Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Jump to content
Sign up to our newsletters
Independent
More
Voices
Best
TV

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

Voices

<p>The adult content creator’s Spectator piece has all the hallmarks of one of Private Eye’s ‘Me and My Spoon’</p>
Kat Brown

Bonnie Blue and Nigel Farage truly deserve each other

The controversial OnlyFans star’s tribute to the Reform UK leader doesn’t surprise me, says Kat Brown. Both are provocateurs who have harnessed the hunger for confrontation and outrage and turned it into power – and both sell a public persona

<p>‘The same right-wing Americans griping that the UK is arresting people for “just tweets”, the same Trump who called these kinds of arrests “sad…it’s not a good thing”. <em>These</em> people want to ban visitors who’ve had a spicy take or two?’</p>
Sophie Wilkinson

With tweets like mine, I fear I’m going to be banned from America

<p>Tony Blair did not say ‘This is my candidate’, but make no mistake, he agreed with her</p>
John Rentoul

Everyone can see Shabana Mahmood is the heir to Blair. Even Tony

<p>‘I ask, nay, beg, the Badenoch to put herself in the position of young people straight out of university, desperate to feel as though the three-year debt they’ve accrued won’t be a complete waste’</p>
Amelia Jacobs

Sorry Kemi, but why should I take a job I’m overqualified for?

<p>‘The collective strength of the European Union is an obvious obstacle to this American power-grab, and so, in a complete reversal of postwar US policy, Trump wants to dismantle it’</p>
Sean O'Grady

It is time to wake up to a chilling truth – America has switched sides

    <p>Few will have much sympathy for someone who travelled to Syria at the age of 15 to engage with the murderous Isis reign of terror</p>
    The Independent View

    Citizenship scandal is Mahmood’s chance to show courage and clarity

    <p>‘Thus spake a man who has never stayed at a budget hotel. Also, a man with a word count to fill and only 20 days of prison to fill it with’</p>
    Kat Brown

    It’s criminal! Sarkozy’s prison diary is 100 per cent pure jambon

    <p>The UK’s exit from the union – as David Lammy correctly noted – badly damaged its economy. It was an act of self-harm, puncturing the economy’s wheels and wrecking the nation’s fiscal position in the process</p>
    James Moore

    The Brexit do-over that Starmer’s too scared to talk about

    <p>‘There is no mistaking Trump’s materialism, both on behalf of his country and for himself and his family. He’s a real estate guy who enjoys wealth, almost for its own sake’</p>
    Sean O'Grady

    Donald Trump is selling out his allies while he still has time

    <p>Volodymyr Zelensky, Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz chat on the Downing Street doorstep after a meeting in central London on Monday</p>
    Mark Sedwill

    Putin must be hit with every trick in Britain’s book

    <p>‘The number of times I’ve had to suggest that, with it being a special occasion, perhaps we could not be looking at Facebook during a family meal? The teenagers know not to, but the phone etiquette of the retired generation is out of control’</p>
    Sophie Heawood

    It’s not under-16s who need a social media ban – it’s the over-65s

    <p>Nationalisation might make some things about getting on a train a bit better, and some a bit worse, but it will not be transformative</p>
    Sean O'Grady

    I boycotted the railways for 20 years – are they even worth saving?

    <p>‘We already know that due to thoughtless planning, lack of space – and basic lack of care – those of us who have miscarried are forced to sit in the same room as those bearing happy grins and clutching printouts of their pregnancy scans’</p>
    Voices

    I went into labour in a UK hospital ward surrounded by cockroaches

    <p>Valerie Amos is leading the national maternity and neonatal investigation</p>
    The Independent View

    Every woman should feel safe in an NHS maternity ward

    <p>Volodymyr Zelensky, Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz chat on the Downing Street doorstep after a meeting in central London on Monday</p>
    Lord Sedwill

    Putin must be hit with every trick in Britain’s book

    <p>Meghan Markle and her father, Thomas, who is in gravely ill in hospital following amputation surgery</p>
    Hannah Betts

