#uk-politics

#uk-politics

Rail fares in England will not be increased in 2026, the government has announced, surprising passengers with the first fare freeze in 30 years. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will confirm a freeze on fares in this week's budget, a move designed to limit inflation, ease the cost of living and support economic growth. Reeves and the prime minister, Keir Starmer, are hoping that measures such as freezing train fares and a package of support for energy bills will help mitigate the political fallout of several expected tax increases.

Cast your mind forward to a year from now. It's more than likely that prime minister's questions will look very different. A change of cast. If not a change of fortune. Keir Starmer may not even make it much further than the end of May. The budget chaos and No 10's curious briefings against itself have left many Labour MPs in despair.

Hussain's resignation comes only hours after he signed a joint statement criticising Zarah Sultana, a fellow founder of Your Party, for transferring 200,000 from a reported 800,000 at the centre of major split in the party. In his letter, Hussain said he had believed he was signing up to "building a political home with mass appeal" and "a force capable of challenging the rise of far-right rhetoric".

Asian markets closed out the week on a negative footing, as the tech-sector rout from Wall Street spilled across the globe. Meanwhile, a raft of concerning data points out of China saw weak retail sales, industrial production, and home price figures. This had a particular impact on tech-focused consumer firms such as Alibaba and JD.com. The weakness in both consumer and business indicators signalled a need to be cautious in the region.

Peter Mandelson, who was sacked as the UK's ambassador to Washington over his association with Jeffrey Epstein, was in contact with the pedophile financier as late as 2016, new emails have revealed. Mandelson was sacked in September over leaked emails in which he expressed his support for Epstein and urged him to fight for early release in 2008 while the disgraced financier was facing charges of soliciting sex from minors.

Local government minister Alison McGovern, on the morning media round for the government, said the BBC should say sorry to Mr Trump for the splicing together of clips of his speech which made it appear he had told supporters he was going to walk to the US Capitol with them to "fight like hell", omitting a section about peaceful protest.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

Rachel Reeves has said she put the public finances on a firm footing at the last budget - but argued that, since then, "the world has thrown even more challenges our way". The chancellor has once again left the blame at the door of the previous government, pointing to "Liz Truss's disastrous mini budget and the 22 billion pound black hole in the public finances". She also pointed to Donald Trump's tariffs and the demand for increased defence spending as she set the stage for sweeping tax rises expected in three weeks time.

"working people"

Nigel Newton asserts that We are programmed deep in our DNA to be comforted by the authority and the reliability of big brand names (AI can help authors beat writer's block, says Bloomsbury chief, 27 October). Hmm. Writers tend to see that certain authors being turned by publishers into big brands is a function of our economic system rather than our genetic makeup, a process backed up by the money that publishers spend on marketing and publicity.

Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

Former Chancellor George Osborne has warned that Reform UK "cannot be trusted to run the economy", accusing Nigel Farage's party of lacking fiscal credibility at a time when economic stewardship is likely to define the next general election. Speaking amid growing scrutiny of Reform's costed plans, Mr Osborne dismissed the party as economically unreliable, pointing to its proposals to lift the two-child benefit cap and nationalise water companies - policies that have already been branded "socialist" by Conservative critics.

Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The government's national security adviser Jonathan Powell made no decisions about the content of any evidence provided in the collapsed case against two men accused of spying for China, a minister has said. Prosecutors unexpectedly dropped charges against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry - who deny the allegations - in September. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch claimed the case collapsed because the government had refused to give the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) "vital information" as it wanted to "curry favour" with China.

"I have not come to this decision lightly," the Tory leader said. "But it is clear that it is necessary to protect our borders, our veterans, and our citizens."