Politics

Sir Keir Starmer has nominated his former top adviser Sue Gray for a peerage. Ms Gray, whose report into the partygate scandal contributed to the downfall of former prime minister Boris Johnson, is among 30 new Labour peerages announced ahead of Christmas to redress the party “imbalance” in the House of Lords. The Conservatives have

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said most Waspi women knew the state pension age was changing so it was not “the best use of taxpayers’ money to pay an expensive compensation bill”. The government revealed on Tuesday it would not be compensating millions of women born in the 1950s – called Waspi women – who say

Councils will receive a cash injection of nearly £1bn next year to tackle homelessness in England, Angela Rayner has announced. The deputy prime minister and housing secretary said 160,000 children faced spending Christmas without a regular home due to failures in the system and vowed to “break the cycle of spiralling homelessness and get back

Nigel Farage and his party treasurer have met with Elon Musk at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort for the first time since rumours surfaced of a multi-million donation from the tech tycoon. The Reform UK leader and Nick Candy, the billionaire husband of singer Holly Valance who will take up the fundraising role for Mr Farage’s

The alleged Chinese spy with links to Prince Andrew has said he did “nothing wrong or unlawful” – as he was named publicly for the first time. In a statement, Yang Tengbo added that the “widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue”. It comes after the High Court lifted restrictions on naming

Naming an alleged Chinese spy who has been linked to Prince Andrew is a “matter for the courts”, a government minster has said. Jim McMahon told Sky News that while he does not know the alleged agent’s identity, he assumes his more senior cabinet colleagues would be aware “depending on their security clearance”. Politics Live:

The prime minister is visiting Norway to launch a new green energy deal before attending a defence summit in Estonia. Sir Keir Starmer will travel to a carbon capture and storage site and meet his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store to discuss the new Green Industrial Partnership. Number 10 said both leaders intend to sign

The shadow home secretary said he is “deeply concerned” about allegations of Chinese spies in the UK and warned those in public life to be “extremely vigilant”. Chris Philp told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme the Chinese Communist Party has been “engaging in organised and systemic attempts to influence political life” for

More migrants have been removed from the UK since Labour was elected than in any other six-month period over the past five years, the government has claimed. The Home Office announced today that almost 13,460 people had been removed since Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party won by a landslide in July. It claimed the government

The prime minister and chancellor were in lockstep as they reacted to Friday morning’s GDP figures. “Disappointing”, the PM’s spokesperson said, echoing Rachel Reeves’s words two hours earlier. The UK economy shrunk for a second month, contracting 0.1% in October. Money blog: latest updates Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:10

Ed Miliband does not regret voting against the UK taking military action in Syria in 2013, he has told Sky News. His comments to Sky’s breakfast presenter Anna Jones come following the collapse of the Bashar al Assad regime in the region. Back in 2013, when Mr Miliband was Labour leader, UK MPs voted against

There’s a reason previous governments baulked at the net zero challenge – it’s absolutely colossal, something Labour’s new Clean Power 2030 plan lays bare. Offshore wind generating capacity, which has taken 20 years to reach 14.8GW, must more than triple to about 50GW within just six years. The plan calls for a tripling of solar

Plans to “green” the UK’s power system will protect consumers from future energy crises and has the potential to “bring down bills for good”, the government has said. Achieving clean electricity by 2030 was a key election promise for the Labour party, and reiterated by Keir Starmer last week as he outlined government ‘milestones’. To

Sir Keir Starmer says there are “questions to be answered” over the murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, as a report reveals hundreds of children died or were seriously harmed by abuse in one year.  New findings published a day after Sara’s father and stepmother were found guilty of her murder show more than 480 children in

The government is today demanding “immediate, mandatory” housing targets from councils as part of its plans to build 1.5 million houses by the next general election. During its election campaign Labour promised to build swathes of new housing to address lack of affordability and supply. And it will today release its latest version of the

The cost of assisted dying in the UK could mean it ends up being only be for the wealthy, a specialist lawyer has told Sky News. MPs voted the assisted dying bill through its second stage last month, meaning the UK is closer to allowing people to end their own lives legally. The bill stipulates

Thousands of prison cells could be left empty because they are not fit for inmates to stay in. It comes at a time when the prison estate is under extreme pressure, with the government already having to extend the prisoner early release scheme to try to free up space – with certain offenders allowed out

