Politics

Health Secretary Steve Barclay is understood to be writing to the unions to request fresh talks over strike action – but sources say he still won’t discuss increasing their wages. Both nurses and ambulance workers are set to stage walkouts this week amid ongoing anger over pay and working conditions. The chief of the Royal

The government’s outgoing adviser on violence against women has accused the home secretary of “normalising hate” that black people get on Twitter with her rhetoric on immigration. Nimco Ali, who announced she was leaving her role as an independent adviser at the Home Office earlier this month, accused Suella Braverman of “normalising hateful rhetoric”. Asked

Union bosses have criticised plans to deploy 1,200 troops to cover strikes, but the prime minister has hit back by calling them “Grinches” who “want to steal Christmas”. Union chiefs claim the military are not “sufficiently trained” to guard the country’s borders or drive ambulances, and that they should not be put in such an

Rail workers have entered the second half of their latest 48-hour strike – as the business secretary says he is hopeful that a resolution can be found “sooner rather than later”. Grant Shapps was speaking to Sky News as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union prepared for another day of industrial action in

Former Conservative cabinet minister Robert Buckland has called on Rishi Sunak to “chart a middle course” with striking nurses after the first NHS-wide walkout took place on Thursday. The former justice secretary told Sky News there is “a big gulf” between the NHS pay review body’s (PRB) July recommendation of around 4% pay increases for

Parents have been assured that the Online Safety Bill will not just hold social media companies responsible for illegal content on their platforms, but any material which can “cause serious trauma” to children. In an open letter, Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan sought to assuage fears that the long-delayed legislation had been watered down after finally

A deal between train companies and rail unions is “achievable”, Mick Lynch, the head of the RMT union, has said as the biggest day of transport strikes causes travel misery for commuters. A meeting, convened by Huw Merriman, the rail minister, was held on Thursday to try and resolve the bitter dispute over pay, jobs

Former health secretary Sajid Javid has warned that the NHS “won’t survive many more years” without “fundamental reforms”, urging the country to have an “honest debate” about the service. In his only broadcast interview since announcing he would stand down at the next general election, the MP told the Beth Rigby Interviews programme that tackling

Nurses will continue to strike in January if the government does not negotiate with them on pay, union leader Pat Cullen has told Sky News. Ms Cullen, of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said it was “absolutely not true” that pay is a “tiny element” in the dispute as she hit out at “disparaging”

A backbench Conservative MP has failed in an attempt to override international human rights rulings and get the Rwanda deportation scheme up and running again. Jonathan Gullis was said to have the backing of former prime minister Boris Johnson and former home secretary Priti Patel – but the bill he proposed was voted down by

Trade unions, Qatar and a little-known Hertfordshire business are among the biggest donors to individual MPs since the last general election. As part of the Westminster Accounts, Sky News and Tortoise Media have compiled a leaderboard showing how much money external organisations and individuals have donated to MPs since the end of 2019. These donations

Labour has asked the government whether disgraced former minister Chris Pincher made any attempts to stop American Anne Sacoolas going to the US after she killed Harry Dunn in a road accident. Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has written to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly about the “series of failures” in the Foreign Office after Sacoolas

Boris Johnson and Priti Patel are among the senior Tory MPs backing a bid to ignore the European Court of Human Rights and start deportation flights to Rwanda immediately. Conservative MP Jonathan Gullis will present a bill to parliament on Wednesday aimed at circumventing the Strasbourg court, which has blocked the controversial scheme from taking

Kwasi Kwarteng brushed aside warnings his disastrous mini-budget could trigger a backlash on the financial markets, Treasury officials have told MPs. James Bowler, permanent secretary at the Treasury, insisted on Monday that Mr Kwarteng was told about the potential damaging impact of his £45bn package of unfunded tax cuts, but could not be persuaded to

The government’s top responsibility is to tackle inflation, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has told Sky News as thousands of public sector workers go on strike. Mr Hunt said the strikes, which are taking place every day until the end of the year, are a “symptom of the fact that people are very worried that their pay

If you think things are tight for health workers in England, Scotland and Wales, spare a thought for their colleagues in Northern Ireland. In England and Wales, NHS staff were given a £1,400 rise six months ago. In Scotland, unions are considering an offer averaging 7.5%. But health workers in Northern Ireland didn’t receive confirmation

