Politics

Ministers are not looking to soften the blow for 10 million pensioners who will no longer receive winter fuel payments, the prime minister’s spokesman has said. Ahead of a vote on Tuesday on the controversial decision to limit winter fuel payments to those on pension credit, the government is remaining steadfast despite growing opposition from

Labour’s post-election honeymoon looks to be over as it faces pressure this week over winter fuel payments, releasing prisoners early, and the state of the NHS. Two months after winning a historic majority, Sir Keir Starmer and his ministers have a busy week as they face pressure not just from other parties, but their own

The health secretary has said NHS waiting lists need to be “millions lower” by the next general election in 2029. Wes Streeting told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips he is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure waiting lists are brought down, including using the private sector. He said the “NHS waiting

Children’s health is facing a deadly crisis, with life-threatening illnesses, obesity, eating disorders, and infectious diseases soaring, a shock new government report reveals. Sir Keir Starmer is blaming the Conservatives for a “broken NHS” and claims the Tories’ NHS reforms are “unforgivable and “hopelessly misconceived”. The shocking findings on the deteriorating health of the nation’s

Sir Keir Starmer is visiting the Republic of Ireland as part of a “reset” of relations following the change of government. The prime minister will meet with his Irish counterpart, Simon Harris, as part of the visit to Dublin. At the same time, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn will be committing the UK government to

As cabinet ministers and law enforcement teams were meeting to discuss ways to enact the prime minister’s pledge to “smash the gangs”, in a flat in Manchester Hassan was bathing a kitten he’s adopted since being granted asylum in Britain. The 26-year-old knows all about the smuggling gangs that bring people over in small boats

The Green Party will demand the government introduces a wealth tax when Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers her first budget next month. Giving a speech at his party’s annual conference in Manchester, co-leader Adrian Ramsay said the UK “needs to invest in defending public services and protecting our environment – and we can do that with

The home secretary will meet with ministers and members of law enforcement for an operational summit that will set out the government’s plan to tackle small boats in the Channel. Yvette Cooper will be joined by at the headquarters of the National Crime Agency in London by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood,

The deputy prime minister has said she is unhappy with how long it is taking to remove unsafe cladding from buildings following the Grenfell Tower fire. Angela Rayner, who is also the housing secretary, said the government “has got to make sure that we accelerate remediation” after the final phase of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry

Tory leadership candidate Dame Priti Patel has been kicked out of the race after the first vote by party MPs. The former home secretary was running to replace Rishi Sunak against five other candidates, but fell at the first hurdle by coming in last place in the ballot. Politics live: Starmer accused of ‘choosing train

Sir Keir Starmer has said he is “deeply sorry” for the actions of the British government after a damning report into the Grenfell Tower blaze said ministers “failed to act”, despite knowing the risk of building materials. A landmark report into the disaster that claimed 72 lives in June 2017 was published earlier on Wednesday,

Former minister Tom Tugendhat has apologised for the “disrespect and double standards” of previous Conservative governments as he made his appeal to become the next party leader. Speaking from Westminster at his campaign launch, Mr Tugendhat said he had “witnessed the recent political trauma” within the Tory ranks “with a combination of depression and anger”,

A new political term, and a new reality for the Conservatives, as what’s left of the party regroups in Westminster and gets down to the business of picking a new leader. On Monday, it was the turn of Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly to officially launch their campaigns ahead of the first knock-out round on

The UK will suspend some arms sales to Israel, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has announced. Mr Lammy said the decision comes following a review of export licences for UK arms which found there was a “clear risk” that the weapons would be used in a way that could breach international law. Around 30 of 350

Scotland’s first minister will reveal his government’s plans later this week to help grow the economy, deliver net zero, and eradicate child poverty. John Swinney is expected to address the Scottish parliament on Wednesday to coincide with the publication of his first Programme for Government. Ahead of his speech, Mr Swinney said the forthcoming year’s

Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard are back with their daily guide to the day ahead in politics in under 20 minutes.  👉 Tap here to follow Politics at Jack and Sam’s wherever you get your podcasts 👈 Today sees parliament return after summer recess so Jack and Sam tell you everything you

