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
BulletinTrump latest
More
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>Elon Musk and Donald Trump in the Oval Office</p>
Sean O'Grady

Elon Musk’s latest Trump spat could end the Maga saga for good

If the ‘trainwreck’ Tesla boss goes through with launching the America Party – bankrolling a new presidential candidate with his almost limitless wealth – it would do more than just derail Trump’s second term, asks Sean O’Grady

<p>BP’s sponsorship of Tate galleries was ended after protests by climate change activists at Tate Britain</p>
Jonathon Porritt

We banned cigarette ads for public health – fossil fuels must be next

<p>Prime minister Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner have pledged 300,000 new social and affordable homes</p>
Charlie Nunn

Building affordable homes would generate growth for Britain

<p>Former Labour leader Lord Kinnock has suggested that Keir Starmer should now consider imposing a wealth tax</p>
Chris Blackhurst

The bottom line? Britain can’t afford to impose a wealth tax

Iran Protests Anniversary
Vahid Beheshti

For ordinary Iranians, ending Tehran's nuclear capability is the chance of a lifetime

<p>‘I had the misfortune of stumbling across Lynx’s ad for its “lower body spray” for teenage boys’</p>
Georgina Fuller

A ‘lower body spray’ for boys? What fresh hell is this…?

<p>‘At their best, our universities are not echo chambers or political tools: they are places where ideas are tested, debated, challenged and refined’</p>
Lord Smith

The man who wants to lead Cambridge and the day he feared for his life

<p>Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has refused to rule out scrapping EHCPs</p>
James Moore

Why, as a special needs parent, changes to my child’s support scare me

<p>Lynx were driven to extinction in the UK hundreds of years ago</p>
Voices

Releasing lynx into the wild would be disastrous for Britain’s farmers

Sean O'Grady

Did Jaguar ‘go woke and go broke’? No, it’s more complicated than that

<p>‘His only workable argument – and it is admittedly a powerful one at the level of simplistic slogans – is: “How could we do worse?”’</p>
John Rentoul

Could Nigel Farage do worse as prime minister? You better believe it

<p>We are a year into the new government, and it is hard to detect that tolerance for drugs in prison is any closer to zero than it was before</p>
The Independent View

Eradicating drugs from prisons is unrealistic – but should be the goal

<p>Tim Davie, director general of the BBC, has been criticised this week after its coverage of the performance of Bob Vylan</p>
Alan Rusbridger

There’s a conflict of interest at the heart of the BBC over Gaza

<p>If Rachel Reeves does have to break manifesto promises, she needs to persuade people that the alternatives are worse</p>
The Independent View

Rachel Reeves should be as open as possible about tax rises

<p>‘For all its eccentricities, the tradition of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism is an important example of cultural freedom’</p>
Michael Day

The Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday puts Tibet back in Xi’s firing line

<p>Rachel Charlton-Dailey receives £558 a month in PIP – which she expects will be lost under Labour’s welfare cuts</p>
Rachel Charlton-Dailey

If Labour cuts my PIP, I lose everything I have worked for

<p>Wonder Woman is a queer icon and yet she is omitted from the DC Comics Pride Anthology</p>
Peter Tatchell

Why it’s time Wonder Woman was allowed to live her bisexual truth

<p>‘While some locals may well be fed up with the fuss surrounding the Bezos/Sanchos wedding, it could be argued that 200 extra people is neither here nor there in a city that welcomes some 30 million tourists each year’</p>
Angelina Villa-Clarke

Sorry, Mr Bezos, it’s no wonder you’re not welcome in Venice in June

Explore news for you

More Voices

<p>Health Secretary Wes Streeting</p>
Health

‘Lofty ambition, little detail’: Readers react to Labour’s NHS plan

Health

‘Lofty ambition, little detail’: Readers react to Labour’s NHS plan

<p>Health Secretary Wes Streeting</p>
<p>‘For all its eccentricities, the tradition of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism is an important example of cultural freedom’</p>
Voices

The Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday puts Tibet back in Xi’s firing line

<p></p>
Voices

The big risk to Trump from his big beautiful bill won’t come from Musk

<p>Lord Tony Woodley said the IPP jail term is 'not right and not fair'</p>
Voices

IPP sentencing is still bring shame upon our legal system

<p></p>
Business Comment

The markets don’t do sympathy – but they want Reeves to stay (for now)

<p></p>
Business Comment

The markets don’t do sympathy – but they want Reeves to stay (for now)

<p>Keir Starmer being interviewed by Nick Robinson</p>
The Independent View

It’s time to show us things are going to get better, prime minister

<p>‘Starmer has had the worst first year of any prime minister since 1945’</p>
Voices

One year on, is Starmer still the best man Labour has for the job?

