Politics

The suspected chemical attacker who targeted a woman and children is still at large, and the focus is on the police finding hm. But inside government, serious questions are starting to be raised about how a convicted sex offender is understood to have been granted asylum, after being handed a suspended jail sentence. Abdul Shokoor

Rachel Reeves has refused to commit to Labour’s pledge of investing £28bn in green technologies if her party wins the next election. Asked 10 times by Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby if the policy remained in place, the shadow chancellor appeared to dodge the question. Instead, she pointed to increasing government debt and “the

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has rejected Nicola Sturgeon’s claim she did not seek to politicise the pandemic – claiming he “didn’t believe it for a minute”. The former first minister repeatedly fought back tears as she appeared before the UK COVID-19 Inquiry on Wednesday, claiming she took accusations that she sought a different approach to

A government minister who avoided being murdered “by the skin of my teeth” is stepping down as an MP at the next general election over fears for his personal safety. Mike Freer, Conservative MP for the north London constituency of Finchley and Golders Green, has faced a series of death threats and was targeted by

The UK government is tabling legislation to end post-Brexit checks on goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Significantly, the Withdrawal Act will also be amended, meaning EU law will no longer apply automatically in Northern Ireland. The details are contained in a government document which effectively details the deal to restore power-sharing at

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) are “in a position” to restart the executive in Northern Ireland after a near two-year absence – if ministers keep to the “agreed timeline” over a fresh deal on post-Brexit trade, their leader has said. The power-sharing agreement between the main parties at Stormont collapsed in 2022, with the unionist

The government believes “all the conditions are now in place” for a return of power-sharing in Northern Ireland following a deal reached with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said he was looking forward to the “restoration of the institutions at Stormont as soon as possible” following a near two-year suspension

The Archbishop of Canterbury has again slammed the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, telling the House of Lords: “We can as a nation do better than this bill.” Speaking in the upper chamber, the Most Rev Justin Welby said the government was “continuing to seek good objectives in the wrong way”, leading

Iceland supermarket boss Richard Walker has switched his support from the Conservatives to Labour, saying Sir Keir Starmer’s party is “the right choice” for his customers. Mr Walker, a former Tory donor and the executive chairman of Iceland, said under Sir Keir’s leadership Labour had “progressively moved towards the ground on which I have always

Labour MP Kate Osamor has had the Labour whip suspended while she is investigated for saying Gaza should be remembered as a genocide on Holocaust Memorial Day. The Edmonton MP sent the message to her party members, saying Holocaust Memorial Day should be observed, but other genocides should also be remembered – and list Gaza

The business secretary has told Sky News that issues at the Post Office “go beyond” the Horizon IT scandal. Kemi Badenoch told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips she was “sad” to have come to the joint conclusion with Mr Staunton that he should leave the role but that it was “better the Post Office had

The business secretary has said she “felt there was a need for new leadership” at the Post Office as it was announced its chairman is being forced out of the role. Henry Staunton has stepped down amid ongoing tensions with the government in the wake of the Horizon IT scandal. An interim will be appointed

Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband have had some of their assets frozen by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the couple have confirmed. A spokesman for the pair said the move was part of a “consensual process” which would allow them to “prove their innocence more quickly” amid an investigation into government contracts for personal

The government’s plan to drill for more oil and gas in the North Sea passed its first major hurdle in the Commons this week. But will it, as the government claims, deliver energy security and protect the jobs we need to help drive a transition to a low-carbon economy? Or are the Petroleum Licencing Bill’s

It is more likely to fail than succeed, the plotters behind the attempt to oust Rishi Sunak believe. The most likely outcome of all the conversations, scheming and briefing is that the Tories go down to an even bigger defeat than they otherwise would have done when the election finally comes. Yet, the handful of

Nicola Sturgeon branded Boris Johnson a “clown” during the pandemic, a series of foul-mouthed messages shown to the UK COVID inquiry has revealed. The exchange between the former first minister and her chief of staff, Liz Lloyd, took place on 31 October 2020 as the then prime minister appeared on TV to announce the second