Politics

Ambulance workers have written to Rishi Sunak accusing his government of “demonising” them in order to justify new anti-strike legislation. The letter from paramedics and other members of the GMB union said they were “appalled” at some of the statements from ministers in recent days and that “targeting ambulance workers for a deliberate attack is

“A single employee” of one of the UK’s largest trade unions is at the centre of a bribery, fraud, money laundering and tax evasion investigation, South Wales Police have said. In a statement circulated to staff at Unite the Union, the force explained that their search of the organisation’s London headquarters last April “was specifically

Two dozen MPs since 2016 have been paid for second jobs through personal service companies they have set up, a Sky News investigation has found. It means these MPs can exploit the fact that tax rates on companies differ from those on employment, enabling them to reduce their tax bills on second jobs. This practice

Boris Johnson has become the number one most donated to MP this parliament after receiving a single donation of one million pounds. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had previously been the most donated to MP with £740,000 in multiple donations, Sky News’ Westminster Accounts tool showed. But the money from Brexiteer and crypto investor Christopher

Prominent backbencher Andrew Bridgen is no longer a Conservative MP after he compared the COVID vaccine to the Holocaust. Mr Bridgen claimed COVID vaccines “are causing serious harms” and said the programme was “the biggest crime against humanity since the holocaust”. Tory Chief Whip Simon Hart said: “Andrew Bridgen has crossed a line, causing great

Andrew Bridgen has become the latest MP in the Commons to lose the whip after he compared the roll-out of COVID vaccines to the Holocaust. But what does it mean to “lose the whip” when you are a politician? And who else has faced the same fate in this Parliament? What does it mean? Losing

Angela Rayner has defended compromising within Labour’s top team, saying she will not let her principles “block” her party from getting into government. Speaking to the Beth Rigby Interviews programme, the deputy leader – known for being on the left of the party – said it was “not about getting rid of my principles”. But,

Introducing mandatory minimum levels of service during strikes will protect people’s lives while respecting workers’ rights to stage walkouts, the business secretary has said. Grant Shapps told Sky News the anti-strikes bill he will introduce to parliament today will ensure there is no longer a “postcode lottery” for the public as key workers take action.

The health secretary has announced the government will block-book beds in residential homes so around 2,500 people can be released from hospitals when they are medically fit to be discharged. Steve Barclay gave a statement to the Commons outlining the plans to help ease the “severe pressures” on the NHS – hours after his talks

Downing Street is believed to be considering a one-off payment for nurses after rejecting the idea before Christmas. About six weeks ago Steve Barclay, the health secretary, floated the idea of giving nurses a single payment to cover the increased cost of living this financial year, ending in April, but Downing Street and the Treasury

On a freezing, foggy evening in December, the House of Commons finally formally responded to the last major financial sleaze scandal to hit parliament, and in doing so, sent an important signal about the way politicians look after themselves. After more than a year of deliberation, the debate and vote late in the evening of

Without greater transparency, money risks influencing our politics in the dark, it’s time to check who is paying our politicians and to ask why. More than £183m has flowed into the British political system during this Parliament, straight from wealthy individuals or companies, and into the bank accounts of political parties, all-party parliamentary groups, and

The chair of the Public Accounts Committee has told Sky News she “could weep for the five years” lost by the decision to abolish the organisation set up to managed the long-term renovation of parliament. Dame Meg Hillier MP says there is an “unacceptable cloak of secrecy” around the restoration programme which she says was

Boris Johnson had a “problem” in responding to a controversial report on race due to his “bad track record on the issue”, one of its lead authors has claimed. The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities released its conclusions back in 2021 after reviewing racial disparities in Britain following the rise of the Black Lives

Ministers, health leaders and clinical experts will meet in Downing Street on Saturday in an attempt to solve the short and long-term issues facing the health service. Rishi Sunak will host the NHS recovery forum in Number 10 as the winter crisis rolls on, with discussions focusing on social care and delayed discharge, urgent and

Junior doctors will go on strike for the second time ever in March – if they vote for industrial action in a ballot beginning next week. The British Medical Association (BMA) has today set the potential strike action for March ahead of a ballot starting on Monday. Junior doctors – any doctor below consultant level

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) could accept a pay rise of around 10% to end its ongoing dispute with the government, its chief has said. The union had initially demanded an increase of up to 19% to cover soaring inflation and falls in real term wages over the past decade. But union boss Pat

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris appears to have had his Twitter profile hacked – just weeks after Education Secretary Gillian Keegan’s profile picture changed to an image of Elon Musk without her knowledge. A series of offensive messages, including racial slurs, were posted from the cabinet minister’s account from around 7am this morning – the

Sir Keir Starmer will promise to end “sticking plaster politics” when he delivers his first speech of the new year. The Labour leader will claim on Thursday that “a short-term mindset” dominates Westminster under the Conservatives, pointing in particular to its handling of the crisis in the NHS. He will promise “a completely new way

Matt Hancock has announced that he’s discontinuing his app after almost five years. The former health secretary and I’m A Celebrity… contestant caused a stir when he unveiled the imaginatively named “Matt Hancock App” back in 2018. Mr Hancock was culture secretary at the time, and the app was designed to keep his constituents updated