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 moreCloseBritish sovereignty over the Falkland Islands is not up for negotiation, Downing Street has said after Argentinian president Javier Milei declared that the territory “will become Argentine again”.The libertarian leader, who idolises Margaret Thatcher, said Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has shown the path for Argentina to claim sovereignty over the Falklands “in the long term”.But, hitting back at the claim on Tuesday, Sir Keir’s official spokesman said: “Sovereignty of the Falkland Islands is not up for negotiation.”Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said sovereignty over the islands is ‘not up for negotiation’ 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 moreCloseA former Tory MP inappropriately touched a woman’s bottom in one of parliament’s bars without her consent, according a damning report by the Commons sleaze watchdog.Aaron Bell, who suddenly stepped down before the general election despite having campaigned for six days, was found to have touched the complainant’s left thigh, waist and bottom “inappropriately and without her consent” last December in Parliament’s Strangers’ bar.The damning report, by parliament’s standards commissioner, described the incident as “brazen and drunken” sexual misconduct. It found Mr Bell “abused his position of power over the complainant”, citing the significant age gap between the two and his role as an MP and assistant government whip.And it said the complainant felt targeted as a young, female and junior member of staff “who would risk considerable adverse impacts on her career if she made a complaint”.The panel investigating Mr Bell found that it was “a serious case of sexual misconduct involving an abuse of power”. And it said, had Mr Bell remained an MP after the general election, it would have considered recommending a significant suspension from the Commons.Had he been eligible for a former MPs’ pass, which lets ex-members access the estate after standing down, the panel would have asked MPs to vote for its indefinite removal.The report concluded: “In the circumstances ‘this Report will stand as a published reprimand for the respondent’s misconduct’.”In May, Mr Bell joined a growing exodus of Tory MPs quitting before the general election, when the party went on to suffer its worst defeat in history.At the time, he  said it was “with a heavy heart” that he was stepping down, raising questions about why he had been on the campaign trail since Rishi Sunak called the snap summer poll.Days into the contest he had been telling constituents in Newcastle-under-Lyme he wanted to be re-elected.In a statement, Mr Bell said: “I am disappointed at the outcome of the investigation but have chosen not to appeal the findings of the Commissioner.“I apologise for any upset caused to the complainant and wish to make it clear that I did not intend to cause any distress.“This investigation was one of the reasons I chose not to seek re-election at the General Election – I have let down the loyal members of my Association and thank them for the support they gave me as a Member of Parliament. I would also like to apologise to the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme, whom it was an honour to serve.“This has been a difficult time for my family, and I would ask that their privacy is respected at this time.” 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 moreCloseThe man who appeared to have been punched by Labour MP Mike Amesbury in an altercation caught on CCTV has been named.The MP for Runcorn and Helsby was “administratively suspended” from the Labour Party on Monday evening after CCTV footage appeared to show him punching a man to the ground in his Cheshire constituency at 2:15am on Saturday.Bystander footage had emerged the previous day in which Mr Amesbury appeared to stand over a man shouting: “You won’t threaten the MP ever again, will you?”The former shadow minister said in a statement on on Sunday that he had contacted Cheshire Police to report what had happened after he was “involved in an incident that took place after I felt threatened on the street following an evening with friends”.Cheshire Police said they were called to reports of an assault in Frodsham in the early hours of Saturday, and confirmed that a 55-year-old man had been voluntarily interviewed under caution in relation to the incident, having since been released pending further inquiries.Paul Fellows was named as the man apparently punched by Mike Amesbury 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 moreCloseRobert Jenrick has been accused of “an obnoxious distortion of history” after saying former British colonies should be grateful for the legacy of empire.The Conservative Party leadership hopeful said Commonwealth nations owe Britain a “debt of gratitude” for the democratic institutions they inherited after gaining independence from the UK.Writing in the Daily Mail, he said: “Many of our former colonies — amid the complex realities of empire — owe us a debt of gratitude for the inheritance we left them.”Mr Jenrick, a former Home Office minister, is battling against Kemi Badenoch this weekend to head up the Tory Party.Speaking to The Independent, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Afrikan reparations, described Mr Jenrick’s remarks as deeply offensive.”These comments are deeply offensive and an obnoxious distortion of history,” the MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill said.“Enslavement and colonialism were not ‘gifts’ but imposed systems that brutally exploited people, extracted wealth, and dismantled societies, all for the benefit of Britain.