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Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreOne of the world’s most iconic rural brands has thrown its support behind farmers who have been left furious at the new changes to inheritance tax rules, saying it’s essential that we “look after the people who feed us”.Ahead of a huge farmer protest expected in London on Tuesday in what is already being dubbed “rural England’s revolution”, French-based tractor producer Massey Ferguson, a subsidiary of US-based AGCO, has become the first international manufacturing firm to weigh into the debate that kicked off in the wake of Labour’s first Budget where Rachel Reeves imposed a new tax on family farms.The chancellor has provoked outrage with the so-called “tractor tax” by extending death duties to farms worth £1 million or more at a rate of 20 per cent. Farmers have warned it will be the death of their sector unless Ms Reeves performs a U-turn.Massey Ferguson’s UK, Ireland and Middle East sales promotion manager Lindsay Haddon agreed the company “of course” held concerns about the impact of the new tax on farmers. Farmers protested in Llandudno on Saturday, where the prime minister was giving a speech More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreA senior minister has revealed that plans exist to deal with food shortages if farmers go ahead with their threat to strike over the controversial family farm tax.Transport secretary Louise Haigh revealed the plans, as part of the government’s “business as usual” preparations, in an interview with Sir Trevor Phillips on his Sunday morning show on Sky News, as concerns mount over the furious backlash to a decision to apply inheritance tax to farms.Farmers are set to descend on London in their thousands on Tuesday to protest against plans to impose a 20 per cent inheritance tax on farms worth £1m or more. They have warned that the policy will destroy family farms across the country or see them broken up.But more worrying for the government are the plans by farmers to go on strike and stop food production to give ministers a taste of what it would be like if the UK food-producing sector were no longer operating.Transport secretary Louise Haigh has said she is not concerned about the prospect of empty shelves More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreA senior minister has defended plans to strike deals with countries like Libya, Vietnam, and even the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan to help tackle the illegal migrant crisis and stop the small boats crossing.Transport secretary Louise Haigh confirmed reports in The Sunday Times that home secretary Yvette Cooper and Sir Keir Starmer were in talks with a range of countries to end the migrant crisis.But speaking on Sky News’ Sunday morning show with Sir Trevor Phillips, she insisted that the deals were not the same as the Tories’ failed Rwanda scheme, which cost the taxpayer hundreds of millions and was cancelled as soon as Labour took power.Ms Haigh said: “The prime minister and home secretary have made no secret that this is an international problem which needs international solutions. That is why both of them have been working with their counterparts across Europe and across the world to make sure we have deals in place to make sure we can tackle this problem.Louise Haigh said that third-country deals to stop illegal migration are not the same as the Tory Rwanda plan More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreThe government has revealed where £1bn in funding will go to deliver London-style buses nationwide as part of a massive Budget boost.Transport secretary Louise Haigh announced £712 million in funding for local authorities to improve services, alongside a further £243 million for bus operators.Ms Haigh said the investment would end “complicated and inconsistent” funding models that have impacted passengers for years.She added the government has considered targeting the fare bus cap rather than maintaining the £3 cap beyond the end of 2025. “We’ve stepped in with funding to protect (the cap) at £3 until the 31st of December next year, and in that period, we’ll look to establish more targeted approaches,” she told Sunday Morning with Trevor Philips. Louise Haigh says: ‘Buses are the lifeblood of communities, but the system is broken’ More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreWilliam Hague has criticised Peter Mandelson’s bid to become the UK’s new envoy in America as well as taking over the top job in the British university sector.The former Conservative leader spoke out as tensions flared in the battle between the two men to become chancellor of the University of Oxford. Lord Hague said the two roles would be “incompatible” as he dismissed a jibe by the former Labour cabinet member Lord Mandelson that it was time to end the “Tory monopoly” of Oxford.William Hague says the role of chancellor of Oxford would be ‘incompatible’ with that of Britain’s US envoy More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreSir Keir Starmer was accused of “running out the backdoor like a flipping rat” to avoid scores of angry farmers outside protesting over controversial changes to death duties dubbed “the family farm tax.”The prime minister had been giving a speech at the Welsh Labour conference in Llandudno where he stood by the measures in Rachel Reeves much criticised Budget with a record £40 billion in tax rises. But he didn’t directly acknowledge the growing backlash to inheritance tax changes which mean two thirds of farmers would be liable to pay 20 per cent inheritance tax on family farms – a figure disputed by the Treasury. Hundreds of farmers had gathered on the promenade in Lladudno and were dismayed the PM did not appear to leave via the front of the conference centre.Farmer and well-known YouTuber Gareth Wyn Jones said that he “ran out of the backdoor like a flipping rat.”Tractors are driven along the Promenade to the venue of the Welsh Labour Party conference in Llandudno More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreA senior economic adviser to Donald Trump has warned the UK that it needs to ditch the “socialist” EU and embrace a trade deal with the US instead, or face tariffs.The intervention by Stephen Moore appears to be an attempt to force the hand of Sir Keir Starmer in the latest sign that the relationship with the incoming White House administration is going to be painful.But the prime minister has been urged not to “take the threat on the chin” and to continue to pursue closer ties with the European Union, Britain’s largest export market.Earlier this week, The Independent revealed that President-elect Trump plans to veto Sir Keir’s deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, in a move that could humiliate the prime minister, because of concerns over the joint UK-US airbase on Diego Garcia.Now Mr Trump’s team is pushing the Labour government to ditch its biggest foreign policy objective – resetting the EU relationship – in favour of a trade deal with the US.Trump’s incoming adminsitration is attempting to force the UK into ditching ties with the EU More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreA defiant Keir Starmer has said he will defend Labour’s controversial Budget “all day long” as he rejects growing calls to U-turn. The prime minister will double down on his government’s plans, which have faced intense criticism, ahead of mass protests against the so-called ‘tractor tax’ next week.Thousands of angry farmers are expected to descend on Westminster, furious at inheritance tax changes they say will destroy family farms.A week-long strike, which organisers say will include “thousands” of farmers who will withhold meat and crops from supermarkets, will begin in Wales this weekend. But in a speech in Wales on Saturday, Sir Keir will take on his critics to suggest the Budget is key to transforming the “lives and pockets of working people”. His phrasing will be seen as a clear sign that Labour wants to avoid a repeat of the Democrats’ loss to Donald Trump, which was blamed on inflation.Keir Starmer will double down on his government’s plans, which have faced intense criticism More