Politics

There’s no doubt who has momentum in the Tory leadership contest now. James Cleverly pole-vaulted his rivals to first place – reaping the benefits of a well-thought-through, warm conference speech designed to make the party feel good about itself. Politics latest: Minister refuses to apologise over viral tweet A pitch from the Tory centre that

Tom Tugendhat has been knocked out of the Tory leadership race after receiving the least votes from MPs. It narrows the field down to three, with James Cleverly, Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick still in the running to replace Rishi Sunak. Mr Cleverly overtook Mr Jenrick to come out on top with 39 of his

In a church hall in Hull, groups of asylum seekers queue for tea and toast and advice from immigration experts. The room is busy, the busiest it’s been since the riots. The volunteers who run the weekly event say many people were initially too scared to come out following the violence. As in other towns

David Lammy has said the government is “young” after Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Sue Gray resigned and a new poll found most people think the government is “sleazy”. The foreign secretary said Ms Gray was a “superb public servant” after she quit on Sunday following weeks of briefings against her, including her salary

Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard share their daily guide to the day ahead in politics in under 20 minutes.  Following Sue Gray’s resignation, Jack and Sam share the details of her departure and they discuss the mood in Downing Street this morning, as the prime minister gets together his

You might not know who the people are, or what they do behind the big black door of Number 10, but what just happened in the bowels of Downing Street is a big moment. After getting off to a pretty dreadful start in government, Sir Keir Starmer has moved to get a grip of his

Northern Ireland’s first minister Michelle O’Neill has apologised after two Sinn Fein officials provided the British Heart Foundation (BHF) with references for a former employee who was under investigation for child sex offences. Ms O’Neill, the party’s vice president, reiterated her “anger and disgust” that the press officers provided the employment references for 42-year-old Michael

Ministers are plotting a shake-up of Britain’s drive to attract inward investment days before a summit they will claim demonstrates the country is “open for business”. Sky News has learnt that officials are drawing up plans to merge the Office for Investment – a joint venture between the Department for Business and Trade and Number

Sir Keir Starmer has said senior ministers do not need to hand back freebies and gifts like he has – as Diane Abbott said donors do not donate to politicians “out of altruism”. After weeks of criticism over Sir Keir and his top team taking freebies since coming into office, on Wednesday the prime minister

Sir Keir Starmer’s government has not yet been in place for 100 days. By all accounts, things are not going well. The Labour leader and his top ministers have had to backtrack after taking freebies totalling many thousands of pounds for clothing and entertainment. Sue Gray, the ex-civil servant he recruited as chief of staff,

Allowing terminally ill people to end their lives would not lead to a “slippery slope” of widening eligibility criteria, an MP pushing for the law has insisted.  Kim Leadbeater told Sky News there is a misconception that in countries where assisted dying has been introduced, the scope has been broadened over time. Politics latest: TV star

Sir Keir Starmer should hold a COBRA-style meeting with his cabinet ministers to decide new rules on donations, a former Labour minister has said. Baroness Harriet Harman, a host of Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast, said there needs to be “new rules and processes in place” following the row over the prime minister and his

The BBC has cancelled an interview with Boris Johnson after Laura Kuenssberg accidentally sent the former prime minister her briefing notes. Kuenssberg, who presents the broadcaster’s Sunday politics show, said “there’s no point pretending it’s anything other than embarrassing and disappointing”. Revealing the error on X, she said she had been preparing to interview Mr

Sir Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality received since taking office, Downing Street has said. The prime minister is covering the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer. Follow

Sir Keir Starmer will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to hold talks with EU leaders about “putting the Brexit years behind us” and bolstering ties with the UK. The prime minister has vowed to “reset” relations with Europe following tensions between the previous Tory government and the EU – though he has ruled out a

Kemi Badenoch has been accused of stirring up a culture war after claiming 5-10% of civil servants are “very bad” and “should be in prison”. The Tory leadership hopeful claimed at a party conference fringe event on Tuesday that some civil servants have been “leaking official secrets” and “undermining ministers”. Politics live: China should pay