Politics

Rishi Sunak is expected to pledge to “stand by” hardworking families and set out further plans to support people with the rising cost of living when he unveils his spring statement on Wednesday. It is understood the chancellor will unveil proposals intended to build “a stronger, more secure economy” as people across the UK face

As he faces yet another mini budget on Wednesday, Rishi Sunak now suffers from having set expectations unsustainably high during his two years as chancellor.  At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, he pledged to do “whatever it takes” to support the economy. He subsequently received credit amongst the public and his colleagues for doing

A group of Conservative MPs are expected to rebel on a number of the government’s proposed asylum and immigrations reforms today. This afternoon, the Nationality and Borders Bill – which has been branded as “barbaric” by critics – returns to the Commons having been heavily amended by peers in the House of Lords. But ministers

Detectives investigating allegations of breaches of COVID rules in Downing Street and Whitehall have sent questionnaires to more than 100 people as they begin to interview key witnesses. Police are asking the recipients about their participation in the alleged gatherings, with seven days being given for a response. No fixed penalties have been issued so

Labour will force an emergency vote in parliament to demand the government takes action to outlaw the so-called fire and rehire of staff after more than 800 P&O workers were sacked on the spot. The party said reports suggest the government was aware of the sackings before they were announced, as well as the plan

Rishi Sunak has said sanctions against Russia “are not cost free” for British people and he cannot completely protect them “from dififcult times ahead”. The chancellor acknowledged sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine will add to the cost of living crisis ahead of energy bills soaring on 1 April. He told Sky News’ Sophy

Boris Johnson was accused of being a “threat to national security” following reports he was at a Tory party fundraising event on the night Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine. According to The Sunday Times, the prime minister was at a Conservative Party fundraising dinner attended by at least one donor with links to

Vladimir Putin is in “a total panic” about a revolution in Moscow which is why he is trying “so brutally to snuff out the flame of freedom in Ukraine”, Boris Johnson has said. Condemning the “vicious and a barbarian attack on innocent civilians”, the prime minister drew a direct comparison with the actions of the

Jacob Rees-Mogg has dismissed the row over parties held during lockdown in Downing Street and across Whitehall as trivial “fluff”. Speaking at the Conservative spring xonference in Blackpool, the Brexit minister said the current Ukraine crisis showed that partygate was not a fundamentally serious issue. “It is a reminder that the world is serious, that

As the chancellor prepares to deliver the Spring Statement next week, polling suggests confidence in the Conservative Party’s handling of the economy is at its lowest point in more than a decade. Labour’s rating has remained relatively static, with only a slight improvement since Jeremy Corbyn’s time as leader and no sign yet of a

The government is reviewing its contracts with P&O after the ferry company’s “wholly unacceptable” and “insensitive” sacking of 800 staff members, a minister has told MPs. Condemning the firm, maritime minister Robert Courts told the House of Commons he was “extremely concerned and frankly angry” at the treatment of workers by P&O. “These are hardworking,

This week, the pundit, coach and former player talks to Beth Rigby about what he says are big questions about football ownerships after sanctions were put on Roman Abramovich. Plus, why he’s signed up as a member of the Labour Party, what makes a good leader and who would he rather work for – Liverpool

Boris Johnson has vowed a further crackdown on oligarchs and the super-rich by promising to curb their abuse of the UK legal system to stifle public criticism. The prime minister has called for an end to the “chilling effect” of elites using the threat of legal action to silence critics. Ministers will take aim at

Boris Johnson has declined to say whether his trip to Saudi Arabia will result in a boost to the kingdom’s oil production – as he insisted his talks about its human rights record would be “kept private”. The prime minister visited both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as he continues his

Legal targets for air pollution and the abundance of wild species are among proposals being set out by the government. Ministers want legally-binding targets for air quality, wildlife, water, waste reduction and resource efficiency. The proposals include annual targets for average concentrations of fine particulate matter – air pollution that can affect lung function and

The Lord Speaker has called for a more “robust” appointment process for peers after the SNP called for Lord Lebedev’s parliamentary pass to be revoked. In a letter on Tuesday, Lord McFall said “there is a case for examination of the appointments process” to ensure that “new appointees are able to make a worthwhile contribution

There will be no limit to the number of Ukrainian refugees who can come to the UK as they face their “hour of greatest need”, Cabinet minister Michael Gove has told MPs. Announcing the details of a new sponsorship scheme for those fleeing Russia’s invasion, Mr Gove expressed his hope that many Britons would “open their

The UK has issued 4,000 visas under the Ukraine Family Scheme ahead of launching a further programme for Britons to house refugees. The Home Office said the latest number is as of 3pm on 13 March, after Communities Secretary Michael Gove told Sky News on Sunday “more than 3,000” visas had been issued. Under the

Michael Gove said he was never told that he or Boris Johnson should not meet Evening Standard owner Evgeny Lebedev after reports that MI6 has had concerns about the Russian oligarch since 2013. Fresh questions have been raised about Boris Johnson’s decision to nominate Lord Lebedev, whose father was a KGB agent in London, for

JK Rowling has accused Sir Keir Starmer of misrepresenting equalities law after the Labour leader said that according to statute, “trans women are women”. The Harry Potter author disagreed with the Labour leader’s comments and said he had misrepresented the law, which she said indicated “the Labour Party can no longer be counted on to