UK Politics

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentSir Keir Starmer has been given the use of a corporate box by Arsenal football club worth thousands of pounds, it has been reported, amid the ongoing row over the prime minister’s donations. The PM – a season ticket holder and an avid supporter of the team – used the box for the first game of the season according to ITV News. The prime minister is unable to use his normal Arsenal seats as a result of security concerns.The box is advertised as costing at least £8,750 per game.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in the stands during a Premier League match at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton (Mike Egerton/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentAn error in the negotiation of post-Brexit trade rules has reportedly delayed the replacement of the UK’s Border Force fleet, increasing the cost to the taxpayer by hundreds of millions. According to The Times, the replacement of five cutters and six patrol vessels used to monitor Britain’s borders and pick up people attempting to cross the Channel are delayed until at least 2030, while costs are likely to increase to £300 million — six times the original budget.Dame Angela Eagle, the border security and asylum minister, described the situation as a “cock-up” from the previous government, saying the error was “entirely avoidable”.Rules agreed as part of the UK’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) after exiting the EU in 2020 mean that government contracts must be open to international competition.More than 10,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel since Labour won the general election (Gareth Fuller/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentThe accounts of several British politicians and organisations around the world have been hacked on X.On Wednesday evening, the accounts of a number of MPs including Shabana Mahmood, the Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Chris Elmore, Labour MP for Bridgend and Porthcawl and Carolyn Harris, Labour MP for Neath and Swansea East, all shared the same message on their X profiles.They were quickly deleted but could still be viewed via Tweetdeck – the social media dashboard for management of X, formerly Twitter, accounts.It read: “THIS IS HACKED ACCOUNT!!!! INTRODUCING $HACKED ON SOLANA on each account we hack we publish the token address so we pump it and make profits together.”The message also featured a lengthy code.Other accounts which have the same message include the X accounts for the World Health Organisation (WHO) at the European Union in Brussels, the Great British Menu and Lenovo India.Most quickly deleted the hacked message, but some remined visible for some time.British comedian and actress Sooz Kempner shared to X her account was hacked and she had changed her password.She posted: “I was just having a nice drink with a friend when my boyfriend called to tell me my account had just been hacked. I have changed my password, ha ha.” More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentWes Streeting has vowed to fight “loud opposition” to his health reforms on both the left and the right of politics as he warned the future of the NHS was at stake.But the health secretary said that when it came to improving the nation’s lifestyles he wanted to make changes “with” people and not “to” them, adding he was not the “fun police”.He also said he would not ban cake in the Department of Health, advocating an approach of moderation. He was speaking at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), as the think tank launched a report warning that Britain is the “sick man of Europe”.Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that he expects ‘loud opposition’ to reforming the NHS (Aaron Chown/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentWes Streeting has praised The Independent’s reporting on a children’s hospital where staff allegedly physically abused patients by dragging them by the feet, saying that the exposé was “truly shocking”.Joyce Parker Hospital, a children’s mental health unit run by Cygnet Health Care in Coventry, will now close following the claims first highlighted by this publication.Earlier this year The Independent revealed a leaked letter from the Care Quality Commission to the hospital that warned that inspectors had allegedly found CCTV of staff abusing children while restraining them.Speaking about the case, the health secretary said: “It is truly shocking the way in which children were treated in a place where they were supposed to be safe. I think the closure decision is the right one and we are working to make sure that the appropriate placements are provided for those young people.” He added: “Sunlight is the best disinfectant. I think it’s a truly terrifying example of what happens when patient safety is not taken seriously. And I don’t want to read about any more of these sorts of cases. Joyce Parker Hospital, a children’s mental health unit run by Cygnet Health Care in Coventry, is set to close More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentSir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff received a pay rise after the election which means she is now paid more than the prime minister.Sue Gray asked for and was given a salary of £170,000 – £3,000 more than the PM and more than any cabinet minister – or her Conservative predecessor, it has emerged. One source told the BBC: “It was suggested that she might want to go for a few thousand pounds less than the prime minister to avoid this very story. She declined.”Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Sue Gray is paid more than the prime minister More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentEmily Thornberry has defended Sir Keir Starmer in the growing row surrounding the prime minister after he and his wife accepted thousands of pounds’ worth of freebies.Sir Keir, who has a salary of around £160,000, has faced criticism after it emerged he was late to declare a donation by a Labour peer who paid for dresses for his wife Victoria.Lord Waheed Alli bought more than £5,000 worth of clothes for Lady Victoria Starmer. He has also given Sir Keir £18,685 of work clothes and several pairs of glasses.It also emerged today that Lady Starmer accepted two free tickets worth hundreds of pounds each to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.But defending the prime minister, Ms Thornberry said: “These are things that happen all the time in politics,” questioning whether the public expects the prime minister to “take a packed lunch” to a state dinner at Buckingham Palace.Sir Keir Starmer has faced questions over his initial failure to register on time clothing given to Lady Starmer by a prominent party donor More