Most commented

Starmer braced for fresh rebellion over reforms to special needs support

161 comments

Ukraine war latest: Russian minister found dead hours after being sacked by Putin

152 comments

Texas flood latest: More rain forecast after 90 killed, including 27 at Camp Mystic

277 comments

Corbyn and Sultana’s new breakaway party will only boost Farage, Neil Kinnock warns

520 comments
Join the Conversation

More Voices

<p>The amount of money raised by new companies in London has slumped</p>
Voices

Is London’s stock market in crisis?

<p>Trump Immigration</p>
Voices

Right now, Trump can do no wrong – except in Washington DC

<p>None of the achievements of the 1945 Labour government would have been possible without the leadership of Clement Attlee</p>
Voices

After Labour’s first year, Starmer could learn from ‘one-term Attlee’

<p>Jeremy Corbyn has yet to confirm the news, but it doesn’t look good for the PM (Jonathan Brady/PA)</p>
Voices

Will Corbyn’s new party prove to be Starmer’s mission impossible?

<p>The injustice of the IPP system has been widely recognised</p>
Voices

It is time to release prisoners trapped by inhuman endless jail terms

<p>‘The socials are whittling you away as you watch TikTok and Instagram’</p>
Voices

Youth is wasted on the young – and recent reports prove it

<p>Jeremy Corbyn has yet to confirm the news, but it doesn’t look good for the PM (Jonathan Brady/PA)</p>
Voices

Will Corbyn’s new party prove to be Starmer’s mission impossible?

<p>The injustice of the IPP system has been widely recognised</p>
Voices

It is time to release prisoners trapped by inhuman endless jail terms

<p>‘The socials are whittling you away as you watch TikTok and Instagram’</p>
Voices

Youth is wasted on the young – and recent reports prove it

<p>‘I was going to say, “We’re all human,” but, giving as good as Badenoch does, there are times one wonders if she is’</p>
Voices

Badenoch’s lack of empathy over Reeves will come back to haunt her

Voices

Badenoch’s lack of empathy over Reeves will come back to haunt her

Sean O'Grady
<p>‘I was going to say, “We’re all human,” but, giving as good as Badenoch does, there are times one wonders if she is’</p>
<p>Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves (second left), prime minister Sir Keir Starmer (right) and health secretary Wes Streeting (second right) at the launch of the government’s 10-year health plan during a visit to the Sir Ludwig Guttman Health & Wellbeing Centre in east London</p>
The Independent View

The success of this government now rests in Wes Streeting’s hands

<p>Rachel Reeves with Keir Starmer at the launch of the NHS 10-year plan</p>
Voices

The markets have spoken – they, not the PM, have saved Rachel Reeves

<p>‘Starmer, Reeves and Wes Streeting launched the 10-year NHS plan today to sell the message that the pain of tax rises will be worth it if the health service can be made to work again. A functioning NHS is Labour’s equivalent of 1982’s economic recovery’</p>
Voices

Are you ready for the ‘politics of pain’ about to hit us?

<p>Major new NHS plan vows to end ‘8am scramble’ for GP appointment</p>
Health

Have your say: Can Labour’s 10-year plan finally fix the NHS?

<p>Major new NHS plan vows to end ‘8am scramble’ for GP appointment</p>
Health

Have your say: Can Labour’s 10-year plan finally fix the NHS?

