Politics

The 27 people who died yesterday while attempting to cross the Channel to the UK from France included 17 men, seven women and two teenage boys and a girl, French prosecutors have said. It comes as a picture of the flimsy boat used by the group has been seen by Sky News. Following the deadliest

Sir Keir Starmer questioned whether Boris Johnson was “okay” as he accused him of introducing a “working-class dementia tax” through this week’s reform to social care funding. The Labour leader said the prime minister was fronting a “Covent Garden pickpocketing operation” over the reform that means only what individuals personally pay for their social care

Universal Credit claimants will begin to be told how changes to the benefits system will bolster their incomes ahead of Christmas – but there are warnings that millions of families will still be worse off overall. At his autumn budget last month, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a reduction in the Universal Credit taper rate

Boris Johnson has appeared to step back from a manifesto commitment on social care, after a controversial change to his government’s reforms to the system in England were narrowly backed by MPs. The prime minister committed in the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto that “nobody needing care should be forced to sell their home to pay

A requiem mass will be held at Westminster Cathedral later this morning in memory of Sir David Amess. The mass will be presided over by Cardinal Vincent Nichols and a message from Pope Francis will be read out. Sir David, a devout Catholic, will be buried in a private ceremony afterwards. It comes a day

Opposition politicians have ridiculed Boris Johnson after he struggled to get through a keynote address to business leaders, despite claiming afterwards he thought the speech “went over well”. In the speech to the Confederation of British Industry, the prime minister praised the cartoon Peppa Pig, made car engine noises, and compared his 10-point plan for

After a bruising week for the government, with backbenchers unhappy about sleaze and watered-down rail plans, the prime minister’s authority will be tested again this week. The Health and Social Care Bill is back in the Commons and the fine-print on the social care cap has come under criticism. Under the new plans, from 2023

Sajid Javid has played down the need for more restrictions to be introduced in the coming weeks, telling Sky News that England is “firmly” in Plan A at the moment. Speaking on Trevor Phillips On Sunday, the health secretary said ministers must “remain cautious, not complacent in any way” – but said he hoped people

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has commissioned a review into possible racial bias in medical equipment as he promised to “close the chasms that the pandemic has exposed”. It comes amid fears that thousands of patients from ethnically diverse communities died from COVID-19 when they should have survived. Mr Javid referenced research that has shown that

A government review will look at how to stop migrants crossing the English Channel and entering the UK amid concern that current measures are not working. Downing Street has tasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Stephen Barclay with bringing departments together to find a solution. More than 24,700 people have arrived in the

An ex-Conservative MP who was jailed for sexual assault has revealed he is unemployed and currently making a Universal Credit claim as he was hauled before a court over unpaid costs. Charlie Elphicke, the former Dover MP, was released from prison in September after serving half his two-year jail sentence for three sexual assaults on

Michael Gove has said he is “confident” that progress can be made in talks with the European Union over the Northern Ireland Protocol without Article 16 needing to be triggered. Speaking at the British-Irish Council summit in Cardiff, the Cabinet minister said “a constructive approach” is being taken by both sides in the negotiations and

The UK and EU need to “knuckle down” and resolve the dispute over Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit arrangements, the Irish premier has said.  Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he was encouraged progress was being made, and with the change in “mood music”. Brexit Minister Lord Frost will hold further talks with European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic on

“I want to be the prime minister who does with Northern Powerhouse Rail what we did for Crossrail in London.” Those were the words of Boris Johnson days after he entered Downing Street in 2019. As people digest the contents of his government’s Integrated Rail Plan, there will be many people who will feel the

Northern political leaders have warned the government will pass up huge economic benefits and betray promises to voters if, as expected, it cancels major rail projects including the eastern leg of HS2 and a new Manchester-Leeds line. Boris Johnson will unveil a long-delayed integrated rail plan for the Midlands and the north of England today,

MPs have backed the government’s approach to curbing MPs’ outside interests, after Labour’s proposals were voted down in the Commons. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer used one of his party’s designated opposition day debates in the Commons to put forward a motion setting out his party’s plans for banning MPs from paid political consultancy work.

