The stuffy delegates of Cop30 may seem thousands of miles away in Brazil – but what they are discussing is on our doorstep, says Professor David Simon, a lead author on the IPCC’s Special Report on Climate Change and Cities. Why are our heads in the sand? www.independent.co.uk/voices/clima...

Mamdani's stunning success in New York suggests that the candidate most likely to ‘flip the f---ing table’ and take the White House for the Democrats is fellow young leftist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, says Kamala Harris’s former advisor @pabloohana.bsky.social www.independent.co.uk/voices/zohra...

The Independent View: The new management team at the watchdog must make sure staff are fit to practise and must learn from its past mistakes www.independent.co.uk/voices/edito...

This was the week that sealed Labour’s fate: it would now take a miracle to avoid defeat at the next election, writes @rentouljohn.bsky.social www.independent.co.uk/voices/rache...

As world leaders gather in Brazil to discuss the climate crisis, Britain’s quietest scandal – the mass wasting of food in a country where hunger is rising – needs our attention, writes London’s Community Kitchen founder Taz Khan www.independent.co.uk/voices/food-...

Two-thirds of doctors are planning to leave the UK. Wes Streeting can call it preposterous, says Dr Holly Tarn – but it’s his government that’s driving them out www.independent.co.uk/voices/junio...

Politicians offering hope rather than gloom are soaring in the polls, writes MP @nadiawhittomemp.bsky.social. If Labour cannot offer a taste, then voters will seek it elsewhere www.independent.co.uk/voices/nadia...

I hate petrol cars, I hate pollution and I like the planet, says James Moore – but if the government is going to snuff out appetite for EVs with this stupid tax than then we might as well give up on the green energy transition www.independent.co.uk/voices/elect...

Women are left behind by a healthcare system that fails to spot the telltale signs of ADHD, says @katbrownwrites.com. If specialist NHS services across England are excluding patients by age or otherwise closing their doors to patients, it will ruin lives www.independent.co.uk/voices/adhd-...

I wrote about the recent prisoners that have been released by mistake www.independent.co.uk/voices/priso... for @independentvoices.bsky.social

With nine million working adults neither in work nor looking for it – and three million claiming due to long-term sickness – Chris Blackhurst asks whether plans for employers to be more involved in fit notes can ever work www.independent.co.uk/voices/the-p...

The Duke of Sussex has cut a glum figure of late – booed at the baseball and struggling with his wife's brand. I'm not surprised he's missing 'banter' Britain, says fellow redhead Samuel Fishwick www.independent.co.uk/voices/princ...

Pitted against a lesser-known Tory frontbencher, the veteran Labour statesman – the first Black politician to lead Prime Minister’s Questions – was shouty, combustible and unable to answer questions about the prisoner releases, says @rentouljohn.bsky.social www.independent.co.uk/voices/david...

"Dear Vix – I’ve completely fallen for a friend of mine and don’t know what to do. I know it’s too soon, given that she’s still grieving her breakup and that I’ve been giving her a shoulder to cry on, but do I tell her how I really feel now – or wait?" www.independent.co.uk/voices/love-...

The Independent View: The government’s effort to drive down the number of student visas coming to study in this country is misguided and self-defeating – it will do untold damage to our universities and communities www.independent.co.uk/voices/edito...

I'm all for this. Reduces the a&e problems, it's way cheaper and better for all.

Bridget Phillipson’s education reforms will see schoolchildren learn about the rudiments of mortgages, savings and credit cards – which is fine by me, as I don’t want my kids to be as bad with finances as I am, says Victoria Richards www.independent.co.uk/voices/bridg...

Was the Tory leader’s colourful takedown of the chancellor’s curtain-raising Budget speech an effective addition to the lexicon of political insults… or a desperate attempt to gain attention, asks John Rentoul www.independent.co.uk/voices/waffl...

Progressive Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York mayoral election is not just ‘Trump’s worst nightmare’, it’s a wake-up call for Labour and Reform – they need to watch out for Zack Polanski and his Green Party in the UK, writes Sean O’Grady www.independent.co.uk/voices/zohra...

Following the 34-year-old leftist’s stunning win to become New York's mayor, the jubilant Democrats must now guard against picking the wrong candidate when the time comes to mount a challenge for the White House, says Mary Dejevsky www.independent.co.uk/voices/zohra...

“One long waffle bomb”: Did Badenoch’s barb rattle Reeves? www.independent.co.uk/voices/waffl...

Couldn’t agree more with this. Zero reason for the general public to be allowed to buy noisy fireworks when silent ones now exist. Stick them in the bin. Tonight will be like the bloody Somme around ours, which is why we’re in the Lake District.

With fireworks upsetting everyone from farmers and pet owners to military veterans, is there any reason why the British public still needs to buy them? Absolutely not, says @katbrownwrites.com, especially when we can queue up for our local professional display www.independent.co.uk/voices/firew...

Progressive Zohran Mamdani's victory in the New York mayoral election is not just 'Trump's worst nightmare', it's a wake-up call for Labour and Reform – they need to watch out for Zack Polanski and his Green Party in the UK, writes Sean O'Grady www.independent.co.uk/voices/zohra...