    I’m with Meghan – no one should lecture you on dealing with a parent

    I was excommunicated by my mother for a decade, says Hannah Betts, and we were only reconciled shortly before she died. With the Duchess of Sussex’s estranged father gravely ill in intensive care, it would be the dutiful thing to be at his bedside – but the choice must be hers, and the rest of the world should butt out

    <p>‘Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Ireland – which is a joint record-holder for the most Eurovision wins – will now boycott the event unless Israel is excluded from the competition over the war in Gaza’</p>
    Pablo O’Hana

    I’m a fan, but it’s time the UK pulled out of Eurovision

    Frieda Hughes

    All I want for Christmas is... a tractor across two parking spaces

    Explore news for you

    More Voices

    <p>MPs have backed proposals to create a new UK-EU customs union</p>
    UK Politics

    ‘Madness not to’: Why readers back a return to EU customs union

    UK Politics

    ‘Madness not to’: Why readers back a return to EU customs union

    Independent
    <p>MPs have backed proposals to create a new UK-EU customs union</p>
    <p>The cast of US reality TV show Selling Sunset (season 5 is pictured here) are known for their explosive arguments at dinner parties</p>
    Voices

    I’m having friends over for dinner – and I worry they’ll judge me

    <p>‘No doubt Starmer and Lammy will be accused, again, by rebellious Labour MPs, Lib Dems and Greens, of trying to “out-Farage Farage” with their support for a Europe-wide push to align the ECHR better with public opinion’</p>
    Voices

    Starmer’s ECHR showdown is his last chance to see off Farage

    <p>Doctor examining woman with ultrasound scanner device</p>
    Health

    ‘We went private instead’: Readers on NHS maternity failings

    <p>It ought to be taken for granted that any half-competent political operation would use social media as well as conventional ones</p>
    Voices

    Forget the under-16s – will someone please ban TikTok for politicians?

    <p>It ought to be taken for granted that any half-competent political operation would use social media as well as conventional ones</p>
    Voices

    Forget the under-16s – will someone please ban TikTok for politicians?

    <p>Young tourists from the UK are leading the surge in Australia’s growing population of working travellers </p>
    Lifestyle

    ‘The UK has little to offer young people’: Readers on Gen Z exodus

    <p>‘Netflix’s controlling brains will be only too well aware of just how quickly the media marketplace can change, not least because of the changes they themselves are responsible for’</p>
    Voices

    Netflix has three huge new problems with its Warner Bros takeover

    Most commented

    Iceland becomes the fifth country to boycott Eurovision over Israel’s participation

    231 comments

    Revealed: UK’s ‘racist’ system of stripping citizenship

    226 comments

    US seizes Venezuelan oil tanker in latest ramp up against nation

    195 comments

    The far-right agitators travelling to Calais to abuse small-boat migrants

    431 comments
    Join the Conversation

    More Voices

    <p>The triumvirate represents a potentially powerful alliance</p>
    The Independent View

    Will Europe fight for Ukraine?

    <p>‘In a City speech last month, Farage again repeated his call for the deregulation of crypto. He says Reform has received “a couple” of donations in cryptocurrency but refuses to supply the details’</p>
    Voices

    Dark money is flooding Nigel Farage’s push for power

    <p>What bothers me isn’t Norris himself, who is clearly sincere, but the creeping realisation that sport – men’s sport in particular – has become almost suspiciously wholesome</p>
    Voices

    Why Gen Z ‘soft boys’ like Lando Norris are replacing alpha males

    <p>Syrians marked the anniversary with a weekend of celebrations</p>
    Voices

    One year on from the fall of Assad, the UK wants Syria to succeed

    <p>‘Removing the defendant’s ability to overrule the court’s decision will not only save taxpayers’ money but will drastically reduce the number of cases needlessly clogging up crown courts’</p>
    Voices

    The court backlog crisis needs bold solutions to put victims first

    <p>Mohamed Salah has been named on the bench for Liverpool’s last three matches (Peter Byrne/PA)</p>
    Football

