Politics

Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out an early general election after a petition calling for a second vote reached two million signatures. The petition was launched over the weekend and says there should be another vote, just four months after Labour won a landslide, because they have “gone back on their promises they laid out

The last time MPs voted on the question of assisted dying – nearly three quarters were against it. Nine years later – polling suggests two thirds of the country would back a change in the law. That ratio is mirrored in the number of cabinet ministers who’ve so far publicly declared their position, with 10

Young people will lose their benefits if they refuse to take up work and training opportunities, a minister has confirmed ahead of announcing measures to cut the welfare bill. Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, told Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that “conditions” will be attached to new skills opportunities the government intends

The UK is on a “slippery slope towards death on demand”, according to the justice secretary ahead of a historic Commons vote on assisted dying. In a letter to her constituents, Shabana Mahmood said she was “profoundly concerned” about the legislation. “Sadly, recent scandals – such as Hillsborough, infected blood and the Post Office Horizon

The UK will “set out a plan” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism. Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of

The UK will “set out a path” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism. Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of

It’s the most controversial battle over a private members’ bill in parliament for nearly 60 years. Not since David Steel’s 1967 Abortion Act has a piece of legislation been so potentially consequential. So don’t expect Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to enjoy a smooth passage on to the statute

Anas Sarwar is “right” to distance himself from Sir Keir Starmer over the decision to scrap winter fuel payments for most pensioners, Baroness Davidson has said. The Scottish Labour leader has promised to go against the national party and reintroduce the universal winter fuel payment for pensioners if elected to Holyrood in 2026. The Tory

Government borrowing rose to £17.4bn last month – the second highest October figure since monthly records began, official figures show. Economists had predicted £13.3bn of borrowing. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing was £1.6bn higher than the same month last year. Figures also showed that central government debt interest rose

Former Labour deputy prime minister John Prescott has died aged 86, following a battle with Alzheimer’s, his family has announced. The former political giant served as MP for Kingston upon Hull East for 40 years and was a key part of New Labour under Sir Tony Blair. His family said he had “spent his life

Former Conservative MP Nadine Dorries has said her experience of being abused as a child “ruined” her life. The former culture secretary has spoken about how she had been abused by a Church of England vicar when she was just nine years old. In a recent column for the Daily Mail, Ms Dorries said she

Angela Rayner has criticised “scaremongering” over Labour’s reforms to inheritance tax on farms. The deputy prime minister had to defend the government’s changes to the levy in a bruising House of Commons session, as she stood in for Sir Keir Starmer while the prime minister was away at a G20 summit. It came a day

The prime minister marked the 1,000th day of the war in Ukraine tending to global affairs at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. Over the two days of our trip to Brazil, the PM wanted to talk about “doubling down” on support for Ukraine, opening a “serious and pragmatic” dialogue with President Xi Jinping

Labour is “absolutely not” engaged in a class war, the prime minister has said. Sir Keir Starmer was asked by Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby if the changes to inheritance tax and putting VAT on private school fees shows the new government is looking to wage a “class war” on wealthier people. The prime

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted the “vast majority of farmers” will not be affected by changes to Inheritance Tax (IHT) ahead of a protest outside parliament on Tuesday. It follows Chancellor Rachel Reeves announcing a 20% inheritance tax that will apply to farms worth more than £1m from April 2026, where they were previously exempt.

Climate change, the crisis in the Middle East, the continuing war in Ukraine, combating global poverty. All of these are critical issues for Britain and beyond; all of them up for discussions at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro this week, and all of them very much in limbo as the world awaits the

Sir Keir Starmer has said he intends to pursue a “pragmatic” relationship with China when he meets President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit. The prime minister said the size of China’s economy and its membership of the UN security council meant he wanted to have “serious and pragmatic discussions” with the Chinese leader during

The government has indicated the £3 bus fare cap in place until next year may be scrapped beyond that point. Bus fares have been capped at £2 on more than 4,600 routes in England since 1 January 2023, but the government has said that from next year the cap will rise to £3. Speaking to

Sir Keir Starmer has said he will defend the decisions made in the budget “all day long” amid anger from farmers over inheritance tax changes. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced last month in her key speech that from April 2026, farms worth more than £1m will face an inheritance tax rate of 20%, rather than the

A former Conservative MP has said he felt “enormous guilt” when he found out he was the victim of a Westminster honeytrap scandal. William Wragg resigned from the parliamentary party in April after he admitted giving out fellow politicians’ phone numbers to the suspected perpetrator of the sexting scam. He said he felt threatened and