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Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 ThomasEditorRachel Reeves is set to unveil a £20 billion ‘black hole’ in public finances on Monday, sparking rumours that Labour’s first autumn statement will bring new tax raising measures.The chancellor is expected to reveal her findings when she releases a Treasury spending audit, setting out the strained state of government finances amid issues with cash-strapped public services.A Labour source said that the update will reveal “the true scale of the damage the Conservatives have done to the public finances.”It is the latest indication from the new government of its position that previous Conservative administrations have left them in a difficult position. Speaking at PMQs this week, the prime minister said that his party has found “crisis and failure everywhere.”But Insitute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) director Paul Johnson said: “There should not be a sense of surprise there is a big issue here.”Speaking about Ms Reeves upcoming statement, he said: “The manifesto words ‘no new taxes on working people’, means that there can be no tax rises at all.”Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to explain the financial challenges the country faces More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 ThomasEditorDavid Lammy is being pushed to urgently review Britain’s foreign policy towards a potential key ally in the Red Sea conflict with the Houthis and officially recognise Somaliland.The former UK protectorate on the Horn of Africa has functioned as an independent state since 1991 after breaking away from Somalia following a civil war but has not received official recognition by the international community. The two countries had unified within days of the UK giving Somaliland independence in 1960 but broke up again after a civil war.The renewed calls came this week after Labour run Liverpool City Council unanimously backed a motion recognising Somaliland in what has been hailed as a significant move in the country’s relations with the rest of the world.Foreign secretary David Lammy is being encouraged to review UK policy towards Somaliland (PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 ThomasEditorRachel Reeves is set to unveil a black hole in the public finances of around £20 billion, signalling that tax rises could be on the way.The chancellor will on Monday set out the results of the spending audit she ordered Treasury officials to produce.The findings appear to confirm concerns raised during the election campaign by the influential Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) who accused the main parties of a “conspiracy of silence” in not addressing the reality of public finances.Asked by BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning whether the black hole is a surprise, IFS director Paul Johnson said: “I don’t think that is really credible at all. There should not be a sense of surprise there is a big issue here.”He pointed out that cuts in recent years and the way public sector pay has lagged behind the private sector meant that it was clear that public services would need investment.Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves (Justin Tallis/PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 ThomasEditorRightwing Tory MP Suella Braverman’s bid to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader may come to an end before it even begins despite growing supprt among ordinary party members.The Independent understands that the former home secretary is struggling to get the 10 MPs needed to put her on the ballot paper to become the next Conservative leader as rightwing Brexiteers look at Robert Jenrick as an alternative candidate.Ms Braverman has attracted negative headlines with her support for the Rwanda deportation scheme as “her dream”, description of pro-Gaza supporters as “hate marchers”, call to takeaway homeless people’s tents, claim LGBTQ+ flag “represented child mutilation which left her physically repulsed” and claiming imigrants arriving on small boats was “an invasion”.Who are the runners and riders in the Tory leadership contest Former home secretary Suella Braverman is hoping to get on the leadership ballot paper (James Manning/PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 ThomasEditorA North Korea-backed cyber group has been accused by the UK, US and South Korea of carrying out an online espionage campaign to steal military and nuclear secrets.The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said the Andariel group has been compromising organisations around the world to steal sensitive and classified technical information and intellectual property data.NCSC director of operations Paul Chichester said: “The global cyber espionage operation that we have exposed today shows the lengths that DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) state-sponsored actors are willing to go to pursue their military and nuclear programmes.”The NCSC believes that Andariel is a part of DPRK’s reconnaissance general bureau (RGB) 3rd bureau, and the group’s malicious cyber activities pose an ongoing threat to critical infrastructure organisations globally.Andariel primarily targeted defence, aerospace, nuclear and engineering organisations, but also acted against the medical and energy sectors.The group has attempted to obtain information such as contract specification, design drawings and project details.It also launched ransomware attacks against US healthcare organisations in order to extort payments and fund further espionage activity, the NCSC said.The NCSC, alongside our US and Korean partners, strongly encourage network defenders to follow the guidance set out in this advisory to ensure they have strong protections in place to prevent this malicious activityPaul Chichester, NCSCThe NCSC, part of the GCHQ intelligence agency, issued the joint warning and advisory note about Andariel’s actions with organisations including the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and South Korea’s national intelligence service.Mr Chichester said: “It should remind critical infrastructure operators of the importance of protecting the sensitive information and intellectual property they hold on their systems to prevent theft and misuse.