UK Politics

Commons leader condemns Trump assassination attempt in PennsylvaniaSupport 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 is expected to unveil 35 new bills into the King’s Speech next week.The new laws will hand greater powers to local leaders and to economic watchdog the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), with growth a key part of the prime minister’s agenda, the government has said.The PM described the measures, to be announced on Wednesday, as the “down payment” on the change his government is seeking to deliver.But the SNP has joined Labour frontbenchers in pressuring Sir Keir to scrap the two-child benefit cap as part of the new legislation. Mr Flynn has written to Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, urging him to instruct his party’s MPs in Scotland to abolish the cap. It comes as Reform’s former deputy leader Ben Habib has criticised Nigel Farage’s party and said it should be made more democratic after being ousted.Mr Habib was fired and replaced last week by Richard Tice in Nigel Farage’s shake-up he had “long held concerns about the control of the party and the decision making processes”.Show latest update 1721055027There’s one crucial thing that unites the PM and Gareth SouthgateBoth the England leader and the prime minister place a premium on respect, writes Andrew Grice. But is that enough to win us the Euros – or to fix the country?Salma Ouaguira15 July 2024 15:501721054427Donations to Labour more than twice as much as donations to Tories during campaign Labour raised £465,600 in private donations in the last week before polling day, bringing its total raised for the whole election to £9.5m, new figures from the Electoral Commission show.The Conservatives raised just £225,587 in private donations over the same period, bringing their total for the whole election to £1.8m.Figures released today show former professional poker player Derek Webb donated £250,000 to Labour in the final week while trade unions GMB and the Fire Brigades Union each gave £100,000.The largest donation to the Conservatives was £50,000 from Westminster Development Services, a property company set up by a consortium led by the Hinduja family.Salma Ouaguira15 July 2024 15:401721053827Dover MP claims Labour will be small boats gangs’ ‘worst nightmare’Newly elected Labour’s MP for Dover and Deal has said the government will be people smuggling gangs’ “worst nightmare’.Mike Tapp claimed Sir Keir Starmer’s proposed new Border Security Command will manage to stop small boat Channel crossings. He told the BBC: “It is a serious policy for a serious issue. We have seen from the Conservatives essentially pretty much open borders because they have relied on gimmicks and cons, they have tried to trick the electorate into thinking they have got a serious approach to this.“We have seen the failure with record crossings. The Border Security Command will essentially hunt down the smuggling gangs and we will be their worst nightmare.“We will bring in MI5, those extra powers and tools, to smash the criminal gangs, to stop people even getting onto the boats in the first place.”Salma Ouaguira15 July 2024 15:301721053227Labour MP speaks up after protesting against monarchy during Commons oathClive Lewis, who represents Norwich South, has criticised the “hysteria” media headlines after protesting against the monarchy doing his affirmation at the Commons on Wednesday 10 July.At the time, the Labour MP said prior to his affirmation: “I take this oath under protest and in the hope that one day my fellow citizens will democratically decide to live in a republic.”In the aftermath of the statement, he slammed the reaction to his remarks claiming headlines prove we live in a “reactionary democracy”.In his response to said “meltdown”, he said in a video: “So I made the mistake of looking underneath my timeline on my statement in the oath about the republic.“What this shows me is two things. Firstly, it was no big deal what I said. What I said was that I, as a democratically elected representative, would like to live in a democratically-decided republic.“The actual hysteria from the media headlines like I’m ‘taking a swipe at the monarchy’ tell us all we need to know about the fact that we live in a reactionary democracy.”Salma Ouaguira15 July 2024 15:201721052627Biggest population increase in 75 years in England and Wales, figures suggestThe population of England and Wales saw the biggest annual increase in 75 years because of growth driven by immigration, new estimates suggest.In the year to mid-2023, the population grew by almost 610,000 to 60.9 million, according to the estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published on Monday.This growth was primarily made up by the 1,084,000 people who were estimated to have migrated to England and Wales from outside the UK during that period.An estimated 462,000 people emigrated from England and Wales, meaning net migration – the difference between the number of people legally arriving in the UK and leaving – totalled 622,000.By comparison, the “natural change” in the population – the difference between births and deaths – was only 400 in the year to mid-2023 – the lowest figure since the year to mid-1978.Salma Ouaguira15 July 2024 15:101721052027Wes Streeting ‘treading cautiously’ in pressing ahead with puberty blocker banVictoria Atkins, Mr Streeting’s predecessor in the former Conservative government, used Medicines Act 1968 powers to stop private or European organisations from prescribing puberty blockers to young people aged under 18, if the drugs were intended to aid with gender incongruence or gender-affirming healthcare.Campaign group TransActual and a young person who cannot be named have launched a High Court bid to challenge the Government’s order.Their barrister Jason Coppel KC had said the former minister “proceeded without taking clinical or other scientific advice on those views and overruled officials who had wanted wider consultation and had warned her of serious impacts, including self-harm and suicide, on highly vulnerable children and young persons who had already embarked upon treatment”.Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell has the full story:Salma Ouaguira15 July 2024 15:001721051427What legislation is expected to feature in the King’s Speech?Ahead of the King’s Speech on Wednesday, the Government said it will put economic growth at the heart of its legislative agenda.More than 35 bills are expected to be announced as Labour seeks to maintain momentum and define its first 100 days in office as a period of positive progress.Here is a summary of the expected legislation:Fiscal disciplineFurther devolutionNational wealth fundClean energy boostPlanning and infrastructureRevitalising RailSkills push to focus on big businessBorder securityReform for rentersCrime and policingWorkers’ rightsHelp for mental healthEradicating smokingMartyn’s LawConstitutional reformFootball governanceActing on AISalma Ouaguira15 July 2024 14:501721050848Watch: Labour will be more ‘Gareth Southgate, less Michael Gove’, culture secretary pledgesLabour will be more ‘Gareth Southgate, less Michael Gove’, culture secretary pledgesJoe Middleton15 July 2024 14:401721050240Children risk becoming ‘forgotten generation’ due to NHS waitsChildren and young people risk becoming a forgotten generation owing to crippling waits for NHS care, health leaders have warned.A report from NHS Providers said 82% of trusts it surveyed are unable to meet the current demand for children and young people’s services.NHS trusts provide a variety of help for children and young people at home, in the community and in hospitals, such as health visiting, speech and language therapy, audiology, neurodevelopmental services, mental health services and autism assessment.The report found that rising demand and long waits for services are the biggest challenges for trusts, with more and more children needing help.For example, 5.3 million children and young people were in contact with mental health services in 2023/24 – up 8.1% on 2022/23 and 25.7% on 2021/22.In the report, which included 134 responses from leaders at 95 trusts, almost all (97%) said the current level of demand they were experiencing for children and young people’s services had increased compared with before the Covid pandemic.Salma Ouaguira15 July 2024 14:301721049640Ministers urged to act on ‘dark underbelly’ of election abuseSalma Ouaguira15 July 2024 14:20 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 ThomasEditorKeir Starmer has wasted little time in pushing for a reset of Britain’s post-Brexit relations with the EU, with his new Europe minister getting the train to Brussels today.Nick Thomas-Symonds, the new minister for the constitution and European relations, tweeted this morning an image of him getting on the Eurostar to Brussels from London St Pancras to meet with EU commission vice president Maros Sefcovic for a new round of Brexit talks.While Labour have made it clear they will not try to rejoin the EU or the customs union and single market, their manifesto promised a “reset” of Brexit relations and a renegotiated deal.Many had believed that Rishi Sunak’s Windsor Framework would be the end of Brexit talks, but Sir Keir told The Independent during the election that problems with the trade agreement signed by Boris Johnson and hold ups at the border still need to be resolved.All aboard for the train to Brussels for more Brexit talks 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 ThomasEditorA senior Tory MP has called for Rishi Sunak to stay as Conservative leader until the end of November as the battle to replace him takes shape.Shadow foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell said it is important to “run the contest long” to ensure leadership candidates “come under scrutiny both by their colleagues and by the party generally, and by the public”.And he suggested the leadership election should be launched at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham at the end of September.Andrew Mitchell, right, believes Rishi Sunak should remain Tory leader until November More

Kwasi Kwarteng refuses to rule out Tory comeback from himself or Liz TrussSupport 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 race to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader in the wake of the Conservative Party’s wipeout at the general election has been underway for 10 days.Ex-deputy foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell has urged the Tory party to avoid an interim leader, saying the best option “is to seek to persuade Rishi to remain” until mid to end of November.He said that the former prime minister’s instinct will be ‘almost certainly to go’ but that the 1922 Committee meeting showed ‘widespread feelings of sympathy and respect for Rishi Sunak.’ While no candidate has yet formally launched a bid, Suella Braverman’s hopes were dealt an early blow, as one source described the twice-sacked home secretary’s campaign to The Times as “dead before it even started”, accusing her of “going too hard, too soon”.Other possible Tory leadership race contenders on the party’s right include Kemi Badenoch and Priti Patel, while James Cleverly, Jeremy Hunt, Tom Tugendhat and Victoria Atkins are among more moderate figures who could launch bids.Show latest update 1721050640Tory treasurer who gave party £5m quits role days after election defeatSir Mohamed Mansour, the senior treasurer of the Conservative Party, announced on Saturday he was resigning from his post 10 days after Rishi Sunak’s election defeat.The Egyptian-born billionaire had donated £5m to the party and had been a key player in raising other funds. His donation was the biggest for the Conservatives since 2001.He told The Independent: “I have been honoured to serve my country and party since December 2022 and it has been a privilege to do so.”Maryam Zakir-Hussain15 July 2024 14:371721046039Who will be the next Tory leader? All the front runners ranked, from Priti Patel to Suella BravermanHere we look at some of the remaining runners and riders:Maryam Zakir-Hussain15 July 2024 13:201721043169Top Tory calls for Rishi Sunak to stay as party leader until November as succession battle loomsMaryam Zakir-Hussain15 July 2024 12:321721039198Tory grandee urges against lurch to extreme right in leadership battleThe Conservative Party needs to avoid a lurch to the “extreme right” as it tries to rebuild itself from its worst