More stories

  • in

    Rachel Reeves under pressure to axe winter fuel cut after £10billion Bank of England windfall

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentRachel Reeves is under increasing pressure to scrap her plan to cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners after being handed a £10bn budget boost by the Bank of England (BoE).The chancellor has been urged to use the extra cash to row back on the plans, which will come as part of a series of possible spending cuts and tax rises planned by Ms Reeves for the October Budget.Ms Reeves was handed more room for manoevre as a result of a BoE decision to slow the pace of its quantitative tightening programme, which would reduce losses to the Treasury from bond sales.Chancellor Rachel Reeves hosted a reception in Number 11 Downing Street for female business leaders (Jonathan Brady/PA) More

  • in

    Voices: Independent readers question Italy’s Albania scheme – but still want Starmer to act on migration

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseMy recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyondEric GarciaWashington Bureau ChiefSir Keir Starmer has set tongues wagging this week, after apparently showing “great interest” in Italy’s controversial scheme to send migrants to be processed offshore.It came as the country’s leader Giorgia Meloni defended her deal with Albania, brushing aside humanitarian concerns as “completely groundless”.Sir Keir has not ruled out a similar scheme in the UK and said he would employ “British pragmatism” when it comes to solving the small boats crisis, after a summit with Ms Meloni in Rome.When we asked for your opinions, some readers argued for outsourcing migration processes, suggesting it could streamline operations. However, questions were also raised about the cost-effectiveness of offshoring versus improving domestic processing. While some proposed setting up processing centres in other countries, others argued for investing in safer migration routes and expediting claim processing as a more effective approach.There was also strong support for stricter domestic policies. Suggestions included limiting government services to UK citizens and denying settlement to illegal entrants. Critics argued that current policies are too lenient, with concerns about the UK’s capacity to handle rising numbers of migrants without overburdening infrastructure.Here’s what you had to say: Round tripsJust process applications in France. Anyone crossing would be easily and legally returned to the processing center.That would immediately reduce the market for dinghy rides by 80-90 percent as that’s the number the Tories home office said were legit.And, as the Dublin Accord proved, not many would be willing to pay for the trip knowing it was a round trip.Ron‘Why not?’They’ve outsourced everything else so why not migration? Bit of a surprise that the big four consultancy firms haven’t been given massive contracts to do a feasibility study on this.captaintripps‘Just do it’Amnesty International urge “…take leadership instead”. What on earth does that mean? What do they propose in practical terms?Also why, when both the Rwanda plan started to deter illegals and the Albanian plan has reduced Italy’s influx by 60 per cent is it still questioned whether offshoring works º of course it bloomin’ well does. Just do it.BayLeafLabour’s ‘open-door’ stanceWe could easily implement laws that would make the UK less attractive to illegal migrants. First, restrict government services exclusively to UK citizens. Second, ensure that anyone entering the country illegally is permanently denied the right to settle. These are practical measures that could be enacted quickly to send a strong message and deter illegal migration. However, I suspect a Labour government would likely avoid these steps due to their open-door, ideologically driven stance on immigration.AndrewAndrew‘Now is the time for action’The UK population has increased considerably over the past few years.The infrastructure has not increased at the same rate – housing, schools, hospitals, etc.Forget colour, ethnicity and religion. The UK cannot support thousands of illegal immigrants year after year, it’s called illegal for a reason. The simplest way to stop it is to return all to their country of birth. No more boats, then work on the legal route of considering asylum cases.The world is changing and year on year migration and illegal immigration to Europe and the UK will increase until the UK is on its knees and anarchy will prevail.Time for the UK government to realise that now is the time for action as it will only get worse, a small island has limited capacity and we are going downhill fast. Tell the PM to take a walk through towns and cities all over the UK where non-UK citizens have taken over and turned the areas into ghettos, putting your hand over your eyes and crossing your fingers doesn’t work.BBWIs it worth the money?Does the UK have big problems sending failed asylum seekers back to safe countries? If so, would spending a load of money setting up accommodation and a processing centre in another country sort it?Italian staff travel to Albania (not that far from the east coast as it happens) and get better pay for being there than equivalents assessing non-safe country migrants back home.If an asylum seeker proves their point (on exceptional grounds like female mutilation risk or persecution for being gay) then they are transferred to Italy. If they don’t Italy sends them back to a safe country – Italy lists 22 such countries. None of them are in the UK’s top five arrivals list.Took quite a while for the Albanian courts and parliament to agree to the Italian deal – and the government say one deal is enough.So should the UK just be better at processing claims, rather than copying the Italian’s not-cheap scheme?avidmidlandsreader‘Stop dangling the carrot’Stop dangling the carrot and they will stop coming, they look on the UK as Eldorado, with everything paid for, a nice hotel room and money to spend, stop giving it and they will stop coming. Asylum means reaching the first safe country you reach, how many countries have these gone through to get to Eldorado?Lubilu‘Invest in safe routes instead’That’s disturbing, Italy investing in the UK in their arms manufacturing company Leonardo, while Starmer invests in Meloni’s “Rome Process” scheme in Albania for “irregular” migrants. That’s an appalling, sick exchange and says a lot about Starmer. Why not just cut to the chase and invest in safe routes, fasting processing of claims and clearing the backlog?!Benitas‘Austerity at home and war abroad’Without any social programme to offer the working class, capitalist parties across Europe are seeking to build constituencies based on the xenophobic nationalism associated with the fascist right: austerity and repression at home, imperialism and war abroad.sinisterfootwear‘Does he know what he is doing?’Millions were thrown against Rwanda and now Albania millions more, does he know what he is doing?WorkerSome of the comments have been edited for this article. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original articles here and here.All you have to do is sign up, submit your question and register your details – then you can then 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. More

