UK Politics

An MP has been offered the use of a private ambulance to bring her to parliament amid fears the hugely controversial assisted dying bill could come down to just a single vote. Sorcha Eastwood, a Northern Irish MP, announced earlier this week that she was unable to travel to Westminster for the crunch vote because she has Covid.She has spoken out passionately against the proposed bill, but said she did not want to put others at risk of contracting the illness. In response, the entrepreneur Declan Ganley contacted her on social media to offer to arrange transport in a private ambulance.Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood (PA) More

Angela Rayner has praised The Independent’s “amazing” Brick by Brick campaign after the first family fleeing domestic abuse moved into a home it built.The deputy prime minister said she was heartened by the success of the campaign and urged backers to continue supporting it to go from strength to strength. Construction on two purpose-built safe houses was completed earlier this year, and now a survivor of abuse has been handed the keys to their new home – and a fresh start.Angela Rayner praised the ‘amazing’ success of The Independent’s campaign More

Nearly nine years on from the narrow Brexit referendum result, which saw the UK leave the European Union, most Britons want to see the UK return to the EU. A new YouGov poll highlights the extent to which the UK public is ‘Bregretful’ about the outcome of the vote, which ended David Cameron’s time as prime minister. It found that 56 per cent want the UK to return to being part of the EU, while 61 per cent believe Brexit has been a failure. Of these, the overwhelming majority, more than eight out of ten, blame Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party, while more than two-thirds blame Nigel Farage. It will be nine years since the landmark Brexit referendum vote next week (Steve Parsons/PA) More

Downing Street is urging Donald Trump to step back from the brink of a direct strike on Iran, warning against any action that would “ramp up the situation”. Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said “de-escalation is the priority” after the US president threatened to wade into the conflict. “We would not want to see anything that ramps up the situation,” the spokesman added. And, speaking to broadcasters, Sir Keir warned there was a “real risk of escalation” in the Middle East as Mr Trump mulls whether to join Israeli strikes on Iran.Donald Trump said he may strike Iran More

Kim Leadbeater has made a last-minute plea to MPs to support her assisted dying bill, warning that if it is rejected on Friday, terminally ill adults could face a ten-year wait before the issue is debated again.In an emotional plea ahead of Friday’s final Commons vote on the Terminally Ill Adults bill, the Labour MP asked how many more would suffer dying without dignity if MPs reject her plans. “If we don’t pass this law tomorrow, it could be another decade before this issue was brought back to parliament,” she told a press conference in Westminster. Kim Leadbeater said she is confident her assisted dying bill will pass on Friday More

Sir Keir Starmer is bracing for the biggest backbench rebellion of his leadership to date after the publication of his flagship welfare reforms sparked an immediate backlash from MPs and campaigners.The government’s plans to cut disability benefits have been described as “horrendous”, “harmful” and “a disaster”, with campaigners warning it will drive already struggling disabled people into poverty. The reforms – aimed at encouraging more people off sickness benefits and into work – are set to include the tightening of criteria for personal independence payment (Pip), which is the main disability benefit, as well as a cut to the sickness-related element of universal credit (UC) and delayed access to only those aged 22 and over.The bill will remove PIP from up to 800,000 people and the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) own impact assessment, published earlier this year, estimated the reforms would see an additional 250,000 people – including 50,000 children – pushed into relative poverty.Liz Kendall is responsible for the cuts More

Shabana Mahmood has said the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) must be reformed to restore public confidence as Keir Starmer’s government seeks to tackle the issue head-on.The justice secretary joined calls for an overhaul of the convention, warning that “public confidence in the rule of law is fraying” and “there is a growing perception human rights laws are a tool for criminals to avoid responsibility”. It comes after similar comments were made by Tory party leader Kemi Badenoch, who this month warned human rights laws had gone from being a “shield” to a “sword used to attack democracies”. Shabana Mahmood called for the ECHR to be reformed More

Sir Keir Starmer has refused calls from dozens of his own MPs to delay the crunch vote on assisted dying later this week.A letter from 52 Labour backbenchers, first published by The Independent, had appealed to the government to allow more time to scrutinise Kim Leadbeater’s backbench bill to allow assisted dying.But Sir Keir’s rejection of their request means that the final crunch third reading vote will go ahead on Friday as planned, before it is sent to the Lords.The news comes as polling revealed voters’ concerns that disabled people will face coercion to end their lives early if Ms Leadbeater’s bill becomes law.Labour MP Kim Leadbeater is behind the assisted dying Bill More