UK

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentBoris Johnson and five ex-defence secretaries have called for Sir Keir Starmer to go it alone and allow Ukraine to use British-made missiles to strike Russia – as foreign secretary David Lammy appeared to play down the importance of Shadow Storm missiles.The former prime minister, as well as Grant Shapps, Ben Wallace, Gavin Williamson, Penny Mordaunt and Liam Fox, said Kyiv should be allowed to use the long-range missiles against Vladimir Putin – even without the backing of Joe Biden and the US.The group has warned Sir Keir that any future delay risks strengthening Putin’s hand in the war.However, Mr Lammy, when asked on Ukraine’s request to use the missiles on BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, shared other ways the UK was supporting Ukraine, such as providing training to troops.He added: “No war is won with any one weapon, that is the case.”The increase in pressure on Ukraine’s request follows talks between Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Biden in Washington that did not produce an agreement on whether the UK and US would give permission to Kyiv.Further discussions are due to take place at the United Nations later this month.Foreign secretary David Lammy, appearing next to Sir Keir Starmer outside the White House this month, appeared to play down the importance of the long-range missiles on Sunday morning More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentThe Liberal Democrats are calling for free school meals to be offered to an additional 900,000 children living in poverty.Britain’s third largest party will use its annual conference in Brighton this week to say free school meals should be offered to all children in poverty, as for many it could be their only meal of the day.Education spokesperson Munira Wilson will use her keynote speech on Sunday to call for the policy to be expanded, as well as for a national body for special educational needs and disabilities (Send).The body would be responsible for supporting children with the most complex needs, ending what the Lib Dems called a “postcode lottery” leaving parents in some areas unable to access the support they need for their children.Munira Wilson will call for free school meals to be extended to all children in poverty More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentKeir Starmer is open to sending asylum seekers to Albania as he prepares to hold a mini summit with Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni.The prime minister told journalists travelling with him to Washington DC before he flew to Rome that he would see how Italy’s deal with Albania worked in terms of offshoring processing of asylum claims. Within days of taking power in July, Sir Keir cancelled the UK’s controversial deal with Rwanda which had been set up by the previous Tory government at a cost of £700m to the taxpayer.But he now appears open to similar schemes in a European country.This follows German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s decision to take up the facilities in Rwanda that the UK paid for to deal with asylum seekers to his country.Asked specifically about Italy’s Albania scheme, Sir Keir replied: “Let’s see. It’s early days. I’m interested in how that works, I think everybody else is. It’s very very early days.”The Italian plan has been criticised by many and involves opening camps for asylum seekers which will hold up to 3,000 people. Ms Meloni’s government has dramatically reduced the number of people coming across the Mediterranean to Italy from north Africa.The deal has been condemned by Human Rights Watch, whose associate director for Europe Judith Sunderland wrote: “Italy’s latest gambit to offshore its responsibilities is all but guaranteed to violate people’s rights. Following its abusive deal with Libya, Italy now wants to take people who have effectively reached the country outside of the EU, breaching fundamental tenets of rescue at sea and undermining asylum rights and freedom from arbitrary detention. It is also unlikely to deter people from making dangerous boat crossings.”Amnesty has raised concerns about human rights in Albania, citing the killing of journalists in the country, concerns over the right to a fair trial, killings in prisons, a “hostile environment” for the LGBT+ community, and violence against women and girls.On the Italy deal it noted: “Human rights organisations and others expressed concern about the impact this could have on the human rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants, including automatic and therefore arbitrary detention.”Sir Keir confirmed to journalists that he will be discussing the issue as record numbers of asylum seekers continue to cross the Channel on small boats.The prime minister said: “We’ll be able to talk about irregular migration, and other things as well. “It will be a feature as it was a feature when I spoke to Chancellor Scholz; as it was a feature when I spoke to [French president] Emmanuel Macron.”He noted that there are “different challenges in different countries”.“In Germany, I was particularly concerned that a very large percentage of the boats’ engines that are ending up being used for the Channel crossings are going through Germany. And I think that they should take further opportunities to seize them on their journey,” he said.