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Voices

<p>Migrants on board a people smuggler’s boat in the English Channel</p>
John Rentoul

Keir Starmer is angry about illegal migration – but he won’t stop it

The prime minister is fond of squaring up to difficult issues – but in announcing new measures to tackle the spiralling of unchecked migration into Britain, the danger is that he only draws attention to his failures, says John Rentoul

<p>A much-needed boost to defence spending could be funded by asking the average worker to pay the price of a cappuccino a day, says Tobias Ellwood</p>
tobias ellwood

We must raise taxes for defence – is the price of a cappuccino too much to ask?

<p>A Buddhist monk walks near a collapsed pagoda after an earthquake in Mandalay </p>
Christopher Gunness

After the quake, Myanmar needs saving from ruthless military rule

<p>Council tax bills are just one of the ways households will be spending more this year</p>
JAMES MOORE

Energy hikes, stamp duty... what about the price rises we’re missing?

<p>The four-part Netflix series has already made television history – now it will be played in schools</p>
susie mcdonald

Why we need to show Adolescence in schools – before it’s too late

<p>White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks to The Independent's Andrew Feinberg and other members of the news media at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 31, 202</p>
andrew feinberg

Why I asked the White House about gang IDs – and caused a flare-up

<p>Hugh Grant and Renée Zellweger in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’</p>
charlotte cripps

I couldn’t get over my exes – turned out, I was a love addict

<p>Time is running out for international newspapers</p>
Chris Blackhurst

Press freedoms face unprecedented attack around the world

<p>Marine Le Pen will now not be allowed to run for public office for five years</p>
Peter Allen

Le Pen’s party has no chance of winning the presidency without her

<p>Kanye West wears a black KKK outfit during an interview with DJ Akademiks</p>
Michaela Makusha

Kanye’s KKK hood proves something sinister about the Black manosphere

<p>US president Donald Trump believes tariffs on imports will help American firms</p>
The Independent View

The financial markets no longer believe in Trump’s ‘stable genius’

<p>'No mother wants a teddy cuddling a pink prosecco bottle – trust me'</p>
THe Wine Down

No mother wants a teddy cuddling a pink prosecco bottle – trust me

<p>Aung San Suu Kyi’s return to official favour was not on anyone’s list of probable outcomes of the Myanmar earthquake</p>
Peter Popham

How the Myanmar earthquake could hasten Aung San Suu Kyi’s release

<p>‘This is your permission slip to remove the tools which facilitate spending money you don’t want to spend’</p>
The Money Column

Why contactless payments are ruining your finances

<p>Sophie Chandauka, chair of Harry’s charity Sentebale, has suggested she has been targeted because she ‘blew the whistle’ on ‘misogynoir’ within the charity</p>
Afua Hirsch

Prince Harry isn’t the only one with a ‘misogynoir’ problem

<p>Sir Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner during a visit to a construction site in Cambridge</p>
Martha Lane Fox

The planning system is broken. Here’s how we should fix it

By investing in planning skills, we're making a down payment on Britain's future prosperity, writes Martha Lane Fox, president of the British Chambers of Commerce

<p>‘In a week in which we have Trump’s crackers AI video, I would argue that a dog sound bath is the only sane response’</p>
Voices

As the world went Trump mad, I took my pet for a doggy sound bath

<p>‘The solution isn't just pouring more money into treatment. We need a radical shift toward prevention and early intervention’</p>
Voices

Five years after lockdown, child mental health is still in crisis

Explore news for you

More Voices

<p>Increasing energy bills are among a range of price rises coming in in April (PA)</p>
Money

Energy, water, council tax – how are you coping with rising bills?

Money

Energy, water, council tax – how are you coping with rising bills?

