Politics

There is now a “window of opportunity” to fix the issues around the Northern Ireland protocol, says the Irish prime minister. Speaking after the British-Irish Council summit in Blackpool, Michael Martin said relations between the UK and EU had “improved very significantly”, and both he and British PM Rishi Sunak wanted to resolve the problems

Scotland needs to see “proper respect” from Rishi Sunak if he wants to reset the relationship that frayed under his predecessors, says Nicola Sturgeon. The first minister met the new prime minister for the first time since he took power on Thursday at the British-Irish Council, and described their meeting as “cordial and constructive”. But

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said he “could not speak or sleep” when he found out his wife had breast cancer. Susie Cleverly, 49, was diagnosed with triple positive breast cancer in December 2021 after spotting dimpled skin underneath her right breast the month before – nearly a year ago to the day. At the

Is Rishi Sunak’s baptism of fire as prime minister evidence that politicians who’ve been Leader of the Opposition make the best PMs? Some MPs claim Mr Sunak’s early blunders – the disastrous appointment of Sir Gavin Williamson to the cabinet table and his COP27 U-turn, for example – reveal not only a lack of experience

Rishi Sunak has said it is “absolutely right” that Sir Gavin Williamson resigned and admitted he has “regret” over appointing him as a cabinet minister in light of the allegations he is facing. The prime minister insisted he “did not know about any of the specific concerns” relating to Sir Gavin’s alleged “unacceptable” behaviour in

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has said Sir Gavin Williamson was right to resign from the cabinet over bullying claims. Sir Gavin’s departure on Tuesday evening came shortly after an ex-civil servant – who claimed the MP told them to “slit your throat” – made a formal complaint. A Number 10 source told Sky News it

A former senior civil servant who claimed Sir Gavin Williamson told them to “slit your throat” has made a formal complaint against him, telling Sky News’ Beth Rigby his “words and actions had an extreme impact on my mental health”. The allegations were made last night in The Guardian and included claims that Sir Gavin,

The latest proposals for a major shake-up of parliamentary constituencies across the UK have been unveiled. Ten more seats would be created in England – taking the total number of MPs from 533 to 543. Wales would lose eight seats, going down to 32 MPs – with two seats removed in Scotland to leave 57

A deal between the UK and France to tackle people crossing the Channel in small boats is in its “final stages”, Downing Street has said. Rishi Sunak met Emmanuel Macron, the French president, earlier today at the COP27 climate talks in Egypt to discuss the issue, with the prime minister saying he left “with renewed

Business Secretary Grant Shapps has hinted that the government may extend the windfall tax on oil and gas companies in this month’s autumn budget as it tries to stabilise the UK’s public finances. Speaking to Sky News with just 10 days to go before the government’s fiscal plans are unveiled, Mr Shapps said: “I mean,

Ed Miliband has called for an “urgent independent investigation” into the reappointment of Sir Gavin Williamson who faces bullying allegations. The new Cabinet Office minister allegedly sent abusive text messages to ex-chief whip Wendy Morton complaining that he and other colleagues had been excluded from the Queen’s funeral for political reasons. Speaking on Sky News’

The former chairman of the Conservative Party has said he told Rishi Sunak a bullying complaint had been made against Cabinet Office minister Sir Gavin Williamson days before he appointed him to the job. Sir Jake Berry says he informed the incoming PM about the allegations a day before he entered Number 10. Politics Hub:

This weekend the prime minister is heading to the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh. Rishi Sunak is not going for a late sunshine break after his first fortnight in Number 10, he will be representing the UK at the COP27 climate change summit in Egypt. He made a point of announcing that he

The government says it still supports the Sizewell C nuclear power plant and is hoping to get a deal over the line to fully fund the project as soon as possible. Funding towards the Suffolk plant totalling £700m was signed off by Boris Johnson at the start of September in one of his last acts

Two groups of people who had crossed the Channel in small boats were left stranded in London after a “misunderstanding” with Home Office officials, a minister has confirmed. Chris Philp, the policing minister, claimed the groups had told immigration officials “they had addresses to go to, so friends and family, and that turned out subsequently

Downing Street has defended Suella Braverman after she flew to an overcrowded migration centre in a £3,500-an-hour military helicopter. The home secretary avoided questions from the press as she met the Dover coastguard and travelled to the Manston facility in a Chinook. At one point in recent days, as many as 4,000 people were being

Suella Braverman has confirmed that steps are being taken to “immediately” improve the situation at Manston migration centre, according to the Home Office. These steps include bolstering the medical facilities currently on-site, supplying extra bedding and improved catering facilities, and providing more activities to support migrant welfare. The department also confirmed that more than 1,000

The Home Office is facing legal action over conditions at the Manston migrant processing centre – as reports suggest asylum seekers were removed from the site and “abandoned” at London Victoria station. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick told Sky News that a judicial review is being brought following reports of severe overcrowding at the centre in

Rishi Sunak has reversed his decision to skip the COP27 climate summit in Egypt next week – and all his campaign pledges are now under review. Bowing to pressure from environmental campaigners and MPs today, the prime minister he would attend COP27 as there is “no long-term prosperity without action on climate change, there is

Hundreds of migrants have been moved from an overcrowded immigration centre in Kent – with the government accused of presiding over a “shambles”. The Manston processing centre is designed to hold up to 1,600 people for no more than 24 hours, but as of Monday, there were 4,000 on the site. Some migrants are threatening