UK Politics

This story was first published in October 2023 and has been republished as the Covid Inquiry is set to reveal its findings into the government’s handling of the pandemic.A series of scathing WhatsApp messages sent between Boris Johnson’s top team accused the former prime minister of making it “impossible” to tackle Covid, as he created chaos and changed direction “every day”. The extraordinary messages sent between the likes of Dominic Cummings, Lee Cain and Simon Case reveal the strong disquiet among Mr Johnson’s advisers, with Mr Case, the cabinet secretary and top civil servant, at one point declaring: “I am at the end of my tether.”The ex-PM’s top officials also branded him “weak and indecisive” and referred to him as a “trolley”. Chief scientific advisor Sir Patrick Vallance, meanwhile, said Mr Johnson was “all over the place” and “so completely inconsistent”.The WhatsApp messages and diary entries, shown to Mr Johnson’s former principal private secretary Martin Reynolds at the official Covid inquiry, laid bare the chaos behind Downing Street’s response to Covid.In a bombshell three hours of testimony about his time as Mr Johnson’s PPS, Mr Reynolds was asked about everything from the government’s preparedness for the pandemic to his own role in the Partygate scandal of lockdown-busting events.The ex-top civil servant, since dubbed “Party Marty”, apologised “unreservedly” for sending an email to more than 100 Downing Street staff inviting them to a “bring your own booze” garden party during lockdown.Martin Reynolds, former principal private secretary to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves the UK Covid-19 Inquiry (James Manning/PA Wire) More

A Russian spy ship that targeted RAF pilots with lasers threatens “our economics and our way of life”, a defence minister has warned. Al Carns hit out after the vessel, the Yantar, was found operating off the northern coast of Scotland and pointed lasers at the surveillance aircraft monitoring its activities.No one was injured, he told MPs, but the move was a “highly dangerous and reckless attempt to disrupt our surveillance”. Russian spy ship Yantar is operating off the northern coast of Scotland More

Britons are leaving the UK at a much faster rate than previously thought, and Independent readers have been sharing vivid insights as to why that might be.Many pointed to better job opportunities, lower taxes, and an improved quality of life abroad – with Dubai, New Zealand, Australia, and Switzerland among the most popular destinations.For some, the move was a deliberate career decision. One reader described how the UK’s tax system and bureaucratic hurdles pushed them to Cyprus, while another highlighted their daughter’s frustrations with NHS management and underfunded training as the tipping point for leaving.Brexit and the changing social climate also played a role. Even those who had emigrated decades ago felt vindicated, noting a sharp decline in public attitudes, rising racism, and a volatile political landscape that made returning increasingly unappealing.For most commenters, the decision to leave was final. One reader still in the UK said they plan to return to their original country once family obligations are complete, but everyone who has settled abroad indicated they do not intend to come back.Here’s what you had to say:Waiting for common sense to returnWe all got fed up with subsidising the entitled. The UK represents less than 1 per cent of the worlds population, so I figured that if I wasn’t happy with the status quo, I’d better check out some of the other 99 per cent. That was four countries ago! Spain has just posted 2.9 per cent growth, we will soon have trains that travel at 350 km/h, and the cost of living and quality of life are much better. Of course there are problems, as there are everywhere, but people seem generally happier.People make their own decisions, but my feeling was always that an oppositional duopoly is designed for loss, and that Brexit has locked in that loss for years to come, and I simply hadn’t enough time left to wait for common sense to return. Great country, shame about the politics. Get a skill, keep an open mind and decide for yourself.FreeLifeI have never looked backAs a young teacher living in London, I got fed up with spending all my wages on my Travelcard and extortionate rent to live in a freezing cold flat share. Imagine: paying all those student loans only to arrive at work shivering and fed up after a weekend spent at home (too broke to go out), with no privacy and no prospect of ever having my own flat, then having to face a classroom full of children.I caught numerous ear infections and viruses off the kids and spent months on a waitlist to see an ENT but never got an appointment. I packed up for Dubai over a decade ago and never looked back.SaraTI do not recognise the country I was born intoI left post-Brexit, 2019. I’m unlikely to be back as there is no reason to return. I am retired, and I do not recognise the country I was born into in what exists now – and its not because of immigration. England was always beset with hypocrisy; now the chickens have returned to roost.The political parties have all, in my judgement, ceased to represent anything other than their own direct interests. There now are, in my view, neither practical pro-socialists as some of my staff were, nor small-c conservatives as my great aunts were.Perhaps the last to leave could turn off the lights? Oh – there wont be any lights by then, will there?OhGoshBrexit is good… for our neighboursI have a holiday/retirement home in Languedoc. The number of Britons buying properties in the area has boomed since Brexit. The locals are delighted – they are gaining local taxes, more business for their shops, restaurants and cafés. It is easy to get French nationality if you are affluent and astute enough to do your homework.Brexit is good… for our neighbours.HASTINGSPIERHoles that could take a generation to fillI came to the UK over two decades ago, and I can honestly say the atmosphere has grown progressively darker and more negative. It isn’t immigration thats to blame, the real damage has been done by those who push hate and negativity onto anyone they can, as a distraction from the consequences of austerity and the hardship it has caused across the country.I don’t blame young people for leaving either. And heres the real secret: its not just the young who are leaving. Educated, skilled and professional people are weighing their options too. Not only those born here, but newcomers like myself – business owners, doctors, nurses, architects and other professionals.I love the UK. It has been home for me and my family for a long time, and we chose to come here. But I can see whats coming: in the next few years, many valuable people will leave. Those departures will leave holes that could take a generation to fill.karlostheheckleI chose the expat lifeI had a nice job in the UK but always wanted to travel without joining the military or airlines. I eventually obtained a transfer to Dubai with an American consumer goods company and really never looked back. Both my kids were born abroad – one in Dubai, the other in Switzerland – and both have benefited from the expat life, travel, and seeing as much of the world as I could arrange.I often see young people in rubber boats on TV from my quiet village in France and think I would do the same if there was no choice. I had a choice. Arriving back in the UK in 1990 at the end of Margaret’s innings saw huge interest rate hikes and a lot of repossessions. After HMRC tried its level best to tax my pants off as a start-up, I shifted in 1998 to Cyprus for some sun, low tax, and a nice pool. I haven’t been home since.One of my daughters worked in the NHS and after four years left for New Zealand. It wasn’t the low pay, long hours, or expensive parking but the extremely low management and interpersonal skills of the supervisor grades that drove her away.ChrisI’m not coming backI left the UK in 2004 and will never return. We don’t get to choose where we are born, but we can (or could) choose where we want to live and work. There is absolutely nothing that pulls me back towards my birthplace.ArcticFoxI too have been a migrant for twenty years, working and paying tax, but we have decided to go back next year once the youngest finishes university. It is hard, but I am so fed up with the constant blaming of migrants for the state of the country, which we did not vote in.LeftyandproudI’m leaving for goodIn the 1970s myself and my black British partner fought a lot of racism, even directed at pre-school kids. Gradually, over the decades, it got better. Things seemed to be progressing well – then came Brexit and things started to turn. It is now horrendous. People I have known for decades are coming out with racist comments. My adult children are both now living abroad, and as soon as I sell my house I am leaving.Aryhian1Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day’s top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click ‘log in’ or ‘register’ in the top right corner to sign in or sign up.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here. More

