UK Politics

‘There won’t be another budget like this again,’ says ReevesYour 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 moreTory leader Kemi Badenoch said figures showing the economy shrank in October show that Rachel Reeves’ Budget is “crashing the economy”.She told the PA news agency on a visit to Essex: “I think it shows that the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have been making the wrong choices. They inherited an economy that was growing and now it is shrinking. Their Budget is crashing the economy and they need to reverse thisThe UK economy shrunk again in October, according to official figures, putting economists on “recession watch”.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said output fell by 0.1 per cent following the 0.1 per cent decline recorded for the previous month.The latest figures cover the month ahead of the government’s first budget, which saw Labour unveil £40bn worth of tax rises.It marks a fractional shift in the outlook for the economy after it eked out 0.1% growth over the latest quarter, between July and September.Julian Jessop, economics fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: “The second successive monthly fall in economic activity in October should put the UK firmly on recession watch. Indeed, output per head may already be falling for the second quarter in a row.“The loss of momentum is not contained to the UK. Indeed, the manufacturing sector appears to be struggling even more in the rest of Europe, notably Germany and France.“Nonetheless, the new government’s negative rhetoric over the summer and the anticipation of a tight Budget have damaged sentiment and encouraged many households and business to put spending, hiring and investment on hold.”The ONS said the services sector recorded no growth in October after also stalling in September.The Chancellor said: “We are determined to deliver economic growth as higher growth means increased living standards for everyone, everywhere. This is what our Plan for Change is all about.“While the figures this month are disappointing, we have put in place policies to deliver long-term economic growth.”The latest economic news comes as the government continues to face criticism over the more controversial elements of the Budget, including changes to inheritance tax and the winter fuel payment. The pound has fallen in value following the ONS’s update on Britain’s shrinking economy. Sterling fell by as much as 0.4 per cent before gaining ground to trade at $1.27.The drop provided a boost for the FTSE 100, which rose by 2 points to 8,313.8A weaker pound makes the index’s predominantly foreign earnings more attractive.Howard Mustoe13 December 2024 14:30The National Institute of Economic and Social Research think tank says it expects grind to zero in the final three months of the year, which means Ms Reeves could avoid a recession. Construction is likely to be hit hard, the think tank said.NIESR associate economist Hailey Low said: “A weakening export climate amid rising global policy uncertainties and declining business confidence, exacerbated by the impact of recently announced budget measures, raises concerns about sustaining the growth momentum.”Howard Mustoe13 December 2024 13:44( 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 UK economy shrunk again in October, according to official figures, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing Rachel Reeves in her mission to ensure the UK has the fastest growth in the G7.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said output fell by 0.1 per cent in October following the 0.1 per cent decline recorded for the previous month – the first time the economy has contracted for two consecutive months since March and April 2020, during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.The economy ground to a halt in the second half of this year after recording the best expansion in the G7 at the start of 2024.The latest figures cover the month ahead of the government’s first budget, which saw Labour unveil £40bn worth of tax rises.Some industries, like manufacturers, retailers and recruiters, said turnover was affected as they waited for the outcome of the tax-setting statement, according to the ONS’s monthly business survey.It is an unexpected blow for Ms Reeves, as most economists had been expecting GDP to rise by 0.1 per cent during the month.The chancellor described the figures as disappointing, but maintained that the government has “put in place policies to deliver long-term economic growth”. Rachel Reeves said the figures were disappointing 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 moreA baroness is facing a three-week suspension from the Lords for calling a British-Asian peer “Lord Poppadom” and touching an MP’s braids without her permission.Catherine Meyer was found to have breached harassment rules with her behaviour towards Lord Dholakia and Bell Ribeiro-Addy during a visit to Rwanda with the Joint Committee on Human Rights, of which she was a member.She is said to have called Lord Dholakia as “Lord Poppadom” during a taxi journey on the trip, having previously apologised for mistakenly referring to him as “Lord Popat”, another peer of South Asian heritage.Lady Meyer initially denied the allegation, but after hearing witness evidence said the incident took place at the end of a long day after she had drunk “possibly three glasses of wine”, the Lords’ Conduct Committee said.Lord Dholakia said it had made him “very annoyed, very angry that people should use expressions of this particular nature”.Lord Dholakia said the incident had made him ‘very annoyed’ 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 moreNato general secretary Mark Rutte has warned that the West is “not ready” to deal with the threat of war from Vladimir Putin’s Russia.His warning has come amid concerns over the future course of the war in Ukraine, with the election of Donald Trump as the next US president raising fears that American backing for Kyiv could be withdrawn.While a number of Nato member states – including the Netherlands, where Mr Rutte stepped down as prime minister earlier this year – do not yet meet the 2 per cent of GDP threshold for defence spending, there are also concerns over the failure of Sir Keir Starmer to specify a timescale in relation to his pledge to increase UK spending to 2.5 per cent.In a foreboding speech in Brussels, Mr Rutte said: “Russia is preparing for long-term confrontation, with Ukraine and with us,” adding: “We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years.