Politics

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed his government will do “everything we can” to preserve jobs at the steelworks in Port Talbot. The prime minister was visiting South Wales, the region where the site is based, to walk around Alltwalis wind farm with the new First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan. The pair have been showcasing

The Scottish government has announced it will no longer hold meetings with Israeli ambassadors until “real progress has been made towards peace” in the Gaza conflict. The move comes after the SNP administration faced criticism over a meeting earlier this month between External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson and Daniela Grudsky, Israel’s deputy ambassador to the

Conservative Party deputy chair Matthew Vickers has resigned from his role in order to back Robert Jenrick in the Conservative Party leadership contests. Mr Vickers also serves as shadow policing minister, but does not need to stand back from this role to declare his support for a candidate. However, Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) is remaining

An emergency plan to avoid overcrowding in jails could be triggered in the coming days as more rioters are sentenced, according to the Prison Officers’ Association. Operation Early Dawn is a long-standing plan that allows defendants waiting for a court appearance to be kept in police cells until prison space is available. However, it could

An emergency plan to avoid overcrowding in jails is expected to be triggered on Monday as more rioters are sentenced, Sky News understands. Operation Early Dawn is a long-standing plan that allows defendants waiting for a court appearance to be kept in police cells until prison space is available. Sky News understands that the operation

SNP MSP John Mason been stripped of the party whip following an “utterly abhorrent” social media post about the Israel-Hamas conflict. Mr Mason has been effectively expelled from the party after posting on X: “If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed ten times as many.” The Glasgow Shettleston MSP made the comment

ASLEF’s lead negotiator has denied the union sees the new government as a “soft touch” after announcing fresh strikes two days after train drivers were offered a pay deal. Drivers working for London North Eastern Railway (LNER) – which runs the passenger service on the East Coast main line between London and Edinburgh – will

Nigel Farage’s presenting job on GB News earned him nearly £98,000 a month – more than an MP’s annual salary. The Reform UK leader was earning £97,900 a month as a presenter on the news channel – meaning he received more a month than an MP’s annual salary, which currently stands at £91,346, plus expenses. According

Thousands of prisoners languishing in prison indefinitely deserve “justice” and should be resentenced as a priority, the UN’s leading torture expert has said. Speaking to Sky News, Alice Jill Edwards described sentences of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) as a “horrific indictment of the British justice system”. PM suffers post-election poll slump – politics latest

Infected blood campaigners have criticised a “derisory and insulting” offer from the government as part of the compensation scheme. The row centres around former pupils at the Lord Mayor’s Treloar’s College, where children with haemophilia were experimented on without their knowledge. Under the recently announced compensation package, victims of the scandal could receive as much

Ruth and Beth are back from their holidays to catch up on the big political stories. This time, they’re joined by the former Labour MP and ex-shadow culture secretary, Thangam Debbonaire. They talk about the riots across England in the last couple of weeks with Thangam, and question whether Sir Keir Starmer should have labelled

The education secretary has said private schools have themselves to blame for closures – not the government’s VAT policy. Bridget Phillipson said some private schools have failed to balance their books over a number of years as she denied they had closed because the government is making them pay 20% VAT on fees from January.

A funding injection of £13.5m will be given to businesses and workers affected by job losses at Tata Steel, the government will announce. Up to 2,800 jobs at Tata Steel are expected to be axed at the country’s biggest steelworks in Port Talbot as the company moves over to a greener form of steel production

People living in areas at the highest risk of flooding face cuts to key services due to a sharp rise in flood defence costs, councils have warned. The government is being urged to overhaul funding for the bodies overseeing flood alleviation as soaring costs have seen an average rise of 28% over the past two

The Scottish government has confirmed it will no longer provide winter fuel payments to all pensioners. The once universal benefit will now be means-tested and replicate a UK government decision. The introduction of a replacement Scottish benefit has also been delayed. It comes amid reports that Finance Secretary Shona Robison has written to cabinet colleagues

There were “multiple and fundamental failures” with the NHS’s management of Nottingham killer Valdo Calocane’s mental health treatment, the health secretary has said. Speaking after a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report found paranoid schizophrenic Calocane’s condition was downplayed by the NHS, Wes Streeting said the report’s findings were “deeply distressing”. Calocane fatally stabbed students Grace

Conservative leadership hopeful Tom Tugendhat has called Elon Musk’s claim civil war was inevitable in the UK “delusional”. In his first major speech since declaring his bid for the Conservative leadership, the former security minister hit out at the billionaire X owner who has been criticising Sir Keir Starmer’s response to the week of riots

Wages are still rising but at a slower pace as the unemployment rate surprisingly fell, according to official figures. The percentage of people who are out of work and looking for a job dropped to 4.2% in July, said data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Money blog: Heinz urged to bring back classic

Sir Keir Starmer has spoken with the Iranian president as part of international efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, Sky News understands. The 30-minute phone conversation with Masoud Pezeshkian followed a joint statement on Monday issued with France, the US and Germany calling on Iran and its allies not to “jeopardise the opportunity

Tory leadership contender Tom Tugendhat will call for a national conversation about the root causes of the recent riots – hitting out at the “reckless rhetoric” of Nigel Farage. In his first major speech since declaring his bid to head the Conservative Party, the former security minister will attack a “culture of denial” that moves