Publication

THREE ROYAL NAVY MEMBERS KILLED IN DEVON HELICOPTER CRASH

Mahmood warns of 'dangerous' mood over teen's murder

Shabana Mahmood has warned “inflammatory commentary is making a dreadful situation even worse” after anger over the case of Henry Nowak was stoked further by Nigel Farage. In a Commons statement, the home secretary said that an officer wrongly...

Mandelson's verdict on Starmer: 'Bereft and beleaguered'

• Disgraced peer said PM's leadership 'lacks verve' and needed 'revamp' • revelations in files - but he refused to hand over WhatsApps • He mocked Wes Streeting in message for 'having an early mid-life crisis' • Ex-ambassador 'went tonto' to secure...

‘Ultra-strength’ cocaine hits UK as fatalities spiral

A lethal wave of ultra-strong cocaine is emerging across the UK as deaths linked to the drug have spiralled to a record high, The Independent can reveal. A production boom in South America has sharply increased the purity of the drug sold at street...

Striving for equal rights in a less than perfect world

Alan Carr, the comedian and arch-Traitor who tops our 2026 Pride List, says: “I don’t talk about being gay, and I think what better equality for gays than that?” There will be many who applaud this view. Just as there are many who welcomed Rishi Sunak...

Putin pushes Nato to the brink

That a Russian drone, probably fired from Crimea, crashed into a Romanian residential block and injured two people, is a gratuitous, unprovoked and serious act of aggression against an independent Nato state. It demands a suitable response. That the...

Shame of Britain's broken promise to lost generation

Trump's war: the rising cost to you

* Meanwhile, America's bill for waging war is $29bn and counting ...more than 1.5 times what Britain spent on foreign aid in 2025

Why Labour must return to the radical centre to reverse Britain's decline

In a damning verdict on Starmer and his leadership rivals, the former prime minister makes a bombshell intervention to warn that his party is 'playing with fire' and the country now 'risks relegation from the Premier League of nations'

Drugs deaths in jails have soared new figures reveal

Drug dealers are “operating with impunity” in Britain’s prisons, a watchdog has warned. Charlie Taylor, chief inspector of prisons, hit out at the “dreadful” death toll as 48 people died after taking drugs in jails in England and Wales in the year to...

Hopes rise for new peace deal to end the US-Iran war

Donald Trump has warned that Tehran “must understand” it cannot have a nuclear weapon as the two sides edge towards a potential peace deal. The US says it is close to reaching an agreement with Iran that would end the war and reopen the Strait of...

EU membership can be fast-tracked top official says

The European Union could fast-track Britain’s return if it decided to rejoin, dispelling ideas the UK would be pushed to the back of the queue if it tried to reverse Brexit. The debate over Britain’s EU membership has reignited after former health...

Amber health alert as temperatures hit 30C in bank holiday weekend heatwave

Police urge woman in Andrew sex claim to come forward

Police have urged a woman who claims to have been sent by Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with the former Duke of York to come forward. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office but it is understood...

Outrage as Starmer eases sanctions on ‘dirty Russian oil’

Sir Keir Starmer was accused of buying “dirty Russian oil” after relaxing sanctions on Vladimir Putin. The move was branded “insane” by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who told the prime minister he should be “ashamed” British money “will be used to fund...

Police investigate child sex abuse claims linked to Epstein files

British detectives are investigating two separate allegations of historic child sexual abuse following the release of files linked to the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Surrey Police are probing one report linked to locations in Surrey and Berkshire...

No 10 accused of plot to derail Burnham by-election hopes

Downing Street is involved in a plot to derail Andy Burnham’s hopes of returning to parliament, allies of the Greater Manchester mayor have claimed. Fears have been raised that the Labour leadership will “soft-play” support for Mr Burnham in the...

Streeting accused of starting Brexit wars' in leadership fight

A cabinet minister has accused Wes Streeting of restarting “Brexit wars” with his call for Britain to rejoin the EU as the issue threatens to engulf the Labour leadership battle. Lisa Nandy attacked his idea as “odd” – with Reform expected to seize on...

