, Vietnam, and even the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan to help tackle the illegal migrant crisis and stop the small boats crossing.Transport secretary Louise Haigh confirmed reports in The Sunday Times that home secretary Yvette Cooper and Sir Keir Starmer were in talks with a range of countries to end the migrant crisis.But speaking on Sky News’ Sunday morning show with Sir Trevor Phillips, she insisted that the deals were not the same as the Tories’ failed Rwanda scheme, which cost the taxpayer hundreds of millions and was cancelled as soon as Labour took power.Ms Haigh said: “The prime minister and home secretary have made no secret that this is an international problem which needs international solutions. That is why both of them have been working with their counterparts across Europe and across the world to make sure we have deals in place to make sure we can tackle this problem.Louise Haigh said that third-country deals to stop illegal migration are not the same as the Tory Rwanda plan 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 government has revealed where £1bn in funding will go to deliver London-style buses nationwide as part of a massive Budget boost.Transport secretary Louise Haigh announced £712 million in funding for local authorities to improve services, alongside a further £243 million for bus operators.Ms Haigh said the investment would end “complicated and inconsistent” funding models that have impacted passengers for years.She added the government has considered targeting the fare bus cap rather than maintaining the £3 cap beyond the end of 2025. “We’ve stepped in with funding to protect (the cap) at £3 until the 31st of December next year, and in that period, we’ll look to establish more targeted approaches,” she told Sunday Morning with Trevor Philips. Louise Haigh says: ‘Buses are the lifeblood of communities, but the system is broken’ More

Louise Haigh has defended Labour’s budget measures after Keir Starmer shunned farmers at a tax protest.The transport secretary said budget measures that affect farmers are “fair and proportionate”.She sidestepped questions about why the prime minister did not speak to farmers who gathered to protest outside the Welsh Labour conference on Saturday (16 November) and whether it was wise for a farming minister to say farmers should calm down over plans to raise inheritance tax plans.“We do recognise the difficult situation that many are in, but we think the choices that we set out in the budget are fair and proportionate,” she told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips. 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 moreWilliam Hague has criticised Peter Mandelson’s bid to become the UK’s new envoy in America as well as taking over the top job in the British university sector.The former Conservative leader spoke out as tensions flared in the battle between the two men to become chancellor of the University of Oxford. Lord Hague said the two roles would be “incompatible” as he dismissed a jibe by the former Labour cabinet member Lord Mandelson that it was time to end the “Tory monopoly” of Oxford.William Hague says the role of chancellor of Oxford would be ‘incompatible’ with that of Britain’s US envoy More

In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Lord Hague discusses with Geordie Greig his campaign to win election as Chancellor to the University of Oxford. The former foreign secretary explains his opinions on what the statue of Cecil Rhodes, his love of history and how his experience as a student shapes his view on opening Oxford to more state-educated students.In the wide-ranging interview, Hague maintains his stance on Donald Trump being a threat to democracy as US President and the Right have strayed from the ideals of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.Read the story here. 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 moreSir Keir Starmer was accused of “running out the backdoor like a flipping rat” to avoid scores of angry farmers outside protesting over controversial changes to death duties dubbed “the family farm tax.”The prime minister had been giving a speech at the Welsh Labour conference in Llandudno where he stood by the measures in Rachel Reeves much criticised Budget with a record £40 billion in tax rises. But he didn’t directly acknowledge the growing backlash to inheritance tax changes which mean two thirds of farmers would be liable to pay 20 per cent inheritance tax on family farms – a figure disputed by the Treasury. Hundreds of farmers had gathered on the promenade in Lladudno and were dismayed the PM did not appear to leave via the front of the conference centre.Farmer and well-known YouTuber Gareth Wyn Jones said that he “ran out of the backdoor like a flipping rat.”Tractors are driven along the Promenade to the venue of the Welsh Labour Party conference in Llandudno 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 moreA senior economic adviser to Donald Trump has warned the UK that it needs to ditch the “socialist” EU and embrace a trade deal with the US instead, or face tariffs.The intervention by Stephen Moore appears to be an attempt to force the hand of Sir Keir Starmer in the latest sign that the relationship with the incoming White House administration is going to be painful.But the prime minister has been urged not to “take the threat on the chin” and to continue to pursue closer ties with the European Union, Britain’s largest export market.Earlier this week, The Independent revealed that President-elect Trump plans to veto Sir Keir’s deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, in a move that could humiliate the prime minister, because of concerns over the joint UK-US airbase on Diego Garcia.Now Mr Trump’s team is pushing the Labour government to ditch its biggest foreign policy objective – resetting the EU relationship – in favour of a trade deal with the US.Trump’s incoming adminsitration is attempting to force the UK into ditching ties with the EU More