Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has said Sir Gavin Williamson was right to resign from the cabinet over bullying claims. Sir Gavin’s departure on Tuesday evening came shortly after an ex-civil servant – who claimed the MP told them to “slit your throat” – made a formal complaint. A Number 10 source told Sky News it
Politics
A former senior civil servant who claimed Sir Gavin Williamson told them to “slit your throat” has made a formal complaint against him, telling Sky News’ Beth Rigby his “words and actions had an extreme impact on my mental health”. The allegations were made last night in The Guardian and included claims that Sir Gavin,
The latest proposals for a major shake-up of parliamentary constituencies across the UK have been unveiled. Ten more seats would be created in England – taking the total number of MPs from 533 to 543. Wales would lose eight seats, going down to 32 MPs – with two seats removed in Scotland to leave 57
A contentious plan to build a new royal yacht has been scrapped, the defence secretary has confirmed. The successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was expected to cost around £200m, was announced by Boris Johnson in May 2021. Mr Johnson, the prime minister at the time, said it would reflect “the UK’s burgeoning status
Business Secretary Grant Shapps has hinted that the government may extend the windfall tax on oil and gas companies in this month’s autumn budget as it tries to stabilise the UK’s public finances. Speaking to Sky News with just 10 days to go before the government’s fiscal plans are unveiled, Mr Shapps said: “I mean,
Ed Miliband has called for an “urgent independent investigation” into the reappointment of Sir Gavin Williamson who faces bullying allegations. The new Cabinet Office minister allegedly sent abusive text messages to ex-chief whip Wendy Morton complaining that he and other colleagues had been excluded from the Queen’s funeral for political reasons. Speaking on Sky News’
The former chairman of the Conservative Party has said he told Rishi Sunak a bullying complaint had been made against Cabinet Office minister Sir Gavin Williamson days before he appointed him to the job. Sir Jake Berry says he informed the incoming PM about the allegations a day before he entered Number 10. Politics Hub:
This weekend the prime minister is heading to the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh. Rishi Sunak is not going for a late sunshine break after his first fortnight in Number 10, he will be representing the UK at the COP27 climate change summit in Egypt. He made a point of announcing that he
The government says it still supports the Sizewell C nuclear power plant and is hoping to get a deal over the line to fully fund the project as soon as possible. Funding towards the Suffolk plant totalling £700m was signed off by Boris Johnson at the start of September in one of his last acts
Two groups of people who had crossed the Channel in small boats were left stranded in London after a “misunderstanding” with Home Office officials, a minister has confirmed. Chris Philp, the policing minister, claimed the groups had told immigration officials “they had addresses to go to, so friends and family, and that turned out subsequently
Downing Street has defended Suella Braverman after she flew to an overcrowded migration centre in a £3,500-an-hour military helicopter. The home secretary avoided questions from the press as she met the Dover coastguard and travelled to the Manston facility in a Chinook. At one point in recent days, as many as 4,000 people were being
Suella Braverman has confirmed that steps are being taken to “immediately” improve the situation at Manston migration centre, according to the Home Office. These steps include bolstering the medical facilities currently on-site, supplying extra bedding and improved catering facilities, and providing more activities to support migrant welfare. The department also confirmed that more than 1,000
The Home Office is facing legal action over conditions at the Manston migrant processing centre – as reports suggest asylum seekers were removed from the site and “abandoned” at London Victoria station. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick told Sky News that a judicial review is being brought following reports of severe overcrowding at the centre in
Rishi Sunak has reversed his decision to skip the COP27 climate summit in Egypt next week – and all his campaign pledges are now under review. Bowing to pressure from environmental campaigners and MPs, the prime minister said on Wednesday he would attend COP27 as there is “no long-term prosperity without action on climate change,
Hundreds of migrants have been moved from an overcrowded immigration centre in Kent – with the government accused of presiding over a “shambles”. The Manston processing centre is designed to hold up to 1,600 people for no more than 24 hours – but as of Monday, there were 4,000 on the site. Sky News has
Boris Johnson has told Sky News that he does not think Vladimir Putin will use a tactical nuclear weapon in his war in Ukraine. There have been suggestions that the Russian president could carry out such a military strike as his forces continue to lose territory which they captured earlier in the invasion. But in
The Home Office has been told to “get a grip” over the issues at the Manston migrant processing centre – as a new report reveals detainees were not allowed to close toilet doors fully and had to sleep on the floor. Some migrants have not been allowed access to mobile phones to inform their families
Whether or not Rishi Sunak will attend COP27 is “under review”, Downing Street has confirmed – as the PM faces mounting calls to attend the climate conference in Egypt. Asked if the prime minister will be attending the summit, a Number 10 spokesperson said that “any attendance at COP would depend on progress on preparation
Amid the relative political calm that’s washed across Westminster in the last five days, one issue has stuck out like a sore thumb. The reappointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary, a week after she resigned over security breaches, has baffled and bemused Conservative MPs and officials. Given Rishi Sunak set great store by his
Michael Gove has defended cabinet colleague Suella Braverman’s controversial reappointment, describing her as a “first-rate, front-rank politician”. Ms Braverman was forced to resign from Liz Truss’s government after she sent an official document from her personal email to a fellow MP and copied in another MP by mistake. New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under