Independent
<p>Increasing energy bills are among a range of price rises coming in in April (PA)</p>
<p>US president Donald Trump is not happy with Russian leader Vladimir Putin</p>
Voices

Putin has been playing Trump like a cheap violin

<p>Labour is looking at ways to clamp down on illegal migration with a new summit</p>
Voices

Labour’s illegal migration summit won’t change a thing

<p>Shoppers pass a Woolworths shop on its last day of trading on December 27, 2008 in New Malden, London</p>
Lifestyle

As WH Smith leaves the high street, which lost chain do you miss most?

<p>Steve Witkoff, a real-estate mogul turned diplomat, is Trump’s Middle East peacebroker</p>
Voices

The history of Trump’s man to deliver world peace should worry us all

<p>Steve Witkoff, a real-estate mogul turned diplomat, is Trump’s Middle East peacebroker</p>
Voices

The history of Trump’s man to deliver world peace should worry us all

<p>Sheep have become a common sight around solar farms, saving the farmer money on lawnmowing costs</p>
Voices

Solar energy just saves you money – with AI, could it make you money?

<p>Justin Welby told Laura Kuenssberg he would forgive serial abuser John Smyth if he were still alive</p>
The Independent View

Justin Welby’s forgiveness of abuser shows further lack of judgement

Most commented

Ukraine-Russia live: Moscow responds to ‘very angry’ Trump while drafting 160,000 men

121 comments

US State Department raises concerns over free speech in the UK in rare intervention

189 comments

Global cost of trade war revealed as Lammy says UK ‘preparing for the worst’ – live

189 comments

Starmer admits UK will face Trump tariffs amid global recession fears: Live

264 comments
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More Voices

<p>‘Watching skaters try, fail, and try again is a reminder of something vital. This is the messy, human experience we are missing in modern parenthood’</p>
Voices

An indoor skatepark gave me the community I didn’t find in motherhood

<p>Nearly half of the prisoners in England and Wales go on to commit another crime within one year of being released, and minorities are over-represented among the accused in the UK</p>
Voices

The dangerous effect of overzealous prison sentencing

<p>Sir Keir Starmer must stand up to Donald Trump on tariffs</p>
The Independent View

Stand up to Donald Trump on tariffs, prime minister

<p>Michael Gove (right) with his protege, Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch</p>
Voices

Michael Gove explains why he abandoned Boris Johnson twice

<p>Jimmy Lai has been imprisoned for more than 1,500 days in Hong Kong without a verdict</p>
Voices

Why won’t the British government stand up to China?

<p>A portrait of playwright William Shakespeare, whose works are to be ‘decolonised’ by the charity Shakespeare Birthplace Trust</p>
Voices

Why it is more important than ever to preserve Shakespeare’s legacy

<p>Michael Gove (right) with his protege, Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch</p>
Voices

Michael Gove explains why he abandoned Boris Johnson twice

<p>Jimmy Lai has been imprisoned for more than 1,500 days in Hong Kong without a verdict</p>
Voices

Why won’t the British government stand up to China?

<p>A portrait of playwright William Shakespeare, whose works are to be ‘decolonised’ by the charity Shakespeare Birthplace Trust</p>
Voices

Why it is more important than ever to preserve Shakespeare’s legacy

<p>Monogamy is no longer a superior relationship, according to a new study</p>
Voices

Ever thought about a throuple? Here’s why you might want to try it

Voices

Ever thought about a throuple? Here’s why you might want to try it

Olivia Petter
<p>Monogamy is no longer a superior relationship, according to a new study</p>
<p>‘Once it’s gone, it’s gone, and therefore, farmers argue, they should be properly compensated – not just for them but for their children’</p>
Voices

To end the farmer dispute, the Starmer government should look to India

<p>Donald Trump and Elon Musk speak to the press as they stand next to a Tesla Cybertruck at the White House</p>
Business Comment

The anti-Tesla protests will produce a loser – and it will be Musk

<p>Rachel Reeves brought in controversial welfare reforms in her spring statement</p>
Voices

Who is fighting in Whitehall’s spending wars?

