The Independent - September 24, 2024

In this issue

September 24, 2024

PM urges Labour to take the pain then reap the gain

Sir Keir Starmer will tell an “exhausted Britain” that the tough decisions he is taking for the short term are the first steps towards national renewal and higher living standards.

3 mins

Sack 'poisonous' Case now, top ministers urge Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer is being urged by several cabinet ministers to sack the top civil servant in Whitehall immediately and stamp his authority on the new Labour government.

3 mins

The knives are out, so just how long can Case hold on?

Fans of the cabinet secretary, Simon Case – and there still are some despite all the recent backstabbing – say that he is the ideal top civil servant because he possesss the invaluable gift of anticipating trouble and “he can see round corners”.

5 mins

Free school breakfast clubs from April but winter fuel cuts to remain, says Reeves

Rachel Reeves has announced that hundreds of schools will host free breakfast clubs from April as she doubled down on her controversial decision to abolish winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners.

2 mins

Reeves smiles through the storm (or was it a grimace?)

Rachel Reeves glided through the morning media circus wearing a Stepford Wives smile that said, “Honestly, everything’s just peachy” when we all knew that, actually, it was anything but.

3 mins

Do MPs need stricter rules on receiving 'freebies'?

Revelations about “freebies” received by the prime minister and several senior ministers from a single donor, the media and tech entrepreneur Lord Alli, drew widespread public disapproval and overshadowed the start of the Labour Party conference.

3 mins

'Sometimes you can literally hear an assault taking place'

Inside the UK's 24/7 national domestic abuse helpline

4 mins

Flash floods bring a month's worth of rain in 24 hours

Parts of Britain have been struck by flash floods after some areas saw more than a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours.

4 mins

Rioter, 14, let off because of stern scolding from parents

A 14-year-old boy caught up in the post-Southport riots was so sternly told off by his parents that police and prosecutors decided to take no further action.

4 mins

Revealing long-lost secrets of the real First World War

Archaeologists investigate a major European battle fought more than 3,000 years ago in the late Bronze Age collapse

5 mins

Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon kill hundreds in a single day

Beirut hit as civilian's flee in deadliest 24 hours since 2006

4 mins

Focus on action rather than talk, says France's new PM

France’s new prime minister Michel Barnier – meeting his cabinet ministers together for the first time yesterday – has told them to focus on action rather than stunts as he sought to change voters’ perceptions that previous governments had been too arrogant.

2 mins

Failed Trump assassin wrote a note offering $150,000 for 'finishing the job', says FBI

A Florida man accused of a botched assassination attempt against Donald Trump on 15 September sketched out his plan in a handwritten note that offered a six-figure payout to anyone who could finish off the former president.

2 mins

Marxist outsider takes oath as new Sri Lanka president

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a Marxist-leaning politician and leader of the People’s Liberation Front – JVP or Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna – has been sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president after winning the election with 42.31 per cent of the vote.

4 mins

Seven dead in Japan due to flooding in quake-hit areas

The death toll from record levels of rainfall that hit the northern part of Japan's Noto peninsula has risen to seven, authorities said yesterday.

2 mins

It seems Rayner's not such a working class hero after all

The current row over Labour Party donations has been rumbling on for some time, but the latest revelation about Angela Rayner’s alleged hiring of a £57,000-plus-a-year photographer is particularly disheartening.

2 mins

The hills are alive... with the sound of Brits flying the coop

When the most English man in England decides he’s Austrian, maybe Brexit hasn’t been the saviour of our national identity that was promised.

2 mins

A sobering truth behind the anti-alcohol movement...

I am scared about the future of wine.

2 mins

Ukraine will fight street to street to keep Russians out

Now facing constant bombing, soldiers and residents in the eastern Donetsk city of Pokrovsk tell Askold Krushelnycky about the drawn-out siege they are bracing themselves for

7 mins

UK faces 'critical shortage' of skilled tradespeople

The UK faces a critical shortage of skilled tradespeople that threatens to undermine ambitions on housing and net zero, a new report is warning.

2 mins

City sailing into title waves without talismanic anchor

A red card and a late goal saved the day for Manchester City but Rodri's injury could have far more telling consequences

3 mins

Vexed Verstappen swears he is close to pulling the plug

Away from the sweat-inducing action on track, it was a tempestuous Formula One weekend in Singapore.

4 mins

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The Independent has been at the frontline of journalism since 1986, with its mission to challenge and debate always ahead of its time. The Independent is free-thinking and free of bias in an increasingly fragmented world where communities locally, regionally and across continents are disenfranchised with traditional establishments. They want real facts and frank opinions delivered first-hand from a news source that is ready to stand for something, not everything.