Politics

The unknown is far scarier than the known when it comes to partygate, even on a day when the number of fines issued to people working at the heart of government for pandemic rule breaches doubles. Number 10 must not be a comfortable place at the moment. When the investigation began, Downing Street believed they

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said Vladimir Putin was “humiliating himself on the world stage” as she called on international allies to go “further and faster” in supporting Ukraine and restraining the Russian leader. Ms Truss urged fellow G7 foreign ministers meeting on Thursday evening to commit to renewed waves of sanctions for as long

Emergency talks between the UK and EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol are due on Thursday as ministers consider whether to override parts of the post-Brexit deal. The UK’s Attorney General Suella Braverman is said to have approved the scrapping of swathes of the agreement, giving Boris Johnson legal cover to make the move, despite

Tory backbenchers are pushing for tax cuts after Boris Johnson was said to have shown “more than a bit of ankle” on doing so to address the cost of living crisis. Jake Berry, the Conservative MP who leads a group of Tories representing northern constituencies, said it was “now or never” for Mr Johnson to

The government will not be bringing forward an emergency budget in light of the cost of living crisis, but “will be saying more and doing more to help people”, Michael Gove has said. Responding to the government’s Queen’s Speech on Tuesday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer claimed the government was “bereft of ideas” as the

Boris Johnson has hinted at an announcement about addressing the cost of living crisis in coming days – but the Treasury swiftly denied there would be an emergency budget. The prime minister came under pressure over the surge in prices facing British households during the Commons debate on the Queen’s Speech, which sets out the

Priti Patel has said her plan to send migrants to Rwanda sends a “clear signal” that those who arrive illegally have no right to remain – but admitted it will “take time” to implement. The plan has been described as “cruel and nasty” by charities and “opposite the nature of God” by the Archbishop of

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to offer his resignation if he is issued a fixed penalty notice for breaking COVID rules. Sir Keir has come under pressure over an event in Durham in April 2021 with party colleagues when he was filmed having a drink and a takeaway curry was ordered. Durham Police

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has pulled out of a keynote speech he is due to give today – as pressure mounts on him over so-called ‘beergate’ claims. After being a hugely vocal critic of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the ‘partygate’ Downing Street gatherings during COVID lockdown, Sir Keir is now facing allegations that

Fixing the Northern Ireland Protocol “cannot be put off”, the deputy prime minister has said amid fears that progress on power sharing will remain stalled after last Thursday’s elections. Dominic Raab told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday that stability was being “imperilled” by problems with the protocol, which governs Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trading arrangements.

It has been a “tough night” for the Conservative party, after the loss of some key local councils in London to Labour – but the opposition party has seen mixed results outside the capital. The Tories have lost Wandsworth, Margaret Thatcher’s “favourite council”, Westminster and Barnet to Labour. Boris Johnson faces losing his Commons majority

This is not an easy election to analyse: the picture is mixed and messy. As dawn breaks on Friday, nobody – perhaps with the exception of the Lib Dems – should be overly happy with the results. Tories suffered losses – perhaps not as many as they might. Two losing council leaders, one in the

Wandsworth, the site of Labour’s sensational overnight win, was one of few councils to change hands. Overall, the fortunes of the parties varied geographically as votes from the first English councils were counted. Although the Conservatives lost more than 100 seats, and control of some key councils, this didn’t translate into a completely triumphant night

Sinn Fein has won control of the ball but the Democratic Unionists are still on the pitch. While an Irish nationalist party will be the biggest at Stormont, the DUP did not perform as badly as predicted. It had been under enormous pressure after Brexit resulted in a sea border between Great Britain and Northern

Northern Ireland’s new first minister-elect, Michelle O’Neill, says being a teenage mother made her the person she is. The Sinn Fein deputy leader has spoken candidly about becoming pregnant with her daughter Saoirse at the age of 16. She said: “Being a young mum, well it’s my life experience, it made me what I am,

Labour is likely to advance in key battlegrounds in the local elections but may struggle to win significant numbers of new councils outright, according to a major new results projection by YouGov for Sky News. Labour looks set to make slower progress tomorrow in the north of England than elsewhere in the local council elections,

The UK and Japan are set to agree a new defence agreement when Boris Johnson hosts the Japanese prime minister in London on Thursday. Downing Street said the prime minister’s meeting with Fumio Kishida is expected to conclude with a “landmark” reciprocal access agreement being signed. The agreement would allow British and Japanese forces to

Britain’s cost of living squeeze and the future of the prime minister have taken centre stage as party leaders delivered their final messages to voters on the eve of local elections. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Thursday’s local elections, in which thousands of seats across England, Scotland and Wales will be up for grabs,

At the City of Wolverhampton Market business is brisk, but it’s a hard time for the traders and their customers. Richard Dollar, a fishmonger who has run his popular stall for 20 years, says he’s never known it this tough, as he talks about trying to stay afloat amid rising costs and price. “Some of

Durham Police should reopen an investigation into whether Sir Keir Starmer broke coronavirus laws, a minister has said. The Labour leader has come under pressure since footage emerged of him drinking a beer with colleagues at a time when restrictions were in place. Speaking on Sky News, International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said officers should