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 moreAngela Merkel has revealed that she was “tormented” over the Brexit vote result and saw it as a “humiliation” for the EU.The former German chancellor wrote in her new autobiography Freedom that she ruminated on whether she could have done more to help the then-British prime minister David Cameron prevent the UK from leaving the bloc.However, in the extracts from the book, which is set to be published on Tuesday, Ms Merkel, who left office three years ago, concluded it was only himself that Mr Cameron could blame. Upon reflection, she said Brexit was a possibility as soon as he suggested in 2005 that Conservative Party MEPs should quit the European People’s Party (EPP) over the parliamentary allliance’s support of the Lisbon treaty in 2009 – which they did, with Eurosceptics criticising the changes the treaty introduced as undemocratic.In the five pages she dedicated to Brexit in her 700-page memoir, the Guardian reported Ms Merkel wrote: “To me, the result felt like a humiliation, a disgrace for us, the other members of the European Union – the United Kingdom was leaving us in the lurch. This changed the European Union in the view of the world; we were weakened.”Risking the ire of other EU leaders, Ms Merkel disclosed that she “tried wherever possible to help David Cameron”, including reaching out to him as he attempted to secure changes over freedom of movement and trade with a view to pitching a reformed EU.The former German chancellor wrote in her new autobiography Freedom that she ruminated on whether she could have done more to help the then-British prime minister David Cameron prevent the UK from leaving the bloc 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 moreLeading academic experts in the fields of health, end-of-life care and the legal system have joined together to sign an open letter opposing the assisted dying bill which MPs are due to debate on Friday.The bill tabled by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater would for the first time allow for the NHS to assist people to take their own lives.Ms Leadbeater and supporters of the legislation claim the bill would provide the “strictest safeguards anywhere in the world” to prevent the system being abused and ensure it only applied to terminally ill patients. Among these are that any requests to end life would need to be signed off by two doctors and a judge.However, in an open letter to MPs the 73 academics have fuelled concerns that the safeguards are not strong enough and could open the doors for coercion of the vulnerable to end their own lives.Kim Leadbeater says the bill will help give autonomy to terminally ill patients 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 moreCampaigners have hit out at a “woefully inadequate” financial package for developing nations agreed at Cop29 – with one charity condemning it as a “death sentence for millions”.A $300bn (£239.5bn) deal to help combat the impact of global warming was announced at the summit in Baku, Azerbaijan.It falls far short of the $1.3 trillion that developing countries were asking for, but is three times the $100bn a year deal from 2009 that is expiring.UN climate chief Simon Stiell hailed it as an “insurance policy” for humanity, while energy secretary Ed Miliband described it as a “critical 11th-hour deal at the 11th hour for the climate”.But Christian Aid said people who needed a life raft had been given a plank of wood instead. And the charity WaterAid said it was a “death sentence for millions” and a “mere fraction” of what was needed.COP29 Climate Summit 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 Jewish Leadership Council has hit out at the so-called “charity tax” measures in the Budget and has warned the chancellor that the tax hikes will damage the fight against antisemitism.Extra costs from a shock rise in employers’ national insurance contributions will hit Jewish charities “fighting bravely” against a rise in antisemitism in Britain, they warn.While ministers have spared the NHS and the public sector from the tax rise, they have refused to extend the exemption to charities and others.Reports of antisemitic incidents in the UK reached a record high in the first half of this year. Between January and June, the Community Security Trust (CST) charity recorded 1,978 anti-Jewish hate incidents, up from 964 in the first half of 2023.Rachel Reeves has been warned Jewish charities will be hit 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 moreDiane Abbott has accused Keir Starmer of “peddling benefit scrounger mythology” as Labour said young people who won’t take jobs will lose payments. Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said on Sunday that “if people repeatedly refuse to take up the training or work responsibilities, there will be sanctions on their benefits”.Asked if this meant losing those benefits, she told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “Yes.”Labour has said it will stick by a Tory commitment to slash the cost of the welfare bill by £3 billion over five years.Ms Kendall is to set out her plans in detail on Tuesday, but on Sunday talked of “tough” action ahead while Sir Keir warned of the “bulging benefits bill blighting our society”.In response, the veteran Labour MP Ms Abbott tweeted that it was: “Sad that Starmer is peddling the benefit scrounger mythology.”Ms Abbott said it was: “Sad that Starmer is peddling the benefit scrounger mythology.” (Ian West/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 moreWork and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has said Nato countries are involved in a “hidden cyber war” with Russia.Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden will warn in a major speech next week that Russia is prepared to launch a series of cyber attacks on Britain and other Nato members as it seeks to weaken support for Ukraine.Mr McFadden will say Moscow will “not think twice” about exploiting defence gaps to target UK businesses and allies must “not underestimate” the threat it poses.Speaking to Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme, Ms Kendall said her colleague was right to say “there is not only the open military war with Russia as the aggressor, but there is also a hidden cyber war and that Russia will do everything in its power to destabilise not only within Ukraine but amongst the Nato allies”.We have for many months … really focused on making sure we have all the protections we need including cyber protections because there is a threat from Russia, this hidden warfare, as well as the open military aggressionWork and Pensions Secretary Liz KendallShe added: “So, we have to be absolutely vigilant in that as a Government, but also in businesses and wider society to protect against those cyber hacktivists.