The Independent social affairs correspondent Jamie Merrill will be going freelance on 11 April after eight years with the title.

A former features editor and news reporter at the Independent and Independent on Sunday, he will be covering general news and features, focusing on defence, security, refugee issues, immigration, legal affairs and human rights. He is also available for features commissions and will be continuing his iDrive motoring column for the i paper.

He can be found tweeting @Jamie_Merrill.