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 CorrespondentIn a disarmingly personal interview, Sir Tony Blair discloses how his desire for political power was triggered by the early trauma of his father having a stroke and the death of his mother.Speaking to Geordie Greig, editor-in-chief of The Independent, the former prime minister said his ambition to gain power came directly from those tragic moments. He was aged 10 when his father was incapacitated and 22 when his mother died.Watch the Blair interview in full on Independent TVThe former Labour leader declares as his new book, On Leadership, is published: “The moment I saw what power was and what it could do, I wanted it.”As well as providing a masterclass in how to wield power, it also reveals his personal faults and successes during his decade in No 10 as well as the next 17 years forming the Tony Blair Institute, which today has 1,000 staff and advises governments of more than 40 countries.“Power should be based on a desire to do something that you believe as a matter of conviction and principle. But, if you are being honest the power itself is attractive. It doesn’t mean you should pursue it at the expense of the principle, but your wanting to exercise leadership in the exercise of power is what goes with it,” he explains.His motive when he was young, he says, was always “to change the world, to put principles into practice, to be respected and recognised as a person with power and to feel that power, to feel how it could shape my world around me as well as the world of others”.Tony Blair speaks to Geordie Greig 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 CorrespondentGreen Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay has condemned the jail sentences of up to five years handed to Just Stop Oil protesters who caused gridlock on the M25.Speaking to The Independent as his party gathered in Manchester for its conference this weekend, Mr Ramsay made it clear he did not agree with the methods of the climate activists but said he thought the prison terms handed out earlier this year were disproportionate.He pointed out that rapists and many of the far-right rioters this summer received less time in jail when they were sentenced.Protesters climbed onto gantries over the M25 for four successive days in November 2022, bringing traffic to a standstill 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 CorrespondentSir Tony Blair has delivered the most devastating critique of the failure of Brexit and how consequently Britain has ended up with mass immigration instead of the promise to “take back control”.“We’ve swapped out younger, usually single people coming in from Europe to work in hospitality, technology and other sectors for much increased immigration from Asia and Africa,” he said.In an exclusive interview with Geordie Greig, editor-in-chief of The Independent, Sir Tony highlighted the way “we have weakened ourselves” in the UK as a result of Brexit.Watch the Blair interview in full on Independent TVBritain’s most successful prime minister of the 21st century lambasted the Tories for “putting politics before policy” over 14 years, which led to a period of instability not seen since Margaret Thatcher won power in 1979. He said the Tories had perverted Thatcherism into a kind of nationalism through extreme Euroscepticism.In a wide-ranging interview, following the publication of his book On Leadership, he highlighted:The “delusion” of Vladimir Putin and why Western allies must stand firm with Ukraine.The need for the UK and her allies to be prepared for a global war: “It will almost certainly be as a result of the US-China relationship deteriorating.”The importance of working with controversial leaders – including Donald Trump – as his personal relationship with “bunga bunga” prime minister Silvio Berlusconi won London the Olympics over Paris.How artificial intelligence (AI) is key to Britain’s future prosperity – commercially and for defence: “The most important development since the industrial revolution.”How history may vindicate his controversial legacy over the Iraq war: “Maybe different perspectives in time will come about. The most important thing for me at this juncture is for people to understand that it’s not all we did.”Sir Tony urged Sir Keir Starmer to “repair the relationship” with the EU as he warned that Western leaders must prepare for a potential global war in a world destabilised by the tension between America and China, and a “delusional” Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.Former PM Tony Blair is interviewed by editor-in-chief Geordie Greig for Independent TV 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 CorrespondentLabour frontbenchers and MPs have reportedly expressed fears that chancellor Rachel Reeves’ “brutal” plan to scrap the winter fuel allowance for all but the poorest pensioners will put more older people in hospital.Around 10 million people are expected to be directly impacted by the plans announced by the chancellor in July – prompting gasps in the House of Commons – to cut the winter fuel payments first introduced by her predecessor Gordon Brown in 1997.The decision, made ahead of Ms Reeves’ first budget next month, will axe the payment of up to £300 for all pensioners except those in receipt of those claiming pension credit or other means-tested benefits, as regulator Ofgem raises its energy price cap by 10 per cent.