Politics

Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed there will be tax rises in the budget to prevent a “devastating return to austerity” and rebuild public services. In a speech in Birmingham, the prime minister also announced the £2 bus fare cap will rise to £3, while £240m will be injected into efforts to get people back to

The Labour government’s first budget will embrace the “harsh light of fiscal reality” but “better days are ahead”, Sir Keir Starmer will say in a speech on Monday. Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver the budget on Wednesday and setting the tone for the announcement, the prime minister will warn of “unprecedented” economic circumstances and the

A video appearing to show an altercation involving Labour MP Mike Amesbury is “a matter for the police”, a cabinet minister has said. Mr Amesbury said he would “co-operate with any inquiries”, after footage circulated online which appeared to show him berating a man who was lying on the road before a bystander pushed him

Mayors are set to be one of the big winners in the budget after Sir Keir Starmer personally intervened to ensure they have more freedom to spend cash and boost growth, Sky News understands. England’s dozen metro mayors have been working together to push the prime minister, Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner for more powers

Sir Keir Starmer has downplayed the prominence of reparations for slavery being addressed at a Commonwealth summit, saying “none of the discussions have been about money”. The prime minister, who is in Samoa for the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm), has been facing mounting pressure from leaders of Caribbean nations who want the UK

The UK has agreed to step up its partnership with Albania following a successful summer in which the two countries carried out a collaborative crackdown on drugs and crime. Senior Home Office officials will travel to Tirana, the capital of Albania, for further talks before Christmas on how to tackle serious and organised crime, as

Newly elected MPs are struggling to set up offices in their constituencies due to fears for their safety and spiralling rents, Sky News has learnt. Several MPs who spoke to Sky News said they believed landlords were becoming increasingly reluctant to have them as tenants due to the perceived risks that came with the job

Who counts as a working person will matter a lot next week when the new Labour government unveils what is being billed as a historic budget. Sir Keir Starmer used the phrase “working people” repeatedly in the general election as he sought to reassure voters he wasn’t going to raise their taxes. But as this

Conservative leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick has said London “is a safer place” without Chris Kaba and he wants to raise the threshold for prosecuting firearms officers. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced on Wednesday firearms officers on trial over police shootings will remain anonymous during criminal proceedings. She also ordered a review into the accountability of

Sir Keir Starmer has rejected calls for reparations for slavery, saying it would lead to “very long, endless discussions” about the past. The prime minister said while the transatlantic slave trade was “abhorrent”, he believes the countries affected by it would rather the UK help them with contemporary challenges, such as the impact of climate

Firearms officers on trial over police shootings will not be named during criminal proceedings, the home secretary has announced. Yvette Cooper made the announcement after police marksman Martyn Blake was cleared by a jury on Monday of the murder of Chris Kaba in Streatham, south London, in September 2022. Mr Blake, 40, fired a single

Russian attacks on the Black Sea is delaying vital aid from reaching Palestinians, Sir Keir Starmer has warned. The prime minister said Vladimir Putin’s actions against Ukrainian port infrastructure are also preventing crucial grain supplies from being delivered to the global south in what he called a threat to global stability. Sir Keir made the

Many leading politicians are fond of talking about having been on a journey. But Kemi Badenoch’s journey has been longer and more eventful than most. From the leafy London suburb of Wimbledon to Nigeria in West Africa and back to south London, and from the socialist hotbed of Sussex University to the rural idyll of

Government borrowing is at its highest since the pandemic due to public sector pay rises and the high cost of borrowing, official figures show. Last month had the third highest September borrowing on record, coming only behind 2020 and 2021, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). While more money came in

Tougher punishments outside prison are being considered as part of a government review into sentencing. The review will be launched on Tuesday by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood in a bid to ease overcrowding in the prison system. Led by former Conservative justice secretary David Gauke, the review will be activated on the same day that

The British public and clinicians are being asked to share their experiences and ideas to “help fix our NHS”. Health Secretary Wes Streeting is calling on the entire country to help shape the government’s “10 Year Health Plan” with a “national conversation”. Members of the public, NHS staff and experts are being invited to share