The poet and artist Frieda Hughes looks back on some of her longest relationships to note how not all of the important ones are human www.independent.co.uk/voices/fried...

After the King’s historic decision to evict his brother and strip his official titles, the former prince must contend not only with his circumstances, but also with the fact that he has long deluded himself about always putting ‘duty first’, says Sean O’Grady www.independent.co.uk/voices/princ...

The ex-wife of the former Prince Andrew finally finds herself unemployable and persona non grata with the often forgiving British public. But might she survive her eviction from the royal family, wonders @joylodico.bsky.social www.independent.co.uk/voices/sarah...

It looks as if Rachel Reeves has got away with it this time, but how many more ‘inadvertent mistakes’ can she make, asks @rentouljohn.bsky.social – and if she can’t be trusted to keep her own house in order, why should she be trusted with the economy? www.independent.co.uk/voices/rache...

Dear Vix: I keep being ‘friendzoned’ – what am I doing wrong? www.independent.co.uk/voices/datin...

The Independent View: As crisis after crisis piles up for new home secretary Shabana Mahmood, she must have the full backing of her PM and chancellor to do whatever it takes to restore public confidence in the system www.independent.co.uk/voices/edito...

It's not just Farage's Reform giving Labour the jitters; Zack Polanski's Greens have doubled their support. But it would be a disaster if the PM drove the party in their direction to appeal to old-school Labour voters, warns @rentouljohn.bsky.social www.independent.co.uk/voices/green...

Not only have a hundred Palestinians been killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza, but the US seems to have approved the retaliation against Hamas for faking the return of a hostage and killing an IDF soldier. Some ceasefire, writes Donald McIntyre www.independent.co.uk/voices/cease...

Victoria Richards shares what happened when an unexpected disruption at the former US vice-president’s London book tour gave her a surprising – and inspirational – private audience with the Democratic presidential candidate www.independent.co.uk/voices/kamal...

I grew up with skinheads patrolling my neighbourhood, spreading hate, says deputy PM David Lammy – but what I remember most is those who stood with us. That is the spirit of solidarity we must now renew, even as a minority tries to tear us apart www.independent.co.uk/voices/david...

Kat Brown (@katbrownwrites.com) knows from painful personal experience why the decision to drop charges for women picking up emergency contraception from chemists is so long overdue www.independent.co.uk/voices/morni...

As one of the most powerful storms on record made landfall in Jamaica, Annie Paul filed a dispatch from the country’s capital, where trees have crushed cars and exploding electricity transformers could be heard all around her www.independent.co.uk/voices/what-...

It is easy to poke holes in Reform’s plans for government and to mock the missteps of its local councils, but Farage’s uncanny ability to win over superstar defectors will make his party even stronger than it already looks, writes @rentouljohn.bsky.social www.independent.co.uk/voices/nigel...

The Independent View: With a £20bn Budget black hole to plug, the chancellor has no option but to break Labour’s manifesto pledge – tinkering in the margins will hurt growth, while slashing public spending will lead to electoral ruin www.independent.co.uk/voices/edito...

I have lived in houses that had black mould, damp and even bees, says @imogenwk.bsky.social. This new law will give millions a chance to put their rental horror stories behind them www.independent.co.uk/voices/ghoul...

Diversity isn’t ‘woke’, Sarah Pochin, it’s good for business, says Clive Morgan www.independent.co.uk/voices/diver...

Would you give Wegovy to your child if it stopped them being bullied? | Charlotte Cripps www.independent.co.uk/voices/wegov...

The £15.3bn asylum bill is a disgrace – the system needs a reboot | Sean O’Grady www.independent.co.uk/voices/asylu...

Lily Allen is right – dating over 40 is horrific, says Victoria Richards (@nakedvix.bsky.social) www.independent.co.uk/voices/lily-...

Labour would be better off replacing its imminent tax plans with centrist policies to boost growth, writes Sean O'Grady www.independent.co.uk/voices/tax-r...

The Independent View: Nato forces must back Ukraine or prepare to see all that country’s innovative brilliance fall into the hands of the Kremlin www.independent.co.uk/voices/edito...

Crouching down to talk to me is the first on a long list of things I don’t like as a wheelchair user, says James Moore. It’s what people do with children – and I don’t even think they like it www.independent.co.uk/voices/wheel...

As phone thefts in London hit a record high last year, the capital’s distracted pedestrians might be helping the thieves do their job, says Liam Murphy-Robledo www.independent.co.uk/voices/mobil...

As the SpaceX billionaire is embroiled in yet another ugly spat, Jonathan Margolis has a controversial proposition: does what Musk says actually matter when his inventions are so incredible? www.independent.co.uk/independentp...

The Independent View: A tax rise only on the rich will hurt growth and raise too little revenue – a broader rise in income tax would be fairer and more effective www.independent.co.uk/voices/edito...

A decade ago, as British ambassador to Myanmar, I hosted global leaders, Oscar winners and activists all eager to show their support – and have their photos taken – with the icon of democracy, writes Andrew Heyn. Where are they now? www.independent.co.uk/voices/aung-...