Badenoch says she ‘went from middle class to working class’ after working at McDonald’sYour 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 ChiefHealth secretary Wes Streeting has suggested pensioners will not be the only group negatively affected by cuts in the October budget. Mr Streeting said he can understand why pensioners may feel they are being targeted by the government following cuts to winter fuel payments. However, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said there will be moves to reduce the size of the welfare bill, as well as public spending cuts and tax rises. In an interview with The New Statesman, the health secretary said: “I can understand why there will be some pensioners sat there thinking, ‘Why us? And what about others?“Well, there are other choices to come and these aren’t just Rachel’s [Reeves] choices to face up to, these are the choices of the whole government.”He added: “It would be quite jarring if we were all skipping around Whitehall singing Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come or D:Ream’s Things Can Only Better at the same as we’re dealing with a £22 billion black hole and making some tough choices which are really sticking in the throats of people, particularly on the winter fuel allowance.”Show latest update 1726669766Watch: Emily Thornberry: Israel’s allies should be asking ‘what on earth are you doing’ after explosionEmily Thornberry: Israel’s allies should be asking ‘what on earth are you doing’ after explosionJabed Ahmed18 September 2024 15:291726667966Streeting responds to accusations of ‘nanny state’ policies over planned NHS reformsSpeaking at an event for the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Wes Streeting responded to “nanny state” concerns over planned reforms to the NHS. “I have not banned cake in the Department of Health,” he said. “In fact, I was at NHS England the other day and saw an abundance of sugary treats – I have not reported them to the Chief Medical Officer yet.“I’m really not interested in being the fun police or telling people how to live their lives, and people certainly won’t have to worry about closing their curtains at night in case I’m peering through the window and looking at what they’re eating, drinking or smoking.”He added: “I think we are in this appalling situation when we are living longer, but becoming sick sooner – that’s terrible for the quality of life, it’s also terrible for the economy, for the labour market and for the financial sustainability of our health and care services.“So when it comes to having some cake or going down the pub, everything in moderation.“And crucially, when it comes to measures we are considering, especially where this involves legislation, I don’t believe in doing things to people, I believe in doing things with people – we want to change the national conversation about our health and our wellbeing and the types of reforms that we might want to see.”Jabed Ahmed18 September 2024 14:591726667118Streeting says he will ‘take on’ left and right for health reformThe Health Secretary has vowed to take on the left and the right to reform the health of the nation, warning that the nation’s economic prosperity is at risk without change.But Wes Streeting insisted that he would make changes “with people” and not “to people” when asked about nanny state concerns, saying he is not the “fun police”.He said that sticking plasters “won’t cut it” and said the Government was going to make “big changes”.Speaking at an event for the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Mr Streeting said he expects “loud opposition” to reform.But he warned of a “rising tide of pressure” facing the NHS and highlighted a report of the IPPR’s Commission on Health and Prosperity, which concluded that Britain is the “sick man of Europe” when it comes to health.Jabed Ahmed18 September 2024 14:451726665266Charities urge Government to stop aid budget falling to 17-year lowOverseas aid spending could fall to its lowest level since 2007 unless the Government takes action at the Budget in October, a coalition of charities has warned.Leaders of 122 UK charities including ActionAid, Oxfam and Save the Children have called on the Government to maintain aid spending at its current level and prevent more of the aid budget being diverted to support refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.The group also called for ministers to set out “fair and transparent fiscal tests” for restoring the aid budget to 0.7% of GDP after it was cut to 0.5% in 2021.Halima Begum, chief executive of Oxfam GB, warned of “devastating and far-reaching” consequences if the Government did not protect the aid budget.She added: “Failure to do so would undeniably put the UK at risk of further diminished credibility as a dependable agent in addressing urgent global crises.”Jabed Ahmed18 September 2024 14:141726665097Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Sue Gray is paid more than the prime ministerMy colleagues Millie Cooke and Archie Mitchell report:Jabed Ahmed18 September 2024 14:111726664366Emily Thornberry asks ‘is he supposed to take a packed lunch?’ in defence of Starmer amid Labour donations rowJabed Ahmed18 September 2024 13:591726664283Pictured: Wes Streeting delivers speech at Institute for Public Policy event( More