One-word Ofsted judgements for state schools are being scrapped with immediate effect in a move that has been hailed as a “landmark moment for children”. Previously, the education watchdog awarded one of four marks to schools it inspects: outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate. From this academic year, four grades will be awarded across the

The Tories will not win back trust of the British people by simply “pointing out how terrible Labour are”, Kemi Badenoch will say. Speaking at the launch of her Conservative leadership campaign on Monday, the former Business Secretary will attack the new government as failing to offer “something better”. But despite reeling off a list

Labour have accused Rishi Sunak of failing pensioners and posing a threat to their living standards, claiming a record number of pensioners are paying income tax. The party said the number of over-65s paying income tax has almost doubled, from 4.5 million in 2009/10, to 8.5 million in 2023/24. Shadow pensions secretary Liz Kendall said

It’s a meeting that’s so top secret that those attending – at a secret location – are ordered to surrender their mobile phone and any other electronic devices when they arrive. They’re given numbered copies of the agenda, thick bundles which are then collected from them at the end of the meeting. Security is extremely

Rishi Sunak has pledged to cut rail fares for veterans and “enshrine their rights in law” in an election offering on the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The prime minister has announced a raft of measures aimed at making the UK “the best place in the world” to have served in the armed forces. This includes

Wales’s first minister has lost a confidence vote. Vaughan Gething has only been first minister since March, but in that time he has faced questions over a controversial £200k donation to his leadership campaign from a man convicted of environmental offences. Mr Gething said the donations had been made in line with party protocols and

Faiza Shaheen, who was blocked from representing the Labour Party in the general election, has announced she will stand as an independent. Ms Shaheen, who initially won the Labour nomination for Chingford and Woodford Green, said she had decided to run as an independent after voters told her they felt “disenfranchised” by the party’s decision

When Nigel Farage announced his candidacy, he boasted: “We haven’t spent a bean on Facebook pushes or advertising.” But the data shows Reform has, in fact, spent a significant number of beans. More than £3,800 has been spent by the party’s candidate in Great Yarmouth, on more than 50 Facebook and Instagram adverts since the

Both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will take part in a special leaders’ event programme next week, Sky News has confirmed. The Battle for Number 10, a UK Election Leaders Special Event, will be aired on Wednesday 12 June. The event will be live from Grimsby in front of an audience. The new Grimsby

As the country heads towards a general election, political parties have been competing through social media to get their messages to the public. Sky News tracked the performance of the six highest polling parties across X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and Facebook to see how the race for online audiences is shaping up in the

Reform UK has pulled to within two points of the Conservatives, according to the latest YouGov poll of the election campaign for Sky News. The latest exclusive weekly survey, conducted on Monday and Tuesday before the head-to-head TV debate, puts Labour on 40%, the Tories on 19%, Reform UK on 17%, the Liberal Democrats on

A woman has been charged with assault by beating and criminal damage after a milkshake was thrown at Nigel Farage. Victoria Thomas Bowen, 25, will appear at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on 2 July following the incident at a campaign event in Clacton, Essex on Tuesday. A 44-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of assaulting

The prime minister will herald the “next generation” in the UK’s nuclear industry as he unveils new investment to create jobs and boost skills. Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria will get £20m of public money to start with and £180m a year over the next decade. The town is where four new Dreadnought-class submarines – designed to

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has warned the UK should “absolutely” be concerned about the threat of Islamic State following the terror attack in Moscow. At least 133 people died in the massacre in the Russian capital on Friday. Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), which is a branch of the militant group operating in central Asia, has claimed

The chancellor has claimed that earning £100,000 a year is “not a huge salary”. Jeremy Hunt made the remark on social media platform X, in a post which was aimed at his constituents in Surrey. He will be campaigning hard as he is changing seats for the next general election after the boundaries were redrawn

Rishi Sunak has warned against “messing with” the national flags after Nike changed the colour of the St George’s Cross on a new England football shirt. Wading into the controversy, the prime minister argued the standards are “a source of pride, identity, who we are and they are perfect as we are”. His comments came

Home Secretary James Cleverly used a private chartered flight to visit Rwanda at a cost of £165,561.53 to the taxpayer, government documents have revealed. The latest transparency data from the Home Office showed Mr Cleverly took the flight in December last year as he headed to Kigali to sign a new treaty with the African