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 ThomasEditorA UK university says it is the first in the world to open a “Minecraft psychology lab”.Students at the University of Essex will learn, research and build experiments within the popular computer game.Lecturer Dr Wijnand van Tilburg said Minecraft “offers a uniquely malleable environment to study and learn about the psychology behind social behaviour, problem solving, and creativity”.Six booths have been set up for psychology students to use Minecraft as part of the course.Students at the university will learn and build experiments within the computer game (University of Essex/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 ThomasEditorBridget Phillipson has pledged to reverse “baked-in” inequalities in educational outcomes to ensure young people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to “get on in life”.Speaking ahead of A-level results day on Thursday, the education secretary accused the Conservative Party of leaving behind a legacy of regional disparities and an attainment gap between private schools and their state school peers.She said societal failures have left too many children living in poverty and schools struggling with the pressures faced by families – something she said is a “big driver” of educational disparities between the most and least advantaged students.Ms Phillipson also urged universities to do more to widen access to higher education, as well as offer “ongoing support” to students once they are on degree courses to ensure they do not drop out.Education secretary Bridget Phillipson 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 ThomasEditorThe government is preparing to limit the amount landowners can receive from selling green belt land, handing councils the power to cheaply buy up land that previously would have been ineligible for development as part of its plan to tackle the housing crisis. In areas with the greatest housing need, landowners could also find themselves penalised for refusing to sell land. Councils would be able to force them to sell land at a “benchmark” value – which would be lower than the market value of similar sites outside the green belt. Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner told MPs that ‘we must all play our part’ in the plan to build more homes 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 ThomasEditorNumber 10 is not going to get into a “running commentary” about its plans for social media giants and their users amid the nationwide public disorder, it has said.Sir Keir Starmer’s spokeswoman also told journalists that the Prime Minister will not enter a tit-for-tat spat with the billionaire owner of X, formerly Twitter, Elon Musk.After disorder in towns and cities throughout the UK, Mr Musk used the hashtag #TwoTierKeir on X – a reference to allegations police have treated some protesters more harshly than others – and he posted on Friday: “Support freedom of speech in the UK!”Sir Keir Starmer (third from left), pictured at the Metropolitan Police Command and Control Special Operations Room at Lambeth Police Headquarters (Toby Melville/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 ThomasEditorFormer prime minister Boris Johnson is reportedly being courted for an executive role at The Daily Telegraph, meaning he could be reunited with former cabinet colleague Nadhim Zahawi if his bid to buy the newspaper is successful. The former chancellor, who stepped down from his Stratford-on-Avon seat before the general election, is currently spearheading a bid to buy the Telegraph and The Spectator, both of which are up for sale after an Abu Dhabi-backed takeover was blocked.Mr Johnson is said to have held informal talks with the former chancellor about a possible job at the paper, according to Sky News. A source close to the former prime minister told The Independent that “no formal or substantial discussions” have been had so far.The former prime minister currently has a weekly column in the Daily Mail and was previously in talks with GB News about joining the channel as a presenter 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 faced his first big test as prime minister last week, as far-right riots engulfed the country.The unforeseen crisis appears to have played to Sir Keir’s strengths as a former public prosecutor, with over 900 people arrested and 466 already charged following the violent disorder.Towns and cities including Liverpool, Middlesborough and Sunderland saw widespread violence last week, with people arrested for a broad range of offences.The prime minister has cancelled his planned summer holiday this week after the riots and will instead spend his time working between Chequers and 10 Downing Street.A No 10 spokesperson said: “The PM is not alone in this. We’ve seen many people over the course of the disorder having their leave cancelled to ensure we can respond. It is welcome that we’ve seen a de-escalation over the weekend but the work is not done.”We want to know if you think Sir Keir is dealing with the riots effectively. Was the PM right to delay his holiday to deal with the fallout? Are those involved in unrest being punished fairly? And are you worried about the impact on prisons?Share your thoughts by adding them in the comments — we’ll highlight the most insightful ones as they come in.All you have to do is sign up and register your details — then you can take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here.Join the conversation with other Independent readers below. 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 ThomasEditorNew research shows the most popular Conservative leadership candidates tend to the least well-known.Savanta, which carried out the polling, warned “the rule of thumb appears to be that the more the public see of them, the less they like them”.The findings are an ominous message for the group, who are due to spend the next four months battling it out for the top job. This year’s Conservative party conference will be dominated by the contest, which will not finally conclude until 2 November.The latest research shows former security minister Tom Tugendhat is the most popular with the public, but nearly one third, 29 per cent, chose ‘don’t know’ when asked about him. And, in a sign of why the Tories were heavily defeated in last month’s general election, to be the most popular candidate Mr Tugendhat’s net favourability rating was -5. Tory leadership candidates – the most popular tend to the least well-known, research has found 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 cabinet minister’s claim rioters will not be freed early to help ease chronic overcrowding in UK jails has been hurriedly rowed back.Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said those caught up in the recent violence would not be included in the government’s release scheme. But a government source later said he had “misspoke”.Last month ministers announced plans to release some inmates early to free up prison space, blaming the decision on the last Conservative government and overcrowding.Asked if he could guarantee that rioters would not be set free early under the scheme, Mr Reynolds told The Camilla Tominey Show on GB News: “I understand that they won’t be.”He added that it was “because of those difficult decisions that were made by the ministers in the new government… that there is capacity in the system to deal with this disorder”.However, sources later made clear that some of those involved in the riots could be eligible for the scheme – depending on what their conviction is for and the length of their sentence, with violent offenders being unlikely release candidates.Ministers say they were forced to act after just hundreds of places were left in the adult male estate. Prisons have been routinely operating at over 99 percent capacity since the start of 2023.The early release scheme is due to run for at least 18 months, but could last longer. Greg Smith, the Tory MP for Buckingham, has accused Labour of sending mixed messages over the issue saying: “They can’t say they’re tough on rioters and then let them out of jail after only five minutes.”Earlier the justice secretary Shabana Mahmood warned that the impact of the violent scenes on the country’s streets would be felt in the criminal justice system “for months and years”.Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has said he is “not worried” about the potential effect of days of rioting on foreign investment in the UK as the Government seeks to secure economic growth (Maja Smiejkowska/PA) More