“It is time to shift to a wartime mindset, and turbocharge our defence production and defence spending.”Keir Starmer’s government has pledged to increase UK defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP 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 moreAngela Rayner is facing an angry backlash against controversial planning reforms set to force councils to surrender swathes of the green belt and see housebuilding surge by more than 60 per cent.The deputy prime minister has been accused of planning to “bulldoze” the countryside and waging a “war on rural England” as Labour scrambles to meet its pledge to build 1.5 million new homes.Councils have already protested that the target is impossible to achieve, while the National Trust has warned the government’s push to build nearly 400,000 homes a year risks harming “some of the most valuable ‘green’ land to local communities”.Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner during a visit to a construction site in Cambridge 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 more Some European Union countries on Thursday doubled down on their decision to rapidly halt asylum procedures for Syrian migrants in Europe, but said that it was too early to consider sending any of the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled since 2011 back home.Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Finland, Ireland, Sweden and non-EU country Norway suspended asylum applications from Syrians in the wake of Bashar Assad’s fall. France is weighing whether to take similar action, at least until Syria’s new leadership and security conditions become clearer.The decisions do not mean that Syrian asylum-seekers will be deported. The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, has said that currently “the conditions are not met for safe, voluntary, dignified returns to Syria.”“We need to wait a few more days to see where Syria is heading now,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said. “What is the situation? What about the protection of minorities? What about the protection of the people? And then, of course, there could be repatriation.”Asked by reporters whether it would make sense to organize repatriations at an EU level, Faeser said “it would be very expedient to organize this together.”But she stressed that Syrians who work in Germany and abide by its laws are welcome to stay. Over 47,000 asylum claims by Syrians are pending in Germany, a main destination in Europe for those who have fled since 2011.“This is not a long term pause as far as I’m concerned,” Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee told reporters. “It’s really positive that the Assad regime has come to an end. At the same time, we can all see that it’s not clear what will happen next.”The arrival in Europe in 2015 of well over 1 million refugees –- most fleeing the conflict in Syria –- sparked one of the EU’s biggest political crises as nations bickered over who should host them and whether other countries should be forced to help. Those tensions remain even today.Almost 14,000 Syrians applied for international protection in Europe this year up to September, according to the EU’s asylum agency. Around 183,000 Syrians applied for asylum in all of last year. On average, around one in three applications are accepted.Already on Monday, despite deep uncertainty about the country’s future, hundreds of Syrian refugees gathered at two border crossings in southern Turkey, eagerly anticipating their return home following the fall of Bashar Assad’s government.In the days since Assad’s abrupt fall, rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, has sought to reassure Syrians that the group he leads — Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS – does not seek to dominate the country and will continue government services.HTS appears on the EU’s anti-terrorism sanctions list as an affiliate of Al-Qaeda. That freezes any assets it has in Europe and prevents European citizens and companies from doing business with the group or funding it. Al-Golani is subject to a travel ban and asset freeze.Belgium’s interior ministry said Thursday that the whole of the 27-nation EU must monitor Syrian migration flows, amid concern that Assad loyalists might seek refuge in Europe. It said that around 100 of its nationals are in Syria, and that intelligence services believe that eight of them might have links to HTS. On Tuesday, the EU’s top diplomat expressed concern that Syria might violently fall apart like neighboring Iraq, or Libya and Afghanistan if its territorial integrity and the rights of minorities are not protected.“The transition will present huge challenges in Syria and in the region,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told European lawmakers during a special hearing.The U.N.’s refugee agency has called for “patience and vigilance” in the treatment of Syrians who have sought international protection, and believes that much will depend on whether Syria’s new leaders are prepared to respect law and order.___Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report. 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 moreKeir Starmer is being pushed to be more ambitious wiith his Brexit relations reset with the EU after new polling suggested voters – even Brexiteers – now support reversing large parts of the UK’s departure from the bloc.The survey of 9,278 voters was commissioned by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). The YouGov and DataPraxis survey of six European countries (France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Poland and Spain) is the most comprehensive poll of public attitudes towards UK-EU relations since 2016. In the UK it found that British citizens are reluctant to follow America’s lead during a second Trump presidency, and a majority – including many Brexit-voting citizens – now favour a “closer” relationship with the European Union for the coming period.The polling suggested that Brexit-era divisions within Britain have abated, with both Leavers and Remainers now prepared to countenance free movement in exchange for a stronger economic relationship with the EU. Starmer wants to reset relations with the EU 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 moreWatch live as Labour outlines its shake-up of planning rules that it says will see councils given mandatory targets to deliver a total of 370,000 homes a year in England.The Government has said it is “absolutely willing” to step in and take over plans from local authorities that refuse to comply with new housebuilding targets.Local councils have been urged to “exhaust all their options” to meet goals, including releasing the “right parts” of protected greenbelt land.Housing minister Matthew Pennycock told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme local authorities will get government support to put plans in place but “recalcitrant authorities” that refuse to comply and put plans in place to meet targets could face the “full range of ministerial intervention power”. More