Reform UK’s new Treasurer has revealed he spoke to Elon Musk this morning following suggestions the tech tycoon could make a multi-million-pound donation to Nigel Farage’s party. Nick Candy, the billionaire husband of singer Holly Valance and former Tory party member, told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby that the pair exchanged messages after his

Sir Keir Starmer has said UK economic growth was his “number one mission” as he defended his trip to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The prime minister accused predecessor Boris Johnson of “going cap in hand from dictator to dictator” when the former PM met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in

Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK will play a more active role in the Middle East following the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria. The prime minister also announced a further £11m in humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable in Syria, where rebel forces have toppled the 24-year dictatorship of Bashar al Assad.

Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed the fall of Bashar al Assad, saying Syrians “have put up with his brutal regime for far, far too long”. The prime minister said his government is “talking to regional allies” as he urged Syrians to find “a political way forward”, adding that “it’s very important that civilians and minorities

Protecting wildlife shouldn’t come at the expense of building more homes, Angela Rayner has said. Last week, Sir Keir Starmer pledged to build 1.5 million homes and fast-track planning decisions on 150 major infrastructure projects by the end of the decade. Ms Rayner, who is deputy prime minister and housing secretary, was asked if this

Reset, revamp, or repetition? Call the prime minister’s “Plan for Change” what you like, but it clearly puts planning front and centre. The core pledge was one we first heard 14 months ago: 1.5 million homes built in England during this parliament. The government admits it’s a tough ask. It’s not been met since 1972,

Sir Keir Starmer is not accustomed to receiving much praise, so he’ll take it where he can. And on Friday it came from an unlikely source, his political opponents. Speaking at the British-Irish Council summit in Edinburgh, SNP leader and Scottish First Minister John Swinney described a change in atmosphere since Labour took office. Image:

Conservative peer Lord Rami Ranger has forfeited his CBE – just a month after regaining the Tory whip. The move was confirmed in a notice published in the London Gazette saying the King had directed Lord Ranger’s CBE would be “cancelled and annulled”. According to the PA news agency, the decision was made after the

Sir Keir Starmer has said it is not his “plan” to increase any more taxes before the next election – but he cannot categorically rule them out if “unforeseen circumstances” strike the government. The prime minister told the BBC he did not “want to suggest we’re going to keep coming back for more because that

A film set location, a big budget production, an audience bussed in – the prime minister’s Plan for Change speech had all the hallmarks of big campaign moments past when Sir Keir Starmer used the event to launch his “first steps’ set of promises – from cutting NHS waiting lists and setting up a new

Sir Keir Starmer has promised change as he outlined his government’s “milestones” but bringing migration down failed to make the list. The prime minister revealed the government’s six milestones he said would be reached by the end of this parliament. He said they would “drive forward” his party’s missions and allow the public to “hold

After five months in power, even the most loyal cabinet members would quietly admit it’s been a rocky run for Sir Keir Starmer and Labour. The prime minister’s personal polling ratings have tumbled from a +7 in the post-election honeymoon to -29 now. Many pensioners, business owners, entrepreneurs and farmers are angry, and between the

Sir Keir Starmer has refused to reveal the “further information” he was told about Louise Haigh’s phone “theft” conviction which led to her stepping down as transport secretary. The prime minister was asked by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch what new information “came to light” about Ms Haigh’s conviction, which is now “spent”, for reporting a

Richard Tice has been challenged for appearing to cast doubt on court documents that detailed how one of the party’s MPs was jailed for repeatedly kicking his girlfriend. The Reform UK deputy leader defended James McMurdock, who was jailed 18 years ago for repeatedly kicking his girlfriend, saying the UK is a “Christian nation” that

Sir Keir Starmer has for the first time said it was British policy to “put Ukraine in the strongest possible position for negotiations”. During a speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London on Monday, the prime minister said he wants Ukraine to be in a position of strength “so they can secure a just

Pyrotechnics, fireworks, balloons – Reform UK’s conference was unlike any other. Back in September, Nigel Farage’s party used its annual gathering to underscore its message that it offers something different.  Throughout Birmingham’s NEC, screens flashed up images of the party’s leader. When it was time for Mr Farage’s speech, delegates flocked to hear him speak.