Politics

Boris Johnson has apologised for appointing Chris Pincher deputy chief whip, saying it “was a mistake” and “in hindsight the wrong thing to do”. The prime minister said sorry to “everybody who has been badly affected” adding, “I just want to make absolutely clear that there is no place in this government for anybody who

Boris Johnson was told about an investigation into Chris Pincher’s inappropriate behaviour in 2019, despite days of Number 10 saying the prime minister was unaware of specific allegations against his former deputy chief whip. Mr Pincher resigned his post last week after he was accused of groping two men in a private members club, but

Carrie Johnson openly questioned Chris Pincher’s suitability as a government whip as far back as 2017, Sky News understands. While communications director at CCHQ in 2017, Mrs Johnson (then Ms Symonds) questioned how Mr Pincher had ever ended up in the whips’ office in correspondence seen by Sky News. The exchanges followed Mr Pincher’s resignation

Boris Johnson was “aware of media reports… of inappropriate behaviour” by disgraced MP Chris Pincher and sought advice before appointing him to be his deputy chief whip, Downing Street has confirmed. Speaking to reporters on Monday, the prime minister’s official spokesman said Mr Johnson was “not aware of any specific allegations being looked at” and

A shake-up of childcare rules will be announced this week, aiming to save money for hundreds of thousands of families by allowing staff to look after more children. The government plans to increase the number of two-year-olds who can be cared for by one adult in a nursery from four to five, billed as helping

Chris Pincher was “incredibly drunk” on the night he is alleged to have groped two men, MPs present at the Carlton Club that evening have told Sky News. “He was beyond the limit when he should have been socialising,” one MP claimed. “He was slurring and mumbling some nonsense and came back in saying he

Chris Pincher’s statement breaking his silence on allegations of drunken groping was both contrite and defiant. It was contrite because he pledged co-operation with the inquiry now being undertaken by the Commons sleaze watchdog, the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme. But it was defiant because he served notice that he has no intention of quitting

A shadow minister has claimed that Parliament is “not a safe place to work” amid controversy surrounding the resignation of the deputy chief whip over groping allegations. Shadow armed forces minister Luke Pollard told Sky News that “wholesale change” is needed as he called for “higher standards” in politics. The prime minister has been criticised

Pincher: the name sounds like a character from a Jeffrey Archer novel or the TV drama House of Cards. There have also been, inevitably, some wry smiles and giggles among MPs about the former deputy chief whip’s unusual surname and the groping allegations against him. But in all seriousness, as Mr Pincher faces up to

A cabinet minister has refused to be drawn on the future of a Tory MP who allegedly groped two men, as Labour demands he is kicked out the party. Wales Secretary Simon Hart told Sky News he was “very sad” about the situation, but insisted it was for the Conservative chief whip to make a

Boris Johnson’s deputy chief whip has resigned over an allegation of “groping”, Sky News understands. Chris Pincher said he had drunk “far too much” and “embarrassing myself and other people” on a night out. The Conservative MP for Tamworth wrote to the prime minister to explain his decision to stand down. He said in his

European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said it was “high time we got Brexit done” as he fired the latest salvo against Boris Johnson’s government over the Northern Ireland Protocol. Mr Sefcovic told an audience in London that UK legislation designed to tear up parts of the protocol, which governs Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trading arrangements,

Gordon Brown has claimed that Britain is “at war with America over Ireland” – amid opposition from US politicians over plans to tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol. The former prime minister told Sky News’s Beth Rigby Interviews that there was no chance of the UK signing a trade deal with the world’s biggest economy

Nicola Sturgeon has said she is doing “the responsible thing” as she pursues a second referendum on Scottish independence – and has contested whether the right to call a vote lies with the UK’s Supreme Court. Scotland’s first minister has also accused Boris Johnson of disrespecting democracy and not following the rule of law. She

Nicola Sturgeon has set the date for a proposed “consultative referendum” next year on Scottish independence. To cheers and applause in the devolved parliament in Holyrood, the first minister said legislation will lay out plans for a vote to take place on 19 October 2023. It will ask the question: “Should Scotland be an independent

Mandatory life sentences for those who kill emergency workers are among criminal justice reforms designed to “make our streets safer” coming into force today. The changes also toughen sentences for those guilty of pre-meditated child murder. In such cases a whole-life tariff – where offenders are told they will never be released – will be