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UK can ‘cuddle’ EU and US at the same time amid Trump tariff threats, minister saysYour 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.Read moreSir Keir Starmer says he wants to close a “loophole” that allowed a Palestinian family the right to remain in the UK after they applied through a scheme designed for Ukrainian refugees. The prime minister and Kemi Badenoch clashed at PMQs after the Tory leader criticised a judge’s decision to allow the family to live in the UK.After claiming that Ms Badenoch “hasn’t quite done her homework, because the decision in question was taken under the last government”, the prime minister accused the Tory leader of repeating the same question without listening to his initial response that ministers were seeking to tighten the rules in response to the case.The Home Office has issued new guidance stating that anyone who enters the UK illegally “having made a dangerous journey, will normally be refused citizenship” – just days after ministers were accused of trying to outdo Reform by publishing migrant raid videosLabour MP Stella Creasy said the changes “can’t be right” and would leave refugees “forever second-class” and without “a place in our society”, while former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas warned that “such performative cruelty won’t see off Reform – it’s more likely to strengthen them”.Watch: Murdered MP David Amess’ daughter calls for public inquiryMurdered MP’ daughter speaks out as report finds failings in counter-terrorism reviewMurdered MP Sir David Amess’ daughter has spoken out as a damning report found vital chances to stop his killer were missed. The Prevent Commissioner will review the programme’s interaction with Ali Harbi Ali, who killed Sir David, Home Office minister Dan Jarvis said today (12 February), as he promised support to the former MP’s family. A review into the handling of Sir David’s murderer under the Government’s counter-terror programme Prevent found assessments were “problematic” and his case was closed too early, security minister Dan Jarvis has told MPs. Ali Harbi Ali had been referred to Prevent seven years before he killed the veteran MP on October 15 2021, but his case was closed in 2016.12 February 2025 14:50PMQs was 6-0 to Starmer, says GB News political editorThe political editor of GB News has suggested that Sir Keir Starmer scored a 6-0 victory over Kemi Badenoch at PMQs.Mail on Sunday commentator Dan Hodges said: “That wasn’t just Kemi Badenoch’s worst performance as leader. It was one of the worst performances ever from a leader of the opposition. “She had no capacity to readjust after Starmer gave her a clear and direct answer on the Gaza family. It was embarrassing to watch.”Meanwhile, The Sun’s political editor Harry Cole noted that the “Tory benches look like someone has p***ed on their chips”.Andy Gregory12 February 2025 14:43Courses for low-risk offenders cancelled to ease probation service pressuresAround 13,000 offenders did not complete rehabilitation courses as part of their sentences because the Probation Service was unable to deliver them in time under an “impossible” workload, the Justice Secretary has revealed.Shabana Mahmood said thousands of accredited programmes ordered by the courts were not fulfilled before their sentences expired in three years to March 2024.She announced courses for low-risk offenders would be cancelled in a bid to “confront the reality” of the pressures on the service.The Lord Chancellor said: “Now is also a moment about the challenges that the service faces, and the simple fact is this, the service this Government inherited was burdened with a workload that was quite simply impossible.”When we took office, we discovered that orders handed out by courts were not taking place in the three years to March 2024, around 13,000 accredited programmes, a type of rehabilitative course, did not happen.”Ms Mahmood added that the problem had been years in the making.They will still receive supervision from a probation officer and any breaches of a licence condition could mean they returned to prison, she added.”We will ensure those offenders who pose a higher risk and who need to receive these courses will do so,” Ms Mahmood said.12 February 2025 14:30Small boats crackdown ‘would deny Paddington Bear refuge in the UK’, Labour MP saysA new government crackdown on refugees travelling to the UK by small boat is so harsh it would mean turning away Paddington Bear, a Labour MP has said.Jabed Ahmed reports:Andy Gregory12 February 2025 14:16Starmer vows not to abandon steelworkers in face of Trump tariffsSir Keir Starmer insisted he would “always put our national interest first” as the government weighs up its response to Donald Trump’s steel tariffs, with a 25 per cent tax on imports to the US set to come into effect next month.The European Union has promised to retaliate over US tariffs, but Sir Keir said he is still assessing what the UK response will be. With Sir Keir hopeful of a visit to see Mr Trump in the coming weeks, the government will be reluctant to start a trade war with the US.Sir Keir told MPs: “British steel is an essential part of our heartlands, and we will not abandon our skilled workforce, and it needs a level-headed assessment of the implications, which is what we’re going through at the moment.”But we will always put our national interest first, and steelworkers first.”Andy Gregory12 February 2025 14:00Give Chagos Islands to Trump, ex-army chief urges as he lays into Starmer’s dealSir Keir Starmer should scrap his plans to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and consider ceding control to the US instead, the former head of the British army has said.Lord Dannatt, former chief of the general staff, said it is “very hard to find good news” in the prime minister’s deal to cede control of the Indian Ocean archipelago, and raised questions about how the agreement would be paid for.Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:Andy Gregory12 February 2025 13:46Veteran MP’s killer had Prevent case closed ‘too quickly’ – ministerA review of the handling of Sir David Amess’ murderer Ali Harbi Ali under the Government’s counterterror programme Prevent found assessments were problematic and his case was closed too quickly, security minister Dan Jarvis said. He told the Commons: “The reviewer found that from the material reviewed, the assessment in terms of the perpetrator’s vulnerabilities was problematic, and this ultimately led to questionable decision-making and sub-optimal handling of the case during the time he was engaged with Prevent and Channel.”It identified that the vulnerability assessment framework was not followed with the perpetrator’s symptoms being prioritised over addressing the underlying causes of his vulnerabilities.”The reviewer ultimately found that while Prevent policy and guidance at the time was mostly followed, the case was exited from Prevent too quickly.”Sir David Amess 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.Read moreWatch as Sir Keir Starmer faced PMQs on Wednesday (12 February) as Labour faced an outcry over its decision to deny UK citizenship to small boat refugees.The Home Office has toughened up existing guidance to make it nearly impossible for refugees to become British citizens if they travel to the UK by small boat.The move has sparked outcry from Labour MP Stella Creasy and refugee charities, who urged the government to reconsider.On Monday, the department updated guidance for staff assessing refugees so it now says applicants who have “made a dangerous journey will normally be refused citizenship”.Under the previous guidance, refugees who arrived in the UK by irregular routes would be required to wait ten years before being considered for citizenship.Ms Creasy posted to X: “This should be changed asap. If we give someone refugee status, it can’t be right to then refuse them [a] route to become a British citizen.” 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.Read more Hungary’s nationalist prime minister on Wednesday hosted a German far-right party’s candidate for chancellor in Germany’s upcoming elections, a rare gesture from a sitting European leader to a party which Germany’s mainstream politicians are trying hard to contain.Viktor Orbán met with Alice Weidel, co-leader of Alternative for Germany or AfD, in Hungary’s opulent Carmelite Monastery, Orbán’s headquarters, where they held talks Wednesday morning. In a news conference following their meeting, Orbán said the AfD’s support in Germany had reached a level where other parties would find it possible to cooperate. Until now, most European parties have kept their distance from the AfD. “It’s completely clear that the AfD is the future,” Orbán said, adding that all of the far-right party’s platform, from immigration to the economy, would be “beneficial for Hungary” if it were implemented in Germany. Orbán’s decision to meet with Weidel was a break from the right-wing nationalist’s earlier policy of keeping the AfD at arm’s length despite their similar views on issues like immigration and belief that the European Union plays too strong a role in the affairs of its member countries. Before the news conference Wednesday, Orbán posted to social media: “Today I met the future of Germany. It was an honour to welcome you in Budapest, Chairwoman Alice Weidel!”Germany is to vote in an early election on Feb. 23 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party governing coalition collapsed in November in a dispute over how to revitalize the country’s stagnant economy. Recent polls have shown the AfD in second place ahead of the election, with support of about 20%. However, other parties say they won’t work with it, and Weidel has no realistic path to becoming Germany’s next leader.On Wednesday, Weidel said Hungary represents “a symbol for us, for Alternative for Germany, a symbol of reason and a symbol of sovereignty and independence. I would like that for our country too.”