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.Read moreEleven Labour councillors have been suspended from the party over their membership of a WhatsApp group that has already seen two MPs lose the whip.Former health minister Andrew Gwynne was sacked over the weekend for offensive messages sent in the group, named Trigger Me Timbers.On Monday, Oliver Ryan, who was elected as MP for Burnley last summer, became the second MP to have the whip withdrawn over his involvement in the group.Now, almost a dozen more Labour members – including Mr Gwynne’s wife – are understood to have been suspended.Other councillors who were administratively suspended on Tuesday are understood to include former council leader Brenda Warrington, and Claire Reid, a member of Labour’s national policy forum.The group’s members come from Tameside and Stockport councils.Andrew Gwynne was sacked as a minister after the messages emerged 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.Read moreRachel Reeves has enjoyed a welcome boost by optimistic new growth figures, but has been warned that threatened tariffs from Donald Trump could damage the UK economy.Economists at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) said Britain could become the third fastest growing country in the G7 this year – but the economy would be knocked if there was a trade dispute with the divisive US president.Niesr said it was projecting that the UK economy would grow by 1.5 per cent this year, lifting its previous forecast of 1.2 per cent, which is mostly driven by the spending programme announced by the chancellor in the October Budget.However, economists at the top think tank warned that GDP growth was likely to be 0.2 percentage points lower in the first year of tariffs if they were implemented by president Trump.Extra costs on goods entering the US could also fuel inflation and delay interest rate cuts, affecting mortgages, Niesr warned. The revelation increases pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to secure a carve out for the UK after president Trump said he could exempt Australia from punishing tariffs on steel.Trump has not made his position on tariffs for the UK clear, leaving Starmer guessing for now 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.Read moreMore than a dozen MPs are pushing for the government to include consideration for a four-day working week as part of a new set of workers rights rules.The MPs, 12 Labour and one Green, have called for the Government to set up a body to look into bringing in a four-day week across the economy.The group is calling for an amendment to the Employment Rights Bill, which proposes new workers rights such as flexible working and a ban on zero-hours contracts.Peter Dowd, the Labour MP who put forward the amendment, said that with things like artificial intelligence enabling people to work more efficiently, the benefits “must be passed back to workers”.“A four-day, 32-hour working week is the future of work and I urge my party to back this amendment so we can begin a much wider transition.”Maya Ellis, Labour MP for Ribble Valley, said: “Data shows that working four days leads to greater productivity than five.“That means in public organisations for example, that we can get through a higher volume of tasks, creating the increase in capacity we so desperately need to see in our public services.”A four-day working week with no loss of pay is becoming more popular in the UK. 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.Read moreMPs who previously supported the assisted dying bill have announced that they will change their vote after a major safeguard was ditched from the proposed legislation.It comes as Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP behind the historic bill, today announced her intention to get rid of the much-vaunted safeguard of a High Court judge having the final say in court over an application.Ms Leadbeater now wants to replace that stage with a commission made up of psychiatrists and social workers who would be involved in approvingapplications. The MP for Batley and Spen denied that she was watering down the safeguard, but the dramatic move has already changed the perspective of some MPs.Kim Leadbeater 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.Read moreThe UK has brought sanctions against a Russian organisation facilitating cyber attacks, as David Lammy pledged to crack down on “Russia’s lawless cyber underworld”.Ministers have announced measures against six individuals as well as the firms ZSERVERS and XHOST Internet Solutions LP. Sanctions have also been announced by the US.The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) described ZSERVERS as providing infrastructure for cyber criminals carrying out ransomware attacks against the UK.A ransomware attack is when bad actors breach a system and access files, usually either stealing them or locking them on that system. Payment will then be demanded – often in cryptocurrency – under the guise of the files being released, although this is not always guaranteed.Security minister Dan Jarvis has described ransomware “by Russian affiliated cyber crime gangs” as  “some of the most harmful cyber threats we face today”.Foreign Secretary Mr Lammy said that ministers will work with others to “constrain the Kremlin”.Responding to Tuesday’s measures, he said: “Putin has built a corrupt mafia state driven by greed and ruthlessness.“It is no surprise that the most unscrupulous extortionists and cyber criminals run rampant from within his borders.