UK Politics

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreRobert Jenrick has refused to rule out an electoral pact between the Conservatives and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK as the party surges in the polls.The former Tory leadership contender insisted Mr Farage’s party “have no intention” of seeking a deal, but would not rule an agreement out himself. After the insurgent right-wing party overtook the Tories in the polls, shadow justice secretary Mr Jenrick opened a divide between himself and Kemi Badenoch, who is strongly against the idea. Robert Jenrick refused to rule out a deal with Reform More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read morePalmerston, the former chief mouser at the Foreign Office, has come out of retirement for a new, “purr-fect” job in Bermuda.The news, posted on Wednesday on Palmerston’s official DiploMog account on social network X, comes more than four years after it was announced that he was retiring from public life to a “quieter and easier” life in the countryside.Palmerston had been adopted by Foreign Office diplomat Andrew Murdoch when he retired as chief mouser. Murdoch has now been appointed governor of Bermuda, a tiny British territory in the mid-Atlantic.“Diplomacy and a purr-fect role have lured me out of retirement,” the post said. “I’ve just started work as feline relations consultant (semi-retired) to the new Governor of Bermuda. I’ve been busy meeting very welcoming Bermudians.”The Foreign Office said Palmerston “will attend only the meetings he deems important, offering advice when necessary and indulging in well-earned naps.”Palmerston, who is named after the longest-serving British Foreign Secretary, Lord Palmerston, arrived in government in April 2016 as a rescue cat. He was regarded with affection and showered with treats by Foreign Office staff, occasionally bringing them dead mice in return.Palmerston in Bermuda More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreA new book on Keir Starmer’s rise to power has caused a stir in Westminster. It’s revelations have left the prime minister facing a series of questions over a meeting with his voice coach while the UK was under strict Covid restrictions and details an attempted ‘coup’ by his deputy.Here we look at some of the biggest revelations contained in Get In, by Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund. Dominic Cummings wanted to advise Labour Perhaps the most unexpected name to appear is that of Boris Johnson’s former chief of staff Dominic Cummings, later to become famous for a lockdown trip to Barnard Castle. The book details how he contacted Jeremy Corbyn’s former spokesman in early 2019 with a proposition to claw back some control over Brexit. Over a dinner he laid out his plan for Corbyn to save Brexit by backing Theresa May’s troubled deal. That would have led to a less ‘hard’ version of Brexit than the one ultimately hurried in by her successor, Boris Johnson. Under Mr Cumming’s idea, the Tories would be split, leaving Mr Corbyn to win the next election. But Labour MPs never did support May’s deal. And it was Mr Cummings who entered Downing St, alongside Mr Johnson, not Mr Corbyn.Sir Keir’s rise to power is charted in the new book (Omar Havana/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreWatch as Labour answers an urgent question on Israel and Gaza on Thursday, 6 February, after Donald Trump claimed that the US will “take over” the territory.On Tuesday, the US president said his nation would “take over the Gaza Strip” with a “long-term ownership position” – estimating that about 1.8 million of the near-2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza would have to be relocated to achieve his vision of turning what he called a “hell hole” into “the Riviera of the Middle East”.Thirty-eight Labour MPs wrote to Sir Keir Starmer demanding the prime minister take a stand against the Republican’s “ethnic cleansing” of Gaza in the biggest public backlash within the party against the prime minister since Labour won the election.The PM did not directly address Mr Trump’s comments when he was confronted on the issue during Prime Minister’s Questions but Downing Street later confirmed Sir Keir planned to talk to the US president over the shock plans. More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreBritain will oppose any attempts to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza, a Foreign Office minister has said, confirming for the first time that the government will block Donald Trump’s controversial plans for the enclave. Development minister Anneliese Dodds said the future of Gaza must be determined by Palestinians with the support of neighbouring countries and the international community. And, in a rebuke to the US president, Ms Dodds said: “We would oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will.Anneliese Dodds said Palestinian civilians should be able to return to Gaza and rebuild their homes and lives (Ben Whitley/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreRachel Reeves has been dragged into the row over Sir Keir Starmer’s meeting with his voice coach while Covid restrictions were in place in late 2020. Sir Keir furiously hit back at “partying” Tories as he was again pressed on claims he broke lockdown rules during the pandemic. The row is over whether actor Leonie Mellinger would have been allowed to advise the Labour leader in person during tier 4 lockdown as the country closed for Christmas.Sir Keir has faced intense pressure on the issue because of the way he pursued former prime minister Boris Johnson over Partygate activities in Downing Street.Keir Starmer hit back at ‘partying’ Tories More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreNigel Farage has claimed that Donald Trump’s administration will impose tariffs on the UK because of Keir Starmer’s attempts to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.But Downing Street has hit back stating the allegation is “codswallop”.The claim came during in a Reform UK press conference following an urgent question in Parliament on the bid to return the islands to Mauritius.During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir insisted that those privy to national security advice would know why the controversial deal needs to go forward. But Mr Farage suggested that that advice, coming from national security adviser Jonathan Powell, was based on “lies”.It came as the prime minister of Mauritius, Navin Ramgoolam, issued an urgent clarification correcting claims the price of leasing back the UK/US airbase on the islands had doubled to £18 billion.Nigel Farage (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreAn alleged Chinese spy who became a close confidant of the Duke of York has been named as Yang Tengbo following a court ruling, as concerns grow over Beijing’s reach within British society.The 50-year-old businessman had been known as H6 until a judge lifted an anonymity order just ahead of an urgent question on the scandal from former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith.MPs had threatened to use parliamentary privilege to reveal Mr Yang’s identity following accusations that he had become close to Prince Andrew in an effort to gain influence, and that he had helped the United Front Work Department – an arm of the Chinese Communist Party.Yang Tengbo pictured with Prince Andrew More