<p>Rachel Reeves appeared openly upset at PMQs</p>
Voices

Watching Rachel Reeves crying in the Commons was quietly devastating

<p>Rachel Reeves (right) appears to wipe away tears as Keir Starmer responds at the despatch box during PMQs </p>
Voices

It’s hard to see how Rachel Reeves can survive

<p>In the most extreme cases, hoarding can be a presentation of a distinct psychological disorder and has been linked to OCD</p>
Voices

My messy bedroom is out of control. Am I a hoarder?

<p>3 July 2025</p>
The Independent View

Welfare reform has been postponed, but it isn’t going away

<p>‘Instead of analysing why the system run by the Department for Work and Pensions is putting so many people on PIP, they simply decreed that less should be spent on it’</p>
Voices

Only Angela Rayner has emerged with her reputation intact

<p>Casandra Ventura spent years in a romantic relationship with Sean "Diddy" Combs — but her bravery in holding him accountable in a courtroom shows how hard it is for women to get justice</p>
Voices

The Diddy trial verdict was difficult to watch

<p>(L-R) Billy Strachan, Simon Weston, Dorothy Lawrence, Sir Nicholas Winton and Douglas Bader: ‘It’s people who use banknotes. The people I’ve suggested should be celebrated’</p>
Voices

The Bank of England wants new banknotes: let’s start with war heroes

<p>‘Knockout blows are about as common as someone scoring in the Eton Wall Game – about one per decade. Badenoch didn’t just score, she smashed the ball through the back of the net’</p>
Voices

Has Badenoch shown the killer instinct to save her as Tory leader?

<p>Donald Trump visits ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, a new secure facility to house 5,000 migrants in Florida</p>
Voices

Alligator Alcatraz will get the thumbs up from Trump’s Maga supporters

<p>Prime minister Keir Starmer</p>
Voices

Starmer has been given two black eyes – here’s how he can fight back

<p>Wildlife experts have said lynx could be the answer to managing the UK’s deer population</p>
Home News

Poll: Should lynx be reintroduced to the British countryside?

Home News

Poll: Should lynx be reintroduced to the British countryside?

Lauren MacDougall
<p>Wildlife experts have said lynx could be the answer to managing the UK’s deer population</p>
<p>Keir Starmer has defended his government’s record as he faces a major revolt on welfare reforms</p>
The Independent View

Keir Starmer must now take the road to political recovery

<p>‘Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves’ absence rather underlined the loneliness of Liz Kendall’s task’</p>
Voices

There is one winner in the welfare debate… and it isn’t Liz Kendall

<p>How long can a party function in permanent opposition to itself?</p>
Voices

MPs have weakened Starmer – but the greatest damage is to themselves

<p>Karishma Patel, former BBC newsreader</p>
Voices

I quit the BBC over Gaza – Glastonbury proves I was right to do it

<p>Karishma Patel, former BBC newsreader</p>
Voices

I quit the BBC over Gaza – Glastonbury proves I was right to do it

<p>Welfare revolt splits readers over Starmer's leadership</p>
UK Politics

‘Strong leader’ or ‘out of touch’? Welfare revolt splits readers

<p>Keir Starmer has much to be proud of as he marks his first year in office</p>
The Independent View

Even after the welfare rebellion, it is too soon to write off Starmer

<p>Education secretary Bridget Phillipson suggests people have more kids to counter falling fertility and birth rates</p>
Voices

‘Have more children’ – but who can afford to start a family, minister?

<p>Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset</p>
Voices

Glastonbury wouldn’t be Glastonbury without a political protest

<p>The Bob Vylan performer led crowds on the Glastonbury Festival’s West Holts stage in chants of “death, death to the IDF”</p>
Voices

Despite the Bob Vylan furore, Glastonbury still belongs at the BBC

<p>Entry-level jobs are down due to AI in the workplace, according to a report by Adzuna </p>
Voices

If AI kills off entry-level jobs, can the City survive?

