UK

The public is deeply concerned about a “perfect storm” of assisted dying and benefit cuts, a new poll suggests. MPs will vote again later this week on plans to legalise assisted dying at the same time as ministers push ahead with plans to slash £5bn from the welfare bill.Half, 51 per cent, of those polled agreed they “would be worried about the timing” of such a law at the same time as benefit cuts.Actress Liz Carr holding a sign saying assist us to live not die’ (Jonathan Brady/PA)While most, 71 per cent, of the more than 2,000 adults polled supported the principle for terminally ill adults in pain, nearly six in 10 believed that no law can safeguard against rogue medics abusing the change for their “own gratification”.The survey was carried out by Whitestone Insight, a British Polling Council member, for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC). Michael Robinson, executive director of SPUC said: “This polling clearly shows the public has a much better understanding of the problems with changing the law than some proponents of the bill believe. Indeed, the public know that legalising assisted dying at the same time as slashing benefits, will create a perfect storm, putting pressure of vulnerable and disabled people to end their lives prematurely – and they don’t like it.” Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP behind the Assisted Dying Bill, defended the Bill on Sunday, insisting it was “about human beings”.Asked by Times Radio about an impact statement that suggested the proposal could save the NHS millions of pounds, she said: “I think if we distil this issue down to pounds and pence, we’re kind of missing the point. This is about human beings. And whilst it’s very important that the impact assessment is done, and we look into the practical implications of changing the law, what really matters is the human beings at the centre of it.”She added: “We need to be really clear what the problem is that we’re trying to fix. And it’s about giving dying people autonomy, dignity and control in their final few weeks and months.” Prime minsiter Sir Keir Starmer will miss this week’s debate on assisted dying, in a move that some have seen as the PM cooling on the proposals. MPs are expected to vote on a number of amendments to the Bill on Friday. More

The Speaker of the House of Commons has kept nearly 300 gifts, including skincare sets, presents for his pets and dozens of bottles of alcohol, over the last four years. The man charged with keeping MPs in line also held on todrinking glasses, cufflinks, chocolates and a rug. The details of the presents come at a tricky time for Lindsay Hoyle, as he comes under fire for his overseas trips amid allegations he spent more than £180,000 of taxpayers’ money on first-class and business-class flights with stays at five-star resorts. The issue of ‘freebies’ has also hit the headlines, with chancellor Rachel Reeves facing fire from MPs for receiving hospitality at the Sabrina Carpenter concert as she prepared to slash £5bn from the welfare bill.Last year, she and other ministers pledged they would not accept any more free clothes from donors after days of negative reports over “wardrobe-gate”. ( More

Just 21 companies have been prosecuted for not paying the minimum wage in 15 years, shock new figures show.Experts said the small numbers “emboldened” rogue employers who pay workers far less than they are due as ministers were warned to get a grip of the problem, amid claims it is hampering economic growth and increasing the burgeoning welfare bill. Between 2008 and 2023, only 21 employers were successfully prosecuted for underpaying the minimum wage, with an additional employer accepting a caution, according to official figures from the Department for Business and Trade. Ministers say criminal prosecution is reserved for the most serious cases, which involve deliberate underpayment or reckless pay practices. These are usually where there is a wider public interest, or where employers are persistently non-compliant or refuse to cooperate with HMRC, they say.Last year 524 businesses were “named and shamed” for failing to pay the minimum wage, leaving more than 172,000 workers out of pocket, and ordered to repay workers nearly £16m, plus an additional financial penalty. But Labour peer Lord Sikka, emeritus professor of accounting at the University of Essex, described those punishments as “puny” and called for more companies to be prosecuted. The figures on prosecutions were revealed by minister Baroness Jones of Whitchurch in response to a question from Lord Sikka. He told The Independent: “Our enforcement is incredibly weak.“I think this is part of the British disease, where the law is not really enforced, because they do not employ enough enforcers. It really then emboldens rogue employers because they can then game the system. And, every year, hundreds of thousands of workers are denied the minimum wage.” Lord Sikka called for more prosecutions and said the penalty for not paying the minimum wage “should at least equal the remuneration of the company board. The larger the company, the bigger the penalty”. He added that a failure to pay the minimum wage, brought in by the Labour prime minister Sir Tony Blair has an impact “at many levels of the economy. It could boost growth and reduce the welfare budget – if people are earning more, they have to claim less welfare.” More

