Politics

A requiem mass will be held at Westminster Cathedral later this morning in memory of Sir David Amess. The mass will be presided over by Cardinal Vincent Nichols and a message from Pope Francis will be read out. Sir David, a devout Catholic, will be buried in a private ceremony afterwards. Image: Pall bearers from

Opposition politicians have ridiculed Boris Johnson after he struggled to get through a keynote address to business leaders, despite claiming afterwards he thought the speech “went over well”. In the speech to the Confederation of British Industry, the prime minister praised the cartoon Peppa Pig, made car engine noises, and compared his 10-point plan for

After a bruising week for the government, with backbenchers unhappy about sleaze and watered-down rail plans, the prime minister’s authority will be tested again this week. The Health and Social Care Bill is back in the Commons and the fine-print on the social care cap has come under criticism. Under the new plans, from 2023

Sajid Javid has played down the need for more restrictions to be introduced in the coming weeks, telling Sky News that England is “firmly” in Plan A at the moment. Speaking on Trevor Phillips On Sunday, the health secretary said ministers must “remain cautious, not complacent in any way” – but said he hoped people

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has commissioned a review into possible racial bias in medical equipment as he promised to “close the chasms that the pandemic has exposed”. It comes amid fears that thousands of patients from ethnically diverse communities died from COVID-19 when they should have survived. Mr Javid referenced research that has shown that

A government review will look at how to stop migrants crossing the English Channel and entering the UK amid concern that current measures are not working. Downing Street has tasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Stephen Barclay with bringing departments together to find a solution. More than 24,700 people have arrived in the

An ex-Conservative MP who was jailed for sexual assault has revealed he is unemployed and currently making a Universal Credit claim as he was hauled before a court over unpaid costs. Charlie Elphicke, the former Dover MP, was released from prison in September after serving half his two-year jail sentence for three sexual assaults on

Michael Gove has said he is “confident” that progress can be made in talks with the European Union over the Northern Ireland Protocol without Article 16 needing to be triggered. Speaking at the British-Irish Council summit in Cardiff, the Cabinet minister said “a constructive approach” is being taken by both sides in the negotiations and

The UK and EU need to “knuckle down” and resolve the dispute over Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit arrangements, the Irish premier has said.  Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he was encouraged progress was being made, and with the change in “mood music”. Brexit Minister Lord Frost will hold further talks with European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic on

“I want to be the prime minister who does with Northern Powerhouse Rail what we did for Crossrail in London.” Those were the words of Boris Johnson days after he entered Downing Street in 2019. As people digest the contents of his government’s Integrated Rail Plan, there will be many people who will feel the

Northern political leaders have warned the government will pass up huge economic benefits and betray promises to voters if, as expected, it cancels major rail projects including the eastern leg of HS2 and a new Manchester-Leeds line. Boris Johnson will unveil a long-delayed integrated rail plan for the Midlands and the north of England today,

Boris Johnson has finally admitted the Conservative ex-minister at the centre of Westminster’s sleaze row broke lobbying rules – two weeks after the prime minister encouraged a bid to save Owen Paterson from a House of Commons suspension. Under questioning from a Commons committee of senior MPs, Mr Johnson acknowledged that Mr Paterson had “fallen

Boris Johnson is to face questioning by MPs about parliamentary standards as the row over sleaze continues. The prime minister will appear in front of the liaison committee, comprised of the chairs of all Commons select committees, from 3pm today. He will face questions on government standards, violence against women and girls, the COP26 summit

Boris Johnson has set out plans to ban MPs from working as paid political consultants or lobbyists in the wake of Westminster’s sleaze row. In a letter to the Speaker of the House of Commons, the prime minister said there was a need to ensure rules for MPs are “up to date, effective and appropriately

The sleaze row over MPs’ second jobs is set to drag on at Westminster after the government failed to bring a parliamentary conclusion to its U-turn over the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal. Opposition MPs accused ministers of overseeing a “total farce” as government efforts to scrap its controversial attempt to overhaul parliament’s standards rules were

Boris Johnson has raised the prospect of Britons soon needing a booster jab to be considered “fully vaccinated” when going abroad or for self-isolation rules. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, the prime minister revealed plans to add evidence of a vaccine top-up to the NHS COVID pass. He also said Britons would find