Politics

Detectives investigating allegations of breaches of COVID rules in Downing Street and Whitehall have sent questionnaires to more than 100 people as they begin to interview key witnesses. Police are asking the recipients about their participation in the alleged gatherings, with seven days being given for a response. No fixed penalties have been issued so

Labour will force an emergency vote in parliament to demand the government takes action to outlaw the so-called fire and rehire of staff after more than 800 P&O workers were sacked on the spot. The party said reports suggest the government was aware of the sackings before they were announced, as well as the plan

Rishi Sunak has said sanctions against Russia “are not cost free” for British people and he cannot completely protect them “from dififcult times ahead”. The chancellor acknowledged sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine will add to the cost of living crisis ahead of energy bills soaring on 1 April. He told Sky News’ Sophy

Boris Johnson was accused of being a “threat to national security” following reports he was at a Tory party fundraising event on the night Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine. According to The Sunday Times, the prime minister was at a Conservative Party fundraising dinner attended by at least one donor with links to

Vladimir Putin is in “a total panic” about a revolution in Moscow which is why he is trying “so brutally to snuff out the flame of freedom in Ukraine”, Boris Johnson has said. Condemning the “vicious and a barbarian attack on innocent civilians”, the prime minister drew a direct comparison with the actions of the

Jacob Rees-Mogg has dismissed the row over parties held during lockdown in Downing Street and across Whitehall as trivial “fluff”. Speaking at the Conservative spring xonference in Blackpool, the Brexit minister said the current Ukraine crisis showed that partygate was not a fundamentally serious issue. “It is a reminder that the world is serious, that

As the chancellor prepares to deliver the Spring Statement next week, polling suggests confidence in the Conservative Party’s handling of the economy is at its lowest point in more than a decade. Labour’s rating has remained relatively static, with only a slight improvement since Jeremy Corbyn’s time as leader and no sign yet of a

The government is reviewing its contracts with P&O after the ferry company’s “wholly unacceptable” and “insensitive” sacking of 800 staff members, a minister has told MPs. Condemning the firm, maritime minister Robert Courts told the House of Commons he was “extremely concerned and frankly angry” at the treatment of workers by P&O. “These are hardworking,

This week, the pundit, coach and former player talks to Beth Rigby about what he says are big questions about football ownerships after sanctions were put on Roman Abramovich. Plus, why he’s signed up as a member of the Labour Party, what makes a good leader and who would he rather work for – Liverpool

Boris Johnson has vowed a further crackdown on oligarchs and the super-rich by promising to curb their abuse of the UK legal system to stifle public criticism. The prime minister has called for an end to the “chilling effect” of elites using the threat of legal action to silence critics. Ministers will take aim at

The minister for refugees has said he expects “thousands of people” to arrive in the UK next week under the government’s Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme. Lord Harrington, who was appointed to the role last week and subsequently enrolled into the House of Lords, told the Home Affairs Committee that it “may not be possible”

Legal targets for air pollution and the abundance of wild species are among proposals being set out by the government. Ministers want legally-binding targets for air quality, wildlife, water, waste reduction and resource efficiency. The proposals include annual targets for average concentrations of fine particulate matter – air pollution that can affect lung function and

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has said it is “sheer nonsense” that security advice was overruled to award Lord Lebedev a peerage. Standing in for the prime minister at PMQs on Wednesday, Mr Raab was repeatedly pressed by his shadow counterpart Angela Rayner on Boris Johnson’s decision to award the Russian-born businessman a seat in

Boris Johnson has said Vladimir Putin is like a drug dealer who has got Western nations hooked on Russian oil and gas. “Vladimir Putin over the last years has been like a pusher, feeding an addiction in Western countries to his hydrocarbons,” the prime minister said on Tuesday. “We need to get ourselves off that

More than 100,000 Britons have offered up their homes to Ukrainian refugees, Boris Johnson has said. The prime minister said it was “fantastic” and thanked “everyone across the country who has stepped up to offer their help so far”. A website where people can register their interest in providing a home for at least six

The government is closing in on a multibillion pound investment deal with Saudi Arabia that would provide a backdrop to crucial talks on the Gulf state’s oil production. Sky News understands that ministers have been working for weeks to finalise a new sovereign investment partnership (SIP) with Riyadh that would replicate a £10bn alliance unveiled

The UK government has placed an export ban on luxury goods to Russia and hiked up import tariffs from the country on iconic products such as vodka. British vehicles, high-end fashion and art are some of the luxury goods that will no longer be exported to Russia as the UK and other G7 leaders continue

If Downing Street hoped to press the reset button this year after weeks of damaging allegations of lockdown breaches, the latest revelations are the most damaging yet. The net appears, from what sources tell Sky News and other outlets, to be closing around the prime minister. This is not another claim of unknown officials having

A minister has said he “can understand why people are angry” about allegations that Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie were among around 40 people to attend a drinks event in the Downing Street garden during the UK’s first national COVID lockdown. Health minister Ed Argar said it is “absolutely right” that Sue Gray –

Boris Johnson has said the UK is making “great progress” in tackling Omicron – but warned the variant remains “incredibly contagious”. Speaking following a pharmacy visit, the prime minister said 36 million people have now received the booster jab and are more protected from Omicron, but acknowledged that the number of people in hospital with