Politics

Boris Johnson is set to announce a bespoke resettlement scheme for those “most in need” in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s dramatic takeover of the country, Downing Street has said. Number 10 said the prime minister and his government were finalising details of a specific scheme to allow Afghans to claim asylum in the UK. The

Parliament will be recalled next week over the situation in Afghanistan, as the prime minister called a second emergency Cobra meeting later this afternoon to discuss the crisis. MPs will return to Westminster on Wednesday to debate the government’s response to the crisis, with Taliban fighters having entered the capital Kabul after a lightning advance

Joanna Lumley has called on the government to meet the “brave and loyal” Gurkha veterans who are currently on hunger strike opposite Downing Street over their pensions. Protesters have been camped in Whitehall for nine days now. According to the Support Our Gurkhas website, the hunger strikers are campaigning for equal pensions for Gurkhas who

Carrie Johnson has told other pregnant women there is nothing to worry about, after getting her second COVID-19 vaccine. The prime minister’s wife, who is due to give birth to her second child in December, said she got her second jab on Saturday and was “feeling great”. Mrs Johnson, 33, said she was concerned about

The “vast bulk” of British citizens in Afghanistan will be brought back to the UK over the “next few days”, Boris Johnson has said. Efforts will also be stepped up to relocate Afghans to the UK who have assisted the military operation over the past 20 years, the prime minister said. The prime minister spoke

The defence secretary has told Sky News he is “happy to meet with any Gurkha”, as former soldiers continue to stage a hunger strike opposite Downing Street over their pensions. But in a sign that the government will not meet the demands of the protesters who have been camped on Whitehall for seven days, Ben

Terror group al Qaeda “will probably come back” in Afghanistan as the security situation continues to deteriorate, the defence secretary has told Sky News. Speaking to Kay Burley, Ben Wallace was highly critical of the US decision to withdraw troops from the country. It is almost 20 years since the invasion of Afghanistan was launched

More than 58,000 applications were made to the EU Settlement Scheme in the month after the deadline had passed, new Home Office figures reveal. EU citizens living in the UK had until 30 June to apply to stay in the country or lose their rights, under post-Brexit rules introduced by the government. This is due

GCSE results have hit record highs again this year. The proportion of UK pupils getting the top grades – that’s a 7 or higher, equivalent to at least an A – is 28.9%, an increase of 2.7% on last year. The overall pass rate also rose, with over three quarters – 77.1% – of pupils

Firebrand union leader Len McCluskey has fired a vicious parting shot against Sir Keir Starmer, claiming Labour’s ship could  “go under” with him at the helm. In hard-hitting memoirs to mark his retirement, the Unite general secretary known as “Red Len” suggests Sir Keir will fail to win back the “Red Wall” seats Labour lost

More than three quarters of adults in the UK have now received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine, the government has announced. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said a total of 86,780,455 jabs have now been administered, with 89% of people having received a first dose and 75% two doses. Prime Minister

The education secretary has revealed he cannot remember what he got in his A-levels. Doing a round of media interviews on the day thousands of students got their results for this year, Gavin Williamson recalled the day he got his A-level grades 27 years ago. Live updates as students receive their A-level results But when

Universities that do not return to face-to-face teaching this coming academic year should not be charging full fees, the education secretary has told Sky News. Speaking to Kay Burley, Gavin Williamson said: “I think if universities are not delivering what students expect, then actually they shouldn’t be charging the full fees.” Live updates as students

The UK is “on track” to meet its “challenging” target of hitting net zero emissions by 2050, a minister has told Sky News. “I think it’s challenging, but I think we are on track, I think we’re doing quite well,” Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told Kay Burley about the goal. “If you look, since 1990

A minister has told Sky News he would like staff in his department to be coming into the office “at least” two or three days a week, after the government insisted it would follow a “cautious” approach to civil servants returning to their desks. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng was asked about his views on people

Labour are calling for a senior Conservative to be investigated for training witnesses before they give crucial evidence to MPs. Parliament’s standards watchdog has been told to “urgently” look into payments made to James Gray for coaching witnesses ahead of appearances before select committees. The Tory MP has been receiving the cash while sitting on