The Independent - October 29, 2024

In this issue

October 29, 2024

No shortcuts in a realistic Budget, country is warned

Sir Keir Starmer has issued a grim warning on a Budget that is expected to feature record-breaking tax rises.

3 mins

Reeves warns one Budget can't fix 14 years of damage

Rachel Reeves has warned that tomorrow’s Budget will just be the beginning of painful measures to fix “14 years of Tory damage”.

3 mins

Streeting: NHS cash will not ward off winter woes

The NHS faces “real problems this winter”, the health secretary has admitted as he refused to rule out the prospect of people waiting on trolleys and in corridors over the coming months.

3 mins

Fears over 120,000 OAPS losing winter fuel payments

Pensioners eligible for help to pay their heating bills this year, even after Rachel Reeves's reforms, still face monthslong delays in processing claims, The Independent can reveal

4 mins

Robinson handed 18-month jail term for court breach

Far-right activist Tommy Robinson has been jailed for 18 months for contempt of court after he admitted breaching an injunction preventing him from repeating libellous allegations against a Syrian refugee.

3 mins

Private schools 'could fall apart' if hit by double tax

Private school parents could face a further fee hike if a national insurance increase is announced in the Budget in what has been called an “extra tax” on top of the government’s controversial new VAT policy.

4 mins

PM all at sea after 'cock-up' over freeports statement

Sir Keir Starmer mistakenly announced that Rachel Reeves would unveil five new freeports in tomorrow’s Budget, in what officials have reportedly dubbed a “total cock-up”.

1 min

Starmer shocked by footage of his MP 'punching man'

A video of suspended Labour MP Mike Amesbury appearing to punch a constituent was “shocking”, the prime minister has said.

2 mins

Fertility rate in England and Wales plunges to record low

The fertility rate in England and Wales has dropped to its lowest level since records began, new government data shows.

2 mins

Paedophile who made AI images jailed for 18 years.

A man has been jailed for 18 years after creating AI-generated images of child sexual abuse in an “utterly chilling” landmark case.

3 mins

Big Apple rotten to the core at Trump's Garden party

A 'surreal' return to New York saw 19,000 people cheer on crude insults and attacks nine days before the US election

5 mins

Depardieu sexual assault trial postponed until March

Gerard Depardieu’s trial on charges of sexually assaulting two women on a film set was yesterday postponed until March due to concerns about the actor’s health.

4 mins

Look to Ireland to embrace the true spirit of Halloween

Anna Hart speaks to historians, spiritual leaders and revellers about Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival now enjoying a resurgence but which the Irish were forcibly taught to forget

6 mins

Zoopla says £113bn of sales in pipeline as market surges

An estimated £113bn-worth of homes are working their way through the buying process in what marks the highest level of new sales agreed since autumn 2020, according to the property website Zoopla.

1 min

Gift economy: John Lewis to hire 12,500 festive staff

The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) is set to hire 12,500 temporary staff this festive season in its largest seasonal recruitment drive to date.

1 min

The 'fight has been called off' for staggering Ten Hag

Man United sack manager with the club 14th in league

4 mins

Defiance proved no match for a bizarre brand of chaos

Erik ten Hag has a class of defiance that sometimes made him sound a man apart.

4 mins

'I'll be back through No 10's doors one way or another'

We all know Maro Itoje's leadership qualities in rugby, but he tells Harry Latham-Coyle he has big ambitions off the pitch

5 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.