Politics

A Cabinet minister has suggested the BBC presenter who has been suspended for allegedly paying for sexually explicit images of a teenager should only be named once a “full” investigation has taken place. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk agreed there was a “public interest” in the broadcaster being named but said it would not be appropriate

More than 1,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats in just two days, with Friday seeing the highest number of crossings in a single day so far this year. According to the latest Home Office figures, 686 migrants were found crossing the Channel on 13 boats on Friday – the highest number

Monday will mark the sixth meeting between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden – and their seventh encounter in all as both were at official functions for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II last September during the Liz Truss interregnum. The president did not attend the King’s Coronation – that is normal

Former chancellor George Osborne has called in police to investigate alleged online harassment after a so-called “poison pen” email was sent to guests due to attend his wedding this weekend. Friends say the email – which has since been posted online – is part of a “long-term campaign” of abuse in which an individual has

Friday saw the highest number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the Channel in a single day so far this year. Some 686 migrants made the dangerous journey, according to Home Office figures. The previous daily high for 2023 was recorded on 11 June, when 549 people made the trip. The latest crossings

Rishi Sunak was unaware of Home Office emergency break proposals on migration reportedly rejected by his predecessor, No 10 has suggested. The Sun reported the Home Office had drawn up a policy document suggesting ministers could cap entry visas, raise fees and increase salary thresholds as “deliberate frictions” in a bid to meet the Conservatives’

The Scottish government has called on Westminster to decriminalise all drugs for personal use. Ministers said the move, outlined in a new paper on drug law reform, would allow those found in possession of drugs to be treated and supported, rather than criminalised and excluded. Decriminalisation would also mean people in recovery would have a

Sir Keir Starmer says he hopes to bring state school standards up to those of their private counterparts within his first term if Labour wins the next general election – though he warned of funding issues due to the state of the economy. Speaking to Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby, the Labour leader said

The UK is planning new powers to sanction Iran after at least 15 “credible threats” to kill or kidnap people in Britain who are deemed as a threat by the regime, the foreign secretary has announced. James Cleverly told Sky News the proposed sanctions regime would give “us the tools to take further action in

Labour peer and professor Lord Winston has admitted he is “not optimistic” about the future of the NHS as the health service celebrates its 75th anniversary. The distinguished professor said he did not believe enough money was being spent organising how the NHS is run and the “national poverty” was undermining the delivery of the

Short-term policy making and a decade of underinvestment has left the NHS in a “critical condition” as it turns 75, health experts have warned. Three leading thinktanks said the service may not reach its 100th birthday without more resources being pumped into it and fundamental reforms. Separately, NHS Providers – which represents hospital trusts –

Two investigations into partygate gatherings involving senior Tories have been announced by the Met Police. One is a re-investigation into claims of a Covid rule breaching party by staff of former Conservative London mayoral candidate, Shaun Bailey, in December 2020. In a press release, the force said: “The Met is now re-opening an investigation into

Members of the Armed Force are using food banks because of “personal decisions around how people are budgeting”, according to the UK veterans minister. Sky News’ defence editor, Deborah Haynes, reported last month that some military personnel and their families had been forced to use the centres as high inflation and rising costs tipped them

Ofcom has launched an investigation into an episode of Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg’s GB News show in which he covered a breaking news story about a court case involving Donald Trump. The media watchdog said it received 40 complaints objecting to the MP for North East Somerset acting as a newsreader during his State Of The

Sue Gray broke the Civil Service code by discussing a job with Labour, a Cabinet Office investigation has concluded. In a written ministerial statement, Cabinet Office minister Jeremy Quinn said the “undeclared contact” between her and the party constituted a breach. “The rules and guidance that govern the conduct of civil servants are clear and

Right-wing Tory MPs have urged Rishi Sunak to take action to reduce immigration, saying the system is “too lenient”. The New Conservatives group, made up of 25 MPs on the right of the party, will put forward a number of proposals to the prime minister in a report released on Monday, including ending the temporary

Health Secretary Steve Barclay has criticised junior doctors, accusing them of “walking away” from talks over pay and conditions. The British Medical Association – the union representing many from the profession – has called a five-day strike in July and is demanding a rise of 35% to restore their wages to 2008 levels. It has

Labour frontbencher Jess Phillips has been accused of “racist and bullying behaviour” after getting into a row on social media with high-profile headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh. Ms Birbalsingh, former chairwoman of the Social Mobility Commission and once dubbed “Britain’s strictest headteacher”, accused the Birmingham Yardley MP of seeking to “whip up a social media mob” against

A minister has ordered a local council to end its experiment with a four-day week “immediately” over concerns about the “value for money” for local taxpayers. South Cambridgeshire District Council, the first local authority in the UK to undertake such a trial, had announced plans to extend it until April. Local government minister Lee Rowley

In a barbed resignation letter, Lord Goldsmith has accused the government of withdrawing leadership on climate change and the prime minister of being “uninterested” in the environment. Rishi Sunak was quick to reject the claims, pointing to the UK’s recent involvement in the successful Montreal biodiversity summit, and highlighting that the UK continues to maintain