Politics

MPs have rejected a series of Lords’ amendments to the government’s Rwanda bill – as a week of parliamentary showdown on the legislation begins. The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill is currently in the middle of what is known as ping-pong, where the two houses propose, debate and vote on amendments. So far,

Lord David Cameron has urged Israel to “think with head as well as heart” and not retaliate to Iran’s missile attack. The foreign secretary said the nation needed to be “smart as well as tough” and think about the consequences of escalating violence in the region. UN warns of ‘devastating conflict’ – Middle East latest

At every level of the British diplomatic machine, the focus after Saturday night’s Iranian attack on Israel is now to do whatever possible to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East. The message from the UK government is twofold. First, that it stands with Israel and backs its right to self-defence – after all, this terrifying

UK jets shot down “a number of drones” launched by Iran in its unprecedented attack on Israel last night, Rishi Sunak has said. The prime minister called the assault by Tehran a “dangerous and unnecessary escalation” of conflict in the Middle East, warning the “the fallout for regional stability would be hard to overstate” had

Liz Truss has revealed she considered abolishing the UK’s economic watchdog and replacing leaders at the Treasury and Bank of England, accusing the bodies of being “pro-China” and “pro-Remain”. The country’s shortest serving prime minister said she discussed scrapping the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) with her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng but concluded it would have

As with most political scandals, the heat in the Angela Rayner housing row is less about the (alleged) crime and more about the (alleged) cover-up. Or, to put it another way, this is all about how honest and transparent the Labour deputy leader has been in responding to allegations about her living arrangements a decade

Police have launched an investigation into Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner. Ms Rayner has faced claims she may have broken electoral law over information she gave about her living situation a decade ago. A Greater Manchester Police (GMP) spokesperson said: “We’re investigating whether any offences have been committed. This follows a reassessment of the information

A libel case against Science Secretary Michelle Donelan has now cost the tax-payer £34,000. It was revealed last month that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) had paid out £15,000 in damages to an academic whom the minister had falsely accused of supporting Hamas in a letter she posted on X. But the

A Tory MP appears to have endorsed Reform’s Lee Anderson, after his former colleague promised not to campaign against him. Mr Anderson – who jumped ship after losing the Tory whip in February – posted on Facebook that he would not campaign with his new party at the next election in four seats won by

Rishi Sunak and other high-profile Conservatives could keep their seats because of voter ID confusion in the next general election, a new poll suggests. The government passed legislation in 2022 requiring Britons to show photo ID despite warnings it would prevent thousands from voting. The new rules came into force last year – with a

It was the picture that launched warnings of the “death” of a popular trainer: the prime minister in a box-fresh pair of Adidas Sambas, paired with suit trousers and a white shirt.  He was accused of “ruining” an “eternally cool sneaker” by GQ, while other magazines rushed to offer lists of alternative trainers after Rishi

A group of pro-Palestinian activists have held a protest outside the home of Sir Keir Starmer – a move that has been condemned by the prime minister. The campaigners arrived at the Labour leader’s house to call on him to support an arms embargo on Israel. Their decision to target Sir Keir’s home was criticised

The Tory MP at the heart of a Westminster sexting scandal has stood down from two top Commons posts. William Wragg, the MP for Hazel Grove, has resigned as the chair of the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACA) and vice chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs. Mr Wragg, who

Home Office asylum decisions are being overturned by more than half of applicants, as Sky News reveals a convicted sex offender was awarded refugee status after a judge ruled he would be at risk of “mob violence” in Afghanistan. The man, who was convicted of “outraging public decency and exposure” in 2017, was placed on

The UK has a “duty” to support Israel “in her hour of need” despite the killing of three British aid workers in Gaza, a government minister has said. A row has been raging over whether the UK should continue to sell arms to the country after the incident last week, with questions over whether Israel

Angela Rayner has “played by the rules” when it comes to her tax affairs, her shadow cabinet colleague has said, amid further claims around her former living arrangements. Labour’s deputy leader has come under the spotlight in recent weeks over the sale of an ex-council house she previously owned in Stockport, having been accused of