UK

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 ThomasEditorBritain’s biggest union appears to be on a collision path with Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government over plans for spending cuts and tax rises in the budget in October.Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, issued a warning to the recently elected Labour government against “austerity mark II” after Sir Keir warned that the budget will be “really painful”.The union boss was echoing concerns that Starmer and his chancellor Rachel Reeves may follow the austerity policies of Tory chancellor George Osborne following the financial crash to pay for a £22 billion black hole in public finances, which Labour claims to have discovered.The prime minister’s words on the budget came in a speech in the Downing Street rose garden in front of 50 supporters and activists from the last election.Unite boss Sharon Graham (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 ThomasEditorLiz Truss had planned to sign an energy deal which would have cost the British taxpayer £30bn extra on top of her economy-crashing ‘mini-budget,’ a new book has claimed. The former prime minister had argued in favour of buying long-term gas supplies from Norwegian state-owned energy company Equinor, at a cost of £130 billion. This would have secured the deal at the same price for 20 years, regardless of price rises or falls.It is understood that Treasury officials had said the price was bad value for money as it was very likely to fall. The price fell dramatically over the following months, as the country avoided another financial disaster.A new book from author Anthony Seldon, ‘Truss at 10’, reveals that the chapter marked one of the few times Ms Truss’ chancellor and friend Kwasi Kwarteng stood up to her, siding with the official advice.Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng with Liz Truss at the Tory Party conference following his mini budget (Stefan Rousseau/PA) More

Keir Starmer says things are ‘worse than we ever imagined’ in first keynote address as PMSupport 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 hinted at tax rises in the government’s first budget warning it is “going to be painful”.In his first keynote speech from Downing Street, Sir Keir said he will “make big asks” of people in Britain, warning they will have to accept “short term pain for long term good”.The prime minister said those with the “broadest shoulders” will carry the heaviest burden insisting taxes on “working people” including national insurance, VAT and income tax will not be increased in the 30 October budget.He claimed things are “worse than we ever imagined”and suggested the riots showed “the cracks in our society after 14 years of populism and failure”.On winter fuel payments, the PM admitted removing the measure for pensioners was difficult citing that the government inherited a £22billion black hole in public finances from the Tories. Reacting to his speech, general secretary of the Unite union Sharon Graham criticised the “bleak vision” Sir Keir delivered in his first keynote speech as prime minister.Rishi Sunak also hit out at the PM claiming that his keynote speech this morning was an indication of Labour’s plan to “raise taxes”. Laura Trott also accused Labour of “rolling the pitch” to increase taxes, warning “working families are next in line”.Show latest update 1724770203Downing Street draws up plans for announcing death of Larry the catDowning Street officials are preparing a “media plan” to announce the eventual passing of Larry the cat, The Independent understands.Larry has become a widely loved fixture of Downing Street and is often seen outside the door to Number 10 during major political events and news broadcasts.The 17-year-old ‘chief mouser’ is thought to be in his final years, having already outlived the average lifespan for a tabby cat.Our political correspondent Millie Cooke has the full story:Salma Ouaguira27 August 2024 15:501724769303Cleverly accuses Starmer of ‘rolling out dishonest policies’Shadow home secretary James Cleverly has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “rolling out dishonest policies”, following the Prime Minister’s speech earlier today.Mr Cleverly, who is running to be leader of the Tory Party, said: “More meaningless drivel from Keir Starmer today as he tries to distract from his latest cronyism row.“He says he wants to serve people; all he is serving them are tax rises.“The Conservatives left Labour with low inflation, falling migration, and the highest growth in the G7. Yet the Labour government have waged war on pensioners, caved to their union paymasters and splurged millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on unaffordable pay rises for strikers.“Keir Starmer was elected on a manifesto that he won’t stick to, and he is now rolling out a series of dishonest policies for which he has no democratic mandate.”James Cleverly 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 ThomasEditorUrgent action is needed to replace dangerous cladding in the wake of a major fire at a tower block in east London, the author of a report into the Grenfell Tower disaster has warned.Dame Judith Hackitt, who led a government review on building safety after the deadly Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, said it is “really concerning” that so many people are still living in uncertainty and fear about their homes and that it was “very lucky” nobody died in Monday’s blaze.Fire ripped through the tower block in Dagenham, which was undergoing “remedial” work to remove and replace “non-compliant cladding” on the fifth and sixth floors containing flats, according to a planning application document.Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Dame Judith criticised those who have been “passing the buck” on the issue of fixing buildings seven years on from the Grenfell fire, which killed 72 people.“This really about people passing the buck, passing it up the chain and the work has to be done,” she said. “This must be about identifying those responsible and making them pay.”A fire tore through a tower block in Dagenham, east London on Monday 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 ThomasEditorLabour is set to extend a hardship fund for struggling households in England after campaigners call the money a “lifeline” for thousands.Ministers will announce that the Household Support Fund will be extended for a fifth time, Whitehall officials told the Financial Times, taking the funding beyond its current September 30 cut off date. The Household Support Fund provides local councils with a share of £500 million over a period of six months. Each authority is free to allocate funds however they feel is best to help struggling households in their area.Some provide cash grants, while others opt for supermarket vouchers, energy bill assistance, or funding for food banks. However, a recent report from the End Furniture Poverty charity showed that 44 percent of the total Household Support Fund budget in 2023/24 was used to provide holiday food vouchers for families in receipt of free school meals.Workers at a Coventry foodbank, 2023 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 ThomasEditorWatch as Sir Keir Starmer holds a press conference on Tuesday 27 August.The prime minister used a Downing Street speech to promise his government will do the “hard work” to “root out 14 years of rot” under the Tories and suggested the recent riots showed “the cracks in our society after years of populism and failure”.In a speech from the No 10 rose garden, he said: “The riots didn’t just betray the sickness, they revealed the cure, found not in the cynical conflict of populism but in the coming together of a country the morning after and cleared up their community.“Because that is who we are, that is what we stand for. People who cared for their neighbour.“Communities who stood fast against hatred and division. Emergency services who did their duty – even when they were in danger. And a government that put the people of this country first.”Sir Keir also used his speech to warn that “frankly – things will get worse before we get better” as the Labour administration tries to deal with “not just an economic black hole but a societal black hole”. 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 ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer has admitted that the country is set to be hit with “a very painful budget” in October as his new Labour government tries to “fix the rot” left by the Tories.Speaking to a group of 50 voters and supporters in the Downing Street rose garden, the prime minister hinted at more spending cuts and tax rises to come as his party attempts to close a £22 billion black hole they claim to have found in the public finances.He warned “things are worse than we ever imagined” because of a £22 billion “black hole” in the public finances, claiming to have found out last week that the Tories had borrowed almost £5 billion more than the Office for Budget Responsibility expected.Starmer delivers a speech to mark the reopening of business in parliament next week 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 ThomasEditor U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought Tuesday to draw a contrast between his new government and the past, saying the solution to the country’s problems is in working together and not in continuing to stoke tensions in society.Starmer said the riots that convulsed the nation earlier this summer betrayed “the cracks in our society” after 14 years of Conservative-led government. But the prime minister, who took office in July after a landslide election victory, also found hope in the way many people united to oppose the violence.“The riots didn’t just betray the sickness, they also revealed the cure, found not in the cynical conflict of populism but in the coming together of a country,” Starmer said. “The people who got together the morning after all around the country — with their brooms, their shovels, their trowels — and cleared up their community. They reminded us who we really are.”Starmer spoke in the rose garden of his official Downing Street residence in an effort to underscore the differences between his administration and those of his Conservative predecessors.The garden was the scene of two events that angered voters during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, a senior adviser to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a news conference in the garden as he tried to justify a lockdown-breaking trip to the country. Later, Johnson and other officials held a wine-and-cheese party in the garden at a time when most people were stuck in their homes.As he sought to further distance himself from his Conservative Party predecessors, Starmer warned that the upcoming October budget would be “painful.” He argued that “things are worse than we ever imagined” because of a 22 billion pound ($29.1 billion) “black hole” in the public finances.Those with the “broadest shoulders” would have to bear the greatest burden, he said.”We have no other choice, given the situation that we’re in,” he said. More