95 minutes ago Salah halts Bournemouth’s charge and sends Liverpool nine points clear

Liverpool march on as league leaders, departing with no little relief from Bournemouth. Arne Slot’s team had not fallen into the traps Andoni Iraola’s team have used to sink top-four opponents this season. Mohamed Salah, with customary efficiency, scored twice to claim the three points. If his first came after a highly debatable penalty award, the second, a left-footed chip hit like a prime Tiger Woods approach shot, was a goal of inarguable beauty. It meant Liverpool had negotiated one of their most demanding remaining assignments and sent the pressure back into Arsenal’s fraying mindset. The post-match celebrations reflected the importance of victory.A game too far for Bournemouth? They were unchanged, as necessity has demanded for weeks now, Liverpool able to field the same XI that swept aside Ipswich last week. A lack of jeopardy in the week’s Champions League action meant only Andy Robertson and Cody Gakpo had played at PSV Eindhoven. Continue reading...

Politics

26 hours ago Badenoch not at all worried about ‘protest party’ Reform ahead of rally in constituency

Nigel Farage is set to hold a rally with Reform UK members in Kemi Badenoch’s constituency on Friday evening

Events

25 hours ago Reed seeks to reassure farmers as forecasts show 9% farmland shift for net zero

To meet environmental and climate targets, the Government predicts that 1.6 million hectares of England’s land may need to change its use by 2050.

Politics

28 hours ago Kemi Badenoch dismisses Reform UK as a 'protest party' despite their surging poll numbers

The rally in Quendon, North West Essex, is expected to see speeches from all five of Reform's MPs with the party boasting the area is a 'target seat'.

Events

28 hours ago Philp’s ‘patronising’ comment about Britons’ work ethic show Tories ‘out of touch’, TUC says – politics live

General secretary highlights ‘legacy of 14 years of falling living standards under the Tories’In an article for the Guardian, the Labour MP Clive Lewis said Rachel Reeves’ growth speech this week means the party has abandoned its pre-election green commitments.Here is an extract.A growing suspicion looms that our government lacks a coherent governing philosophy or ideological compass beyond the vague pursuit of “growth”. But if growth at any cost is the mantra, the costs will soon become painfully clear. Why pledge to be clean and green, only to undermine that commitment with a Heathrow expansion promise six months later? Burning the furniture to stay warm doesn’t signal confidence – it reeks of panic.Regardless of the motivation, Labour has crossed the Rubicon. Approving Heathrow expansion is an irreversible break with our pre-election pledges. In 2021, Reeves stood in front of the Labour party conference and declared that she would be the “first-ever green chancellor”. Now, Labour...

Politics

29 hours ago Tory Chris Philp accused of ‘brass neck’ after saying UK needs better work ethic

Shadow home secretary says fact 9 million people are out of work shows Britain must ‘up our game’UK politics live – latest updatesOne of Kemi Badenoch’s senior team has been accused of “real brass neck” after saying Britain needed a better work ethic.Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said there were 9 million working-age people not in work and Britain needed to “lift our game and to up our game”. Continue reading...

Politics

32 hours ago Tory bid to celebrate Brexit anniversary marred by spat between Badenoch and Patel over party’s migration record – UK politics live

Kemi Badenoch issues rebuke to Priti Patel after former home secretary defends rise in migration since BrexitThe SNP are using the fifth anniversary of Brexit to restate their call for the UK to “at the very least” rejoin the customs union and the single market. This is from Stephen Gethins, the SNP’s Europe spokesperson.For 5 years, Westminster’s deliberate and damaging denial of Brexit has hit people in the pocket, hurt our businesses and harmed our relationship with our nearest neighbours. “It was political and economic madness 5 years ago – and its damage is deepening by the day. It was a decision Scotland never voted for, but we have been left paying the price. Sir Keir Starmer has spent an awful lot of time talking about a reset with our EU partners, but the reality is that the only reset which will work is to – at the very least - rejoin the EU single market and the customs union.The decision to exit the EU implemented five years ago has had a devastating impact on the Welsh ...

Politics

32 hours ago ‘Mistakes were made’ by previous Tory government, says shadow home secretary

It came after Kemi Badenoch appeared to slap down Dame Priti Patel over immigration figures.

Politics

33 hours ago Kemi Badenoch's Tories slip to third behind Nigel Farage's Reform UK in new poll

Exclusive: The latest Techne UK tracker poll for The Independent comes as Nigel Farage prepares to hold a Reform UK rally in Kemi Badenoch’s Essex constituency

Politics