    ‘It’s disgusting’: Fans react to Salah benching row

    <p>Syrians marked the anniversary with a weekend of celebrations</p>
    Voices

    One year on from the fall of Assad, the UK wants Syria to succeed

    <p>‘Removing the defendant’s ability to overrule the court’s decision will not only save taxpayers’ money but will drastically reduce the number of cases needlessly clogging up crown courts’</p>
    Voices

    The court backlog crisis needs bold solutions to put victims first

    <p>Mohamed Salah has been named on the bench for Liverpool’s last three matches (Peter Byrne/PA)</p>
    Football

    ‘It’s disgusting’: Fans react to Salah benching row

    <p>Keir Starmer is expected to reiterate the UK’s strong support for Ukraine at talks in Downing Street on Monday </p>
    The Independent View

    European leaders can still help achieve a positive outcome for Ukraine

    The Independent View

    European leaders can still help achieve a positive outcome for Ukraine

    Editorial
    <p>Keir Starmer is expected to reiterate the UK’s strong support for Ukraine at talks in Downing Street on Monday </p>
    <p>Christmas fridge with a view: Six in ten GLP-1 users say medication is transforming what a traditional Christmas looks like in the UK</p>
    Voices

    How Mounjaro has completely changed my Christmas fridge

    <p>Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, are reported to be heading to California for Christmas</p>
    Voices

    Most Americans love the Cotswolds at Christmas – why doesn’t Ellen?

    <p>‘Look, Clooney is one thing, but Kelce, who is 36, is another, not least because his partner is one of the most powerful (if not the most powerful) artists on the planet’</p>
    Voices

    Can you truly know your partner if you’ve never argued?

    <p>Have you gone too early with your Christmas tree this year?</p>
    Lifestyle

    Readers divided on when the Christmas tree should go up

    <p>Have you gone too early with your Christmas tree this year?</p>
    Lifestyle

    Readers divided on when the Christmas tree should go up

    <p>Why The Independent’s Christmas appeal matters so much</p>
    The Independent View

    Give young people a lifeline

    <p>The prime minister’s job security is no laughing matter, particularly with threats like Angela Rayner waiting in the wings</p>
    Voices

    Keir Starmer’s power drains away as talk grows that he won’t last

    <p>Liz Truss, whose online show looks ‘extraordinarily cheap’</p>
    Voices

    The Liz Truss Show - the worst thing to hit YouTube in its 20 years

    <p>On 30 October Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor gave the minimum 12 months’ notice that he would surrender Royal Lodge (Jordan Pettitt/PA)</p>
    Voices

    Andrew’s last Christmas at Royal Lodge – how bad could it be?

    <p>US President Donald Trump looks on during a meeting of his Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House on December 02, 2025 in Washington, DC</p>
    Voices

    Donald Trump’s war on drugs is fraught with danger for the president

    <p>The depressed permanent employment market was ‘exacerbated by Reeves’s shock hike in employers’ national insurance’ (Frank Augstein/PA)</p>
    Comment

    What the Budget has really done to the housing market

    <p>Last month, Keir Starmer visited the Welland Academy in Peterborough to highlight the government’s free school meal expansion</p>
    The Independent View

    Labour’s child poverty strategy is a great step forward

    <p>‘The prospect of national service in some form was proposed by Rishi Sunak before the last election, and occasionally floats back into view’</p>
    Voices

    Rishi Sunak was right: Britain needs to bring back national service

    <p>Nigel Farage has insisted the Thai-based crypto billionaire who gave Reform a record £9m donation “wants nothing from me”</p>
    UK Politics

    ‘Why is this allowed?’ Readers hit out after £9m Reform donation

    <p>Browder: ‘Anyone who has done business in Russia knows exactly how that ends. You’re welcomed with smiles and contracts; you leave defrauded, ruined or – if you’re unlucky – dead’</p>
    Voices

    I have spent years waiting for Putin’s assassins to come for me

    <p>Keir Starmer and education secretary Bridget Phillipson visiting a primary school breakfast club</p>
    Voices

    Lifting the two-child benefit cap is laudable – but just a start

    Voices

    Lifting the two-child benefit cap is laudable – but just a start

    Laurie Lee
    <p>Keir Starmer and education secretary Bridget Phillipson visiting a primary school breakfast club</p>
    <p>Readers slam energy bill hikes</p>
    Home News

