Politics

Sir Keir Starmer met Taylor Swift when he attended her concert in Wembley, Sky News understands. It has emerged the prime minister and his family spoke to the pop star and her mum for 10 minutes and discussed the Southport stabbings. It had not been clear previously if the two had met. Sir Keir’s attendance

Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to support a new law to ban smartphones in schools to stop children “doom-scrolling” – after Number 10 refused to back the plan. New Labour MP Josh MacAlister is calling for the government to make legal changes to make social media and smartphones less addictive for children and to

New weight-loss jabs could get people “back into work” to boost the economy, the prime minister has said. Sir Keir Starmer said injections could also help reduce pressure on the NHS. “I think these drugs could be very important for our economy and for health,” the prime minister told BBC Breakfast. “This drug will be

Weight loss jabs like Ozempic and Wegovy should not be used to get the “Instagram perfect body”, Wes Streeting said amid a surge in demand for the treatment. The health secretary told the Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge that his view on the injections “is pretty nuanced”, as while the results can be “game changing”

Google’s former boss has warned Sir Keir Starmer that he would fail to meet his 2030 clean energy goal unless he fixes UK regulations. Eric Schmidt, Google’s former chief executive officer, said he believes Sir Keir can speed up regulation bureaucracy to ensure the government reaches its goal of decarbonising electricity by 2030. But he

Alex Salmond was the undisputed figurehead of the independence movement for decades.  He was the instantly recognisable, colourful, controversial, and complicated face of a movement that Salmond dragged from the fringes to the forefront of political discourse in the Scotland we know today. Although Salmond has been on the sidelines of the show in recent

The business secretary has suggested the government could put up national insurance for employers in the budget without breaking its election pledges. Jonathan Reynolds told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that Labour’s promise not to increase national insurance “was specifically in the manifesto, a reference to employees”. National insurance is paid by both employees and

This shock of Alex Salmond’s death is reverberating around every corner of UK politics. There was not a soul involved in the political life of the past three decades who did not know his name and his achievements. A Marmite figure, Salmond divided opinion. But, he was respected as the giant who was instrumental in

Once again, the government’s narrative on the economy is shifting.  After a summer warning of tax rises and cuts to deal with the “dire” inheritance allegedly left by the Tories, Rachel Reeves made a conscious “pivot” in her conference speech last month to something more optimistic. For the first time in Liverpool, there was a

It is “for the public to judge” whether Labour’s first 100 days of government has gone well, Downing Street said amid Sir Keir Starmer’s sinking poll ratings. The prime minister’s official spokesperson declined to say if his first three months in office have been a success, ahead of the milestone being hit tomorrow. Politics latest:PM’s

Conservative peer Ruth Davidson has said she thinks there is a “good chance” there will be another Tory leadership election in two years – despite the fact one is currently under way. Baroness Davidson told Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast that the recent Conservative Party conference showed that both Kemi Badenoch and Robert

Sue Gray will not attend the prime minister’s council of nations and regions on Friday despite her new title as a special envoy. Sir Keir Starmer will meet with leaders of the devolved nations for a summit that will focus on spreading investment and growth across all parts of the UK. Ms Gray, who resigned

Major employment reforms promised by Labour will not become law for at least two years, as the government seeks compromise between unions and businesses on measures intended to strengthen workers rights without hindering economic growth. The Employment Rights Bill, introduced into parliament on Thursday, includes 28 measures, many of which will be subject to extended

Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch will battle it out to be the next leader of the Conservative Party after James Cleverly was eliminated from the race. Tory MPs held a final vote on Wednesday to reduce the field to a final two, who will then go to a ballot of Conservative members. After picking up

There’s no doubt who has momentum in the Tory leadership contest now. James Cleverly pole-vaulted his rivals to first place – reaping the benefits of a well-thought-through, warm conference speech designed to make the party feel good about itself. Politics latest: Minister refuses to apologise over viral tweet A pitch from the Tory centre that

Tom Tugendhat has been knocked out of the Tory leadership race after receiving the least votes from MPs. It narrows the field down to three, with James Cleverly, Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick still in the running to replace Rishi Sunak. Mr Cleverly overtook Mr Jenrick to come out on top with 39 of his