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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 ThomasEditorDowning Street officials are preparing a “media plan” to announce the eventual passing of Larry the cat.Larry has become a widely loved fixture of Downing Street and is often seen outside the door to Number 10 during major political events and news broadcasts.The 17-year-old ‘chief mouser’ is thought to be in his final years, having already outlived the average lifespan for a tabby cat.Larry the cat is often seen outside the door to Number 10 during major political events and news broadcasts 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 ThomasEditorIn his first keynote speech as prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer will promise to “get a grip” on the problems facing Britain and “reverse a decade of decline” said to have taken place under the previous Conservative government.Comparing his task as prime minister to the communities that rallied round to clean up in the wake of this summer’s riots, he will promise to do the “hard work” to fix the challenges facing the country. Starmer will use his first major speech as prime minister to argue that change will take time, and that Britain will get worse before it gets better 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 ThomasEditorSuella Braverman has claimed Sir Keir Starmer is attempting to pave the way for “draconian” tax rises at the next budget with his first keynote speech as prime minister, set to be delivered on Tuesday.She also argued that the chancellor’s claim that the government inherited a £22bn “black hole” in the public finances from the previous Tory government is “one of the biggest lies in British politics right now”.On Tuesday, the prime minister is set to warn the British public that things will get worse before they get better.Sir Keir Starmer will use his first major speech as Prime Minister to argue change will take time, and Britain will get worse before it gets better (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 ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer is under pressure to reveal who authorised a Downing Street security pass for Labour donor Waheed Alli amid a growing cronyism row surrounding the government.The Conservative Party wrote to Cabinet secretary Simon Case on Sunday, urging him to reveal who signed off the pass despite the donor not having a formal job there.Lord Alli, who has donated more than £500,000 to Labour over the last 20 years, was reportedly given unrestricted access to No 10.It is unusual for anyone not formally employed as a political adviser or civil servant to be given such a pass.Sir Keir Starmer is under pressure to reveal who authorised a Downing Street security pass for Labour donor Waheed Alli 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 ThomasEditorDowning Street officials are preparing a “media plan” to announce the eventual passing of Larry the cat, The Independent understands. Larry has become a widely loved fixture of Downing Street and is often seen outside the door to Number 10 during major political events and news broadcasts.The 17-year-old ‘chief mouser’ is thought to be in his final years, having already outlived the average lifespan for a tabby cat.Larry the cat is often seen outside the door to Number 10 during major political events and news broadcasts 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 former Conservative chancellor has accused his party of forming a “circular firing squad”, comparing it to infighting in the Game of Thrones.Nadhim Zahawi, who served briefly as chancellor in Boris Johnson’s cabinet, said members of his party still “want to tear chunks out of one another”, something he said “breaks his heart”.Speaking to Times Radio, the former MP for Stratford-on-Avon said: “The greatest threat to our party today is we still want to tear chunks out of one another.“People are not yet prepared to unite. That breaks my heart. Until we’re ready to unite and come together, we will be shouting into the void.“This could be a moment in history where you could literally pinpoint the timeline where the Conservative Party fell apart”.He argued the party never reconciled in the wake of Brexit, adding: “We decided to form a circular firing squad whilst in government. Elements in my party who were very unhappy with Boris blamed him for the outcome of the referendum and then chose a different path.A number of MPs in the Tory party formed a factional group known as the “five families” – made up of several smaller right wing groupings – when the previous government’s Rwanda legislation was being debated as part of an attempt to stage a rebellion.Six candidates vie to take over from Rishi Sunak as leader, with party chiefs having put in place a “yellow card” system to prevent in-fighting during the contest. 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 ThomasEditorLabour has been warned £1.1bn savings from the cancellation of a planned cap on social care costs is “small change” compared to an estimated £8.6bn needed to fix the crumbling sector.Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in July she was ditching the cap, which would have resulted in local authorities paying for individuals’ care needs above £86,000 to help plug a £22bn black hole in the country’s finances. Eight times the amount the controversial move saved would be needed to address years of problems in the struggling sector, buckling under the ever-growing demands of an ageing population. Age UK, Carers Trust and Sense have now said that a £7bn figure presented to the government by the Health and Social Care Select Committee in 2020 is needed to each year to fix the sector, now amounting to £8.6 billion when adjusted for inflation.The huge sum would cover improvements in pay for existing social care workers, the recruitment of extra workers, as well as the introduction of a lifetime cap on care costs – the very proposal recently scrapped by Ms Reeves. Chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves cancelled a planned cap on social care costs 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 former Tory MP at the centre of the Westminster ‘honeytrap’ scandal said he experienced suicidal thoughts after his involvement was exposed.William Wragg, who admitted to handing over colleagues’ phone numbers to a man who contacted him on Grindr, said he felt “guilt and horror” after the story was first published.The then Tory MP, who gave up the party whip after the scandal emerged, handed over the phone numbers after sending intimate pictures of himself.A number of other MPs, staffers and political journalists were also contacted by senders going by the aliases “Charlie” or “Abi”, with flirtatious messages that in some cases included explicit photos.A police probe began in April after it was suggested at least 12 men with links to Westminster had received the unsolicited messages.The former Tory MP at the centre of the Westminster honeytrap scandal said he experienced suicidal thoughts after his involvement was exposed More