<p>This week, Frieda judged war poems for an annual competition run by the charity Never Such Innocence</p>
Voices

In a time of global conflict, we can learn from war poems

<p>This week, Frieda judged war poems for an annual competition run by the charity Never Such Innocence</p>
Voices

In a time of global conflict, we can learn from war poems

The Independent View

Starmer’s government must now get its messaging in order

<p>King Charles appears to have many interests in common with his current administration</p>
Voices

Is King Charles the ultimate poster boy for Starmer’s Labour?

<p>Visitors looking at the Afro-Atlantic Histories exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Gallery of Art in Washington</p>
Voices

Trump’s attack on the Smithsonian marks an astonishing new low

<p>Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal is preparing to leave the UK after a proposed government crackdown on non-domiciled residents</p>
Voices

Labour must do more to stop the ‘billionaire drain’

<p>WH Smith’s high street stores are to be rebranded as TG Jones</p>
Voices

Say goodbye to WHSmith on our high streets – but it still has a future

<p>‘Trump clearly has this view of himself as more beautiful than he is. But this portrait looks like him. He’s been confronted with the reality and is having a tantrum about it’</p>
Voices

There’s a reason why Trump hates his portrait and it’s not the artist

<p></p>
The Independent View

Under Trump, 80 years of security have been dismantled in as many days

<p>Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron co-hosted Volodymyr Zelensky in Thursday’s Paris summit</p>
Voices

The Paris summit proved that the US and Europe are an ocean apart

<p>‘Trump’s trade vandalism thus looks like a raised middle finger spray-painted across a map of the UK’s struggling manufacturing hubs’</p>
Voices

As Trump targets UK plc, we need to work out who our friends are 

<p>'It's grief, it's trauma, it's sadness', Myleene Klass has spoken out on miscarriage</p>
Voices

Mother’s Day is the hardest day of the year, for one massive reason

<p>Rachel Reeves announced changes to planned welfare reforms in her spring statement</p>
Voices

Labour’s war on the poor will backfire badly – not least among its MPs

Voices

Labour’s war on the poor will backfire badly – not least among its MPs

John Rentoul
<p>Rachel Reeves announced changes to planned welfare reforms in her spring statement</p>
<p>‘We can’t even slap a spiteful but satisfying tariff on Tesla cars because most of the ones in British showrooms are made in Germany or China’</p>
Voices

Donald Trump has just declared economic war on Britain

<p>Rachel Reeves leaving 11 Downing Street for the House of Commons to deliver her spring statement (Stefan Rousseau/PA)</p>
UK Politics

Independent readers react to Rachel Reeves’ spring statement

<p>‘For the morning media round, the defence secretary was wheeled out of his bunker’</p>
Voices

Battle tank Reeves crushes the Tories – but fails to steamroll her own

The Independent View

Rachel Reeves will soon be back to squeeze us again

The Independent View

Rachel Reeves will soon be back to squeeze us again

<p>‘After Reeves confirmed her rules are “non-negotiable” today, the big debate between now and the Budget will be on whether and how to raise taxes’</p>
Voices

No matter what Rachel Reeves says, Labour is delivering Austerity 2.0

<p>Rachel Reeves leaves Number 11 Downing Street to deliver her spring statement </p>
Voices

What Rachel Reeves’ sobering spring statement really means for growth

<p>Alexander Ballinger MP and in his days as a Royal Marine (left)</p>
Voices

I’m a marine-turned-Labour MP. Reeves is missing the point on defence

<p>Rachel Reeves ‘keeps betting on black and the roulette wheel keeps coming up red’</p>
Voices

Rachel Reeves’s sticking-plaster solutions won’t fix the economy

<p>Up to a million people in England and Wales will lose their disability benefits (Alamy/PA)</p>
Voices

With Reeves’ disability cuts, Labour has become the ‘nasty party’

<p>Rachel Reeves’ spring statement is fast approaching</p>
Money

Tell us how you feel about Reeves’ spring statement

<p>‘President Zelensky has been working overtime to find his way back into Donald Trump’s good books, but it has been Vladimir Putin who has been getting all the favours’</p>
Voices

