46 h. ago Reform hits 30% landmark as more than half of Tory voters switch to Farage

The latest Techne UK tracker poll results for The Independent

Politics

5 d. ago Defeated Romanian ultranationalist ‘will ask court to annul election’

George Simion claims presidential election rerun was subject to foreign interference, like last year’s annulled ballotThe defeated ultranationalist candidate in Romania’s presidential election rerun has said he will ask the country’s top court to annul the vote on the same grounds – foreign interference – that led to the original ballot being cancelled last year.George Simion, who was defeated in Sunday’s runoff by the liberal mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, said on Tuesday he would ask the constitutional court to void the ballot “for the same reasons they annulled the elections” last year. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Panic stations for Kemi Badenoch as Tories slump to FOURTH in poll

YouGov research found the Conservatives on just 16 per cent support, down two points over the past week.

Politics

6 d. ago Reform supporters get more likes on dating apps than Tories, study shows

Overall, the study showed that Labour, Green and Lib Dem voters had a better chance of getting a match than Reform and Conservative voters.

Politics

8 d. ago ‘The same faces, swapping places’: Polish candidates aim to break two

Libertarian far-right Sławomir Mentzen and hard-left Adrian Zandberg among challengers as country prepares to vote in presidential electionHidden off a charming market square in central Poland, a bar offers the closest physical experience to walking into the internet.Stretching incongruously through medieval basements, Pub Mentzen in Toruń feels like it was designed by someone on a full-fat diet of online politics. As you enter, a gallery wall displays mugshots of “customers we don’t serve”, but instead of rowdy patrons, it features Polish political leaders, including at least five prime ministers. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Canada’s Liberals inch toward majority, but one vote could decide key contest

Quebec recount awarded seat to Liberal challenger by one vote, but a missing ballot could throw contest into disarrayCanada’s Liberal party has inched closer to a majority government after a judicial recount found the party had won an electoral district by just a single vote. But a voter has also claimed her ballot wasn’t counted, throwing the result once more into disarray.Officials at Elections Canada at the weekend finished a recount for the Quebec district of Terrebonne, where the incumbent Bloc Québécois candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné appeared to have beaten her Liberal challenger Tatiana Auguste. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Shock London poll: Nigel Farage’s Reform overtakes Tories in London as Labour slumps

Shock London poll: Nigel Farage’s Reform overtakes Tories in London as Labour slumps  London Evening Standard

Events

1 week ago Nigel Farage’s Reform UK overtakes Tories in London as Labour slumps, shock poll finds

Exclusive survey: Lib Dems and Greens surge in London in backlash against the Government

Events

2 w. ago Lib Dems launch ‘Reform watch’ to monitor party in local government

Exclusive: Ed Davey says Labour and Tories too scared of Reform threat to hold Nigel Farage’s party to accountThe Liberal Democrats have set up an internal “Reform watch” system to monitor Nigel Farage’s party in local government, with Ed Davey saying Labour and the Conservatives are too scared of the threat from Reform to hold it to account.The Lib Dem leader defended his party’s performance in last week’s local elections, saying council contests where they unexpectedly ended up behind Reform mainly happened because of a collapse in votes for other parties. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago My immigrant mother can’t stop saying thank you. Why does that make me uncomfortable? | Gaia Neiman

Amid growing hostility to foreigners, my Italian-born mum feels she should be grateful to be in the UK. Yet she gives so much to a society lucky to have herOn the day of the last general election, my mother rose at 5am to head to the polling station. With any kind of voting, she volunteers her days off from work to help out with the ballots. Although she can’t vote in this country.My mother feels patriotic about her country of origin, Italy, but her home has been England for the past 15 years. She has a British partner, holds legal residence in the UK, and has been paying British taxes as long as she has been here. She never felt fully accepted by people in this country. She is often talked down to because of her accent, although her English is proficient. She also finds some difficulty with everyday things, such as worrying about being understood by her manager or applying for pension assistance – struggling with everything from British humour, to the country’s administration. And ...

Events

2 w. ago Boris Johnson says Tories in a ‘tough spot’ but will ‘recover’

The former prime minister said party leader Kemi Badenoch ‘just needs time to get going’.

