Publication

Miliband tipped to lead shake-up of Foreign Office

'Red Ed' expected to become foreign secretary and begin restoration of overseas aid as Andy Burnham plots first-day policy blitz including more oil and gas drilling in North Sea

World Cup isn't ours but Falklands are, says defiant No.10

Downing Street backs calls for Fifa probe into Argentina players who waved banner claiming sovereignty over islands, as Buenos Aires accuses British warship of illegal journey into it's waters

These are the final days in No 10 for Keir Starmer, a decent man

Sir Keir Starmer used his final appearance at the despatch box to claim that he is leaving the country in a better state than that in which he found it. It is also demonstrably and painfully the case that his unexpectedly brief premiership was a...

Tories wasted £10bn on useless pandemic PPE

Boris Johnson’s government wasted almost £10bn as it scrambled to buy tons of personal protective equipment that was eventually found to be unusable, the Covid inquiry has found. In the fifth report of her investigation, Heather Hallett criticised the...

Decades on, the grooming gang victims are still being failed

Shabir Ahmed is not only a dangerous convicted rapist and sex offender, he is also a depressing symbol of everything that went wrong during one of the worst such episodes in British history – the grooming gangs scandal. The fact that this man is no...

Lawrence Ostlere The death of Bazball and why cricket coach's reign had to end

Miami nice

Nick Clegg Brexit has left Britain less safe, less sovereign and poorer

Burnham: We didn't get it right on Gaza

Andy Burnham has indicated that under his leadership the Labour Party will adopt a tougher policy on Israel in relation to the Gaza Strip. The MP for Makerfield and primeminister-in-waiting published a short video on social media in which he apologised...

Trump tears up Iran ceasefire as bombing resumes

The US launched a fresh round of airstrikes against Iran on the orders of Donald Trump last night. The president had earlier threatened to carry out further attacks a month after promising peace talks. Mr Trump yesterday launched an extraordinary...

Farage by-election plan dismissed as 'desperate stunt'

Labour and Tories call reform leader's bluff and boycott his plans to trigger a 'people versus establishment' contest in his Clacton seat - as he faces two Commons ethics inquiries into donations

Starmer intervened to stop Fifa changing England kick-off

Sir Keir Starmer intervened to prevent Fifa bringing forward England’s kick-off time amid concerns the change could give World Cup co-hosts Mexico an unfair advantage. The prime minister acted after the Football Association said the proposed change –...

Farage’s future thrown into doubt

Speculation is mounting that Nigel Farage could quit as Reform UK leader – or even be forced out – after he was hit by fresh allegations of another personal financial scandal. Private concerns have been raised by Mr Farage’s allies that he is on...

Kinnock is right: greater integration with the EU is the best way forward

Neil Kinnock, who was one of the leading lights of the “No” campaign in the 1975 referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Community, made history by persuading the Labour Party of the opposite case when he became leader. Since then, he and...

Young homebuyers deserve a helping hand – but only if the UK can afford it

Whether consciously or otherwise, Andy Burnham is currently preparing to be prime minister by drawing some sharp distinctions with his soon-tobe immediate predecessor. Unlike Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Burnham is a more relaxed and direct communicator, more...

The people smuggler who proves Britain is less safe after Brexit

It is no disrespect – indeed, quite the opposite – to wonder why the BBC’s investigative reporter Sue Mitchell and her colleagues succeeded where the British state failed, having managed to track down and question one of Europe’s most prolific people...

Burnham’s allies issue first threat: hands off welfare

Even before he’s inside No 10, Starmer’s likely successor faces looming Labour revolt over spending as his own backers warn him not to cut benefits to fill £4.7bn defence plan black hole.

Wimbledon cheers legend Serena's gripping return

Burnham's north star to light up Labour

Andy Burnham promised a “new direction” for Britain and vowed to overhaul the political system as he sought to lift the spirits of Labour MPs in his first major speech since he became MP for Makerfield. During an address at the People’s History Museum...

Aid cuts exacerbate Boko Haram’s war on education

One of the most harrowing stories in The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project concerns the impact of child abduction in the northern wards of Nigeria. In areas covered by the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram, who are waging war on education...

Record heatwave must be ‘wake-up call’ for Britain

The record-breaking heatwave gripping the UK should act as a “wake-up call” to prepare for a Mediterranean climate, say experts. Hundreds of schools were forced to close and three NHS trusts declared critical incidents this week as temperature records...

Britain must rejoin single market within five years, says Major

Britain should rejoin the EU’s single market within the next five years, Sir John Major has said, as he issued a scathing critique of the impact of Brexit and those behind the decision to leave. In an interview with The Independent’s editor-inchief...

Thousands dead or missing after huge Venezuela earthquakes

Hundreds of people have died and more than 40,000 remain missing after two powerful earthquakes rocked Venezuela 39 seconds apart. Rescue teams were combing through rubble in Caracas yesterday in search of victims as fears grow that tens of thousands...

