Author: David Pike

UK must reverse Brexit if Donald Trump wins election, Keir Starmer told Britain must urgently rebuild ties with Europe if Donald Trump is elected on Tuesday, pro-EU campaigners have warned. With the prospect of a brutal global trade war looming, critics of the UK’s current Brexit deal have said the country needs to rejoin the customs union, single market or the bloc itself to shield itself from the devastating fallout. The former president has threatened…

Robert Fisk: University to set up public archive on work of renowned The Independent journalist Funding of €200,000 (£167,800) has been given to Trinity College Dublin to set up a publicly available archive on the work of the renowned journalist Robert Fisk of The Independent who passed away in 2020. Over his 30-year career with the newspaper, he continued his reputation as one of the best-known Middle East correspondents who spent his career reporting from…

Jeremy Hunt’s Treasury may have broken the law by hiding Budget black hole, says OBR Treasury officials under Jeremy Hunt “broke the law” by failing to report a black hole in the public finances to the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR), MPs have been told. Richard Hughes, chair of the watchdog, made the accusation to the Commons Treasury select committee during a hearing on the Budget. It comes amid a row over claims made by…

Labour accused of ‘traumatising’ farmers in inheritance tax raid amid warning over mental health crisis Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailRachel Reeves has been accused of “traumatising” farmers with her new inheritance tax raid on a sector already grappling with a mental health crisis.Farmers will have to pay 20 per cent of tax on inherited agricultural assets worth more than…

Hornby to sell loss making miniature car maker Oxford Diecast Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailHornby has agreed to sell off a loss-making subsidiary which makes Oxford Diecast models.Shares in the scale models group rose after it confirmed the deal, which comes as part of a strategy to boost profitability at the Mike Ashley-backed business.The Margate-based company told shareholders it…

Sectioned patients to avoid being locked in cells in overhaul of mental health system Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in healthGet our free Health Check emailPatients sectioned under the Mental Health Act will have more dignity and a say over their care under proposed reforms to what has been described as an “outdated” system.Among the changes as part of the Mental Health Bill, which will…

How much house prices are predicted to go up across the UK in five years’ time Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailForecasters have predicted that the average house price across Britain will be 23.4%, or £84,000, higher in five years.Savills expects the typical property value to reach £442,000 by the end of the five-year period to 2029, from £358,000 currently.The…

Royal news – live: Queen Camilla withdraws from engagements after becoming unwell with chest infection Prince William confronted by founder of The Big Issue in awkward interactionGet the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailThe Queen has been forced to withdraw from all engagements this week after falling ill with a chest infection.Buckingham Palace said Camilla, who has recently returned from a busy…

Ban to stop children from ever smoking a cigarette to be introduced in Parliament Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailA ban to stop children from legally smoking tobacco when they become adults is set to be introduced in Parliament.The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which aims to create the “first smoke-free generation”, will prevent anyone born after 1 January 2009 from…

Tory MP Mark Francois who used ‘racial slur’ made shadow defence minister by Kemi Badenoch A Tory MP who used a ‘racial slur’ against the Japanese – and then claimed he was complementing their defence industry – has been appointed a shadow defence minister. The Japanese government officially complained about the comments, made in the House of Commons by ex-armed forces minister Mark Francois. Japan is considered one of the UK’s closest allies in the region, and…

Sir Keir Starmer insists he has responded to Sir Alan Bates’ Post Office letters after postmaster rebuke Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he has written back to Sir Alan Bates about compensation for Horizon victims after the former post office worker claimed to have been snubbed by the Prime Minister. The recently knighted subpostmaster, 70, had told MPs he wrote to Sir Keir around a month ago requesting help for those affected by the scandal.…

Ban to stop children from ever smoking a cigarette to be introduced in Parliament A ban to stop children from legally smoking tobacco when they become adults is set to be introduced in Parliament. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which aims to create the “first smoke-free generation”, will prevent anyone born after 1 January 2009 from legally smoking by gradually raising the age at which tobacco can be bought, It is hoped the “historic” legislation…

Scores of taxi drivers given licenses despite having convictions for violent offences Scores of taxi drivers have been able to obtain licenses despite having convictions for violent offences, a charity has found. Data obtained following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request reveals drivers with convictions, including for violent crimes like assault, battery and harassment, have still been given licences even though licensing authorities are aware of the offences they committed. The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, a…

