Politics

Rishi Sunak is under pressure to back an immediate ceasefire in Gaza after 10 senior Conservative MPs accused Israel of carrying out the “brutalisation of the civilian Palestinian population” – which they argue risks fuelling more extremism in the region. The MPs, including former cabinet ministers, have written to Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron to argue

Michael Gove is facing calls to answer questions before MPs over PPE firm Medpro after Baroness Michelle Mone admitted she stands to benefit from a deal between the government and the firm. Mr Gove was chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the COVID pandemic struck and was name-checked by Baroness Mone in her first

Grant Shapps and Mark Harper are the most trusted public faces of this government, according to new research for the Politics at Jack and Sam’s podcast. On this week’s edition of the Sky News and Politico podcast we reveal which members of the cabinet are put up for the daily breakfast round – appearing on

Rishi Sunak was “absolutely right” to issue a warning that immigration could “overwhelm” Europe, one of his ministers has claimed. The prime minister made the remark during a right-wing Conservative event in Italy on Saturday, claiming “enemies” could use immigration as a “weapon” by “deliberately driving people to our shores to try to destabilise our

Rishi Sunak has said illegal migration threatens to “overwhelm” Europe and hinted a change is needed in international law in order to tackle it. Speaking to Italian conservatives at an event in Rome, the prime minister said “enemies” could use immigration as a “weapon” by “deliberately driving people to our shores to try to destabilise

Former Tory MP Scott Benton has said he will appeal his recommended suspension from the House of Commons and intends to make a formal complaint over it. The Blackpool MP was suspended from the parliamentary Tory party in April after being caught in a sting by The Times suggesting he would be willing to break

Just Stop Oil protesters who gathered outside the home of Sir Keir Starmer to sing climate change-inspired Christmas carols have been told not to return to the area for three months after being dispersed by police. In footage shared on X, protesters were asked to leave the area surrounding the Labour leader’s house in north

A ban on social media use for under-16s has been branded “speculation” – but the government must “continue to look at” the need to protect children, a minister has said. Science minister Andrew Griffith dismissed as “speculation” reports that social media access could be curbed for some young people as part of a “potential consultation”

Rishi Sunak is facing another by-election after the Commons standards committee recommended MP Scott Benton be suspended from the chamber for 35 days. Mr Benton was suspended from the parliamentary Tory party in April after being caught by The Times suggesting he would be willing to break lobbying rules for money. In its ruling handed

Rishi Sunak has publicly disagreed with an Israeli ambassador, who told Sky News the country rejected the idea of a two-state solution. It is the long-standing position of the UK government that there should be an independent Palestinian state established alongside the existing one of Israel – giving both peoples their own territory. But asked

Less than 1% of people who have arrived in the UK on small boats since 2020 have been returned to their home country, new statistics reveal. The numbers showed that when Albanians were taken out of the figures – as the UK has signed a separate returns agreement with the country – just 408 people

The government is still hoping it will be able to start flying asylum seekers to Rwanda in the spring, according to the home secretary. James Cleverly confirmed his aims to Sky News the morning after the government managed to keep its Safety of Rwanda bill alive despite a rebellion of more than 20 backbench MPs.

Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill has passed a crucial Commons vote with a majority of 44. The second reading of the legislation passed with 313 MPs voting in favour and 269 against. It comes after right-wing Tory MPs said they could not support the bill, while One Nation Conservative moderates said they would back the proposals

Whatever happens in the vote over emergency legislation tomorrow, Rishi Sunak is in deep trouble. Because in making flights to Rwanda this totemic policy of his premiership, he has stoked a civil war in this party which threatens to blow up his benches and his leadership, as Brexit did for Theresa May. Because just as

Rishi Sunak is fighting to save his flagship Rwanda bill ahead of a crunch vote this evening that could be fatal to his authority. The embattled prime minister will host an emergency breakfast in Downing Street this morning with would-be rebels who have warned that “major surgery” is still required to fix the legislation. The

After appearances from Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock and a range of Downing Street advisers, it is now time for Rishi Sunak to be questioned at the official COVID inquiry. We take a look at what questions the prime minister – who served as chancellor throughout the pandemic – is likely to face. Please use Chrome

Rishi Sunak is waiting to see the size of revolt over his immigration plans from both wings of his party as he enters a crunch week for his premiership.  Two major meetings on Monday – one with One Nation MPs and one with the Tory right – will determine the size of the rebellion on

Michael Gove has defended as a “salty intervention” a Conservative Party social media post that attacked Labour using an image of a BBC News presenter making a rude sign on camera. The levelling up and communities secretary said it was “a powerful contribution to a very lively debate”, which pointed out the opposition had “nothing

Rishi Sunak has attacked Labour’s illegal migration policy as Sir Keir Starmer accused the Conservatives of “fighting like rats in a sack” over the Rwanda bill. The prime minister called on Labour to “rise above political games” and back the emergency legislation when it comes before the Commons on Tuesday, despite battling to convince his

Robert Jenrick has said the government’s Rwanda bill is too weak and will still mean a “merry-go-round” of legal challenges. The former immigration minister quit this week over the new law – designed to speed up deportations and deter people from crossing the Channel on small boats. Mr Jenrick, writing in The Daily Telegraph, said

The Home Office’s most senior civil servant has been summoned to give evidence to a committee of MPs on Monday after he revealed the cost of the government’s Rwanda plan had risen by £100m – despite no planes having taken off. Ministers signed the deal with the African nation in 2022, with the aim of

Two people have been arrested after Sir Keir Starmer was confronted by pro-Palestine activists in Glasgow. The Labour leader was met by activists holding Palestinian flags as he arrived at Glasgow Central Station on Thursday evening. Sir Keir has faced criticism over his stance on the Israel-Hamas war since voting against a ceasefire in Gaza

Rishi Sunak has dodged questions over whether he will call a general election if he loses a crunch vote on his Rwanda bill – which he insisted was not a vote of confidence in his leadership. The prime minister repeatedly defended the bill from its critics at a press conference on Thursday as questions mount

Suella Braverman has said she “very much hopes the prime minister changes course” with his efforts to tackle illegal migration after his plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was dealt a blow with the resignation of Robert Jenrick. The former home secretary, who was sacked by Rishi Sunak last month, said she wanted the

Robert Jenrick has resigned from his post as immigration minister over the government’s Rwanda plan. Home Secretary James Cleverly confirmed his colleague’s departure after repeated questioning in the Commons. Speculation mounted after Mr Jenrick was missing from the frontbench as Mr Cleverly gave a statement on the government’s bid to rescue the deal to fly

Rishi Sunak will aim for a middle ground in the emergency legislation to get the Rwanda scheme off the ground as he remains under severe pressure to stop small boat crossings. A senior government source has told Sky News that the prime minister is not planning to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)

Rwanda has not received any additional funding for the new treaty it has signed to revive the UK government’s asylum plan, the home secretary has said. James Cleverly told a press conference in the Rwandan capital of Kigali: “Let me make it clear. The Rwandan government has not asked for and we have not provided

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