The Independent - December 17, 2024

In this issue

December 17, 2024

MPs raise fears over China's reach as 'spy' is identified

An alleged Chinese spy who became a close confidant of the Duke of York has been named as Yang Tengbo following a court ruling, as concerns grow over Beijing's reach within British society.

4 mins

Letby's lawyers seek appeal after expert ‘changed mind'

Lucy Letby's lawyers are seeking to launch a fresh appeal over her convictions after claiming that the prosecution's lead witness was \"not reliable\".

4 mins

Follow our lead on defence or pay price, Estonia warns

Starmer urges allies to double down on support for Ukraine

3 mins

Tax changes will risk loss of 125,000 jobs, Reeves is told

Rachel Reeves has been warned that her so-called tractor tax” will not just hit farms but will also put tens of thousands of family businesses at risk along with 125,000 jobs.

2 mins

Starmer reset blow as EU sues over free movement

The European Commission is taking Britain to court over its alleged failure to comply with EU law on freedom of movement after Brexit.

2 mins

How will Labour's plans for devolution actually work?

Angela Rayner, deputy prime minister and still the darling of her party, is a restless woman.

4 mins

New top mandarin echoes PM's warning to Whitehall

The new cabinet secretary Sir Chris Wormald has delivered a stark pre-Christmas warning on his first day on the job as Britain’s top civil servant. In a message to all civil servants across Whitehall, Sir Chris echoed the comments of the prime minister that they must stop being a block to progress, with an enjoinder that “we must do things differently”.

1 min

Archbishop apologises for handling of sex abuse case

The church of England’s second-most-senior bishop, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, has apologised for not acting sooner in the case of sexual abuse carried out by a Church of England priest.

2 mins

Government accused of sewage discharge failure

The government and regulators breached the law by allowing water firms to discharge sewage, a watchdog has ruled.

4 mins

New homeschooling laws after murder of Sara Sharif

The right to home education will no longer be automatic for parents of the most at-risk children, under proposed legislation being unveiled in parliament today.

3 mins

The silent war taking place on Nato's eastern fringes

Narva, on Estonia’s border with Russia, has been targeted by the Kremlin since 2022. Millie Cooke talks to residents and discovers that anti-Russian feeling is by no means universal

4 mins

Germany on course to hold snap election in February

German chancellor Olaf Scholz has lost a confidence vote, putting the European Union’s most populous member and biggest economy on course to hold an early election in late February.

2 mins

'In the last week, there were no attempts to kill anyone'

Sitting in the police headquarters of Homs, in an office that, until last week, was run by the feared intelligence network of Bashar al-Assad, Alaa Omran is holding court.

7 mins

Assad wanted to stay and keep fighting, he claims

Ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad said that he wanted to stay in the country after rebels captured the capital, but the Russian military evacuated him from their base in western Syria after it came under attack.

2 mins

The 'Czech Sphinx' is just what the Royal Mail needs

Controversial as the deal may be, Daniel Kretinsky might be the only man with a realistic prospect of fixing the company, writes James Moore but he is still taking a significant risk

3 mins

Late drama as Cherries and West Ham share the points

The media giant is behind films including the Paddington franchise, Back to Black and Love Actually through its studio business, StudioCanal. London’s stock market has seen several companies move their primary listings abroad, and a raft of listed firms taken private following acquisitions.

2 mins

Fans get 'Battle of Britain' in tough Euro 2025 draw

Holders England and debutants Wales are joined by France and the Netherlands in Group D

3 mins

New year, new City? Pep's crisis demands an overhaul

It was neither the most extreme nor most expensive piece of scrambled thinking by anyone of a Manchester City persuasion.

3 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.