“Obviously with Macron, it was very much about what to do on the northern coast of France.“I’ve already had a preliminary discussion with Georgia Meloni about this, about how we can work together on irregular migration. She has of course got some strong ideas and I hope to discuss those with her.“She and I have already discussed how we can improve joint operations, so that is something we will discuss.” More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentWhen a rain-drenched Rishi Sunak shocked the nation by calling a snap general election, many thought he was being pushed by MPs demanding a confidence vote amid the dying embers of 14 years of Conservative rule.But now Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee, has revealed he had only received 10 such “no-confidence” letters – making Mr Sunak’s early announcement all the more risky.The former prime minister was routed by Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party in an election that resulted in the worst Conservative defeat ever recorded.Chairman of the 1922 Committee of Backbench Conservatives, Sir Graham Brady, is releasing a tell-all book More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentThe chief whip of the Liberal Democrats has taken a pop at Sir Keir Starmer, saying he has “gone quite grey” since taking over as prime minister.Days after a TV interview which saw an apparent change in the PM’s hair colour go viral online, Wendy Chamberlain piled in on the jokes about the stresses of high office.At the party’s annual conference in Brighton, Ms Chamberlain was asked to rate the Labour leader’s job as PM so far out of 10.Ms Chamberlain said prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s hair appeared to have greyed since taking office More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentFormer Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Willams has warned it may be “impossible” for Christians and people of other strong religious views to represent the Lib Dems after the party appeared to officially cast out two of the giants of its recent history.Lawyers acting for the party in a dispute with a former candidate, who was deselected over his Christian beliefs, have stated in their defence document that the party of former leader Charles Kennedy and Baroness Shirley Williams “was over”. Both Baroness Williams and Mr Kennedy were religious and held conservative views on issues such as abortion.The stunning statement has caused ructions behind the scenes among Lib Dem MPs, many of whom are practising Christians, including leader Sir Ed Davey who had promised to end attacks on Christian beliefs.Shirley Williams, who died three years ago, opposed abortion More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentIf another referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU was held today it would result in Brexit being reversed, according to a new poll.A clear majority of all voters say they would opt to rejoin the EU.Strikingly, support for overturning the UK’s decision to cut its ties with Brussels among Generation Z – who were too young to take part in the 2016 referendum – is by a two-to-one margin.The public thinks Brexit has made almost everything worse, from the economy to immigration, cost of living, NHS, wages, exports and Britain’s standing abroad to hopes of keeping Scotland and Northern Ireland in the union.While Brexit has slipped in the league table of public concerns, a second referendum is seen as likely at some point.The findings of a survey by Redfield & Wilton follow moves by Sir Keir Starmer to boost Britain’s connections with the EU.Despite having been a strong opponent of Brexit, the prime minister has made it clear he has no intention of reviewing the decision based on a 52-48 majority in the referendum eight years ago.Speaking to reporters in Wales, two days before July’s general election, Sir Kier said: “I’ve been really clear about not rejoining the EU, the single market, or the customs union, or returning to freedom of movement.“I’ve been equally clear that I do think we can get a better deal than the botched deal we got under Boris Johnson – on the trading front, on research and development, and on security.”Sir Keir’s supporters say a second referendum would be divisive and a distraction from his main target of repairing public finances and public services.Other prominent Labour figures have been more outspoken.In an interview with The Independent editor-in-chief Geordie Greig, former prime minister Sir Tony Blair said Brexit had failed and triggered “unprecedented mass immigration”.Former PM Tony Blair told Independent editor-in-chief Geordie Greig the UK has weakened itself with Brexit More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentLiberal Democrat activists and MPs will sing a sweary anti-Brexit song at the party’s annual conference in Brighton on Monday.At the notorious “Glee Club” event for attendees of the jamboree, punters will belt out a rewritten version of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious titled Who Swears, Wins.The song opens with a jibe about the Brexit referendum having “not gone our way”, before descending into a sweary tirade about Britain’s departure from the European Union.The main line of the song, sung to the tune of the Mary Poppins duet, is: “B****cks-bloody-b***er-knackers-f***ing-c**t to Brexit.”Sir Ed waving from a jet ski as he arrived in Brighton More