    ‘Just watch us get ripped off’: Readers slam energy bill hikes

    The Independent View

    It is unbelievable that so many people are in indefinite detention

    <p>‘Streeting would apparently prefer that people just hide what was “wrong” with them and carry on regardless’ </p>
    Voices

    Wes Streeting is punching down on young people with ADHD

    <p>Despite evidence of a mental health crisis among men, there’s still a stigma attached to seeking help</p>
    Health and Wellbeing

    ‘Therapy isn’t just about feelings’: Readers on why men fear help

    <p>Despite evidence of a mental health crisis among men, there’s still a stigma attached to seeking help</p>
    Health and Wellbeing

    ‘Therapy isn’t just about feelings’: Readers on why men fear help

    <p>Despite almost four years of tough talk about the Russian threat, countries like Britain have seen their firepower shrink since 2022</p>
    Voices

    Why a war with Europe has never looked so tempting to Putin

    <p>In ‘Nightbitch’, Amy Adams plays an artist who pauses her career to be a stay-at-home mum – before her nightly routine takes a surreal and horrifying turn</p>
    Voices

    Everything in my life seems to have gone wrong at once

    <p>‘I’m sad and angry about this choice. That anger would exist even if I didn’t have a child, and even if we weren’t involved with Girlguiding’</p>
    Voices

    Those banning trans girls from Girlguiding need to look at Brownie Law

    4 December 2025
    The Independent View

    Why Vladimir Putin insists the war in Europe must go on

    <p>Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has denied reports he hopes to form an electoral pact with the Conservative Party, following reports, citing unnamed donors, that he believes such an agreement is ‘inevitable’</p>
    Voices

    Even tactical voting will not help Labour survive a Tory-Reform pact

    <p>‘The chorus of outrage that has greeted David Lammy’s plan to curb the right to trial by jury is predictable, but rather extreme’</p>
    Voices

    Who needs juries anyway?

    <p>As the gulf grows between the haves and the have-nots, feelings of discomfort around being rich can be a natural response</p>
    Money

    ‘Shame is a waste of time’: Readers on wealth and philanthropy

    <p>Sarah Everard was murdered by police officer Wayne Couzens</p>
    Voices

    The police have learned nothing from Sarah Everard’s murder

    <p>One danger that David Lammy must reassure public and parliament about is any sense that jury trial as a democratic backstop is about to end</p>
    The Independent View

    The jury is still out on David Lammy’s ‘swift court’ reforms

    <p>As several MPs pointed out, if only 3 per cent of trials are heard in front of juries, reducing that number to, say, 1.5 per cent is hardly going to speed things up significantly</p>
    Voices

    David Lammy’s jury lay-offs aren’t swift justice – they’re a sellout

    <p>It is often the postie who spots that something is wrong with the elderly customers they say hello to. Or they might notice an unexpected build-up of unopened mail at a customer’s home. This is as much social service as it is business</p>
    Voices

    Denmark’s postal service is sending Royal Mail a chilling message...

    Voices

    Denmark’s postal service is sending Royal Mail a chilling message...

    James Moore
    <p>It is often the postie who spots that something is wrong with the elderly customers they say hello to. Or they might notice an unexpected build-up of unopened mail at a customer’s home. This is as much social service as it is business</p>
    <p>Residents of Tunbridge Wells collect bottled water after a failure at a treatment site meant that the supply was shut off to the Kent town (Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)</p>
    Voices

    How did Tunbridge Wells become the spa town that ran dry?

    <p>‘The average privately owned car spends 98 per cent of its life parked in the street – surely the maddest £10,000-£50,000 investment known to humanity’</p>
    Voices

    Who will mourn my beloved Zipcar?

