Politics

The wait for Sue Gray’s report into lockdown parties in Downing Street and Whitehall to be published looks almost certain to roll into tomorrow as the House of Commons has concluded its business – with Boris Johnson still yet to receive the findings. Sky News understands from three government sources that, as of Wednesday afternoon,

One of the odder claims doing the rounds in Westminster is that the announcement that the Metropolitan Police is investigating potentially illegal pandemic parties in Downing Street somehow diffuses Boris Johnson’s political troubles and relieves the pressure on him.  This counterintuitive argument is being pushed by Mr Johnson’s inner circle, who say that since the

A celebration in Downing Street on Boris Johnson’s birthday involved people who were already working together, the transport secretary has told Sky News. Speaking to Kay Burley, Grant Shapps said he did not “seek to defend” the gathering on 19 June 2020, the PM’s 56th birthday. Latest reaction as new claims of Downing Street parties

Downing Street has disputed a report suggesting Boris Johnson held a birthday party inside Number 10 attended by up to 30 people during the first lockdown. ITV News understands the prime minister’s wife, Carrie Johnson, helped to arrange the event which was held just after 2pm the afternoon of 19 June – Mr Johnson’s birthday.

A limited version of the report into Downing Street lockdown parties has criticised a “serious failure” to observe the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government. The findings from senior civil servant Sue Gray have been published in a 12-page document. Sky’s deputy political editor Sam Coates has been going through

A Cabinet Office investigation has been launched into claims from a Conservative MP that she was sacked as a minister because of her Muslim faith. Nusrat Ghani was sacked as transport minister in a February 2020 reshuffle. Downing Street police officers ‘interviewed about partygate’ as PM faces crunch week – politics latest Ms Ghani said

Nusrat Ghani made history in 2018. Standing at the famous Commons spot that has been occupied by generations of politicians, she became the first Muslim woman to speak as a minister from the despatch box. Colleagues cheered as the Kashmir-born MP got to her feet. For many, this was the most visual sign of a

Gavin Williamson has been accused of threatening to withdraw funding for a school in Bury after a former Tory MP considered voting against the government. Christian Wakeford, who recently defected to the Labour Party, had previously said that he was warned funding for a new secondary school in his constituency would be scrapped if he

Wales’ first minister has claimed that Boris Johnson’s “history” is “catching up with him”. In a highly-charged intervention in the partygate row, Mark Drakeford said he is not surprised the prime minister has become embroiled in controversy over Downing Street parties during COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021. “If I’m truthful about it, the prime

Two-thirds of anti-vaccination propaganda posted online is created by just 12 so-called influencers, research has found. Different to those who describe themselves vaccine hesitant, anti-vaxxers tend to employ aggressive methods to persuade others not to get injections designed to help prevent disease. The list was compiled by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and

Harlow is one of Essex’s most deprived towns. Nearly a third of households here have a yearly income of less than £20,000 and nearly two-thirds of households have less than £125 of spare cash left at the end of the month for non-essentials. A quarter of all homes in Harlow are council houses. This, then,

For all of the turbulence and the tempestuous events of the last 48 hours, the key drivers which will determine the prime minister’s future remain broadly the same. A large number of MPs, possibly a majority, are unhappy with Boris Johnson‘s premiership. However they are unsure when to defenestrate him, how to do so, and

The long-term underpayment of state pensioners, an unknown number of whom will have died without receiving what they were owed, is a “shameful shambles”, according to a public spending watchdog. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) estimates it has underpaid 134,000 pensioners, mostly women, over £1bn of their state pension entitlement, with some errors

The health secretary has said COVID could be with us forever but he hopes all restrictions can be lifted by March. Sajid Javid added that we “may well” need an annual coronavirus vaccination, the day after the government announced working from home advice had ended and Plan B restrictions would be lifted next Thursday. He

The Omicron variant of coronavirus is “in retreat” and England is in the “next chapter” of its fight against the virus, the health secretary has said. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Sajid Javid said the lifting of Plan B COVID-19 measures is a moment “we can all be proud of”. He said Omicron

Several Conservative MPs have publicly called for Boris Johnson to resign following the prime minister’s admission that he attended a Downing Street garden party during England’s first national lockdown. The developments have prompted speculation that the 54 letters of no confidence needed to oust the PM could soon be reached. Conservative Party rules state that

Boris Johnson is preparing to face MPs in the Commons amid claims that support among Tory MPs is “haemorrhaging away” and he is on the brink of being removed from office. After a potentially brutal Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Johnson will attempt to launch a fightback by announcing he is ripping up Plan B COVID

