O n a small residential close in Willingdon, near Eastbourne on the southeast coast, Peter Birchall shares his humble 50ft-by-30ft garden with 180 native plant species, a fox, and many other animals. “My neighbours just have lawn. There’s no biodiversity, their gardens
W e’re all set for a grand show of splendid isolation tomorrow. William and Harry will keep their distance at their grandfather’s funeral procession, walking separately on either side of a cousin. And the Queen will sit at some distance from the
Today’s daily politics briefing Health secretary Matt Hancock was given a 20 per cent share in a company owned by his sister shortly before it won a lucrative NHS contract, it has emerged. Topwood Ltd of Wrexham, a document-shredding firm, was awarded
Care homes in England are being “failed” by the rollout of rapid lateral flow covid tests, a study author has warned after finding the pilot scheme had little to no impact on the scale of outbreaks in care settings. Findings published in
Coronavirus death rates are twice as high in insecure jobs as in other professions, new research suggests. The TUC said workers on a contract that does not guarantee regular hours or income, such as zero-hours contracts or casual work, and those in
A former Whitehall procurement chief breached official rules after taking on a trustee role at a professional body without seeking advice on the appointment. Bill Crothers had already been under fire after it emerged he had worked for Greensill Capital while still
Russian intelligence was behind a major cyber attack that effected more than 100 major US firms as well as branches of the US government, the UK foreign office has revealed. In a statement the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said British
The head of a Whitehall watchdog has called for “urgent” reform of the system for vetting private sector appointments for senior civil servants and ministers, warning that “there doesn’t seem to have been any boundaries at all” for an adviser who moved
The ousted Myanmar ambassador to the UK has pleaded with the British government for help as he faces eviction from his London residence. Kyaw Zwar Minn was locked out of his own embassy last week and forced to sleep in his car
Health secretary Matt Hancock received shares in a family firm that went on to win a lucrative health service contract, it has emerged. Official records show that document-shredding company Topwood Ltd of Wrexham, was awarded a three-year £150,000 contract from NHS Wales
Around six in ten young women feel anxious about being out on the streets more as the UK emerges from lockdown, a new study has found. Research, shared exclusively with The Independent, discovered almost half of the women who are suffering from