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 ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer has been accused of “authoritarian control-freakery” after suspending seven LabourMPs for voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap.The prime minister removed the whip from long-standing figures including former shadow chancellor John McDonnell after they rebelled against the government to back an SNP-led amendment to scrap the policy.As backlash against the Labour leader grows, a member of the party’s governing national executive committee said the move “does not benefit him, the party or anyone in the long-run”.But a political spokesperson from Downing Street confirmed today that the action had been taken “ because they rebelled against the King’s speech – the party’s programme for government – which is a serious matter.”The spokesperson denied that the move would set a precedent for all rebellions and Downing Street confirmed that lifting the cap is something a review into child poverty will be able to consider.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces his first PMQs since the election on Wednesday (Carl Court/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 ThomasEditorLabour MP Emily Darlington urged Hilary Benn to “rebuild strained relations” with the European Union, warning that businesses in her local constituency have struggled to survive in the wake of Brexit.The MP for Milton Keynes Central asked the secretary of state for Northern Ireland to engage with the Irish Government as part of an attempt to reduce barriers to trade.Asked about his plans to repair relations with Europe, the Labour frontbencher admitted that Brexit had brought “additional costs and paperwork for businesses”.But Mr Benn also defended the Windsor Framework, an agreement signed by the previous Conservative government to reduce trade barriers between Northern Ireland and the EU, dubbing it an “important and significant step forward”.Speaking during Northern Ireland questions in the House of Commons this morning, Ms Darlington said: “Can I congratulate the honourable member on his position and hope that he will be able to rebuild those relations that have been strained through the Brexit process.The Northern Ireland Office said Secretary of State Hilary Benn was considering the evidence on the case for extending the deadline (Niall Carson/PA) More

Kwasi Kwarteng refuses to rule out Tory comeback from himself or Liz TrussSupport 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 Conservative Party will appoint a new leader to replace Rishi Sunak on 2 November. Shadow home secretary James Cleverly has become the first Tory MP to declare he will run for the leadership, and ruled out a merger between the party and Reform UK if he becomes the next Tory leader. “The Conservative Party doesn’t do mergers. The simple truth is that we have got a series of principles,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. Conservative MP for Wetherby and Easingwold Sir Alec Shelbrooke has also nominated former home secretary Priti Patel for leader. Mr Sunak will stay acting leader until a successor is appointed, and urged for “a smooth and orderly transition to a new Leader of the Opposition”. Nominations will kick off on Wednesday evening and close in the afternoon on 29 July. Each candidate will need a proposer, seconder and eight nominations to qualify.Robert Jenrick, the former immigration minister, Tom Tugendhat and ex-work and pensions secretary Mel Stride are expected to run.Another possible Tory leadership race contender on the party’s right is Kemi Badenoch, while Jeremy Hunt and Victoria Atkins are among more moderate figures who could launch bids.Show latest update 1721812888Cleverly dismisses Reform UK mergerJames Cleverly has ruled out a merger between the Conservative Party and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK if he becomes the next leader.“The Conservative Party doesn’t do mergers. The simple truth is that we have got a series of principles, “ Mr Cleverly told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. “We believe in civil liberty. We believe in free enterprise. We believe in efficient but modest size of the state, lower taxes… those are our principles, that is our agenda. What we need to do is expand our base of support.”( 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 Newly elected British leader Keir Starmer faces a House of Commons milestone on Wednesday, fielding lawmakers’ queries at the boisterous weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session.It’s the first such session since Starmer’s Labour Party won a landslide election victory on July 4, returning to power after 14 years. The center-left party won 412 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons.Starmer is more accustomed to asking the questions after spending four years as leader of the opposition to a Conservative government. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak now fills that role as leader of the defeated Conservative Party.Labour won a landslide election victory on July 4 on a promise to get the U.K.’s sluggish economy growing, unleash a wave of housebuilding and green energy projects and patch the country’s frayed public services.Labour’s large majority means Starmer should easily be able to pass legislation. But he has already had to quell a rebellion, suspending seven Labour lawmakers for voting against the party over social welfare.The government is under pressure from anti-poverty groups and many Labour lawmakers to scrap a policy introduced by the Conservatives that limits a widely paid welfare benefit and tax credit to a family’s first two children. The new government says it can’t afford to immediately abolish the two-child cap.On Tuesday night, seven Labour lawmakers on the left of the party sided with an opposition call to scrap the limit. The party said the seven, who include former deputy leader John McDonnell, had been suspended from Labour’s parliamentary caucus for at least six months. They will remain lawmakers, but will sit as independents.Zarah Sultana, one of the suspended legislators, said she had “slept well knowing that I took a stand against child poverty that is affecting 4.3 million people in this country.””It is the right thing to do and I am glad I did it,” she told broadcaster ITV. 