UK Politics

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer has set up a team of experts to ensure British firms are complying with anti-Russian sanctions ahead of a visit by Volodymyr Zelensky to Downing Street.The prime minister will welcome his Ukrainian counterpart and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte on Thursday.Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in 2022, Britain rolled out its most comprehensive set of sanctions against any major economy, with over £20bn worth of trade with Russia targeted.The sanctions have deprived Russia of more than £300bn of funds since February 2022, the government has said.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Leon Neal/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorUnion chiefs have hailed workers’ rights reforms unveiled by Keir Starmer’s government today for “changing the balance of power” in favour of employees and away from employers.The long-awaited package to unpick Tory anti-union legislation has been unveiled less than 24 hours after the Renters’ Rights Bill passed its second reading in the Commons.Experts also hailed that legislation as handing power to tenants and away from landlords as Labour pushed through a revolution to protect the rights of millions of people in the UK.The dual reforms, which aim to end exploitation in the UK, come in a week when Sir Keir has sought to put behind him the rows about freebies and his former chief of staff Sue Gray by taking a grip on the political agenda with a new top team around him led by Morgan McSweeney.The workers’ rights reforms will see an end to exploitative contracts and fire-and-rehire practices while also including the repeal of anti-strike laws put in place by successive Tory governments.Meanwhile, the renters’ reforms end the practice of no-fault evictions and protect the rights of people to stay in their homes.Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorThe Tory civil war has erupted again after MPs decided to make the leadership final the most right-wing in the party’s history.Less than two hours after hard-right candidates Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick made it to the last round of the Tory leadership contest, the camps started attacking each other.Jenrick cheerleader Tory MP Sir John Hayes took a sideswipe at Ms Badenoch, saying the Conservatives do not want an “irascible leadership” – a thinly veiled reference to claims that she is “abrasive” at times.Badenoch cheerleader Tory MP Nigel Huddleston hit back suggesting Mr Jenrick had “too many specific policies”.This appeared to be a reference to Mr Jenrick’s detailed leadership manifesto which includes a pledge for Britain to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights.The barbs, exchanged in a BBC Radio interview less than two hours after Ms Badenoch and Mr Jenrick came first and second in the latest vote of the Conservative leadership race, defeating James Cleverly, put an end to Tory hopes that the leadership contest would not provoke more infighting.South Holland and The Deeping MP Sir John said: “Robert has a much broader experience of government than Kemi. He is appealing and can unite the party. We don’t need an irascible leadership. We want a leadership that is emollient but principled.”When Droitwich and Evesham MP Mr Huddleston was asked to respond to the suggestion that Ms Badenoch is “irascible”, he said: “Kemi can connect with lots of people. Her message is very different from the others. She starts from first principles and values that will unite all Conservatives. Other candidates have gone out there with very deep dive specific policies.”Meanwhile, the defeated One Nation centrist candidate James Cleverly accepted defeat gracefully and appealed for unity.Tory members now get to vote on Ms Badenoch and Mr Jenrick who have both been seen as culture warriors.Mr Jenrick wants the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights while Ms Badenoch has been accused of being transphobic. More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorKeir Starmer is being pushed to be “more ambitious” with his EU reset after a letter to campaigners confirmed that he only hopes to make Brexit work.The Independent has seen a letter to the pro-EU campaign group the European Movement, defending the strategy but refusing to take more radical action.The letter from European affairs minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, who will head the EU reset talks, comes just 48 hours after the UK government and the EU were once again forced to delay a new Brexit digital border system because of fears it will lead to fruit and vegetables rotting which are waiting to be processed.Mr Thomas-Symonds’ letter was a response to an open letter from the European Movement with a shopping list of demands to end the damage caused by Brexit.These included agreeing the Youth Mobility Scheme for free travel for under-30s, as well as tackling border delays and removing trade barriers.European affairs minister Nick Thomas-Symonds More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorOne man has shaped the result of this leadership election – and he was not even running to replace Rishi Sunak.The decision to choose Kemi Badenoch versus Robert Jenrick for the final two is proof, if any was needed, that Nigel Farage has scared the Tory party.The Reform UK leader, and how to deal with him, became the main question for all the candidates in this lengthy four-month election to the point of irritation.It has often been claimed there is no more duplicitous electorate than Tory MPs in a leadership contest, and once again they have gone to type.Last night the final remaining centrist James Cleverly was eight votes ahead of his nearest rival, and now he is out with fewer votes than he had before.From left to right: Tory MPs chose the two right-wing alternatives from Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditor Britain’s opposition Conservative Party will choose either Robert Jenrick or Kemi Badenoch to be its next leader, after a third contender was dramatically knocked out of the leadership contest in a tight vote on Wednesday.Badenoch, a former business secretary, received 42 of the 120 votes cast in a ballot of Tory lawmakers, while former immigration minister Jenrick got 41. Both are from the right of the party.Former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was eliminated after receiving 37 votes. A centrist, Cleverly came first in the penultimate voting round on Tuesday and had been considered likely to make the runoff.Lawmakers have whittled the field down from six contenders in four rounds of voting.Tens of thousands of party members across the country will vote at the end of this month, and the winner will be announced on Nov. 2. Nigeria-raised Badenoch depicts herself as a disruptor, arguing for a low-tax, free-market economy and pledging to “rewire, reboot and reprogram” the British state.Jenrick, who calls for Britain to make deep cuts to immigration and rip up European human rights law, has been considered the front-runner since the contest started in July.The winner