Concern grows over legality of government’s approach as new figures show more than 150,000 carers facing huge penalties A hero – then sacked. The carer’s allowance whistleblower New figures show more than 150,000 unpaid carers are now facing huge fines for minor rule breaches, as MPs, charities and campaigners demanded an immediate amnesty. Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, joined calls to write off the vast debts incurred by tens of thousands of people who care for sick, disabled and elderly relatives after experts raised concerns about the legality of the government’s approach ..read more

A military horse that bolted through central London on Wednesday is in a ‘serious condition’ in an equine hospital ..read more

Scottish first minister says scrapping power-sharing deal ‘marks a new beginning for the SNP government’ UK politics – latest updates Humza Yousaf has put the Scottish National party on an election footing after unilaterally scrapping his party’s landmark coalition with the Greens and signalling he will drop vote-losing policies. In a surprise move early on Thursday morning, the first minister called in the Scottish Greens’ two co-leaders, Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, to tell them they were being sacked, as he axed a power-sharing deal first hailed as a new era in consensus politics ..read more

Government allowed information to be released fully for only 34% of requests in 2023 Rishi Sunak has been accused of presiding over the least transparent government for 25 years, after it emerged the rate of freedom of information (FoI) requests granted in full dropped to a record low last year. The prime minister’s government allowed information to be released fully for only 34% of requests in 2023 ..read more

Our former PM has a dire warning and a book to sell, but it isn’t really cutting through. A bit more Brit-style bumbling might help ‘I know the name,” texts a friend when I ask if she knows who Liz Truss is, but like most Americans can’t quite put her finger on why. “Like 8%,” guesses another when I ask her to put a number on how many of her countrymen she imagines know of Truss. The standard response, in my extremely unscientific poll of Americans as to whether or not they know of Truss, however, was: “No, should I?” – the answer to which, of course, depends entirely on whether you want to un ..read more

First minister reportedly plans to run minority administration amid dispute over decision to ditch climate change target Humza Yousaf, the SNP leader and Scottish first minister, is due to hold a press conference shortly. This is from Ash Regan, an MSP who defected from the SNP to Alba after coming third in the SNP leadership contest last year. She tabled a no confidence motion in Patrick Harvie, the Scottish Green co-leader and, until this morning, a Scottish government minister, earlier this week. She was arguing that Harvie should resign from the government because of his failure to fully s ..read more

In today’s newsletter: The renters’ reform bill was meant to address a spiralling housing crisis, but as a watered-down version finally passes, we look at the ways a great hope has become a crushing disappointment • Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First Edition Good morning, and if you are a landlord, congratulations on another successful day! Last night, housing secretary Michael Gove’s renters’ reform bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons – and despite its name, it isn’t great news for tenants. After years of promises of a bill that would sharply improve things for tho ..read more

The two deputies had another chance to trade blows but it was a one-sided contest, as Angela Rayner went in for the kill It had come billed as the great set-piece of the parliamentary week. Month even. With Rishi Sunak away in Germany – strange how the prime minister so often finds the only free slot in his diary is a Wednesday – prime minister’s questions was delegated to the two deputies. The first time Oliver Dowden and Angela Rayner had had a chance to go head to head since the Daily Mail had taken a voyeuristic interest in the possibility that Labour’s deputy leader had failed to pay capi ..read more

Colin Montgomery, Daniel Fenton, Federico Moscogiuri, Alwyn Jones and Martin Coult on small boats, deaths in the Channel and the passing of the safety of Rwanda bill Daniel Boffey’s account of those desperate souls attempting to cross the Channel – where five people drowned this week – was one of the most powerful pieces of journalism I’ve read for a long time (‘England is hope’: some say they will try again – despite Channel deaths, 23 April). That it was published on the same day as Rafael Behr’s equally incisive take on the matter (Starmer must drain the poison from the immigration debate ..read more

DWP carried out research in response to criticism five years ago but has consistently refused to publish it Ministers have pledged to publish a long-buried internal study into the emotional and financial impact of fines and prosecutions incurred by tens of thousands of unpaid carers for falling foul of strict carer’s allowance earnings rules. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) agreed to carry out the research at the insistence of MPs five years ago after they criticised it for having no understanding of the misery and hardship inflicted on unpaid carers by its policies ..read more