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 ThomasEditorReform UK’s ruthless pursuit of putting Nigel Farage into Downing Street by 2029 has seen them already move on from their “contract with the people” at the general election just two months ago, the party’s new chairman has admitted.Businessman Zia Yusuf was brought in by Farage to reorganise Reform UK after what the new chairman admits was “a scrappy start-up” election beset with scandals over candidates and serious questions over the party’s policies.In a wide ranging interview with The Independent he also said:That Reform will allow members to ditch their own leader in a new constitutionThe party has been inspired by French far right leader Marine Le Pen doubling her vote in FranceThat people who work for the Conservative Party have been in talks with Reform about coming over.Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf 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 ThomasEditorRishi Sunak is set to defy the record electoral humiliation he inflicted on his party and give a final keynote speech at his party’s conference in October.The former prime minister has been criticised for “letting Labour get away with murder” over the summer with an extended absence from the political scene, even though he is still leading the Conservatives while they try to find a new leader in a four-month process.And questions were being asked over whether he would even attend the party conference in Birmingham this year.Former prime minister Rishi Sunak (Temilade Adelaja/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 ThomasEditorCabinet minister Lucy Powell has insisted that a Labour MP who rents out properties with black mould and ant infestations should not resign.The Leader of the House defended Jas Athwal, who was leader of Redbridge Council before being elected as the MP for Ilford South at the last election.Mr Athwal has described himself as “furious” after the appalling state of flats he rents out in east London was revealed which also included fire alarms hanging off the ceilings and a washing machine dumped next to a set of stairs.Labour MP Jas Athwal has apologised over the state of his properties (Jonathan Brady/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 ThomasEditorNew technology will allow the UK to receive earlier warnings of floods and droughts, the Government has said.As part of a scheme to improve the Government’s response to extreme weather, a UK-wide network is to be established, with a focus on pinpointing where incidents are likely to occur and implementing plans to limit their impact.The project will aim to “halt damage and cut eye-watering cost to the economy”, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said.There is no time to waste in backing our researchers and innovators to ensure we are better prepared for floods and droughts strikingTechnology Secretary Peter KyleData will be gathered by sensors in rivers across the UK to identify potential flashpoints, which the Government hopes will save lives, and reduce damage to homes and businesses.Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “Flooding and droughts can devastate UK communities, from leaving people stranded, to destroying homes, gardens, roads and businesses, and even claiming lives.“With climate change sadly making extreme weather events more common and adding an eye-watering cost to the economy, there is no time to waste in backing our researchers and innovators to ensure we are better prepared for floods and droughts striking.“This project will help drive that progress, with dedicated teams using the most advanced tech to crunch data gathered from our rivers and paint a clear picture of its likely impact – using the power of science and tech to keep the public safe.”The Floods and Droughts Research Infrastructure project will receive £40 million in funding, and will be led by the Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc) and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.Findings from the project will be shared with bodies such as the Environment Agency to steer the UK response to extreme weather, while also acting as a hub for researchers to pursue new innovations with discoveries.Floods minister Emma Hardy said: “In the case of extreme flooding and drought, preparation and prediction are everything.“Our new institute will bring together a team of world-leading researchers and the latest technology to ensure our communities, businesses and farms are protected from these devastating events.” 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 ThomasEditorAngela Rayner has been spotted raving behind the DJ decks at a nightclub in Ibiza. Following a meeting with mayors and housing regulators on Wednesday, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary was filmed just hours later dancing with the Australian DJ Fisher in front of a vast crowd at an Ibiza superclub.In footage posted to Instagram by actor and presenter Denise van Outen, the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne could be seen singing along to a remix of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” with the DJ’s headphones around her neck, as a sea of smartphones held aloft in front of her captured the moment.While parliament is currently in summer recess and not due to return until Monday, Ms Rayner earlier on Thursday shared photographs of herself attending a meeting with mayors and regulators in a bid to expedite the removal of flammable cladding from thousands of buildings.Her appearance at the 5,500-capacity Hi Ibiza club came as Sir Keir Starmer failed to deny reports he was considering banning smoking outside nightclubs and in pub gardens, and as Tory MPs criticised proposals for flexible working which could allow people to work four-day weeks.Ms Rayner was previously spotted behind the decks in 2022, playing “Set You Free” by N-Trance at a battle of the DJs charity event in Manchester, where she went up against Greater Manchester and Liverpool mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotherham.It is unclear when the deputy PM was due to return from Ibiza, but she has previously spoken of her love for raving and “lethal” cocktails.Speaking at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year, the 44-year-old told comedian Matt Forde that she had just returned from Spain.“The girls I was raving with are half my age, and I was like: ‘I’m a grandma’. I was proud of that,” she said. “4pm I started, and I got home at six o’clock in the morning when the sun was shining and I was like, ‘Yes, I can do it’.”Asked whether she had managed it “with or without chemical support”, Ms Rayner reportedly said she just drank vodka, adding: “You’ve got to go with the music, the vibes. You’ve got to be in the moment and it takes you.”Angela Rayner is filmed dancing in Ibiza during parliament’s summer recess 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 Labour MP is renting out flats in London scourged by black mould and ant infestations, his tenants have said.Jas Athwal, the newly-elected MP for Ilford South, is parliament’s biggest landlord, co-owning a total of 18 rental properties, 15 of which are residential.Redbridge Council, which Mr Athwal led until becoming an MP in July, has now been urged to investigate his properties after journalists and a City Hall member visited and spoke to tenants about the conditions there.Describing himself as a “renters’ champion”, Mr Athwall told The Independent in a statement that he was “shocked at the reported condition of a number of the properties” and “profoundly sorry that tenants have been let down”.In one block of seven flats owned by Mr Athwal, nearly half the tenants said they had to regularly clean their bathroom ceilings to remove mould, according to the BBC, which reported seeing evidence of ant infestations in a number of those properties, which are situated above a shop in Ilford.“The ants are everywhere,” one resident was quoted as saying, while pointing to insects climbing up a door frame. “They are on my kid’s body and on their clothes.”The communal areas in the properties were dirty and lights did not work, while fire alarms were hanging loose from the ceiling and a washing machine had been dumped next to a set of stairs, the BBC reported.One resident said their family member is a “clean freak” who keeps scrubbing the black mould on their bathroom ceiling to keep it from spreading, while another said: “The whole ceiling would be black if we didn’t clean it every few weeks.”None of the tenants spoken to wanted their names to be included, with some reportedly saying this was due to a fear of being evicted. The BBC visited a number of flats owned by Jas Athwal More