Politics

A powerful group of northern Tory MPs are being scrutinised by the parliamentary expenses watchdog after a Sky News investigation into the way they use public money. The investigation found nearly two dozen MPs received political donations from a private donor to help them with campaigning – weeks after they joined the Northern Research Group

Thousands of children with special educational needs or disabilities are missing out on the education they are entitled to because of huge delays in the system designed to support them. A record half a million pupils now have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) – a legal document setting out a child or young

Boris Johnson ally Nadine Dorries is facing a potential investigation over alleged “communications” she made to civil servants regarding her thwarted peerage. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case said he had referred the messages Ms Dorries allegedly sent to senior civil servants to Tory chief whip Simon Hart and Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle. He said he had

Theresa May has attacked the government’s Illegal Migration Bill, saying it would “enable more slave drivers to… make money out of human misery” and “consign more people to slavery”. The former prime minister, who has long campaigned on tackling modern slavery in the UK, said ministers wanted to use the new legislation to “stop the

Rishi Sunak has hinted there will be no tax cuts on offer from the government before the next general election, as his party faces three by-elections next week. A number of Conservative backbenchers have been pushing the prime minister for reductions to a range of levies, including corporation tax, income tax and fuel duty. But

Rishi Sunak will call on the UK’s NATO allies to commit to spending a minimum of 2% of their GDP on defence as he attends an alliance summit in Lithuania. The prime minister will argue the commitment will be crucial to NATO’s ability to deter and defend against the kind of tactics Russian President Vladimir

A Cabinet minister has suggested the BBC presenter who has been suspended for allegedly paying for sexually explicit images of a teenager should only be named once a “full” investigation has taken place. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk agreed there was a “public interest” in the broadcaster being named but said it would not be appropriate

She could be the most powerful woman in Britain if the election goes her way. Joining Sophy Ridge on the podcast is the shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, who explains more about her vision for Britain, and why she’s not a big fan of Just Stop Oil. For the government, financial secretary to the Treasury, Victoria

More than 1,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats in just two days, with Friday seeing the highest number of crossings in a single day so far this year. According to the latest Home Office figures, 686 migrants were found crossing the Channel on 13 boats on Friday – the highest number

Friday saw the highest number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the Channel in a single day so far this year. Some 686 migrants made the dangerous journey, according to Home Office figures. The previous daily high for 2023 was recorded on 11 June, when 549 people made the trip. The latest crossings

Former chancellor George Osborne has called in police to investigate alleged online harassment after a so-called “poison pen” email was sent to guests due to attend his wedding this weekend. Friends say the email – which has since been posted online – is part of a “long-term campaign” of abuse in which an individual has

Boris Johnson has used his latest column in the Daily Mail to attack Sadiq Khan’s “bone-headed” ultra-low emissions zone (ULEZ) – despite coming up with idea while he was London mayor himself. The former prime minister, who dramatically resigned as an MP last month, pointed to divisions within Labour’s ranks over the expansion of the

Rishi Sunak was unaware of Home Office emergency break proposals on migration reportedly rejected by his predecessor, No 10 has suggested. The Sun reported the Home Office had drawn up a policy document suggesting ministers could cap entry visas, raise fees and increase salary thresholds as “deliberate frictions” in a bid to meet the Conservatives’

Sir Keir Starmer says he hopes to bring state school standards up to those of their private counterparts within his first term if Labour wins the next general election – though he warned of funding issues due to the state of the economy. Speaking to Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby, the Labour leader said

The delay to HS2 work at Euston shows ministers do not know what they are “trying to achieve” with the “floundering” station, MPs have warned. Ministers have been told to “finally establish” what their plans are for the central London station after the government paused work due to rising costs. HS2 is a central part

A report into groping allegations against MP Chis Pincher is due to be published on Thursday. Parliament’s watchdog launched an investigation into Mr Pincher, a former deputy chief whip, in October over “actions causing significant damage to the reputation of the House as a whole, or of its members generally”. If the standards commissioner’s report