More stories

  • in

    EU ministers discuss deal with Israel to increase Gaza aid

    The European Union is seeking updates from Israel on implementation of a new deal to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to Kaja Kallas, the bloc’s foreign policy chief.Foreign ministers from the EU’s 27-member nations are meeting Tuesday in Brussels in the wake of a new aid deal for Gaza largely forged by Kallas and Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar.Saar met with EU leaders on Monday after agreeing last week allow desperately needed food and fuel into the coastal enclave of 2.3 million people who have endured more than 21 months of war.“We have reached a common understanding with Israel to really improve the situation on the ground, but it’s not about the paper, but actually implementation of the paper,” Kallas said before the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council.“As long as it hasn’t really improved, then we haven’t all done enough,” she said, before calling for a ceasefire.Kallas said the ministers will also discuss Iran’s nuclear program, concerns over developments in Georgia and Moldova, and new sanctions on Russia. The EU is readying its 18th package of sanctions on Russia, with holdouts within the bloc arguing over the keystone policy of capping oil prices to cut into Moscow’s energy revenues.European nations like Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain have increasingly called for the EU’s ties with Israel to be reassessed in the wake of the war in Gaza. A report by the European Commission found “ indications ” that Israel’s actions in Gaza are violating human rights obligations in the agreement governing its ties with the EU — but the block is divided over what to do in response. That public pressure over Israel’s conduct in Gaza made the new humanitarian deal possible even before a ceasefire, said Caspar Veldkamp, the Dutch foreign minister. “That force of the 27 EU member states is what I want to maintain now,” he said.“The humanitarian deal announced last week shows that the Association Agreement review and use of EU leverage has worked,” said one European diplomat.Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manual Albares Bueno said details of the deal were still being discussed and that the EU would monitor results to see if Israel is complying with those.“We don’t know whether it we will know how it works,” he said. “It’s very clear that this agreement is not the end — we have to stop the war.”The war began after Hamas attacked Israel in 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage, most of whom have been released in earlier ceasefires. Israel responded with an offensive that has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.The ministry, which is under Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants. The U.N. and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.The EU has observed some aid trucks entering Gaza, but “not enough,” said Hajda Lahbib, the EU Commissioner for humanitarian air and crisis management.“The situation is still so dangerous, so violent, with strikes still continuing on the ground, that our humanitarian partners cannot operate. So, this is the reality we need to have a ceasefire,” she said. More

  • in

    Rachel Reeves’ mortgage gamble is the move of a chancellor who is running out of options

    According to Treasury sources, Rachel Reeves wants the public to start taking risks again.The analysis she is working from is that the financial crash of 2008 – which saw several banks go under or need to be nationalised – has made the country too risk-adverse.But the biggest risk taker may well be the chancellor herself, with her plans to free up the mortgage market and slash red tape for financial services in the City.Like many gamblers, though, Ms Reeves’ spin of the financial services roulette wheel, to be announced in her Mansion House speech this evening, is largely prompted by the fact that she is running out of options.Chancellor Rachel Reeves said her fiscal rules were ‘non-negotiable’ (Anthony Devlin/PA) More

  • in

    Taxes won’t rise for people on ‘modest incomes’, minister vows

    Workers on average incomes will not see their taxes go up as Rachel Reeves seeks to find billions in the autumn Budget, a minister has promised.With a series of U-turns having blown a major hole in the public finances, roads minister Lilian Greenwood said “people who earn around average income” will not be targeted. She was asked to clarify comments by transport secretary Heidi Alexander, who said on Sunday that the government would not increase taxes for those on “modest incomes”. Ms Greenwood told Sky News: “I think it means people who earn kind of around average income.Transport minister Lilian Greenwood said those on average incomes will not face higher taxes More

  • in

    Starmer is fixing Tories ‘sloppy’ implementation of Brexit, says Trump

    Donald Trump said Britain’s implementation of Brexit has been “sloppy” ahead of his second state visit to the UK in September. But the US president said it is “getting straightened out” and heaped praise on Sir Keir Starmer. “I really like the prime minister a lot, even though he’s a liberal,” Mr Trump declared. Donald Trump said he ‘really likes’ Keir Starmer More

  • in

    Rachel Reeves set to bet the house on economic growth by loosening mortgage rules

    Rachel Reeves is set to bet the house on hopes of finally achieving economic growth by easing rules on mortgages to make more loans available at lower salaries and at 4.5 times a buyer’s income.The chancellor will use her keynote Mansion House speech in the City of London on Tuesday evening to unveil plans to create up to 36,000 additional mortgages for first-time buyers over the first year.Just one lender – Nationwide – will give mortgages to 10,000 more first-time buyers as a result of the changes.Changes will include lowering the minimum salary needed for a mortgage to £30,000 from £35,000 for an individual and to £50,000 from £55,000 for a couple on a joint income.It is part of a wider package of reforms which will see a bonfire of red tape for financial services as Ms Reeves urges businesses and investors to “take risks again”, according to a Treasury source, following the caution which settled in after the 2008 banking crash.Chancellor Rachel Reeves said her fiscal rules were ‘non-negotiable’ More

  • in

    Reform defector left Tories after mayoral candidate selection row involving Theresa May’s husband

    Former prime minister Baroness Theresa May’s husband is involved in a row over the latest defection to Reform amid anger over candidate selection under Kemi Badenoch’s leadership.Ipswich based businessman John Howard, who was chairman of the Ipswich Conservative Association for a decade, had put himself forward to run as the Tory candidate for mayor of Norfolk and Suffolk next year.The property developer, who is a well known figure in local media, believed that his business skills and experience as an active member of the party made him a strong contender for the shortlist.But after an interview with a panel of two assessors, including Baroness May’s husband Sir Philip May, he was rejected.Baroness May with her husband Sir Philip More

  • in

    ‘Unconscionable’ for doctors not to tell their employers if they plan to strike, Streeting warns

    Wes Streeting has accused the British Medical Association (BMA) of advocating “unconscionable” behaviour after the union told junior doctors they do not need to inform their employers if they are planning to strike next week.The health secretary described the advice as “shockingly irresponsible”, adding that he “cannot fathom” why any doctor would make it more difficult for managers to “make sure we have safe staffing levels”.Resident doctors, as junior doctors are now known, are set to strike for five days from 7am on 25 July as part of a pay dispute with the government.Leading doctors have warned that the “highly dangerous” industrial action risks harming the public’s trust in the profession.But the new leader of the BMA has said that the doctors’ 29 per cent pay demand is “non-negotiable” and that strikes could go on for years.On Monday, the union said the strike will go ahead even if a health warning is issued over rising temperatures next week. Senior BMA leaders posted messages on social media over the weekend to tell doctors they do not have to alert their NHS trust if they are planning to strike, sparking fears over patient safety. On X (Twitter), Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, co-leader of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, wrote: “You do NOT have a legal responsibility to disclose whether you are striking.”Mr Streeting told MPs: “Their leaders seem to be telling their members not to inform their trusts or their employers if they’re going out on strike. “Now, I might not agree with the BMA strike action, but I do accept they have a right to strike … What I cannot fathom is how any doctor, in good conscience, would make it harder for managers to make sure we have safe staffing levels.” Failing to inform hospitals would also “make it harder for other staff who are going to be turning up to work that day … many of whom are paid less than resident doctors”, he added.Mr Streeting said that the BMA’s approach “from start to finish has been completely wrong”.The “idea that doctors would go on strike without informing their employer … I think is unconscionable”, he said, as he urged resident doctors to “do the right thing”.The health secretary is due to meet with the BMA this week in hopes of averting the strike. Health secretary Wes Streeting said the government ‘can’t go further on pay’ for resident doctors More

  • in

    Voices: ‘Schengen, the euro, the whole thing’: Readers say UK must fully commit to rejoining EU