Sir Keir Starmer has called on Nigel Farage to explain accusations made by people who went to school with the Reform leader that he displayed racist behaviour when he was a teenager.Former schoolmates of the young Mr Farage told The Guardian that he displayed offensive behaviour during his time at a top public school, including giving Nazi salutes and making racial slurs.The Clacton MP has denied the allegations, saying the paper was trying to smear his party. His spokesperson said he could take legal action over the claims.But the prime minister has pressured Mr Farage in the Commons to answer the “disturbing allegations” made about his behaviour while he was at Dulwich College as a teenager.Clacton MP Nigel Farage has emphatically denied the allegations More

The number of new homes in England has fallen to its lowest level for nearly a decade, in a blow to Labour’s hopes of meeting one of its key manifesto pledges. Keir Starmer has promised to build 1.5million new homes in five years, an average of 300,000 homes per year, but official figures show just 208,600 were created in England in 2024/25, down 6 per cent from 221,409 the previous year.The number of additional new homes is the lowest for a financial year since 2015/16, when the figure was 195,534.Housing secretary Steve Reed said the statistics showed “the extent of the housing crisis” Labour inherited, but the Tories said the figures showed Labour “have no plan for delivering new homes”, adding that numbers had fallen to a level “below what the Conservatives achieved during a global pandemic”.Labour has pledged to build 1.5 million homes by the next election, but will need to increase the pace of building if it is to meet its target (Gareth Fuller/PA) More

Andy Burnham has once again refused to rule out challenging Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister, fuelling further speculation over a possible coup against the PM. It comes amid growing concern about the direction of the government in the face of devastating approval ratings and mounting discontent from Labour backbenchers. Speculation that the Greater Manchester mayor, who quit the Commons in 2017, wanted to challenge Sir Keir for the party leadership dominated Labour’s conference in September after he dropped repeated hints that he was eyeing a Westminster comeback.But asked on Thursday whether he could rule out challenging the prime minister, Mr Burnham repeatedly dodged the question. Andy Burnham has refused to rule out challenging Keir Starmer as PM More

The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s transgender guidance has been dubbed a “misogynist’s charter” after reports that trans people could be banned from single-sex spaces based on what they look like. The document was sent to ministers almost three months ago but is yet to be published, with the government facing pressure to explain the delays. But a minister on Thursday said it will take time to get “right” and avoid a situation where “toilets are being policed by people”.According to The Times, which has seen a leaked copy of the document, the EHRC’s guidance suggests transgender people could be banned from single-sex spaces based on what they look like. A flag in the colours of the trans movement flies in central London (Andrew Matthews/PA) More

Reform’s UK only member of the Senedd has been suspended from the Welsh Parliament for using a racial slur in a Whatsapp group.Laura Anne Jones choked back tears after the Senedd’s standards committee recommended she be banned for 14 days over her remarks.Ms Jones, who defected from the Conservatives earlier this year, made the offensive remark about Chinese people in a group during a discussion about the Chinese-owned app TikTok in August 2023.She wrote: “No ***** spies for me.”While Ms Jones has previously issued an apology for the comment, the Senedd standards committee concluded that her actions “fell far below the standards expected” of a member of the Senedd.Ms Jones, who defected from the Conservatives earlier this year, made the offensive remark about Chinese people in a group during a discussion about the Chinese-owned app TikTok in August 2023. More