UK Politics

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 ThomasEditorMotorists could be hit by the first fuel duty rise in 15 years as Labour tries to balance the books.Sir Keir Starmer was unable to say if fuel duty would be frozen again when questioned by journalists on a whistlestop tour of Germany and France as his government seeks to fill a £22 billion budget black hole it claims the Tories left behind.It comes amid speculation that there will also be a series of wealth taxes including a hike in rates for capital gains and inheritance after the prime minister warned earlier this week of “a really painful Budget” on 30 October.Labour have insisted there will be no increases in income tax, VAT or national insurance but ruled nothing else out.Prime Minister Keir Starmer (Justin Tallis/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 UK has backed the use of Storm Shadow missiles by Ukraine in Russia, but will not support it publicly over fears it could trigger a row with the US, according to reports.Ukraine has repeatedly asked to use the Franco-British-developed weapons to strike inside Russian borders, saying it would “turn the tide of war”. The missiles can hit targets up to 190 miles away and avoid enemy radar systems.While the UK is yet to publicly support Ukraine’s use of the weapons in Russia, The Telegraph reported that Downing Street privately supports it.But the missiles are typically used alongside classified US systems, meaning they require permission from Washington – something the UK has not formally requested from the US.The US government has expressed concerns that, even without their approval, use of the weapons could trigger an escalation and lead to their own troops being drawn into the conflict, a White House source told The Telegraph.Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly trying to avoid a row over the issue, instead taking a “consultative approach” to talks with the US.Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly asked to use the weapons to strike inside Russian borders More

Keir Starmer and Olaf Scholz shake hands as prime minister arrives in BerlinSupport 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 ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer has left the door open for some form of youth mobility scheme with other EU countries after his meeting in Germany with Olaf Scholz.In a press conference in Berlin, the prime minister ruled out implementing it but he later clarified that some form of system link-ups like student exchanges could be implemented. Sir Keir promised that Labour will work towards a “once-in-a-generation” Germany-UK treaty in a bid to boost post-Brexit trade.He said a new treaty between the two countries will help “deliver for working people” and create “deeper links on science, technology, development, people, business, and culture”.It comes as chancellor Rachel Reeves has refused to rule potential increases on capital gains tax warning that Labour will “have to make difficult decisions in a range of areas”.The PM has been accused by the Tories of planning to hike capital gains and inheritance tax in a fresh “raid on pensions”. Shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott claimed the government will bring “ruinous tax rises”.Show latest update 1724856343Starmer unveils plan for ‘joint action’ with Germany on cross-Channel migrationSir Keir Starmer has unveiled plans for “joint action” with Germany on cross-channel migration, which could involve authorities intercepting boats in transit across Europe, en route to northern France.After a bilateral meeting with German chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, the Prime Minister said developing an action plan could help the countries “deal with issues like data sharing, intelligence sharing, what we can do on joint operations” both sides of the North Sea.In a speech, Sir Keir vowed to “deepen co-operation on shared social challenges; for example, on illegal immigration, because we cannot smash the smuggling gangs who perpetrate this vile trade without the help of our partners”.He added: “I’m really glad that we had substantive discussions today about how we tackle the smuggling gangs and agree to develop a joint action plan to tackle illegal migration.”Asked about his discussions with Mr Scholz after the speech, the prime minister confirmed a returns agreement with Germany “wasn’t discussed today”.He continued: “But the joint action plan was and that is important to me because, as I’m sure you’ll appreciate, quite a number of the boats that end up on the north coast of France carrying people across are coming through Germany, therefore, this isn’t a sort of remote action plan.“It’s actually a concrete one because, as you’ve heard me say many, many times, I simply don’t accept that the people who are running this trade can’t be taken down, that they can’t be busted, and intercepting the boats as they are in transit across Europe and those that are moving them is an important part of that as far as I’m concerned.”( 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 ThomasEditor Denmark’s three-party centrist government said Wednesday it will create three new ministries, including a government office in charge of emergency preparedness.The government wants a minister in charge of European Union affairs ahead of Denmark’s rotating EU presidency in the second half of 2025.The shuffle means Denmark, like Sweden, will have a minister in charge of emergencies and preparedness for climate change or cyberattacks. The third new minister will be in charge of carrying out and coordinating Denmark’s green policy. “I hope this can inspire the rest of the world,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said of the new green policy ministry. The Scandinavian country has a goal of 70% emissions reductions by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050. Frederiksen did not give any names nor say whether any of the current government’s 23 ministries would be made redundant. She said the changes will be announced Thursday when the new government is formally presented to King Frederik X. Also Wednesday, Frederiksen named 49-year-old Dan Jørgensen as Denmark’s candidate for the new commissioner to the European Union’s powerful executive arm which polices EU laws and negotiates trade on behalf of member countries. Jørgensen who currently is Denmark’s climate minister and a former Social Democratic member of the European Parliament, needs to be vetted by the 720-member European assembly before he can take the EU job.Frederiksen, 46, is the leader of the Social Democratic Party and has been Denmark’s prime minister since 2019. In 2022 she presented the current majority government made up of her own center-left Social Democrats, the center-right Liberal Party and the newly created centrist Moderate party. 