Politics

“End of days”. “A death spiral”. “They’ve lost the plot”. “I feel sorry for Rishi”. These are just some of the comments from former cabinet and ex-senior ministers mulling over the current state of the Conservative Party and what the prime minister does next. Politics live: Partygate coverage ‘absolutely absurd’, claims Johnson The battle over

Suella Braverman has said she “very much hopes the prime minister changes course” with his efforts to tackle illegal migration after his plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was dealt a blow with the resignation of Robert Jenrick. The former home secretary, who was sacked by Rishi Sunak last month, said she wanted the

Robert Jenrick has resigned from his post as immigration minister over the government’s Rwanda plan. Home Secretary James Cleverly confirmed his colleague’s departure after repeated questioning in the Commons. Speculation mounted after Mr Jenrick was missing from the frontbench as Mr Cleverly gave a statement on the government’s bid to rescue the deal to fly

Rishi Sunak will aim for a middle ground in the emergency legislation to get the Rwanda scheme off the ground as he remains under severe pressure to stop small boat crossings. A senior government source has told Sky News that the prime minister is not planning to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)

Rwanda has not received any additional funding for the new treaty it has signed to revive the UK government’s asylum plan, the home secretary has said. James Cleverly told a press conference in the Rwandan capital of Kigali: “Let me make it clear. The Rwandan government has not asked for and we have not provided

James Cleverly is travelling to Rwanda to sign a new treaty for the government’s asylum plan. It is part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s mission to make the deal to send migrants there legally watertight following the Supreme Court’s ruling against the scheme. In the wake of the judgement on 15 November the government insisted

Rishi Sunak has suffered his first defeat in the House of Commons since becoming prime minister, as MPs voted to establish a compensatory body for victims of the infected blood scandal. An amendment tabled by Labour was voted through on a razor-thin majority of 246 to 242. The government had fought to fend off a

Sir Keir Starmer will promise a “better bargain” for the British public in a major speech that will focus on the need for economic growth over spending. The Labour leader will warn that his government would not be able to “turn on the spending taps” and will instead have to be “ruthless” when it comes

Rishi Sunak has suggested more tax cuts are on the way because the economy has “turned a corner”. The prime minister told reporters that while he would not comment on specifics, trimming taxes was “the direction of travel from this government”. But it came as he refused to say if the pensions triple lock would

The new health secretary has promised the NHS will remain free at the point of use as long as she is “alive” as the service gears up for another difficult winter. Victoria Atkins, who replaced Steve Barclay in Rishi Sunak’s most recent reshuffle, made the commitment while discussing the “unique” pressures the NHS faces every

You can’t write him off. Boris Johnson has found his way back into the public’s good books before and if his hopes of a political comeback are still alive, the coming week could be a decisive moment. The preparations are under way. The former prime minister has spent many hours with barristers, studying 6,000 pages

Boris Johnson will reportedly tell the COVID inquiry that he “unquestionably made mistakes” during the pandemic, but his decisions helped save tens of thousands of lives. The former prime minister is due to give evidence next week – and according to The Times, he will issue an “unreserved apology” and admit his government was “initially

People who make the rules must abide by them, Matt Hancock has said, as he acknowledged his own infamous lockdown-breaking clinch undermined public confidence in efforts to tackle coronavirus. Giving evidence to the COVID-19 inquiry, the MP said he had taken accountability by resigning as health secretary in June 2021 after leaked footage emerged of

Rishi Sunak has insisted the UK can “stand tall” at the COP28 summit – despite a former minister claiming the country is no longer seen as a “serious partner” in the fight against climate change. Lord Zac Goldsmith, who resigned as an environment minister in June, told Sky News that delays to green targets meant

Rishi Sunak will call for “pragmatic” climate action at COP28, as he seeks to reassure international partners following his climate U-turns earlier this year. Mr Sunak changed a number of plans put in place by his predecessors over the summer – including the phasing out of the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

Rwanda may be getting more than the £140m it has already been paid under the controversial deportation deal, despite no flights taking off, MPs have been told. Sir Matthew Rycroft, the top civil servant at the Home Office, hinted more money would be spent but repeatedly refused to disclose the sum – saying ministers had

The UK’s largest nursing union is calling for the government to reopen pay negotiations after an offer was made to consultant doctors, in a move that has angered other health unions. The Royal College of Nursing – RCN – has suggested new strikes are “more likely in the future” as a result of yesterday’s announcement.

Rishi Sunak hasn’t had many wins in his short premiership. But one he could legitimately claim was being a prime minister who improved Britain’s standing in the world – drawing a line under the bumpy Brexit years and provocative style of his predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. He was the prime minister who delivered

Former health secretary Matt Hancock played a key role in the UK’s response to the COVID pandemic – and his decisions will now be scrutinised during the official inquiry. Mr Hancock was a familiar face at the regular press conferences that took place during that period, giving updates to the public about social distancing measures,

The Conservatives face a “real risk” they will lose a generation of voters over a lack of house building, according to one of their own former housing ministers. Speaking to the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge, Sir Brandon Lewis explained why he is using his time as a backbencher to encourage the building of more