  • in

    Minister admits prisoners released early without electronic tags

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentSome inmates freed under Labour’s early release scheme left prison without electronic tagging devices, the safeguarding minister has admitted.Jess Philips, minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, admitted contracts for the tags signed in May had an “enormous backlog”.It comes after around 1,750 prisoners were released early from jails in England and Wales earlier this month to alleviate the overcrowding crisis which is overwhelming prisons.When asked if the inmates had been fitted with electronic tags, Ms Phillips told Sky News: “We got into office and found the prisons are about to collapse and a contract on electronic tagging signed in May had enormous backlog.“I am, as you can imagine, as is the justice secretary and prisons minister, apoplectic at the idea contracts that we hold are slow, if anything.There have been delays in fitting some offenders who have been released from prison with electronic tags (Danny Lawson/PA) More

  • in

    Pensioners still more likely to support Starmer’s Labour despite winter fuel row, new poll reveals

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentThe row over winter fuel payments being cut for 10 million pensioners and questions over £107,000 of gifts Sir Keir Starmer has received have not harmed Labour’s poll ratings, a new survey has revealed.According to the first Techne UK weekly tracker poll for The Independent, Labour has increased its lead over the Tories from 10 per cent on the day of the election to 12 per cent.Sir Keir’s party is still the number 1 choice among pensioners aged 65 and over, with 19 per cent compared to 14 per cent for the Conservatives. This despite the much criticised decision to cancel winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners.Overall, excluding “don’t knows” or “wouldn’t vote”, Labour polls at 33 per cent, just one point below what they received on election day. The Tories, who are still looking for a leader to replace Rishi Sunak, are down three points to 21 per cent. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party is up four points to 18 per cent.Sir Keir Starmer has held his election lead and increased it (Justin Tallis/PA) More

  • in

    UK politics live: Farage cedes Reform control ahead of conference amid row over his surgery absence claim

