UK

Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock has told Sir Keir Starmer it is “time to look at rejoining” the European Union to ease the country’s economic woes and get a grip on the small boat crisis. Lord Kinnock, who led the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992, said the UK could no longer afford the “huge self-inflicted losses” created by leaving the European Union – and that restoring membership would be a major boost for growth.He said he understood the reluctance within government over the issue, but “sooner or later, we’re going to have to say if we really want sustained economic growth, we have to be part of a body of the single market with our nearest neighbours”.The comments by Lord Kinnock, a former European Commissioner and vice-president of the European Commission, come amid warnings that Rachel Reeves will have to raise taxes in the Budget in November to meet her self-imposed borrowing rules. On Friday, experts warned that unexpectedly high government borrowing figures in August meant tax rises were “inevitable”. Former Labour leader Lord Kinnock has made a number of interventions in recent weeks, urging Starmer to change course on several key policies More

The number of UK charities that have been forced to shut their doors for good has jumped by 74 per cent this year, with the rising cost of living, stalling donations and the increase in employers’ national insurance all blamed for the shocking rise.The sector has raised fears that people in need will be left without vital support, with Oxfam warning that charities are being “asked to do more with less, at the very moment people need us most”.There are also concerns that the government’s Employment Rights Bill, which would require charities to guarantee hours for zero-hours staff and pay compensation for cancelled shifts, could further strain charities’ budgets, driving more insolvencies.Oxfam, which in April said it took the “difficult decision” to put 265 of its 2,100 staff at risk of redundancy, has now warned that charities are being “asked to do more with less, at the very moment people need us most”. The number of major UK charities, defined as those that recorded revenues of over £50k, shutting down jumped to 151 in 2024/25, up from 87 in 2023/24, according to charity commission data analysed by chartered accountants and business advisors Lubbock Fine. The firm said the increase in insolvencies reflects a “triple hit” of rising employment costs, stalling donations and reduced government funding.The surge in closures comes as demand for services such as food banks and counselling programmes is rising, leaving more vulnerable people without essential support.Earlier this year, Macmillan Cancer Support announced it had axed a quarter of its staff, downgraded its helpline and scrapped its flagship financial hardship scheme that provided millions of pounds in grants to thousands of patients. Data from the Charities Aid Foundation indicated that there are four million fewer individual donors since 2019, while cash donations from British businesses have fallen by around £300 million this year compared to last, equating to around 5,455 small charities going unfunded. Macmillan Cancer Support has scrapped its flagship financial hardship schemeA spokesperson for Oxfam told The Independent: “Communities across the world are facing unprecedented levels of need, from conflict to climate change to rising inequality. Charities are being asked to do more with less, at the very moment people need us most. “Rising living costs and higher National Insurance contributions are adding to the strain, and future cuts to UK aid risk deepening this crisis, stripping away vital lifelines for those living in poverty.”Aid is a smart investment in stability, security and opportunity for all of us. At a time of growing global challenges, the UK should be looking to strengthen its support for civil society, not scale it back.”Hazra Patel, partner specialising in charities at Lubbock Fine, told The Independent: “Charities in the UK are facing a growing burden of costs, leaving many with no option but to shut their doors. “This is an alarming trend, as it leaves people in need without the vital support that charities once provided.”Pointing to higher employers’ National Insurance Contributions, she added: “Employment costs are rising on multiple fronts, forcing charities to cut back staff and scale down operations just to survive.“Rising costs and stalling donations are hurting charities deeply, and government policy is offering little support. Many in the sector fear they will be forced to scale back or close altogether.”In May, the Trussell Trust revealed a stark increase in the number of emergency food parcels distributed across the UK, with a 51 per cent rise recorded over the past five years.The charity delivered nearly 2.9 million emergency food parcels in the year to March 2025, a significant jump from the 1.9 million distributed in the year to March 2020. This surge has prompted urgent calls for government intervention and a reassessment of welfare reform policies. More

Zarah Sultana says she has consulted defamation lawyers as the row that has engulfed the fledgling political party she created with Jeremy Corbyn escalates. Hours after diplomatic efforts behind the scenes got underway in a bid to ease tensions within Your Party, Ms Sultana said she had been on the receiving end of “baseless attacks” that were “politically-motivated”. And in a statement posted on X, she said she had “instructed specialist defamation lawyers” after she was “the subject of a number of false and defamatory statements”.Zarah Sultana, MP for Coventry South (Lucy North/PA) More