“Hungary is the bulwark against illegal migration, and we as Alternative for Germany also want no illegal migration in our country any more,” Weidel continued.Both leaders harshly criticized the EU’s immigration and climate policies, arguing they were disabling the European economy. Orbán said that both should be “thrown out.” The Hungarian leader’s willingness to meet with Weidel was the latest outside endorsement for the AfD, which has been placed under observation by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency for suspected extremism — an accusation the AfD strongly rejects. In December, tech billionaire Elon Musk drew strong criticism in Germany for endorsing the AfD. In January, he amplified the party’s message on his X social media platform by hosting a livestream with Weidel. Musk said he was “strongly recommending” that Germans vote for the AfD in upcoming elections. Large numbers of demonstrators have taken to the streets in Germany in recent weeks to protest the far-right and insist that Germany’s mainstream parties uphold their unwritten promise to never pass any rule or resolution in parliament that relies on the support of a far-right party. ___Associated Press writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed. 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.Read moreThe government’s claims around the ‘family farm tax’ have suffered a major blow after a new calculation warned they “substantially” underestimate how many will be hit by the tax raid.Ministers claim that only around 520 farms a year will be hit by the inheritance tax hike.But new figures suggest the number will be 200 in Wales alone – a whopping 40 per cent of the forecast – despite the population of Wales being around 5 per cent of Engalnd’s . Farmers have protested the changes 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.Read moreA new government crackdown on refugees travelling to the UK by small boat is so harsh it would mean turning away Paddington Bear, a Labour MP has said.The Home Office has toughened up existing guidance on Wednesday to make it nearly impossible for refugees to become British citizens if they travel to the UK by small boat.Under the previous guidance, refugees who arrived in the UK by irregular routes must wait ten years before being considered for citizenship. Now, new guidance issued by home secretary Yvette Cooper says applicants who have “made a dangerous journey will normally be refused citizenship”.The move was fiercely criticised by Labour MP Stella Creasy who said it flew in the face of Britain’s tradition of letting those who seek refuge in the UK become “part of the community.”Diminishing returns: Paddington Bear in ‘Paddington in Peru’ 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.Read moreSir Keir Starmer should scrap his plans to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and consider ceding control to the US instead, the former head of the British army has said. Lord Dannatt, former chief of the general staff, said it is “very hard to find good news” in the prime minister’s deal to cede control of the Indian Ocean archipelago, and raised questions about how the agreement would be paid for. And the former army chief criticised a core part of the deal meant to protect the top secret joint US/UK airbase on Diego Garcia, insisting a 99-year guarantee over its use is not long enough. The UK government has denied suggestions it could end up paying £18bn to lease back Diego Garcia over 99 years, but is refusing to set out the costs of the deal. And Lord Dannatt told Times Radio: “If we think we can find 18 billion pounds to buy off Mauritius, frankly, there are much better uses for that £18bn, not the least of which is on the army and on UK defence to spend on things that really matter to us. Britain Chagos Islands“So whichever way you look at it, it’s very hard to find good news in this deal.” The deal between Britain and Mauritius is also being looked at by Donald Trump, with expectations mounting the US president could veto the arrangement. “No wonder President Trump is concerned, indeed, to the point of being angry with Britain… and I just can’t see why Keir Starmer’s government really continues going down this track,” Lord Dannatt added. Lord Dannatt raised questions about the cost of the deal 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.Read moreA group of Labour rebels are pushing for Angela Rayner to adopt a four-day working week in her employment rights bill. More than a dozen Labour MPs, and one Green MP, have challenged the deputy prime minister to commit to exploring a transition “across the economy” from five working days to four – with no reduction in pay.Flexible working campaigners have welcomed Ms Rayner’s employment rights bill, which will give workers greater access to flexible hours as well as stronger day one employment protections and banning fire and rehire.Angela Rayner is under pressure to adpot plans for a four-day working week 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.Read moreEleven Labour councillors have been suspended from the party over their membership of a WhatsApp group that has already seen two MPs lose the whip.Former health minister Andrew Gwynne was sacked over the weekend for offensive messages sent in the group, named Trigger Me Timbers.On Monday, Oliver Ryan, who was elected as MP for Burnley last summer, became the second MP to have the whip withdrawn over his involvement in the group.Now, almost a dozen more Labour members – including Mr Gwynne’s wife – are understood to have been suspended.Other councillors who were administratively suspended on Tuesday are understood to include former council leader Brenda Warrington, and Claire Reid, a member of Labour’s national policy forum.The group’s members come from Tameside and Stockport councils.Andrew Gwynne was sacked as a minister after the messages emerged More