Politics

The first deportation flight due to take asylum seekers to Rwanda will not be taking off tonight following a series of last-minute legal appeals, the Home Office has confirmed. A Home Office source said the plane, which was stood ready on a Ministry of Defence runway at Boscombe Down in Amesbury, would not be departing

Two asylum seekers due to be deported on a flight to Rwanda tonight have had their exit from the UK postponed following last-ditch legal appeals. A Boeing 767-300 stands ready on a Ministry of Defence runway at Boscombe Down in Amesbury to take the first migrants to the east African country later this evening. But

Church of England leaders have said the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is an “immoral policy that shames Britain” – with the first flight set to depart today. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York – as well as 23 other bishops – have written a letter to The Times that claims no

Boris Johnson has been told that the majority of Northern Ireland assembly members reject the government’s “reckless new protocol legislation”. A letter on behalf of 52 of the 90 members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) said the proposal “flies in the face of the expressed wishes of not just most businesses, but most people in

A bill to amend the Northern Ireland Protocol will be introduced in parliament today, despite claims that the move breaches international law. The bill will allow ministers to override parts of the protocol, which was agreed by the UK and European Union to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic after Brexit. Northern

The Northern Ireland secretary has insisted that plans to override the Northern Ireland Protocol are within the law – but critics say the move is “disgraceful”. Brandon Lewis defended the proposals as the government prepares to publish legislation on Monday despite growing concern about the legalities of the move. One senior Tory MP has told

A leaked version of the government’s new food strategy advises people to eat wild venison as a low-carbon alternative to beef and grow their own cucumbers to save the planet, reports claim. The 27-page document, due to be officially released on Monday, follows two reports carried out by the co-founder of restaurant chain Leon, Henry

Rwanda’s government has asked for the scheme to send some illegal migrants to its country to be given “a chance”, after Prince Charles is said to have privately called it “appalling”. Yolande Makolo, a spokesperson for the Kigali government, told Sky News the scheme is “well thought out” and it is the responsibility of governments

Prince Charles is said to have privately called the UK government’s plans to send some illegal migrants to Rwanda “appalling”. The first deportations under the contentious deal are expected to happen next week after the High Court ruled on Friday that a flight taking asylum seekers to the east African country can go ahead. They

A deportation flight taking the first asylum seekers to Rwanda next week can go ahead, the High Court has ruled. They will be the first migrants to be sent there to have their asylum claims processed since the government announced the controversial policy in April. A judge refused to grant an injunction sought by campaigners

Boris Johnson is not a good role model for children, according to a top government adviser who is known as Britain’s strictest headmistress. Katharine Birbalsingh, chair of the social mobility commission, told Sky News’s Beth Rigby Interviews that from his personal life to his messy hairstyle, the three-times married prime minister causes her to “raise

Michael Gove has said he would not run against Boris Johnson for leader of the Conservative Party after admitting he “made a mistake” when he scuppered the prime minister’s chances in 2016. The levelling up secretary told Sky News he “enthusiastically” voted for the prime minister to stay as party leader in Monday night’s confidence

Boris Johnson will announce new measures to help people to get on to the property ladder during a speech in which he pledges to hard-pressed UK households that “things will get better”. The prime minister will set out the plans during a speech in Lancashire on Thursday that will also commit him to reforms in

Boris Johnson has said he is getting on with the job as he came back fighting in his first PMQs after surviving a confidence vote. The prime minister entered the House of Commons to cheers, just two days after he won a vote by his own MPs – although 41% voted to oust him as

Sajid Javid has promised urgent action to reform health and social care management after a review found evidence of bullying, discrimination and blame culture. The health secretary is promising “the biggest shake-up of leadership in decades” in response to a “stark” conclusion that there is “instructional inadequacy” in how leaders and management are trained, valued

Boris Johnson could face another confidence vote in just six months as the leading Conservative committee is looking at changing the rules after he survived last night’s vote, a senior Tory rebel has said. Tobias Ellwood, who voted against the prime minister, said he understands the heads of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs

It was a vote the PM was desperate to avoid. And when it came, one that Boris Johnson was keen to put behind him quickly, calling the vote as soon as possible after the trigger threshold (54 letters of no confidence) had been reached, and then declaring the result “decisive” and “convincing” once it was

Boris Johnson has reminded Tory MPs that the Conservative party won its biggest electoral victory in 40 years under his leadership. The prime minister was greeted by the traditional banging of desks as he addressed a private meeting in Westminster ahead of Monday evening’s confidence vote. Mr Johnson warned MPs against “getting into some hellish

Rebel Conservative MPs say they expect a no confidence vote in Boris Johnson to be held in the coming days. Letters expressing no confidence in the prime minister must be submitted by 54 Tory MPs to trigger a challenge. Data collated by Sky News shows that 28 Conservatives have publicly called for Mr Johnson to

Boris Johnson will make the NHS a key feature of a series of expected policy announcements in the coming days, as the PM bids to move on from a bruising week which reignited reports of an impending confidence vote. More than 40 Conservative MPs have publicly called on the prime minister to resign over the