“This Government will continue to work with partners to constrain the Kremlin and the impact of Russia’s lawless cyber underworld. We must counter their actions at every opportunity to safeguard the UK’s national security and deliver on our plan for change.”Last year the UK, US and Australia all sanctioned the Russian leader of LockBit, one of the world’s most prolific ransomware groups.According to the FCDO, LockBit affiliates have used ZSERVERS in their targeting of the UK with ransomware attacks.Security minister Mr Jarvis said: “Ransomware attacks by Russian affiliated cyber crime gangs are some of the most harmful cyber threats we face today and the Government is tackling them head-on.“Denying cyber criminals the tools of their trade weakens their capacity to do serious harm to the UK.“We have already announced new world-first proposals to deter ransomware attacks and destroy their business model.“With these targeted sanctions and the full weight of our law enforcement, we are countering the threats we face to protect our national security, a foundation of our Plan for Change, and our economy.”A statement from the US Department of the Treasury said that the trilateral response “underscores our collective resolve” to protect national security.Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T Smith said in a statement: “Ransomware actors and other cyber criminals rely on third-party network service providers like Zservers to enable their attacks on US and international critical infrastructure.” More

UK can ‘cuddle’ EU and US at the same time amid Trump tariff threats, minister saysYour 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.Read moreKemi Badenoch has ruled out the prospect of an electoral pact with Reform UK, as Nigel Farage’s party tops a number of national polls and surpasses 200,000 members.The Conservative party leader called the idea of striking a deal one “for the birds”, warning Reform would drive away Tory voters who did not want to see her “get into bed” with Farage.It comes as Reform achieved its highest lead in a YouGov poll to date, with 26 per cent of voters surveyed saying they would vote for the party, up one percentage point on the previous week.The pollsters’ most recent voting intention poll, taken on Sunday and Monday, saw Labour following closely behind at 25 per cent of voters, also up one percentage point on last week, while the Tories stayed the same at 21 per cent.Meanwhile, the UK government claimed Britain’s special relationship with the US is “very good” despite Donald Trump’s announcement of global tariffs in his latest move in an escalating trade war.EU President Ursula von der Leyen responded that the new US president’s “unjustified” 25 per cent tariff on steel “will not go unanswered”, with Trump also threatening additional duties on aluminium.It comes as a row broke out after the Labour MP behind new assisted dying legislation, Kim Leadbeater, announced she would be removing the major safeguard of decisions needing to be signed off by a high court judge.Meanwhile, Oliver Ryan became the second Labour MP to be suspended from the party amid a row over alleged sexist, homophobic and racist messages in a constituency WhatsApp group. The scandal had already cost Andrew Gwynne his job as a junior health minister.British industry should avoid ‘knee-jerk’ reaction to US tariffs, warns trade ministerTrade minister Douglas Alexander said British industry needs a “cool and clear-headed” response rather than a “knee-jerk” reaction to moves by the United States to impose 25 per cent tariffs on British steel exports.Responding to an urgent question, Mr Alexander told the Commons: “We have seen the proclamation issued by President Trump overnight which enforces a full return to 25 per cent tariffs on US steel imports on March 12 2025.“Only details on steel have so far been published by the United States, not on aluminium. The intended effect of this proclamation is to revoke existing arrangements that have avoided these tariffs, such as the UK-US resolution, as well as any separately agreed product exclusions from the tariffs.“What British industry needs and deserves is not a knee-jerk reaction but a cool and clear-headed sense of the UK’s national interest based on a full assessment of all the implications of the US’s actions.”Tara Cobham11 February 2025 14:40UK ‘stands ready’ to find solutions that work for both countries, says trade ministerTrade minister Douglas Alexander said the UK “stands ready” to find solutions that work for both countries.He said meetings will be held with representatives of the steel industry and trade union on Tuesday afternoon, adding in the Commons: “The Secretary of State for Business and Trade is in touch with representatives of the British steel industry and will be meeting them within the next 24 hours.“Since July we have engaged in a systematic way with the UK steel sector and we will continue to engage with UK industries impacted by potential tariffs.“Historically we’ve benefited from a strong and balanced trade relationship with the United States worth around £300 billion and supporting millions of jobs, so in trade policy we stand ready to work with President Trump to find solutions that work for both the United Kingdom and the United States.”Tara Cobham11 February 2025 14:20Badenoch rules out pact with Reform Kemi Badenoch has ruled out the prospect of an electoral pact with Reform UK, as Nigel Farage’s party tops a number of national polls and surpasses 200,000 members.The Conservative party leader called the idea of striking a deal one “for the birds”, warning Reform would drive away Tory voters who did not want to see her “get into bed” with Farage.Kemi Badenoch has ruled out the prospect of an electoral pact with Reform UK More