    <p>‘When you’re carrying a baby, you become hypersensitive to touch, sound and every single ache and twist and lurch. You know each stage of the baby’s development intimately: from tiny sunflower seed to giant watermelon’</p>
    Voices

    Sienna Miller is busting the final pregnancy taboo in plain sight

    <p>‘Like a consultant tracing symptoms back to their root cause, we need to step back and ask what truly lies behind the unrest. And though this might not fit neatly with what the British Medical Association wants to say, I don’t think it should focus on pay’ </p>
    Voices

    I’m a doctor – here’s how I feel about the strikes

    <p>‘Like a consultant tracing symptoms back to their root cause, we need to step back and ask what truly lies behind the unrest. And though this might not fit neatly with what the British Medical Association wants to say, I don’t think it should focus on pay’ </p>
    Voices

    I’m a doctor – here’s how I feel about the strikes

    <p>Andreas’s view was that his paper was to be positioned above the rest, in tone and quality.</p>
    Comment

    ‘Anything threatening independence for monetary gain was off limits’

    <p>‘Kemi’s blistering and bombastic riposte at the despatch box last Wednesday was both strikingly effective and proof that she has finally found her footing’</p>
    Voices

    If Kemi Badenoch carries on like this she’ll be prime minister ...

    <p>Andreas Whittam Smith at the 1986 launch of The Independent, Britain’s ‘first new quality broadsheet newspaper since early Victorian times’</p>
    Voices

    I count myself lucky to have worked for Andreas Whittam Smith

    <p>‘Witkoff would also appear to share with Trump the ability – honed in business – to gauge how things might look from the other party’s perspective and tailor his approach accordingly. It’s a simple schtick but it works a treat’</p>
    Voices

    Trump’s man in Moscow: is Steve Witkoff about to seal a Ukraine deal?

    <p>‘It is at least encouraging that the prime minister has tried to return to the growth agenda and welfare reform in his latest speech’</p>
    The Independent View

    This PM has changed the Labour Party once – he must now do so again

    <p>Reeves wants more people to invest in British companies. They’re not going to do that if they think the game is rigged</p>
    Voices

    If Rachel Reeves was CEO of a company, she’d have been fired by now

    <p>Chancellor Rachel Reeves has come under fire for her ‘misleading’ statements prior to last week’s Budget</p>
    Voices

    What are the charges made against Reeves in relation to the Budget?

    <p>On World Aids Day, England launched an Action Plan to become the first country in the world to end new HIV cases</p>
    Voices

    Ending HIV in England shows the power of patient-centred healthcare

    <p>Andreas Whittam Smith, the co-founder of The Independent, who had an ‘urbane style that disguised a steeliness that could be quite chilling’</p>
    Voices

    Andreas came over to the news desk and gave us a pay rise on the spot

    <p>Jeremy Corbyn at the inaugural conference of Your Party in Liverpool</p>
    Voices

    Why Your Party will end up as no one’s party

    <p>‘“We've got to come together and be united,” said Corbyn. Meanwhile, Sultana was furiously briefing the press outside the conference hall. May the left wing never change!’</p>
    Voices

    The revolution will not be organised: Your Party farce on day one

    Voices

    The revolution will not be organised: Your Party farce on day one

    Kat Brown
    <p>‘“We've got to come together and be united,” said Corbyn. Meanwhile, Sultana was furiously briefing the press outside the conference hall. May the left wing never change!’</p>
    <p>Rachel Reeves told broadcasters on Sunday that a £4.2bn surplus against her fiscal rules would not have been enough</p>
    The Independent View

    A return to Budget ‘purdah’ would be no bad thing for Labour

    <p>‘Adam Raine confided his darkest thoughts to the chatbot – but no emergency protocol was forthcoming. The faux-therapy speak it used to reply would be laughable were the outcome not so tragic’</p>
    Voices

    OpenAI says a suicidal teenager should’ve read their fine print

    <p>‘“I do not know how I will survive this winter,” Osama told me. “The heavy rains have not arrived yet, but even so, rain is already falling inside the tent”’</p>
    Voices

    Winter in Gaza has washed away the memory of my childhood comforts

    <p>‘While obviously it’s frustrating to learn that someone on a dating app isn’t ready to date, it seems like a kinder and more polite way of letting a person know they aren’t interested in seeing you again’</p>
    Voices

    Can’t handle rejection? You shouldn’t be dating, then

    <p>‘While obviously it’s frustrating to learn that someone on a dating app isn’t ready to date, it seems like a kinder and more polite way of letting a person know they aren’t interested in seeing you again’</p>
    Voices

    Can’t handle rejection? You shouldn’t be dating, then

    <p>Donald Trump meets with Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August</p>
    The Independent View

    When will Donald Trump see that Vladimir Putin wants this war?