The Black Sea ceasefire is nothing of the kind – it is a great con

<p>The drop in inflation comes as good news for Ms Reeves ahead of the spring statement</p>
Voices

Rachel Reeves’s spring statement will be an exercise in uphill skiing 

<p>Donald Trump is waging war on the media in a way that exceeds anything seen before </p>
The Independent View

We must not underestimate the historic threat Donald Trump represents

<p>‘The recently announced welfare cuts won’t just affect families – schools will suffer too’</p>
Voices

We already feed, clothe and counsel kids – what more can schools do?

<p>Protestors take to the streets in support of Istanbul's arrested mayor Ekrem Imamoglu</p>
Voices

Protests signal a new era in fights for democracy in Israel and Turkey

Voices

Protests signal a new era in fights for democracy in Israel and Turkey

Donald Macintyre
<p>Protestors take to the streets in support of Istanbul's arrested mayor Ekrem Imamoglu</p>
<p>People have been protesting against Tesla across the US </p>
Voices

As Tesla sales tumble, can the EV brand shrug off Elon Musk’s antics?

<p>US defense secretary Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office with Donald Trump</p>
Voices

War by group chat exposes the shambolic heart of Trump’s White House

<p>Amanda Knox: Could I ever be anything more than ‘the girl accused of murder’?</p>
Voices

From ‘Foxy Knoxy’ to Amanda Knox: How I regained control over my story

<p>Rachel Reeves </p>
The Independent View

The challenges facing Rachel Reeves are clear – and painful

<p>Rachel Reeves </p>
The Independent View

The challenges facing Rachel Reeves are clear – and painful

<p>‘History shows that parroting the right-wing playbook only strengthens the far right. Voters tend to prefer the original to the copy’</p>
Voices

Reform’s latest rally is nothing but pure anti-migrant malice

<p>President-elect Donald Trump listens as Steve Witkoff speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Jan. 7, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)</p>
Voices

As Ukraine peace talks continue, Putin is left holding all the cards

<p>Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves at Downing Street</p>
Voices

Is the plan to cut civil service all part of a ‘Trump lite’ strategy?

<p>Chancellor Rachel Reeves appearing on the BBC One current affairs programme ‘Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg’ </p>
The Independent View

A bonfire of civil servants – not

<p>M23 rebel troops seizing control of the Congolese city of Bukavu</p>
Voices

The country where beheadings are rife – but nobody is talking about it

<p>Government borrowing has soared above forecasts last month</p>
The Independent View

Rachel Reeves needs to level with the British people over tax rises

<p>Millions of people across the country are affected by ‘problem debt’ and many are too ashamed to seek help</p>
Voices

The higher earners in problem debt

<p>Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch called the Net Zero plan ‘fiction’ </p>
Voices

Kemi is wrong – net zero is an investment in the UK’s security

<p>Rosamund Hall reveals how to enjoy fine wines (without breaking the bank)</p>
Voices

How to enjoy fine wines (without breaking the bank)

<p>The absolute last thing you do is try to join the bully’s side</p>
Voices

Ed Davey: Trump’s a bully and Farage is his bootlicker

<p>Chancellor Rachel Reeves would be wise to consider the UK’s relationship with the EU as a shortcut to growth</p>
The Independent View

If Rachel Reeves were serious about growth, she would look to the EU

The Independent View

If Rachel Reeves were serious about growth, she would look to the EU

Editorial
<p>Chancellor Rachel Reeves would be wise to consider the UK’s relationship with the EU as a shortcut to growth</p>
<p>Ed Miliband in Westminster last month</p>
Voices

Labour’s hero-worship of Ed Miliband won’t save him

<p>Gwyneth Paltrow</p>
Voices

Gwyneth Paltrow’s views on intimacy coordinators betray her kind

<p>‘Reeves should urgently realise before it is too late that Britain is cutting its nose off to spite its face’</p>
Voices