“To suggest that former colonies should be ‘grateful’ for such unimaginable harm disregards the legacy of these injustices and the long-term impact they still have on many nations today.”The MP suggested that such comments from Mr Jenrick may serve to alienate Britain from the international community and harm economic prospects.“Following Brexit, we need to establish ourselves as a nation that everyone can do business with; we cannot afford such vile baseless commentary,” she explained.“Whilst it might send perfectly pitched dog whistles for a Tory leadership contest, these insulting sentiments are catastrophic for international relations.“Any wannabe leader should have the sense to understand that.”Labour councillor Zainab Asunramu suggested Mr Jenrick’s comments show that he’s unfit to be the next Conservative Party leader.“Raping, pillaging, murdering and enslaving Black people and subjecting them to sustained, abhorrent, inhumane and degrading treatment…that is a legacy he is proud of?,” she said.“Jenrick is not fit for office, let alone to be a leader of any political party in the UK.”Writer Ian Birrell added: “Just when you thought Jenrick couldn’t look any more desperate and ridiculous….”Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, lawyer and activist, described Mr Jenrick as a “political illiterate”, adding: “Britain would be nothing without colonised African and Asian nations.”Mr Jenrick has addressed the topic of slavery reparations before, recently calling Britain to reject such calls.During a speech at the Henry Jackson Society, a right-wing think tank, last week, he said: “While the topic of overseas aid and reparations is being discussed, let me confront it head-on.“We must unequivocally reject these claims, they are based on false and misleading narratives about our past, after all it was Britain that worked harder than nearly any other country to eradicate the slave trade.”This comes after dozens of Commonwealth nations, many of whom are former colonies and territories of Britain, lobbied Britain to discuss reparations at a recent summit.Prime minister Keir Starmer rejected the idea of reparations payments which yielded criticism. 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 moreCloseAs Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer assures the public that “working people” have nothing to fear from Wednesday’s Budget, confusion has arisen over who exactly qualifies as a “working person.”Labour has promised not to raise taxes on working people, but the term remains unclear, with care minister Stephen Kinnock recently dodging questions on whether those earning over £100,000 fall into that category. The prime minister triggered a backlash by implying that landlords and those with shares may not be classified as working people. After public outcry, Downing Street clarified that individuals whose primary income comes from work — not investments — are still considered working people.Meanwhile, health secretary Wes Streeting has said he considers himself a “working person,” despite earning £160,000 annually, and suggested that the government’s decisions are primarily focused on those with low and middle incomes. He told Sky News: “In our manifesto we were very clear about the steps we were going to take to protect working people, which was ruling out increases in income tax, national insurance and VAT, and despite all the pressures that we are under and the scale of the black hole in the public finances, we will honour every single one of those commitments.“Just on this ‘working person point’, I think what we mean is when we’re making decisions, especially in the context of a Budget, who do we have in our mind’s eye?”As Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares to deliver Labour’s first Budget in 14 years, we want to hear your views. How should “working people” be defined? Should high earners or those with investments be included? And how should this affect decisions in the upcoming Budget?Share your thoughts by adding them in the comments — we’ll highlight the most insightful ones as they come in.All you have to do is sign up and register your details — then you can take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen. 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 moreCloseSir Keir Starmer’s approval rating has collapsed more significantly after winning an election than any other prime minister in modern history, a new poll has shown.Following the July election, which saw the Labour Party win a landslide majority of 174 seats, the prime minister approval rating reached a high of plus 11. But by October, just days before Rachel Reeves’ Budget on Wednesday, new polling from More in Common showed that the prime minister’s personal approval rating has fallen to -38 – a net drop of 49 points.His rating is now lower than that of former prime minister Rishi Sunak, which now sits at -31 following an increase of six points since he lost the election.Sir Keir’s approval rating has collapsed since winning the election 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 moreCloseRachel Reeves will raise the minimum wage by 6 per cent at Wednesday’s Budget, handing a pay rise to more than a million workers on low incomes.The chancellor is due to announce the inflation-busting hike when she delivers her first financial statement, with the increase higher than predicted in September.The boost will benefit young people the most, as the government will ensure 18 to 20-year-olds are paid the same rate as older workers – closing the current gap.Rachel Reeves will become the first woman to deliver a Budget More