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Thousands of protesters have taken to streets across the UK in outcry against the “betrayal” of the trans community after a Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman.Amid fears of “massive” consequences for trans people, a major march in central London is estimated by organisers to have drawn at least 5,000 demonstrators on Saturday, while thousands more gathered in towns and cities up and down the country for dozens of other protests, with more planned in the coming days.Trans rights groups, trade unions and community organisations came together for what was billed as an “emergency demonstration” in Parliament Square, with activists demanding “trans liberation” and “trans rights now”. Some waved flags and held banners, with placards stating “trans rights are human rights” and “trans women are women” seen among the signs being held aloft.Campaigners take part in a rally organised by trans rights groups, trade unions, and community organisations at Parliament Square in central London on Saturday More

Government officials and British Steel staff are in a desperate race to save its blast furnaces after what ministers believe was a plot to sabotage the Scunthorpe plant by its Chinese owners. A crucial meeting is scheduled for Monday between the firm’s staff and civil servants aimed at rescuing Britain’s last primary steelmaking plant from permanent closure, costing thousands of jobs.The government dramatically took control of the company on Saturday, kicking off a frantic hunt for the securing essential raw materials, including coking coal and iron ore, needed to keep the two blast furnaces at the Scunthorpe plant operational. British Steel needs to secure raw materials for its blast furnaces to prevent its Scunthorpe facility from shutting down irrevocably More

Labour has expressed confidence that enough raw materials can be secured to keep British Steel’s blast furnaces running after the government seized operational control from its Chinese owners.Ministers said British Steel’s owners, China’s Jingye Group, had wanted to shut the furnaces at the Scunthorpe plant after they rejected a government funding proposal, which would have forced Britain to import steel instead.The government recalled parliament at the weekend – the first Saturday recall since the 1982 Falklands War – to give it powers to direct the company’s board and workforce and order raw materials.Jingye has not commented, but China called for fair treatment of its companies and resolution through consultation.Experts say the dispute has risked straining ties between London and Beijing, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government had sought to improve. The talks also come at a time when nations around the world are trying to deepen trading cooperation after the US tariff shock.British Steel needs to secure raw materials for its blast furnaces to prevent its Scunthorpe facility from shutting down irrevocably (Danny Lawson/PA) More

A month-long strike by refuse workers in Birmingham has left the city grappling with mounting piles of rubbish, growing public health concerns, and a deepening political divide over who is to blame.What began as a dispute over pay cuts has now escalated into a full-blown crisis, with the government deploying military planners to help manage the city’s waste collection efforts. Meanwhile, residents report rats the size of cats, an overwhelming stench in the streets, and a lack of clarity on when the situation will end.With a new ballot on a potential deal due this week, tensions between Birmingham City Council, the Unite union, and national government continue to rise – and now, public opinion is beginning to harden.Some residents back the striking workers, arguing they’re fighting for fair treatment and decent pay, especially after claims that some face losses of up to £8,000 a year. Others are fed up with the disruption and question whether essential services should ever be used as bargaining chips.Debate is also raging over whether the army’s involvement is a step too far, or a necessary measure to protect public health. And as waste collection services across the UK face similar pressures, bigger questions are being asked about privatisation, council budgets, and whether our current model of public service delivery is still fit for purpose.So, what’s your view? Do you support the bin workers’ strike, or do you think it’s gone too far? Should councils be allowed to outsource these services, or is it time to bring them back in-house? And would you accept a different waste model – or even a rise in council tax – if it meant avoiding scenes like this in the future?We want to hear from you. Vote in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments – we’ll feature the most compelling responses and discuss the results in the coming days.All you have to do is sign up and register your details – then you can take part in the debate. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen. More

