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 moreCloseSir Ed Davey has piled pressure on Sir Keir Starmer over his negotiations with the European Union, calling for the prime minister to “have some urgency” in his great “reset” of relations with the bloc.The leader of the Liberal Democrats also criticised the prime minister’s decision to rule out a youth mobility scheme with the European Union, saying it is “quite odd and bad”, as well as calling for a return to the single market.The European Commission has made a youth mobility scheme a key demand amid Sir Keir’s post-Brexit “reset” with Brussels after years of tense relations under successive Conservative prime ministers.The agreement, which mirrors similar arrangements Britain already has with countries including Australia and Japan, would allow 18 to 35-year-olds to move and work freely between countries for up to two years.Speaking to journalists at the press gallery lunch in Parliament, Sir Ed warned that the government will not be able to grow the UK economy “without rebuilding our relationship with our European partners and getting a better trade deal”.‘We can’t wait around to get our economy going’, Sir Ed warned 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 government’s new value for money tsar will be paid a day rate of £950, the equivalent of a £247,000 annual salary.David Goldstone, who will take up the position of chairman of the new Office for Value for Money, will effectively be on a higher pro-rata salary than the prime minister.Rachel Reeves announced during her Budget speech that Mr Goldstone was being appointed to “help us realise the benefits from every pound of public spending”.David Goldstone will take up the position of chairman of the new Office for Value for Money, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced during her Budget statement 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 moreCloseLabour has seen its poll rating rise to its highest level in almost a month despite Rachel Reeves delivering one of the most contentious Budgets in recent history.According to this week’s Techne UK tracker poll for The Independent Labour has gone up a point to 30 per cent, its highest since 4 October when it was on 31 per cent.The leaderless Tories, who will announce their replacement for Rishi Sunak on Saturday, remained at 24 per cent, while Nigel Farage’s Reform UK lost a point to drop to 18 per cent. Sir Ed Davey’s Lib Dems were up one to 14 per cent and the Greens unchanged on 7 per cent.The week has been dominated by Rachel Reeves’ Budget and seen the news agenda move off allegations of sleeze and freebies in Keir Starmer’s government.Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves leaves 11 Downing Street, London, with her ministerial red box before delivering her Budget in the Houses of Parliament (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.CloseRead moreCloseThe chancellor is under pressure from trade unions to offer payouts to miners involved in strikes during the 1980s.After Rachel Reeves announced £11.8 billion for the victims of the infected blood scandal and another £1.8 billion for the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, attention has been drawn to other ongoing claims.Former TUC president Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is now leading calls from the trade unions for Ms Reeves to consider the case of miners involved in the 1984-85 strike, which became a defining momentduring Margaret Thatcher’s time in government.He told The Independent: “Compensation, announced in the Budget, for the victims of the infected blood and Post Office scandals is very welcome. Miners confront the police during the 1984 strike 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 moreCloseSir Keir Starmer has been accused of lying to farmers about wanting “a new relationship” with them after the Budget extended inheritance tax to family farms for the first time in history.The move means farms worth more than £1m are now subject to 20 per cent inheritance tax.Already the tax is being dubbed the “tractor tax” or the “Old McDonald tax” in some quarters and has been exacerbated by other measures in the Budget which have piled on costs for farming with no extra support from subsidies.Farmers were already struggling because Brexit had brought an end to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the new UK subsidy policies were not working.Now they are having to take on the 6.7 per cent increase in the minimum wage and 15 per cent rise in employer national insurance contributions.Starmer addresses the NFU with Minette Batters in 2023 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 moreCloseRachel Reeves has admitted her tax-grabbing Budget will hit the pay packets of working people as the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) accused her of undermining trust in politicians.The chancellor was forced to accept that her decision to hike employers’ national insurance contributions would lead to workers being paid less.But, in a damning assessment of Ms Reeves’s claims to have protected workers in Wednesday’s Budget, IFS director Paul Johnson said she risked “further undermining trust” and that the measures would not raise “anything like” the £25bn the Treasury hopes.“How the Budget red book can include the sentence ‘the government is not increasing the basic, higher or additional rates of income tax, national insurance contributions or VAT’ is beyond me,” Mr Johnson said.Meanwhile, the Office for Budget Responsibility has predicted the government’s spending measures will only provide a temporary boost to GDP.The watchdog forecast downgrades in subsequent years, and said the Budget measures will add to pressure on inflation and interest rates.Labour’s general election manifesto promised not to raise the taxes in a bid to protect “working people”, which a series of ministers and Sir Keir Starmer went on to struggle to define.But, on Wednesday, Ms Reeves hiked employers’ national insurance contributions from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent, something she argued does not breach the commitment because it does not show up on employees’ payslips.Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves visited University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire on Thursday 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 bookmakers and many observers have almost given up on the Tory leadership final as a contest, with Kemi Badenoch now the firm favourite to replace Rishi Sunak.But history shows that Tory leadership elections are often far from predictable – whether it is in the early rounds where MPs wittle down the contenders to two, or the final run-off, where party members have their say.Ms Badenoch’s rival, Robert Jenrick, only made it to the final because of some clever tactics in persuading MPs to switch to him from former home secretary James Cleverly. He also was perceived to come off badly in the debate on GB News and a recent ConHome poll suggested Ms Badenoch had the backing of 55 per cent to his 31 per cent.It all appears to be in the bag for Ms Badenoch, but despite that there are a number of reasons Mr Jenrick’s supporters are still very confident.Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick ishoping to pull off an upset (Jacob King/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 moreClose Voting closed Thursday in the months-long contest to lead Britain’s Conservative Party after its crushing election defeat, with the result due to be announced on Saturday.Tens of thousands of members of the right-of-center party were eligible to vote in the runoff between lawmakers Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick.In a race that has lasted more than three months, Conservative lawmakers reduced the field from six candidates in a series of votes before putting the final two to the wider party membership.Both candidates say they think the contest is close, but no reliable polling is available. The party also does not disclose how many members it has, though the figure was about 172,000 in 2022, disproportionately affluent, older white men.The party is choosing a leader to replace former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who in July led the Conservatives to their worst election result since 1832. The Conservatives lost more than 200 seats, taking their tally down to 121.The winner’s daunting task will be to try to restore the party’s reputation after years of division, scandal and economic tumult, hammer Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s policies on key issues including the economy and immigration, and return the Conservatives to power at the next election, due by 2029.Badenoch, 44, was born in London to Nigerian parents and would be the first Black woman to lead a major British political party. A former software engineer, she depicts herself as a disruptor, arguing for a low-tax, free-market economy and pledging to “rewire, reboot and reprogram” the British state. A critic of multiculturalism and self-proclaimed enemy of wokeness, Badenoch recently said that “not all cultures are equally valid.”Jenrick, 42, is a former moderate who opposed Brexit in Britain’s 2016 referendum on European Union membership but has become more sharply nationalist. He wants to take Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights, scrap the U.K.’s own Human Rights Act, end mass migration, abolish carbon-emissions targets and “stand for our nation and our culture, our identity and our way of life.”Jenrick and Badenoch both come from the right of the party and say they can win voters back from Reform U.K., the hard-right, anti-immigrant party led by populist politician Nigel Farage that has eaten away at Conservative support.But the party also lost many voters to the winning party, Labour, and the centrist Liberal Democrats, and some Conservatives worry that tacking right will lead the party away from public opinion. The party’s last contested leadership selection, when it was in power in mid-2022, saw members choose Liz Truss over Sunak. Truss resigned as prime minister after just 49 days in office when her tax-cutting plans rocked the financial markets and battered the value of the pound. The party then picked Sunak to replace her. More