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.CloseRead moreThe moment where Jacob Rees-Mogg is told he’s about to lose his seat during the general election is captured in all its awkward glory during a new reality series following the former MP’s family. The show follows the former Conservative cabinet minister and his family in the weeks leading up to the election, which saw the Labour Party win a historic landslide victory.In the second episode, the politician is shown receiving a call from his agent, Margaret Brewer, who informs him he is about to lose his seat – despite having a majority of nearly 15,000 votes. In the moments after the call, Rees-Mogg – who was previously in good spirits – says to his wife Helena: “Not good news. Not good news. Labour are comfortably ahead. And Reform is taking a big share. So there we go.”Meet The Rees-Moggs will be streaming on Discovery+ from December 2 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 moreThe Metropolitan Police has apologised for sending an email that named alleged victims of the Westminster honeytrap scandal to each other.The force said it had referred itself to the Information Commissioner’s Office after an email relating to the ongoing investigation was “sent in error” on Friday.Reports have said alleged victims’ email addresses were viewable to each other in the message, instead of being hidden.The Metropolitan Police said officers would “personally apologise” to those affected.In a statement, a Met spokesperson said: “An email relating to an ongoing investigation was sent in error today.William Wragg has admitted his involvement in a honeytrap scheme targeting Westminster politicians 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 moreHeidi Alexander has been appointed the new transport secretary following the resignation of Louise Haigh on Friday morning. Ms Haigh became the first minister to quit Sir Keir Starmer’s government after admitting she had been convicted for making a false report to police over a mobile phone being stolen 10 years ago.On Friday, Downing Street declined to clarify whether the prime minister knew about Ms Haigh’s criminal conviction when he appointed her to the role and said new information had come to light that led to her resignation.Ms Alexander, who has been the MP for Swindon South since July’s general election, has been handed the role after previously serving as a justice minister. Alexander is the MP for Swindon South 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 moreBritish families who help terminally ill loved ones to go to Switzerland to die may now be free from the threat of police action, according to Dame Esther Rantzen.The vote by MPs in favour of assisted dying is likely to make it impossible for police to carry out the existing legal ban on ‘assisted suicides,’ said the TV broadcaster, who has stage four cancer.Assisted dying campaigner Dame Esther, who hailed the “extraordinary” Commons decision, says she may now decide to take her family with her to Switzerland if her condition deteriorates – and defy the law.She told BBC Radio Four: “Since there has been this vote I am wondering whether it means I can say to my family ‘come with me to Switzerland, say goodbye to me there’. Because when they come home again I’m not sure they would be investigated for assisting my suicide.”The proposed new law would probably not take effect in Britain soon enough to allow her to have an assisted death in the UK itself, said Ms Rantzen.Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who put forward the bill, reacts during a demonstration in support of assisted dying outside parliament More

MPs vote in favour of historic assisted dying legislation following fierce debateYour 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 moreMPs have voted in favour of the assisted dying bill following a fierce commons debate.The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill received 330 ayes and 275 noes, a majority of 55 votes. In a sign of the level of feeling on the divisive issue, more than 160 MPs made bids to speak during Friday’s Commons debate – the first on the issue in almost a decade.The bill will now go to the committee stage where MPs can table amendments, before facing further scrutiny and votes in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, meaning any change in the law would not be agreed until next year at the earliest.The law would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live to end their lives, subject to the approval of two doctors and a High Court judge.Warning: this article contains information that people might find distressing, including accounts of human suffering.BREAKING: MPs vote in favour of the assisted dying billMPs have voted in favour of the assisted dying bill following a fierce commons debate.The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill received 330 ayes and 275 noes.In a sign of the level of feeling on the divisive issue, more than 160 MPs made bids to speak during Friday’s Commons debate – the first on the issue in almost a decade.The bill will now go to committee stage where MPs can table amendments, before facing further scrutiny and votes in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, meaning any change in the law would not be agreed until next year at the earliest.The law would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live to end their lives, subject to the approval of two doctors and a High Court judge. Jabed Ahmed29 November 2024 14:23Supporters of the legislation celebrate outside parliamentSupporters of the assisted dying Bill wept and hugged each other outside Parliament as the news came through that it had been passed by MPs.The crowd in Parliament Square erupted into cheers as they watched the results on their phones.Joshua Cook, 33, from Huddersfield, who has Huntington’s disease – an incurable neurodegenerative disease, said it was a “relief”.“It is a weight off my mind, as a terminally ill person, and you can just look around here, at people who are truly affected by this,” he said. “It’s a relief it’s history, finally we are getting towards having a society that shows love and compassion above the need to just keep people alive.”( 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 moreMPs have voted to pass the Terminally Ill Adults (End Of Life) Bill, allowing the assisted dying legislation to pass through to the next stages of scrutiny and amendment.The bill was passed by a majority of 55 votes.The vote followed five hours of debate this morning (November 29), with 175 MPs requesting to speak on the matter.The bill was open to a “free vote”, meaning that the party whips did not dictate whether to support or oppose the bill. Individual MPs were free to vote based on their own values and opinions of their constituents, regardless of whether they are Labour, Tory, or otherwise.Use the search bar to find how your MP voted on the bill.Among the MPs to have voted in favour of the bill included Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and former PM Rishi Sunak.Meanwhile Lib Dem leader Ed Davey, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and Mother of the House Diane Abbott were among those who voted against it.The private members bill, introduced by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, was the first time MPs have been able to vote on assisted dying since 2015 when it was struck down 330 to 118. At this morning’s debate, Ms Leadbeater insisted that this was the “beginning not the end” of the conversation around assisted dying.To be eligible for assisted dying under the proposed bill, a person has to be over 18 years old, have proven mental capacity, no more than six months left to live, and the consent of two medical professionals.The assisted dying bill has sparked significant debate since it was introduced in mid-October, with strong advocates for and against the legislation. 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 moreThe new Mauritian government has ordered an independent review of the Chagos Islands agreement, The Independent understands, throwing the future of Sir Keir Starmer’s deal into even greater uncertainty.The new administration in Mauritius, which took over after elections last month, has previously expressed doubts about the terms of the agreement, with the UK’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, travelling to the country in an attempt to smooth over any issues. But sources in Mauritius have since told The Independent the new government feels it was “kept in the dark” over the agreement. In a statement to the Mauritian parliament on Friday, the country’s new prime minister, Navin Ramgoolam, said the details of the deal were “unknown to the new government” throughout the two years of negotiations. He announced the government would now be conducting an independent review into the terms of the agreement, the findings of which will be considered by the cabinet. The prime minister also said he has consulted external legal advisers over the deal. It comes just one day after Downing Street said there is “no discussion around renegotiating the deal”.The government announced last month it had reached a political agreement to hand over sovreignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius 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 moreGrowing support for Nigel Farage and Reform UK is the only reason Keir Starmer and his besieged Labour government remain at the top of the opinion polls, a leading pollster has claimed.As the government woke up this morning to the shock resignation of transport secretary Louise Haigh over a historic fraud conviction, the latest Techne UK tracker poll for The Independent put Labour at a one-point lead over the Tories.With 28 per cent for Labour compared to 27 per cent for the Conservatives, Sir Keir has stayed on top despite fury over the government’s Budget regarding national insurance rises and the so-called family farm tax, as well as a series of scandals involving freebies and ministerial conduct.The findings appear to confirm the initial bounce enjoyed by the Tories after Kemi Badenoch became leader has ended, with the party polling the same percentage for a third week in a row.Sir Keir Starmer lost Louise Haigh from his ministerial team on Friday More