<p>Prime minister Keir Starmer has pledged reforms to the welfare system</p>
Voices

The welfare U-turn means Starmer no longer leads but follows his party

<p>Police have again raised concerns about the size of the crowds that attend Notting Hill Carnival, amid questions over whether organisers can secure funding for more stewards</p>
Voices

Notting Hill Carnival belongs in the streets, now more than ever

<p>‘Competition is a good thing, but in a time of tight budgets, it is better to work in collaboration with other willing partners. The Earth’s climate does not recognise national boundaries’</p>
Voices

Earth doesn’t recognise boundaries – we must collaborate for Net Zero

<p>‘If Sir Keir cannot turn things round after his difficult first year as prime minister, the fear of many voters that mainstream parties are “all the same” will be justified’</p>
The Independent View

This is the last chance for Labour and the Tories to stay relevant

<p>This week, Rosamund Hall selects her favourite Australian chardonnay </p>
Voices

In defence of the most hated white wine in the world

Voices

In defence of the most hated white wine in the world

Rosamund Hall
<p>This week, Rosamund Hall selects her favourite Australian chardonnay </p>
<p>Universal healthcare free at the point of need is a noble idea but it desperately needs Labour’s reforms to work if it is to survive</p>
The Independent View

This 10-year plan may be the last chance to save the NHS

<p>‘Both parts of his confession to Baldwin were unwise in the extreme. It was unwise to admit that he doesn’t always read his speeches before he delivers them – or that he doesn’t always read them “properly”, which is the same thing’</p>
Voices

I thought I knew what Keir Starmer believed – now, it’s anyone’s guess

<p>‘Not only did I feel lighter, but, for the first time since my son’s death, I felt hope that things might actually change’</p>
Voices

Wes Streeting is right to listen to bereaved parents – and I am one

<p>Anna Wintour with the late Queen Elizabeth at London Fashion Week in 2018: As my mother put it, ‘There’s ‘Country Life’ for the life you want, ‘Hello!’ to gawp at other people’s lives and ‘Private Eye’ for the truth behind the lives’</p>
Voices

Farewell, Anna Wintour – Queen of editors with a nuclear-force power

<p>Anna Wintour with the late Queen Elizabeth at London Fashion Week in 2018: As my mother put it, ‘There’s ‘Country Life’ for the life you want, ‘Hello!’ to gawp at other people’s lives and ‘Private Eye’ for the truth behind the lives’</p>
Voices

Farewell, Anna Wintour – Queen of editors with a nuclear-force power

<p>If every time I picked up the wine bottle to top up my glass – over a healthy dinner! So civilised! – it reminded me that I was increasing my risk of cancer, I suspect I might put it back down</p>
Voices

Putting cancer warnings on alcohol would help me drink less

<p>It is incomprehensible that the government was proposing cuts to disability benefits without concluding their consultations with groups representing disabled people</p>
The Independent View

The prime minister’s welfare U-turn is to be welcomed

<p>The Prince of Wales has been criticised for breeding his cocker spaniel</p>
Comment

I’m with Prince William – there’s a reason people want pure-breed dogs

<p>Sir Keir Starmer has U-turned in the face of a massive Labour rebellion over welfare cuts</p>
Voices

Starmer’s authority isn’t the only thing dented by his benefits U-turn

<p>Countries around the world need help</p>
Voices

Why it is time for a new era for global aid and development

<p></p>
Business Comment

There is one statistic that should worry Reeves and Starmer the most

<p>Keir Starmer has described the spraying of paint on military planes at RAF Brize Norton as ‘vandalism’ and ‘disgraceful’</p>
Voices

Starmer used to defend the kinds of protesters he now calls terrorists

<p>The chancellor claims the UK economy has ‘turned a corner’ – the Bank of England’s governor, meanwhile, suggests the opposite is true</p>
Voices

When it’s Rachel Reeves vs Andrew Bailey, I know who my money’s on

<p>Aid help in Kenya</p>
Voices

Global aid is about more than money and charity – it helps us all

<p>‘It feels as if Keir Starmer is now more likely than not to cease being prime minister before the end of this parliament’</p>
Voices

Starmer’s welfare humiliation is a turning point for his government

<p>Freida Hughes has lived in the same house for 21 years, cultivating the garden in that time</p>
Voices

I opened up my garden to strangers – here’s how it went

Voices

I opened up my garden to strangers – here’s how it went

Frieda Hughes
<p>Freida Hughes has lived in the same house for 21 years, cultivating the garden in that time</p>
<p>Sir Keir Starmer departs 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister’s Questions</p>
UK Politics

Have your say: Has Starmer been weakened by Labour’s welfare revolt?

