16 h. ago From Taylor Swift to Beyoncé: Brits with celebrity namesakes leave lasting impressions

A survey of Brits who share names with celebrities including Taylor Swift, David Beckham and Beyoncé found that 56% of people say they would never forget someone with a celebrity name

Politics

36 h. ago Peter Tatchell on LGBT+ rights being under fresh threat: ‘I might retire from protest when I’m 95’

Across six decades of activism, Britain’s leading LGBT+ rights campaigner has faced death threats and even had a bullet through his front door. He talks to Emma Henderson about police who won’t apologise for past wrongs and why Hungary should face sanctions over its Pride ban

Events

38 h. ago Sadiq Khan swipes that Rachel Reeves risks 'levelling down London' as he warns Met could see officers cut after police funding squeeze

Sadiq Khan said he was 'disappointed' that the review unveiled by the Chancellor had not committed to new infrastructure in the capital.

Events

40 h. ago Keir Starmer fails to rule out further tax rises to fund his winter fuel U

The Prime Minister refused to set out in the House of Commons how Labour would stump up the estimated £1.25billion needed for his humiliating reversal.

Economics

40 h. ago Government to end use of hotels for asylum seekers – Chancellor

Rachel Reeves set out how funding will be provided to cut the asylum backlog and save taxpayers billions of pounds.

Politics

53 h. ago Trump team considering cutting education funding to California as fight with Newsom grows

It’s not the first time the president has threatened to withhold federal funding from the state

Politics

60 h. ago White House says it will spare some Aids programs that were on the chopping block

Congressional Republicans voice concerns over cuts to signature HIV prevention program, forcing rethink ahead of consequential vote on planned federal funding cuts

Events

65 h. ago Aid cuts push global funding down by a third in 2025, UN data shows

Agency that coordinates humanitarian responses says that for 44 humanitarian crises it has prioritised this year, only around 11 per cent of the required funding as been confirmed, writes Nick Ferris

Politics

66 h. ago US universities are moving to the right. Will it help them escape Trump’s wrath?

Harvard, Columbia and other higher education institutes are facing funding cuts over their policies, but reform may not be the administration’s goalIn 2018, a teaching hospital at Harvard took down 30 portraits of distinguished doctors and researchers affiliated with the hospital. The portraits reinforced a perception that “white men are in charge”, a professor of medicine told the Boston Globe, and were relegated to less prominent areas of the hospital. Some students and faculty welcomed the decision, or were indifferent.Others were disconcerted. They saw the portraits’ removal as the impulsive reflex of a university whose political atmosphere, already liberal leaning, seemed to continually lurch further left. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Day centre mergers and social care cuts back on agenda in Renfrewshire as funding gap grows

Documents, published as part of a consultation, suggest day services for people with learning and physical disabilities be merged.

Politics

3 d. ago The Guardian view on Labour’s tough choices: they are costing the government dearly | Editorial

Austerity-era scepticism runs deep – and Labour’s abstract promises are falling flat as Nigel Farage rises in the pollsThe Labour government’s abrupt U-turn on winter fuel payments – restoring the benefit to more than three-quarters of pensioners – reveals less a change of heart than a sobering realisation in Westminster: after years of austerity, the public no longer gives politicians the benefit of the doubt. The irony is hard to miss. Labour set out to prove that “grown-up” economics means difficult decisions – only to find that once trust is lost, voters won’t accept vague promises without tangible results.It turns out many are sceptical that sacrifices will produce better results for society. That’s why ministers are struggling to justify cuts to disability benefits as a way to “fund” public services – or to convince the public that Britain can’t afford to lift the two-child benefit cap even as ministers claim they will reduce child poverty. There may be more conspicuous retrea...

Politics

3 d. ago Advanced AI suffers ‘complete accuracy collapse’ in face of complex problems, study finds

‘Pretty devastating’ Apple paper raises doubts about race to reach stage of AI at which it matches human intelligenceApple researchers have found “fundamental limitations” in cutting-edge artificial intelligence models, in a paper raising doubts about the technology industry’s race to develop ever more powerful systems.Apple said in a paper published at the weekend that large reasoning models (LRMs) – an advanced form of AI – faced a “complete accuracy collapse” when presented with highly complex problems. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Forget the 'vegan hippie' stereotype! People who follow plant

You might think that vegetarians and vegans are a bunch of peace-loving hippies, but a new study shows that the stereotype of the tofu-eating pacifist couldn't be further from the truth.

Politics

3 d. ago Brits back cuts to foreign aid, benefits and Net Zero to fund the NHS and police

YouGov research has given an insight into the public's priorities as Rachel Reeves prepares to unveil departmental budgets for the next three years.

Events

4 d. ago Cuts to UK’s global vaccination funding would risk avoidable child deaths, experts warn

Exclusive: Scientists also say any reduction in Foreign Office funding for vaccine alliance Gavi would harm UK’s soft powerAny cut in UK funding to a global vaccination group would damage soft power and could make British less resilient to infectious diseases, as well as causing avoidable deaths among children, leading vaccine and aid experts have warned.Scientists including Sir Andrew Pollard, who led the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, said a major cut in money for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) could also make the UK less able to respond to a future pandemic. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Newsom is warned of ‘criminal tax evasion’ if he withholds federal taxes

California governor made threat amid reports Trump is weighing huge federal funding cuts targeting stateThe US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, has warned California governor Gavin Newsom that he would be guilty of “criminal tax evasion” if he withholds his state’s tax payments to the federal government amid threats of a funding cut by Donald Trump.Newsom had threatened to cut tax payments to the federal government two days ago after reports that Trump was preparing huge federal funding cuts targeting Democrat-dominated California, including its state university system. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Corporations are ditching rainbow flags and cutting funding for Pride. LGBT+ people say they won’t forget it

After years of showy tributes and accusations of ‘rainbow-washing’, US companies are shrinking back for fear of Donald Trump, Io Dodds reports

Politics

5 d. ago ‘We are disappearing’: Britain’s first trans judge on Supreme Court defeat – and why she’s challenging it

Victoria McCloud was publicly promoted as a symbol of diversity in the justice system, but this year it changed her legal sex overnight. The Independent Pride List 2025 winner tells Emma Henderson how vulnerable trans people are leaving Britain and why she’s taking on the Supreme Court ruling in an even higher court

Events

5 d. ago The Independent Pride List 2025: the LGBT+ people making change happen

The Independent’s Pride List is back again, celebrating the LGBT+ community’s biggest pioneers over the past 12 months

Politics

5 d. ago Cynthia Erivo and The Vivienne among ‘LGBT+ changemakers’ in 2025 Pride List

The Independent’s Pride List for 2025 also includes Tom Daley, Joe Lycett and Bella Ramsey.

Politics