Politics

Senior MPs have pledged their allegiance to King Charles III in a rare Saturday Commons sitting. Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle was the first to do so. He was followed by Father of the House, the longest serving male MP, Conservative Sir Peter Bottomley. Then came the Mother of the House, the longest serving female

King Charles III will be formally proclaimed monarch today at an Accession Council which will be televised for the first time in history. The King will make his declaration and oath in St James’s Palace at 10am. He will be joined by the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge as well as the Queen Consort, Camilla,

Liz Truss has faced constant tests in the infancy of her premiership.  Forty-eight hours after being appointed by the Queen, the PM had to lead a nation in paying tribute to her. Today the Commons chamber was a sea of black as MPs stood for a minute’s silence, and the prime minister was again tasked

MPs have paid tribute to the Queen in the House of Commons, with Boris Johnson making his first appearance since stepping down as prime minister, asking the public to “think what we asked of her and think what she gave”. His successor, Liz Truss, the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and the Speaker, Sir Lindsay

The King told Liz Truss the death of the Queen was a moment he had “been dreading”, as he held his first audience with the prime minister at Buckingham Palace. King Charles III shook Ms Truss’s hand as he welcomed her to the first of what will be their weekly meetings. Discussions between the monarch

Prime Minister Liz Truss has led tributes to the Queen following her death, saying she was “the rock on which modern Britain was built”. In an address in Downing Street, Ms Truss, who has only been in Number 10 for 48 hours, said: “Britain is the great country it is today because of her.” She

The biggest, most expensive policy Liz Truss will ever announce has landed.  Voters will probably like it, sensing the alternative would be ruin for millions. Her MPs will cheer it, knowing that a failure or delay to act would be electoral ruin. The consequences of today’s announcement will be felt for decades because of the

Liz Truss’s energy statement later today – barely 48 hours into the job – will probably be the most expensive commitment she ever makes as prime minister – and that’s if things go well. For this reason, it could also be the most important statement she makes as PM, certainly this side of a general

The wife of a minister who was fired by Liz Truss has called the new prime minister an “imbecile” in an outburst on social media. Felicity Cornelius-Mercer said the system “stinks” and “treats people appallingly” after Johnny Mercer was removed as veterans affairs minister. In a tweet, she claimed her husband asked Ms Truss: “Why

The £100bn-plus energy relief package Liz Truss is expected to finalise this week is just one string in her economic bow. Here are five things you need to know about Trussonomics, the nickname some are giving to the new prime minister’s economic policy. 1. It’s a huge policy shift The first is that in one

Boris Johnson has delivered his valedictory speech to the nation, describing himself as a “booster rocket that has fulfilled its function”. Speaking outside a packed Downing Street, the outgoing prime minister said: “This is it folks.” Mr Johnson vowed to “get behind Liz Truss every step of the way” and told the Conservative Party that

Polling in the summer suggested Liz Truss had the backing of around 66% of Conservative Party members – a similar margin to that which saw Boris Johnson beat Jeremy Hunt in 2019. But the final result saw Ms Truss secure a lower proportion of the vote than some had expected – 81,326 votes, which equates

On a prime minister’s first day in office, they are taken into a top secret meeting and asked to make a plan in case of nuclear attack. Kate Fall, David Cameron’s ‘gatekeeper’ and deputy chief of staff, remembers that moment because she was firmly ushered out of the PM’s den: “I was told categorically: ‘No.

Get ready for backbench Boris. After more than three years as prime minister, Mr Johnson heads for the backbenches, where he is expected to be defiant, stir up trouble and plot a Trump-style comeback. He claims he will be loyal to his successor – and yet he’s refusing to rule out a return. “Mission largely

A close ally of Boris Johnson has said he should not be written off as he hinted at a potential return to frontline politics for the PM in the future. Lord Edward Lister was asked on Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday about reports some MPs were experiencing “seller’s remorse” over Mr Johnson’s departure and

Liz Truss has said she is ready to take “tough decisions” and “immediate action” on energy bills during her first week in office, if she becomes prime minister. There have been ever-louder calls in recent weeks for the government to intervene to support the most vulnerable, with energy bills set to rise to around £3,500

Thousands of beds in shelters and new supported living accommodation in England will be provided as part of a strategy to end rough sleeping. An extra 14,000 emergency beds for rough sleepers and 3,000 support staff roles will be created this year as part of a three-year £500m plan, according to the Department for Levelling

A probe into whether Boris Johnson lied to parliament over the partygate scandal would be found “unlawful” by a court, a top barrister has said. In a published legal opinion commissioned by the government, Lord Pannick – a crossbench peer who sits in the House of Lords – described the Privileges Committee’s approach to its

Whether it is Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak who becomes Conservative leader on Monday, they will be the third in six years to become UK prime minister by the grace and favour of the Tory party membership and without the other 99% of the electorate giving their endorsement at a general election. Liz Truss, and

The prime minister’s official jet was used for a “boozy jolly” by civil servants, according to a report. Sky News understands a number of officials joined the 91-minute journey over the UK – and that it took place with “usual catering for a flight”. The Sun newspaper claims that during the 700-mile trip – which