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The government announced today that it would add an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill requiring platforms to "remove this content no more than 48 hours after it is flagged to them." Platforms that do not do so would potentially face fines of 10 percent of "qualifying worldwide income" or have their services blocked in the UK. The amendment follows outrage over the Elon Musk-owned chatbot Grok's willingness to generate nude or sexualized images of people, mainly women and girls, which forced a climbdown
The board employs more than 50 social workers to conduct the assessments, but some children have said they are out to get them. The report finds that in some cases the process has led to children's deteriorating mental health, including self-harm and suicidal ideation, and that going through a Home Office age assessment is far more severe and traumatic than a comparable experience with a local authority social worker.
The UK government has not said when the money will be made available or over what period. It had already announced 445m for rail projects in Wales at last June's spending review, and has now explained that money will go towards building each of the seven stations. Initial work on five of the south east stations will begin later this year, with construction on two of them beginning in 2029. While no timescales have been announced, it is expected that Magor and Undy will be the first station to be completed.
As part of a full-frontal attack on benefits, Jenrick also said the Motability scheme, which enables disabled people to lease a new car, scooter or powered wheelchair to help them be independent, would be reformed to end abuse where expensive cars are handed out for conditions like tennis elbow, and paid for by working people who can't afford those cars themselves.
Almost everybody, including Keir Starmer, can see that the Peter Mandelson affair provoked a genuine political crisis. The media were right to make it headline news. But it also shows the febrile atmosphere in which politicians and the media conspire to turn every incident into an issue of confidence in leadership, and we are becoming a country where it is impossible to focus on the long term.
I can now say what I like about the Secretary of State, I've never met him or spoken to him but I know him to be a two-faced bully who doesn't care about Norfolk, who doesn't care about local government, who doesn't even care about his own Labour councillors.
This is the moment that Rachel Reeves was heckled by a member of the public during a visit to Sainsbury's. On Wednesday (18 February), the Chancellor paid a visit to a Sainsbury's Superstore in Sydenham, south-east London where she received a tour of the supermarket. As she was speaking to a cashier, an individual walked past her and called her a genocide supporter, in what appears to be a reference to the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
Now he breaks the fourth wall and, with something like incredulity, says what's the point of asking him to identify his own weaknesses when all he'll give is a politician's answer. Reminded he's no longer a politician, Blair replies as honestly as at any point in the encounter: You're always a politician. It is one of the more satisfying exchanges in Michael Waldman's series, which, depending on your view, is either a futile exercise in confirming one's existing prejudices about Blair, or more than three hours of great telly.
If employers want to bring workers from overseas, then they must also invest in the skills of workers already in Britain, Starmer said in May. At the same time, we will wean our national economy off its reliance on cheap labour from overseas. The end result will be a reformed immigration system that no longer ignores the millions of people who want the opportunity to train and contribute.
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.
Some long-time supporters said they no longer wish to fund the organisation, arguing that the service is "encouraging illegal activity" and is "shocking and unacceptable." One critic told The Sun: "It's shocking to see a charity effectively acting as a taxi service for people breaking the law." A donor told The Sun, "It's shocking. They're saving lives, yes - but they're also sending the wrong message. "Stop funding them until they rethink this."
Energy consultancy Cornwall Insight predicts that the Ofgem price cap will drop 7 per cent to £1,641 a year for a typical dual-fuel household when it is reset on 1 April. The forecast reduction is slightly smaller than Cornwall Insight's previous estimate of an 8 per cent, or £138, cut, reflecting a recent uptick in wholesale energy prices. Ofgem is due to confirm the official cap level by 25 February for the period running to 30 June.
Local election administrators have warned that councils face "an uphill struggle" to be ready in time for the May local elections after the government reversed its plan to delay some votes. Local Government Secretary Steve Reed had initially approved delays in 30 council elections in England until 2027. But the government abandoned plans to postpone ballots after advice was given that the move could be unlawful.
"This is a government-in-waiting team," Farage told reporters. "Robert brings experience, energy, and the know-how to fix Britain's finances."
