Home News

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 ThomasEditorThe way Ofsted inspections work for schools will see a major change from today as Labour delivers on its pledge to revamp the grading system.The headline reform the scrapping of single headline judgements, with schools now given more detailed reports. These will provide four grades on each of the existing criteria: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership & management.From September 2025, this will become even more comprehensive with the introduction of School Report Cards, which the Department for Education says will a fuller assessment of how schools are performing. It says the move is supported by 77 percent of parents.In its election manifesto, Labour said the overall cost its Ofsted reform plans would be £45 million, paid for with some of the £1.51bn raised from charging VAT on private school fees. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson (Lucy North/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 ThomasEditorThe former Tory minister Michael Gove, known mostly as a Brexiteer but also more recently for his dance moves in a techno club, has defended Angela Rayner, who has been criticised for her own contortions at an Ibiza superclub.Following a meeting with mayors and housing regulators on Wednesday, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary was filmed just hours later dancing with the Australian DJ Fisher in front of a vast crowd at the Hi Ibiza superclub.Later, in footage posted to Instagram by actor and presenter Denise van Outen, the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne could be seen singing along to a remix of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” with the DJ’s headphones around her neck, as a sea of smartphones held aloft in front of her captured the moment.The moment was widely criticised in sections of the right-wing press with former Tory MP Nadine Dorries writing an article saying that Ms Rayner’s behaviour “demeans her office”.Former GB News host Dan Wootton posted: “Angela Rayner has been Deputy Prime Minister for 56 days. She’s disappeared from public view as Two Tier Keir warns of doomsday coming for all of us. Yet here she is raving into the early hours at one of the most expensive party clubs in Ibiza. What an absolute p*** take.”Angela Rayner is filmed dancing in Ibiza during parliament’s summer recess 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 ThomasEditorEmployees could get the right to a four-day working week under new laws being considered by Labour as part of their package for workers.This would come in the form of “compressed hours” where an employee is allowed to work their regular hours over four days instead of five, according to reports.Angela Rayner is understood to be spearheading Labour’s plan for workers, consulting with trade unions and businesses ahead of new legislation expected in the autumn.Under current rules, workers have the right to request flexible working, but employers aren’t legally obliged to agree.The new law would see this change, with all employers needing to offer flexible working from day one, except where it is “not reasonably feasible”.Some workers may only have to endure four commutes a week rather than five in the future 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 ThomasEditorThe government has scrapped plans that would have allowed large numbers of badgers to be culled for at least a decade and is set to launch a fresh review of the policy.But conservationists are not celebrating yet because thousands of animals are still set to be killed this autumn as part of previously agreed efforts to wipe out tuberculosis (TB) in cattle.Rural affairs minister Daniel Zeichner has dropped a proposed new wave of badger culling, potentially until 2038 – an idea contained in a consultation that the Tory government issued in March.( 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 ThomasEditorThe train drivers’ union could return to the negotiating table to demand further pay hikes in as little as six months after Labour made a pay offer in a bid to head off strikes. Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said he believes train drivers will back the new deal, potentially ending years of strikes.But he suggested the union could return to the negotiating table in just six months. Asked on LBC whether train drivers will accept Labour’s pay deal, Mr Wheelan said: “I believe this will go through.” But pressed on how long the offer would be satisfactory or when the union would return for more cash, he said: “We won’t go back to the table with anybody for at least six to eight months.”Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan has not ruled out future train strikes as drivers vote on a new pay deal 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 ThomasEditorThe proportion of A-level entries awarded top grades is up on last year, national figures show, but the inequality in results between independent schools and comprehensives in England has widened.Hundreds of thousands of students received their A-level results on Thursday morning, with more than a quarter (27.8 per cent) of UK entries awarded an A or A* grade. This is an increase of 0.6 percentage points on last year, when 27.2 per cent achieved the top grades.The cohort of students who are receiving their A-level results were in Year 9 when schools closed due to the pandemic (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 ThomasEditorSeparating the truth from the lies on social media is harder than ever, with last week’s headlines providing a pointed example of how quickly platforms can be used to spread disinformation.As families mourned the death of three young girls killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, riots broke out stoked by disinformation about the suspect’s identity.On Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer warned social media companies after false information spread online. And Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said social media has put “rocket boosters” under far-right groups when it comes to the “organisation, the attention and the misinformation” surrounding the riots.She said there would be a “reckoning” following unrest across England, pledging that anyone involved in the riots will “pay the price”. Pressed on whether the Government will take action against Tommy Robinson, who has been accused of stoking tensions from afar, Ms Cooper said: “If it’s a crime offline, it’s a crime online.”Elsewhere last week, an Olympic women’s boxing match — and misinformation about one of the athletes involved — was used by conservatives to promote their anti-trans agenda.And in July two images of an injured female police officer were shared widely on social media with false claims that they showed injuries sustained during an incident at Manchester Airport.We want to know if you think social media bosses like Elon Musk should take more responsibility for content posted on their platforms. How should the likes of Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram tackle disinformation? And what powers should the police exercise to punish those who stoke violence and spread false information online?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.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here.Join the conversation with other Independent readers below. 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 ThomasEditorComedy stars Ricky Gervais and Stephen Fry have called on the government to implement a law banning ticket sales for cruel animal attractions abroad, such as polar bears caged in 35C heat.The Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act, which was passed under the Conservative government in September, bans British travel companies from promoting or selling tickets to attractions abroad that fail to meet certain animal welfare standards.But the previous government did not set out those standards, which means the new law is currently ineffective.Comedy actor and writer Ricky Gervais said: “This is the first summer holiday season since the law was passed last year and yet it will achieve nothing to prevent animals suffering at tourist attractions this year. What a waste and what terrible cruelty to animals all over the world.”He called for the new Labour government to implement the law to end ticket sales to “horrendous” attractions.Chimps are dressed up and made to ride bicycles in Asia More