UK Politics

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseBridget Phillipson has been urged to take immediate action to tackle the use of smartphones by children in schools by a group of educators “deeply concerned” about their impact.In an open letter to the education secretary, 30 education leaders said there is clear evidence that “children at smartphone-free schools do better”, urging her to put in place effective restrictions on their use.The letter said: “Pupils achieve GCSE results 1-2 grades higher on average than those with more permissive policies. Studies show that results of disadvantaged and underachieving pupils improve fastest when a school removes smartphones.”Campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood has encouraged all schools to restrict the use of mobiles by putting them in lockers or similar, demanding the government to commit funding to support schools which wish to do so.Bridget Phillipson has been urged to take immediate action to tackle the use of smartphones by children in schools More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseLabour’s new workers’ rights legislation is under fire, with one union boss claiming the legislation has “more holes than Swiss cheese”.While others have hailed the Employment Rights Bill as bringing a “seismic shift” for workers, Sir Keir Starmer has still been urged to go further in his bid to shift the balance of power between employers and employees.The legislation, being published on Thursday, will include plans to ban exploitative zero-hours contracts and “unscrupulous” fire and rehire practices which it said will benefit millions of workers.Fire Brigade Union general secretary Matt Wrack welcomes the planned Employment Bill (Clive Gee/PA) More

The culture secretary has defended Labour’s winter fuel payment cut, insisting “No pensioner will be worse off this winter”.Lisa Nandy insisted the government is taking “tough decisions to stabilize the economy”, when she appeared on ITV’s Peston show on Wednesday evening (9 October).Ms Nandy insisted: “We haven’t taken £300 from pensioners“There are many hundreds of families paying hundreds of pounds more in rent or mortgages because of the economic chaos caused by the previous government.”Ms Nandy said the government is working hard to ensure the poorest pensioners are on pensioner credit.She said: “No pensioner will be worse off this winter than the last winter.” More

Your support helps us to tell the storyThis election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreCloseWarnings are ramping up ahead of Rachel Reeves’ first budget on October 30, with the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) indicating that the chancellor may need to raise up to £25 billion from tax rises in order to avoid a return to austerity.The IFS warned that a change to the borrowing rules, which is being considered by the Treasury, would do “almost nothing” to ease the challenge of funding public services.Ms Reeves, who has promised to meet day-to-day spending out of revenues, would still need to turn to tax rises to avoid spending cuts and meet her pledge to borrow only to invest.Former business secretary Lord Mandelson is speaking out as Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares to deliver her first budget on October 30. More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind 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 has set up a team of experts to ensure British firms are complying with anti-Russian sanctions ahead of a visit by Volodymyr Zelensky to Downing Street.The prime minister will welcome his Ukrainian counterpart and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte on Thursday.Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in 2022, Britain rolled out its most comprehensive set of sanctions against any major economy, with over £20bn worth of trade with Russia targeted.The sanctions have deprived Russia of more than £300bn of funds since February 2022, the government has said.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Leon Neal/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind 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 ThomasEditorUnion chiefs have hailed workers’ rights reforms unveiled by Keir Starmer’s government today for “changing the balance of power” in favour of employees and away from employers.The long-awaited package to unpick Tory anti-union legislation has been unveiled less than 24 hours after the Renters’ Rights Bill passed its second reading in the Commons.Experts also hailed that legislation as handing power to tenants and away from landlords as Labour pushed through a revolution to protect the rights of millions of people in the UK.The dual reforms, which aim to end exploitation in the UK, come in a week when Sir Keir has sought to put behind him the rows about freebies and his former chief of staff Sue Gray by taking a grip on the political agenda with a new top team around him led by Morgan McSweeney.The workers’ rights reforms will see an end to exploitative contracts and fire-and-rehire practices while also including the repeal of anti-strike laws put in place by successive Tory governments.Meanwhile, the renters’ reforms end the practice of no-fault evictions and protect the rights of people to stay in their homes.Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind 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 ThomasEditorLabour’s flagship overhaul of private renting laws has been debated in parliament and is set to progress as the party reaches its 100th day in power. The Renters’ Rights Bill sets out a raft of new legislation designed to give greater rights and protections to private renters in the UK, as set out in Labour’s election manifesto.The delivery of the new bill is being led by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who is also the housing secretary. The Labour minister has said she is “determined to get this bill into law as soon as possible.”Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and chancellor Rachel Reeves More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind 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 Tory civil war has erupted again after MPs decided to make the leadership final the most right-wing in the party’s history.Less than two hours after hard-right candidates Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick made it to the last round of the Tory leadership contest, the camps started attacking each other.Jenrick cheerleader Tory MP Sir John Hayes took a sideswipe at Ms Badenoch, saying the Conservatives do not want an “irascible leadership” – a thinly veiled reference to claims that she is “abrasive” at times.Badenoch cheerleader Tory MP Nigel Huddleston hit back suggesting Mr Jenrick had “too many specific policies”.This appeared to be a reference to Mr Jenrick’s detailed leadership manifesto which includes a pledge for Britain to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights.The barbs, exchanged in a BBC Radio interview less than two hours after Ms Badenoch and Mr Jenrick came first and second in the latest vote of the Conservative leadership race, defeating James Cleverly, put an end to Tory hopes that the leadership contest would not provoke more infighting.South Holland and The Deeping MP Sir John said: “Robert has a much broader experience of government than Kemi. He is appealing and can unite the party. We don’t need an irascible leadership. We want a leadership that is emollient but principled.”When Droitwich and Evesham MP Mr Huddleston was asked to respond to the suggestion that Ms Badenoch is “irascible”, he said: “Kemi can connect with lots of people. Her message is very different from the others. She starts from first principles and values that will unite all Conservatives. Other candidates have gone out there with very deep dive specific policies.”Meanwhile, the defeated One Nation centrist candidate James Cleverly accepted defeat gracefully and appealed for unity.Tory members now get to vote on Ms Badenoch and Mr Jenrick who have both been seen as culture warriors.Mr Jenrick wants the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights while Ms Badenoch has been accused of being transphobic. More