<p></p>
The Independent View

Delaying welfare reform is better than bad welfare reform

<p>‘While some locals may well be fed up with the fuss surrounding the Bezos/Sanchos wedding, it could be argued that 200 extra people is neither here nor there in a city that welcomes some 30 million tourists each year’</p>
Voices

Sorry, Mr Bezos, it’s no wonder you’re not welcome in Venice in June

<p>‘I know politics is said to have sped up, but we have reached that stage five years earlier with Starmer, and the big difference is that most people expect Labour to lose its majority at the next election’</p>
Voices

Don’t blame Morgan McSweeney – this welfare mess is Starmer’s fault

<p>‘I know politics is said to have sped up, but we have reached that stage five years earlier with Starmer, and the big difference is that most people expect Labour to lose its majority at the next election’</p>
Voices

Don’t blame Morgan McSweeney – this welfare mess is Starmer’s fault

<p>Readers have called for better ventilation, face masks and vaccines</p>
Health

‘We haven’t learned’: Readers despair over UK’s Covid response

<p>Fed chair Jerome Powell has refused Trump’s demand for lower US interest rates</p>
Voices

Who will Trump pick to replace his ‘terrible’ and ‘stupid’ Fed boss?

<p>‘Even some cabinet ministers think privately that Starmer will have to back down, or at the very least postpone next week’s vote to avoid a humiliating defeat’</p>
Voices

Facing defeat on welfare cuts, Keir Starmer only has one option

<p>‘Working people don’t care who flips the table – Trump or Mamdani – as long as someone does’</p>
Voices

Zohran Mamdani’s surprise win in New York shows voter hunger for hope

<p>Boys playing football</p>
The Independent View

Rather than weight-loss jabs, encourage us to be fitter and healthier

<p>New York City comptroller Brad Lander was placed under arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and FBI agents outside federal immigration court on 17 June</p>
Voices

Political violence is becoming the new normal of Trump’s America

<p></p>
Voices

The Islamic Republic’s authority is a casualty of its war with Israel

<p>Daniel Hannan predicted that, nine years after the Brexit vote, ‘fuel bills have tumbled’ and there’s ‘shale oil and gas on tap’ </p>
Voices

Dan Hannan, have any of your predictions for Brexit Britain come true?

<p>New York City comptroller Brad Lander was placed under arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and FBI agents outside federal immigration court on 17 June</p>
Voices

Political violence is becoming the new normal of Trump’s America

<p></p>
Voices

The Islamic Republic’s authority is a casualty of its war with Israel

<p>Daniel Hannan predicted that, nine years after the Brexit vote, ‘fuel bills have tumbled’ and there’s ‘shale oil and gas on tap’ </p>
Voices

Dan Hannan, have any of your predictions for Brexit Britain come true?

<p>The purported self-driving capabilities of Tesla vehicles have been called into question by regulators as well as crash victims</p>
Voices

As Tesla’s sales slump, is it time for Elon Musk to step aside?

<p></p>
Voices

Trump’s refusal to accept unwelcome reality is his greatest weakness

<p>Labour’s controversial welfare cuts face a significant hurdle at a crunch Commons vote</p>
UK Politics

Poll: Do you support Keir Starmer’s welfare reform plans?

<p>The current first-past-the-post electoral system is in question</p>
Voices

Why are Tories suddenly in favour of proportional representation?

<p>US president Donald Trump is unhappy with both Iran and Israel, accusing both countries of ceasefire violations</p>
The Independent View

Trump’s shaky ceasefire is not the lasting legacy he had in mind

<p>The Competition & Markets Authority is suggesting a ‘choice screen’ for users, asking whether they want to use Google or an alternative, such as Bing</p>
Voices

It’s time you got off Google and used a different search engine

<p>Keir Starmer and Donald Trump</p>
Voices

Why can’t Starmer say if Trump was right or wrong to bomb Iran?

<p>Joan Collins took to Instagram to bemoan the Lime bikes blocking her path in Kensington, west London</p>
Voices

Robert Jenrick’s next crusade should be against Lime bikes

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