UK Politics

Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 ThomasEditorThe government could need up to £10bn to cover public sector pay increases if reports of a 5.5 per cent rise prove true, a leading economist has warned.Independent pay review bodies are reported to be preparing to recommend such an increase for teachers and around 1.3 million NHS staff, according to The Times, well above the figure the government is thought to have been preparing for.Paul Johnson, director of the influential Institute for Fiscal Studies, said he was “not terribly surprised” by the figure, which would be in line with pay rises across the economy, and would cost an extra £3bn for schools and the NHS alone.He told the BBC’s Today programme: “In terms of the cost, there isn’t a specific number that is budgeted for schools, it’s probably 1 or 2 per cent, it’s certainly nothing like 5.5 per cent, so we’d certainly be looking at at least an additional £1bn on schools’ costs relative to what they’re currently expecting.“And at least double that across the NHS if the proposals for the NHS are similar, which it appears that they might be.”Mr Johnson added that if the 5.5 per cent figure was replicated across the public sector, it could mean the government needs to find an extra £10bn.A higher-than-expected pay rise could pose a significant challenge for chancellor Rachel Reeves’ first budget, likely to come in the autumn, after promising to control borrowing and ruling out a string of tax rises during the election campaign.Rachel Reeves faces a potential headache for her first budget if pay review bodies recommend a 5.5 per cent increase across the public sector More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 ThomasEditorTurkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan will lead celebrations of the anniversary his country’s intervention 50 years ago which has left the island of Cyprus split in two.Thousands of mostly muslim Turkish Cypriots in the north of the island join their president Ersin Tatar and Mr Erdogan to watch a “peace parade” of tanks, soldier, jets and military vehicles, followed by an air performance carried out by the Turkish Stars (the Turkish version of the Red Arrows) on Saturday.But while this is happening Greek Cypriots in the south of the island will be treating the anniversary with a much more sombre mood with many on both sides losing their homes and land as well as family members to the conflict five decades ago.It comes as former Labour foreign secretary Jack Straw has written for The Independent, accusing the recognised [Greek] Cypriot government on the island of being “happy with the status quo” and demanding that the United Nations, European Union, and UK, as a guarantor power, propose a two state solution to force an end to the 50-year crisis.Newly appointed Europe minister Stephen Doughty has though stuck with UK foreign policy that the island needs to come back together in a federal structure which recognises both communities – the solution the UK attempted to create in the 1960s when it withdrew as the colonial power only holding on to its two key military bases.The presence of the two highly important bases for the UK facing out on to the Middle East have made the Cyprus crisis a critical issue and one difficult to navigate diplomatically.Cyprus crisis anniversary with Erdogan and Tatar More

Zelensky becomes first foreign leader to address UK cabinet for nearly 30 yearsSupport trulyindependent journalismFind 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 ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer’s Labour government is set to resume funding to UN Palestine relief agency UNRWA for Palestinians escaping the ongoing war in Gaza.The Conservative government stopped the money alongside the US in January following accusations from Israel that staff members were involved in the 7 October attacks. But the UN investigation into the allegations is still ongoing.During the King’s Speech debate, foreign secretary David Lammy said Britain is “absolutely committed” to a two-state solution for Palestine but he claimed the plan must guarantee the security of Israel.Following the major IT outage hitting airlines, train companies and banks, government officials held a Cobra emergency meeting to address the chaos in trains, GPs and TV channels. It comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the British government to help Kyiv’s lift restrictions on how the coutnry can use weapons supplied by western allies.Addressing ministers in Downing Street, Mr Zelensky discussed the situation in Ukraine and called for the need to expand Europe’s defence industrial base, as well as agreeing a £3.5bn defence export finance deal with Sir Keir.Show latest update 1721400950Can Keir Starmer take the brakes off Britain’s railways?Renationalising the railway fulfils Labour’s election promise. Sean O’Grady takes a closer look at how the new government plans to do it:Salma Ouaguira19 July 2024 15:551721400530More than 5,000 early-career nursing staff quit profession in one yearA fifth of the nursing and midwifery professionals who left the register in the last year did so within 10 years of joining, figures show.Nursing leaders described the statistic as “deeply alarming” and called on ministers to “grasp the nettle and make nursing an attractive career”.The latest Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) annual report on its register of nurses, midwives and nursing associates in the UK shows 27,168 staff left the profession between April 2023 and March 2024, a slight decrease on the previous 12 months.However, 20.3% of the total – or 5,508 – did so within the first 10 years.This is compared to 18.8% in 2020/2021 and “reflects a rise over the last three years”, according to the report.Mr Streeting is also expected to enter formal talks with junior doctors in a bid to end the 20-month row over pay and confitions leading to strikes.A total of 27,168 nursing and midwifery staff left the profession between April 2023 and March 2024 (PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 ThomasEditorVolodymyr Zelensky used his historic address to the UK cabinet to urge Sir Keir Starmer to “show leadership” and let Ukraine use British weapons for strikes deep inside Russia.The Ukrainian president on Friday became the first foreign leader to address the cabinet in person since Bill Clinton in 1997, calling for support with his country’s “long-range capability”.In his address to the Cabinet Mr Zelensky said “if the restriction on western weapons is lifted” it would help Kyiv to strengthen its defence and secure its frontline positions.Volodymyr Zelensky urged Sir Keir Starmer to ‘show leadership’ on the issue More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 ThomasEditorNigel Farage has been accused of inflaming tensions after blaming rioting in Leeds on the “politics of the subcontinent”.The Reform UK leader, who was in the US for the Republican National Convention in Minnesota, posted on social media on Thursday evening as scenes of disorder in the city emerged.“The politics of the subcontinent are currently playing out on the streets of Leeds,” he wrote on X within hours: “Don’t say I didn’t warn you”.People in the Harehills area of the city were urged to stay at home as officers were called to Luxor Street at about 5pm on Thursday due to an “ongoing disturbance” involving agency workers and children.While the children were moved to a safe place, crowds gathered and the situation escalated, with objects thrown at police.Flames engulf double-decker bus after riot breaks out in Leeds with hundreds on streets. More