Politics

Labour says there is an emerging “pattern of behaviour” after a company partially owned by the prime minister’s wife was revealed to have received taxpayer cash. It comes after it was revealed that Akshata Murty held shares in a childcare company which stands to benefit from policy announced in the budget. Ms Murty, who is

School logos should not be compulsory on uniforms, the Welsh government has said. The government in Cardiff has published new guidance following a public consultation to find how best to support families during the cost of living crisis. The Welsh government’s education minister Jeremy Miles has said schools in Wales should “review” their uniform policies

Liz Truss is disputing a bill she has been asked to pay relating to a country house which she had use of as foreign secretary. The bill is reportedly for £12,000 but the former prime minister’s spokesman claims the actual figure is lower. The invoice, first reported in The Mail on Sunday, covers the period

Striking rail staff should want to stand in solidarity with fellow Ukrainian workers rather than “cynically target” the Eurovision Song Contest, which the UK is hosting on behalf of the war-torn nation, the transport secretary has said. Speaking to Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, Mark Harper argued the stricken country’s train network has

Sir Keir Starmer has denied that a Labour attack advert aimed at Rishi Sunak is racist. A series of recent ads, which have been described as “gutter politics” and criticised by some of Labour’s own MPs, have targeted the prime minister personally. In an interview with Sky News, Sophy Ridge questioned the party leader about

Labour will perform strongest in the Midlands and north of England next week, according to an exclusive new local election projection for Sky News, which suggests the “Red wall” is starting to abandon the Conservatives. The Tories are also likely to struggle in key bellwether seats elsewhere in England – although the pollster did not

Richard Sharp has resigned as chairman of the BBC in the wake of a report into his appointment following a cronyism row. Mr Sharp said the report found he had breached the government’s code for the public appointments but said it was “inadvertent”. The matter has been a “distraction” for the BBC and he has

More than 3,000 people eligible to come to the UK are trapped in Afghanistan, the government has admitted. In 2021, the UK organised a hurried evacuation to get vulnerable Afghans and British citizens out of the country after the Taliban seized control of Kabul. But responding to a damning report from the Commons’ defence committee

Labour insiders have expressed concern about Tory plans to ramp up attacks on Sir Keir Starmer’s tenure as director of public prosecutions, Sky News can reveal. The Labour leader has repeatedly referenced his time leading the Crown Prosecution Service between 2008 and 2013 as a core part of his political pitch to voters. At PMQs

A new tax on gambling firms and maximum stakes for online slot machines are being considered under government plans to crack down on online addiction. The government is due to publish its highly anticipated gambling review on Thursday following a number of delays. Among the measures expected to be confirmed in the report is a

The behaviour of people arriving in the UK on small boats is “at odds with British values”, the home secretary has claimed. Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Suella Braverman said people making the dangerous Channel crossing – who include asylum seekers – were “behaving unacceptably” by “breaking our rules” and “abusing the generosity of the

The government is confident it is “on track” to meet its manifesto pledge of recruiting 20,000 new police officers, the home secretary has said. The promise was made as part of the government’s 2019 manifesto – but critics have pointed out that it has already missed the deadline, which was set for March this year.

Rishi Sunak must stand up for the civil service after Dominic Raab’s resignation over bullying complaints from his staff, a former Foreign Office chief has said. Mr Raab quit his roles in government last week after two complaints were upheld against him for acting in an “intimidating way” and being “unreasonably and persistently aggressive” in

Spiking someone’s drink or injecting them with drugs or alcohol will be made a specific offence under Labour, Sir Keir Starmer has announced.  Labour would bring in the measure if it wins power as part of its plan to clamp down on violence against women and girls. Sir Keir said that in a roundtable with

The government will take a nursing union to court next week in an attempt to stop its latest strike action. Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) are due to walk-out for 48 hours from 8pm on Sunday night until 8pm on Tuesday 2 May after rejecting the latest pay offer from the government.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said he “utterly condemns” comments made by MP Diane Abbott in which she suggested Jews, Irish people and travellers do not face racism. Ms Abbott, who has been a Labour MP since the 1980s, was yesterday suspended from the parliamentary party pending an investigation into her remarks, which were

The deputy prime minister has said police will “take all necessary steps” to prevent any disruption to the King’s coronation by anti-monarchist campaigners. Activists are planning to disrupt the ceremony by setting off rape alarms and throwing them at horses taking part in the procession, according to a report in The Mail on Sunday. The

Rishi Sunak should remove the whip from Dominic Raab to avoid sending the message that “bullying is somehow OK”, the Liberal Democrats have said. Party leader Sir Ed Davey said the government should take the action – which would force Mr Raab to sit as an independent in the Commons – if he is not

The Scottish National Party (SNP) has appointed MP Stuart McDonald as its new treasurer following the resignation of Colin Beattie on Wednesday. Mr Beattie stepped down after he was arrested in connection with an investigation into the party’s finances. He was subsequently released without charge pending further enquiries. His arrest came after the party’s former

Nurses are being “treated as criminals” for going on strike, a union leader has claimed. Pat Cullen, the head of the Royal College of Nurses (RCN), described health secretary Steve Barclay’s decision to “pursue legal action” over the union’s upcoming strike as “cruel” and “unacceptable”. Members of the (RCN) working for the NHS in England