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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.CloseRead moreWes Streeting has promised to protect Britons travelling abroad for Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs) and other cosmetic surgeries.After several deaths linked to the treatments, the health secretary said he will work to improve the safety of those going to Turkey and elsewhere for procedures including BBLs and tummy tucks.He warned British travellers seeking cut-price surgeries to think carefully before taking up offers that are “too good to be true”.And Mr Streeting said: “I think we need to take very seriously this issue of medical negligence and malpractice overseas.”It comes after several women lost their lives in the last few years after travelling to Turkey for discounted surgery.Health secretary Wes Streeting urged Brits to be careful travelling abroad for BBLs 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.CloseRead moreDominic Raab took a £16,000 pay off after he quit government following a finding he had been “persistently aggressive” towards civil servants. An independent investigation found the Boris Johnson ally had made what “could have been understood as a threat” and had “acted in a way which was intimidating”.In response, Mr Raab, who denied the allegations, resigned with a defiant attack on the bullying probe – and, it now emerges, a severance package that ran into thousands of pounds.Dominic Raab resigned in the wake of the bullying probe 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.CloseRead moreDowning Street has been forced to apologised to British Hindus after meat and alcohol were served at an annual Diwali celebration.Number 10 said that a “mistake” had been made and pledged “it will not happen again”.Hinduism does not have a clear prohibition on alcohol or meat consumption, but many Hindus choose not to drink and some are also vegetarian.The event sparked a series of complaints, including from Shivani Raja, the Conservative MP for Leicester East, who said she was “greatly concerned” and “deeply saddened”. Keir Starmer at the reception to celebrate Diwali in Downing Street 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.CloseRead moreKeir Starmer has been urged to step up his plans for a post-Brexit reset of relations with the European Union after an unprecedented warning from the Bank of England.In a speech to leading business figures, the Bank’s governor said that Britain must “rebuild” a closer trading relationship with the European Union after our exit from the bloc damaged exports.The effects of Brexit had “weighed” on the economy, Andrew Bailey added, just hours before the latest figures showed the economy flatlining in the months after Labour came to power. In the wake of the governor’s warning, the UK’s former national security adviser Lord Ricketts warned that “momentum” could be lost.Lord Ricketts, who is also the chair of the Lords European Affairs Committee but told The Independent he was speaking in a personal capacity, said: “I’m picking up from my European friends that they’ve appreciated the new government’s efforts to warm up the tone and rebuild personal contacts. But they are beginning to be impatient for substance.“Once the new (European) Commission is formed it will be important that the government has more detail to offer on what they want from the reset, otherwise the momentum will be lost.”Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has come under pressure over his Brexit ‘reset’ (Carl Court/PA) 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.CloseRead moreRachel Reeves has set out plans to target a free trade deal with Donald Trump after saying she is “not satisfied” with the UK’s flatlining economy. As official figures showed economic growth stalling under Labour, the chancellor said she wanted to boost trade with the US and “looks forward to working with president-elect Trump”. “There’s more than £300bn of trade flows between the UK and the United States every year, and we want to see that trade increase, whether that’s through a free trade agreement or through further improvements in our trade and investment flows,” Ms Reeves told ITV. Donald Trump’s America first policies threaten a tit-for-tat trade war that would push up prices 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.CloseRead moreKemi Badenoch appears to have inspired a surge in the polls for the Tories after the latest weekly tracker poll by Techne UK for The Independent revealed she had cut Keir Starmer’s lead to just one point.The new Tory leader has taken six points off Labour’s lead in the last fortnight since she took over from Rishi Sunak as Labour has struggled to fight off criticism about Rachel Reeves’ record-breaking tax raising Budget.With businesses, charities and farmers all attacking Labour over the £40bn of extra taxes, including a hike in employer contributions to national insurance and a change of the inheritance tax rules, Ms Badenoch appears to have capitalised in her short time in charge.The Tory leader this week focussed on council tax hikes and national insurance in her questions to Sir Keir in PMQs with Labour still appearing to be suffering from a communication problem with its overall economic strategy.Ms Badenoch is already making up ground on Labour 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.CloseRead moreThe UK must rebuild relations following Brexit, the governor of the Bank of England has said, warning of the economic consequences of leaving the European Union. Speaking alongside the chancellor at the annual Mansion House dinner in the City of London, Andrew Bailey spoke about the importance of economic growth and outlined the impacts of the UK’s departure from the single market on trade. While he said he takes “no position on Brexit per se”, he added: “But I do have to point out the consequences”. “The changing trading relationship with the EU has weighed on the level of potential supply”, Mr Bailey said.Andrew Bailey will “point out the consequences” of Brexit More