Politics

A warning from the head of the British Army that the UK would not be prepared in the event of a war should be “listened to carefully”, a former defence minister has said. Tobias Ellwood told Sky News there was a “1939 feel to the world” and that Britain was not equipped to deal with

Former cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke has called on Rishi Sunak to resign as prime minister. The Tory MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, who served as housing secretary under Liz Truss, said in The Telegraph: “Rishi Sunak has sadly gone from asset to anchor.” Politics latest: Reaction to Clarke’s call for PM to

Rishi Sunak has said the UK is “not seeking a confrontation” with Yemen’s Houthi fighters – but it will strike again if their attacks in the Red Sea continue. Royal Air Force jets took part in a second wave of joint US-UK action against the group on Monday night after attacks on the vital shipping

The House of Lords has defied Rishi Sunak to vote against the ratification of the UK’s new treaty with Rwanda – in what could prove a damaging development for the Safety of Rwanda Bill. The upper house was voting following a report last week that recommended the treaty not be ratified. It comes after Rishi

Over 40 Tory MPs have written to Rishi Sunak to demand extra funding for councils to avoid cuts to crucial frontline services. Seven former cabinet ministers were among the signatories of the letter, which warned residents face a “double whammy” of reductions in services and higher council tax rates for local authorities to deliver a

Rishi Sunak will seek to refocus attention on the economy this week amid questions about how long his chancellor will remain in post. Downing Street issued a statement in October saying: “The chancellor will be delivering the autumn statement in a few weeks’ time and the budget next spring.” The latest Politics at Jack and

The defence secretary has disputed suggestions the size of the British Army could shrink significantly after warnings the UK risks a repeat of the 1930s without more investment. Grant Shapps told the Sunday Morning with Trevor Philips Show that under the Conservatives, the strength of the army will not dip below its current level of

Scottish police have told Sky News Nicola Sturgeon is not being investigated “at this time” after it emerged the former first minister wiped pandemic related WhatsApp messages. The UK COVID Inquiry heard on Friday that everything sent and received by Ms Sturgeon during COVID-19 on the platform was erased. She previously said she never used

MPs have demanded that the Treasury and other public sector organisations reveal the details of any contracts awarded to Fujitsu since 2019 as the firm continues to come under fire for its role in the Post Office scandal. The letter to the Treasury – which was also sent to the Bank of England, the Office

MPs are considering using an arcane parliamentary mechanism to force Lord Cameron to take questions in the House of Commons. There have been questions about how Lord Cameron – who was appointed a peer to allow him to be foreign secretary in Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle – would be held to account given he is no

Rishi Sunak awkwardly laughed when he was challenged about the state of the health service by a former NHS worker in Winchester. The prime minister was walking through the city in Hampshire when he was stopped by a woman who indicated she had worked for the NHS in the past. In the footage, captured by

Fresh from his Commons victory, the prime minister took to the stage on Thursday to declare he was making progress on his plan to send migrants to Rwanda, his party was “completely united” and any failure to deliver on this pledge would not be down to him, but rather a new bogeyman, peers in the House

Rishi Sunak has insisted he will “ignore” international law in order to ensure asylum seekers get deported to Rwanda. The prime minister managed to get his controversial policy through its latest parliamentary stage last night after days of rebellions from Conservative MPs, who want to see the bill toughened up. But despite two rebel sources

In the end the rebellion melted away. For all the talk publicly on Tuesday from rebels that this was about the substance of the bill and definitely NOT a confidence issue in the prime minister, when it came to voting down their leader’s flagship Rwanda plan down, all but 11 rebels caved. Even as they

Sir Keir Starmer has attacked the “farce” playing out in the Conservative Party over the government’s Rwanda bill, claiming Rishi Sunak’s plan had been “brutally exposed” by his own MPs. Ministers insist the scheme to deport asylum seekers who arrive by small boat is “the most robust” legislation ever presented to the Commons, and will

The prime minister was never going to lose the two amendment votes, but the results tonight would have been hard to hear. On both rebel amendments, up to 60 of his own MPs told Rishi Sunak that his flagship illegal immigration plan doesn’t go far enough. In parliament’s central lobby after the vote tonight, one

Robert Jenrick says he is “prepared” to vote against the Rwanda bill if the government does not adopt “robust” changes to the proposed legislation. The proposed law is heading back to the Commons for two days of debate this afternoon, with the aim of deterring asylum seekers from coming to the UK via small boat

Rishi Sunak is a prime minister who has always found it easy to build consensus on the world stage. But when it comes to his own backyard, this premiership tells a very different story. PM’s own deputy chair rebels on Rwanda – live updates With voters, he is struggling to build any sort of coalition,

It is “critical” for members of NATO to increase their defence spending to at least 2% of GDP, says Grant Shapps. In a wide ranging speech on Monday, the defence secretary insisted the UK would “strive” to reach its own goal of 2.5% “as soon as possible”. But he urged allies to grow their own

Tory MPs plotting the Rwanda rebellion are resigned to securing minimal changes to the legislation – despite some belief senior figures are poised to quit party roles over the bill. Almost 60 MPs have publicly backed the bill and some rebels hope that Lee Anderson, deputy chair of the Conservative Party, may resign and back