Politics

The chancellor has praised Tory MP William Wragg for offering a “courageous and fulsome” apology after admitting to The Times that he had shared MPs’ personal phone numbers with someone he met on a dating app. Jeremy Hunt said the news had been a “great cause for concern”. Speaking to reporters in Guildford, he said:

“Why do politicians never answer the question?” It’s something Beth Rigby, Jess Philips and Ruth Davidson get asked all the time – so this week, they’ve dedicated the whole episode to answering your questions. From why backbenchers ask seemingly pointless questions at PMQs to the importance of Instagram for the next general election – and

Civil servants overseeing arms exports to Israel have requested to “cease work immediately” over fears they could be complicit in war crimes in Gaza. Officials in the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) have raised concerns with senior civil servants that they may be liable if it is deemed Israel has broken international law. Politics

Tens of thousands of people are facing crippling tax demands from HMRC for tax their employers failed to pay. It’s an injustice that has been compared with the Horizon scandal. At least 23 victims have taken – or attempted to take – their own lives. For the first time, two of those who tried to

Labour could be swept into power with a landslide of more than 400 seats at the next general election, according to the latest YouGov mega poll. The survey of 18,000 people predicts Sir Keir Starmer’s party will gain a parliamentary majority of 154 – almost double what the Conservatives achieved with Boris Johnson in 2019.

The government has no national plan for the defence of the UK or the mobilisation of its people and industry in a war despite renewed threats of conflict, Sky News has learnt. With ministers warning that Britain is moving to a “pre-war world” amid mounting concerns about Russia, China and Iran, it can be revealed

The prime minister has been unable to guarantee a childcare place to everyone that wants one, as the government rolls out its new scheme. Eligible parents and carers of two-year-olds are now entitled to 15 hours of funded childcare per week, as of Monday 1 April, with further extensions planned. The policy was announced in

Rishi Sunak has said people should not be criminalised “for stating simple facts on biology” as he backed author JK Rowling in her criticism of new Scottish hate crime laws. The Harry Potter author, who has become a fierce critic of the Scottish government’s stance on transgender rights, dared police to arrest her as the

The government is facing rebellion from its own backbenchers over plans to “criminalise” homelessness. Rebels claim that as many 40 Conservatives – from both the left and right of the party – are unwilling to support the government’s Criminal Justice Bill as is. A group of 40 would easily be able to overturn the government

A Windrush victim has branded the compensation scheme for victims of the scandal “disgusting”, and suggested the government were waiting for those affected to “die off”. Critics have repeatedly called for the Home Office to be stripped of responsibility for determining and handling payments to victims and said it should be given to an independent

Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives are on course to win fewer than 100 seats in the general election, according to a major poll that suggests the party is facing the worst result in its history. A survey of 15,000 people, used to build a seat-by-seat breakdown, indicated the Tories would win in just 98 constituencies in England

There is no threat to Northern Ireland’s power-sharing agreement after the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) resigned over allegations of historical sexual offences, First Minister Michelle O’Neill has said. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson stepped down on Friday. It is understood he will be “strenuously contesting” all charges against him. Sinn Fein vice president Ms

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has stepped down as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect after he was charged with historical sexual offences. In a statement, the DUP said: “The party chairman has received a letter from Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP confirming that he has been charged with allegations of an historical nature and

The government has been accused of “abandoning” its pledge to ban no fault evictions by the time of the next general election. Housing minister Jacob Young sent a letter to Conservative MPs dated 27 March which said the power under Section 21 of the Housing Act would remain in place until an assessment had been

Sir Keir Starmer has admitted Boris Johnson was “right” to propose levelling up but said he was “frustrated” by the former prime minister’s “unforgivable” failure to deliver. The Labour leader also claimed the policy, which defined Mr Johnson’s premiership, was “strangled at birth” by his successor, Rishi Sunak. Speaking to Sky News’ political editor Beth

No wonder the Labour Party is desperate for a general election now and bitterly disappointed that Rishi Sunak has “bottled it”, in Keir Starmer’s words, and is sticking to his plan not to hold it until the autumn at the earliest. Sir John Curtice, the UK polling guru, has gone on the record that there

A minister has hit out at “credulous clerics” and “lefty lawyers” after documents seen by Sky News revealed how the Clapham chemical attacker Abdul Ezedi was granted asylum after he was baptised. Science minister Andrew Griffith said Ezedi, who attacked a woman and two children with an alkali in London earlier this year, should not

The Home Office gave out 275 certificates of sponsorship for care workers after “forged” documents were used to make an application, a damning report into the department has shown. The probe, by the former borders and immigration inspector David Neal, claimed the Home Office had a “limited understanding” of the care sector after it was

The UK’s approach to China is “more robust” than its allies, Rishi Sunak has claimed, as he continues to face calls to use more aggressive language to describe Beijing in the wake of two cyberattacks. The prime minister said suggestions the government was not taking strong action against China were “completely and utterly wrong”. Mr

When David Cameron was prime minister, Oliver Dowden was one of his backroom fixers, first at Tory HQ and then in 10 Downing Street. From his early days as a Tory researcher he’s been known as “Olive” because of an office typo. But it’s a nickname that’s stuck, even now he’s deputy prime minister. Politics