Politics

The chief executive of the banking group that owns Coutts has apologised to Nigel Farage after his account was closed. The former UKIP and Brexit Party leader claimed the elite bank took the action because his views did not align with the firm’s “values”. But reports in the BBC and Financial Times suggested it was

Polls will open today at 7am for three by-elections across the country, as voters decide who they want to represent them in parliament. The seats of Uxbridge and South Ruislip in west London, Selby and Ainsty in North Yorkshire, and Somerton and Frome in Somerset, will all be up for grabs, with polls closing at

The government has delayed publishing its long-awaited transgender guidance for schools after its own legal advisors concluded some of the suggested elements would be unlawful, Sky News understands. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had promised to bring out the advice during the summer term, which comes to an end this week for most state schools. But

The rate of price rises has dropped to 7.9% in the year up to June, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation shows prices are still rising, just at a slower pace than before, as the rate fell from 8.7% in the year to May. Another

Two giant cruise ships set to house 1,000 asylum seekers were unable to find anywhere to dock and have been returned to their owners, a senior source has told Sky News. In June, Rishi Sunak announced the government acquired two more vessels, alongside the Bibby Stockholm barge – which arrived in Dorset today – as

Controversial plans to tackle the small boats crisis are poised to become law after the government crushed a series of renewed challenges by peers at Westminster. The Tory front bench saw off five further changes being sought by the upper chamber to the Illegal Migration Bill, including modern slavery protections and child detention limits. At

A barge which will house 500 asylum seekers is on the move, with the first residents expected to board later this month. The barge – named the Bibby Stockholm – departed from Falmouth, Cornwall, to head to Portland Port in Dorset on Monday morning as Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman faced fresh criticism

Boris Johnson has been criticised for the swelling size of the House of Lords and an imbalance in the political make-up of the upper chamber. A report from the Lord Speaker’s committee on the size of the house highlighted Mr Johnson as showing “no interest” in trying to reduce the number of peers. This follows

Union boss Mick Lynch has said Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has to show he is “on the side of the people” before the next general election. The general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union criticised Sir Keir and the Labour Party when asked about how long strikes on the railway could

Kemi Badenoch has signed off UK membership to a major Indo-Pacific trade bloc. The business and trade secretary signed the accession protocol to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in New Zealand on Sunday. The move brings British businesses a step closer to being able to sell to a market of half

Defence minister Ben Wallace says he will stand down at the next election. Mr Wallace, the longest-serving Conservative defence secretary, said in an interview with The Times: “I’m not standing next time.” He added that he will not be resigning “prematurely” and forcing a by-election. Mr Wallace also confirmed he would leave the cabinet at

Ben Wallace – the longest-serving Conservative defence secretary – is considering leaving government in an anticipated autumn reshuffle, Sky News understands. It follows a failed UK bid to make Mr Wallace, 53, the next head of NATO and as the prime minister reportedly prepares to refresh his top team ahead of next year’s election. The

MPs should “focus on serving their constituency” rather than on second jobs, Rishi Sunak’s official spokesperson has said, in reaction to reports from Sky News. Research by our Westminster Accounts project today revealed MPs earned an average £233 per hour for roles outside of parliament – 17 times higher than the national average and over

MPs with second jobs have an average wage of £233 per hour, Sky News can reveal. The typical rate for MPs is 17 times the national average – and over 22 higher than the minimum hourly wage. The highest hourly rate for a current MP goes to Liz Truss, who got £15,770 per hour. Ms

Millions of UK public sector workers, including teachers and doctors, will get pay rises of about 6% after Rishi Sunak decided to accept the recommendations of independent pay review bodies. The bodies had suggested pay rises of between 6% and 6.5% for 2023-24, at a potential cost of £5bn. Mr Sunak met Jeremy Hunt, the

A powerful group of northern Tory MPs are being scrutinised by the parliamentary expenses watchdog after a Sky News investigation into the way they use public money. The investigation found nearly two dozen MPs received political donations from a private donor to help them with campaigning – weeks after they joined the Northern Research Group

Boris Johnson ally Nadine Dorries is facing a potential investigation over alleged “communications” she made to civil servants regarding her thwarted peerage. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case said he had referred the messages Ms Dorries allegedly sent to senior civil servants to Tory chief whip Simon Hart and Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle. He said he had

Rishi Sunak has hinted there will be no tax cuts on offer from the government before the next general election, as his party faces three by-elections next week. A number of Conservative backbenchers have been pushing the prime minister for reductions to a range of levies, including corporation tax, income tax and fuel duty. But

Theresa May has attacked the government’s Illegal Migration Bill, saying it would “enable more slave drivers to… make money out of human misery” and “consign more people to slavery”. The former prime minister, who has long campaigned on tackling modern slavery in the UK, said ministers wanted to use the new legislation to “stop the

Rishi Sunak will call on the UK’s NATO allies to commit to spending a minimum of 2% of their GDP on defence as he attends an alliance summit in Lithuania. The prime minister will argue the commitment will be crucial to NATO’s ability to deter and defend against the kind of tactics Russian President Vladimir