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 ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer has been criticised for lacking ambition in wanting to reset the UK’s relationship with the EU after he rejected free movement for under-30s even before talks got underway.The prime minister made it clear he was not open to a deal on making it easier for young people from the UK and EU to travel when he held a joint press conference with German chancellor Olaf Scholz today.Despite describing the renegotiation as “a once in a generation opportunity” there were concerns that he was not willing to be flexible on a proposal which is strongly supported in the EU.Sir Keir was having his fifth meeting with Scholz since becoming prime minister as the two opened talks on a Germany/ UK bilateral deal to be completed by the end of this year.Starmer and Scholz at a joint press conference 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 ThomasEditor The leaders of Germany and the United Kingdom announced plans on Wednesday to draw up a treaty meant to deepen the two nations’ trade, defense and other ties.The move comes as new U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer moves ahead with plans for a “reset” of relations with the European Union.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that he welcomes fellow center-left leader Starmer’s desire for a new beginning in relations with the EU, and “we want to take this outstretched hand.”Starmer took office in early July after the previous Conservative government was trounced in an election. Four years after the U.K. left the EU, he says he wants to rebuild ties strained by years of ill-tempered wrangling over Brexit terms.He said that he hopes to conclude the bilateral agreement with Germany, which has Europe’s biggest economy, by the end of this year. “That will be ambitious, it will be wide-ranging, covering trade, the economy, defense and many other issues,” he told reporters. The two leaders are among Ukraine’s biggest military backers and stressed their commitment to keeping up that support. Starmer said that the two countries also plan to draw up a “joint action plan to tackle illegal migration.” His government still faces pressure to stop migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, though it scrapped the Conservatives’ contentious plan to send them on a one-way trip to Rwanda.Migration is also an issue on which Scholz’s government has long been under heavy pressure, even more so since Friday’s attack in Solingen in which a suspected extremist from Syria who had avoided being deported is accused of killing three people. The proposed U.K.-Germany treaty is modeled in part on agreements that Britain struck in recent years with France on defense, security and closer law enforcement cooperation against people-smuggling gangs.Starmer sent a signal by visiting Berlin early in his term — unlike predecessor Rishi Sunak, who took 18 months. But his talk of starting anew with the EU has its limits. He has ruled out many of the major possible steps to closer ties and has been cool to the idea of a youth mobility agreement with the 27-nation bloc. “I’m absolutely clear that we do want a reset … with Europe, a reset with the EU,” Starmer said in Berlin. However, “that does not mean reversing Brexit or reentering the single market or the customs union, but it does mean a closer relation on a number of fronts — including the economy, including defense, including exchanges, but we do not have plans for the youth mobility scheme.”___Jill Lawless contributed to this report from London. 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 ThomasEditorWatch as Sir Keir Starmer holds a press conference alongside German chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Wednesday 28 August.The prime minister is in Germany as he hopes to “turn a corner on Brexit”, with plans for a new treaty with the European nation aiming to boost business and increase joint action on illegal migration.Ahead of the talks with Mr Scholz, he met with German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier.In a post on social media site X, Sir Keir said: “We have a once in a generation opportunity to reset Britain’s relationship with Europe so we can deliver for the British people.”It is expected he will tell Mr Scholz he is focused on making sure the UK moves past Brexit and rebuilds relationships with European partners.After Germany, Sir Keir will travel to Paris for the Paralympics opening ceremony on Wednesday evening, before a breakfast meeting with French business leaders on Thursday morning, and a summit with president Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace. 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 ThomasEditorLiz Truss has denied a claim she considered scrapping all cancer treatment on the NHS in a bid to repair the damage caused by her disastrous economic policies.A new biography of the former prime minister by Sir Anthony Seldon makes the extraordinary claim that in the immediate aftermath of the mini-Budget, Ms Truss and her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng launched a desperate attempt to find spending cuts in an effort to restore stock-market confidence in their strategy.Sir Anthony said a group of the prime minister’s aides met to discuss the issue. One of her senior advisers, Alex Boyd, “was told that Truss and Kwarteng were thinking they could still sort out the black hole with severe cuts”: “We’ve been told that they’re looking at stopping cancer treatment on the NHS.”In response, Mr Boyd asked “Is she being serious?” writes Sir Anthony, while other aides said she had “lost the plot”.“She’s shouting at everyone that ‘We’ve got to find the money.’ When we tell her it can’t be done, she shouts back: ‘It’s not true. The money is there. You go and find it,’” they told the author.But a spokesperson for Ms Truss said it was “completely untrue that she ever considered” cutting cancer treatment. Meanwhile, her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, who was also said to have been involved, told The Independent: “I wasn’t involved in any conversations about restricting healthcare, but that doesn’t mean the prime minister and her team didn’t discuss this.”Sir Anthony’s book, Truss at 10: How Not to Be a Prime Minister, is deeply critical of Ms Truss, who was forced to resign in 2022 just 49 days into her premiership after she triggered an economic crisis by proposing the introduction of £45bn of unfunded tax cuts.The UK economy fared better than previously thought during the year that Liz Truss delivered the mini-budget (Victoria Jones/PA) More