Politics

It is “the worst kept secret in parliament” that the UK is heading for a May general election, according to a Labour frontbencher. Emily Thornberry told Sky News that the date of the spring budget “seems to confirm” what many MPs suspect – that the prime minister could go to the polls early. The next

Nigel Farage has branded Home Secretary James Cleverly a “moron” for taking credit for no small boats crossing the UK channel over Christmas. On Wednesday, Mr Cleverly posted on X there had been “no small boat arrivals over Christmas for the first time since they started in 2018″. Today, Mr Farage said: “You may be

With the start of a new year, the 2024 general election campaign will officially get under way. The time for festive frivolity and fun is over. Rishi Sunak poked fun at himself with a highly amusing Home Alone-style video filmed in Number 10 Downing Street for Christmas day. Sir Keir Starmer and wife Victoria went

Two of Westminster’s best-connected journalists, Sky News’s Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard, guide us through their predictions of how British politics will play out over the next seven days. Click to subscribe to Politics at Jack and Sam’s wherever you get your podcasts Email with your thoughts and rate how their predictions play out:

Households are facing a “debt timebomb” next year, according to analysis from a trade unions group. The Trades Union Congress – which includes the likes of GMB, Unite and Unison – predict unsecured debts are set to surge by £1,400 in 2024. This includes borrowing which does not have property as collateral, such as loans,

MPs are calling for a specific law to punish people who enter football stadia without tickets. The House of Commons’ Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee has made the recommendation following the unrest seen at the finals of Euro 2020 at Wembley Stadium. Following the match between England and Italy in July 2021 after COVID-19

Tony Blair’s government considered setting up a holding camp on the Isle of Mull to drive down the number of asylum seekers entering the UK, according to newly released official papers. The plan, put forward by one of the then-Labour prime minister’s closest aides, was part of a “nuclear option” that would see people who

A Conservative MP has claimed that most children who struggle in his town are the “products of crap parents”. James Daly, the Tory MP for Bury North, made the claim while speaking to the i newspaper. He was first elected in 2019 as an MP for the area. Bury North has swapped between Labour and

The home secretary’s date rape joke was “misogynistic” and “very ill-judged”, a senior Conservative MP has told Sky News. James Cleverly apologised after making an “ironic joke” about putting a date rape drug in his wife’s drink, hours after the Home Office announced plans to crack down on spiking. He has faced calls to resign,

James Cleverly has apologised after joking about putting a date rape drug in his wife’s drink in comments made at a Downing Street reception within hours of the Home Office announcing plans to crack down on spiking. The home secretary told female guests “a little bit of Rohypnol in her drink every night” was “not

The Mayor of London has pledged his support to send 4x4s to Ukraine that would otherwise be scrapped under the city’s ULEZ scheme. Sadiq Khan had previously blocked cars that were not ULEZ compliant from being sent to the country, saying he did not believe altering the environmental scheme for exports was possible under current

Simon Case is set to return to his role leading the civil service in January following weeks of medical leave, the Cabinet Office has confirmed. Mr Case, who as cabinet secretary is the UK’s most senior civil servant, took a leave of absence for medical reasons in October. Politics latest: Rishi Sunak accused of ‘legacy

Rishi Sunak is under fire from his own MPs after rowing back on plans to lift the salary threshold for a family visa – with some Tories accusing him of “weakness”. The prime minister said the government was “increasing the salary threshold significantly” to £38,700 in “early 2025” – a change from the original plan

Rishi Sunak has said the higher threshold for a family visa will rise in 2025 after he came under fire from Tory MPs for rowing back on plans to introduce it next spring. The prime minister said the government was “increasing the salary threshold significantly” to £38,700 in “early 2025” – a change from the

As if the government’s “stop the boats” policy wasn’t already in disarray, now James Cleverly’s crackdown on legal migration is already unravelling. In a move cynically timed to avoid a backlash from MPs, he has admitted he’s made a major climbdown on workers bringing family members from overseas to the UK. When he announced plans

The Home Office has rowed back on plans to increase the salary threshold for family members of migrants in the UK following a backlash Home Secretary James Cleverly told the Commons earlier this month that the threshold for a family visa would rise from £18,600 to £38,700 by “next spring” in a bid to reduce

Hassan came to the UK on a boat across the English Channel. Now he is sleeping rough on a Liverpool housing estate. “Where should I go? What should I do?” he asks me, as he clears out his rain-soaked tent, which he’s pitched under some trees near to a row of semi-detached houses. A sleeping

The Irish government is to bring a legal case against the UK under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The inter-state case is over the UK’s decision to bring in the Northern Ireland Troubles Legacy Act, deputy premier Micheal Martin has confirmed. The act became UK law in September 2023. It looks to end

Jeremy Hunt has said the “door is open for constructive discussions” with junior doctors, as they begin three days of strike action in England over pay and conditions. The walk-out started at 7am on Wednesday, after negotiations between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Department of Health broke down earlier this month. Reports suggested

An MP suspended from the parliamentary Conservative Party has lost his seat in a recall petition, Sky News understands, leaving another by-election for Rishi Sunak to contend with. The voters of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire have decided they want to choose a new MP after Peter Bone was found by parliament to have subjected a staff