UK

Keir Starmer’s flagship smoking ban risks breaching a key post-Brexit deal with the European Union and is “heading straight for the courts”, a former Tory justice secretary has warned. Robert Buckland says he was initially supportive of the plans, which will see Britain ban smoking for an entire generation. But now he says the government “must hit pause” or risk a legal car crash. Under the plans anyone currently aged 15 or younger will never be able to buy cigarettes legally, as the UK slowly becomes a smoke-free country. The idea was launched with great fanfare by Rishi Sunak, but enthusiastically backed by Labour when the Tories were kicked out of power last summer. Sir Robert says the right to buy legal goods like tobacco is protected under the Windsor Framework and the Good Friday Agreement More

The Trump administration has lashed out at the UK after MPs passed Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying bill – accusing Britain of “standing for surrender and death”.The president’s State Department said the US “reaffirms the sanctity of life” in an attack on the Labour MP’s Terminally Ill Adults Bill. “The western world should stand for life, vitality and hope over surrender and death,” it said in a social media post from its Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour. Sir Keir Starmer said he is confident an assisted dying law would be workable (Ben Stansall/PA) More

Sir Keir Starmer seemed chipper as he boarded the plane home from the Nato summit on Wednesday evening. He cheerily thanked hacks in the travelling press delegation for what he said had been a great two-day trip to The Hague. And looking at Nato alone, it had been a success. Across the board, allies signed up to a historic increase in defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP. After briefly wavering on his commitment to Article 5, even Donald Trump fell in line. And following a public love-in with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte – who unnervingly, dubbed him the “daddy” between the two warring nations of Iran and Israel – the US president conceded that the alliance was no longer a “rip off”, saying he is with is his European friends “all the way”. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is facing a significant threat to his authority More

With more than 120 Labour MPs backing a rebellious amendment and tensions mounting over controversial welfare reforms, Sir Keir Starmer is facing one of the biggest challenges to his leadership since taking office.The prime minister’s plan to restrict access to disability benefits and overhaul sickness-related support has triggered a furious backlash from within his own party, forcing him into emergency talks to avoid a humiliating Commons defeat. The rebellion, focused on concerns that the reforms could deepen poverty and undermine Labour’s core values, comes despite warnings from party leadership that dissenters could face deselection.While Starmer has insisted reform is essential to fix a “broken system” and deliver “Labour values of fairness,” critics argue that the proposed cuts mark a worrying departure from those very values. Behind the scenes, dissatisfaction with his top team – particularly chief of staff Morgan McSweeney – is also growing, with some MPs calling for a “regime change” in Downing Street.The leadership is hoping to buy time and make concessions before next week’s crucial vote, but the damage may already be done.In a poll of Independent readers, 49 per cent said they felt that the reforms unfairly targeted vulnerable people. They warned that the cuts will “break people,” leave carers “destitute,” and impose a human cost many feel is being ignored.On the other side of the debate, 28 per cent said they agreed with Starmer’s reforms, while an additional 23 per cent expressed general support for welfare reform, though not for the proposals currently on the table.We want to hear from you. Do you think Starmer’s leadership has been weakened by this welfare rebellion? Or is he showing the kind of resolve required to govern?Share your thoughts in the comments and vote in the poll above – we’ll feature the most compelling responses and discuss the results in the coming days.All you have to do is sign up and register your details, then you can take part in the debate. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen. More

Downing Street has failed to rule out tax rises to pay for a potential U-turn on Sir Keir Starmer’s £5bn welfare reform as the prime minister remains locked in crisis talks to stave off a Labour rebellion. Sir Keir is considering concessions in a bid to save his benefit cuts after more than 120 Labour MPs signed an amendment that would effectively kill them off. But there are growing questions over how a climbdown would be funded.Asked whether the government accepts it would be forced to hike taxes, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said ministers wanted to get the changes “right”, adding that the chancellor would take tax decisions “in the round in the future”. The row comes as top economists warned that failing to pass the reforms would wipe out the chancellor’s financial headroom ahead of her Budget this autumn, meaning hike taxes or cuts to spending elsewhere would be needed to plug a black hole. Sir Keir doubled down on the need for the reforms on Thursday, warning benefits claimants were “failed every single day” by a “broken system” but admitted Labour MPs want to see “reform implemented with Labour values of fairness”. However, rebels told The Independent that any concessions would have to be wide-ranging if they were to be accepted.Keir Starmer is locked in crisis talks More

Kemi Badenoch has suffered a blow to her authority after a Tory MP openly criticised her in the House of Commons and appeared to challenge her to suspend him. The row erupted after the Conservative leader hit out at Keir Starmer for “evading” Prime Minister’s Questions, to attend the Nato and G7 summits. Opposition MPs lined up to criticise the beleaguered Ms Badenoch, already under fire over her lacklustre leadership from some within her party. However, in an extraordinary moment in the House of Commons, one of her own MPs, Conservative Mark Pritchard, openly criticised her, saying partisan politics should be kept out of national security issues. He added: “Who knows, I may get the whip withdrawn for saying that, but so be it, there are things that go beyond party politics.” Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch (Stefan Rousseau/PA) More

Sir Keir Starmer is locked in last-minute talks with Labour rebels as he paves the way for a major climbdown on his planned benefit cuts. The prime minister is having a “busy day”, Downing Street said, as he desperately tries to win back the support of disgruntled backbenchers and stave off a humiliating rebellion over his flagship welfare reforms. After more than 120 of his MPs signed an amendment threatening to kill the welfare reform bill ahead of its second reading on Tuesday, the prime minister said conversations “will continue in the coming days”.While he doubled down on the need for change, saying benefits claimants “are failed every single day” by a “broken system”, he admitted that MPs want to see “reform implemented with Labour values of fairness”. Douglas Alexander said ‘everyone agrees welfare needs reform’ More

Dominic Cummings, Theresa May’s “Nick and Fi” – prime ministerial advisers rarely last as long as the PM they work for, as they become lightning rods for criticisms of the administration. And with anger growing over Labour’s welfare cuts, will the same now be true for Keir Starmer’s background fixer Morgan McSweeney?Labour MPs are calling for “regime change” in Downing Street, with some hitting out at the “over-excitable boys” in Sir Keir’s top team.Many blame Sir Keir’s chief of staff, the softly spoken Irishman Mr McSweeney, for ignoring the rising concerns of a huge number of Labour backbenchers over his plans to deny welfare payments to hundreds of thousands of disabled people in a bid to save £5bn a year.Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney More