Politics

An MP who travelled by train with COVID in the early stages of the pandemic is facing a 30-day suspension from the House of Commons – raising the possibility of a by-election. Margaret Ferrier admitted she broke COVID rules in September 2020 by travelling on a train between Scotland and London despite having tested positive

Local Tory councils have threatened to take legal action against the government over its plans to house asylum seekers in disused military bases in their areas. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick confirmed the scheme today, saying “thousands” would be accommodated at former RAF sites in Essex and Lincolnshire. But Braintree District Council said it was planning

Humza Yousaf has been legally sworn in as Scotland’s sixth first minister. The 37-year-old is now Keeper of the Scottish Seal after taking the oath of office and pledging his allegiance to the King. The seal allows the monarch to authorise official documents without having to sign each one. As Keeper of the Scottish Seal,

Kate Forbes has rejected a job offer from Scotland’s new first minister Humza Yousaf and will return to the backbenches after serving in government for almost five years. A senior source told Sky News that Ms Forbes, who narrowly lost the SNP leadership race to Mr Yousaf on Monday, was asked to take on the

Humza Yousaf is expected to be declared Scotland’s new first minister later today. The 37-year-old has replaced Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader, triumphing over Kate Forbes and Ash Regan in the contest for the party’s top job. Mr Humza is now set to face a vote at Holyrood before being formally confirmed as the country’s

Humza Yousaf has won the SNP leadership contest and is set to be named as Scotland’s new first minister, replacing Nicola Sturgeon. The explosive leadership contest was sparked following Ms Sturgeon’s shock resignation last month. Lorna Finn, the SNP’s national secretary, stated that the total turnout in the leadership election was 70% with 50,490 of

The gruelling contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon as the leader of Scotland’s biggest political party reaches its crescendo later when the winner is announced. Humza Yousaf, Ash Regan and Kate Forbes have spent weeks battling to become the new SNP leader and, ultimately, the next first minister. The party will reveal the results of the

Rishi Sunak has been accused of rehashing old ideas as he prepares to launch a fresh crackdown on anti-social behaviour. The prime minister has vowed the government’s measures, which include a ban on nitrous oxide and a plan to make offenders repair damage they cause, will “restore people’s confidence” and “stamp out these crimes once

Nitrous oxide is set to be banned under government plans to clamp down on anti-social behaviour. Levelling up secretary Michael Gove made the announcement this morning on the Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme. “Antisocial behaviour can ruin lives,” he said. Confirming the ban on laughing gas, Mr Gove said: “I think anyone who has the

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has been fined and given six penalty points for speeding on the M62. The Labour politician, tipped as a future party leadership candidate, was driving at 78mph on part of the motorway where the limit had been reduced to 40mph. Mr Burnham said a closure of junction 10,

Plans to start moving migrants out of hotels and into military bases or even disused ferries are expected to be announced by the government within weeks. Ministers have already signalled that they want to end the use of hotels as asylum seeker accommodation. Previous suggestions of using holiday camps and student halls are less likely

Sir Patrick Vallance has said COVID restrictions were “for everybody” after Boris Johnson said lockdown leaving dos were “absolutely essential” and that he relied on incorrect advice from Number 10 advisers. The UK’s chief scientific adviser became a household name during the pandemic as he stood beside the then-prime minister during daily COVID briefings. This

UK and EU officials will sign off on a new Brexit deal in London today, despite ongoing opposition from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). The Windsor Framework – designed to address problems with the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol – was agreed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last

Sir Keir Starmer paid £67,033 to HMRC in the last financial year, his tax returns show. The Labour leader published the details after Rishi Sunak released his on Wednesday, following months of political pressure. Sir Keir’s document shows he paid £67,033 in total tax for the 2021/22 financial year, and £51,547 the previous year. It

Did Boris Johnson intentionally mislead Parliament about what he knew and when about rule-breaking events in Number 10? The privileges committee maintains it is “very likely” he did. Wednesday’s appearance in front of the privileges committee was billed as the day of reckoning for the former prime minister, with all the jeopardy that it brought.

Boris Johnson has sworn “hand on heart” he did not lie to MPs about partygate events in Downing Street – and said a gathering where he was pictured holding a glass in the air was “absolutely essential for work purposes”. The former prime minister also said the size of Number 10 made it difficult to

Former prime minister Boris Johnson has said he is going to vote against the first part of the government’s new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland. The Windsor Framework was agreed by Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 27 February to change the way the Northern Ireland Protocol operates. The first

Boris Johnson has said he accepts he misled parliament over partygate but insists his statements were “in good faith”. In his evidence to the privileges committee, published on Tuesday, the former prime minister accused it of having gone “significantly beyond its terms of reference”. He added that it was “unprecedented and absurd” to claim that

The DUP says its MPs will vote against a key aspect of Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal when it is put to a crunch vote in parliament this week. In a statement, party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said while the Windsor Framework represented “significant progress” in addressing concerns with the Northern Ireland Protocol, it does not