Dominic Cummings will be interviewed as part of an investigation into parties and gatherings at Downing Street during coronavirus restrictions. Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser confirmed to Sky News that he will be involved in the probe, which is looking at events in Number 10 and other government departments. And a Cabinet Office source told

The government’s attempt to introduce laws to contain protests has been dealt a major blow after the House of Lords voted down a number of the controversial proposals. The government had been moved to act after the disruption caused by eco-activists such as Insulate Britain. But the Lords rejected several of the proposed powers, including:

Alerts about foreign interference in British politics will become more common in the future, the home secretary has said. Delivering a statement to MPs in the Commons, Priti Patel said the government would introduce new legislation to give the security services and agencies the “tools they need to disrupt the full range of state threats”.

Boris Johnson has reportedly been questioned by a senior civil servant over allegations of Number 10 rule-breaking. The Daily Telegraph said Boris Johnson “is understood to have shared what he knows” with Sue Gray ahead of the publication of her investigation this week into claims about lockdown rule-breaking parties in Downing Street. What parties are

Lord Myners, a Treasury minister under former prime minister Gordon Brown, has died aged 73. He advised Mr Brown on the historic bailout of the British banking system following the 2008 financial crash. Lord Myners died in the early hours of Sunday morning and is survived by his five children and five grandchildren A statement

A sixth Conservative MP is calling for the prime minister to quit over the ever-growing list of alleged lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street, as Boris Johnson is reportedly preparing to strike back by ousting members of his inner circle. Tim Loughton, former children’s minister and East Worthing and Shoreham MP, said Mr Johnson’s position had become “untenable”

One of five Conservative MPs calling for Boris Johnson to step down has told Sky News he has “lost his moral authority to lead” amid allegations of numerous Downing Street parties during lockdown. Andrew Bridgen, who represents North West Leicestershire, said the wave of accusations against the PM and his Number 10 staff have “made

Boris Johnson is facing claims that regular drinking sessions were held in Downing Street throughout the COVID pandemic with reports that staff held “wine-time Fridays”. In fresh allegations in the “partygate” scandal engulfing the prime minister, it is alleged that the weekly event was scheduled into the electronic calendars of around 50 staff in Number

The head of the taskforce responsible for leading the government’s COVID-19 response held an office leaving bash at a time when indoor socialising was banned, it has been revealed. Kate Josephs, the former director general of the Cabinet Office’s COVID taskforce, said she was “truly sorry” for the gathering on 17 December 2020. She also

The publication of the Sue Gray report into alleged Downing Street COVID breaches could be delayed even further after the police requested it remove most references to events they are investigating. Ms Gray, a senior civil servant some have described as “the most powerful person you’ve never heard of”, is examining evidence around potential lockdown rule-breaking

Home Secretary Priti Patel has distanced herself from Chancellor Rishi Sunak as she threw her full support behind Boris Johnson over the Downing Street garden party row. In an exclusive interview with Sky News political editor Beth Rigby, Ms Patel said that “supporting the prime minister” and his government’s work is how she “spends all

MI5 has warned that a Chinese government agent has been working in parliament “to subvert the processes”, MPs have been told. Iain Duncan Smith told the Commons that Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has written to MPs to let them know he has been contacted by MI5 over the matter. The MP said: “I understand that Mr

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has demanded the resignation of Boris Johnson over the Downing Street drinks party row. Mr Ross claimed the prime minister’s position was “no longer tenable” and revealed he had spoken to Mr Johnson on Wednesday afternoon to “set out my reasons and I explained to him my position”. The Scottish

Boris Johnson has apologised after admitting that he attended a Downing Street garden drinks party during the first lockdown. Addressing the Commons under intense pressure from MPs, including those on his own government benches, to confirm whether he attended a drinks gathering at Number 10 on 20 May 2020, the prime minister said he had

Boris Johnson “is going nowhere” and “retains the confidence of the people of this country”, a minister has claimed, as pressure mounts over Downing Street holding a “bring your own booze” party during the first COVID lockdown. The prime minister and his wife Carrie are understood to have been among 40 people in attendance at

If Downing Street hoped to press the reset button this year after weeks of damaging allegations of lockdown breaches, the latest revelations are the most damaging yet. The net appears, from what sources tell Sky News and other outlets, to be closing around the prime minister. This is not another claim of unknown officials having