Politics

A backbench Conservative MP has failed in an attempt to override international human rights rulings and get the Rwanda deportation scheme up and running again. Jonathan Gullis was said to have the backing of former prime minister Boris Johnson and former home secretary Priti Patel – but the bill he proposed was voted down by

Senior health leaders have raised concerns about the care of cancer patients during the impending nurses’ strikes – including warnings that some chemotherapy appointments are being rescheduled. In a letter seen by Sky News political editor Beth Rigby, the head of cancer care for NHS England, Dame Cally Palmer, called on Royal College of Nursing

A Tory MP has been made bankrupt after a court heard he owed around £1.7m. Adam Afriyie, who has held the seat of Windsor since 2005, was given the bankruptcy order during an online hearing in the Insolvency and Companies Court on Tuesday. Judge Nicholas Briggs was told the MP owed around £1m to HM

Talks to avert the nursing strike on Thursday have failed after the union leader behind the action accused the health secretary of refusing to discuss pay. Pat Cullen, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said on Monday night: “I needed to come out of this meeting with something serious to show nurses why

The government’s top responsibility is to tackle inflation, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has told Sky News as thousands of public sector workers go on strike. Mr Hunt said the strikes, which are taking place every day until the end of the year, are a “symptom of the fact that people are very worried that their pay

If you think things are tight for health workers in England, Scotland and Wales, spare a thought for their colleagues in Northern Ireland. In England and Wales, NHS staff were given a £1,400 rise six months ago. In Scotland, unions are considering an offer averaging 7.5%. But health workers in Northern Ireland didn’t receive confirmation

The government is “dangerous, reprehensible and irresponsible” for failing to sit down with nurses to try and avert a strike, Labour has said. NHS nurses are due to strike next Thursday and on 20 December in a dispute over pay and patient safety. It is the first time the Royal College of Nursing has staged

The UK will look to form long-lasting partnerships with Latin American, Asian and African countries, the foreign secretary will say next week. James Cleverly will give his first major speech at the Foreign Office on Monday, and will call for alignment with increasingly influential countries in the three regions. This includes states that are not

A formal request for troops to drive ambulances during strike action could be made within days, Sky News understands. After a formal request known as a MACA – or Military Assistance to the Civil Authorities – is made to the Ministry of Defence (MOD), training to drive ambulances would begin. A decision from the Department

Troops have been training at Heathrow and Gatwick airports for passport checking roles ahead of Border Force staff going on strike over Christmas. The Ministry of Defence confirmed to Sky News armed forces personnel arrived at London’s two main airports earlier this week. The PCS union announced on Wednesday that Border Force officers will go

He’s done it! It was a low bar to jump over but at least Rishi Sunak has lasted longer as prime minister than Liz Truss. The nation can be reassured that there will not be a fourth prime minister this year, or even a general election before Christmas, as Boris Johnson subjected the country to

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will launch a major reform of the UK’s financial sector, with plans to rip up red tape and replace a number of EU regulations. Mr Hunt said the changes, to be announced in Edinburgh later, will “turbocharge” growth as the country struggles with a sluggish economy and a cost of living crisis.

People should “think carefully” about going on holiday over the Christmas period after Border Force workers became the latest to announce they would go on strike, the home secretary has said. Suella Braverman has urged people to rethink flying around the festive period as she warned of “undeniable, serious disruption for the many thousands who

Tory MP Julian Knight has had the whip removed after a complaint about him was made to the Metropolitan Police. A spokesperson for the Conservative chief whip, Simon Hart, said the complaint was made to the force on Wednesday evening and he removed the whip “with immediate effect”. It means Mr Knight, who is also

Former health secretary Matt Hancock has said he will not stand for the Conservatives in the next general election. In a letter to the prime minister, Mr Hancock said: “For my part, I want to do things differently. I have discovered a whole new world of possibilities which I am excited to explore – new

The Speaker of the Lords is set to condemn Labour’s plans to abolish the second chamber, claiming changing it to a fully elected House would “present fundamental challenges”. Sir Keir Starmer announced the plan on Monday – alongside former prime minister Gordon Brown – as the pair insisted a new Labour government would ensure “the

More than 10,000 ambulance workers across nine trusts in England and Wales will strike on 21 and 28 December, the GMB union has confirmed. The GMB, Unison and Unite unions are coordinating industrial action in a row over pay. Ambulance workers from the GMB union, including paramedics, emergency care assistants, call handlers and other staff,

“TikTok traffickers” who use social media to advertise small boat crossings to migrants must face criminal penalties, ministers have been told. Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke believes the advertising of Channel crossings on networks such as TikTok and Facebook should be recognised as a crime. Speaking during a Commons debate on the Online Safety Bill, the

Michael Gove is set to water down the government’s target to build 300,000 homes every year following an angry backlash from his own party’s MPs. A Commons vote on the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill had to be dropped last month after 60 Conservatives signed an amendment calling for the mandatory target to be scrapped.

Sir Keir Starmer will promise the “biggest ever transfer of power from Westminster to the British people”, as the Labour leader launches a report recommending handing new economic, taxation and law-making powers to mayors and devolved governments. The report on the UK’s future, carried out by former prime minister Gordon Brown, also recommends sweeping constitutional