Politics

A cabinet minister has denied top Labour politicians personally intervened to give Taylor Swift a blue-light police escort to Wembley. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and London Mayor Sadiq Khan allegedly spoke to the Metropolitan Police to encourage them to give the megastar a “VVIP escort” through London in August for her Wembley Stadium concerts. The

Tom Tugendhat has been knocked out of the Tory leadership race after receiving the least votes from MPs. It narrows the field down to three, with James Cleverly, Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick still in the running to replace Rishi Sunak. Mr Cleverly overtook Mr Jenrick to come out on top with 39 of his

Sir Keir Starmer will attend a meeting with US President Joe Biden and the French and German leaders in Berlin this weekend. In the meeting of the “Quad” nations, the leaders will discuss the “concerning developments” in the Middle East and the situation in Ukraine, Sir Keir’s spokesman said. The meeting has been organised to

Boris Johnson has denied mocking the public by questioning why they “so avidly craved” lockdown rules and obeyed them “like a religion”. In an interview with Sky News’ Wilfred Frost, the former prime minister said he “totally rejects” he was expressing disdain for people who did as they were told by his government during the

David Lammy has said the government is “young” after Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Sue Gray resigned and a new poll found most people think the government is “sleazy”. The foreign secretary said Ms Gray was a “superb public servant” after she quit on Sunday following weeks of briefings against her, including her salary

You might not know who the people are, or what they do behind the big black door of Number 10, but what just happened in the bowels of Downing Street is a big moment. After getting off to a pretty dreadful start in government, Sir Keir Starmer has moved to get a grip of his

Sue Gray has resigned from her position as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Number 10 has announced. Ms Gray has instead been appointed as the prime minister’s envoy for nations and regions. Morgan McSweeney, the party’s former campaign director who masterminded July’s election landslide, will replace her as the prime minister’s chief of staff.

The man who called in police over the SNP’s finances has told Sky News “delays” in the long-running fraud investigation threatens the future of the Scottish independence movement.  Campaigner Sean Clerkin triggered the probe more than three years ago after phoning detectives with concerns about more than £600,000 that had been fundraised for a second

Sir Keir Starmer has said senior ministers do not need to hand back freebies and gifts like he has – as Diane Abbott said donors do not donate to politicians “out of altruism”. After weeks of criticism over Sir Keir and his top team taking freebies since coming into office, on Wednesday the prime minister

Sir Keir Starmer’s government has not yet been in place for 100 days. By all accounts, things are not going well. The Labour leader and his top ministers have had to backtrack after taking freebies totalling many thousands of pounds for clothing and entertainment. Sue Gray, the ex-civil servant he recruited as chief of staff,

The government has pledged nearly £22bn to fund projects that capture greenhouse gases from polluting plants and store them underground, as it races to reach strict climate targets. The plans are designed to generate private investment and jobs in Merseyside and Teesside, two industry-heavy areas that will be home to the new “carbon capture clusters”.

Allowing terminally ill people to end their lives would not lead to a “slippery slope” of widening eligibility criteria, an MP pushing for the law has insisted.  Kim Leadbeater told Sky News there is a misconception that in countries where assisted dying has been introduced, the scope has been broadened over time. Politics latest: TV star

Sir Keir Starmer should hold a COBRA-style meeting with his cabinet ministers to decide new rules on donations, a former Labour minister has said. Baroness Harriet Harman, a host of Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast, said there needs to be “new rules and processes in place” following the row over the prime minister and his

Sir Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality received since taking office, Downing Street has said. The prime minister is covering the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer. Follow

Conservative leadership hopeful Tom Tugendhat has said it is “upsetting” his rival Robert Jenrick used footage of a soldier he served with in Afghanistan, who died soon after, in a campaign video. Mr Jenrick released a video on Monday arguing the UK needs to leave the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) because, among other

Sir Keir Starmer will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to hold talks with EU leaders about “putting the Brexit years behind us” and bolstering ties with the UK. The prime minister has vowed to “reset” relations with Europe following tensions between the previous Tory government and the EU – though he has ruled out a

Robert Jenrick is within touching distance of Kemi Badenoch after a surge in his support, according to an exclusive Sky News poll of Tory members. The latest YouGov survey of Conservative members for Sky News suggests there is a path to victory for all four candidates, although Tom Tugendhat faces a bigger hurdle than the

Politicians, we know only too well, are fond of repetition. With Sir Keir Starmer it’s: “My father was a toolmaker.” With Sadiq Khan it’s: “Did I ever tell you my dad was a bus driver?” With Tom Tugendhat it’s: “I was a soldier. I served my country.” No, really, Tom? Politics Live: Badenoch praises Israel

A businessman has revealed he is the person who donated £75,000 to Robert Jenrick via a company that has taken loans from a tax haven-registered firm. Phillip Ullmann, who describes himself as a social business entrepreneur, said he provided the donation to the Conservative leadership candidate through Spott Fitness, which he said is part of

Kemi Badenoch has said her remarks about maternity pay have been “misrepresented”, as she called for an “honest campaign” for the Tory leadership. The first day of the Conservative Party conference saw a row erupt over comments made by the shadow housing secretary, where she appeared to call the current level of the benefit “excessive”.