Dozens arrested as 80,000 attend pro-Palestine and Tommy Robinson protest marches

Burnham prepares to run in Labour leadership race

The Manchester mayor exercises by his home in Warrington after announcing he will stand in the by-election

Harry Mount Is Prince Harry really the right person to call out antisemitism in the UK?

Star wicketkeeper Taylor named England men's fielding coach in landmark move

Starmer faces down cabinet and clings on

● More than 100 Labour MPs back PM saying 'this is no time' for contest ● Wes Streeting to hold showdown meeting in 10 Downing Street today ● Angela Rayner says she'll launch leadership bid if Andy Burnham can't ● More ministers resign as 90 Labour...

Cabinet ministers turn on PM and urge him to quit

Sir Keir insists he'll 'prove doubters wrong' as he takes blame for election drubbing and pleads for calm - but government aides resign and more than 70 of his own MPs call on him to step down

Passengers evacuated from hantavirus-hit cruise ship

Challenge Starmer by Monday or I will, warns Labour MP

A Labour MP has dramatically warned would-be leaders in the cabinet to challenge the PM by tomorrow – or she will. Catherine West, the MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet, who was sacked by Sir Keir as a junior minister in the Foreign Office, said the...

PM vows: 'I won't walk away' after colossal defeat

Labour suffer huge local losses as Reform surges in England and Greens make gains They lose Wales for first time since devolution and first minister loses her own seat In Scotland, the SNP holds on as the biggest party but Reform secures its first...

Another toxic PPE scandal at the heart of the NHS

protective equipment (PPE), with associated protocols, to guard medical staff from harm. This should, obviously, be the case at all times. True, in a national emergency, it may prove more difficult to achieve. But there can be no excuse for NHS cancer...

Starmer's plea for votes as Labour braces for disaster

Sir Keir Starmer has issued a final plea to voters in what could be a last stand for his premiership, with the Labour Party facing huge losses when they go to the polls today in local and devolved elections. The prime minister, who has largely been...

Ceasefire shattered as Iran fires drones and missiles at UAE

The ceasefire in the Middle East was at risk of collapse last night after Iran again attacked the United Arab Emirates. Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, insisted the truce was “not over” despite clashes and drone and missile strikes in the...

Top pollster: Starmer will not lead Labour into general election

It is a question of “when, not if”, Sir Keir Starmer resigns as prime minister, Britain’s leading pollster has warned, as the Labour Party braces itself for a devastating set of results in the local elections this Thursday. While Professor Sir John...

Sent back to prison for petty theft more than 20 years later

A mother languishing on an indefinite prison sentence has described the harrowing details of her arrest at home and the confiscation of her toddler from her arms as police handcuffed her without explanation. Rachel, not her real name, is living under...

Row over Starmer's call for ban on Palestine preotests

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a backlash after calling for a ban on some pro-Palestine protests to combat antisemitism. The prime minister suggested there were “instances” where it was appropriate to prevent such marches. But even his government’s own...

M15: Trump has increased threat to British Jews

The Met Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said he needs 300 more officers to tackle the “pandemic” of antisemitism in Jewish communities in the UK. His demand comes as the country’s terror threat level was raised to severe, meaning that authorities...

British Jews endure a fatal culture of complacency

To quote the headline in full: “Bull$#@# bingo. Jews bleed. Cue the cliches”: “We stand with the Jewish community”; “An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us”; “Hate has no place in British society”; “Thoughts and prayers” and so on. The...

Jews targeted and stabbed in golders Green terror attack

Sir Keir Starmer has been told he must tackle the “pandemic” of antisemitic attacks in Britain after two Jewish men were stabbed in a terror attack in northwest London. Witnesses say the suspect tried to stab members of the public before turning on...

King hails 'eternal' relationship - and Nato - in historic speech to Congress

Starmer has a robust case for his own defence

Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle was right to grant the request from numerous MPs, including the leader of the opposition, for a debate on whether to refer the prime minister to the Committee of Privileges. He could only have reasonably refused if...

