Politics

It wasn’t yet official, but Sir Keir Starmer was straight out of the blocks on Wednesday morning to congratulate Donald Trump on his imminent victory – as America reeled from an election that turned from being too close to call into an emphatic, definitive and quick win. The president-elect took the Electoral College, the popular

In June 2019, Sir Keir Starmer wrote about the two people he liked least in global politics: “An endorsement from Donald Trump tells you everything you need to know about what is wrong with Boris Johnson’s politics and why he isn’t fit to be prime minister.”  The same month, again, he railed: “Humanity and dignity.

Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard share their daily guide to the day ahead in politics in under 20 minutes. With everyone waking up to the possibility of a second Trump presidency in the US, how will the UK government react? There may be huge news across the pond, but

A Labour MP has been mugged on the way back to his London flat. Chris Webb said the attack happened on Monday evening as he walked home from Parliament. The 38-year-old, who represents Blackpool South, said he was “attacked and mugged by a group of individuals” who were on bikes and wearing balaclavas. “Luckily, I

Tom Tugendhat is not serving in Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet as the new Tory leader continued her appointments today. Former Home Office minister Chris Philp has been awarded the job of shadow home secretary, the last of the key posts to be announced. Unveiling a host of announcements today, Ms Badenoch, who was elected leader

A proposed ban on vaping and smoking in pub gardens will not go ahead, the health secretary has confirmed. Wes Streeting said the Labour government would not press ahead with the idea after it was floated over the summer and caused an outcry within the hospitality industry. Back in August, Sir Keir Starmer said his

The education secretary has said no decision has been made on whether university tuition fees will increase with inflation each year. Bridget Phillipson has announced the maximum cap on tuition fees in England will go up in line with inflation from April 2025. The cost of tuition will increase by £285 to £9,535 next year

Dozens of migrants living in “abhorrent” conditions on the Chagos Islands may now be offered the chance to be transferred to the UK following legal action. Some 61 Tamil Sri Lankan asylum seekers, including 16 children, have been living on Diego Garcia – the largest of the islands in the Indian Ocean – since October

After emerging victorious in the Tory leadership race, Kemi Badenoch has begun to unveil her top team in her new shadow cabinet. Ms Badenoch, who beat Robert Jenrick to become the new Tory leader, has said the party’s first duty would be to hold Labour to account and to prepare for government by the time

Another £75m will go towards “smashing the gangs” as the government beefs up its new Border Security Command unit. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to announce the additional funding as he hosts the Interpol general assembly in Glasgow from today, the first time the UK has hosted it in more than 50 years.

A Labour MP has said he was involved in an incident where he “felt threatened” and is cooperating with police. Mike Amesbury, the MP for Runcorn and Helsby, said he felt “threatened on the street following an evening out with friends” on Friday night in Cheshire. “This morning, I contacted Cheshire Police myself to report

The amount employers pay in national insurance is set to rise in next week’s budget to raise money for public services, Sky News understands. Reports have suggested it could be increased by up to two percentage points and will – in part – be used to help fund the NHS. A government source told Sky

A couple seeking to overturn the cut to the universal winter fuel payment for pensioners have been granted permission to proceed with their legal bid against the Scottish and UK governments. Peter and Florence Fanning, from Coatbridge in North Lanarkshire, are arguing both governments failed to adequately consult with those of pension age and did

A political strategist who worked on Sir Keir Starmer’s campaign has explained how she went to the US to share “lessons learned” with the Democrats following Labour’s election victory. This week, the Trump campaign accused Labour of illegal interference after the party’s head of operations, Sofia Patel, posted on LinkedIn she was coordinating nearly 100

Newly elected MPs are struggling to set up offices in their constituencies due to fears for their safety and spiralling rents, Sky News has learnt. Several MPs who spoke to Sky News said they believed landlords were becoming increasingly reluctant to have them as tenants due to the perceived risks that came with the job

Sir Keir Starmer has rejected calls for reparations for slavery, saying it would lead to “very long, endless discussions” about the past. The prime minister said while the transatlantic slave trade was “abhorrent”, he believes the countries affected by it would rather the UK help them with contemporary challenges, such as the impact of climate

Russian attacks on the Black Sea is delaying vital aid from reaching Palestinians, Sir Keir Starmer has warned. The prime minister said Vladimir Putin’s actions against Ukrainian port infrastructure are also preventing crucial grain supplies from being delivered to the global south in what he called a threat to global stability. Sir Keir made the

Tougher punishments outside prison are being considered as part of a government review into sentencing. The review will be launched on Tuesday by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood in a bid to ease overcrowding in the prison system. Led by former Conservative justice secretary David Gauke, the review will be activated on the same day that

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has admitted NHS reform will not happen straight away and patients will have to wait until next April to see any changes. The government launched a public consultation on Monday, asking members of the public, NHS staff, and experts to share their experiences and ideas to “help fix our NHS”. But

The health secretary has warned of “difficult and big choices” coming in the budget, while refusing to rule out that tax thresholds will be frozen. Wes Streeting told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme the government “can’t fix 14 years in one budget” and there are lots of choices “we will have to