Politics

The threat to Boris Johnson’s leadership has ramped up today as more Conservative MPs said they have submitted letters of no confidence in the PM. Around 12 letters were handed in this morning, according to Sky News political correspondents Sam Coates and Joe Pike. They were from MPs who were part of a group of

Dominic Cummings will be interviewed as part of an investigation into parties and gatherings at Downing Street during coronavirus restrictions. Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser confirmed to Sky News that he will be involved in the probe, which is looking at events in Number 10 and other government departments. And a Cabinet Office source told

Dominic Raab has said he does not recognise the “caricature” about Number 10 as he denied there was a drinking culture in Downing Street. The deputy prime minister told Sky News while he was running the country, as Boris Johnson was in hospital with COVID, the staff at Number 10 worked “phenomenally hard under gruelling

Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser has said the prime minister knew in advance about a Downing Street drinks party during the first coronavirus lockdown and agreed that it could go ahead. In an updated post on his Substack page, Dominic Cummings said he raised his concerns about the event in the Number 10 garden in

The education secretary has defended the prime minister as he said Boris Johnson did not know a Downing Street lockdown event was a party. Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News’ Kay Burley: “It’s not true that the prime minister knew about this. He implicitly thought this was a work event.” He said senior civil servant Sue

Lord Myners, a Treasury minister under former prime minister Gordon Brown, has died aged 73. He advised Mr Brown on the historic bailout of the British banking system following the 2008 financial crash. Lord Myners died in the early hours of Sunday morning and is survived by his five children and five grandchildren A statement

Coronavirus restrictions in England could be lifted by the end of January, with the Tory party chairman saying he was “hopeful”, thanks to “encouraging signs”. The current Plan B rules – which includes the mandatory wearing of face masks in some settings, the use of vaccine passports or negative lateral flow tests to enter some

One of five Conservative MPs calling for Boris Johnson to step down has told Sky News he has “lost his moral authority to lead” amid allegations of numerous Downing Street parties during lockdown. Andrew Bridgen, who represents North West Leicestershire, said the wave of accusations against the PM and his Number 10 staff have “made

Sir Keir Starmer is turning up the heat on Boris Johnson on Downing Street drinking after new allegations of “wine time Fridays” in Number 10. In a major speech, the Labour leader will claim the partying allegations of the past few days reveal that the prime minister is guilty of “deceit and deception” and unable

Boris Johnson is facing claims that regular drinking sessions were held in Downing Street throughout the COVID pandemic with reports that staff held “wine-time Fridays”. In fresh allegations in the “partygate” scandal engulfing the prime minister, it is alleged that the weekly event was scheduled into the electronic calendars of around 50 staff in Number

The prime minister’s former director of communications has apologised “unreservedly” for a party held to mark his departure from Downing Street on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral. In a statement released on Friday morning, James Slack said he wanted to “apologise unreservedly for the anger and hurt caused” by the gathering on 16 April,

Downing Street has failed to deny reports that two parties took place at No 10 the night before Prince Philip’s COVID-restricted funeral – at a time when indoor mixing was banned. In fresh claims that will further fuel the “partygate” crisis afflicting the prime minister, it is claimed that Downing Street staff drank alcohol into

Boris Johnson has cancelled a visit to Lancashire today because a family member has tested positive for COVID, Downing Street said. A Number 10 spokesman said the prime minister will “follow the guidance for vaccinated close contacts, including daily testing and limiting contact with others”. It is not known which member of his family has

Boris Johnson has apologised after admitting that he attended a Downing Street garden drinks party during the first lockdown. Addressing the Commons under intense pressure from MPs, including those on his own government benches, to confirm whether he attended a drinks gathering at Number 10 on 20 May 2020, the prime minister said he had

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has said Boris Johnson’s position is “completely untenable” following allegations that he and his wife Carrie were among around 40 people present at a Downing Street garden drinks party at the height of the UK’s first national lockdown. Ms Rayner told Sky News the prime minister has “not only broke

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has demanded Boris Johnson “just answer the question” about whether he attended a “bring your own booze” event in Downing Street during the first COVID lockdown. Speaking to Sky News, a “furious” Mr Ross called on the prime minister to “settle this right now” as to whether he was present

The prime minister and his wife Carrie attended a “bring your own booze” event in the Downing Street garden during the UK’s first national COVID lockdown. More than 100 employees in Number 10 were invited to the drinks on 20 May 2020. In what has been described as evidence of “more rule breaking at the heart

Boris Johnson has said the UK is making “great progress” in tackling Omicron – but warned the variant remains “incredibly contagious”. Speaking following a pharmacy visit, the prime minister said 36 million people have now received the booster jab and are more protected from Omicron, but acknowledged that the number of people in hospital with

Michael Gove has refused to deny that free lateral flow tests could be phased out in the coming weeks, less than 24 hours after another minister told Sky News the government would “absolutely not” charge for the devices. The housing secretary told Kay Burley that lateral flow tests will be free for “as long as

Almost half of all Tory members now believe that Rishi Sunak would make a better leader and could win more seats at the next election than Boris Johnson, an exclusive poll for Sky News has found. A third of the Tory membership now think Mr Johnson should stand down as Tory leader. Almost four in