Politics

The health secretary claims the disparate level of emergency cover during recent ambulance strikes could not be “relied upon to ensure patient and public safety”. In a letter to the GMB union sent ahead of further strikes this month, and seen by Sky News, Steve Barclay accepted all areas that staged walkouts ensured the most

Rishi Sunak is backing plans to give wider powers to the police to tackle “highly disruptive and dangerous protests”. In an announcement on Monday, the government will pledge to amend the already controversial Public Order Bill to “broaden the legal definition of serious disruption”. A statement from Number 10 said it would give officers “greater

The transport secretary has given rail operating companies “permission” to make a new offer to railway unions this week as the government hopes for an end to months of strikes. Mark Harper told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge that he had given the companies a “revised mandate” to go into negotiations in the coming days, saying

More nurses strikes that would see twice as many workers take action will be announced for February if talks with the government do not progress soon, union bosses have warned. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union said that new walkouts would be announced should negotiations over pay remain stalled by the end of January.

Rishi Sunak is preparing to block laws in Scotland that make it easier for people to change gender, Sky News understands. The move would be an unprecedented intervention in 25 years of devolution and is likely to spark a new constitutional row with Holyrood. The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill was passed by a majority

Ambulance workers have written to Rishi Sunak accusing his government of “demonising” them in order to justify new anti-strike legislation. The letter from paramedics and other members of the GMB union said they were “appalled” at some of the statements from ministers in recent days and that “targeting ambulance workers for a deliberate attack is

Rishi Sunak must stand up to the “Brexit purity cult” of Eurosceptics on the Tory benches to find a solution to the Northern Ireland Protocol deadlock, Sir Keir Starmer will say. The Labour leader will use a speech in Belfast to urge the prime minister to take on the European Research Group (ERG) in order

Just 48 hours after Boris Johnson rallied his supporters at an event that looked like the start of a comeback tour, we learn that a multi-millionaire pro-Brexit donor has handed the former PM £1m to fund his office. If ever there was evidence to support the claims that Mr Johnson and his adoring fans are

Two dozen MPs since 2016 have been paid for second jobs through personal service companies they have set up, a Sky News investigation has found. It means these MPs can exploit the fact that tax rates on companies differ from those on employment, enabling them to reduce their tax bills on second jobs. This practice

Prominent backbencher Andrew Bridgen is no longer a Conservative MP after he compared the COVID vaccine to the Holocaust. Mr Bridgen claimed COVID vaccines “are causing serious harms” and said the programme was “the biggest crime against humanity since the holocaust”. Tory Chief Whip Simon Hart said: “Andrew Bridgen has crossed a line, causing great

Andrew Bridgen has become the latest MP in the Commons to lose the whip after he compared the roll-out of COVID vaccines to the Holocaust. But what does it mean to “lose the whip” when you are a politician? And who else has faced the same fate in this Parliament? What does it mean? Losing

Angela Rayner has defended compromising within Labour’s top team, saying she will not let her principles “block” her party from getting into government. Speaking to the Beth Rigby Interviews programme, the deputy leader – known for being on the left of the party – said it was “not about getting rid of my principles”. But,

Introducing mandatory minimum levels of service during strikes will protect people’s lives while respecting workers’ rights to stage walkouts, the business secretary has said. Grant Shapps told Sky News the anti-strikes bill he will introduce to parliament today will ensure there is no longer a “postcode lottery” for the public as key workers take action.

The health secretary has announced the government will block-book beds in residential homes so around 2,500 people can be released from hospitals when they are medically fit to be discharged. Steve Barclay gave a statement to the Commons outlining the plans to help ease the “severe pressures” on the NHS – hours after his talks

Downing Street is believed to be considering a one-off payment for nurses after rejecting the idea before Christmas. About six weeks ago Steve Barclay, the health secretary, floated the idea of giving nurses a single payment to cover the increased cost of living this financial year, ending in April, but Downing Street and the Treasury

The Westminster Accounts interactive database lets you search for information about the earnings and donations declared by any MP, political party, an all-party parliamentary group, or donor since the last election. Sky News and Tortoise Media have programmatically collected and analysed thousands of public records to create this extensive record of financial interests in Westminster