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      Ricky Gervais and Stephen Fry call for Labour to enact ban on tickets to cruel animal attractions abroad

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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 ThomasEditorComedy stars Ricky Gervais and Stephen Fry have called on the government to implement a law banning ticket sales for cruel animal attractions abroad, such as polar bears caged in 35C heat.The Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act, which was passed under the Conservative government in September, bans British travel companies from promoting or selling tickets to attractions abroad that fail to meet certain animal welfare standards.But the previous government did not set out those standards, which means the new law is currently ineffective.Comedy actor and writer Ricky Gervais said: “This is the first summer holiday season since the law was passed last year and yet it will achieve nothing to prevent animals suffering at tourist attractions this year. What a waste and what terrible cruelty to animals all over the world.”He called for the new Labour government to implement the law to end ticket sales to “horrendous” attractions.Chimps are dressed up and made to ride bicycles in Asia More

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      Cleaners in Parliament facing mass redundancies despite Labour pledge to ‘serve working people’

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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 ThomasEditorCleaners in the Houses of Parliament are facing cuts of up to 25 per cent of the workforce and are complaining of uncertain and chaotic conditions, despite Sir Keir Starmer’s pledge to “serve working people”. In May 2024, the Churchill Group was awarded the contract to clean the Houses of Parliament. But since then, Cleaners and Allied Independent Workers Union (CAIWU) claim they have faced “chaos and uncertainty”.The group is planning to cut staffing by 25 per cent, a total of between 30 to 50 people. The decision was announced on 8 July, with redundancies set to start on 2 September. The union has said its members, which make up 90 per cent of the workforce, are “preparing to fight back”.Sir Keir has repeatedly said his plan in government is to put Britain “back in the service of working people”. But a CAIWU spokesperson said: “Members of CAIWU have faced chaos and uncertainty: pressure to sign new contracts, changed pay structure and plans to cut the workforce by 25 per cent.“Despite promises from the incumbent Government to create real change for working people, Keir Starmer has ridden back on several pledges regarding an end to outsourcing since his election as Labour Party leader in 2019.“But a key question remains: if Keir Starmer and the incumbent Labour Party can’t even ensure the fair and equal treatment of those in their own house, what does it say about the future of workers across the country?”It said its workers are facing “increased workloads, leading to physical and mental health issues, while the private sector reaps the rewards”, adding that the outsourcing process has created a “two-tier workforce where those unlucky enough to be outsourced lack the same rights and allowances as their peers.”Sir Keir has repeatedly said his plan in government is to put Britain “back in the service of working people” More

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      Housing giant warns ministers of the real cost of achieving housing targets

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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 ThomasEditorThe boss of a major housing giant has warned ministers of the real cost of achieving their ambitious housing targets. Rob Perrins, the chief executive of Berkeley Group, said his organisation welcomed the government’s plans to build 1.5 million new homes in five years. But in an article for The Independent he said the “rub” was “the cost. And, in one word, what our country needs is investment”.He also warned that charging homebuilders up to £75,000 for every flat they build was not part of the solution.Ministers want 1.5 million new homes in five years (Gareth Fuller/PA) More

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      Housing targets cut for Cabinet members’ constituencies despite push for 370,000 new homes

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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 ThomasEditorMembers of Sir Keir Starmer’s cabinet have had housing targets in their constituencies slashed, despite a government push to build hundreds of thousands of new homes across the UK.Announcing new targets for housebuilding, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner this week told MPs that “we must all play our part” in the plan to build more homes.She unveiled a major overhaul of the planning system last week, which will see all councils in England given mandatory housing targets as part of a plan to deliver 1.5 million more homes in the UK.Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has set out an overhaul of planning rules (Andy Buchanan/PA) More

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      Starmer told to ‘wake up’ and protect UK from cyber attacks before it is too late

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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 ThomasEditorKeir Starmer is being pressed by cyber experts to urgently prioritise new legislation to protect the UK from attacks and catastrophic system failures.A report by the Chartered Institute for IT (BCS) has listed a series of recommendations after the last month saw more concerns about Russian cyber attacks on the UK linked to misinformation about the Southport attack, and a major outage taking down aeroplanes, trains, hospitals, broadcasters and scores of companies.The government has listed the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill in the King’s speech but there are fears that it is not enough of a priority.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer answers questions during a press conference in Downing Street (Henry Nicholls/PA) More

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      ‘True British great’: Sir Keir Starmer leads tributes to Andy Murray as career ends

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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 ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer and his Scottish counterpart John Swinney have led tributes to the “true British great” Andy Murray as the tennis star ends his career with defeat in the quarter-finals of the Olympic men’s doubles.Twenty-one years after his first professional match, Murray’s hopes of a medal-winning swansong evaporated in a 6-2 6-4 loss to American third seeds Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.Murray and his doubles partner Dan Evans’ delight at two dramatic victories at Roland Garros, saving seven match points along the way, had been one of the stories of the Games, but a third act proved well beyond them despite more late resistance.After Evans’ final return dropped just long, he and Murray embraced before the Scot took centre stage to chants of “Andy, Andy”, waving to all sides of Court Suzanne Lenglen and then leaving the court for the final time.Murray has been battling his body since the hip problems that nearly ended his career five and a half years ago first incapacitated him in 2017.Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying: “1 Davis Cup, 2 Olympic golds and 3 Grand Slams.“But more than that, thanks @andy_murray for two decades of phenomenal entertainment and sportsmanship.“A true British great.”Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said: “Sir Andy Murray is Scotland’s greatest ever sportsman, and his achievements during one of the toughest eras in tennis history will mark him down as a true sporting legend.“The whole of Scotland is so proud of Sir Andy and while we are disappointed that we will no longer get to see him compete with his trademark fighting spirit, we thank him for the incredible memories he gave us over so many years and wish him the very best for his well-earned retirement.”London mayor Sadiq Khan wrote: “Andy Murray until the end. Thank you for the skill, the courage, the joy, the memories – and the drama.” More

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      Lisa Nandy puts BBC bosses on notice over Huw Edwards scandal

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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 ThomasEditorBBC bosses have been put on notice by the new culture secretary Lisa Nandy regarding failures in dealing with disgraced presenter Huw Edwards.Ms Nandy met with BBC executives on Thursday night to discuss “serious concerns” about the way the corporation handled the investigation into Edwards, alleged complaints and warnings made about him, and a £40,000 pay rise given to him while he was off work being investigated.The former news presenter who also narrated major events like the late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, has pleaded guilty to three counts of serious crimes involving indecent images of children.Huw Edwards arriving at Westminster Magistrates’ Court More

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      Starmer puts police on a national emergency footing to deal with summer of far-right violence

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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 ThomasEditorThe prime minister has put police forces in Britain on a national footing to prepare for what many fear could be a summer of riots and violence by the far right.Sir Keir Starmer today announced that police forces would be sharing resources and intelligence with national teams following known far-right activists around the country.He also issued a veiled threat to social media giants that continuing to platform misinformation and criminality is against the law and would have consequences.Keir Starmer answers questions on the scenes in Southport during a press conference in Downing Street on Thursday More