“We have for many months … really focused on making sure we have all the protections we need including cyber protections because there is a threat from Russia, this hidden warfare, as well as the open military aggression.”In a speech to the Nato cyber defence conference at Lancaster House, Mr McFadden is expected to warn that cyber interference enables Russia to “turn the lights off for millions of people” and represents the “hidden war” it is waging against Kyiv, as first reported by the Sunday Telegraph.He will say: “Military hard-power is one thing. But cyber war can be destabilising and debilitating. With a cyber attack, Russia can turn the lights off for millions of people. It can shut down the power grids. This is the hidden war Russia is waging with Ukraine.“Given the scale of that hostility, my message to members today is clear: no-one should underestimate the Russian cyber threat to Nato. The threat is real. Russia is exceptionally aggressive and reckless in the cyber realm.”Mr McFadden is expected to specifically call out Unit 29155, a Russian military unit the Government says was previously found to have carried out a number of attacks in the UK and Europe.There are gangs of “unofficial hacktivists” and mercenaries not directly under the Kremlin’s control “but who are allowed to act with impunity so long as they’re not working against Putin’s interests”, he will say.It comes after South Korea, a Nato Indo-Pacific partner, was targeted in response to its monitoring of the deployment of North Korean troops to Kursk, where Russia is fighting against Ukraine.The attack has been widely attributed to a pro-Kremlin cyber gang, with Mr McFadden warning that such groups act with “disregard” for geopolitics and “with just one miscalculation could wreak havoc on our networks”.The Cabinet Office minister is expected to set out details of how the UK will seek to boost its protections against emerging cyber threats in a speech on Monday, as well as how the country is stepping up work with Nato allies.He and senior national security officials will also meet business leaders next week to discuss how they can protect themselves. 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 moreRussia is prepared to launch a series of cyber attacks on Britain and other Nato members as it seeks to weaken support for Ukraine, a senior Cabinet minister will warn in a major speech next week.Moscow will “not think twice” about exploiting defence gaps to target UK businesses, and allies must “not underestimate” the threat it poses, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden will say.Mr McFadden will also warn that cyber interference enables Russia to “turn the lights off for millions of people” and represents the “hidden war” it is waging against Kyiv, as first reported by the Sunday Telegraph.In a speech to the Nato Cyber Defence Conference at Lancaster House, the minister is expected to say: “Military hard-power is one thing. But cyber war can be destabilising and debilitating. With a cyber attack, Russia can turn the lights off for millions of people. It can shut down the power grids. This is the hidden war Russia is waging with Ukraine.”Russia won’t think twice about targeting British businesses in pursuit of its malign goalsPat McFaddenHe will add: “Given the scale of that hostility, my message to members today is clear: no one should underestimate the Russian cyber threat to Nato. The threat is real. Russia is exceptionally aggressive and reckless in the cyber realm.”Mr McFadden is expected to specifically call out Unit 29155, a Russian military unit that the Government says was previously found to have carried out a number of attacks in the UK and Europe.There are gangs of “unofficial hacktivists” and mercenaries not directly under the Kremlin’s control “but who are allowed to act with impunity so long as they’re not working against Putin’s interests”, he will say.It comes after South Korea, a Nato Indo-Pacific partner, was targeted in response to its monitoring of the deployment of North Korean troops to Kursk, where Russia is fighting against Ukraine.The attack has been widely attributed to a pro-Kremlin cyber gang, with Mr McFadden warning that such groups act with “disregard” for geopolitics and “with just one miscalculation could wreak havoc on our networks”.“Russia won’t think twice about targeting British businesses in pursuit of its malign goals. It is happy to exploit any gap in our cyber or physical defences,” he will add.“It means making sure that businesses and other civilian organisations are doing everything they can to lock their own digital doors. Their security is our security.”The Cabinet Office minister is expected to set out details of how the UK will seek to boost its protections against emerging cyber threats in a speech on Monday, as well as how the country is stepping up work with Nato allies.He and senior national security officials will also meet business leaders next week to discuss how they can protect themselves. 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 moreKeir Starmer has faced accusations his government has ‘let off’ City lawyers and private equity firms while stripping cash from pensioners in the Budget.Labour peer Lord Sikka even suggested enough money could be raised to cancel the party’s highly controversial winter fuel payment cut and scrap the much-criticised two-child benefit cap. The row centres on the Rachel Reeves’ decision to hike employers’ national insurance contributions last month. The move has led to howls of protest from businesses, charities and even GPs, who stand to be impacted. But members of limited liability partnerships (LLPs) escaped the tax raid.LLPs escaped Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes (Dominic Lipinski/PA) More