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 ThomasEditorBritain’s top civil servant has rebuked the Conservatives for suggesting Labour exaggerated the scale of the black hole in the public finances when Sir Keir Starmer took office.Cabinet secretary Simon Case said Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt’s failure to hold a spending review in its last year in office added to the uncertainty facing the Treasury.It came after Mr Hunt, who served as chancellor until the general election, wrote to Mr Case in July to criticise what he described as “deeply troubling” statements by Rachel Reeves about the state of the public purse.Cabinet Secretary Simon Case rebuked the former chancellor 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 ThomasEditorWatch as Labour cabinet ministers arrive at Downing Street for a meeting on Tuesday 3 September.Sir Keir Starmer gathers his top team as he faces facing party backlash and fresh Tory attacks over the government’s decision to strip the winter fuel payment from millions of pensioners.The decision by the prime minister and chancellor Rachel Reeves would result in a “bureaucratic and unpopular means test” for older people, Poole MP Neil Duncan-Jordan said as he tabled a Commons motion calling for the government to delay the move on Monday.Only those receiving pension credit or other means-tested benefits will be eligible for the payment in England and Wales as a result of the government’s decision, which ministers have said is needed to help fill a £22 billion black hole in the public finances.But Tory leadership hopeful Kemi Badenoch accused ministers of being “dishonest” about the state of the finances, claiming they were trying to “pull the wool over the eyes of the British public”.Sir Keir has defended the move, which is intended to save around £1.5 billion this year. 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 boys school in London is believed to be the first state school in the county to ban smartphones for pupils aged 16 and under as pressure mounts on Keir Starmer’s government to introduce wider restrictions.Fulham Boys School will start the new school year with a policy of so-called “brick” phones for pupils aged between 11 and 16 amid concerns that smartphones were being used to watch porn and harmful influencers.It comes as two-thirds of parents (62 per cent) said they want their child’s school to remove or ban smartphones according to a major survey by Human Mobile Devices (HMD).Starmer is under pressure to restrict access to smartphones for children 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 ThomasEditorRobert Jenrick has hit back at claims from his rivals that he is looking for “easy answers” in saying he would call for leaving the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).The former home office minister, who resigned from Rishi Sunak’s government because he thought that the prime minister was too soft on the controversial Rwanda scheme, has emerged as the leading candidate for the Tory right-wing.He has claimed that “reforming the ECHR” would take decades and that if voters gave the Tories another chance to fix immigration they “will not give us another chance” if the party failed again.And he said his experience of travelling across Europe had led him to believe leaving the convention was the right move for the country.Robert Jenrick believes the UK must pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights (Aaron Chown/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 ThomasEditorBritain is suspending around 30 of its 350 arms export licences to Israel amid a “clear risk” they could be used to breach international humanitarian law relating to the treatment of Palestinian detainees and the supply of aid to Gaza.Foreign secretary David Lammy told the House of Commons that a review conducted by the UK government could not “arbitrate on whether or not Israel has breached international humanitarian law” in Gaza, but ministers have a legal duty to review export licences.He said Israel had a right to defend itself but he said that he was not satisfied with answers after he had raised concerns with the Israeli government.“Throughout my life I have been a friend of Israel,” he told MPs.For latest on situation in Israel, follow our live blog by clicking hereDavid Lammy has suspended 30 export licences for arms to Israel 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 ThomasEditorNormal voters who are not regularly engaged in politics struggle to recognise the six candidates vying to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader, despite the party being in government for 14 years.Only former home secretary Priti Patel was recognisable to more than half of people on 10 focus groups made up of former and current Conservative voters, according to pollsters More in Common.Dame Priti was recognised by 52 per cent, followed by James Cleverly, also a former home secretary, with 44 per cent, while the early bookmakers’ favourite Kemi Badenoch barely got more than a third with 37 per cent.More damning still was that 70 per cent of those who took part either did not know who would be the best prime minister (36 per cent) or thought none of the six would make the best prime minister (34 per cent).Kemi Badenoch launching her bid for the Tory leadership (James Manning/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 ThomasEditorJeremy Corbyn is among five independent MPs to have formed an Independent Alliance group opposing inequality and war.The former Labour leader joined four other independents elected in July forming the group, which is the fifth biggest block in parliament.The other members are Shockat Adam, who defeated Labour frontbencher Jonathan Ashworth in Leicester South, as well as Ayoub Khan, Adnan Hussain and Iqbal Mohamed, who all also stood on pro-Gaza tickets.Jeremy Corbyn held his Islington North seat as an independent 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 ThomasEditorKemi Badenoch has said government officials should not want to look after refugees and asylum seekers, promising a major overhaul of civil service hiring.Outlining her plans to “rewire the whole system”, the Tory leadership contender lashed out at Home Office staff who she claimed were ineffective at managing Britain’s borders because “it’s not what they came in to do”.At a speech in central London launching her Renewal 2030 campaign, Ms Badenoch said: “Many of the people we asked to enforce our borders are actually more interested in doing other things.Kemi Badenoch speaking at a Conservative Party leadership campaign event at IET London (James Manning/PA) More