Politics

Michael Gove will pledge to intervene if there are delays to housebuilding as a result of poor performance by councils – despite critics pointing out the government recently scrapped its own targets. The levelling up secretary is expected to announce he will “call out” council planning departments that “drag their feet” when it comes to

Rishi Sunak is under pressure to back an immediate ceasefire in Gaza after 10 senior Conservative MPs accused Israel of carrying out the “brutalisation of the civilian Palestinian population” – which they argue risks fuelling more extremism in the region. The MPs, including former cabinet ministers, have written to Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron to argue

Michael Gove is facing calls to answer questions before MPs over PPE firm Medpro after Baroness Michelle Mone admitted she stands to benefit from a deal between the government and the firm. Mr Gove was chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the COVID pandemic struck and was name-checked by Baroness Mone in her first

Grant Shapps and Mark Harper are the most trusted public faces of this government, according to new research for the Politics at Jack and Sam’s podcast. On this week’s edition of the Sky News and Politico podcast we reveal which members of the cabinet are put up for the daily breakfast round – appearing on

David Cameron has called for a “sustainable ceasefire” in the escalating Gaza conflict – adding to growing global pressure on Israel. The home secretary’s intervention saw him warn that “too many civilians have been killed”. It sees the UK follow Joe Biden’s White House in expressing unease about the failure of Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration to

Rishi Sunak has said illegal migration threatens to “overwhelm” Europe and hinted a change is needed in international law in order to tackle it. Speaking to Italian conservatives at an event in Rome, the prime minister said “enemies” could use immigration as a “weapon” by “deliberately driving people to our shores to try to destabilise

Just Stop Oil protesters who gathered outside the home of Sir Keir Starmer to sing climate change-inspired Christmas carols have been told not to return to the area for three months after being dispersed by police. In footage shared on X, protesters were asked to leave the area surrounding the Labour leader’s house in north

Former Tory MP Scott Benton has said he will appeal his recommended suspension from the House of Commons and intends to make a formal complaint over it. The Blackpool MP was suspended from the parliamentary Tory party in April after being caught in a sting by The Times suggesting he would be willing to break

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

Levels of homelessness in England this Christmas are likely to be 14% higher than last year, according to analysis by Shelter. The charity has blamed the figures on a housing emergency it said is out of control. It estimated that on any given night in 2023 there were 309,550 people in some form of homelessness,

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

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

Rishi Sunak has avoided a damaging Tory rebellion over his flagship Rwanda bill in a crunch vote in the Commons. The totemic legislation, which aims to revive the stalled £290m deportation scheme after the Supreme Court ruled it unlawful, has been backed by MPs at its second reading by 313 votes to 269, a majority

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

The One Nation group of centrist Tory MPs have recommended its members vote for the government’s Rwanda bill tomorrow. It comes after MPs on the right of the party earlier today suggested they may not support the legislation. The faction of about 100 One Nation MPs met this evening to discuss their concerns that the

Rishi Sunak will be challenged at the COVID inquiry on claims that government scientists branded him “Dr Death” – and called his scheme to kickstart the economy “Eat Out to Help Out the Virus”. The inquiry has also been told that Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s chief adviser in Downing Street at the time, claimed Mr

The government is “not contemplating” an early general election because ministers are “confident” the Rwanda bill will be approved by MPs, Michael Gove has told Sky News. Speaking to the Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme, the cabinet minister said the emergency legislation was “a tough but also proportionate measure”. The levelling up secretary also

Does Brexit matter anymore?   The UK’s decision to leave the European Union in 2016 has been the driving, and dividing, force in British politics ever since the referendum campaign. It seeded the turmoil inside the Conservative Party, which led to five different prime ministers taking over in Number 10. The public grew tired of