Trump defiant as third assassination attempt fails

Donald Trump escaped his third suspected assassination attempt unhurt after a gunman opened fire during the annual White House dinner for correspondents. The US president and members of his administration are believed to have been the targets of...

PM a negative on the doorstep, say Labour mayors

The widespread unpopularity of Sir Keir Starmer and his government is hitting Labour hard on the doorstep, regional mayors have warned, as they brace for major losses in next month’s local elections. The Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram,...

'How dare they!' Fury over US threat to UK control of Falklands

Downing Street has insisted that the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands is “not in question” after reports the US could review Britain’s claim to the territory in revenge for a perceived lack of support in the Iran war. A leaked internal email at the...

Top official reveals how Indy triggered Mandelson panic

Civil servants scrambled to obtain information on Peter Mandelson’s security vetting, days after The Independent told Downing Street he had failed the critical checks. Cat Little, the most senior official in the Cabinet Office, told MPs yesterday that...

PM 'fired Robbins before he could defend himself'

Allies of Sir Olly Robbins say that he was sacked by the PM without even being asked to explain his handling of the Peter Mandelson vetting saga. Sir Keir Starmer dismissed the Foreign Office chief last week for not telling him that Lord Mandelson had...

No10 secretly sought ambassador role for disgraced Starmer ally

Downing Street pushed for one of Sir Keir Starmer’s key aides to be given a diplomatic job, Sir Olly Robbins, the former top civil servant at the Foreign Office, told MPs yesterday. Matthew Doyle, the PM’s former communications chief, was promoted to...

Proof you knew is Indy's front page Badenoch tells PM

• Starmer is asked why he claimed to be unaware Peter Mandelson had failed security checks... even though it was reported here seven months ago • He says: I should never have appointed him as ambassador - and I'm sorry • Jeers from MPs as PM admits...

Judgement day for Starmer over vetting scandal

Sir Keir Starmer is battling to save his job amid growing outrage over the handling of Peter Mandelson’s failed security vetting. The prime minister will today seek to convince the Commons that he was not aware that UK Security Vetting had advised that...

Cleverly:No way Lammy wasn't told about vetting failure

It is “inconceivable” that Sir Keir Starmer and David Lammy were not told about Peter Mandelson failing the security vetting process for the role of US ambassador, a former foreign secretary has claimed, amid growing accusations that the prime minister...

We told No 10 about Mandelson 7 months ago, prime minister

As Starmer desperately clings to his job insisting he – and Downing Street – knew nothing about Peter Mandelson failing security checks until this week, we jog his memory about a story we published on 11 September 2025 revealing MI6 had in fact failed...

PM 'misled MPs' over Mandelson security vetting

The PM has been accused of misleading parliament over his choice of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador as it emerged he failed security vetting – but was given the job anyway. Lord Mandelson was denied critical clearance after his role in Washington DC...

PM: I will not yield to Trump. Reeves: War was a mistake

Rachel Reeves has described the US-Israeli war against Iran as a “mistake” that has not made the world a safer place, as she escalated her attack on President Donald Trump over the conflict. At an event in Washington DC yesterday, the chancellor said...

Trump's Iran war puts world on the brink of recession

Donald Trump’s Iran war risks triggering a global recession, the International Monetary Fund warned in a damning assessment of the impact on the world economy. It said the international outlook had “abruptly darkened” as a result of the conflict, which...

Southport killer's parents and police to blame for rampage

The Southport attack could and should have been stopped by police, social services and the killer's parents, who failed to heed years of warning signs over his escalating obsession with violence. A report from the Southport Inquiry found that a string...

Trump says US will blockade Hormuz after peace talks fail

Donald Trump has declared the US will blockade the Strait of Hormuz after the rapid collapse of peace talks with Iran. The president resumed his bombastic threats just hours after negotiations in Islamabad failed, warning that the US military was...