( 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 Correspondent British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Ireland Saturday to meet his Irish counterpart, in what is being billed as an attempt to reset relations between the two countries after years of tensions following the U.K.’s departure from the European Union.Starmer’s visit to meet Irish premier Simon Harris is the first by a British leader to Ireland in five years. It is a further sign that the two wish to deepen relations, on economic and security matters. Harris was the first international leader Starmer hosted following his Labour Party’s landslide election victory on July 4.“We both said we wish to really place British-Irish relations on a new path and I really appreciate the time that you’ve given to us since taking office, and I’ve tried to respond in kind,” said Harris after the pair walked around the gardens at Farmleigh House in Dublin, the Irish Government’s formal reception house for state visits.Relations between the two countries have been strained ever since the Brexit vote in June 2016 to leave the European Union, especially in light of how it affected the political structures of Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K.When the U.K. left the bloc, the British government and the EU agreed to keep the Irish border free of customs posts and other checks because an open border is a key pillar of the peace process that ended 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland. Since then, Starmer’s Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak renegotiated the initial agreement, and that has won the support of both sides of the Northern Irish political divide.Starmer said now was a chance to further solidify the relations, both with Ireland as well as the EU.“It’s a pleasure to be here, to have this opportunity that we will take to renew the friendship between our two countries,” said Starmer. “That reset, I think, can be meaningful, it can be deep.”He has said that the U.K. will not seek to rejoin the EU under his leadership, nor the bloc’s frictionless single market and customs union. However, he has made it clear that he wants to renegotiate elements of the post-Brexit trade deal with the EU in order to bolster growth.He has been touring EU capitals since he got elected in the hope of generating the goodwill to move forward on that front, as well as “stand together” on international issues such as the war in Ukraine. The two leaders will participate in a business roundtable in Dublin to explore how a “reset” in relations can benefit trade. The economic relationship is worth around 120 billion euros ($130 billion), supporting thousands of jobs on both sides of the Irish Sea. The two leaders will later head off to a soccer match between Ireland and England, which provided them with a clear photo opportunity. They swapped jerseys with Starmer holding up an Irish shirt with his surname on it and Harris holding up an England jersey with his name on it. Starmer, a keen soccer player, laughed when asked if he would wear it to the match later.“It will make an appearance in my nine-a-side,” he said. “This will be proudly worn in north London before too long.”___Pylas contributed from London. 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 CorrespondentAn “a la carte” Brexit reset is not on the table, the deputy prime minister of Ireland has warned as Sir Keir Starmer made his first official visit to the UK’s nearest neighbour.The prime minister travelled to Dublin on Saturday to meet Taoiseach Simon Harris ahead of the England football team’s match against the Republic of Ireland.Just hours before his arrival, the tánaiste said that the EU wanted to see an improved EU-UK relationship, but the UK could not “cherry pick” new terms.Micheál Martin also blamed Brexit for the deterioration in relations between the UK and Ireland.Speaking to reporters at the British-Irish Association conference in Oxford on Friday, Mr Martin said that while the EU wants a “good and warm relationship” with the UK, it would not offer an “a la carte” menu from which Sir Keir can pick and choose.Taoiseach Simon Harris (left) and prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, hold up England and Ireland football shirts at Farmleigh House, Dublin 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 CorrespondentGreen deputy leader Zack Polanski has vowed to stand against the far-right and “tell the truth” about immigration and racism.In a conference speech weeks after riots erupted across the UK in the wake of false claims about the murder of three girls at a dance class in Southport, Mr Polanski praised counter-demonstrators who marched in opposition to the far-right.And he said the threat to Britain “is not arriving by dinghy or a small boat – they’re flying in a private jet”.Zack Polanski said racist riots were sparked by decades of anti-migrant rhetoric by politicians and in the media More