UK Politics

Ed Balls told security minister Dan Jarvis to “stop waffling” as the pair clashed over Labour’s plans to release prisoners early.The security minister appeared on Good Morning Britain on Thursday (11 July) to discuss his party’s plans to release prisoners early.Mr Balls asked how releasing prisoners is going to make people safer and told Mr Jarvis to “stop waffling” with his answer.The security minister replied: “We have inherited a situation where our prisons are in crisis.”Mr Jarvis added: “No one who is a risk to public safety will be released.” More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 ThomasEditorJoe Biden has backed Keir Starmer’s ambitions to take the UK back closer to the European Union.The president, who has been a critic of Brexit and the UK’s departure from the EU, made it clear he values the special relationship but only as a “knot” tying together the US and Europe.He made his comments as Sir Keir had his first audience with the president in the Oval Office since winning the election last week.President Biden said: “I kind of see you guys as the knot tying the transatlantic alliance together, the closer you are with Europe. We know where you are, you know where we are.”Sir Keir responded: “Well I think that’s absolutely right.”Biden and Starmer shake hands in the Oval Office More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 begun to reset Britain’s relations with key allies as his plan to ensure Ukraine’s pathway to joining Nato is irreversible is set to be adopted.The new prime minister arrived in Washington with support for his aim to protect Ukraine’s entry process into the Nato alliance from any potential interference from a Trump presidency.He has spoken of his hopes that military and economic aid to Ukraine from Nato will be Donald Trump-proof should the former US president retake the White House in November.With Nato leaders making the war in Ukraine one of their main topics, Sir Keir’s long-term call – which he made as Labour opposition leader – for the “irreversible” membership strategy is expected to be a key part of discussions.Prime minister Keir Starmer meets Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of the Nato summit in Washington on Wednesday More

Sir Keir Starmer stepped out of Nato meetings on Wednesday 10 July to watch Harry Kane score a first-half penalty in England’s Euro 2024 semi-final.The Three Lions went 1-0 down to the Netherlands early in the match, before the captain was caught late inside the box.After a VAR check, referee Felix Zwayer awarded England a spot kick.Kane stepped up and smashed his penalty home, much to the delight of Sir Keir, who was watching from Washington DC.“Picked the right moment to pop out from Nato meetings and check the score,” the prime minister wrote, sharing footage of himself celebrating the equaliser.England went on to win the match 2-1 in dramatic fashion. More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 said that an urgent plan is to be brought forward next week to tackle overcrowding in prisons after saying conditions are “even worse” than Labour had feared.The new prime minister said the state of Britain’s prisons was a major shock when his new government got to look at the books after winning the election last week.Sir Keir was unable to guarantee that dangerous criminals would not be released early, although he ruled out sexual offenders and child abusers.Speaking to journalists on the plane to the Nato summit in Washington DC, he was asked whether he was surprised when he opened the financial books. But he answered that prisons are the bigger issue.He said: “Some of what we’ve found is shocking, not so much about the finances but I have to say, on prisons, the situation is worse than I thought it was. “I’m pretty shocked that it’s been allowed to get into that situation. It’s reckless to allow them to get to that place. We’ll be saying more about that in short order.”New prime minister Sir Keir said he was shocked by the situation in prisons (Niall Carson/PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 ThomasEditorKeir Starmer has made a point of not pledging to “stop the boats” – considered one of the biggest mistakes of his predecessor, Rishi Sunak.Britain’s new prime minister refused to use the phrase when questioned by journalists about illegal migrant crossings of the Channel.He was speaking on his way to the Nato summit in Washington DC, where President Joe Biden faces his own “migrant crisis” on the Mexican border.One of Sir Keir’s first acts was to cancel the Rwanda deportation flights policy, which Mr Sunak had fought tooth and nail to put in place.Bringing a halt to illegal Channel crossings was one of five key pledges Mr Sunak made to voters in January 2023.He had hoped removing migrants to Rwanda would act as a deterent to those looking to make the dangerous trip to the UK, but the plan was beset by legal challenges and not a single asylum seeker was deported to the East African country.Tackling the small boats issue will be a challenge for the new Prime Minister (Gareth Fuller/PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 ThomasEditor A former Illinois state senator and candidate for governor was sentenced Wednesday in federal court to 3 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to fraudulent use of campaign funds, money laundering and tax evasion. U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Lawless, who also ordered William “Sam” McCann to pay $684,000 in restitution, noted during sentencing that McCann continued to siphon campaign money for personal use even after federal authorities confronted him. And she said he fraudulently claimed that he was physically and mentally unable to stand trial during a bizarre series of delays leading up to his February bench trial. McCann, 54, who declared “God’s got this” after firing his attorneys in 2023 and announcing that he would represent himself, later capitulated and started trial with new representation before throwing in the towel on the third day of testimony. He entered a no-strings open guilty plea to seven counts of wire fraud and one count each of money laundering and tax evasion. He faced up to 20 years in prison for each count of fraud and money laundering alone. A state senator from 2011 to 2019, McCann formed the Conservative Party of Illinois in a 2018 bid for governor. His candidacy drew $3 million in contributions from a labor union which considered him a worker-friendly “lunch-pail Republican.” But even after sitting through four FBI interviews in the summer of 2018, in which he acknowledged misspending, he burned through another $340,000 in campaign funds for personal use during the following year. McCann last lived in Plainview, 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of St. Louis.Trial testimony indicated McCann tapped campaign cash to buy two pickups titled in his name and used personally. He bought a recreational vehicle and trailer which he listed with an Ohio business for online rental by Sam McCann, then used campaign money to rent them from himself under the name William McCann. He did not report the income on his federal tax return, nor did he report a $10,000 refunded campaign check which he deposited into a personal account. Campaign finances paid off a personal loan, made installments on two separate personal mortgages, and were used for more than $100,000 in credit card payments, a Colorado family vacation, store and online purchases and cash withdrawals. After his gubernatorial candidacy ended, he used a payroll service to disguise $187,000 in Conservative Party contributions he paid to himself and another $52,000 for payroll taxes. More

A Labour MP protested against the monarchy as he was sworn into the House of Commons on Wednesday 10 July.Clive Lewis, who represents Norwich South, said prior to his affirmation: “I take this oath under protest and in the hope that one day my fellow citizens will democratically decide to live in a republic.”The MP then shared footage of his protest on social media.“To be sworn in as an MP, you have to make an oath to the King,” Mr Lewis wrote, captioning the footage.“This is what I decided to say, in protest.” More