The 1,640-foot-long National Covid Memorial Wall stretched along the bank of the River Thames, directly opposite the Parliament, as if holding vigil over the nation's corridors of power.
A southerly shift in the jet stream, driven by the freezing conditions across North America, pushed low-pressure systems further south than usual. Combined with a blocking pattern that caused these systems to stall, this set up a semi-permanent south-easterly flow into the UK. As a result, rain has been funnelled in from the surrounding seas into the south-west of England, eastern Scotland, and the east of Northern Ireland, while western parts of
A consultation last July found that 60% of the 44,000 responses backed the idea of taking nature as the theme, just in front of architecture and landmarks on 56%, and way ahead of historic figures at a measly 38%. Whether the public would have been quite so keen if they'd known upfront that household pets would be explicitly excluded from possible designs, I'm not so sure.
Rightwing populism in particular relies on an ever-expanding list of enemies from urban elites to benefit claimants, immigrants to deep-state bureaucrats, diversity officers to leftwing radicals, net zero zealots to mild liberals yet this list always contains a striking omission.
The key driver for introducing a new banknote series is always to increase counterfeit resilience. But it also provides an opportunity to celebrate different aspects of the UK. Nature is a great choice from a banknote authentication perspective and means we can showcase the UK's rich and varied wildlife.
A new campaign is aiming to collect 50 objects that sum up Englishness in an effort to move the conversation away from reductive arguments over whether to hang a St George's flag or not. Supported by the Green party politician Caroline Lucas, the musician and campaigner Billy Bragg, and Kojo Koram, a law professor, the A Very English Chat campaign hopes to tackle England's growing social divisions and political polarisation.
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.
Even before Matt Weston had won his solo gold medal last Friday, skeleton was easily the most watchable sport of the Winter Olympics, because the commentary was so soothing. Tangle with snowboarding and you're going to hear a lot of unfamiliar words grabs, spins, flips and rail manoeuvres accompanied by the modifiers spectacular and ooh, and commentators won't tell you what any of it means because they're too excited, even though that is their one job.
In the early hours of Friday 24 June 2016, the result glowed on my phone: 52%. Barely a majority, but nonetheless a verdict. I lay in my rented bedroom in Devon, still in pyjamas, watching everything I'd planned dissolve. When I saw the headline UK votes to leave EU, my first thought wasn't political. It was: What does this mean for me? It was the final day of my second school placement, the culmination of my teacher training for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).
Occasionally, history generates smooth changes from one era to another. More commonly, such shifts occur only gradually and untidily. And sometimes, as the former Downing Street foreign policy adviser John Bew puts it in the New Statesman, history unfolds in a series of flashes and bangs. In Caracas last weekend, Donald Trump's forces did this in spectacular style. In the process, the US brushed aside more of what remains of the so-called rules-based order with which it tried to shape the west after 1945.
Seventy-two different metrics were assessed and divided into these categories: economy (GDP per capita, employment levels, wage rate); research and development (number of patents, startups and presence of top universities); cultural interaction (proximity to World Heritage Sites and number of theatres, museums, stadiums and hotel rooms); livability (life expectancy and rent prices); environment (air quality and waste recycle rate); and accessibility (the price of a cab and the number of international flights).
So, on Sunday 25th January, members of the reenactment society will converge on The Mall from all across the country, some arriving already dressed in buff coats and broad-brimmed hats, others changing into period clothing on arrival. There are pikes to be shouldered, muskets checked, and a few tentative practice swings as old drill is recalled, before the ranks are set and order restored.
Some of the best hotels in Scotland exist outside of the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow -but that's not to say you can't find somewhere exceptional to stay wherever you wish to lay your head across the country. Whether you're looking for a cosmopolitan city break or hoping to explore Scotland's stunning coastline on the road trip of a lifetime, there's somewhere stunning for any type of traveler.
A deepening area of low pressure will head north eastwards across the UK on Thursday, bringing heavy rain and potentially strong winds. The exact track of the low is uncertain, so it's best to keep an eye on the forecast as the week progresses and we firm up on the details. A Yellow warning for rain covers southern England, southeast Wales and parts of the Midlands, with 20 to 40mm of rain expected widely.
The palace, rebuilt after a fire destroyed it in 1834, is falling apart. There have been 36 fire incidents since 2016. Water leaks, heating failures and sewerage problems plague the heart of this Unesco world heritage site. Fixing Westminster would save money in the long run. An upgrade is also a matter of safety and legacy.
The UK's new border control system ETA reaches a new phase in February - but will British dual nationals really be denied entry to the country if they do not have a valid UK passport? Ahead of the end of the 'tolerance period' of the Electronic Travel Authorisation system in February 2026, British dual nationals have been targeted with official messaging suggesting that they will only be able to enter the UK if they have a valid British passport or a certificate of entitlement.
London is the only place in the UK where you can find scorpions, snakes, turtles, seals, peacocks, falcons all in one city and not London zoo. Step outside and you will encounter a patchwork of writhing, buzzing, bubbling urban microclimates. Sam Davenport, the director of nature recovery at the London Wildlife Trust, emphasises the sheer variation in habitats that you find in UK cities, which creates an amazing mosaic of wildlife.
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.