Boris Johnson is to face questioning by MPs about parliamentary standards as the row over sleaze continues. The prime minister will appear in front of the liaison committee, comprised of the chairs of all Commons select committees, from 3pm today. He will face questions on government standards, violence against women and girls, the COP26 summit

Boris Johnson has set out plans to ban MPs from working as paid political consultants or lobbyists in the wake of Westminster’s sleaze row. In a letter to the Speaker of the House of Commons, the prime minister said there was a need to ensure rules for MPs are “up to date, effective and appropriately

The sleaze row over MPs’ second jobs is set to drag on at Westminster after the government failed to bring a parliamentary conclusion to its U-turn over the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal. Opposition MPs accused ministers of overseeing a “total farce” as government efforts to scrap its controversial attempt to overhaul parliament’s standards rules were

Labour will force a Commons vote this week on whether MPs should be banned from taking paid consultancies or directorships, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The Labour leader said his party will aim to “clean up” politics after the lobbying scandal which reared its head following the case of former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson. Sir

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has hailed the “game-changing” agreement made at COP26 but says that countries need to “stand by” the decisions they made in the 11th hour of the talks. The climate talks ended with an agreement on Saturday, after 15 days of deliberations, although, a late disagreement over the wording on fossil fuels

The goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C is in “intensive care” after the conclusion of the COP26 summit in Glasgow, Labour’s Ed Miliband has told Sky News. Speaking to Trevor Phillips on Sunday, the shadow business, energy and industrial strategy secretary said it is now “our job in the next 12 months to show

Two MPs have admitted using their parliamentary offices as part of a paid meeting. Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran and senior Conservative backbencher Crispin Blunt both took part in a panel event for Bindmans legal firm regarding the treatment of detainees in Saudi Arabia. According to her register of interests, Ms Moran has

Former health secretary Matt Hancock has been accused of trying to “cash in” on the COVID crisis after he was approached to write a book about the pandemic. The ex-cabinet minister is reported to be in talks with publisher HarperCollins over his account of the government’s coronavirus response. According to the Daily Mail, the book

Boris Johnson has insisted sleaze allegations levelled at the Conservatives will not affect voters’ choice in upcoming by-elections. The prime minister visited Sidcup on Friday afternoon ahead of a vote next month to replace former minister James Brokenshire who died of cancer last month. He said the local candidate in Old Bexley and Sidcup was

Boris Johnson has warned the rising COVID cases in Europe could be seen in the UK if people do not get their booster jabs fast enough. Both the Netherlands and Austria today announced fresh lockdown rules in the coming days as cases rise again in some European countries. The prime minister said: “I’m seeing the

Hospital bosses have spoken out after Boris Johnson was pictured speaking to staff without a face mask. The prime minister chatted and bumped elbows with masked nurses at Hexham General Hospital in Northumberland on Monday morning. Soon after the photo opportunity, Mr Johnson put a mask on after an aide handed him one. Mr Johnson

The government needs to “do better” amid sleaze allegations against MPs “and we know that”, the chancellor has told Sky News. Speaking to economics editor Ed Conway as scrutiny continues into lobbying by MPs and their outside earnings through second jobs, Rishi Sunak said: “On the broader point and just reflecting over recent events, I

Boris Johnson has said MPs who break parliamentary rules on second jobs “must be investigated and should be punished”. In the last week, the government has come under fire over its backing of former MP Owen Paterson, who was found to have breached rules on lobbying. It has since emerged that former attorney general Sir

A senior Conservative MP under scrutiny over his extra earnings for legal work has defended himself – and declared it is up to his constituents to vote him out if they are unhappy about it. Sir Geoffrey Cox’s entry in the register of members’ interests shows he earned more than £800,000 for law firm Withers,

Labour has called on the government’s anti-sleaze watchdog to investigate a former Conservative cabinet minister, amid claims he mis-used his parliamentary office to carry out legal work. The former attorney general has earned more than £800,000 for his work for law firm Withers, which is representing the British Virgin Islands government in a corruption case

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it has received a letter from the SNP asking it to investigate cash for honours allegations against the Conservatives. A spokesman for the force said it is currently “considering the contents of the correspondence” but an investigation or formal assessment into the allegations has not started. SNP MP Pete Wishart

Victims of crime could be left waiting for years for justice after Dominic Raab admitted he did not know how long it will take to get through the backlog of the most serious court cases. In an interview with Sky News, the justice secretary said he “couldn’t say with precision” when the backlog of more