Politics

A senior civil servant worked for Greensill Capital – the financial firm at the centre of the David Cameron lobbying row – while still employed in Whitehall, it has been revealed. Questions have now been asked about why Bill Crothers did not consult a Whitehall watchdog before joining Greensill as a director. He began working

Rishi Sunak has been asked to appear before parliament tomorrow to explain why he granted Greensill Capital access to a COVID loan scheme after David Cameron lobbied him. Labour’s shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds was granted an urgent question about the row hours after Boris Johnson ordered an independent review into the now-collapsed finance firm’s activities

Former cabinet minister and Liberal Democrat peer Shirley Williams – one of the “Gang of Four” who defected from Labour in the early 1980s – has died aged 90. Baroness Williams of Crosby – whose long parliamentary career began when she was elected an MP in 1964 – was said to have “died peacefully” in

Former prime minister David Cameron has accepted he should have acted differently over his role in the Greensill lobbying controversy. In his first statement in weeks over the scandal, Mr Cameron insisted he broke “no codes of conduct and no government rules”, but having “reflected on this at length” accepted there were “lessons to be

David Cameron has been in the headlines recently over his alleged involvement in a lobbying scandal with a firm he advises and the Treasury. Sky News has broken down what is going on, who the key players are, and why the former prime minister is under fire. What did David Cameron do? Mr Cameron approached

Election campaigning is to resume this week after being paused as a mark of respect following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer both agreed to the suspension after holding discussions in the wake of Friday’s announcement that Prince Philip had died. The Conservatives and

Boris Johnson has said he will not go to Prince Philip’s funeral, and instead will give up his seat to allow another family member to attend. It comes after Buckingham Palace revealed that only 30 people would be attending the duke’s funeral, in an effort to follow COVID-compliant protocols. A statement from a Downing Street

Boris Johnson has praised Prince Philip’s lifelong “ethic of service” as he led political tributes to the Duke of Edinburgh. After Buckingham Palace confirmed the death of the 99-year-old on Friday, politicians across the UK chose to suspend their campaigning ahead of next month’s local elections. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, the prime minister said

Grant Shapps has insisted the government is trying to make foreign travel as affordable as possible amid criticism that a testing requirement will drive up holiday costs. The transport secretary also told Sky News that people could now think about booking a break abroad in a change from previous advice as the government unveiled plans

A traffic light system that will categorise countries based on their COVID-19 risk levels is part of potential plans to safely restart foreign holidays. This approach has been recommended by the government’s Global Travel Taskforce, which suggests international travel could resume from 17 May at the earliest in an “accessible and affordable way”. It may

The Northern Ireland Executive has condemned “deplorable” riots in which more than 50 police officers have been injured during more than a week of violence. Ministers were updated by the chief constable during a “special meeting” on Thursday morning, the executive said. It is “gravely concerned by the scenes we have all witnessed on our

Boris Johnson has said the roadmap out of lockdown will not be affected by the decision to offer 18 to 29-year-olds an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The prime minister added that “nothing he has seen” from government scientists on the possible link between this jab and rare blood clots suggests that plans to ease

Opposition parties are withholding their support for the government’s domestic COVID passports plan in a warning that Boris Johnson could struggle to get his proposals through the House of Commons. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party “do not support the government’s plans in their current form” and attacked ministers’ thinking as “a complete

The government must “sustain the impetus” to fight food poverty seen during the coronavirus pandemic and should consider putting a “right to food” in law, MPs have said. Efforts to tackle hunger by expanding the free school meals programme and boosting support to food banks should continue beyond the pandemic, the Commons Environment, Food and

Boris Johnson has not “given up” on allowing Britons to jet abroad from 17 May as he raised the prospect of holidaymakers being able to use cheaper and faster COVID tests on their return to the UK. Under the prime minister’s roadmap for lifting lockdown restrictions, international travel without a reasonable excuse will not be

The later stages of Boris Johnson’s roadmap for ending lockdown restrictions in England could cause coronavirus infection rates to surge, the government’s scientific advisers have warned. At a Downing Street briefing yesterday, the prime minister said he plans to stick “like glue” to his plans for easing current measures. He confirmed that step two –