Delivery driver’s f-word slur towards colleague not a sackable offence in the North, tribunal rules A delivery driver who called his female colleague a “f***ing m***” during an argument over doughnuts in the office was unfairly dismissed, a judge ruled. Robert Ogden was sacked from his role at the wholesale provider Booker in 2023 when he left the woman in tears after making comments about her weight and her attendance at weight loss classes. However,…

Cause of Wales train crash which killed man and injured 15 is revealed An automated system that helps train wheels grip tracks failed on a train involved in a fatal crash in mid-Wales, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said. One passenger died while four other people were seriously injured in the crash on 21 October, and a further 11 required hospital treatment. David Tudor Evans, 66, was killed while travelling on the westbound service…

Royal news – live: Queen Camilla withdraws from engagements after becoming unwell with chest infection Prince William confronted by founder of The Big Issue in awkward interactionGet the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailQueen Camilla is unwell with a chest infection and has withdrawn from her engagements this week, Buckingham Palace has announced.A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “Her Majesty The Queen is…

Starmer increases university tuition fees for first time in eight years University tuition fees will increase in England for the first time in eight years as part of a major overhaul of the higher education system, education secretary Bridget Phillipson has announced. The announcement appears to set Labour on course for a clash with one of their biggest voter bases, students. It follows other groups losing out with 10 million pensioners hit by the removal…

Why is Bonfire Night celebrated? Guy Fawkes’ Gunpowder Plot explained “Remember, remember, the fifth of November, “Gunpowder, treason and plot! “We see no reason, “Why gunpowder treason, “Should ever be forgot!” Every 5 November we remember the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 – a thwarted act of terror in which a cabal of Catholic conspirators planned to blow up the House of Lords to rid England of King James I. The plot is commemorated every autumn…

Kemi Badenoch reveals shadow cabinet as Tugendhat ‘snubs shadow cabinet role’ – liv New Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has unveiled her shadow cabinet, with senior roles for Priti Patel, Chris Philp and leadership rival Robert Jenrick. After a combative leadership contest, Mr Jenrick – a staunch advocate of leaving the European Convention on Human Rights – was handed the justice brief, while Mr Philp was appointed shadow home secretary, Ms Patel given foreign affairs, and…

CCTV: Sexual predator lures lone woman into car Ghulan Mohammed, 36, preyed upon the woman as she walked through Leicester city centre on 17 December, last year. After approaching the woman, who was in her 20s, Mohammed drove her around in his car for more than two hours. In the early hours of the following morning, he was seen pulling up at a petrol station, where he and the woman got out the car. She…

Domestic abuse victim’s home address leaked to ex-partner after data breach A domestic abuse victim said she was left fearing for her life after a company which obtains restraining orders accidentally leaked her home address to her ex-partner. Speaking to The Independent, Lola* said the data breach happened when she was applying for a non-molestation order through the National Centre for Domestic Violence several years ago. Lola said the centre served her abusive ex-partner the…

Working with Kamala – and bracing for Trump: How Starmer is preparing for US election Since becoming prime minister on 5 July, Sir Keir Starmer has only met with one of the two candidates hoping to be elected president – and it was not with his natural Democrat ally Kamala Harris, but Republican rival Donald Trump. The lack of a meeting between Ms Harris and Sir Keir was not a snub from either side but…

Warning issued over ‘unsettling’ pension trend which could wipe out savings during retirement Experts have warned of an “unsettling trend” among pensioners which could see them exhaust their pension in retirement. Analysis of Financial Conduct Authority data found a nearly 30 per cent rise in the number of pensioners withdrawing more than 6 per cent of their pension’s total value in the most recent financial year. More than 280,000 pensioners had a withdrawal rate of…

Farmers say 75% of British food production will be hit by Reeves’s tax raid Rachel Reeves’inheritance tax raid will hit three quarters of food produced by British farmers, industry chiefs have warned, as the government battles a growing backlash over its extension of death tax. Under plans announced in the Budget, inheritance tax will be charged at 20 per cent on farms worth more than £1m, although the chancellor has said that in some cases…

Cancer diagnosis was biggest shock of my life, says Chris Hoy | News Sir Chris Hoy has said being diagnosed with cancer was the “biggest shock” of his life. The six-time Olympic champion revealed last month in a Sunday Times interview that his cancer is terminal after he first made public in February that he was undergoing treatment, including chemotherapy. Speaking in a new BBC documentary, which airs tonight (5 November), Sir Chris explained how…