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The ‘great grid upgrade’ is off track – ministers should spell out the risks for bills | Nils Pratley
A National Audit Office (NAO) report has found that the £70bn “great grid upgrade” – the programme to rewire Britain’s electricity transmission network to enable clean power by 2030 – is running behind schedule and over budget, with the watchdog demanding far greater transparency from the bodies overseeing it. Columnist Nils Pratley argues that the…
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Speed up electricity grid upgrade or else face higher bills, warns UK watchdog
The National Audit Office (NAO) has warned that UK consumers face higher energy bills unless the government accelerates a £70bn programme to modernise Great Britain’s electricity grid. The upgrades, which involve overhauling pylons, overhead lines and substations, are intended to allow more electricity from wind, solar and other renewable sources to reach homes, supporting Labour’s…
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MI5 chief warns Britain faces greater danger now than on 9/11
Sir Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, has used an exclusive op-ed for The Independent marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11 to warn that Britain now faces a more dangerous and complex threat landscape than it did in 2001. He argues that alongside the enduring menace of Islamist terrorism, the UK must now also contend…
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Aussie who lost landmark ‘what is a woman?’ battle to transgender woman to leave Australia: ‘I will never forgive the government’
Sall Grover, founder of the women-only networking app Giggle for Girls, has vowed to leave Australia after the country’s High Court rejected her final appeal in a landmark sex discrimination case. The dispute centred on whether Grover unlawfully discriminated against transgender woman Roxanne Tickle by excluding her from the app in 2021, and the ruling…
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Inside Trump’s Dallas bubble where the faithful shrug off war and beg for MORE as the GOP braces for coming bloodbath
Republican delegates gathered in Dallas for the party’s first-ever midterm convention showed overwhelming support for Donald Trump, largely dismissing concerns about his falling approval ratings and the ongoing conflict with Iran. This unity within the convention hall contrasts sharply with warning signs elsewhere for the party, as Republicans are being forced to defend traditionally safe…
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Trump leads supporters in pledge to himself, warns of damnation
Donald Trump closed the first Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas by leading supporters in a pledge of allegiance to himself and warning that anyone who failed to vote Republican on 3 November would “go to hell.” His closing address lasted under 30 minutes, far shorter than his near two-hour speech the previous night, and he…
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Donald Trump’s GOP Midterm Convention Fails To Get A Bounce In Cable News Viewership
Fox News’s coverage of the first night of Donald Trump’s midterm Republican convention failed to lift the network’s ratings, drawing audiences that were flat or slightly down compared with typical primetime viewing. The muted response suggests limited additional public appetite for Trump-focused programming beyond his existing base, a notable finding given how heavily conservative media…
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British 9/11 survivor still grieving loss of sixty-one colleagues
William Rodriguez, a janitor working two storeys underground in the North Tower, has recounted his experience of the 9/11 attacks and how he came to be described as the last person to escape before the tower collapsed. His story sits alongside that of British survivor Janice Brooks, who has spoken of losing 61 colleagues from…
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Vance’s retort to Palestine flag heckler energises Republican midterm convention
US Vice President JD Vance was heckled during a speech at the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas on Thursday, when a man produced a Mexican flag before pulling out a Palestinian flag and throwing both into the crowd while shouting “Free Palestine”. Vance responded by telling the man to “get your a** over there” if…
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Top GOP senator reveals what Dem colleagues are fretting about behind closed doors
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso has claimed that Democratic senators privately worry their party is being pulled towards the “far, far left” by an emerging wave of progressive candidates. Speaking at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas, the Wyoming Republican framed this as evidence that the Democratic Party’s centre of gravity is shifting…