The Independent UK Politics

Keir Starmer ‘threw Olly Robbins under the bus’ in wake of Mandelson vetting row

Maryam Zakir-Hussain — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 07:34:56 GMT

Exclusive: Helen MacNamara calls Starmer’s decision to sack Olly Robbins ‘unacceptable’

‘I’m voting Reform – it can’t get any worse’: Starmer’s nightmare in England’s ‘bellwether’ election seat

Alex Ross — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 07:33:56 GMT

For 38 years, the voters of Swindon have consistently chosen MPs of the party which ends up governing the country. Ahead of the local elections in May, Alex Ross paid a visit to this bellwether town and discovered the one thing unifying residents was resentment towards the Labour Party and its leader

Reform’s Richard Tice ‘happy to put things right’ after ‘he failed to pay £100k in corporation tax’

James Reynolds — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 07:13:41 GMT

Mr Tice said last year Angela Rayner would resign if she had “any moral decency” after admitting to underpaying stamp duty

No way Lammy wasn’t told Mandelson failed vetting, says former foreign secretary

David Maddox — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:02:38 GMT

Exclusive: In an interview with The Independent, former foreign secretary James Cleverly sets out the reasons why ministers must have known Peter Mandelson had failed his security vetting

More than half of UK voters support rejoining the EU, study finds

Athena Stavrou — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 20:15:35 GMT

Majority of voters back the government’s current push to ‘reset’ relations with the EU, experts find

This is what should have happened in Mandelson’s security vetting

Sam Kiley — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:49:31 GMT

Developed Vetting is designed to insulate the UK against employing people in sensitive jobs who are vulnerable to blackmail or bribery, writes Sam Kiley

Even ex-Reform voters are considering backing the Green Party, its newest MP says

Millie Cooke — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:27:39 GMT

Hannah Spencer tells Millie Cooke that Reform voters, disappointed by the party’s progress after it vowed to challenge the establishment, are turning to the Greens amid growing disenchantment with politics

No 10 knew Mandelson failed security vetting seven months ago, as revealed by The Independent

David Maddox and Kate Devlin — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 19:52:00 GMT

The Independent put revelations that Peter Mandelson had failed MI6 vetting for the US ambassador role to Downing Street in September – but a ‘furious’ Sir Keir insists he did not know until this week