UK Politics

A trans Labour councillor has quit the party and accused Sir Keir Starmer of “throwing transgender people under the bus” after it’s response to the controversial Supreme Court ruling on gender.Dylan Tippetts, who represented Labour on Plymouth City Council, said he can no longer represent a party “that does not support my fundamental rights”.Judges ruled that the definition of a woman in equality law is based on biological sex. In response, a slew of ministers, including equalities minister Bridget Phillipson, said trans women should use bathrooms corresponding to their biological sex. And Sir Keir U-turned on his previous position that “trans women are women”, calling on trans women to use male bathrooms and trans men to use women’s toilets. Quitting the party, Mr Tippetts said: “The Labour party nationally has thrown transgender people under the bus and has taken us backwards decades.”Dylan Tippetts is Plymouth’s first openly trans councillor More

A senior Government minister has said that the UK-US trade deal was urgently needed to protect as many as 150,000 livelihoods, and will be “really good for Britain.”The deal removes tariffs on UK steel and aluminium imports to the US, and cuts the levy on cars from 27.5 per cent to 10 per cent, offering British luxury carmakers like Jaguar Land Rover a reprieve.Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds indicated on Thursday night that thousands of people were perhaps “days” away from losing their jobs without the deal.Asked by BBC Breakfast on Friday if agreeing the deal was urgent, Treasury minister Mr Jones said: “Yes. Yes, it was.”Pressed if this was because of the threat of job losses, Mr Jones added: “Of course, which is why it was so important that we’ve got the deal over the line.”Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds (Aaron Chown/PA) More

Welcome to an exclusive Ask Me Anything session with me, John Rentoul, The Independent’s chief political commentator.Keep scrolling for more. If you want to jump straight to the Q&A, click here.In one of the most dramatic weeks for British trade policy in decades, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has secured not one, but two landmark trade agreements — first with India, and now with the United States.The newly announced US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD), unveiled on Thursday, marks a significant step in re-cementing Britain’s trading ties with Washington. Billed as a “first-of-its-kind” agreement, the deal pledges to lower tariffs, ease barriers for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, and deepen collaboration in key sectors from digital trade to pharmaceuticals, steel, and green technology. Crucially, it promises to safeguard UK businesses from the sharpest edges of Donald Trump’s protectionist trade policies, while opening up billions in new commercial opportunities.It’s a striking diplomatic win for Starmer, who just days ago concluded the long-stalled trade deal with India, an achievement that eluded both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. The two deals, clinched within 48 hours, have reshaped Britain’s post-Brexit trade landscape and breathed new life into Labour’s economic strategy.Yet questions remain: How deep does the US-UK deal really go? What will it mean for British consumers and businesses? Is it enough to offset the frictions of post-Brexit trade with Europe? And how did Starmer navigate the famously unpredictable Donald Trump to secure it?Join me live at 3pm BST on Friday, 9 May, as I answer your questions on all aspects of the new trade deal, Starmer’s diplomacy, and what these agreements mean for Britain’s economic future.Submit your questions in the comments below. If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments section to participate. For a full guide on how to comment, click here.Don’t worry if you can’t see your question right away – some may be hidden until the Q&A starts. See you at 3pm! More

The London mayor will rip up the rules protecting green belt land in a bid to build almost a million much-needed new homes for Londoners. Sir Sadiq Khan is promising a “radical change of approach” to the green belt, where most forms of development are forbidden, to help tackle the capital’s “pervasive and profound” housing crisis. In a controversial speech, Sir Sadiq will hit out at what he says are myths that the green belt is “all beautiful countryside, green and pleasant land, rich with wildlife”. Sadiq Khan wants to build housing for Londoners on the green belt More

On Wednesday night, the prime minister had been expecting to settle in to watch his beloved Arsenal take on Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final of the Champions League. The game would end in defeat for the London side, beaten in the French capital and ending another season trophyless. But at the end of the fixture’s 90 minutes, Sir Keir Starmer had a reason to be happy.Halfway through the game, he received a call from Donald Trump. And his longed-for US-UK trade deal – crucial for mitigating the harm of the swingeing US tariffs announced last month, and perhaps the key to saving his premiership – was on. The PM has had a number of private conversations with Trump on the phone in recent weeks More

Sir Keir Starmer has struck a historic trade agreement with the US that will slash Donald Trump’s tariffs, in what the president hailed as a “great deal for both countries”.The UK became the first country to reach such an agreement since Mr Trump’s swingeing “Liberation Day” tariffs threw the global economy into turmoil last month.The prime minister hailed a “fantastic, historic day” as he said the move would “boost British businesses and save thousands of British jobs” and deliver on his promises to protect carmakers and save the UK’s steel industry. The president extolled how “we got it done” and highlighted how the “special relationship and external bond” will soon be “stronger than ever before”.The deal will see US tariffs on cars immediately slashed from 27.5 to 10 per cent, up to 100,000 vehicles – almost the total number exported last year. Levies on steel and aluminium will be reduced to zero, however, a general 10 per cent tariff for other goods will remain. Starmer says the move will ‘boost British businesses and save thousands of British jobs’ More

Donald Trump has unveiled a “historic agreement” with the UK, the culmination of Sir Keir Starmer’s months-long charm offensive towards the US president. A month after his so-called Liberation Day tariffs began to bite, Britain has now achieved a series of significant carve outs from sweeping tariffs on UK carmakers, steelworks and farmers. The deal is a major boost for the prime minister, coming hot on the heels of a trade agreement between the UK and India this week. Sir Keir Starmer has taken a deferential approach Donald Trump More