Politics

The prime minister has warned the Israel-Hamas war risks unleashing a “contagion of conflict” across the Middle East.  Rishi Sunak, who met with leaders in Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt this week, said they had agreed “we need to do everything possible” to stop the spread of the war. He said his two-day visit to

Rishi Sunak has defended the Conservatives after two by-election losses overnight, claiming mid-term polls are “always difficult” and “local factors” were at play. The party lost their seats in both Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire in the early hours of Friday morning, as Labour overturned two huge Conservative majorities to deal a double blow to the

Greg Hands has said he will not resign as Conservative Party chair despite the government suffering another two by-election defeats in safe Tory seats. Mr Hands said the results in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire – where the Labour Party overturned substantial Tory majorities – were “clearly disappointing”, but blamed low turnout among traditional Conservative voters.

Labour has hailed a “political earthquake” after overturning huge Conservative majorities in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire. Sir Keir Starmer claimed his party was “redrawing the political map” after dealing a double by-election blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – in results viewed as significant markers ahead of a general election next year. The contests were

Rishi Sunak will arrive in Israel on Thursday, commencing a two-day trip to the wider region amid growing concerns the conflict with Hamas could escalate. The prime minister will hold a meeting with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog on Thursday morning, before travelling to a number of other regional capitals in

Polling has opened in two crunch by-elections taking place today in Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth. Voters in the constituencies will have until 10pm to decide who they want to represent them in parliament, following the resignations of Conservative MPs Nadine Dorries and Chris Pincher. Ms Dorries, a key ally of Boris Johnson, officially quit her

Labour has taken Tamworth from the Conservatives in a historic by-election victory for Sir Keir Starmer’s party. The seat in Staffordshire has been held by the Tories since 2010, with the last election seeing the party secure a majority of almost 20,000. But it was left vacant by former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, who

Rishi Sunak has failed to endorse cross-party calls for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas. In response to a question from the SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, the prime minster said Israel has a “right to defend itself, to protect its people and to act against terrorism and ensure that the awful attack

Rishi Sunak is set to visit Israel, possibly as soon as Thursday, Sky News understands. The trip could be part of a broader visit to the region, which may include stops in Jordan and Egypt. It follows visits from Germany’s chancellor Olaf Scholz today and US president Joe Biden on Wednesday. And it comes amid

Conservative HQ is claiming the Tory vote share in two upcoming by-elections could halve to around 30%, based on telephone canvassing data over recent days. The resignation of two Tory MPs have triggered by-elections this Thursday in Tamworth, Staffordshire and Mid Bedfordshire, with the party fighting hard to hold on to both. Party officials say

Rishi Sunak has confirmed that six British citizens have been killed and 10 are missing after Hamas attacks on Israel. The prime minister read out the figures as he gave a statement in the House of Commons on the conflict. Israel-Gaza latest: ‘There’s no humanitarian crisis in Gaza,’ says Israeli ambassador He said: “The terrible

Rishi Sunak has raised with Benjamin Netanyahu Israel’s need to minimise the impact on civilians as it prepares to launch an expected ground invasion of Gaza in the aftermath of Hamas’s deadly attack. The prime minister repeated his belief that Israel had “every right to defend itself and its people to ensure that nothing like

Rishi Sunak is set to reiterate the UK’s total condemnation of Hamas’s attack on Israel during an address to MPs later. Before making a statement in the Commons, the prime minister is expected to make a visit this morning to demonstrate the government’s continued support for the Jewish community and zero-tolerance for antisemitic abuse. It

Rapists will be made to serve their full sentences and fewer “low-level offenders” will be sent to prison under new reforms, the justice secretary has pledged. Alex Chalk has promised “Texan-style justice” in the UK through sentencing reforms which are set to be outlined tomorrow. Offenders who may have been given a short stint in

Labour has been accused of “shutting down any solidarity” with Palestinians after its elected representatives were given “strong advice” to stay away from protests this weekend. Supporters of the party were also urged to “exercise caution” and asked not to take Labour Party banners to demonstrations. An email, shared with Sky’s deputy political editor Sam

An MP who defected from the Scottish National Party to join the Conservatives this week has said she and her family have been forced into hiding after receiving a barrage of threatening messages. Dr Lisa Cameron said she was told “I hope you burn” and “I hope someone throws a brick at you in the

The mother-in-law of Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf has asked “where is people’s humanity?” – in a tearful appeal on social media from Gaza, adding: “This will be my last video.” Elizabeth El Nakla – the mother of Mr Yousaf’s wife Nadia – visited Gaza last week with her husband Maged, when Hamas launched a

Nigel Farage, the former UKIP leader, is to start banking with Britain’s biggest high street lender, months after a row over the closure of his previous accounts resulted in the ousting of one of the industry’s top executives. Sky News can reveal that Mr Farage has opened a number of accounts at Lloyds Banking Group,

The UK will send RAF aircraft and Royal Navy ships to carry out surveillance over Israel in a show of support following the Hamas incursion over the weekend. RAF aircraft will begin patrols in the next 24 hours while two ships will be sent to the eastern Mediterranean. A Royal Navy task group will be

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recent delay to key climate targets will actually cost households more, rather than saving them money as he claimed, his own climate advisers have concluded. In September, Mr Sunak pushed back the end of new petrol and diesel car sales from 2030 to 2035, and scrapped a plan to make landlords