Politics

The UK economy is “headed for the worst of all worlds” as businesses expect activity to fall at the start of next year, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The industry group’s growth indicator survey found that private sector firms expect to cut down on hiring, reduce output and for prices to rise

For centuries an odd tradition lay dormant in our democracy. A number of nobleman have had the chance to sit in parliament, simply by birthright – 92 seats in the House of Lords are eligible to male heirs in specific families and 88 men have taken these seats and currently sit in the second chamber

Donald Trump’s second stint as president will be like a “24/7 bar-room brawl”, according to the UK’s former ambassador to Washington. Lord Darroch was the representative for the UK to the US between 2016 and 2019 – when Mr Trump was last in power – until cables he sent to London were leaked and showed

The government is planning to “bring back the family doctor” by giving GPs an extra £889m to spend time with patients in a bid to end a dispute. Under proposals for the new GP contract for 2025/26, which is being consulted upon now, GPs would be incentivised to ensure patients most in need see the

Sir Keir Starmer is to make his most controversial senior appointment yet by naming Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US. Lord Mandelson, 71, known as the “Prince of Darkness” from his days as a New Labour‘s spin doctor, will be the prime minister‘s link to Donald Trump. ‘Brutal’ figure ‘an inspired choice’ –

Labour’s anti-corruption minister has been named in court documents detailing claims her family embezzled billions of pounds from a nuclear power project in Bangladesh. Economic secretary Tulip Siddiq – who holds responsibility for financial crime and illicit finance – is alleged to have helped co-ordinate meetings with the Russian government regarding the Rooppur nuclear power

With the end of 2024 in sight, it is time to put your knowledge of the past year to the test. Sky News commentator Adam Boulton has put together 30 questions covering everything from global politics to the Paris Olympics, to really see who has been paying attention this year. Let us know how you

The policing minister has said she wants forces “to do far more” to tackle shoplifting after figures obtained by Sky News showed fewer than one in four incidents were attended to by officers in 2023. Dame Diana Johnson blamed declining officer numbers under the previous government but also said she wanted to “see shop theft

Sir Keir Starmer has nominated 30 former Labour MPs, staff and union leaders to the House of Lords. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has nominated six people, while Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has put forward two. The independent House of Lords Appointments Commission will vet the nominations before the prime minister recommends them to

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: