Politics

The head of the most senior ethics watchdog has called for some form of limit on MPs’ second jobs, telling Sky News it is “hard to argue” some politicians are putting parliament first. MPs should be given an “indicative” ceiling on how much time to spend on their extra-parliamentary roles, according to an interview with

Michael Gove and Rishi Sunak have pledged to see off Conservative rebellions over housebuilding as they lay out their plans to increase homes in the UK. Mr Gove, the housing secretary, was delivering a speech on his plans to increase the number of homes being built in the UK, with the government having previously missed

Developers have accused the government of not doing enough to tackle falling levels of house building, as Michael Gove prepares to unveil plans that he says will boost construction – without spoiling the countryside. In a speech expected on Monday, the levelling up and housing secretary will set out measures aimed at “unblocking the planning

Sadiq Khan is still committed to expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) but is happy to look at new ideas for ways to mitigate the financial impact on Londoners, Sky News understands. The London mayor is understood to be willing to consider measures as long as they do not reduce the policy’s effectiveness at

Labour’s big beasts descended on Nottingham on Saturday for the party’s National Policy Forum (NPF). Alongside the unions and other party representatives, they will hash out what will become the main thrust of their manifesto. The problem is they are doing it in the wake of a by-election that was lost on the back of

Labour’s failure to take Boris Johnson’s former seat is a reminder that “policy matters”, Sir Keir Starmer has said – after the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) by London mayor Sadiq Khan was blamed for the narrow loss. The opposition leader told activists that the Conservatives hanging on to Uxbridge and South

In the early 1980s, the US labour movement coined the term “just transition”.   Clean air and water laws it had supported on health and environmental grounds had begun driving thousands of Americans out of their jobs. If environmental protections are going to benefit society, as the “just transition” argument goes, governments must ensure livelihoods

The Conservatives have suffered two by-election defeats in what had been seen as safe seats. Labour won in the constituency of Selby and Ainsty, while the Liberal Democrats triumphed in Somerton and Frome. The opposition parties both overturned Tory majorities of about 20,000 – as polling experts said the results meant “deep electoral trouble” for

Rishi Sunak has criticised the EU for a “regrettable choice of words” after it appeared to endorse the Argentine name for the Falkland Islands. The prime minister’s official spokesman said his view was that it would have been “entirely unacceptable for the EU to question the Falkland Islanders’ right to decide their own future”. A

The government has delayed publishing its long-awaited transgender guidance for schools after its own legal advisors concluded some of the suggested elements would be unlawful, Sky News understands. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had promised to bring out the advice during the summer term, which comes to an end this week for most state schools. But

Polls will open today at 7am for three by-elections across the country, as voters decide who they want to represent them in parliament. The seats of Uxbridge and South Ruislip in west London, Selby and Ainsty in North Yorkshire, and Somerton and Frome in Somerset, will all be up for grabs, with polls closing at

The Conservatives have suffered a record loss after Selby and Ainsty voted against the government at a by-election. A vote in the North Yorkshire seat was triggered last month after Boris Johnson ally Nigel Adams resigned from the House of Commons when he failed to get added to the House of Lords. Labour has overturned

Selby in Yorkshire, Somerton in the south west and Uxbridge in the London suburbs: from rural to town, from north to south – the three by-elections up this Thursday will tell a bigger story of the state of our politics, with records up for grabs. In these three seats – and the prospect of at

The risk from terrorism is “rising”, Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said. The cabinet minister was speaking as the government published a review of its counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST, which has been updated for the first time in five years. Ms Braverman said: “We now face a domestic terrorist threat which is less predictable, harder to

Controversial plans to tackle the small boats crisis are poised to become law after the government crushed a series of renewed challenges by peers at Westminster. The Tory front bench saw off five further changes being sought by the upper chamber to the Illegal Migration Bill, including modern slavery protections and child detention limits. At

A barge which will house 500 asylum seekers is on the move, with the first residents expected to board later this month. The barge – named the Bibby Stockholm – departed from Falmouth, Cornwall, to head to Portland Port in Dorset on Monday morning as Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman faced fresh criticism

The government is set to finish only 32 of its promised new 40 hospitals by 2030 as part of an over-budget and hard-to-deliver scheme, that might result in medical facilities that are “too small”, according to a “damning” report. The National Audit Office (NAO) has completed an investigation into the programme, initiated by the 2019

The government has signed an agreement to join an Indo-Pacific trading bloc, although the estimated benefit could only be £1.8bn in GDP. In announcing the formal plans to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Rishi Sunak administration highlighted the £12trn value of the combined GDPs of all the member nations if

Defence minister Ben Wallace says he will stand down at the next election. Mr Wallace, the longest-serving Conservative defence secretary, said in an interview with The Times: “I’m not standing next time.” He added that he will not be resigning “prematurely” and forcing a by-election. Mr Wallace also confirmed he would leave the cabinet at

Senior Conservatives are said to be discussing abolishing inheritance tax – at an annual cost of £7billion to the Treasury – in a bid to win over voters ahead of the next election. Downing Street is in talks about whether to scrap the levy in an attempt to shore up votes in so-called “blue wall”

Ben Wallace – the longest-serving Conservative defence secretary – is considering leaving government in an anticipated autumn reshuffle, Sky News understands. It follows a failed UK bid to make Mr Wallace, 53, the next head of NATO and as the prime minister reportedly prepares to refresh his top team ahead of next year’s election. The

MPs should “focus on serving their constituency” rather than on second jobs, Rishi Sunak’s official spokesperson has said, in reaction to reports from Sky News. Research by our Westminster Accounts project today revealed MPs earned an average £233 per hour for roles outside of parliament – 17 times higher than the national average and over

The government has “no strategy” to tackle the threat from China and has left the UK “severely handicapped” due to its “short-termist approach”, a new report has claimed. The Intelligence and Security Committee has published its work on the threat the country poses, saying China has managed to “successfully penetrate every sector of the UK’s

A powerful group of northern Tory MPs are being scrutinised by the parliamentary expenses watchdog after a Sky News investigation into the way they use public money. The investigation found nearly two dozen MPs received political donations from a private donor to help them with campaigning – weeks after they joined the Northern Research Group

Thousands of children with special educational needs or disabilities are missing out on the education they are entitled to because of huge delays in the system designed to support them. A record half a million pupils now have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) – a legal document setting out a child or young

The Illegal Migration Bill is heading back to the House of Lords later after MPs voted against almost all of the changes previously proposed by peers. The controversial legislation bans people from claiming asylum if they arrived in the UK illegally, and puts a legal duty on the Home Office to remove them. Tonight the

Rishi Sunak has hinted there will be no tax cuts on offer from the government before the next general election, as his party faces three by-elections next week. A number of Conservative backbenchers have been pushing the prime minister for reductions to a range of levies, including corporation tax, income tax and fuel duty. But

A cabinet minister has cautioned MPs against using parliamentary privilege to name the BBC presenter who has been suspended over allegations he paid a teenager for sexually explicit photographs. Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said the facts appeared to have changed in the last 24 hours and MPs should wait to “see where all

Rishi Sunak will call on the UK’s NATO allies to commit to spending a minimum of 2% of their GDP on defence as he attends an alliance summit in Lithuania. The prime minister will argue the commitment will be crucial to NATO’s ability to deter and defend against the kind of tactics Russian President Vladimir

A Cabinet minister has suggested the BBC presenter who has been suspended for allegedly paying for sexually explicit images of a teenager should only be named once a “full” investigation has taken place. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk agreed there was a “public interest” in the broadcaster being named but said it would not be appropriate

More than 1,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats in just two days, with Friday seeing the highest number of crossings in a single day so far this year. According to the latest Home Office figures, 686 migrants were found crossing the Channel on 13 boats on Friday – the highest number

Monday will mark the sixth meeting between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden – and their seventh encounter in all as both were at official functions for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II last September during the Liz Truss interregnum. The president did not attend the King’s Coronation – that is normal