Politics

Liz Truss has faced constant tests in the infancy of her premiership.  Forty-eight hours after being appointed by the Queen, the PM had to lead a nation in paying tribute to her. Today the Commons chamber was a sea of black as MPs stood for a minute’s silence, and the prime minister was again tasked

MPs have paid tribute to the Queen in the House of Commons, with Boris Johnson making his first appearance since stepping down as prime minister, asking the public to “think what we asked of her and think what she gave”. His successor, Liz Truss, the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and the Speaker, Sir Lindsay

The King has held his first audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace. King Charles III travelled back from Balmoral today after rushing there when the Queen‘s health deteriorated. He became King when the Queen died yesterday afternoon. Tears, cheers, and a kiss for the King – live updates Ms Truss only became

Prime Minister Liz Truss has led tributes to the Queen following her death, saying she was “the rock on which modern Britain was built”. In an address in Downing Street, Ms Truss, who has only been in Number 10 for 48 hours, said: “Britain is the great country it is today because of her.” She

The biggest, most expensive policy Liz Truss will ever announce has landed.  Voters will probably like it, sensing the alternative would be ruin for millions. Her MPs will cheer it, knowing that a failure or delay to act would be electoral ruin. The consequences of today’s announcement will be felt for decades because of the

Liz Truss’s energy statement later today – barely 48 hours into the job – will probably be the most expensive commitment she ever makes as prime minister – and that’s if things go well. For this reason, it could also be the most important statement she makes as PM, certainly this side of a general

The wife of a minister who was fired by Liz Truss has called the new prime minister an “imbecile” in an outburst on social media. Felicity Cornelius-Mercer said the system “stinks” and “treats people appallingly” after Johnny Mercer was removed as veterans affairs minister. In a tweet, she claimed her husband asked Ms Truss: “Why

The £100bn-plus energy relief package Liz Truss is expected to finalise this week is just one string in her economic bow. Here are five things you need to know about Trussonomics, the nickname some are giving to the new prime minister’s economic policy. 1. It’s a huge policy shift The first is that in one

Liz Truss kept her first speech as prime minister short and to the point – setting out three “early priorities” for her government. Speaking for under five minutes from the Downing Street podium, Ms Truss pledged to turn Britain into an “aspiration nation” and vowed to “tackle the issues that are holding Britain back.” “As

Priti Patel is to resign as home secretary when Liz Truss takes office as prime minister. Writing a letter to Boris Johnson on Monday afternoon, Ms Patel said “it has been the honour of my life to serve our country as home secretary for the last three years”, adding that she will now “champion many

On a prime minister’s first day in office, they are taken into a top secret meeting and asked to make a plan in case of nuclear attack. Kate Fall, David Cameron’s ‘gatekeeper’ and deputy chief of staff, remembers that moment because she was firmly ushered out of the PM’s den: “I was told categorically: ‘No.

Get ready for backbench Boris. After more than three years as prime minister, Mr Johnson heads for the backbenches, where he is expected to be defiant, stir up trouble and plot a Trump-style comeback. He claims he will be loyal to his successor – and yet he’s refusing to rule out a return. “Mission largely

A close ally of Boris Johnson has said he should not be written off as he hinted at a potential return to frontline politics for the PM in the future. Lord Edward Lister was asked on Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday about reports some MPs were experiencing “seller’s remorse” over Mr Johnson’s departure and

Former Tory minister Liam Fox has strongly denied any wrongdoing after receiving a donation from a COVID testing firm he recommended to the government during the pandemic. Sky News has seen an email from Dr Fox to the then-Health Secretary Matt Hancock, dated 22 June 2020, saying the Derbyshire-based company SureScreen Diagnostics was “exporting huge

Thousands of beds in shelters and new supported living accommodation in England will be provided as part of a strategy to end rough sleeping. An extra 14,000 emergency beds for rough sleepers and 3,000 support staff roles will be created this year as part of a three-year £500m plan, according to the Department for Levelling

Voting in the Conservative leadership contest has ended, with the party’s next leader to be announced on Monday. After a long and bitter summer of campaigning, there is nothing more Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak can do to try and win the keys to Number 10. The winner of the race, and subsequently the next

