Politics

James Cleverly is travelling to Rwanda to sign a new treaty for the government’s asylum plan. It is part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s mission to make the deal to send migrants there legally watertight following the Supreme Court’s ruling against the scheme. In the wake of the judgement on 15 November the government insisted

Rishi Sunak has suffered his first defeat in the House of Commons since becoming prime minister, as MPs voted to establish a compensatory body for victims of the infected blood scandal. An amendment tabled by Labour was voted through on a razor-thin majority of 246 to 242. The government had fought to fend off a

Sir Keir Starmer will promise a “better bargain” for the British public in a major speech that will focus on the need for economic growth over spending. The Labour leader will warn that his government would not be able to “turn on the spending taps” and will instead have to be “ruthless” when it comes

Rishi Sunak has suggested more tax cuts are on the way because the economy has “turned a corner”. The prime minister told reporters that while he would not comment on specifics, trimming taxes was “the direction of travel from this government”. But it came as he refused to say if the pensions triple lock would

Sir Keir Starmer has launched an impassioned pitch to woo Conservative voters – urging those who feel abandoned by their party “to take a look at Labour again”. In a comment piece for The Sunday Telegraph, the Labour leader said he is extending a hand of friendship to all Britons – irrespective of who they

You can’t write him off. Boris Johnson has found his way back into the public’s good books before and if his hopes of a political comeback are still alive, the coming week could be a decisive moment. The preparations are under way. The former prime minister has spent many hours with barristers, studying 6,000 pages

Boris Johnson will reportedly tell the COVID inquiry that he “unquestionably made mistakes” during the pandemic, but his decisions helped save tens of thousands of lives. The former prime minister is due to give evidence next week – and according to The Times, he will issue an “unreserved apology” and admit his government was “initially

People who make the rules must abide by them, Matt Hancock has said, as he acknowledged his own infamous lockdown-breaking clinch undermined public confidence in efforts to tackle coronavirus. Giving evidence to the COVID-19 inquiry, the MP said he had taken accountability by resigning as health secretary in June 2021 after leaked footage emerged of

Rishi Sunak has insisted the UK can “stand tall” at the COP28 summit – despite a former minister claiming the country is no longer seen as a “serious partner” in the fight against climate change. Lord Zac Goldsmith, who resigned as an environment minister in June, told Sky News that delays to green targets meant

Alistair Darling, who served as chancellor under then prime minister Gordon Brown, has died at the age of 70. His family confirmed the news about the Labour peer on Thursday. Lord Darling became a household name when Gordon Brown appointed him chancellor after taking the keys to Number 10 back in 2007. He ran the

Rwanda may be getting more than the £140m it has already been paid under the controversial deportation deal, despite no flights taking off, MPs have been told. Sir Matthew Rycroft, the top civil servant at the Home Office, hinted more money would be spent but repeatedly refused to disclose the sum – saying ministers had

The UK’s largest nursing union is calling for the government to reopen pay negotiations after an offer was made to consultant doctors, in a move that has angered other health unions. The Royal College of Nursing – RCN – has suggested new strikes are “more likely in the future” as a result of yesterday’s announcement.

Rishi Sunak hasn’t had many wins in his short premiership. But one he could legitimately claim was being a prime minister who improved Britain’s standing in the world – drawing a line under the bumpy Brexit years and provocative style of his predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. He was the prime minister who delivered

Former health secretary Matt Hancock played a key role in the UK’s response to the COVID pandemic – and his decisions will now be scrutinised during the official inquiry. Mr Hancock was a familiar face at the regular press conferences that took place during that period, giving updates to the public about social distancing measures,

The Conservatives face a “real risk” they will lose a generation of voters over a lack of house building, according to one of their own former housing ministers. Speaking to the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge, Sir Brandon Lewis explained why he is using his time as a backbencher to encourage the building of more

A new pay offer has been made to NHS consultants which could end long-running strike action in England. The British Medical Association (BMA) said it would see most senior doctors get an extra 4.95% “investment in pay” for this financial year, on top of the 6% annual rise already awarded. Politics Live: Sadiq Khan tells

James Cleverly will announce he is still reviewing measures to reduce legal migration on Monday, as the government fights to convince its own backbenchers it can exercise control over UK borders. Next month Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will then set out the results of the review alongside details of the new treaty with Rwanda and

A cabinet minister has played down the suggestion of a government split on the Rwanda asylum plan after the home secretary said it was not the “be all and end all” of migration policy. Backbench Tory MPs have criticised James Cleverly after he urged people not to “fixate” on the controversial deportation scheme, and said

If the Conservatives thought the autumn statement would bring the party a much needed boost – announcing cuts to national insurance and business taxes – some very big numbers were lurking just around the corner that would ruin the party. The very next day, the Office for National Statistics released figures that showed net migration

Pensioners have started receiving payments of up to £600 to help them with the cost of living throughout the winter. The government says around 11.5 million pensioners will be receiving the winter fuel payments for the second year running. The winter fuel payments come on top of the additional £300 provided per household through the

Boris Johnson has heaped further pressure on Rishi Sunak over the UK’s “all-time high” net migration figures, as he suggested “demographic change” had led to “race riots” in Dublin. The former prime minister criticised net migration numbers released this week as “way too big” and suggested imposing a minimum income of £40,000 for those who

Nicola Sturgeon is among senior figures accused of “misfeasance” in former first minister Alex Salmond’s fresh legal action against the Scottish government. Mr Salmond took the government to court in 2019 and was awarded £512,000 over its mishandling of harassment complaints against him. The former SNP leader – who was first minister between 2007 and

It is more bad news for the government on migration. There are lots of headline figures coming out from the Office for National Statistics, but the most important one is this: net migration to the UK in the year to December 2022 has been revised up to 745,000. That is a huge number: higher than

Net migration to the UK has risen to 672,000 in the year to June 2023 – up from 607,000 for the previous year, the ONS has said. The last figure for a 12 month period was released in May, saying net migration had hit 606,000 – deemed a record high for a calendar year. But

Jeremy Hunt has acknowledged it will “take time” to bring taxes down, but he had “made a start” with his autumn statement. The chancellor admitted the tax take – the total the government collects – stood at £45bn, outstripping the benefits of the cuts announced in the fiscal event. The headline-grabbing announcement in Mr Hunt’s

Here are some of the main announcements from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement to MPs: This will be updated as more information comes in… The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) predicts an average inflation rate of 2.8% by the end of next year and 2% by 2025. Benefits will increase by 6.7%, the September rate

There is “no doubt” the Falkland Islands are British, Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson has said, after Argentina’s new president vowed to “get them back”. Javier Milei, who was elected in Argentina’s presidential election on Sunday, has said Buenos Aires had “non-negotiable” sovereignty over the Falklands, known as Islas Malvinas by Argentines. He said his government would

Sir Patrick Vallance today detailed the tug of war in government in the run up to the first and second lockdowns – and in the course of it, made some serious allegations which Rishi Sunak will have to answer when he appears before the inquiry. Its seriousness is not just that it comes from the

Professor Sir Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, will be the latest high-profile figure to reveal his first-hand experience of the COVID pandemic when he gives evidence to the inquiry later today. Sir Chris became a household name alongside the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, when the pair appeared alongside politicians at the daily

Nigel Farage made his debut on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! by sticking his head through the window of a campervan filled with snakes and rummaging around in gunk. The former UKIP and Brexit Party leader was taunted about Brexit before he was chosen by the public to take part in the

An MP found guilty of racial abuse has announced he will stand down at the next election. Bob Stewart, who has represented the London constituency of Beckenham since 2010, revealed his decision in a brief statement on X, formerly Twitter, which made no reference to the recent court case. Following his conviction, the 74-year-old surrendered

The chancellor has warned “difficult decisions” need to be made to “reform the welfare state” as he mulls introducing controversial tax cuts in next week’s autumn statement. Jeremy Hunt said there is “no easy way to reduce the tax burden” following reports he’s looking to slash inheritance tax and levies on businesses. Tax levels are

A Labour MP and member of Sir Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet says she has been left “shocked”, “angry” and “frightened” after her constituency office was vandalised. Shadow Welsh secretary and Cardiff Central MP Jo Stevens’ office was sprayed with the word “murderer” and covered with posters saying she had “blood” on her hands, following a