The UK economy grew by 0.5 per cent in February in a boost to Labour following several months of almost flatlining, with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) pointing to “widespread growth” across multiple sectors.In January, an unexpected 0.1 per cent decline was initially reported before the ONS revised its estimates to a flat month, following just 0.1 per cent growth in the final quarter of 2024 – so February’s change of gears will be welcome news to Rachel Reeves.Commenting on Friday’s GDP figures for February, ONS director of economic statistics Liz McKeown said: “The economy grew strongly in February with widespread growth across both services and manufacturing industries.“Within services, computer programming, telecoms and car dealerships all had strong months, while in manufacturing, electronics and pharmaceuticals led the way and car manufacturing also picked up after its recent poor performance.“Across the last three months as a whole, the economy also grew strongly with broad-based growth across services industries.”Speaking about the data, chancellor Rachel Reeves acknowledged that the positivity would be tinged with more immediate concerns over tariffs and potential trade wars following a wild week in the stock markets.“These growth figures are an encouraging sign, but we are not complacent. We must keep going further and faster on our Plan for Change,” Ms Reeves said.“The world has changed, and we have witnessed that change in recent weeks. I know this is an anxious time for families who are worried about the cost of living and British businesses who are worried about what this change means for them. This government will remain pragmatic and cool-headed as we seek to secure the best deal with the United States that is in our national interest. At the same time, we will be relentless in our work to kickstart economic growth, provide security for working people and renewal for Britain.”Rachel Reeves acknowledged the positivity would be tinged with more immediate concerns over Donald Trump’s tariffs More

Prime minister Keir Starmer has refused to say if he will let MPs see evidence that Labour’s welfare reforms will help more people into work before they are expected to vote the controversial measures through.Entitled the ‘Pathways to Work’ green paper, the policy package will make £4.8 billion in cuts to spending on health and disability benefits. The changes aim primarily to support more people into work, Labour says, alongside bringing down Britain’s spiralling benefits bill and reducing youth inactivity.However, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said last month that it could not yet provide any evidence that Labour’s reforms would help more people into work.This was because it had not been provided with this analysis by the government, it said, adding that it was also unable to make its own in the limited time available.Sir Keir refused to make ‘timetabling’ commitments over evidence welfare reforms would help people into work More

“Suddenly I felt like everything I’d ever worked for had crashed around me, suddenly I was losing everything,” says Grace Carter. “The idea of losing my business felt like losing a baby. “I really, really struggled.”After trying for years to have a second child, the 33-year-old was overjoyed when she gave birth to her daughter in November 2023.However, she tells The Independent, she was left feeling suicidal as a result of the financial strain of having a baby and is still in a huge amount of debt after trying to keep her business as well as her young family afloat.Ms Carter, from Colchester, has since joined calls for maternity pay to match the national living wage, and is demanding that the “economic contribution of mothers is appropriately recognised and compensated”.She said she received Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), which works out at the equivalent of a full-time worker on a 37.5 hour week earning around £4.99 per hour after the first six weeks of maternity leave. This is roughly just 41 per cent of the 2025 national living wage (NLW) of £12.21 per hour, which has been set out to ensure a basic standard of living.Ms Carter – who is the founder of The Metamorphose Group, a collective of purpose-driven brands aimed at changing the lives of women and girls, which she has been building over eight years – said the combined effects of her being out of work, as the head of her company, and the discrimination she faced led to her business’ yearly turnover shrinking to almost half, from an average of £600,000 to £350,000 that year, and she was forced to borrow £140,000.The mother-of-two – who has had five miscarriages and whose daughters are now aged five and one – has founded the End Parenting Poverty campaign More

Labour’s recently announced cuts to welfare spending may be much more severe than the government is claiming, several experts have warned. The headline £4.8bn figure placed on the cuts conceal their ‘true scale’, new analysis argues, as ministers continue to rebut criticism of the measures.The reforms, which largely focused on health and disability benefits, were announced by work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall on 18 March. The following week, chancellor Rachel Reeves revealed the scale of these cuts to be £4.8bn at Labour’s spring statement – as independently assessed by the Office for Budget Responsiblity (OBR).Announcing the plans, Ms Reeves said: “The Labour Party is the party of work. We believe that if you can work, you should work. But if you can’t work, you should be properly supported.”But a new report from the New Economics Foundation (NEF) has found that around £2bn in cuts has gone unstated due to how the OBR has costed the proposals. In its forecast, the spending watchdog takes £1.6bn away from the headline cuts figure to reflect Labour’s decision not to continue Conservative proposals to reform the Work Capability Assessment (WCA).Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivering her spring statement in the Commons (House of Commons) More