Politics

Michael Gove has warned against “treating the cause of the environment as a religious crusade” and called for a relaxation of some net zero measures. The housing secretary told The Sunday Telegraph he wants to “relax” the deadline for landlords in the private rented sector to make energy improvements to their properties. He said the

Labour’s failure to take Boris Johnson’s former seat is a reminder that “policy matters”, Sir Keir Starmer has said – after the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) by London mayor Sadiq Khan was blamed for the narrow loss. The opposition leader told activists that the Conservatives hanging on to Uxbridge and South

In the early 1980s, the US labour movement coined the term “just transition”.   Clean air and water laws it had supported on health and environmental grounds had begun driving thousands of Americans out of their jobs. If environmental protections are going to benefit society, as the “just transition” argument goes, governments must ensure livelihoods

The Conservatives have suffered two by-election defeats in what had been seen as safe seats. Labour won in the constituency of Selby and Ainsty, while the Liberal Democrats triumphed in Somerton and Frome. The opposition parties both overturned Tory majorities of about 20,000 – as polling experts said the results meant “deep electoral trouble” for

Two by-elections lost, one held by the Tories, but the biggest lesson of the last extraordinary few hours is apparent by looking at the swings against Rishi Sunak’s party: that they suggest the Conservative Party is on course to lose Number 10 at the next election. This does not mean the situation isn’t salvageable. But

Former Tory MP Chris Pincher is appealing an eight-week suspension – which was recommended after an investigation into groping claims made against him. A letter from the Independent Expert Panel – which handles appeals against such rulings – confirmed his decision on Thursday night, hours before the deadline. The allegations surfaced last summer when the

A senior Conservative MP has apologised after he posted a video in which he appeared to praise the Taliban’s leadership in Afghanistan. Tobias Ellwood, the chair of the Defence Select Committee, called on the UK to re-engage with the Taliban and reopen its embassy in Kabul in a now-deleted video – arguing the country’s security

Polls will open today at 7am for three by-elections across the country, as voters decide who they want to represent them in parliament. The seats of Uxbridge and South Ruislip in west London, Selby and Ainsty in North Yorkshire, and Somerton and Frome in Somerset, will all be up for grabs, with polls closing at

Selby in Yorkshire, Somerton in the south west and Uxbridge in the London suburbs: from rural to town, from north to south – the three by-elections up this Thursday will tell a bigger story of the state of our politics, with records up for grabs. In these three seats – and the prospect of at

Two giant cruise ships set to house 1,000 asylum seekers were unable to find anywhere to dock and have been returned to their owners, a senior source has told Sky News. In June, Rishi Sunak announced the government acquired two more vessels, alongside the Bibby Stockholm barge – which arrived in Dorset today – as

Controversial plans to tackle the small boats crisis are poised to become law after the government crushed a series of renewed challenges by peers at Westminster. The Tory front bench saw off five further changes being sought by the upper chamber to the Illegal Migration Bill, including modern slavery protections and child detention limits. At

A barge which will house 500 asylum seekers is on the move, with the first residents expected to board later this month. The barge – named the Bibby Stockholm – departed from Falmouth, Cornwall, to head to Portland Port in Dorset on Monday morning as Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman faced fresh criticism

Boris Johnson has been criticised for the swelling size of the House of Lords and an imbalance in the political make-up of the upper chamber. A report from the Lord Speaker’s committee on the size of the house highlighted Mr Johnson as showing “no interest” in trying to reduce the number of peers. This follows

Union boss Mick Lynch has said Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has to show he is “on the side of the people” before the next general election. The general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union criticised Sir Keir and the Labour Party when asked about how long strikes on the railway could

Defence minister Ben Wallace says he will stand down at the next election. Mr Wallace, the longest-serving Conservative defence secretary, said in an interview with The Times: “I’m not standing next time.” He added that he will not be resigning “prematurely” and forcing a by-election. Mr Wallace also confirmed he would leave the cabinet at

Senior Conservatives are said to be discussing abolishing inheritance tax – at an annual cost of £7billion to the Treasury – in a bid to win over voters ahead of the next election. Downing Street is in talks about whether to scrap the levy in an attempt to shore up votes in so-called “blue wall”

Ben Wallace – the longest-serving Conservative defence secretary – is considering leaving government in an anticipated autumn reshuffle, Sky News understands. It follows a failed UK bid to make Mr Wallace, 53, the next head of NATO and as the prime minister reportedly prepares to refresh his top team ahead of next year’s election. The

MPs should “focus on serving their constituency” rather than on second jobs, Rishi Sunak’s official spokesperson has said, in reaction to reports from Sky News. Research by our Westminster Accounts project today revealed MPs earned an average £233 per hour for roles outside of parliament – 17 times higher than the national average and over

MPs with second jobs have an average wage of £233 per hour, Sky News can reveal. The typical rate for MPs is 17 times the national average – and over 22 higher than the minimum hourly wage. The highest hourly rate for a current MP goes to Liz Truss, who got £15,770 per hour. Ms

Millions of UK public sector workers, including teachers and doctors, will get pay rises of about 6% after Rishi Sunak decided to accept the recommendations of independent pay review bodies. The bodies had suggested pay rises of between 6% and 6.5% for 2023-24, at a potential cost of £5bn. Mr Sunak met Jeremy Hunt, the