ever defeat, a former party chairman has warned.Lord Chris Patten, who was chairman for the successful 1992 general election campaign where he also lost his seat, has raised concerns that the Tories will try to ape Nigel Farage as it seeks to win back supporters.Writing for The Independent, the Tory grandee, who was also Britain’s last governor of Hong Kong, labelled two of the potential contenders Priti Patel and Suella Braverman as “extreme right” and described Farage as “Tommy Robinson in a cravat” as he urged for the party to take time over resetting itself.Maryam Zakir-Hussain15 July 2024 11:261721036805Rishi Sunak should stay as Tory leader until November, Andrew Mitchell saysA senior Tory has urged Rishi Sunak to stay on as party leader until November amid divisions in the party over how long the contest to replace him should take.Shadow foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell said he understood Mr Sunak’s “possible reticence” but spoke out against the idea of having an interim leader and argued “we should play it long”.He said the Conservatives should “adopt a modest profile” in the wake of its drubbing in the General Election and use the party conference, starting on September 29, for a “showcasing” of contenders.Maryam Zakir-Hussain15 July 2024 10:461720846800Watch: Suella Braverman refuses to say if she’ll be next Tory leaderSuella Braverman refuses to say if she’ll be next Tory leaderMaryam Zakir-Hussain13 July 2024 06:001720839600Suella Braverman blasts Kemi Badenoch as Tories ignore calls for unityTwo of the frontrunners in the race to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader have attacked each other, as infighting within the party deepens.She also named her rival Kemi Badenoch, tweeting: “I’d be interested in knowing whether Kemi thinks I’m having a ‘very public nervous breakdown’.”Maryam Zakir-Hussain13 July 2024 04:001720832400Jacob Rees-Mogg starts filming new reality TV show following general election defeatMaryam Zakir-Hussain13 July 2024 02:001720825200The real reason Rishi Sunak held his disastrous snap electionHouseholds would have to pay even more eye-watering sums in many of the so-called “blue wall” Conservative seats in the south of England Mr Sunak was desperate to save.Maryam Zakir-Hussain13 July 2024 00:001720818033Will Rishi Sunak stick around to take on Keir Starmer at PMQs?One of the many humiliations suffered by the Conservatives in the past week has been the temporary deletion of their X/Twitter account. For a short time, visitors to the party’s social media page were greeted only with the error message: “Something went wrong”. That’s an understatement, although the question remains exactly what went wrong.Identifying a way forward could take months, if not years, but in the meantime what’s left of the parliamentary Conservative party has to form an effective opposition. In the short term, this means Rishi Sunak taking on Keir Starmer’s former role in the most brutal of job swaps…Sean O’Grady has more…Maryam Zakir-Hussain12 July 2024 22:00 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 Conservatives face a leadership contest after a disastrous election result which saw Labour win by a landslide. But the party has lost a string of senior names who had been expected to stand – including former cabinet ministers Penny Mordaunt and Grant Shapps. Here we look at some of the remaining runners and riders: Kemi Badenoch The combative former business secretary, who has been involved in a number of high-profile clashes, is seen as a strong contender. She had a good run when she competed for the leadership in 2022. A one-time darling of the Conservative right she was seen to have blotted her copy book, however, when she canned a pledged bonfire of EU red tape. She left the door open to the race when she said, “we will talk about leadership things after an election”. Odds: 11/5Rishi Sunak leaves the Conservative Campaign Headquarters in London after conceding defeat 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 ThomasEditorLabour will govern Britain more like Gareth Southgate and less like Michael Gove, Lisa Nandy has promised.The culture secretary vowed an end to the “era of division” in British politics, adding ministers will take their lead from the beloved England manager.Asked whether Mr Southgate should be kept on after Sunday night’s loss to Spain in the final of Euro 2024, Ms Nandy said: “I admire him enormously and I am sure he will reach a decision after spending a bit of time thinking about it.”She told Sky News: “The contribution that Gareth Southgate has already made to football is enormous on the pitch and off the pitch.Culture secretary Lisa Nandy said Labour will govern like Gareth Southgate, not Michael Gove 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 government’s adviser on political violence has called on the home secretary to investigate a “dark underbelly” of abuse and intimidation of candidates during the general election.John Woodcock, a former Labour MP, who now sits in the House of Lords as Baron Walney, also suggested there could have been a “concerted campaign by extremists”.He has urged Yvette Cooper to commission an inquiry.His call comes just days after the Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: “If there is something that keeps me awake at night, it is the safety of MPs.”Police secure the entrance for Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and wife Victoria to arrive at a polling station 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 ThomasEditorDavid Lammy called for an immediate ceasefire in his first meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the Middle East on Sunday.The foreign secretary raised the urgent need for a ceasefire agreed by both sides, which includes the release of all hostages and a rapid increase of aid into Gaza.In meetings with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, Mr Lammy made the case for working towards a two-state solution to the conflict.The foreign secretary was also expected to announce that the UK will provide another £5.5m this year to UK-Med to fund its work in Gaza.David Lammy held his first meetings in the Middle East with Israeli and Palestinian leaders More