Politics

There is now a “window of opportunity” to fix the issues around the Northern Ireland protocol, says the Irish prime minister. Speaking after the British-Irish Council summit in Blackpool, Michael Martin said relations between the UK and EU had “improved very significantly”, and both he and British PM Rishi Sunak wanted to resolve the problems

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said he “could not speak or sleep” when he found out his wife had breast cancer. Susie Cleverly, 49, was diagnosed with triple positive breast cancer in December 2021 after spotting dimpled skin underneath her right breast the month before – nearly a year ago to the day. At the

A union representing more than 100,000 civil servants has voted to strike in a dispute over pay, pensions and jobs. The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS), one of the largest unions in the UK, said the legal threshold for industrial action had been reached in 126 separate areas, covering workers including driving test examiners,

Is Rishi Sunak’s baptism of fire as prime minister evidence that politicians who’ve been Leader of the Opposition make the best PMs? Some MPs claim Mr Sunak’s early blunders – the disastrous appointment of Sir Gavin Williamson to the cabinet table and his COP27 U-turn, for example – reveal not only a lack of experience

Rishi Sunak has said it is “absolutely right” that Sir Gavin Williamson resigned and admitted he has “regret” over appointing him as a cabinet minister in light of the allegations he is facing. The prime minister insisted he “did not know about any of the specific concerns” relating to Sir Gavin’s alleged “unacceptable” behaviour in

He had to go. It was inevitable. The charge sheet against Sir Gavin Williamson was getting longer, not just by the day, but by the hour. It was impossible for him to survive, given the damage the bullying row was doing to Rishi Sunak. Did he jump or was he pushed? Despite Sir Gavin claiming

Rishi Sunak believes Sir Gavin Williamson’s account of events on the allegations he is facing and still has confidence in the cabinet minister, Downing Street has said. The Guardian newspaper reported that Sir Gavin allegedly told a senior civil servant to “slit your throat” while he was defence secretary. An ex-official from the Ministry of

The latest proposals for a major shake-up of parliamentary constituencies across the UK have been unveiled. Ten more seats would be created in England – taking the total number of MPs from 533 to 543. Wales would lose eight seats, going down to 32 MPs – with two seats removed in Scotland to leave 57

Business Secretary Grant Shapps has hinted that the government may extend the windfall tax on oil and gas companies in this month’s autumn budget as it tries to stabilise the UK’s public finances. Speaking to Sky News with just 10 days to go before the government’s fiscal plans are unveiled, Mr Shapps said: “I mean,

When Wendy Morton attempted to be selected as Conservative candidate in Richmond, North Yorkshire, back in 2014, she was defeated by Rishi Sunak. Now she appears to be gaining her revenge as the prime minister faces questions about his judgement for re-appointing Sir Gavin Williamson to the government. Politics Hub: PM ‘has confidence’ in Williamson

Ed Miliband has called for an “urgent independent investigation” into the reappointment of Sir Gavin Williamson who faces bullying allegations. The new Cabinet Office minister allegedly sent abusive text messages to ex-chief whip Wendy Morton complaining that he and other colleagues had been excluded from the Queen’s funeral for political reasons. Speaking on Sky News’

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sworn to get the UK off polluting fossil fuels and on to more clean power in order to secure energy supplies, bucking claims by his predecessor Liz Truss that oil and gas expansion was vital. Addressing world leaders at COP27 in Egypt on Monday, Mr Sunak will argue the “shock”

This weekend the prime minister is heading to the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh. Rishi Sunak is not going for a late sunshine break after his first fortnight in Number 10, he will be representing the UK at the COP27 climate change summit in Egypt. He made a point of announcing that he

The government says it still supports the Sizewell C nuclear power plant and is hoping to get a deal over the line to fully fund the project as soon as possible. Funding towards the Suffolk plant totalling £700m was signed off by Boris Johnson at the start of September in one of his last acts

Two groups of people who had crossed the Channel in small boats were left stranded in London after a “misunderstanding” with Home Office officials, a minister has confirmed. Chris Philp, the policing minister, claimed the groups had told immigration officials “they had addresses to go to, so friends and family, and that turned out subsequently

Downing Street has defended Suella Braverman after she flew to an overcrowded migration centre in a £3,500-an-hour military helicopter. The home secretary avoided questions from the press as she met the Dover coastguard and travelled to the Manston facility in a Chinook. At one point in recent days, as many as 4,000 people were being

A Tory MP should be suspended from the Commons for suggesting the standards commissioner’s potential peerage depended on ruling against him over lobbying breaches, the Standards Committee has recommended Andrew Bridgen should be suspended for five sitting days, the parliamentary committee that oversees the work of the standards commissioner said. The committee found the MP

The Home Office is facing legal action over conditions at the Manston migrant processing centre – as reports suggest asylum seekers were removed from the site and “abandoned” at London Victoria station. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick told Sky News that a judicial review is being brought following reports of severe overcrowding at the centre in

All of Rishi Sunak’s campaign pledges from the summer leadership contest are under review. The prime minister’s official spokeswoman said that the pledges were made a few months ago, when the context was “somewhat different”. Secretaries of state are to be consulted on the specifics of their departments. Sunak ‘absolutely hammered’ on immigration at PMQs

The government is testing plans to cope with energy blackouts that could last up to seven days, according to a report. The Guardian says that a series of exercises has been held with government departments and councils across the country in recent days. Programme Yarrow was drawn up in 2021 to improve planning and resilience