Politics

Sir Keir Starmer has promised to “give Britain its future back” with a “mission-driven government” as he set out his priorities if he wins power at the next election. The Labour leader set out five goals which will be at the core of his manifesto. They are: Secure the highest sustained growth in the G7

Rishi Sunak is poised to launch a major crackdown on the asylum seeker backlog in the coming days by invalidating applications if they fail to return a new questionnaire within 20 working days, Sky News can reveal. A leaked Home Office letter shows that asylum seekers, who often speak little or no English and have

A controversial member of the House of Lords has been forced to declare financial interests following a huge leak of documents that also revealed her links to prominent anti-Islam activists. Baroness Cox said her failure to register support from the not-for-profit company Equal and Free Limited – which was used to pay for her parliamentary

Enemies are circling, Brexiteers are already pronouncing it dead, and the DUP are warning it undermines the Union. But as opponents line up to try and assassinate Rishi Sunak’s forthcoming deal with Brussels to rework Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit future, Sky News can reveal that Number 10 is yet to play its trump card. Despite weeks

A senior Tory MP has dampened down the prospect of a Brexit deal on Northern Ireland, telling Sky News the powersharing crisis will not be resolved because the negotiations are “too narrow”. Sir Bernard Jenkin, a veteran Eurosceptic, also suggested there should be a “customs frontier” between the north and south of Ireland to fix

Nurses have paused strike action as they begin pay talks with the government – despite a recommendation that most public sector staff should get a pay rise of just 3.5%. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is getting around the table with the health secretary today to start “intensive talks” on pay and conditions. It

A deal to resolve post-Brexit trading issues in Northern Ireland is not likely this week, a minister has suggested. Maria Caulfield told Sky News Rishi Sunak is “working really hard” to fix problems with the contentious Northern Ireland Protocol, amid signs of a possible Tory rebellion. Asked about the prospect of a breakthrough this week

The breakup of the UK is “at stake” if a new deal on post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland is not reached, a senior DUP politician warned. Sammy Wilson MP said his party will continue with its protest at Stormont if EU rules aren’t removed in the region – saying this threatens Northern Ireland’s place

Sir Keir Starmer said the path to a Labour victory “must run through Scotland” as he urged SNP voters to put their faith in his party in the wake of Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation. Delivering a keynote speech at the Scottish Labour conference in Edinburgh, the Opposition leader also ruled out a deal with whoever succeeds

Penny Mordaunt said Boris Johnson’s Brexit intervention is “helpful” as there is “there’s still a lot to be done” to secure a deal over the Northern Ireland Protocol. In a move that could trigger a new Tory civil war on Brexit, a source close to the former prime minister told Sky News: “His general thinking

Boris Johnson is on collision course with Rishi Sunak over the prime minister’s attempts to reach a deal with Brussels over the Northern Ireland Protocol. The former PM is bitterly opposed to Mr Sunak‘s plans to abandon the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which gives ministers power to rip up parts of the protocol and ignore

Rishi Sunak says Britain and the EU have an understanding on what needs to be done around the Northern Ireland Protocol, but that work still needs to be done. The prime minister spoke about where things stand following his speech at the Munich Security Conference, saying that Britain wanted to have a positive relationship with

Britain and the EU have an understanding on what needs to be done to resolve issues surrounding the Northern Ireland protocol but a deal is “by no means done”, Rishi Sunak has said. Speaking during a question and answer session after his speech at the Munich Security Conference, the Prime Minister said Britain wanted to

“Significant progress has been made” to resolve the row over the Northern Ireland protocol and a deal is “very much game on”, Sinn Fein’s leader said.  Speaking after talks with Rishi Sunak, Mary Lou McDonald told reporters: “We have always believed that a deal on the protocol was possible and we’ve always known it was

Candidates are expected to formerly enter the race to replace Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the SNP and first minister today – after the timeline for the contest was unveiled last night. No individual has officially announced their bid to become Ms Sturgeon’s successor at present. But on Thursday, numerous candidates ruled themselves out of

Jeremy Corbyn has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “a flagrant attack on the democratic rights of Islington North Labour Party members” after he ruled out allowing the former party leader to stand as a Labour candidate in the next general election. Earlier today, marking a watchdog’s decision to no longer monitor the party over antisemitism,

Nicola Sturgeon has announced her intention to resign once a successor as leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) has been elected. Scotland’s first minister said she had instructed the SNP’s national secretary Lorna Finn to start the election process to pick her successor after eight years in office. But as the race to replace