“The NCSC, alongside our US and Korean partners, strongly encourage network defenders to follow the guidance set out in this advisory to ensure they have strong protections in place to prevent this malicious activity.”The advisory outlines how Andariel has evolved from destructive hacks against US and South Korea organisations to carrying out specialised cyber espionage and ransomware attacks.In some cases, the hackers carried out both ransomware attacks and cyber espionage operations on the same day against the same victim.The US State Department offered a reward of up to 10 million US dollars (£7.76 million) for information on Rim Jong Hyok, who it said was associated with Andariel.The department said Rim and others conspired to carry out ransomware attacks on US hospitals and other healthcare providers to fund its operations against government bodies and defence firms.US law enforcement agencies believe Andariel targeted five healthcare providers, four US-based defence contractors, two US Air Force bases and Nasa’s office of inspector general.In one operation that began in November 2022, the hackers accessed a US defence contractor from which they extracted more than 30 gigabytes of data, including unclassified technical information regarding material used in military aircraft and satellites. More

Police officer kicks man in face at Manchester AirportSupport trulyindependent journalismFind 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 said he understands public concerns after footage of police officer emerged appearing to show a police officer kicking a man in the head at Manchester Airport. The prime minister said home secretary Yvette Cooper has met with Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, to discuss the harrowing scene that prompted the suspension of one police officer. It came after Sir Keir said the “hard graft of rebuilding this country has truly started” as he accused the previous Tory government of leaving a “rot of short-sightedness and self-service” for Labour to clear up.Giving a speech in Runcorn alongside Ed Milliband, the prime minister launched the government’s plan for a state-owned energy firm to  “drive down bills”. The Conservative party has started a three-month leadership contest to replace Rishi Sunak after the general election defeat. Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat were the latest to submit their papers to challenge James Cleverly to become the new leader of the opposition. Other former cabinet ministers expected to announce bids include Kemi Badenoch, Priti Patel, Mel Stride and Suella Braverman.Show latest update 1721919368 Who will be the next Conservative leader? The Tory frontrunnersPossible candidates must win the support of 10 Conservative MPs before the Monday deadline in order to make it onto the ballot paper.With the shortlist to be whittled down gradually until a final four are paraded in front of the party faithful at October’s Tory conference, The Independent looks at the runners and riders to take the reins from Mr Sunak.Salma Ouaguira25 July 2024 15:561721918768School children unwittingly smoking spice-spiked vapes, study findsSchool children in England may be unwittingly smoking vapes spiked with the synthetic street drug spice, according to new research.Professor Chris Pudney, from the University of Bath, tested 596 vapes confiscated from schools in England and found 16.6% contained spice, which has a range of dangerous side effects including cardiac arrest.It is believed the substance is being substituted into vapes which are sold as containing cannabis oil, as it is cheaper.In total, 38 schools from across London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire took part in the research.Results from a device than instantly detects synthetic drugs found spice was present in vapes from 28, or 74%, of these schools.The device also revealed 1.17% of the vapes tested contained THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis.Prof Pudney said: “Teenagers think they are purchasing vapes or vape fluid containing THC or nicotine when, in fact, they are laced with spice.“We know children can have cardiac arrests when they smoke spice, and I believe some have come quite close to death.“Headteachers are telling me pupils are collapsing in the halls and ending up with long stays in intensive care.”( More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 ThomasEditorTom Tugendhat’s campaign has had to change its slogan after it spelt out a rather unfortunate word.The original slogan read: “Together we can, Unite the party. Rebuild trust. Defeat Labour” but it was soon pointed out that the first letter of the first word of each sentence read as ‘turd’. It was quietly changed on Thursday, with the final line being replaced with the words: “Win back the country”.Click here to read our live politics coverage. Mr Tugendhat, who launched his campaign on Wednesday, is seen to be a candidate from the moderate wing of the party.But he has indicated that he would be prepared to leave the European Convention on Human Rights if necessary in order to take control of Britain’s borders – something which could ruffle feathers in the moderate wing of the party.Speaking to Sky about the UK’s membership of the ECHR, he said he is “prepared to make any decision necessary to keep Britain safe”.The former security minister added: “I think you’ve got to be clear-eyed about this. We should never be a part of any organisation that doesn’t serve our interests.“We should never be part of any alliance that doesn’t promote the security – and prosperity falls into that.”His campaign has so far seen him highlight his track record of delivery, having served in Iraq and Afghanistan, done a stint as security minister and “stood up to dictators in parliament”.Tom Tugendhat was one of the first MPs to declare he was running More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind 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 ThomasEditorViolence and self-harm in Britain’s prisons is soaring while drugs are readily available with almost a quarter of jails overcrowded, grim new data has revealed.Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures on Thursday laid bare the scale of the chaos in UK prisons, days after the justice secretary announced emergency measures to ease the crisis.The figures showed self-harm rates in UK prisons are at their highest on record, with 73,804 incidents of self-harm in the past year, the equivalent of one prisoner hurting themselves every seven minutes. Assaults hit a post-pandemic high in the last year, with 28,292 violent assaults across the estate.Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood claimed the government had ‘no option’ but to release prisoners early (Joe Giddens/PA) More