Politics

2 w. ago UK politics: Tariffs cut on UK cars, steel and aluminium in US trade deal, says Starmer – as it happened

Car exports will face 10% tariffs while levies on steel and aluminium are cut to zeroTrump and Starmer confirm ‘breakthrough’ UK-US trade dealThe Liberal Democrats treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper has reiterated the party’s position that any trade deal with the US should be put to parliament for approval before being ratified, saying Labour “should not be afraid” of a vote if they are confident a deal is in the country’s best interests.Cooper, the MP for St Albans, said in a statement:Parliament must be given a vote on this US trade deal so it can be properly scrutinised.A good trade deal with the US could bring huge benefits, but Liberal Democrats are deeply concerned that it may include measures that threaten our NHS, undermine our farmers or give tax cuts to US tech billionaires.If it’s correct, and you know, whilst we haven’t been named publicly, it does sound like something’s happening, nevertheless, it would be wholly speculative [to comment].As you appreciate and know full ...

Economics

2 w. ago Tariffs cut on UK cars, steel and aluminium in US trade deal, says Starmer – UK politics live

Car exports will face 10% tariffs while levies on steel and aluminium are cut to zeroTrump and Starmer confirm ‘breakthrough’ UK-US trade dealThe Liberal Democrats treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper has reiterated the party’s position that any trade deal with the US should be put to parliament for approval before being ratified, saying Labour “should not be afraid” of a vote if they are confident a deal is in the country’s best interests.Cooper, the MP for St Albans, said in a statement:Parliament must be given a vote on this US trade deal so it can be properly scrutinised.A good trade deal with the US could bring huge benefits, but Liberal Democrats are deeply concerned that it may include measures that threaten our NHS, undermine our farmers or give tax cuts to US tech billionaires.If it’s correct, and you know, whilst we haven’t been named publicly, it does sound like something’s happening, nevertheless, it would be wholly speculative [to comment].As you appreciate and know full ...

Economics

2 w. ago Car tariffs cut to 10% on US exports says Starmer, after signing Trump trade deal – UK politics live

PM says deal will ‘save thousands of jobs in Britain’ and tariffs on steel and aluminium have been cut to zeroStarmer and Trump to announce UK-US trade dealThe Liberal Democrats treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper has reiterated the party’s position that any trade deal with the US should be put to parliament for approval before being ratified, saying Labour “should not be afraid” of a vote if they are confident a deal is in the country’s best interests.Cooper, the MP for St Albans, said in a statement:Parliament must be given a vote on this US trade deal so it can be properly scrutinised.A good trade deal with the US could bring huge benefits, but Liberal Democrats are deeply concerned that it may include measures that threaten our NHS, undermine our farmers or give tax cuts to US tech billionaires.If it’s correct, and you know, whilst we haven’t been named publicly, it does sound like something’s happening, nevertheless, it would be wholly speculative [to comment].As you appreciate ...

Politics

2 w. ago US and UK set to announce trade deal today – UK politics live

US president set to announce ‘full and comprehensive’ trade deal between UK and US with Starmer due to make statementThe Liberal Democrats treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper has reiterated the party’s position that any trade deal with the US should be put to parliament for approval before being ratified, saying Labour “should not be afraid” of a vote if they are confident a deal is in the country’s best interests.Cooper, the MP for St Albans, said in a statement:Parliament must be given a vote on this US trade deal so it can be properly scrutinised.A good trade deal with the US could bring huge benefits, but Liberal Democrats are deeply concerned that it may include measures that threaten our NHS, undermine our farmers or give tax cuts to US tech billionaires.If it’s correct, and you know, whilst we haven’t been named publicly, it does sound like something’s happening, nevertheless, it would be wholly speculative [to comment].As you appreciate and know full well, with any deal like ...

Politics

2 w. ago Poll: Nigel Farage's Reform predicted to become official Holyrood opposition ahead of Tories and Labour

The Scottish Conservatives are set to slump into fourth place in Scotland, according to a damning new poll.

Politics

2 w. ago PMQs live: Keir Starmer faces anger after local elections as 45 Labour MPs tell him to 'act now'

Prime Minister Keir Starmer will today face Kemi Badenoch at Prime Minister's Questions for the first time since both parties suffered at the local elections last week

Politics

2 w. ago Nigel Farage’s Reform UK storms to record poll high as both Labour and the Tories hit six

The latest YouGov survey put Reform on 29%, up three points on last week

Events

2 w. ago Who are the US cardinals who will vote for the next pope? There are 10, the largest bloc after Italy

The United States is the home country of 10 of the 133 cardinals eligible to vote for the next pope of the Catholic Church

Politics

2 w. ago Britain has one of most difficult voter registration processes, report finds

UK system makes it a ‘real outlier’ among liberal democracies, according to study examining 62 countriesThe UK has one of the most difficult voter registration processes among liberal democracies, according to research that examined 62 countries.Requirements to actively register to vote, meet strict deadlines before polling day and cast a ballot at specific polling stations make the UK a “real outlier internationally”, academics at the University of Manchester found. Continue reading...

Politics