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 moreA civil servant who lost her job after blowing the whistle about the UK’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan has won her case for unfair dismissal against the government. Josie Stewart, a former senior official who had worked at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for seven years, lost her job after giving an anonymous interview to BBC Newsnight which saw her speak about her “traumatic experiences” working in the Afghanistan Crisis Centre in summer 2021. Following the Taliban gaining control of Afghanistan, the British government evacuated 15,000 people from Kabul in what was known as Operation Pitting.Ms Stewart’s security clearance was revoked and she subsequently lost her job after it emerged she revealed failings in the withdrawal from Kabul, as well as leaking emails suggesting that former prime minister Boris Johnson had prioritised staff from the animal charity Nowzad for evacuation over more deserving cases.Josie Stewart 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 moreBritons have been warned by a senior MP not to holiday in Iran “because they think it looks cool on Instagram” after a British couple were detained in the country.Shadow home office minister Alicia Kearns issued the travel warning after Craig and Lindsay Foreman were arrested while on a round-the-world motorcycle trip and charged with espionage.The former chair of the foreign affairs committee told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday: “The priority is people need to listen to the travel advice. It is not safe for British nationals, most certainly not dual nationals, to travel to Iran.“I beg anyone who is thinking of doing it, either because they think it looks cool on Instagram, or because it’s a country that – look, I would love to visit as well, beautiful people – please do not go. The risks are really high – you don’t have to have a reputation or a history or an Iranian passport as well to be at risk. Please do not travel.”Ms Kearns, who led the foreign affairs committee’s report into the UK’s response to hostage-taking, called for specific information to be added to the travel advice page for every country on whether there is a high risk of arbitrary detention there, as was advised by her inquiry – “because unfortunately it’s not even countries you would think of where there’s a risk”. Shadow home office minister Alicia Kearns has urged Britons not to holiday in Iran ‘because they think it looks cool on Instagram’ 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 Keir Starmer has found himself in a row with the most senior judge in England and Wales after criticising an immigration decision at last week’s Prime Minister’s Questions. A judge had granted a Palestinian family the right to remain in Britain after they applied through a scheme designed for Ukrainian refugees, which both the prime minister and Conservative leader said was “wrong.”The Lady Chief Justice said she was “deeply troubled” about the remarks, adding that “both question and the answer” from Sir Keir and Mrs Badenoch were unacceptable.But hitting back on Tuesday evening, the prime minister repeated his previous comments that it was “for Parliament to make laws and for the government to decide policy”.“Where the law is not working as we think it should be, the government will take action to tighten up the rules – and that is what we are doing,” a government spokesman said.The lady chief justice, said she was “deeply troubled” about last Wednesday’s Commons session 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 assault on workers should be “cautionary tale” for Britain, the UK’s leading trade union official has warned, amid the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform. Trade Union Congress (TUC) general secretary Paul Nowak said the president’s actions have shown that people considering supporting Reform UK could lose their jobs if Mr Farage were to follow his lead on rolling back workers’ rights should he become prime minister.Mr Nowak will be taking his warning to a major summit in Washington DC just a short distance from the White House as he plans a fightback against Reform’s surge in the UK polls.The TUC leader is in Washington at the World Bank HQ for a major event held by the IMF, World Bank and ITUC, bringing together leaders from the global union movement and senior officials from international financial institutions. It comes as he and other trade union leaders begin a fightback against “rightwing populism” which has seen Trump take the White House, Farage’s Reform UK surge to the top of the polls, and the far right Alternative for Germany looking set to become the second biggest party in Germany.Trump and Farage are close allies 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 moreUK defence secretary John Healey has unveiled plans for the “biggest defence shake up in 50 years” to make sure the UK is war ready.Giving a speech to the Institute for Government (IfG) on Tuesday, Mr Healeyannounced a new command structure in the Ministry of Defence (MoD), as well as bringing an end to major defence reforms unveiled under the Conservatives.The structural changes, which will include streamlining budgets, will ensure the department is “more concentrated on war-fighting readiness and on deterrence”, Mr Healey said. The reforms “represent the biggest shake up of UK defence for over 50 years”, the defence secretary said, arguing they will help cut waste and reduce duplication, as well as ensuring that Britain is “buying better what our front line forces need”.The announcement comes amid growing fears over European security after President Donald Trump announced his plan to sideline the continent by holding Ukraine peace talks directly with Mr Putin, amid wider pressure on the continent to step up its defence capabilities. John Healey addressed the IfG on Tuesday 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 moreEd Miliband has urged energy watchdog Ofgem to crack down on soaring costs as forecasts show the typical energy bill could soon rise by over £100 a year.Whitehall sources have indicated that they expect bills in most UK regions to increase by around £9 a month over next three months, according the The Guardian, hitting Labour’s pledge to curb the cost of living.Forecasts of exactly how much rates will rise again in April vary, but most key analysts agree they will be increasing. Large energy firms such as British Gas, E.On and EDF predict the price cap will increase by between five and seven per cent.Experts say increased volatility in the global gas market is a key source of the rises. The transit deal that allowed gas to flow to Europe from Russia via Ukraine recently ended, adding more uncertainty.Energy secretary Ed Miliband (Jordan Pettitt/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 Nigel Farage is interviewed by Jordan Peterson at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference in London on Monday, 17 February.ARC is an international centre-right political organisation founded by the Canadian psychologist and political commentator.The Reform UK leader’s appearance came a day after Conservative Kemi Badenoch warned that failure to renew her party following their election loss could lead to the loss of “our country and all of Western civilisation.”Ms Badenoch said she was speaking up for “classic liberal values” and criticised “loopholes” in liberalism which have been “hacked” in recent decades, including the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).She also likened herself to Donald Trump as she sought to explain what the Tories would do if they were to win power again.She said: “People ask me what difference new leadership will make. Well, take a look at President Trump – he showed that sometimes you need that first stint in government to spot the problems, but it’s the second time around when you really know how to fix them.” 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 moreFurther questions are being raised over alleged exaggerations of Rachel Reeves’s credentials, after the chancellor was reported to have incorrectly claimed some of her work was published in one of the world’s leading economics journals. According to The Times, her Who’s Who entry lists her as a contributor in the Journal of Political Economy, when in fact she had just one article published in the European Journal of Political Economy – a far less prestigious publication. Sources close to the chancellor told the newspaper there was no record of how the entry had come to be made or who had approved the description of her publication record. But the entry has reportedly been listed under her name in Who’s Who since she became an MP in 2010. It is understood individuals supply their own details to Who’s Who and have the opportunity to edit them each year. Who’s Who is one of the world’s longest established reference books, which contains more than 32,500 autobiographical entries. The book’s publisher says it has been “carefully updated for maximum accuracy from information personally supplied by the biographee”.Sir Richard Barnett, an emeritus professor at the University of Ulster, said any academic economist would know the difference between the two journals, claiming they were “chalk and cheese”. “One is world leading, it’s where economists aspire to publish and it’s incredibly competitive to get published in the Journal of Political Economy — if you’re seeking an academic post or a professorship where you’ve published matters as much as what you’ve published,” he told The Times. Rachel Reeves More