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 moreCloseRachel Reeves has defended her so-called tractor tax after the former chief of the National Farmers Union (NFU) said it would hit seven in 10 farms.The chancellor claimed that “only a very small number of agricultural properties” will be affected by the changes to inheritance tax on farms, but Minette Batters said farmers are furious.“Farmers are reeling. My phone has been buzzing constantly and they’re bewildered, angry. And I think we need a lot of clarity about how this has been put together, the impact assessment and to see if this can be changed because it will have enormous consequences,” Baroness Batters said on Sunday.Chancellor Rachel Reeves has defended her proposed reforms to inheritance tax on farms by claiming it is not ‘affordable’ keep the current system (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.CloseRead moreCloseKemi Badenoch has been warned she needs to “avoid the perception she would cross the road to pick a fight” as she faces the daunting task of trying to turn the Conservative Party around from its worst general election result in history.The new Tory leader comes across as “energetic and fresh-faced” with voters, but pollsters have said she needs to avoid being “overly combative”.“I think that is going to be the defining task of her leadership,” More in Common executive director Luke Tryl told The Independent.Kemi Badenoch began her leadership by saying that the Partygate scandal was ‘overblown’ 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 moreCloseA non-recent allegation of sexual assault made against Alex Salmond has been received by police.Salmond was leader of the Alba Party up until he died suddenly aged 69 during a visit to North Macedonia last month.The politician was first minister of Scotland from 2007-2014 under the Scottish National Party (SNP) government but resigned from the SNP in 2018 after a number of allegations of sexual misconduct came to light.He was later cleared of all 14 charges in 2020 – being found not guilty of 12, while prosecutors withdrew another charge and one was found not proven.Police Scotland has now said a separate report of misconduct has been filed against Mr Salmond.A non-recent allegation of sexual assault made against Alex Salmond has been received by police 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 moreCloseBereaved families who lost loved ones to Covid have condemned Kemi Badenoch for hailing Boris Johnson as a “great prime minister” and claiming that the Partygate scandal was “overblown”.The newly elected Tory leader said the story was exaggerated as she claimed the government should not have been fining people for “everyday activities” during lockdown.New Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Partygate was ‘overblown’ 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 moreCloseThe majority of Brexit’s impact on Britain’s economy is still yet to be felt, a minister has warned. In a damning assessment of Britain’s departure from the European Union, Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq said 60 per cent of the impact of Brexit is yet to materialise.The Treasury economic secretary cited Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts that the economy would shrink by 4 per cent in the long run due to Brexit. And Ms Siddiq said that Britain’s imports and exports would end up 15 per cent lower than they would be had the UK stayed in the EU.In the first time the government has quantified how much of the impact has so far been felt, Ms Siddiq cited further OBR analysis showing that just 40 per cent of the impact has materialised so far.Critics said the warning should act as a wake-up call for ministers as Sir Keir Starmer pursues a post-Brexit reset in relations with EU leaders.Best for Britain chief executive Naomi Smith called for the prime minister to pursue closer ties with the bloc in order to “trade our way to prosperity once more and mitigate against further Brexit induced damage”.And Stella Creasy, chair of the Labour Movement for Europe, told The Independent the next 18 months were crucial for Britain to address trade barriers at the border, visa problems for workers and the red tape holding back businesses.Sir Keir Starmer has embarked on a post-Brexit reset with the EU More

Moment Kemi Badenoch is announced as new Tory leader to replace Rishi SunakYour 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 moreCloseThe Partygate scandal was “overblown” and the government should not have fined people for “everyday activities” during lockdown, Kemi Badenoch has argued.In her first media appearance since winning the Conservative leadership, Ms Badenoch was challenged by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg over what went wrong under her predecessors after promising to be “honest” about where her party had made mistakes.Meanwhile, in another admission on Sunday morning, the chancellor acknowledged that she was “wrong” to promise no tax rises, blaming the previous Conservative government for hiding a “huge black hole” in the country’s finances.Rachel Reeves was shown a clip on Sunday morning in which she pledges no tax hikes during the general election campaign – days after she announced an overall increase to the tax burden of £40bn in Wednesday’s Budget.Speaking to Sky News’s Trevor Phillips, she admitted: “I was wrong on 11 June, I didn’t know everything.”It comes as Ms Badenoch is preparing her shadow cabinet.In a resounding victory announced on Saturday, the right-wing culture warrior won 53,806 votes over Robert Jenrick’s 41,000, out of a total electorate of 131,680.Ms Badenoch’s predecessor Rishi Sunak and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer were among those who congratulated her following the four-month-long race.Show latest update 1730644229Trade union threatens legal action over winter fuel cutBritain’s largest trade union has threatened legal action over the government’s decision to means-test winter fuel payments.Around 10 million pensioners will no longer receive the benefit from this winter after the Government decided to restrict payments to people on pension credit in a bid to save money.Ministers said the move was necessary to help fill a £22 billion “black hole” they claim the previous government left in this year’s spending plans.But the trade union Unite said it believed the cut to winter fuel payments would have a “terrible effect” on millions of pensioners and demanded the government reverse its decision or face a judicial review.Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “People do not understand, I do not understand how a Labour government has taken away the fuel allowance of millions of pensioners just as winter approaches.“Given the failure to rectify this in the budget, Unite has now commenced judicial review proceedings challenging the legality of the policy.“It is not too late for Labour to register the hurt that this cruel policy has caused, step back from picking the pockets of pensioners and do the right thing.”Tara Cobham3 November 2024 14:301730642429Watch: Rachel Reeves admits she was wrong about public finances during electionRachel Reeves admits she was wrong about public finances during electionTara Cobham3 November 2024 14:001730641229Chancellor: I was ‘wrong’ on taxes during electionChancellor Rachel Reeves has said she was “wrong” when she said during the election campaign that she would not need to raise taxes, but insisted further increases will not be needed.During a campaign event on June 11, Ms Reeves said she would not need to raise taxes beyond the increases already set out in the Labour Party’s manifesto.But delivering her first Budget on Wednesday, she announced £40 billion of tax rises, including increases to employers’ national insurance contributions and changes to inheritance tax and capital gains tax, as she sought to pay for investment in public services such as schools and the NHS.Read the full report here:Tara Cobham3 November 2024 13:401730640029New Tory leader Badenoch promises ‘hard truths’ for country and partyKemi Badenoch said she will tell “hard truths” to both the country and her party as she began her first full day as Conservative leader.In her first media appearance since winning the Tory leadership election, Ms Badenoch said the UK is getting poorer and older and being “outcompeted” by other countries.She told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: “We need to look at how we can reorganise our economy to be fit for the future, not just doing what we always used to.Read the full report here:Tara Cobham3 November 2024 13:201730639186Police receive ‘non-recent’ allegation of sexual assault against Alex SalmondPolice have received a “non-recent” allegation of sexual assault made against Alex Salmond, who was leader of the Alba Party up until his sudden death last month.Mr Salmond died of a heart attack on October 12 during a political visit to North Macedonia. His funeral was held on October 29 in Strichen, Aberdeenshire.Mr Salmond was first minister of Scotland from 2007-2014 under the Scottish National Party (SNP) government.He resigned in 2018 after a number of allegations of sexual misconduct came to light.He was later cleared of all 14 charges in 2020 – being found not guilty of 12, while prosecutors withdrew another charge and one was found not proven.Police Scotland has now said a separate report of misconduct has been filed against Mr Salmond.A spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have received a report of a non-recent sexual assault.“The information is being assessed.”Responding to coverage of the allegations reported by the media, Alba Party general secretary Chris McEleny said the claims are “smears” and urged for Mr Salmond to be allowed to “rest in peace”.The former first minister of Scotland resigned from the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 2018 after a number of allegations of sexual misconduct came to light 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 moreCloseThe UK’s biggest trade union has warned elderly people will die as a result of Labour’s decision to scrap winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners as it launched a legal challenge against the change.Unite has accused the government of acting unlawfully over its move to means test the payment, which is expected to affect around 10 million pensioners.The decision, which Rachel Reeves said was needed to plug a £22bn black hole in the public finances, will axe the payment of up to £300 for all pensioners except those in receipt of pension credit or other means-tested benefits.Rachel Reeves blamed the change on a £22bn black hole in the public finances 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 moreCloseNewly elected Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has been condemned over an unearthed image that shows her making a joke about rape on her personal Facebook page.The former women and equalities minister has been criticised by anti-domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid, which said it was appalled by the image. In a post on her own page dated from January 2008, which was still visible on her profile as recently as this week, Ms Badenoch shared an image of three men with the caption: “The Drummond Beer Rape incident.”The picture shows a man lying on the floor, while another man sits on top of him holding a bottle and a third man covers his mouth and nose.Women’s Aid called for Ms Badenoch to take responsibility for the post, suggesting jokes about sexual violence perpetuate abuse and misogynistic attitudes towards women.Sophie Francis-Cansfield, the charity’s head of policy, told The Independent: “Rape and sexual assault are no laughing matter, and making light of them trivialises the very real and traumatic experiences of countless women and girls.“There is an epidemic of violence against women and girls which is deep-rooted in misogynistic attitudes like those demonstrated in this ‘joke’.“Political figures must take responsibility for their words and actions, whether they are recent or not, and act in a way that challenges abuse instead of perpetuating it.”Kemi Badenoch celebrates with her husband Hamish on Saturday More