UK politics

UK politics

When Jonathan Reynolds announced sweeping tariffs this summer to shield Britain's steelmakers from a flood of cheap imports, the reaction seemed almost universally positive. "This government is unapologetic in our support for the UK steel sector," declared Reynolds, then business secretary, promising to defend a "vital industry that underpins Britain's industrial strength and national security." Gareth Stace, director-general of the industry body UK Steel, hailed it as "a tremendous outcome" that would stop foreign producers from "swamping the UK and driving our steel manufacturers out of business."

From 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.

What I can tell you is that under the last government, for quite some time, there were, on average, 17 wrong releases. Under this government that has risen. It's 22 that is completely unacceptable. It was unacceptable before, it's unacceptable now. Even one is too many, and the justice secretary is gripping this by appointing Dame Lynne Owens, who is the former director of the National Crime Agency, to make sure that we really grip this

No other European country has such a narrow base of proprietorship as Scotland. Half of all privately owned rural land is held by 421 people or entities. The roots of such disparities lie in the past. The 18th- and 19th-century Highland clearances emptied the glens and readied them for private takeover. On the continent, and eventually in England, the great estates were broken up by inheritance and land taxes. By comparison, Scotland is still feudal in scale.

I asked the Justice Secretary, you think it's a reasonable thing to ask him. They do run the justice system and he didn't make any attempt to answer whatsoever. And so I was very frustrated by that.

The culture secretary has apologised for breaking rules by failing to declare she had received donations from the man she picked to run England's new football regulator. On Thursday, the commissioner for public appointments published a report which found that David Kogan had made two separate donations of 1,450 to Lisa Nandy, when she was running to be Labour leader in 2020.

Home Office travel records used in a trial of a controversial anti-fraud crackdown that under which thousands of parents lost their child benefit were so flawed that almost half of the families initially flagged as having emigrated were still living in the UK, it has emerged. The pilot scheme saved HMRC 17m but left 46% of families targeted incorrectly suspected of fraud, a margin of error far in excess of the 1% to 5% scientifically acceptable.

The government's planning bill will reach its final stages before it is given royal assent in the coming days, after months of tussling between ministers, nature groups and ecologists. The government has promised to rip up the rules to allow 1.5m homes to be built by the end of this parliament as part of its push for growth. As last-minute wrangling over the reforms continues, peers have secured a key amendment that would ensure species such as dormice, nightingales and hedgehogs,

From 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.

From 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.

For decades, a former IRA man has undertaken a ­private search for the body of one of the Troubles' most mythical victims, Robert Nairac. Now in his 70s, last year this man told his story anonymously in a BBC podcast. Tomorrow night, he will reveal himself in a major new BBC film. Former republican prisoner Martin ­McAllister's solitary mission to find Nairac's bones demonstrates how humanity can emerge from a time of squalid sectarian slaughter.

From 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.

UK military personnel and equipment are being sent to Belgium to help it bolster its defences after drone incursions on its airspace, suspected of being carried out by Russia. The new head of the UK military, Sir Richard Knighton, told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that his Belgian counterpart asked for assistance earlier this week and that kit and personnel were on the way. Belgium's main airport Zavantem was forced to close temporarily on Thursday night after drones were spotted nearby.

One of the more striking images from June's G7 summit showed a small group of world leaders engaged in an impromptu and informal evening chat at the venue's restaurant. In the foreground of that photo was a familiar blond head: Giorgia Meloni. During her three years as the Italian prime minister, Meloni has moved beyond her hard-right populism, not to mention her fascism-adjacent origins, to earn at least the respect of other leaders Keir Starmer among them for her pragmatism and flexibility.

Two of the four prisoners who are at large were mistakenly released in 2024, according to reports. The government is under increasing pressure as the details emerged, with the other two on-the-run inmates revealed to have been wrongly freed in June this year. The mistaken releases of the four offenders mark just some of a number of high-profile cases of prisoners being wrongly freed.

PA Media For the first time in its nearly 700 year history, the Lord Mayor's Show this year became the Lady Mayor's Show. Dame Susan Langley DBE is not the City of London's first female lord mayor - she's the third in 697 years - but she is the first to take the lady mayor title. The show is a procession from the City to Westminster and dates back to the early 13th Century.

The former prince and his wife have tarnished how the institution is viewed by many - and given perfect fuel for abolitionists

I am scheduled to attend a service and to participate in an Act of Remembrance in Parliament Buildings before travelling to Windsor Castle at the invitation of their majesties the king and queen for a special reception to commemorate VJ Day 80th anniversary to honour veterans of World War II, and in particular of the Pacific on this day of remembrance.

From 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.

From 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.

Sturgeon announced her departure in February 2023. In April that year, Murrell was arrested, with police searching the Glasgow home the couple shared, as well as the SNP's headquarters in Edinburgh. Officers also seized a motorhome parked outside Murrell's mother's house in Fife. Murrell, the SNP's longstanding chief executive, was later charged in connection with alleged embezzlement and has not yet entered a plea.

The poll - which interviewed 4,027 people aged 16+ between 21 and 27 August 2025 - revealed there is no longer a majority of British citizens who feel 'pride' in their country, there are rising tension between those who are immigrants and British born, more people are feeling nostalgia for the past, many believe the country is changing too quickly and culture war issues are seen as a key dividing issue.

Parliament's culture, media and sport committee has demanded to know the BBC's response to the memo, setting Monday as a deadline. The BBC's board is compiling its response. However, insiders believe the leaking of the memo to the Daily Telegraph and the criticisms that have followed from Johnson are part of a concerted attempt to undermine the organisation, which is heading into crucial talks with the government over the renewal of its charter.

When the cashier said she was exhausted from working extra shifts to make some money for Christmas, the man behind me chipped in that it would be worse once she takes all our money (in case Rachel Reeves was wondering, her budget pitch-rolling is definitely cutting through). Routine enough, if he hadn't gone on to add that she and the rest of the government needed taking out, and that there were plenty of ex-military men around who should know what to do, before continuing in more graphic fashion until the queue fell quiet and feet began shuffling.

"undocumented bogus asylum seekers in many cases", which was "an affront to the people of Broxbourne"