Using British forces to reopen Hormuz 'a fantasy' - Wallace

Sending British warships to police the Strait of Hormuz is a “fantasy” because UK armed forces are so depleted, former defence secretary Ben Wallace has warned. Mr Wallace, who served as defence secretary under three Tory prime ministers, said such a...

We see you: Putin warned over spy subs in UK waters

Britain has issued a warning to Vladimir Putin after Russian attack and spy submarines were found operating in the North Atlantic. Defence secretary John Healey said British forces responded to “increased Russian activity” near vital cables and...

US: Iran 'begged' for truce - and must dig up hidden uranium

● White House declares 'capital V for military victory' with two-week ceasefire ● Any new peace deal will require Tehran to hand over buried nuclear material ● Trump claims he's agreed 'joint venture' with Iran to reopen Strait of Hormuz ● Israel...

Trump warns 'a whole civilisation will die tonight'

Donald Trump has been widely condemned for issuing an astonishing threat to Iran’s regime over its failure to meet US demands. “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” the president said yesterday. His remarkable...

Consultants warn of weeks of chaos by striking doctors

Healthcare leaders have criticised striking resident doctors, warning that the sixday walkout will cause weeks of chaos for patients. Senior medics told The Independent the industrial action, which begins today, could be the most disruptive strike yet,...

Afghans stranded by MoD blunder asked for help

Thousands of Afghans who were put at risk after their data was leaked by the Ministry of Defence in a catastrophic blunder are still waiting to be brought to safety in the UK, more than six months after the scandal. Around 400 people who supported...

Rift with Trump over Iran boosts PM’s popularity

New evidence backing the popularity of Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to stand up to Donald Trump over the Iran war has emerged. The PM’s personal approval rating increases by 26 points when voters are reminded of his spat with the US president, according...

Spiralling cost of Trump's war, one month on

$120 peak oil price per barrel so far (9 March) 36% Trump's record low approval rating (Reuters/Ipsos) £307m extra paid by drivers for petrol and diesel (RAC Foundation) 850 Tomahawk missiles fired by the US costing $3.5m each 1,000,000 displaced...

Britain's economy is the worst hit by Trump's Iran war

Britain faces the biggest economic blow of all major global economies from Donald Trump’s war on Iran, with growth slashed and inflation surging. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said the UK looks set to be hit particularly...

Trump’s trail of destruction will take decades to clear

Since the closure of the US Agency for International Development last summer, cuts in overseas aid budgets have

Reeves leaves public in the dark over energy support

The International Energy Agency has warned that the present energy crisis, severe as it is, could become the worst in history. Given that, the chancellor of the Exchequer is right to undertake contingency planning now. Yet as things stand with the...

Trump halts bombs but Iran says talks claim is 'fake news'

Donald Trump’s war on Iran was thrown into confusion after he paused his bombing campaign, saying there had been negotiations, only for Tehran to reject the claim as “fake news”. The US president said both sides had “very good and productive...

Britain is safe from Iran's long-range missiles - minister

Britain is safe from Iranian missiles, a cabinet minister has insisted, playing down claims Tehran has firepower capable of reaching the UK. Israel issued a stark warning that Iranian weapons are a threat to European cities after two missiles were...

UK fury over Iran ‘reckless attacks’ on Diego Garcia

The foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has condemned an Iranian airstrike on the joint US-UK Diego Garcia military base. Tehran’s unsuccessful attack appeared to have been launched before Sir Keir Starmer approved use of the remote airfield for US bombers...

Iran warns Britain: You're now a target for helping Trump

The government has warned Tehran not to target British interests after Iran accused the UK of “participating in aggression” as part of the US war and said it had a right to respond. The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, criticised Sir Keir...

Stop the madness now - end this war before it's too late

Declare victory if you must. Claim Iran's military is degraded and its nuclear programme (which your intelligence chief says posed no threat) is neutralised. But as oil prices spiral out of control, it's time to show the world that you - not Netanyahu...