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 moreSir Keir Starmer has been accused of continuing the previous Tory government’s so-called “hostile environment” approach to migration after the Home Office hailed a new crackdown on immigration crime. On Sunday, the government announced that nearly 13,500 migrants have been removed from Britain since the election, as well as pledging to put £8m towards technology for immigration enforcement operations such as raids and arrests. It comes after Labour previously pledged to return more people who do not have a right to stay in the country halfway through their first year in office than any other six-month period since 2018.While the government said the figures show it is on track to deliver on its returns pledge, which would need to be met by early January, campaigners have hit out at the approach, comparing it to that of the previous Tory government. The Conservative Party, which put a controversial plan to send migrants to Rwanda at the centre of their migration strategy, was often accused of using dehumanising language to describe refugees.Julia Tinsley-Kent, head of policy and communications at the Migrants’ Rights Network told The Independent: “In line with previous governments, the new government has made it crystal clear that it is content to continue the trend of criminalising migration.Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, second left, during a Calais Group meeting on Tuesday (PA/Henry Nicholls) 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 “tractor tax” row has taken a dramatic new turn after a pro-Labour tax expert used by Sir Keir Starmer to support the move called on him to reverse his decision.Labour-supporting tax campaigner Dan Neidle says the Budget decision to charge death tax on family farms worth over £1m should be dumped in favour of a £20m threshold.It would remove at a stroke the threat of farmers who want to pass on their farms to their children being forced to sell up to pay a massive tax bill, said Mr Neidle. Instead, the government should target rich landowners who use the current inheritance tax (IHT) exemption on farms as a tax dodge, he argued.Insisting his “dramatic and simple” blueprint to end the row is “workable”, he said it was time for all concerned to do some “proper thinking” and ignore “the political noise”. Farmers protest the tax in Westminster this week 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 been urged to “get serious” about boosting the economy and forge closer links with the EU as the UK prepares to formally join a partnership of Asia-Pacific countries which he once said would yield “very small” benefits.Rishi Sunak’s government predicted that the post-Brexit trade deal would grow the economy by a tiny 0.08 per cent, but it later emerged that even that may be an overestimate, according to the government’s own documents.After failing to secure its original objective of a Brexit trade deal with the United States, the Tory government presented joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) as a flagship agreement and a major benefit of leaving the European Union. Last year, while still in opposition, Sir Keir warned that the benefits would be “very small”. The UK is being urged to forge better relationships with the EU post-Brexit 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 moreNigel Farage’s Reform UK is just three points behind the Tories as the latest Techne UK tracker poll appears to confirm a three-way split at the top of UK politics.The rightwing populist party this week unveiled former Tory donor Nick Candy, better known as the husband of actress Holly Valance, as a member as well as controversial former Conservative MP Aidan Burley, infamous for once organising a Nazi themed stag do.According to the latest poll Reform have nudged up one point to 22 per cent, with Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives on 25 per cent and Keir Starmer’s under fire Labour government on 27 per cent, both unchanged.The Lib Dems are down one point on 11 per cent while the Greens are unchanged on 7 per cent.Farage unveiled Candy as a Tory defector to Reform 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 more Top diplomats from the United States, the Arab League and Turkey are meeting in Jordan to discuss plans and goals to assist Syria’s transition from the deposed government of Bashar Assad.Some 12 foreign ministers and senior officials from the European Union and United Nations on Saturday gathered in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba to try to forge consensus on what new leadership in Syria should prioritize. No Syrian representatives are set to attend, however.The collapse of the Assad family’s more than half-century of rule last week has sparked new fears of instability and turmoil in a volatile region already immersed in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza and hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon despite a tenuous ceasefire.The U.S. is also making a renewed push for an ceasefire in Gaza, where the war has plunged more than 2 million Palestinians into a severe humanitarian crisis.Israel’s war against Hamas has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.The October 2023 Hamas attack that sparked the war killed some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and around 250 others were taken hostage. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.Here’s the latest: US Secretary of State Blinken wrapping up regional tour in Jordan AQABA, Jordan — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says broad consensus exists among regional partners that Syria’s new government must be inclusive, must respect women and minority rights, reject terrorism and secure and destroy suspected Assad-era chemical weapons stockpiles.Blinken is wrapping up a three-country regional tour in Aqaba after visiting Iraq, Turkey and Jordan once already this week. Earlier Saturday in a meeting with U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pederson, Blinken said he expected to talk about the challenges ahead for Syria and “our determination to work together to support a Syrian-led transition where the United Nations plays a critical role, particularly when it comes to the provision of assistance, to the protection of minorities.”Pederson agreed, saying: “What is so critical in Syria is that we see a credible and inclusive political process that brings together all communities in Syria. And the second point is that we need to make sure that state institutions do not collapse, and that we get in humanitarian assistance as quickly as possible. And if we can achieve that, perhaps there is a new opportunity for the Syrian people.”In announcing Saturday’s meetings, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said the ministers would “discuss ways to support a comprehensive political process led by Syrians to achieve a transitional process,” which “ensures the reconstruction of Syrian state institutions, and preserves Syria’s unity, territorial integrity, sovereignty, security, stability, and the rights of all its citizens.” 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 moreBrussels is said to be preparing to ask the UK to follow European Union laws for the first time since Brexit as part of plans for a new trade deal with Sir Keir Starmer.It comes as the prime minister attempts to reset the UK’s relationship with the bloc after years of tense relations under successive Conservative prime ministers. While the prime minister has repeatedly insisted the UK will not rejoin the single market within his lifetime, he has pledged to “make Brexit work” by renegotiating the deal agreed upon by Boris Johnson and pursue closer co-operation, particularly on defence, security and trade.A blueprint for European negotiators looking at the trade deal, seen by The Times, indicates that EU leaders are planning to make UK acceptance of the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) a red line for an improved trading relationship.The document also reportedly sets out British concessions on fishing and a youth mobility scheme as key priorities for the EU.The prime minister is currently attempting to pursue a reset with the EU 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 more Donald Trump hosted Apple CEO Tim Cook for a Friday evening dinner at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly. Cook is the latest in a string of big tech leaders — including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — who have sought to improve their standing with the incoming president after choppy relations with Trump during his first term.Trump has said he has spoken with Cook about the company’s long-running tax battles with the European Union. The meeting comes less than two months after Trump said he spoke to Cook by phone, and soon after Apple lost its last appeal in a dispute with the EU over 13 billion euros ($14.34 billion) in back taxes to Ireland. “He said the European Union has just fined us $15 billion,” Trump recalled of his conversation with Cook, in an October interview with podcaster Patrick Bet-David. “Then on top of that they got fined by the European Union another $2 billion.”The decision by the EU top court was the finale to a dispute that centered on sweetheart deals that Dublin was offering to attract multinational businesses with minimal taxes across the 27-nation bloc. The European Commission in 2016 ruled that Ireland granted Apple unlawful aid that Ireland was required to recover.Trump’s transition team and Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment about his dinner with Cook.OpenAI CEO Altman is planning to make a $1 million personal donation to Trump’s inauguration fund, the company confirmed Friday. Amazon and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, confirmed this week they had each donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund.During his first term, Trump criticized Amazon and railed against the political coverage at The Washington Post, which Bezos owns. Meanwhile, Bezos had criticized some of Trump’s past rhetoric. In 2019, Amazon also argued in a court case that Trump’s bias against the company harmed its chances of winning a $10 billion Pentagon contract. More recently, Bezos has struck a more conciliatory tone. Last week, he said at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York that he was “optimistic” about Trump’s second term while also endorsing president-elect’s plans to cut regulations.The donation from Meta came just weeks after Meta CEO Zuckerberg met with Trump privately at Mar-a-Lago. During the 2024 campaign, Zuckerberg did not endorse a candidate for president, but voiced a more positive stance toward Trump. Earlier this year, he praised Trump’s response to his first assassination attempt. 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 moreBritain is not properly prepared to defend itself in a war with Russia and cannot rely on the United States and Nato, a retired senior general has warned.Writing in The Independent, Sir Richard Shirreff, who served as Nato’s deputy supreme allied commander in Europe from 2011 to 2014, said another global conflict will only be prevented if there is a “band of deterrent steel from the Baltic to the Black Sea” – something he said the UK may have to be prepared to help realise without the support of Washington.His dramatic intervention comes alongside warnings from former defence secretary Ben Wallace and Labour peer Admiral Lord West that a failure to prioritise defence would be a grave error for the prime minister. Lord West’s warning follows a foreboding speech by Nato general secretary Mark Rutte who said the West is not ready to deal with the threat of war from Russia, declaring it is “time to shift to a wartime mindset and turbocharge our defence production”. Richard Shirreff’s intervention comes amid global turmoil More