UK Politics

Rachel Reeves has said she is “sick of people mansplaining how to be chancellor” to her, days before she unveils her make-or-break Budget. Hitting back at critics amid growing concern over sweeping tax rises that are expected next week, the chancellor said she is “not going to let them bring me down by undermining my character or my confidence”. Ms Reeves also admitted the government has “made a couple of unforced errors” but insisted it is “fighting to win”. But the chancellor failed to give any detail on what she will unveil in the Budget or how she will improve Britain’s ailing public finances, nor did she address the leaks and briefings that have dominated the media landscape in the lead-up to next week’s fiscal event. It comes as the chancellor scrambles to fill a £20bn black hole in the public finances after weeks of speculation about her tax rise plans and growing criticism of the Treasury for what the Commons speaker dubbed a “hokey-cokey Budget”, after the department briefed out plans to raise income tax and then appeared to row back on it. The chancellor is now widely expected to look at other ways to raise cash to tackle the shortfall and ensure she remains on track to meet her fiscal rules.The chancellor will lay out her make-or-break Budget next week More

The Government has announced plans to create thousands of new jobs through artificial intelligence-linked investment.Areas including Wales, Bristol and London will benefit, with ministers promising new opportunities for AI firms to grow.The initiative includes a new AI growth zone in South Wales, backed by companies including Vantage Data Centers and Microsoft, which will create more than 5,000 new jobs over the next decade, including at the former Ford engine plant in Bridgend.Scientists will be backed to use AI, with up to £137 million aimed at driving breakthroughs and develop new drugs, cures and treatments, the Government said.Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, said: “We’re announcing a package of measures that ensure we seize the opportunities to get jobs and growth in every part of the country.“The backing by international investors today is a vote of confidence in the UK and we’re determined to do even more to ensure we are backing British businesses, workers and researchers to benefit from the opportunities AI brings.“This is about bringing jobs, opportunities and hope to the people and places that need it most, delivering on our promise of change.”Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “This Government promised to unlock growth and that is exactly what we are doing.“Today’s confirmation of our fourth AI growth zone is our plan for change in action – creating thousands of jobs and unlocking new investment for local communities in the industries of the future, cementing our position as Europe’s leading tech sector.”Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said: “Wales will now have two brand-new AI growth zones bringing thousands of jobs to both North and South Wales, and driving economic growth across the country.“South Wales is already the home of a growing tech industry and this major investment in the region will help cement the UK’s place as a global leader in AI.” More

Chaos at the heart of Boris Johnson’s government and his failure to take Covid seriously led to 23,000 deaths, a damning report into pandemic decision-making has found.The UK Covid-19 Inquiry also found the then prime minister and his chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, presided over a “toxic and chaotic culture” at the heart of No 10, which saw the views of women ignored.The report found that more than 20,000 lives could have been saved in England if the lockdown had been implemented just a week earlier, in March 2020.Westminster and the three devolved nations were all found to have done “too little, too late” as the virus spread.Children were ordered home from school, and families missed out on the chance to say a final goodbye to dying relatives, when measures were finally introduced.From 16 March 2020, self-isolation and social distancing came into effect, with schools and pubs closed later that week, before ministers took the unprecedented step of ordering the first full lockdown on 23 March.“Had more stringent restrictions short of a ‘stay at home’ lockdown been introduced earlier than 16 March […] the mandatory lockdown that was imposed might have been shorter or conceivably might not have been necessary at all,” the report said. Boris Johnson pictured with Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, at one of the daily coronavirus briefings More

Former Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle has defected to the Greens – the party’s biggest defection to date. Mr Russell-Moyle represented the Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven constituency from 2017 to 2024, which neighbours the longstanding Green seat of Brighton Pavilion. In a statement, he took aim at the direction of his old party, saying it had “left behind millions of people who want hope and want to see change in their lives”. Lloyd Russell-Moyle More

This story has been updated as the Covid Inquiry is set to reveal its findings into the government’s handling of the pandemic.Boris Johnson and his senior advisers are set to discover the conclusions of an inquiry into the government’s decision-making before and during the pandemic. Key players, including the former prime minister and his then health secretary Matt Hancock, gave evidence to the inquiry into what they were thinking in 2020, including before the first lockdown was announced in March.During a series of hearings, they were questioned over government measures introduced during the pandemic, such as Covid testing, social distancing and the Eat Out to Help Out scheme designed to support businesses.Mr Johnson was also heavily criticised over the lockdown rule-breaking in Downing Street, which saw multiple gatherings take place in breach of Covid guidelines. Here is a look at the events that took place and what Mr Johnson told the Commons about them while he was prime minister:15 May 2020: Cheese and wine in the Downing Street gardenMr Johnson was photographed sitting with his wife Carrie and staff at a table with wine and cheese in the No 10 garden.At the time, people could not legally leave their home without a reasonable excuse and could only meet one person from another household.20 May 2020: Bring your own booze partyThe same restrictions applied when No 10 staff gathered for a “bring your own booze” event in the Downing Street garden.The couple have dismissed any suggestions they broke Covid rules as “totally false” More

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