UK care homes will no longer be allowed to recruit care workers from overseas as ministers scramble to slash net migration to “significantly” below half a million people a year. The crackdown is part of a swathe of measures in Labour’s long-awaited white paper on migration as ministers attempt to tackle the growing threat posed by Nigel Farage and Reform. Also included will be plans to deport more foreign criminals, tell employers they must train UK staff and requirements that skilled workers entering Britain have a degree. Home secretary Yvette Cooper, who is due to set out the sweeping changes on Monday, said that high levels of people coming into the country and a lack of training in the UK was creating “distortions” that were “undermining the economy”. Net migration reached 900,000 in 2023, although it fell to just over 700,000 a year later. Ms Cooper said the government’s reforms will not include a target number, but added that it had to fall “significantly” below 500,000. The crackdown on visas will increase fears that more care homes could face the threat of closure as Age UK warns that overseas workers are ‘keeping many services afloat’ More

David Lammy has ordered Foreign Office officials to ensure that tackling the migration crisis is on the agenda for every international summit and meeting, The Independent has learnt.It comes as the government prepares to unveil its long-awaited white paper on migration policy as Labour attempts to tackle the growing threat posed by Nigel Farage and Reform.Immigration, both legal and illegal, featured heavily in the recent local elections, where Reform won 10 councils, almost 700 seats and took Runcorn and Helsby off Labour in the by-election.Foreign secretary David Lammy has ordered officials put tackling the migration crisis on the agenda of every international summit and meeting More

Keir Starmer and other European leaders have warned Vladimir Putin he faces “massive” new sanctions and increased military aid to Ukraine if he does not agree to an almost immediate 30-day ceasefire. The prime minister said they were “calling out” the Russian leader with the backing of Donald Trump. “If [Putin] is serious about peace, he has a chance to show it now,” Sir Keir said. And he warned there were “no more ifs and buts” after he flew to Kyiv to stand side by side with President Zelensky, saying Putin had not required extra conditions to be met when “he wanted a ceasefire to have a parade – and he does not need them now”. In an extraordinary turnaround just weeks after President Trump’s showdown with Zelensky in the Oval Office, Sir Keir also said Europe and the US were “speaking with one voice” on the issue. (Left to right) Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron (Stefan Rousseau/PA) More

Keir Starmer was on a secret mission when he flew off to Norway for the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) meeting with heads of government of European Nato allies.Yes, he was there to press the case for the “coalition of the willing” to protect Ukraine in a post peace settlement reality before heading to Kyiv.But he had other important business linked to his government’s economic growth and defence cooperation agendas – selling frigates.The Norwegian government is about to make a decision on buying new frigates for their navy, but who to buy from? The choice (as often seems to be the case) is Britain or France.It certainly helped that when Sir Keir had his bilateral meeting about a Norwegian ship with Norway’s PM, Jonas Gahr Støre warmly described him as “our best friend.”As the sun shone down on the two men standing on the ship’s deck in the idyllic setting of Oslo’s harbour, it seemed like a match made in heaven.Sir Keir Starmer (left) meets Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on the Norwegian coastguard vessel Jan Mayen in Oslo (Alistair Grant/PA) More

Peter Mandelson has described Donald Trump as a “people person” who could cut levies on British goods again after extraordinary scenes which saw the two men hold hands in the Oval Office this week. The UK’s ambassador in Washington said he was looking forward to negotiating with the US to “bring down further tariffs”.He also revealed that when he first walked into White House, President Trump said to him: “God, you’re a good looking fellow, aren’t you?”.And he described Trump as a “people person” who takes people at “face value”, saying that the president had judged him on his merits.Lord Mandelson and Donald Trump in the White House More