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In the latest U-turn after months of backlash, the government has announced a massive expansion of who will receive winter fuel payments. After weeks of speculation over what the changes would look like, it has now been confirmed that 9 million pensions will be eligible for the payment – a huge uplift from the 1.5 million pensioners who received the payment in winter 2024-25. Here, The Independent looks at how the new system will work and who will be affected by the uplift. Rachel Reeves says more details will be revealed in the autumn Budget More

A significant demonstration is planned for Saturday in London to protest government spending cuts and welfare reforms.Organised by The People’s Assembly, the group says they anticipate a large turnout, with trade unionists, campaigners, and activists expected to converge in central London to voice their opposition.The group has criticised the government, arguing that recent cost-cutting measures are likely to disproportionately affect the most vulnerable members of society.A spokesperson said: “The adherence to ‘fiscal rules’ traps us in a public service funding crisis, increasing poverty, worsening mental health and freezing public sector pay.“Scrapping winter fuel payments, keeping the Tory two-child benefit cap, abandoning Waspi women, cutting £5 billion of welfare by limiting PIP and universal credit eligibility, and slashing UK foreign aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP, while increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, are presented as ‘tough choices.’“Real tough choices would be for a Labour government to tax the rich and their hidden wealth, to fund public services, fair pay, investment in communities and the NHS.”( More

In a latest U-turn after months of backlash, Sir Keir Starmer’s government has announced that more pensioners will receive the winter fuel allowance this winter. Rachel Reeves confirmed a change on the controversial cuts would be in place in time for this winter, but said the government would not set out details of exactly how the payment will be restored until the autumn Budget. There remains confusion over who will be affected by the changes, when they will be introduced and what they will entail, but pensions minister Torsten Bell has said that the payment would not be reinstated for everyone. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said how the changes will be paid for will be made clear in the October budget More

Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs on Wednesday (4 June), days after unveiling the UK’s defence strategy for the next decade.On Monday (2 May), the prime minister announced his Strategic Defence Review with the aim to move the UK to “warfighting readiness”.The government said that it will increase defence spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product from April 2027.Sir Keir also announced plans to build up to 12 new attack submarines which will replace the current fleet from the late 2030s onwards, and also confirmed that £15billion will be spent on its nuclear warhead programme.As the Labour government hikes up defence spending, opposition leaders will likely challenge the Prime Minister over what funding areas will have to be slashed in order to compensate.He will face questions in the Commons at noon, the majority from the Conservative leader who trivialised the plans as “just an announcement” as “a lot of the things they’ve announced in this strategic defence review require money”.Badenoch could also press the prime minister on the increasing numbers of small boat crossings.On Saturday (31 May), more than 1,100 migrants arrived in the UK, the highest number recorded on a single day so far in 2025. More

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton has been chosen to be the next head of all three armed forces, The Independent understands.Sir Keir Starmer is understood to have picked the head of the RAF to lead the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as chief of the defence staff from this autumn.The appointment has not yet been officially announced, although it is expected to be confirmed soon, amid what has been billed as the most transformative period for the MoD in decades. It comes a day after the prime minister vowed to make Britain “a battle-ready, armour-clad nation” as he unveiled his strategic defence review (SDR), which included an army boosted to 100,000 personnel, 12 new submarines, drones and a rollout of Artificial Intelligence.Sir Richard, 56, is a career engineer who has been described as a “defence bureaucrat” as well as the “money guy” due to his ability to handle finances, with previous experience controlling the RAF’s budget. He is known as a safe pair of hands and has also rolled out personnel reform in the service.Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer (left) speaks with Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton (second right) last month More

Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer launches the landmark Strategic Defence Review in Glasgow, unveiling new measures as the country moves to “warfighting readiness”.The prime minister will announce that the UK plans to build up to 12 new attack submarines which will replace the current fleet from the late 2030s onwards, during his speech on Monday (2 June).He is also expected to confirm that £15billion will be spent on its nuclear warhead programme.The review, led by former Labour defence secretary Lord Roberston, will make an 60 additional recommendations, which the Labour government is expected to agree to in full.Speaking on BBC’s Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday (2 June), Sir Keir could not rule out the possibility of sending forces to Nato’s eastern border.Asked by Nick Robinson if British troops could be sent “risk their lives” and “possibly die”, the prime minister said he “hopes not”, though stressed the only way to stop this was to “prepare”.On Sunday (1 June), German’s chief of Defence, General Carsten Breuer, told the broadcaster that Russia would attack again within the next four years.Sir Keir also said earlier that while he wants to reach spending of 3% of GDP on defence, he would not “indulge in the fantasy politics of simply plucking dates from the air”. More

Britain will build up to 12 new nuclear-powered submarines, Sir Keir Starmer will announce as he unveils his much-anticipated defence review. In a bid to “ensure the UK rises to the challenge” of growing global security threats, the prime minister will say that the 130-page review is a “radical blueprint” signalling a “wave of investments” into military infrastructure and weaponry. An extra £15bn will be spent on new nuclear warheads for the UK’s nuclear deterrent.Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and defence secretary John Healey visit a Vanguard-class submarine off the coast of Scotland More

Britain will build up to 12 new nuclear-powered submarines, Sir Keir Starmer will announce as he unveils his much-anticipated defence review. In a bid to “ensure the UK rises to the challenge” of growing global security threats, the prime minister will say that the 130-page review is a “radical blueprint” signalling a “wave of investments” into military infrastructure and weaponry. An extra £15bn will be spent on new nuclear warheads for the UK’s nuclear deterrent.Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and defence secretary John Healey visit a Vanguard-class submarine off the coast of Scotland More