Whether it is Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak who becomes Conservative leader on Monday, they will be the third in six years to become UK prime minister by the grace and favour of the Tory party membership and without the other 99% of the electorate giving their endorsement at a general election. Liz Truss, and

The prime minister’s official jet was used for a “boozy jolly” by civil servants, according to a report. Sky News understands a number of officials joined the 91-minute journey over the UK – and that it took place with “usual catering for a flight”. The Sun newspaper claims that during the 700-mile trip – which

Boris Johnson has given his support to the Sizewell C nuclear power plant in Suffolk, promising £700m of government funding for the project. He confirmed the move during a speech from the site in one of his final acts as prime minister – and amid the rising cost of living crisis – saying he was

Liz Truss has pledged that there would be no energy rationing if she were to become prime minister next week – while rival Rishi Sunak warned “we shouldn’t rule anything out”. Speaking at the 12th and final leadership hustings at Wembley Arena in London, the frontrunner of the contest also promised no new taxes and

The Queen will receive the new prime minister at her Balmoral estate in Scotland for the first time in her long reign. Her Majesty will meet either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak on 6 September, a day after one of them is announced as the winner in the race for 10 Downing Street. She would

After Tory MPs sprinted through five rounds of voting for a new party leader in just a week, the battle for the votes of party members has already been a six-week marathon. For Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak it’s almost the end of the road as they prepare for the 12th and final Conservative Party

The government’s target to bring gigabit broadband to “every home and business across the UK” by 2025 seems to have been scaled back to reach 85% of the country instead. Boris Johnson made the initial pledge as part of his 2019 manifesto, with £5bn of funding behind the scheme. However, in a press release published

Liz Truss has cancelled a scheduled interview on the BBC with just a week to go before the next Conservative Party leader is announced. A BBC spokesperson said: “Liz Truss has cancelled her BBC One interview with Nick Robinson which was due to air this Tuesday evening (30 August) at 7pm. “Ms Truss’s team say

People relying on the state pension could be left with less than £11 a day to live on from next April because of the soaring cost of energy, according to Sky News analysis. A leading charity working with older people said it is “seriously worried” and called on the government to step in urgently. According

Four new bank holidays should be created in the UK to reward a “nation of grafters”, according to a union. Workers in England and Wales typically get eight bank holidays a year – but some European countries have 15, almost twice as much. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is calling for a “national conservation” on

Unions are threatening to hold co-ordinated strikes in the coming months as they attempt to secure inflation-matching pay rises for workers struggling with the cost of living crisis. According to the Observer, a series of motions will be tabled at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in September, calling for unions to work together to increase

The government’s new plan to crack down on sewage discharge by 2050 has been branded a “cruel joke” and “licence to pump sewage on to our beaches”. The Department for the Environment (DEFRA) said on Friday that water companies will have to deliver £56bn of capital investment over the next 25 years to stop untreated

Boris Johnson has pledged the government will announce “extra cash” in September to support households further with energy bills – after Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi suggested people should cut back on their usage. The outgoing PM said: “There’s a pipeline of cash coming through over the next few months and through the autumn and the winter.

Liz Truss has said she will use an emergency budget to “ensure support is on its way” amid soaring energy bills if she becomes prime minister – despite repeatedly saying she favours tax cuts over handouts. The foreign secretary made the comments, which could be interpreted as going against much of what she has previously

Rishi Sunak says he will not quit politics if he loses the race to become the next prime minister and leader of the Conservatives. The former chancellor has become the underdog in the contest, with his rival, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, continuing to lead polls of party members – who will ultimately choose the winner.

The government must increase its energy bills discount by at least 150% or risk pushing millions of households into financial distress. That is the warning from consumer group Which? ahead of Friday’s announcement of the energy price cap for the three months from October. In May, the government said that it would give every household

Freezing energy bills will not help people who need the most support with the cost of living crisis, according to a government minister. The boss of Scottish Power revealed on Tuesday that he had asked the government to back a £100bn loan scheme to allow energy companies to freeze bills for two years. Keith Anderson