    Farage says there’s some truth in Trump’s claim Haitian migrants are eating petsYour support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseMy recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyondEric GarciaWashington Bureau ChiefNigel Farage has announced he is “relinquishing” his majority shareholder position of Reform UK, one day before the party begins its annual conference.In a post on social media, the Clacton MP said: “I’ve now made a decision. I no longer need to control this party. I’m going to let go.” Unlike most other political parties, Reform UK is a registered company with its deputy leader Richard Tice also listed on Companies House as a person with significant control.The annual party conference, which is taking place in Birmingham on Friday, has been hailed as the “coming of age” for the party, which gained success in July’s election by winning five seats. Meanwhile, a row has broken out over Mr Farage’s claim that safety concerns prevent him from holding constituency surgeries, with Parliament’s security services disputing the suggestion.He has repeatedly been accused of not prioritising his Commons role, coming under fire for spending time in the US endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential campaign since July. Show latest update 1726794000Keir Starmer accused of handing ‘gold-plated pension’ to Sue GrayThe Conservative Party claimed Sir Keir had “snatched away support for the vulnerable”, while handing large pensions to his senior officials.Read the full article here: Holly Evans20 September 2024 02:001726790400Can Reform UK show that it’s more than a one-man band?Reform UK opens its annual conference in Birmingham sporting its first elected members of parliament, a much-expanded membership, and plenty of enthusiasm. Its leader, Nigel Farage, who has been knocking around at the top of politics for longer than all his many rivals combined, has made it into the Commons, on his eighth attempt. He has pledged to spearhead “the real opposition” to the Labour government…What’s the mood?Read our full take on Reform’s upcoming party conference: Holly Evans20 September 2024 01:001726786800Row erupts after Farage claims he was told not to hold face-to-face MP surgeries over knife attack fearsNigel Farage is at the centre of a row after he claimed security concerns had prevented him from holding surgeries in his Essex constituency.Now he has said he was told not to hold the face-to-face meetings with voters, traditionally held on the last day of the week, for safety reasons.Read the full article here: Holly Evans20 September 2024 00:001726783224Reform conference to see keynote speech from Farage Reform UK’s five MPs will each address the conference stage, leading up to a keynote speech by Mr Farage at 4pm which will see him issue a “clarion call for change”.The party branded the conference “the most exciting of all the political conferences this year”, mocking its mainstream rivals for “festival gratuities” and hosting “lobbyists all offering gifts”.A preview released on Thursday read: “You have already had the vapid ‘It’s a knockout’ shambles of the Lib Dems in Brighton.“Next week you will have the Labour festival gratuities and gradgrinds, surrounded by lobbyists all offering gifts.“And then, oh the pity, the extended funeral rites of a Tory party, lost in its own navel, casting public lots to chose its own pallbearers.”Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage is to make the keynote speech of the event (Paul Marriott/PA) More

  • in

    Domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms to help victims, Yvette Cooper announces

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentDomestic abuse specialists will work in 999 control rooms under a new ‘Raneem’s Law’, Yvette Cooper has announced. New emergency restraining orders will also give victims greater protection, the home secretary said.It comes as part of government plans to strengthen the police’s fight against violence towards women. The Independent has launched the Brick by Brick campaign, in partnership with Refuge, which aims to raise £300,000 to build a safe house for survivors fleeing domestic abuse. Last year this publication revealed that police were missing crucial opportunities that could protect hundreds of thousands of domestic abuse victims, by failing to impose emergency restraining orders on their alleged attackers.Police staff operate 999 emergency phone lines in the control room at Exeter Police HQ, Devon More

  • in

    Row erupts after Farage claims he was told not to hold face-to-face MP surgeries over knife attack fears

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentNigel Farage is at the centre of a row after he claimed security concerns had prevented him from holding surgeries in his Essex constituency.Before he was elected to Westminster, the Reform UK leader famously asked: “Do I want to be an MP? Do I want to spend every Friday for the next five years in Clacton?”Now he has said he was told not to hold the face-to-face meetings with voters, traditionally held on the last day of the week, for safety reasons.But parliament’s security services have disputed the suggestion he was given that advice, which would interfere with his democratic duties as an MP.Reform UK leader Nigel Farage’s claim that he was told not to hold constituency surgeries in person has been disputed More

  • in

    Keir Starmer insists he is ‘completely in control’ of his own government amid Sue Gray row

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentSir Keir Starmer insists that he is in “complete control” of his government as he heads to his party conference on Sunday mired in controversy over the salary of his chief of staff and the acceptance of luxury gifts by himself and his wife.The PM gave a round of interviews on Thursday with regional broadcasters ahead of the Labour Party conference in Liverpool with questions over his decision to accept more than £100,000 in gifts, the role of Sue Gray and a continued row about the cutting of winter fuel payments to pensioners.Concerns over the power of Ms Gray in government were raised again this week when it was revealed she is paid more as chief of staff than the prime minister.On Wednesday, the BBC revealed it had been told that Ms Gray asked for and was given a salary of £170,000 after July’s election, about £3,000 more than Sir Keir. Starmer sidestepped many of the tough questions, blaming the previous government More