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 moreThe NHS’s top doctor has announced he is stepping down from the role, just a week after the surprise resignation of NHS England boss Amanda Pritchard. Professor Sir Stephen Powis, the organisation’s national medical director, has announced that he will step down this summer, after more than seven years in the role. He said he it had been an “immense privilege” to do his job and that he had always been “exceptionally proud to work in the NHS… while stepping down from this role, I remain passionate and committed to improving the health of patients and improving the experience of staff.” Sir Stephen is understood to have told Ms Pritchard in January of his decision, but it risks leaving a gap at the top of NHS England, after she announced last week that she was leaving at the end of the month. Sir Stephen regularly appeared on TV screens as part of Downing Street press conferences during the pandemic (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 moreA Tory peer has apologised after saying Jewish people should pay for a London Holocaust memorial themselves because they have “an awful lot of money”. Archie Hamilton, a former minister under Margaret Thatcher and John Major, said taxpayers’ money should not be used to pay for the memorial and education centre in Victoria Tower Gardens, next to parliament. In a debate in the Lords, he said the park is too small for the proposed project, adding: “I do not understand why the government have volunteered taxpayers’ money, when there is so little of it, to finance this.Lord Hamilton said the Jewish community has ‘an awful lot of money’ 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 moreActivity in Britain’s construction sector has plunged to its lowest level since the pandemic casting further doubt over the government’s ambitious house building targets. Last month, Angela Rayner warned there was “no excuse” not to meet her goal of 1.5m new homes, while Sir Keir Starmer doubled down on the pledge, committing to the creation of a generation of new towns with spades in the ground before the next election in 2029.But the latest S&P Global construction purchasing managers’ index (PMI) – which measures the activity level of purchasing managers in the construction industry – showed a reading of 44.6 in February, down from 48.1 in January. Angela Rayner has claimed there is no excuse not to meet her ambitious 1.5m homes target 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 moreRobert Jenrick has clashed with a BBC presenter over claims new sentencing guidelines will lead to a “two-tier justice” system. The shadow justice secretary lashed out at guidance coming into force in April which will require a pre-sentence report before punishment is handed out for someone of an ethnic, cultural or faith minority, alongside other groups such as young adults aged 18 to 25, women and pregnant women.Mr Jenrick called for justice secretary Shabana Mahmood to overrule the independent Sentencing Council, which highlighted the “critical role” of pre-sentence reports. He has argued the guidance will discriminate against straight white men.Robert Jenrick said new sentencing guidelines will discriminate against straight white men 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 moreGovernment departments have reportedly been asked to identify 20 per cent of their lowest priority spending areas as Rachel Reeves eyes up billions of pounds in cuts ahead of the Spring Statement.The chancellor presented earmarked savings to the government’s spending watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), on Wednesday before she delivers her statement on 26 March. Treasury sources have said several factors have impacted plans presented under Ms Reeves’ October budget, with increased borrowing costs and weak economic growth likely to require further spending cuts in order to meet commitments on managing the public finances.Curbing the cost of welfare and a drive for greater efficiency across Whitehall are expected to contribute the bulk of the savings.Chancellor Rachel Reeves is likely to cut the cost of welfare to help manage public finances (Yui Mok/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 moreKeir Starmer’s intense round of diplomacy on Ukraine over the past week has seen him rewarded with his highest poll ratings in six months, according to YouGov.Conversely, anger over Donald Trump’s behaviour appears to have hit his closest ally in the UK Nigel Farage, whose own favourability score went down four points from 30 per cent to 26 per cent.The prime minister jetted to Washington DC where he won plaudits for his handling of Donald Trump, before warmly welcoming Volodymyr Zelensky in Downing Street after Ukraine’s president left the White House after angry scenes with Trump and JD Vance in the Oval Office.Sir Keir Starmer met with Volodymyr Zelensky after the Ukranian president left the White House following a breakdown in talks with Donald Trump (Justin Tallis/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 moreSir Winston Churchill’s grandson has accused Donald Trump’s team of despising Europe after a furious row which saw vice-president JD Vance criticised for disrespecting Britain’s war dead. Conservative peer Sir Nicholas Soames, 77, told the House of Lords that the US administration “despise Europe really”.He also predicted that in future the “special relationship” between the UK and the US would not be “what it was”. “I don’t think they want it to be,” Lord Soames told the international relations and defence committee on Wednesday.Donald Trump has paid tribute to Churchill, reinstating the bust of the former prime minister in the Oval Office as one of his first acts in power upon his return to the presidential office in January.Lord Soames’s comments come after Mr Vance faced widespread condemnation for appearing to describe the UK as “some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years”. Lord Soames is critical of the US administration’s stance on Europe and the UK 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 moreDonald Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on US imports will shrink the British economy, Rachel Reeves has been warned by Britain’s top economists. In a blow for the chancellor, members of the Bank of England’s interest rate-setting committee said the implications of the US president’s plans “are fairly clear” for economic growth. “Tariffs would push down growth,” Megan Greene, an external member of the monetary policy committee told MPs on Wednesday. Donald Trump’s tariffs will hit UK economic growth More