3 d. ago ‘Hard for me to understand’: grappling with the Charlottesville tragedy eight years on

Author and Charlottesville native Deborah Baker revisits the devastating events of 2017 and examines how they speak to a difficult pastDeborah Baker’s new book, Charlottesville, is about her home town in Virginia, where in summer 2017 white supremacists marched, violence erupted and a counter-protester was murdered. In dizzying detail, Baker charts and reports the chaos. In interludes, she examines the dark history of a city long linked to racist oppression, from the days of Thomas Jefferson, Robert E Lee and slavery to the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and resistance to civil rights reform.Putting it all together was a new challenge for a writer whose books include In Extremis, a biography of the 20th-century poet Laura Riding, and A Blue Hand: The Beats in India. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Reform’s rise explained: Ask chief political commentator John Rentoul anything

The Independent’s chief political commentator, John Rentoul, is here to answer your questions on Nigel Farage’s political shift, Reform’s rising poll numbers, and what it all means for Britain’s future

Politics

5 d. ago Rise of Nigel Farage's Reform UK boosts support for Scottish independence

A new poll puts support for Yes at 54 per cent

Politics

7 d. ago Voices: Oh dear, m’lud: It’s never a good idea to call people Nazis if they are not Nazis

The attorney general Lord Harmer has compared the rise of Reform to 1930s Germany – and it’s not only a mistake but a sign that Labour may be losing its battle with Nigel Farage, writes John Rentoul

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Declining’ is the most common word associated with Britain, damning poll shows

Exclusive: Seven in 10 voters feel ignored by politicians, fuelling the rise of Reform UK, a report by an influential group of Labour backers warns

Politics

2 w. ago The Guardian view on social cohesion: too many of us are still ‘bowling alone’ | Editorial

Three decades on from Robert Putnam’s account of fraying social ties in the US, new research in Britain identifies similar dangersThirty years after writing Bowling Alone, the famous essay in which he diagnosed a dangerous crisis of social cohesion in the United States, Robert Putnam has a right to feel vindicated. In a lecture this spring, Prof Putnam, now 84, warned his audience that, amid levels of polarisation and distrust higher than at any time since the civil war, the US was “in danger of going to hell in a handcart”.Britain is still, thankfully, a long way from the poisonous toxicity of Trump-era America, notwithstanding the ominous rise of Reform and Nigel Farage. But research published this week by the More in Common polling group paints a worrying portrait of communities in which there is a widespread sense of social disconnection, high levels of distrust among the young and a felt loss of shared spaces and rituals.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in ...

Politics

2 w. ago Asiatic lion population grows by a third in five years as conservation efforts pay off

Conservationists warn subspecies found only in India remains vulnerable to genetic inbreeding and risk of extinction from diseases or forest fires

Economics

2 w. ago Glossy black cockatoos could be pushed towards extinction in Victoria if burns go ahead, experts warn

Fire in black sheoak forest of East Gippsland would destroy the birds’ food supply, conservationist says Glossy black cockatoos could be pushed towards extinction in Victoria if planned burns of 13,000 hectares of forest go ahead, ecologists and conservationists warn.The Victorian government is being urged to abandon the burn, which is intended to reduce bushfire risk.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago The huge problems piling up for Welsh Labour ahead of the 2026 Senedd election

The relationship with their UK Government colleagues, the rise of Reform and Plaid Cymru's polling success are just three of the challenges faced by the party as the clock ticks down to voting day

Politics

3 w. ago How Keir Starmer’s new immigration plans won’t beat the far right

Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement comes as the government seeks to curb the rise of Reform UK

Politics

3 w. ago Election expert warns of Conservative collapse in South Ayrshire amid scandal and rise of Reform

Ballot Box Scotland's Allan Faulds said that the rise of Nigel Farage's party was already seeing them as a threat to the Tories.

Events

3 w. ago English test among range of Labour measures to control immigration

Keir Starmer says system ‘will be tightened up’ in all areas, following sharp rise in support for Reform UK in electionsLabour’s immigration shake-up challenges decades of party policyAdults accompanying foreign workers to the UK will be expected to pass an English language test and care homes will be prevented from recruiting staff from abroad as part of a swathe of new measures to be revealed by Keir Starmer to “tighten up” the immigration system.Amid a recent surge in support for Reform UK, the prime minister will say on Monday that overseas arrivals should commit “to learning our language” and will promise to overhaul a “broken system” that encourages businesses to “bring in lower-paid workers”. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Conservative party is fighting for its life, says former Tory cabinet minister

Simon Clarke says ‘pipeline of future voters is dead’ as party figures warn Kemi Badenoch her job as leader is in dangerThe Conservative party is fighting to justify its existence amid concerns that its pipeline of future voters is “completely dead”, a former cabinet minister and leading thinktank director has said.Simon Clarke, an ally of Boris Johnson who backed Kemi Badenoch for the leadership last year, was among a string of former Tory ministers and serving MPs to tell the Guardian she faced removal by her party if she did not turn its fortunes around by next year’s local elections. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Kemi Badenoch should stop 'chasing Nigel Farage's tail' and 'speak less about trans toilets and more about taxes', says George Osborne

Ex-Tory chancellor George Osborne warned the Conservative leader that aping Reform 'isn't going to work' as she seeks to revive her party's fortunes.

Politics

4 w. ago Scottish independence rears its head again as John Swinney talks up IndyRef2 prospects

John Swinney is hoping the rise of Reform will push more Scots towards supporting the end of the Union.

Politics