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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 ThomasEditorOne in seven young Black and Asian Britons are making concrete plans to leave the UK due to government failings, racism and economic worries, a new study suggests.A survey by research consultancy Word on the Curb found 15 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds in this group are actively exploring options to emigrate, while a further 51% of those polled said they had recently thought about moving abroad.Among key reasons given for wanting to leave, 39 per cent of respondents cited the cost of living crisis, 28 per cent dissatisfaction with the current government, while 19 per cent said racial inequality was a factor.The figures have fuelled fears an “exodus” of young first and second generation immigrant Britons would cause another blow to the UK economy, Word on the Curb said. Aisha, a 26-year-old who’s planning to leave the UK for Dubai, told The Independent that Brexit and the cost of living crisis had contributed to her decision emigrate. She said: “A series of events led to my decision to move and it was really triggered by Brexit.“I think that Brexit one of the most vindictive, xenophobic things that our government has ever done to young people which denied us the benefits of being in the European Union and the opportunity to move freely across the continent.“From there, everything has started getting worse in the last year or so, in terms of young people’s quality of life”.Frustrated by the soaring rent prices and the cost of living toll, Aisha, inspired by a friend who quit Britain for better prospects, explained that these are additional factors that are driving her out of the country too.“I can’t afford to live in London anymore,” she added. “I cannot live where I grew up and that’s annoying me. I have to go very, very far out.“I see that a lot of Londoners are moving to place like the Midlands and then that’s displacing people in the Midlands, because the rents are going up; so we’re being displaced and we’re displacing other people which I don’t like.”Project manager Folu, 33, aims to find a place where he can thrive both professionally and personally, away from the deteriorating social landscape marked by rising racism and anti-immigrant sentiments in the UK.Research highlights that key reasons for wanting to leave include the cost of living crisis, dissatisfaction with the current government and racial inequality 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 ThomasEditorThe government is investigating reports that voters in constituencies across the UK have not yet received their postal votes ahead of general election polling day on 4 July.There are concerns that thousands could miss out on the chance to vote as people in up to 90 constituencies have raised concerns about their ballots not yet arriving, according to reports.Royal Mail has come in for criticism but the company denied it is the source of the issue, saying there is no backlog.Postal affairs minister Kevin Hollinrake told The Telegraph: “We urge Royal Mail to do all they can to make sure that postal votes get to the right people at the right time, and time is completely of the essence now.For the latest political updates ahead of the general election, follow The Independent’s live coverage“There’s a resourcing issue. They have recruited extra people and I welcome that but they’ve got to make sure they’ve got the right number of people to deliver the mail at busy times like this.”A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Where concerns have been raised, we have investigated and confirmed ballot packs are being delivered as soon as they arrive in our network.”The option to vote by post is offered to all registered voters in the UK, but must be applied for in advance. Voters should then receive their ballot in the post, fill it out as soon as possible, and post it to their local polling station to arrive in time for 10pm on polling day.People may choose to vote by post for a number of reasons, most commonly because they are away on polling day. Only voters in Northern Ireland are required to give a reason.What should I do if I’ve not yet received my postal vote?If you’ve been affected by this issue and have not yet received the ballot you applied for in the post, you will still be able to vote.Anyone in this situation must request a replacement postal ballot pack in person from their local authority. This can be done by up to 5pm on polling day, and you must take ID.The authority’s elections office will usually be located at the town hall or the main council building. Most will offer the option to complete a ballot on site and hand it back to them, ensuring your vote is received.Alternatively, a replacement can also be sent by post up until 5pm on Wednesday 3 July or voters can authorise someone to collect it on their behalf, according to the Electoral Commission, which oversees elections in the UK.The independent elections body also offers a handy postcode checker to find the contact details of your local election team.Voters can also choose to hand their postal vote in to their local polling station if they are concerned about posting it, or ask a trusted person to do so for them (who must fill out a form).If you still choose to post your ballot, the Royal Mail says it should be sent no later than Wednesday 3 July. You must ensure it arrives in the post box before final collection time. 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 new study has found that posts from 10 “bot-like” X accounts spreading disinformation and hate have been viewed more than 150 million times ahead of the UK General Election.The accounts in question have shared more than 60,000 posts on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, since May 22, with those posts estimated to have been seen 150 million times, an investigation by non-governmental organisation (NGO) Global Witness found.Many of the posts from these 10 prolific accounts contain “extreme and violent” hate speech, disinformation, conspiracy theories and praise Russian President Vladimir Putin, the organisation said.It found that posts amplified by these bot-like accounts have spread Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia and transphobia, state that climate change is a “hoax”, that vaccines have created a “genocide”, and that Mr Putin is “the greatest president ever”.The investigation found the bot-like accounts by searching among hashtags on migration and climate change covering a wide spectrum of views, from #welcomerefugees to #migration and #stoptheboats.Frequent posting is considered to be a characteristic of a bot-like account (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 ThomasEditorA new study has found that posts from 10 “bot-like” X accounts spreading disinformation and hate have been viewed more than 150 million