In this issue

June 29, 2022

Met to be monitored by police watchdog after series of 'high-profile incidents'

Britain's biggest police force is to be placed under special measures after a series of scandals. The Metropolitan Police will be under increased scrutiny as part of a monitoring process instigated by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) "to help it make improvements".

4 mins

Cancer campaigner Dame Deborah James dies aged 40

Campaigner and podcast host Dame Deborah James has died aged 40 after a lengthy fight with bowel cancer, her family has said in a statement.

2 mins

PM asks Nato to 'step up spending amid Wallace row

Boris Johnson will call on Nato allies to step up their defence spending in the face of the threat from Russia, despite a scathing attack from his own defence secretary, Ben Wallace, about the UK's "smoke and mirrors" military budget.

3 mins

Nato urged to station up to 25,000 troops in Baltic area

Baltic states are urging Nato to increase the number of troops earmarked to defend their corner of Europe against Russia to as many as 25,000 after secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg promised the "biggest overhaul ... since the Cold War".

3 mins

PM reveals Falklands row with Argentina's president

Boris Johnson has revealed that he had a “frank" exchange with Argentina's president Alberto Fernandez about British sovereignty of the Falkland Islands at the G7 conference.

2 mins

Police use new law to seize protester's sound system

Police have seized amplifiers and speakers used by a longrunning anti-Brexit protest outside the Houses of Parliament, under a new anti-protest law pushed through by Priti Patel.

3 mins

Sturgeon's legal gamble is unlikely to secure indyref2

Nicola Sturgeon is a brilliant politician, possibly the best in the UK, but even she cannot conceal the weakness of her position. Yesterday, she unveiled with great fanfare her plan to hold a legal second independence referendum, on 19 October 2023: her plan is to ask the UK Supreme Court if she is allowed to.

3 mins

Hospitals bring back masks weeks after rules relaxed

Hospitals are bringing back requirements for masks on wards just weeks after rules were relaxed as Covid rates spike, The Independent can reveal. Experts have warned of a surge in cases, believed to be the fifth wave, with one in 40 people in the UK testing positive for the virus.

3 mins

What the census tells us about future challenges

The latest census figures show that the population of England and Wales has increased by 6.3 per cent during the past decade.

2 mins

Delays to restoration of parliament criticised

A unilateral decision by parliamentary authorities to rip up plans for the restoration of the Palace of Westminster could result in billions of pounds in extra costs, decades of delay and “extraordinary” health and safety risks, a spending watchdog’s report has warned.

3 mins

Hajj pilgrims turned away at airports after booking chaos

British Muslims who booked travel to Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage have been turned away at UK airports amid chaos over a new booking system introduced by the kingdom.

3 mins

Universal credit has driven up crime rate, study finds

The government's flagship universal credit benefits system has driven an increase in the crime rate across Britain, a new study has found.

4 mins

Fifty migrants found dead 'stacked' up in Texas truck

Officials report that the death toll in the horrific incident where bodies were found "stacked" inside a truck's tractor-trailer near San Antonio has grown to at least 50 people.

2 mins

Japan Swelters In Hottest June Heatwave Since 1875

Japan is reeling under the worst June heatwave the country has seen in nearly 150 years, with temperatures topping 35C in Tokyo for days on end.

1 min

Read all stories from The Independent

The Independent Newspaper Description:

The Independent has been at the frontline of journalism since 1986, with its mission to challenge and debate always ahead of its time. The Independent is free-thinking and free of bias in an increasingly fragmented world where communities locally, regionally and across continents are disenfranchised with traditional establishments. They want real facts and frank opinions delivered first-hand from a news source that is ready to stand for something, not everything.