I'm the kind of historian obsessed with small details. I'm not saying that foreign policy or constitutional matters aren't important, but I enjoy the minutiae of daily life, which, when added together, can give you a complete picture of the cultural and social features of an era.
The government will introduce a bill with a so-called dynamic alignment mechanism that will allow the government to align UK standards as the EU evolves its own rules. This mechanism enables quick implementation of changes without the need for a new bill each time.
BBC Sir Keir Starmer believes Lord Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords, or use his title, Downing Street has said. The prime minister has ordered an "urgent" investigation into Lord Mandelson's contact with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while the peer was a government minister. The review comes after another tranche of documents were released, showing the former Labour minister's close relationship with Epstein.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard told the BBC the move - which would prevent Andrew from ever becoming King - was the "right thing to do," regardless of the outcome of the police investigation. Currently Andrew, the King's brother, remains eighth in line to the throne despite being stripped of his titles, including "prince", last October amid pressure over his ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The committees not had a chance to reflect on these allegations because recess means Parliament isn't sitting this week. My task this week is to make sure that the committee's got options in front of them when they meet on Tuesday for how we might or might not take this investigation forward. Obviously, we can't and don't want to compromise a police investigation.
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 Conservatives are calling for a proposed renovation of the Houses of Parliament to be paused and "refocused" over concerns about costs potentially running into the tens of billions. MPs have been presented with proposals to refurbish the ailing Palace of Westminster, including a plan that could cost almost 40bn and take 61 years to complete. The project team has warned delaying the restoration of the historic building, which costs 1.5m a week to maintain, would lead to "an expensive managed decline of the Palace".
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.
Around 5,000 seats across 136 local councils will now be up for grabs, following the government's U-turn on council election delays. Ministers had granted 30 authorities permission to delay elections until May 2027 - including five areas where polls had already been put back from May 2025. But in February, the government said those elections would go ahead in May this year, following legal advice in the wake of a challenge from Reform UK.
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