When it comes to non-doms, Britain’s loss is Italy’s gain

<p>Nigel Farage claims to be a patriot but is a political opportunist, says MP Mike Tapp</p>
Voices

If we want to beat Reform, we must be the party of British values

<p>Nigel Farage claims to be a patriot but is a political opportunist, says MP Mike Tapp</p>
Voices

If we want to beat Reform, we must be the party of British values

<p>Kat Brown (back row, centre) and contributors to her anthology ‘No One Talks About This Stuff’</p>
Voices

Writing a book was meant to be a dream, but it turned into a nightmare

<p>Unilever bosses sniffed the changing wind in Washington, where Donald Trump and his little marionette VP JD Vance are such outspoken champions of free speech, and decided brand integrity wasn’t everything</p>
Voices

How Ben & Jerry’s exposed the limits of Trump’s free speech world

<p>On welfare, Starmer is under fire from the left, who want no cuts, and the right, as the Tories claim he has not gone far enough</p>
Voices

No, Mr Gove, Keir Starmer is not a Tory in disguise

<p>Rachel Reeves will deliver her spring statement on March 26 (Jordan Pettitt/PA)</p>
Voices

Government borrowing has soared – what now, Rachel Reeves?

<p>Hundreds of schools and NHS sites will get funding for renewables in the first major investment by the publicly owned clean energy company, GB Energy</p>
Voices

How to turn Britain into a clean-energy superpower

<p>‘How do you want to live your one and only precious life?’ </p>
Voices

What is it that you’d want to leave behind?

<p>‘I have some sympathy for Liz Kendall as, just when she sets out to get people back into work, the chancellor’s damaging rise in national insurance just made that route out of benefits a lot tougher’</p>
Voices

Labour’s welfare ‘reforms’ are nothing of the sort

<p>Rachel Reeves’s plans for economic growth have faltered, leaving the chancellor with little ‘fiscal headroom’</p>
Politics explained

Is the UK facing a new age of austerity?

<p>‘How do you want to live your one and only precious life?’ </p>
Voices

What is it that you’d want to leave behind?

<p>‘I have some sympathy for Liz Kendall as, just when she sets out to get people back into work, the chancellor’s damaging rise in national insurance just made that route out of benefits a lot tougher’</p>
Voices

Labour’s welfare ‘reforms’ are nothing of the sort

<p>Rachel Reeves’s plans for economic growth have faltered, leaving the chancellor with little ‘fiscal headroom’</p>
Politics explained

Is the UK facing a new age of austerity?

<p>Keir Starmer speaks as he visits a military base to meet planners mapping out next steps in the ‘coalition of the willing’</p>
The Independent View

Sir Keir’s principled ‘coalition of the willing’ is a rallying cry

<p>‘Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to the returning submarine and a public show of support for the new Dreadnought Class is strategically vital’</p>
Voices

As a former submariner, I understand only too well what is at stake

<p>Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu</p>
Voices

Why won’t Netanyahu end the war? The answer is staring us in the face

<p>Friends: Monica, a chronic people-pleaser, wears a turkey on her head in ‘The One With All the Thanksgivings’</p>
Voices

I am a chronic people-pleaser – and I’m starting to drown

<p>‘Han the Robot’ on stage before a discussion about the future of humanity and artificial intelligence (AI) at the RISE Technology Conference in Hong Kong on 12 July, 2017</p>
Voices

AI will decide your future. Here’s why that could be a good thing

<p>Erin Doherty and Owen as Jamie and in 'Adolescence' </p>
Home News

As Adolescence panics parents, what worries you about raising kids?

<p>Liz Kendall sat out the Corbyn years – and was a late arrival in Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet</p>
Voices

Is Liz Kendall now the most formidable woman in Starmer’s cabinet?

<p>‘Within hours of their phone call, Russian forces launched fresh attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Has Trump called out Putin for his treachery? Not a word so far’</p>
Voices

Trump’s handling of Putin is a masterclass in The Art of the Kneel

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