Politics

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner is facing fresh questions over her tax affairs – and there’s a feeling in Westminster that they will not be the last. It’s the same allegation that keeps popping up around whether she paid enough tax on the sale of her home in Stockport in 2015. She had bought her

No complacency. The dictat from Labour high command is that nothing can be taken for granted – certainly not the 99% likelihood which Sir John Curtice places on Labour forming the next government, after the general election. Victory, even a smashing one, is a possibility however – at least according to stubbornly consistent opinion polls.

A Conservative MP has said he was targeted in the parliamentary honeytrap sexting scam and was the politician that first alerted police and Commons authorities. Dr Luke Evans, the MP for Bosworth, in Leicestershire, said that he was approached in March by two different numbers on WhatsApp “who purported to know me”. In a video

The chancellor has praised Tory MP William Wragg for offering a “courageous and fulsome” apology after admitting to The Times that he had shared MPs’ personal phone numbers with someone he met on a dating app. Jeremy Hunt said the news had been a “great cause for concern”. Speaking to reporters in Guildford, he said:

“Why do politicians never answer the question?” It’s something Beth Rigby, Jess Philips and Ruth Davidson get asked all the time – so this week, they’ve dedicated the whole episode to answering your questions. From why backbenchers ask seemingly pointless questions at PMQs to the importance of Instagram for the next general election – and

Civil servants overseeing arms exports to Israel have requested to “cease work immediately” over fears they could be complicit in war crimes in Gaza. Officials in the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) have raised concerns with senior civil servants that they may be liable if it is deemed Israel has broken international law. Politics

The UK is breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel, Rishi Sunak has been warned. Three former Supreme Court justices are among over 600 lawyers and academics who have signed a 17-page letter to warn the present situation in Gaza is “catastrophic”. The government has been facing growing calls to suspend arms exports to

Trade groups have warned of higher food prices and empty supermarket shelves because of new post-Brexit border fees being introduced this month. A maximum charge of £145 will apply on imports of plant and animal products, such as cheese and fish, entering the UK through the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel from 30 April. Politics

The government has no national plan for the defence of the UK or the mobilisation of its people and industry in a war despite renewed threats of conflict, Sky News has learnt. With ministers warning that Britain is moving to a “pre-war world” amid mounting concerns about Russia, China and Iran, it can be revealed

The government has no national plan for the defence of the UK or the mobilisation of its people and industry in a war despite renewed threats of conflict, Sky News has learnt. Officials are now starting to develop a cross-government “national defence plan”, it can be revealed. Dr Keith Dear, a former RAF intelligence officer

The prime minister has been unable to guarantee a childcare place to everyone that wants one, as the government rolls out its new scheme. Eligible parents and carers of two-year-olds are now entitled to 15 hours of funded childcare per week, as of Monday 1 April, with further extensions planned. The policy was announced in

Rishi Sunak has said people should not be criminalised “for stating simple facts on biology” as he backed author JK Rowling in her criticism of new Scottish hate crime laws. The Harry Potter author, who has become a fierce critic of the Scottish government’s stance on transgender rights, dared police to arrest her as the

A Windrush victim has branded the compensation scheme for victims of the scandal “disgusting”, and suggested the government were waiting for those affected to “die off”. Critics have repeatedly called for the Home Office to be stripped of responsibility for determining and handling payments to victims and said it should be given to an independent

The government’s extended childcare policy is beginning today – but it starts amid warnings of a lack of funding and not enough staff to fulfil the pledge. From today, eligible parents and carers of two-year-olds will be entitled to 15 hours of funded childcare per week. It is the first part of a £8bn package

Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives are on course to win fewer than 100 seats in the general election, according to a major poll that suggests the party is facing the worst result in its history. A survey of 15,000 people, used to build a seat-by-seat breakdown, indicated the Tories would win in just 98 constituencies in England

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has stepped down as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect after he was charged with historical sexual offences. In a statement, the DUP said: “The party chairman has received a letter from Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP confirming that he has been charged with allegations of an historical nature and