Hundreds of babies and mothers died or harmed at 'toxic' hospitals trust

Hundreds of babies and mothers died or were harmed due to systemic failures spanning more than a decade at hospitals in Nottingham, a damning 400-page inquiry into the NHS’s largest maternity scandal has found. More than 500 cases of potentially...

Betrayed by Brexit

Far from 'taking back control', Brexit has left Britain isolated, divid-ed and poorer. A new poll for The Independent suggests two-thirds of voters think leaving the EU failed to cut immigration. A decade of broken promises and revolving-door...

Regime change

● RegimeEmotional Starmer quits with 'good grace' two years after huge win ● Smiling Burnham sworn into Commons and takes Westminster selfie ● Streeting falls in behind rival to pave way for July Labour 'coronation change Inside Sean O'Grady Burnham...

Longest day sees expanded heat health warning

Starmer given 48 hours to resign or face 'humiliation'

Lord Falconer says PM has 'asbolutely no authority' and should step down Labour MPs give Sir Keir Tuesday morning deadline to announce departure Streeting allies hint at talks on deal with Burnham to become chancellor

'It's time to move on'

● Labour MPs seek meeting with Starmer to persuade him to step down ● Demands for 'coronation' of Andy Burnham after by-election triumph ● Blow to Reform UK as Farage 'disappointed' by comprehensive defeat ● Ex-Manchester mayor pledges 'new path for...

Lifetime in jail for child murder that shocked the nation

A teacher who sexually abused and murdered his adopted baby has been told he will die in jail for the crime that police said had “shocked the nation”. Jamie Varley, 37, was given a whole-life order for killing toddler Preston Davey, whom he adopted...

A win for Burnham doesn’t have to be a loss for the UK

It won’t be long until the voters of Makerfield will have collectively solved one political conundrum only to create another. If, as seems likely, they elect Andy Burnham to represent their constituency, voting Labour could also oust a sitting Labour...

Russian warship fires shots at UK yacht in Channel

Putin frigate's warning volley after sailing boat gets close off Isle of Wight - as Starmer's G7 visit is overshadowed by claims his defence plan is 'well short' of what's needed to keep Britain safe

Arson attack on Starmer linked to Russia

A Russian-speaking person known as “El Money” paid two men to set fire to homes and a car linked to Sir Keir Starmer to spark fear and “unrest” in Britain, a court was told yesterday. A mysterious Telegram account tasked criminal proxies for the arson...

Starmer to unveil social media ban for under-16s

The government is set to unveil a ban today on social media for under-16s as part of an attempt to crack down on online harm to young people. The UK will follow Australia’s lead in raising the minimum age to 16 for sites including TikTok, Instagram,...

...hang their heads in shame

Their promises of more jobs, more trade, more power for Britain have proved a con, Michael Heseltine writes as the Brexit vote 10th anniversary approaches. Never have so few done so much damage to so many with so little ability to execute what they...

Starmer’s rivals must set out their plans for defence

Sir Keir Starmer is unmoved by the resignation of his defence secretary and his parliamentary under-secretary for the armed forces. The prime minister told the BBC: “There will always be people saying, ‘I would do this’, ‘I would do that’, ‘I would do...

Endgame nears for Starmer as ministers quit over forces cash

Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership looks all but over after defence secretary John Healey and armed forces minister Al Carns both resigned, accusing the prime minister of failing to commit the military spending needed to keep Britain safe. In a scathing...

'Unrest not welcome'

• Relatives of Stephen Ogilvie defend migrants and urge an end to violence • Police brace for further disorder and put an extra 200 officers on the streets • Suspect Hadi Alodid appears in court charged with attempted murder • Starmer says rioters...

Guns fall silent but Trump’s diplomatic crisis persists

The latest threat of a new Middle East conflagration seems to have been averted in the final minutes of the eleventh hour. After launching strikes on northern Israel that broke a six-weeklong ceasefire, Iran announced that it was halting what it had...

Each year, Brexit costs us up to £30bn

David Miliband says the vote to leave the EU – 10 years ago this month – has cost Britain up to 1% of GDP annually, an act of sabotage “equivalent to a punishing tax every day”. Writing in Anthony Seldon’s The Brexit Effect, serialised exclusively in...

Exclusive: Majority of voters want Brexit reversed, says top pollster

It’s advantage Zelensky in Ukraine’s push for peace

Just as Volodymyr Zelensky has so often outmanoeuvred the enemy on the battlefield and in the skies above, so he is doing now in the diplomatic sphere. In a surprise “open letter” to his Russian counterpart, President Zelensky has seized the diplomatic...

Europe: The way back

Ten years on from the Brexit referendum, we remain divided over our future direction while the world around us has changed dramatically. Today, The Independent launches a campaign to build a better relationship with Europe - and a more prosperous,...

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...