Almost half of all NHS trusts in England missed a crucial two-week cancer diagnosis target in every month last year, new data has revealed. NHS targets state that 93% of patients should have an appointment with a cancer specialist within two weeks of an urgent GP referral. But new research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats

Political leaders should “take a clear stand” and condemn violence against asylum seekers, charities have said – as they warned scenes like those outside a Merseyside hotel could be replicated across the country. Fifteen people were arrested after “violent scenes” outside the hotel where asylum seekers were staying in Knowsley on Friday. A demonstration descended

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak still supports BBC chairman Richard Sharp, despite revelations about the part he played in securing an £800,000 loan for Boris Johnson, his spokesman has said. Mr Sharp took the role in January 2021 after being recommended by then-PM Mr Johnson and having his appointment approved by a committee of MPs. But

Rishi Sunak has been accused of failing to rein in a “culture of lavish spending” across government departments as Labour published details of thousands of purchases over the past two years on taxpayer-funded debit cards. The opposition party’s report on Government Procurement Cards (GPCs) showed 14 departments spent at least £145.5m in 2021 compared with

As the death toll from the earthquake in Syria and Turkey continues to rise, development minister Andrew Mitchell defends the government’s cuts to the international aid budget as Conservative MP John Redwood calls for tax cuts at home. Plus, SNP MP John Nicolson and member of the DCMS select committee says Richard Sharp’s position is

The corporate vice president of Xbox has told Sky News “there’s no silver bullet” to protect women and minority groups on the internet who experience online harassment and abuse. Dave McCarthy said it takes just one toxic experience on a platform and “your trust in an online space dissipates immediately, as it should”. In an

The new Conservative Party chairman has said he believes a Russian spy tried to recruit him over a pint of beer in a London pub. The cabinet minister said he met the man who he now believes was a secret agent at the Seven Stars pub in Fulham, while he had been seeking election as

Tory MPs have stepped up calls for the government to cut taxes after pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca overlooked Britain for a new £320m drug factory. Sir Pascal Soriot, the firm’s chief executive, said it wanted to build a new plant close to its existing sites in northwest England but “because the tax rate was discouraging” chose

Dominic Raab has insisted he “behaved professionally at all times” despite facing an official inquiry into his conduct. The deputy prime minister is being investigated by senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC over numerous bullying allegations. But, denying the allegations, Mr Raab told The Telegraph newspaper he is “confident” he has behaved appropriately. “I’m confident I

Labour has held on to its seat in West Lancashire after a by-election victory which saw Ashley Dalton become the country’s newest MP. Ms Dalton secured a majority of 8,326 over Conservative candidate Mike Prendergast, with a 10.52% swing from the Tories to Labour. In her victory speech, she said the people of her constituency

Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries has announced she is standing down as an MP at the next general election, blaming the “sheer stupidity” of her colleagues who “got rid of Boris Johnson”. The Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire fought back tears as she delivered the news on her TalkTV show, saying the decision had followed

The soaring cost of childcare in the UK is revealed in new figures today, suggesting nurseries will raise fees by £1,000 this year. A survey of 1,156 providers by the Early Years Alliance found nine out of 10 expect to increase fees, typically in April, and by an average of 8% – higher than in

Rishi Sunak’s controversial new deputy party chairman said he would support the return of the death penalty because “nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed”. Outspoken Ashfield MP Lee Anderson was handed the senior government position during the prime minister’s reshuffle on Tuesday. The move raised eyebrows given his history of controversial comments,

His news conference with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was, again, one where Rishi Sunak looked like he felt hard done by at the end. Not for the first time he looked slightly aggrieved at a line of questioning that failed to recognise what he thought he was getting right. Today, President Zelenskyy flew 1,500 miles to deliver

Just last week Lee Anderson compared the government to the “band on the Titanic” in a heated WhatsApp exchange about small boat crossings. Now, the outspoken Tory MP for Ashfield in Nottingham has been handed the senior position of deputy party chairman – and the appointment has raised eyebrows. The 56-year-old former miner has a

It has been 11 months since the privileges committee launched its inquiry into Boris Johnson to establish if he misled parliament over lockdown parties in Downing Street. Having collected written evidence, oral hearings are set to begin this month, and we will be able to watch live while senior figures are questioned about who knew