The United States and United Kingdom have carried out their first co-ordinated satellite manoeuvre in orbit, in what defence chiefs described as a major step forward in space co-operation.Between September 4 and 12, a US satellite was repositioned to inspect a UK satellite to confirm it was working properly.The test was part of “Operation Olympic Defender”, a joint military framework aimed at ensuring allied satellites can be monitored and defended.Air Vice-Marshal Paul Tedman, head of UK Space Command, said: “This operation was a first of its kind for UK Space Command and represents a significant increase in operational capability.“Expertly executed with US Space Command, I could not be more pleased or proud of the rapid progress we are making with our allies.“We are now, with our allies, conducting advanced orbital operations to protect and defend our shared national and military interests in space.”The manoeuvre, known as a “rendezvous proximity operation”, saw the US satellite move close to the UK one to check on its condition.Officials said the success of the exercise showed the two countries’ ability to work together in orbit, where satellites are increasingly important for communications, navigation and defence.Lieutenant General Douglas Schiess, of the US Space Force, said the joint action “validated the interoperability that’s foundational to our collective defence”.General Stephen Whiting, head of US Space Command, added: “Though our opponents may attempt to replicate the value of such cooperation, our partnerships are uniquely defined by not only the mutual goal of deterring aggression but a shared pledge to fight and win shoulder to shoulder, if necessary.”The UK was one of the first nations to join the US-led Olympic Defender coalition, which is intended to prepare allies for joint operations in the event of a conflict in space. More

Labour deputy leadership contender Bridget Phillipson has branded the controversial two child benefit cap ”spiteful”, as she tries to revive her stumbling campaign. The education secretary, Keir Starmer’s preferred candidate, also claimed its abolition was “on the table”, months after Labour MPs were suspended from the party for voting for it to be scrapped. But dumping the policy would cost about £3.5bn a year at a time when soaring borrowing figures have led to warnings that tax rises in November’s Budget now look “inevitable”. Polls suggest Ms Phillipson is behind her opponent Lucy Powell, who Sir Keir sacked earlier this month, amid high dissatisfaction within the party leadership. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is campaigning for Labour’s deputy leadership (Owen Humphreys/PA) More

Where a person went to school may be a deciding factor in how they vote at the next election, a new poll has revealed. Reform UK is now the most popular party among former pupils of state schools, new findings from polling firm More in Common show.Around a third (32 per cent) of this group would vote for the Nigel Farage-led party tomorrow if an election were called, reflecting its overall lead in nationwide polls.Labour is only attracting 20 per cent of this group in comparison, while its popularity among the privately educated is much higher. In this group, which makes up a much smaller proportion of the population, the government’s popularity is at nearly 40 per cent.The results mark More in Common’s first survey of voting intention, but the results are “consistent in other recent polls”, director Luke Tryl said.Mr Tryl told The Telegraph: “One of the things we know is that Reform polls very well with people who are understandably very unhappy with the status quo.“The truth is we have exceptionally volatile electorates, and I think the battle of the next few years is going to be which party can convince people it can bring about the change that they need.”The challenge for leading parties is to prove they “authentically speak for the working class, the middle class [and] show they get their concerns,” he said, adding: “I think Farage, because he’s plain-speaking, because he connects, has clearly done a good job of doing that so far. If Labour are going to get back in again, they need to show that they get it.”Labour’s success among former private school attendees may be surprising, considering its move to impose higher VAT on these types of schools shortly after coming into power last year.The survey of 2,037 adults in September found 38 per cent of privately educated people would vote for Labour in any immediate election.Reflecting on the results, top polling expert John Curtice told The Independent: “The folk who are voting for Reform are overwhelmingly people who voted for Brexit. Brexit was a division by age and by occupation.”Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has taken first position in several national polls of voting intention More

The former head of the Royal Navy has hit back at Donald Trump’s call for the UK to draft in the military to end the small boats crisis, calling the suggestion “a load of nonsense”.The US president on Thursday warned that illegal migration can “destroy” countries as he told the prime minister to “call out the military”, as Sir Keir Starmer struggles to bring illegal migration under control, with the number of crossings at a record high. Labour minister Peter Kyle on Friday admitted that the Royal Navy could be called upon to tackle small boats crossing the English Channel “if needed”. But former first sea lord Admiral Lord West said Mr Trump’s suggestion would make “no difference at all” because the UK cannot easily return boats to France.Lord West of Spithead rejected Donald Trump’s proposal More