Politics

A ban on social media use for under-16s has been branded “speculation” – but the government must “continue to look at” the need to protect children, a minister has said. Science minister Andrew Griffith dismissed as “speculation” reports that social media access could be curbed for some young people as part of a “potential consultation”

Rishi Sunak is facing another by-election after the Commons standards committee recommended MP Scott Benton be suspended from the chamber for 35 days. Mr Benton was suspended from the parliamentary Tory party in April after being caught by The Times suggesting he would be willing to break lobbying rules for money. In its ruling handed

Rishi Sunak has publicly disagreed with an Israeli ambassador, who told Sky News the country rejected the idea of a two-state solution. It is the long-standing position of the UK government that there should be an independent Palestinian state established alongside the existing one of Israel – giving both peoples their own territory. But asked

Less than 1% of people who have arrived in the UK on small boats since 2020 have been returned to their home country, new statistics reveal. The numbers showed that when Albanians were taken out of the figures – as the UK has signed a separate returns agreement with the country – just 408 people

The government is still hoping it will be able to start flying asylum seekers to Rwanda in the spring, according to the home secretary. James Cleverly confirmed his aims to Sky News the morning after the government managed to keep its Safety of Rwanda bill alive despite a rebellion of more than 20 backbench MPs.

Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill has passed a crucial Commons vote with a majority of 44. The second reading of the legislation passed with 313 MPs voting in favour and 269 against. It comes after right-wing Tory MPs said they could not support the bill, while One Nation Conservative moderates said they would back the proposals

Whatever happens in the vote over emergency legislation tomorrow, Rishi Sunak is in deep trouble. Because in making flights to Rwanda this totemic policy of his premiership, he has stoked a civil war in this party which threatens to blow up his benches and his leadership, as Brexit did for Theresa May. Because just as

Rishi Sunak is fighting to save his flagship Rwanda bill ahead of a crunch vote this evening that could be fatal to his authority. The embattled prime minister will host an emergency breakfast in Downing Street this morning with would-be rebels who have warned that “major surgery” is still required to fix the legislation. The

After appearances from Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock and a range of Downing Street advisers, it is now time for Rishi Sunak to be questioned at the official COVID inquiry. We take a look at what questions the prime minister – who served as chancellor throughout the pandemic – is likely to face. Please use Chrome

Rishi Sunak is waiting to see the size of revolt over his immigration plans from both wings of his party as he enters a crunch week for his premiership.  Two major meetings on Monday – one with One Nation MPs and one with the Tory right – will determine the size of the rebellion on

Michael Gove has defended as a “salty intervention” a Conservative Party social media post that attacked Labour using an image of a BBC News presenter making a rude sign on camera. The levelling up and communities secretary said it was “a powerful contribution to a very lively debate”, which pointed out the opposition had “nothing

Rishi Sunak has attacked Labour’s illegal migration policy as Sir Keir Starmer accused the Conservatives of “fighting like rats in a sack” over the Rwanda bill. The prime minister called on Labour to “rise above political games” and back the emergency legislation when it comes before the Commons on Tuesday, despite battling to convince his

Robert Jenrick has said the government’s Rwanda bill is too weak and will still mean a “merry-go-round” of legal challenges. The former immigration minister quit this week over the new law – designed to speed up deportations and deter people from crossing the Channel on small boats. Mr Jenrick, writing in The Daily Telegraph, said

The Home Office’s most senior civil servant has been summoned to give evidence to a committee of MPs on Monday after he revealed the cost of the government’s Rwanda plan had risen by £100m – despite no planes having taken off. Ministers signed the deal with the African nation in 2022, with the aim of

Two people have been arrested after Sir Keir Starmer was confronted by pro-Palestine activists in Glasgow. The Labour leader was met by activists holding Palestinian flags as he arrived at Glasgow Central Station on Thursday evening. Sir Keir has faced criticism over his stance on the Israel-Hamas war since voting against a ceasefire in Gaza

Rishi Sunak has dodged questions over whether he will call a general election if he loses a crunch vote on his Rwanda bill – which he insisted was not a vote of confidence in his leadership. The prime minister repeatedly defended the bill from its critics at a press conference on Thursday as questions mount