times ahead of the UK General Election.The accounts in question have shared more than 60,000 posts on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, since May 22, with those posts estimated to have been seen 150 million times, an investigation by non-governmental organisation (NGO) Global Witness found.Many of the posts from these 10 prolific accounts contain “extreme and violent” hate speech, disinformation, conspiracy theories and praise Russian President Vladimir Putin, the organisation said.It found that posts amplified by these bot-like accounts have spread Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia and transphobia, state that climate change is a “hoax”, that vaccines have created a “genocide”, and that Mr Putin is “the greatest president ever”.The investigation found the bot-like accounts by searching among hashtags on migration and climate change covering a wide spectrum of views, from #welcomerefugees to #migration and #stoptheboats.Frequent posting is considered to be a characteristic of a bot-like account (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 ThomasEditorRishi Sunak is set to begin a 48-hour blitz around the country with a desperate final appeal to voters to support him in order to “stop a Labour supermajority”.The prime minister will kick off a final push on the last two days of a dramatic general election campaign, with a speech claiming that just 130,000 voters could make the difference.He told demoralised supporters and party activists to remember the spirit of the England football team pulling level in the 95th minute on Sunday, saying: “It’s not over until it’s over.” It comes as:Sir Keir Starmer starts his own final push in the key battleground of the MidlandsA leading pollster warned the result will be much closer than the polls seem to indicateTory MPs in the North and Midlands said they believe they are in close fights and can winLabour privately warned the polls may have made their supporters complacentSupport for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK appears to be ebbingRishi Sunak says he has not given up hope 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 ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer is being urged to abandon Rishi Sunak’s “sneaky” post-Brexit wine tax if he wins the keys to Downing Street this week. Britain’s wine drinkers will have to pay a little-known “sauvignon surcharge” from February next year, as part of changes brought in after the UK left the European Union. As the prime minister uses the election campaign to repeatedly accuse Labour of planning secret tax rises if they get into power, experts and industry leaders have today called for his booze levy to be dropped. They warn that it will lead to products disappearing from the shelves, raise the price of some red wines by more than 40p a bottle, and increase the number of tax bands for wine from one to 30. Now, in a letter to the country’s next leader, seen by The Independent, they say the next government “must act” to avoid “needless cost increases and unnecessary red tape”.Experts warn some wines will become more expensive – and some could disappear from the shelves entirely More

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UKSign up to our Brexit email for the latest insightKeir Starmer is being urged to dump Rishi Sunak’s ‘sneaky’ post-Brexit wine tax if he wins the keys to Downing Street this week. Britain’s wine drinkers face a little-known ‘sauvignon surcharge’ from February, as part of changes brought in after the UK left the European Union. As the prime minister uses the election campaign to repeatedly accuse Labour of planning secret tax rises if they get into power, experts and industry leaders today call for his booze levy to be dropped. They warn it will lead to products disappearing from the shelves, raise the price of some reds by more than 40p a bottle and increase the number of tax bands for wine from one to 30. Now in a letter to the country’s next leader, seen by the Independent, they say the next government “must act” to avoid “needless cost increases and unnecessary red tape”.Experts warn wines such as red will become more expensive – and some could disappear from the shelves More

Sunak on FarageSign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailWith three days to go until the general election, party leaders jump on the final week campaign trail. Sir Keir Starmer has said only the progressives can beat the far-right and blamed the surge on “disaffection among voters” amid popularity of Marine Le Pen’s nationalist party in France. The Labour leader said people feel the country is “too broken to be mended” and “can’t trust politicians” after 14 years of “Tory chaos”, but added: “Only progressives have the answers of the challenges that are facing us.”It comes as Labour holds a strong 24-point lead in latest polls on voter intentions, with the Tories struggling to close the gap. But candidates insist they will fight for every vote until the last whistle. Labour’s shadow environment secretary Steve Reed warned the Conservatives could still “sneak through at the end” to win as Thursday’s vote was still all to play for despite the successful polling results. Show latest update 1719845621Exclusive: Next prime minister urged to dump Sunak’s post-Brexit wine taxSir Keir Starmer is being urged to dump Rishi Sunak’s ‘sneaky’ post-Brexit wine tax if he wins the keys to Downing Street this week, Kate Devlin reports. Britain’s wine drinkers face a little-known ‘sauvignon surcharge’ from February, as part of changes brought in after the UK left the European Union.As the prime minister uses the election campaign to repeatedly accuse Labour of planning secret tax rises if they get into power, experts and industry leaders today call for his booze levy to be dropped.Salma Ouaguira1 July 2024 15:531719844866Corbyn tells Keir to be more like Blair Jeremy Corbyn has told Sir Keir Starmer to be more like Tony Blair and appoint “socialist figures” in his Cabinet if he gets into Downing Street. Speaking to i, the former Labour leader labelled Sir Keir’s leadership “authoritarian” and a “straitjacket of conformity”. He said his shadow cabinet contrasts with Sir Tony’s close allies including Left-wingers Frank Dobson and Robin Cook.The independent candidate said: “I don’t see any appetite for political diversity by the Labour leadership at all.”He added: “You’ve got to keep the trust of people. If they crush dissent in the Labour Party, which they’ve been very good at doing then they actually give themselves a fool’s paradise of agreement and they have driven the other people out, who are actually very constructive.”The criticism comes after the once-party colleagues fell out after Mr Corbyn was kicked out of the party. Sir Keir previously claimed he was “certain” his predecessor was going to lose the 2019 election. Britain Landmark Elections 1997 More