will lead a right-of-center party that suffered a catastrophic election defeat in July at the hands of the Labour Party led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The Conservatives lost more than 200 seats, taking their tally down to 121 — the party’s worst election result since 1832. More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorThe government’s private school VAT raid is facing yet more problems, as three private Christian schools and a group of parents are set to launch a court challenge to the plan. This comes as ministers are poised to provide concessions to military families, with the Treasury reportedly considering exemptions to the tax hike amid growing concern about the impact of the policy on services personnel. Emmanuel School in Derby, the Branch Christian School in Yorkshire, and the King’s School in Hampshire have threatened the government with a judicial review if they do not drop the draft legislation, claiming that the introduction of VAT on school fees would breach human rights law.In a letter to the government, they said the proposed policy would unlawfully discriminate against them because it is likely to force Christian schools to close.Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, told The Times that the tax raid would “make independent faith schooling unaffordable for many families and may force some small faith schools to close”.Meanwhile, warnings from military families that they could leave the armed forces as a result of fee increases have triggered cross-government discussions to consider exemptions, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday. The Army Families Federation wrote a letter to the Treasury warning that many families will consider leaving unless the government implements exemptions More

Starmer says Falklands are British and will remain BritishYour support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseMy recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyondEric GarciaWashington Bureau ChiefIn a shocking turn of events, James Cleverly has been eliminated of the Tory leadership race, leaving Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch to face a vote of the party membership.The ex-home secretary was in a leading position to make it through the latest stage after leapfrogging former frontrunner Mr Jenrick to first place on Tuesday.But Tory MPs decided to knock him out after Tom Tugendhat, a former security minister and favourite of the One Nation caucus of Tory MPs, also lost the race on Tuesday. Ms Badenoch emerged as the frontrunner in the final vote, securing 42 votes from MPs and positioning herself as strong contender to succeed Rishi Sunak. Mr Jenrick closely trailed behind with 41 votes, while Mr Cleverly’s campaign took a dramatic downturn result with just 37 votes. The final two MPs will now face an online ballot of Tory members from 10 to 31 October, with the winner of the contest announced on 2 November.It comes as Sir Keir Starmer faced a grilling from Rishi Sunak in his first PMQs since reshuffling his Downing Street leadership team, after Sue Gray’s shock exit as his chief of staff.Show latest update 1728485639Labour: Conservatives now choosing between two architects of Tory failure Labour Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves has not hold back in her criticism of the Conservative leadership contest, which has now narrowed to Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick. She said: “After months of gaffes, wild unfunded policies and infighting, Tory members now have the unenviable task of choosing between two of the architects of Tory failure.“Both Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick are central figures in 14 years of hapless leadership and decline, and have already proven they’ve learned nothing from the mistakes that took the Conservative Party to its worst defeat in modern history.“While the endless bickering continues, Labour is fixing the foundations and sorting out the mess that these two deeply unimpressive figures left behind.”Salma Ouaguira9 October 2024 15:531728485506James Cleverly ‘grateful’ to support from members Salma Ouaguira9 October 2024 15:511728485253Tory leadership race: Badenoch and Jenrick locked in close raceSalma Ouaguira9 October 2024 15:471728485178Lib Dems: If this were an interview process they would’ve put the job advert up againThe Liberal Democrats have reacted to this dramatic Tory leadership result. Against the polls, Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick have made it to the final round of the Conservative leadership election. Cabinet office spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said: “If this were an interview process they would’ve put the job advert up again.“The best the Conservatives can come up with is a failed former Minister who’d vote for Donald Trump and failed former Minister who thinks maternity pay is excessive“Whoever wins this election will be tainted by the Conservatives legacy in government for years to come.”Archie Mitchell in Westminster 9 October 2024 15:461728484901ANALYSIS | Tories played tactically to choose candidates on the right Tory MPs have made a profound decision by ditching the last centrist candidate James Cleverly and picking two candidates on the right of the party. The result shows that the usual games playing has been taking place with MPs tactically switching votes. But the choice of Kemi Badenoch versus Robert Jenrick is the MPs saying that the party needs to go hard right to take on Nigel Farage and reform UK.David Maddox 9 October 2024 15:411728484387Breaking: Cleverly knocked out of Tory leadership raceJames Cleverly has been knocked out of the Tory leadership race. Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch are now to face a vote of the party membership.Here’s the full result:Kemi Badenoch: 42Robert Jenrick: 41James Cleverly: 37Salma Ouaguira9 October 2024 15:331728484209Tory MPs ready to hear the result Tory MPs have entered the committee room ahead of the final results announcement. Tensions are high as the decision on which of the remaining three rivals is knocked out is the closest ballot yet. Salma Ouaguira9 October 2024 15:301728483958COMMENT | Labour’s poll ratings are dreadful – here’s how they can bounce backKeir Starmer’s first 100 days in office have been marred by unforced errors – but his new chief of staff has kickstarted a radical overhaul of the Downing Street operation, says John Rentoul:Salma Ouaguira9 October 2024 15:251728483362Lunchtime bulletinIt’s a bustling day in Westminste, with the return of PMQs this afternoon and the Tory leadership race set to narrow down to two contenders in a matter of minutes. At PMQs Sir Keir Starmer did not rule out the possibility of a national insurance tax increase for business or changes to debt rules in the upcoming budget. Tory leader Rishi Sunak reiterated his commitment not to raise national insurance, VAT, or income tax for “working people”. The prime minister also kept the door open for a youth mobility scheme with the EU. Starmer refuses to rule out national insurance rise twice in PMQs grilling. More