Politics

Over the last week, Sir Keir Starmer’s government has fired the starting gun on the biggest domestic fight of this parliament on his highest priority issue. Yet it’s a battle this government is far from certain to win, and the manner in which they’ve entered combat makes ultimate success less likely. The outcome matters to

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has brought some “Order! Order!” to ITV’s Emmerdale by playing a cameo role in the hard-hitting TV soap. Proud Lancastrian Sir Lindsay turned up in the fictional Yorkshire Dales village playing a rambler visiting its bar and bistro, wearing a tweed jacket and wellies. Since the long-running soap first broadcast

The Scottish government is scrapping its plans to create a National Care Service. It is an embarrassing but perhaps predictable end to years of ambitious talk about finally coming up with a solution to the social care crisis. In a statement at Holyrood, the government tore up parts of the bill that would require major

Kemi Badenoch has defended blaming “peasants” from “sub-communities” in foreign countries for the grooming gangs crisis. Speaking to Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, she insisted she would not be “shy” when talking about the scandal, which saw a string of child sexual exploitation convictions of men mostly from Pakistani backgrounds. Ms Badenoch told

Kemi Badenoch has said she “certainly would” back a third runway being built at Heathrow Airport. The Conservative Party leader told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that she has supported the expansion of the UK’s largest airport in the past, and would not change her mind on doing so. “I’ve had to vote

Southport child killer Axel Rudakubana received the second-longest life sentence in English history and the government does not ever want to see him released, Downing Street has said. Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said ministers “share the public’s disgust at [Rudakubana’s] barbaric crimes” but said imposing a whole life order (WLO) was not possible because

The government has hinted it is open to joining a tariff-free trading scheme as part of its plan to “reset” its relationship with Europe. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds suggested that joining the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM) could be acceptable as it “is not a customs union”. Politics latest: Minister ‘hopes’ Southport killer dies in prison The

From shattering the record for most executive orders signed on a first day in office, a bishop imploring him to have mercy on immigrants and LGBTQ+ people, Melania’s hat and Mark Zuckerberg’s wandering eye – the first few days of Trump 2.0 has been not just the talk of the town in Washington DC, but in

A record number of children are living in B&Bs beyond the legal limit as England’s homelessness crisis pushes councils to breaking point. MPs said there is a “dire need” for housing reform, with the lack of affordable homes forcing cash-strapped local authorities to haemorrhage their funds on temporary accommodation. The “crisis situation” means there is

👉Listen to Politics At Jack And Sam’s on your podcast app👈 Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Dan Bloom look at the day ahead in British politics. Today, Sir Keir Starmer is on the NIMBY offensive to boost economic growth, with plans to reduce the number of times people can go to

Sir Keir Starmer is vowing to take on “the NIMBYs” by reducing legal challenges to infrastructure building – with a new approach stopping “newts and bats” from blocking construction. The Labour government has made growth one of its primary targets, with a key plank of this strategy to build new infrastructure like roads and power

Rachel Reeves risks entering an economic “doom loop” if she continues to cut spending, a former Bank of England chief economist has warned. Andy Haldane, who was with the Bank for 32 years until 2021, said the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) forecast in March could lead to less investment and spending. He told Sky

Benefit fraudsters could be banned from driving and subject to bank account snooping if they fail to pay back the taxpayer, under a new government crackdown. In an effort to curb welfare fraud, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched what has been dubbed the biggest fraud crackdown in a generation. The Public

It presented Sir Keir Starmer with his first big challenge in office, and the Southport stabbings – followed by riots – look set to colour the early stages of his premiership. He dealt with the immediate aftermath by successfully mobilising the justice system and fast-tracking offenders through it – a throwback to his days as

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will travel to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos this week to court potential investors in UK growth projects, joining hundreds of political and economic leaders gathering in the Swiss Alps in the shadow of Donald Trump’s inauguration. Ms Reeves will join political leaders including German chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Commission

It was a small signifier – one which could be over-interpreted – but nevertheless provoked angst among some in government at a time when there isn’t universally huge confidence that UK-US political relations are as robust as they should be. On Sunday, the British Embassy in Washington had a bash for members of the incoming