Politics

A senior MP has accused police of giving the “green light” to internet trolls after a vexatious complaint saw her subjected to a social services investigation. Stella Creasy was told her harasser would not face criminal sanctions because he was “entitled” to his view her children should be taken into care because of her “extreme”

Labour insiders have expressed concern about Tory plans to ramp up attacks on Sir Keir Starmer’s tenure as director of public prosecutions, Sky News can reveal. The Labour leader has repeatedly referenced his time leading the Crown Prosecution Service between 2008 and 2013 as a core part of his political pitch to voters. At PMQs

Labour will perform strongest in the Midlands and north of England next week, according to an exclusive new local election projection for Sky News, which suggests the “Red wall” is starting to abandon the Conservatives. The Tories are also likely to struggle in key bellwether seats elsewhere in England – although the pollster did not

Richard Sharp has resigned as chairman of the BBC in the wake of a report into his appointment following a cronyism row. Mr Sharp said the report found he had breached the government’s code for the public appointments but said it was “inadvertent”. The matter has been a “distraction” for the BBC and he has

Strike action planned by the nurses’ union on 2 May has been deemed unlawful, the High Court has ruled. The court ruled the industrial action was not covered by the current mandate, with unions needing to hold a ballot every six months to legally hold strikes. The upcoming walkout was challenged by Health Secretary Steve

A new tax on gambling firms and maximum stakes for online slot machines are being considered under government plans to crack down on online addiction. The government is due to publish its highly anticipated gambling review on Thursday following a number of delays. Among the measures expected to be confirmed in the report is a

The behaviour of people arriving in the UK on small boats is “at odds with British values”, the home secretary has claimed. Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Suella Braverman said people making the dangerous Channel crossing – who include asylum seekers – were “behaving unacceptably” by “breaking our rules” and “abusing the generosity of the

The government is confident it is “on track” to meet its manifesto pledge of recruiting 20,000 new police officers, the home secretary has said. The promise was made as part of the government’s 2019 manifesto – but critics have pointed out that it has already missed the deadline, which was set for March this year.

Rishi Sunak must stand up for the civil service after Dominic Raab’s resignation over bullying complaints from his staff, a former Foreign Office chief has said. Mr Raab quit his roles in government last week after two complaints were upheld against him for acting in an “intimidating way” and being “unreasonably and persistently aggressive” in

Voters heading to polling stations in England on 4 May will need to provide photo ID for the first time.  There are fears some people could lose out on their right to vote as up to 3.5m people don’t have existing photo ID – and only around 50,000 people have applied for voter ID. Here’s

The government will take a nursing union to court next week in an attempt to stop its latest strike action. Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) are due to walk-out for 48 hours from 8pm on Sunday night until 8pm on Tuesday 2 May after rejecting the latest pay offer from the government.

The deputy prime minister has said police will “take all necessary steps” to prevent any disruption to the King’s coronation by anti-monarchist campaigners. Activists are planning to disrupt the ceremony by setting off rape alarms and throwing them at horses taking part in the procession, according to a report in The Mail on Sunday. The

Labour MP Diane Abbott has apologised for remarks in which she suggested Jewish people do not face racism but instead face prejudice similar to “redheads”. In a letter to the Observer in response to an article which had the headline “Racism in Britain is not a black and white issue. It’s far more complicated,” Ms

Dominic Raab says he left office with his “head held high” after resigning over a report which found he had bullied staff. The former deputy PM believes he was forced out by civil servants who were opposed to Brexit and his attempts to reform human rights legislation. A report conducted by Adam Tolley KC upheld

The Scottish National Party (SNP) has appointed MP Stuart McDonald as its new treasurer following the resignation of Colin Beattie on Wednesday. Mr Beattie stepped down after he was arrested in connection with an investigation into the party’s finances. He was subsequently released without charge pending further enquiries. His arrest came after the party’s former

The investigation into claims former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab bullied staff has led to a “complete breakdown” in trust between ministers and civil servants, a thinktank has said. Alex Thomas, programme director at the Institute for Government, said the inquiry has exposed “deep flaws” in the process for handling poor ministerial behaviour and that

Dominic Raab has resigned after allegations he bullied staff members while working as a cabinet minister across different departments. In a letter posted on Twitter, the deputy prime minister and justice secretary revealed a report into his behaviour upheld two claims against him. But he took issue with the findings, calling them “flawed” and claiming

Dominic Raab’s fate is in the hands of Rishi Sunak after a long-awaited investigation into bullying claims by his deputy concluded. A report on the findings, which is understood to be “very lengthy”, was handed to Number 10 on Thursday morning, with the prime minister said to be “carefully considering” its conclusions. Senior lawyer Adam

A long-awaited report into bullying allegations against Dominic Raab has been handed to Number 10 – with the prime minister “carefully considering” its findings. Mr Raab, the deputy prime minister and justice secretary, has been subject to an independent investigation by senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC since November last year. Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson said the

The American statesman who brokered the Good Friday Agreement has urged the people of Northern Ireland to have more self-confidence. George Mitchell told Sky News it was “not beyond the competence or ability” of the political leaders to resolve difficulties preventing the restoration of power-sharing. The retired US Senator, who returned to Belfast to mark