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 ThomasEditorKeir Starmer has suspended seven Labour MPs from the party after he faced an early rebellion supporting an amendment to the King’s Speech in favour of scrapping the two-child benefit cap.The government has so far resisted calls to lift the cap, which has been described by campaigners as “cruel.” Given his massive majority, the prime minister was able to comfortably see off the rebellion with the amendment failing by 363 votes to 103 – a majority of 260 for Labour. For the latest political news, follow The Independent’s live coverageBut his decision has divided the party, in an episode that will be seen as damaging to the new prime minister. The seven MPs suspended by Sir Keir are all on Labour’s left, and the move could stoke factional tensions which have gripped the party throughout his tenure as leader.Speaking before the vote, now-independent MP Jeremy Corbyn said to Labour MPs “stick to your principles, stand up for what you know is right, and be a voice for the kinder society your constituents deserve”.The prime minister enforced a hardline whip on Labour MPs. This means they were threatened with suspension from the party for voting for the amendment, which was tabled by the SNP.Despite this, 42 Labour MPs abstained from voting alongside the seven that voted in favour. Their suspensions will now last for six months.Here are the seven Labour MPs that have been suspended by Sir Keir:John McDonnellFormer shadow chancellor John McDonnell is among the seven MPs suspended from the parliamentary Labour Party 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 suspended seven Labour MPs after they voted against the government in support of scrapping the two-child benefit cap.The move will be seen as a show of strength by the new prime minister after he saw off the first rebellion of his premiership, by 363 votes to 103, a majority of 260.Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, ex-business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain and Zarah Sultana have been suspended from the parliamentary party.The cap, introduced in 2015 by then-Conservative chancellor George Osborne, restricts child welfare payments to the first two children born to most families.More than 40 Labour MPs recorded no vote, with some of those listed spotted in the chamber throughout the day but then not voting, while others had permission to miss the vote.Ahead of the vote, Sir Keir said there is “no silver bullet” to end child poverty but acknowledged the “passion” of MPs who were considering opposing the continuation of the Tory measure.The Independent has put together this map below, where readers can see how their MP voted on the amendment. In a bid to head off a larger revolt on the issue, ministers had said on Monday that they would consider ditching the “cruel” policy.But, just hours before the vote, work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said the government had to do “the sums” before it could commit to abolishing the limit.Charities, unions and figures such as former home secretary Suella Braverman have urged the new PM to dump the cap, brought in nearly a decade ago as one of George Osborne’s austerity measures. It currently affects 1.6 million children. Zara Sultana said she did not know she would be suspended from the party if she rebelled but that she would have done so anyway.“It is really important to use every opportunity in parliament to make the case that the two-child cap has to be scrapped,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.She added: “This is something that many people even in the Labour Party believe is important to do, that is why I voted that day.“If scrapping the cap is not an urgent priority for a Labour government, you have to question what is… every day it is in place, hundreds of thousands of children are enduring unnecessary poverty.” 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 health adviser to the Labour government has said the long-term sick must be forced to look for jobs to cut welfare costs and reduce the UK’s reliance on immigration.Former health secretary Alan Milburn, who has been brought in by the party to advise on NHS reform, said seven in 10 economically inactive people want to work but few are required to or have the help to do so.He called for fundamental reform of a “crazy” system.Former health secretary Alan Milburn called for reform of the ‘crazy’ system 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 ThomasEditorJames Cleverly will become the first Tory to throw their hat in the ring and replace Rishi Sunak in what promises to be a fierce leadership battle.The former home secretary said he could “unite the Conservative Party and overturn Starmer’s loveless landslide” as he blew the race wide open with an emotional pitch featuring clips of home video of his childhood growing up in south London.In a post on social media, the shadow minister said he was running to “restore the confidence of the British people in us as a party” and “re-establish our reputation” as a party that “helps grow the economy, helps people achieve their goals, their dreams and their aspirations”.Writing in The Daily Telegraph, he said: “Over the next parliament, we must not descend into the infighting, navel-gazing and the internecine manoeuvrings at Westminster that plagued us in government.“In opposition we must be unified and disciplined, resolute in the job of holding the Labour Party to account on their promises.”For updates on the Tory leadership race – visit our live blog by clicking hereJames Cleverly has declared his candidacy in the race to replace Rishi Sunak More