    Talk of the UK rejoining the EU is back in the headlines, sparked by a new YouGov poll and a high-profile visit from French President Emmanuel Macron.The survey, carried out across six western European nations, found that most Britons now support rejoining the EU – but only if the UK can retain the opt-outs it once had, such as keeping the pound and remaining outside the Schengen zone. Meanwhile, a majority of people in the EU’s four largest countries – France, Germany, Italy and Spain – say they would welcome Britain back, though not on the same generous terms it previously enjoyed.The findings come just days after Sir Keir Starmer hosted Macron in London during the first state visit by an EU leader since Brexit.Reacting to the poll, Independent readers had strong views. Many dismissed the idea of returning on old terms as unrealistic or “delusional”. There was broad agreement that the UK had thrown away a uniquely favourable deal – one that won’t be offered again.Others pointed to the fallout of Brexit: economic decline, lost influence, mounting bureaucracy. Several went further, saying they’d happily join Schengen and adopt the euro if that’s what it takes to repair relations and rejoin the bloc.Here’s what you had to say:The concessions Thatcher fought for were chucked awayThat poll will come as a surprise to many. A widespread view is that people in EU countries would demand their governments block any UK application to be a member state. Of course, any such application would have to comply with the current rules of the EU – all those concessions Thatcher etc. fought for and won were chucked away in 2020.avidmidlandsreaderWe are not even at square oneWhat’s arguably worse than the original Brexit vote (which could, partly at least, be attributed to ignorance) is the persistent failure of many to recognise that a massive mistake was made and the continued support for a party run by Farage. This is the preferred option of the majority. Nothing has been learned and we are not, nearly a decade after the referendum, even at square one in terms of rejoining. Rejoining would take at least a decade, probably more. Step number one has to be to get the issue fully back into the arena of political debate, with step two being negotiations to rejoin the single market.MusilThe sensible majority have become the undergroundIt is bizarre that the sensible majority would like to rejoin the EU, but neither of the main parties will listen to the sensible majority.It is like some far-off country where the sensible majority have become the underground.It’s the same with electoral reform, where the sensible majority want proportional representation.We have been foisted with political leaders who don’t care about the views of the sensible majority.RobGood Brexit proved we always had sovereigntyThe EU has the last word, but opt-outs and terms will be subject to negotiation. It always is for every applicant country.One thing Brexit did prove beyond doubt: we always had sovereignty. We could always leave.The difference is, we now know how undesirable leaving actually is by any real-world metric – whether power, sovereignty, immigration, control, standards, quality of life, poo in rivers, or bureaucracy: all worse since Brexit, by a country mile in most cases.AlwaysWonderingA non-starter without fiscal unionI am a Europhile. I even live in the EU.But any notion of the UK rejoining and having to adopt the euro without there also being a fiscal union is a complete non-starter.There are far too many pro-EU advocates who do not understand why.YetAnotherNameA supermajority would be neededThe problem is that although most people in the UK regret leaving, the majority in favour of rejoining is a relatively modest 56 per cent. Unless that goes up substantially, I don’t see any PM risking another referendum on EU membership. In order to definitely reverse the 2016 result and shut up Brexiteers banging on about the will of the people, any future EU referendum is likely to need a supermajority.Tanaquil2No opt-outs this timeThe EU wouldn’t allow the UK to have the opt-outs if it rejoined. They were part of the problem in the relationship, for both sides – e.g. the UK wanted to be at the centre of the EU, but couldn’t be because it wasn’t in the euro. So that was a major cause of resentment and friction. The organisation has also become more centralised since the UK left. So the UK’s choice would be between either rejoining without the opt-outs (the article says only 36% of UK voters would support this) or staying out.OneViewUnbridgeable chasm between EU and UK expectationsThere’s a probably unbridgeable chasm between the terms upon which a majority of the EU population would welcome the re-entry of the UK and those which the UK population would accept.I live in France. My sense is that the UK would be highly unlikely to be able to negotiate a return under anything even approaching the previous terms.Which, if I might say so, serves to underline the self-harm of having walked away from what must be a serious contender for the best deal in history.PinkoRadicalRejoining still best for the countryWhy would we have the right to apply on the same terms as we left? Thatcher got a good deal out of the EU, but it was decided to give it up. Cherry-picking won’t work, but rejoining is still best for this country, as we will always get better deals as a bloc than as a single country – as shown by every deal we have made since Brexit, all better for the other countries.Boy from ceiberThe EU does not need usThe EU does not need us and is managing well without us. There is no reason whatsoever why we could make demands. We lost the excellent terms we had and will not regain them. Once again, thank you, Brexiters.There are 20 countries in the Eurozone. They are doing better economically than the others. Anyone with a modicum of common sense would see that a common currency facilitates trade by removing conversions and encourages tourism.I would be quite happy to shed the old pound, an exhausted currency, to join the euro. I fear this would not please the Little Englanders who voted Leave. Since we do not have politicians with spines, I fear rejoining may take a long, long time.HASTINGSPIERIt’s a matter of UK securityI don’t have an issue with using euros or having Schengen area rights and obligations.Joining the EU is now a matter of UK security. If EU membership provides economic, social, and military security (now that the US has gone rogue), then it’s a price worth taking. No country is ever truly independent.The question remains: why does Starmer still have his head in the sand over EU membership? Labour should be laying the ground to rejoin the EU and for it to be part of the Labour manifesto for the next general election.BolbiThe EU is the only wayAll for it. Schengen, the euro, the single, common market – the whole thing.If the UK is serious and wants to catalyse, reinvigorate, and drive up economic growth, the EU is the only way.Nothing else has the capability of matching or improving on it.EU free trade without borders created UK growth above all else over the last 50 years, with hundreds of thousands of small and medium businesses having the best ever opportunities to export without restrictions, along with UK corporates receiving far more preferential terms.UK regions would once again have access to the European Regional Development Fund instead of relying on foreseen unreliable, sparse, pitiful UK government funding – something UK regions have suffered harshly from since Brexit.Farming and fisheries will once again see a return to free and easy EU access, improving their opportunities, and have access to EU funding again, which is much better than the unreliable, sparse, pitiful UK government funding.Further, the City of London financial sector will be able to abate the exodus of firms and professionals, which can only be good.The UK needs to get a grip, see common sense, and reverse the horrendous loss of 15 per cent GDP since leaving the EU.WhatServicesThe greatest revenge would be Britain back in the EUIt’s not merely a matter of the pound and Schengen. We also had an opt-out from ever closer union, meaning in the end the EU could theoretically have consisted of the other 27 countries as one, and us – but we would have had almost the same voting rights as all the rest. Additionally, we cannot hope for such an advantageous financial package.Not unreasonably, the people of Europe do not think, on the whole, that having rejected them we should have the full benefit of what we rejected. If the roles were reversed, be honest – who here would think differently?However, I would say to them that if you want revenge upon the Brexiters like Farage and BoJo and their helpers… if you want to see Gove and Cummings humiliated and see Trump as well as Putin receive a poke in the eye, then offer us precisely the terms we had on leaving – the only caveat being perhaps that we wouldn’t be able to veto others from joining for the following 10 years.Because the greatest revenge upon them would be to see Britain back in the EU. The only greater revenge would be that, plus they all end up in jail for treason – which they entirely deserve.AFTGTSIVSome of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day’s top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click ‘log in’ or ‘register’ in the top right corner to sign in or sign up.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here. More