Politics

James Cleverly has apologised after joking about putting a date rape drug in his wife’s drink in comments made at a Downing Street reception within hours of the Home Office announcing plans to crack down on spiking. The home secretary told female guests “a little bit of Rohypnol in her drink every night” was “not

Rishi Sunak has urged people to focus on “the promise of a brighter future” – as party leaders delivered their Christmas messages. The prime minister said Christmas was “a time of hope” but it was important to remember “those facing a difficult time”. Mr Sunak, who is a Hindu, highlighted the “Christian values at the

Rishi Sunak is under fire from his own MPs after rowing back on plans to lift the salary threshold for a family visa – with some Tories accusing him of “weakness”. The prime minister said the government was “increasing the salary threshold significantly” to £38,700 in “early 2025” – a change from the original plan

Simon Case is set to return to his role leading the civil service in January following weeks of medical leave, the Cabinet Office has confirmed. Mr Case, who as cabinet secretary is the UK’s most senior civil servant, took a leave of absence for medical reasons in October. Politics latest: Rishi Sunak accused of ‘legacy

As if the government’s “stop the boats” policy wasn’t already in disarray, now James Cleverly’s crackdown on legal migration is already unravelling. In a move cynically timed to avoid a backlash from MPs, he has admitted he’s made a major climbdown on workers bringing family members from overseas to the UK. When he announced plans

Scotland’s first minister has been mocked over a “bold claim” world leaders have been “lining up” to seek advice from the Scottish government. Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross ridiculed a statement made by transport, net zero and just transition secretary Mairi McAllan in the chamber last week. She said world leaders have been approaching the

Hassan came to the UK on a boat across the English Channel. Now he is sleeping rough on a Liverpool housing estate. “Where should I go? What should I do?” he asks me, as he clears out his rain-soaked tent, which he’s pitched under some trees near to a row of semi-detached houses. A sleeping

Jeremy Hunt has said the “door is open for constructive discussions” with junior doctors, as they begin three days of strike action in England over pay and conditions. The walk-out started at 7am on Wednesday, after negotiations between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Department of Health broke down earlier this month. Reports suggested

An MP suspended from the parliamentary Conservative Party has lost his seat in a recall petition, Sky News understands, leaving another by-election for Rishi Sunak to contend with. The voters of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire have decided they want to choose a new MP after Peter Bone was found by parliament to have subjected a staff

A new tax threshold has been created for high earners in Scotland, meaning anyone who earns more than £75,000 will pay a rate of 45%. Scotland already had the highest tax band in the UK at 47% for people earning more than £125,000. This will also rise by 1% next year to 48%. The move

Rishi Sunak is under pressure to back an immediate ceasefire in Gaza after 10 senior Conservative MPs accused Israel of carrying out the “brutalisation of the civilian Palestinian population” – which they argue risks fuelling more extremism in the region. The MPs, including former cabinet ministers, have written to Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron to argue

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has demanded the government “comes clean” over the role ministers played in dealing with Baroness Mone during the pandemic. The Tory-appointed peer and her husband, Doug Barrowman, have been embroiled in a scandal after a company they had links with was awarded multi-million pound contracts by the government for personal

Grant Shapps and Mark Harper are the most trusted public faces of this government, according to new research for the Politics at Jack and Sam’s podcast. On this week’s edition of the Sky News and Politico podcast we reveal which members of the cabinet are put up for the daily breakfast round – appearing on

David Cameron has called for a “sustainable ceasefire” in the escalating Gaza conflict – adding to growing global pressure on Israel. The home secretary’s intervention saw him warn that “too many civilians have been killed”. It sees the UK follow Joe Biden’s White House in expressing unease about the failure of Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration to

Rishi Sunak has said illegal migration threatens to “overwhelm” Europe and hinted a change is needed in international law in order to tackle it. Speaking to Italian conservatives at an event in Rome, the prime minister said “enemies” could use immigration as a “weapon” by “deliberately driving people to our shores to try to destabilise

Former Tory MP Scott Benton has said he will appeal his recommended suspension from the House of Commons and intends to make a formal complaint over it. The Blackpool MP was suspended from the parliamentary Tory party in April after being caught in a sting by The Times suggesting he would be willing to break