Conservative MPs have called for lower taxes and a new Tory campaign group has been launched in a fresh double headache for Rishi Sunak. On Sunday morning, a letter from 40 Tory MPs was sent to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt saying taxes are too high and offering suggestions of how to lower them by £7bn. At

The government is “dangerous, reprehensible and irresponsible” for failing to sit down with nurses to try and avert a strike, Labour has said. NHS nurses are due to strike next Thursday and on 20 December in a dispute over pay and patient safety. It is the first time the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has

A formal request for troops to drive ambulances during strike action could be made within days, Sky News understands. After a formal request known as a MACA – or Military Assistance to the Civil Authorities – is made to the Ministry of Defence (MOD), training to drive ambulances would begin. A decision from the Department

She is no stranger to the spotlight. A book deal, regular television appearances and a prolific presence on Instagram, all part of a carefully crafted public image that helped Michelle Mone secure a peerage in 2015. Yet, Baroness Mone – or “Lady M” as she often refers to herself – has been keeping a low

Troops have been training at Heathrow and Gatwick airports for passport checking roles ahead of Border Force staff going on strike over Christmas. The Ministry of Defence confirmed to Sky News armed forces personnel arrived at London’s two main airports earlier this week. The PCS union announced on Wednesday that Border Force officers will go

He’s done it! It was a low bar to jump over but at least Rishi Sunak has lasted longer as prime minister than Liz Truss. The nation can be reassured that there will not be a fourth prime minister this year, or even a general election before Christmas, as Boris Johnson subjected the country to

A cabinet minister has admitted there will be “disruption and delays” over Christmas as the UK braces for a wave of strikes – but insisted the government’s approach is “sensible and balanced”. On Wednesday, Border Force staff became the latest workers to announce industrial action over the festive period, with rail workers, bus drivers, nurses,

People should “think carefully” about going on holiday over the Christmas period after Border Force workers became the latest to announce they would go on strike, the home secretary has said. Suella Braverman has urged people to rethink flying around the festive period as she warned of “undeniable, serious disruption for the many thousands who

Rishi Sunak has refused to rule out banning emergency services from going on strike, saying he will “do what I need to do in order to keep people safe”. A raft of public sector workers are set to take industrial action in the coming days and weeks, including nurses, ambulance workers and fire services, as

Ambulances will be dispatched to “life-threatening” Category 1 calls during the two days of industrial action this month but may not attend if an elderly person has a fall, Health Secretary Steve Barclay has suggested. Asked whether an elderly individual who has had a fall will receive help on two strike dates – 21 and

Stephen Flynn has been named as the new leader of the Scottish National Party in Westminster, replacing Ian Blackford. The MP for Aberdeen South defeated Alison Thewliss for the top job at the SNP’s AGM on Tuesday and will face Rishi Sunak at Prime Minister’s Questions less than 24 hours later. Mr Flynn’s deputy will

Officials are in discussion with MPs about onshore wind farms amid a growing Conservative rebellion to lift the ban, a minister has confirmed. Schools minister Nick Gibb told Sky News that while “the emphasis is still on offshore wind”, ministers “continue to talk to members of Parliament” about their views on whether or not new

Michael Gove has watered down the government’s target to build 300,000 homes every year following an angry backlash from his own party’s MPs. A Commons vote on the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill had to be dropped last month after 60 Conservatives signed an amendment calling for the mandatory target to be scrapped. But the

The home secretary has pledged to do “whatever it takes” to deal with the “small boats problem” in the Channel. Writing a foreword to a report by the centre-right Centre for Policy Studies think tank – which has called for new laws stopping migrants who enter illegally from ever settling in the UK – Suella

The government is considering deploying the army to help ease possible strike disruption over Christmas, Conservative Party Chairman Nadhim Zahawi has confirmed. Mr Zahawi told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme that military personnel could be “driving ambulances” and working on UK borders under the proposals. The Conservative Party chairman also suggested that pharmacists

Albanians should be barred from claiming asylum in the UK, the Immigration Minister has said. Robert Jenrick said such individuals should be “excluded from the right to claim asylum” as they are coming from a “demonstrably safe” country. Current levels of migration into the UK were “unsustainable,” he said. His comments came as the Home

As a winter of strike action looms, and a growing list of unions threaten to grind the county to a halt, the PM is under pressure. Rishi Sunak is attempting a more constructive, less combative, approach with the unions. A government source said the meetings involving Mick Lynch and the transport secretary and rail minister