    <p>Rachel Reeves faced a smaller-than-expected gap in her spending plans at the Budget, despite warnings the black hole could amount to more than £20 billion (James Manning/PA)</p>
    Voices

    Rachel Reeves is misleading people about her Budget choices

    <p>Families of Covid victims protest in 2023 at the government response to the virus</p>
    Voices

    My daughter and I bear the cost of the inadequate Covid response

    <p>One of George Orwell’s concepts in his futuristic novel ‘1984’ was writing machines</p>
    Voices

    Most novelists believe AI will replace them. Sadly, they’re right

    <p>The government needs to start thinking of reasons why young people should stay in the UK</p>
    Voices

    Starmer has another problem – young people are fleeing Britain

    <p>Starmer’s workers’ rights U-turn has provoked furious denunciations from MPs and trade unionists</p>
    The Independent View

    Starmer’s employment rights U-turn is a sharp move

    <p>‘It’s the end of an era. McDonald’s has replaced it with a McFish Happy Meal. But it just doesn’t work for us. Many young children can’t bite through a bun’</p>
    Voices

    I’m a ‘McDonald’s mother’. How dare they come for our Happy Meals

    <p>‘You don’t have to fancy women to feel that you’d really like to take a turn at being an average man, as Prince William himself put it, rather than being pushed into all the additional, relentless effort of being the “even better” wife’</p>
    Voices

    Every woman I know wants a wife to run the show

    <p>Starmer’s workers’ rights U-turn has provoked furious denunciations from MPs and trade unionists</p>
    The Independent View

    Starmer’s employment rights U-turn is a sharp move

    <p>‘It’s the end of an era. McDonald’s has replaced it with a McFish Happy Meal. But it just doesn’t work for us. Many young children can’t bite through a bun’</p>
    Voices

    I’m a ‘McDonald’s mother’. How dare they come for our Happy Meals

    <p>‘You don’t have to fancy women to feel that you’d really like to take a turn at being an average man, as Prince William himself put it, rather than being pushed into all the additional, relentless effort of being the “even better” wife’</p>
    Voices

    Every woman I know wants a wife to run the show

    <p>‘Starmer clearly feels that having delighted his MPs with a “Labour Budget” he can capitalise on their approval’</p>
    Voices

    Why Starmer thinks he’s got Rayner and the left on the run

    <p>‘I moved to Sydney a month after my 31st birthday last September, one of tens of thousands of Brits to take advantage of the Aussie government upping the British working holiday visa age limit to 35. Turns out I’m hardly an outlier’</p>
    Voices

    Can you blame young people like me for fleeing Britain?

    <p>‘Watch the web: over the next few days: you’re going to see stories about the old couple who had their bank accounts cleaned out or the carer whose kids aren’t going to get any Christmas pressies despite their diligent saving’</p>
    Voices

    How AI turned Black Friday into a bonanza for scammers

    <p>Grace Richardson, who, in winning Miss England, has been described as the first ‘openly lesbian’ contestant to do so</p>
    Voices

    Are we really still describing people as ‘openly’ gay?

    <p>Frieda Hughes feels she can momentarily watch the birds as she shifts from one artistic endeavour to another</p>
    Voices

    As one project ends, the next looms large

    The Independent View

    Is this the ‘change’ that Britain voted for?

    <p>‘This is our money we’re talking about. We have a stake in what they do and what they pay their CEOs. We have an interest in whether they are misusing our funds’</p>
    Voices

    Who will save the critically endangered big City fatcat?

    <p>The chancellor doubled down on pensioners’ triple lock in her statement on Wednesday</p>
    Money

    ‘We used to be working people’: Pensioners defend triple lock

    Thank you for registering

    Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in