Suella Braverman has said she “very much hopes the prime minister changes course” with his efforts to tackle illegal migration after his plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was dealt a blow with the resignation of Robert Jenrick. The former home secretary, who was sacked by Rishi Sunak last month, said she wanted the

Robert Jenrick has resigned from his post as immigration minister over the government’s Rwanda plan. Home Secretary James Cleverly confirmed his colleague’s departure after repeated questioning in the Commons. Speculation mounted after Mr Jenrick was missing from the frontbench as Mr Cleverly gave a statement on the government’s bid to rescue the deal to fly

Rishi Sunak will aim for a middle ground in the emergency legislation to get the Rwanda scheme off the ground as he remains under severe pressure to stop small boat crossings. A senior government source has told Sky News that the prime minister is not planning to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)

Rwanda has not received any additional funding for the new treaty it has signed to revive the UK government’s asylum plan, the home secretary has said. James Cleverly told a press conference in the Rwandan capital of Kigali: “Let me make it clear. The Rwandan government has not asked for and we have not provided

James Cleverly is travelling to Rwanda to sign a new treaty for the government’s asylum plan. It is part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s mission to make the deal to send migrants there legally watertight following the Supreme Court’s ruling against the scheme. In the wake of the judgement on 15 November the government insisted

Rishi Sunak has suffered his first defeat in the House of Commons since becoming prime minister, as MPs voted to establish a compensatory body for victims of the infected blood scandal. An amendment tabled by Labour was voted through on a razor-thin majority of 246 to 242. The government had fought to fend off a

Sir Keir Starmer will promise a “better bargain” for the British public in a major speech that will focus on the need for economic growth over spending. The Labour leader will warn that his government would not be able to “turn on the spending taps” and will instead have to be “ruthless” when it comes

Rishi Sunak has suggested more tax cuts are on the way because the economy has “turned a corner”. The prime minister told reporters that while he would not comment on specifics, trimming taxes was “the direction of travel from this government”. But it came as he refused to say if the pensions triple lock would

Sir Keir Starmer has launched an impassioned pitch to woo Conservative voters – urging those who feel abandoned by their party “to take a look at Labour again”. In a comment piece for The Sunday Telegraph, the Labour leader said he is extending a hand of friendship to all Britons – irrespective of who they

You can’t write him off. Boris Johnson has found his way back into the public’s good books before and if his hopes of a political comeback are still alive, the coming week could be a decisive moment. The preparations are under way. The former prime minister has spent many hours with barristers, studying 6,000 pages

Boris Johnson will reportedly tell the COVID inquiry that he “unquestionably made mistakes” during the pandemic, but his decisions helped save tens of thousands of lives. The former prime minister is due to give evidence next week – and according to The Times, he will issue an “unreserved apology” and admit his government was “initially

People who make the rules must abide by them, Matt Hancock has said, as he acknowledged his own infamous lockdown-breaking clinch undermined public confidence in efforts to tackle coronavirus. Giving evidence to the COVID-19 inquiry, the MP said he had taken accountability by resigning as health secretary in June 2021 after leaked footage emerged of

Rishi Sunak has insisted the UK can “stand tall” at the COP28 summit – despite a former minister claiming the country is no longer seen as a “serious partner” in the fight against climate change. Lord Zac Goldsmith, who resigned as an environment minister in June, told Sky News that delays to green targets meant

Alistair Darling, who served as chancellor under then prime minister Gordon Brown, has died at the age of 70. His family confirmed the news about the Labour peer on Thursday. Lord Darling became a household name when Gordon Brown appointed him chancellor after taking the keys to Number 10 back in 2007. He ran the

Rwanda may be getting more than the £140m it has already been paid under the controversial deportation deal, despite no flights taking off, MPs have been told. Sir Matthew Rycroft, the top civil servant at the Home Office, hinted more money would be spent but repeatedly refused to disclose the sum – saying ministers had

The UK’s largest nursing union is calling for the government to reopen pay negotiations after an offer was made to consultant doctors, in a move that has angered other health unions. The Royal College of Nursing – RCN – has suggested new strikes are “more likely in the future” as a result of yesterday’s announcement.

Rishi Sunak hasn’t had many wins in his short premiership. But one he could legitimately claim was being a prime minister who improved Britain’s standing in the world – drawing a line under the bumpy Brexit years and provocative style of his predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. He was the prime minister who delivered