Politics

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

A housing minister has lost her building safety brief after Grenfell survivors complained about her attendance at a conference sponsored by a firm criticised by an inquiry into the deadly fire. Rushanara Ali said she understands that “perception matters” and trusted relationships between the government and the Grenfell community are “essential”. It came after Grenfell

The world “will not tolerate any more excuses on humanitarian assistance” from Israel on the situation in Gaza, the prime minister has said. Speaking following a meeting with US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir Starmer sought to make the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar a

The son of Jimmy Lai, the tycoon and pro-democracy activist jailed in China, has called for “urgent” intervention from the UK as his father’s health deteriorates in solitary confinement. British citizen Mr Lai, one of the most prominent critics of the Chinese Communist Party, has been in prison in Hong Kong since December 2020. He

Sir Keir Starmer will travel to Germany on Friday for talks with Joe Biden, Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron on the situation in the Middle East. The leaders of the UK, the US, Germany and France will discuss the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in northern Gaza, where the UN has warned essential supplies for survival are

For Kemi Badenoch, less is more. Before the Tory leadership TV showdown with rival Robert Jenrick, she’d declared: “I’m running a grassroots campaign, not a TV campaign or a media campaign.” She was the frontrunner, after all, and according to conventional wisdom, had the most to lose from round-the-clock media interviews – which Mr Jenrick

Kemi Badenoch has hit back at a Tory MP’s suggestion that she can’t lead the party because she is too “preoccupied” with her children, saying “men have parental responsibilities too”. Sir Christopher Chope, the Conservative MP for Christchurch, said earlier on Tuesday that he was supporting Robert Jenrick in the leadership race because he brought

Labour’s first budget in 14 years will be delivered on 30 October, and as per the warnings of Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer, it will not be one the public is likely to welcome. The chancellor and prime minister have spent months preparing the stage for a “painful” budget, where tax rises are likely

Sir Keir Starmer met Taylor Swift when he attended her concert in Wembley, Sky News understands. It has emerged the prime minister and his family spoke to the pop star and her mum for 10 minutes and discussed the Southport stabbings. It had not been clear previously if the two had met. Sir Keir’s attendance

New weight-loss jabs could get people “back into work” to boost the economy, the prime minister has said. Sir Keir Starmer said injections could also help reduce pressure on the NHS. “I think these drugs could be very important for our economy and for health,” the prime minister told BBC Breakfast. “This drug will be

Sir Keir Starmer has refused to rule out raising national insurance for employers in the upcoming autumn budget. The prime minister would only say Labour’s manifesto promised not to increase national insurance “for working people” when asked if he was going to break a pledge by increasing the tax for employers in the 31 October

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 just over two weeks to go until the autumn budget – what are the rumours about national insurance, and would a rise in the tax for businesses be breaking

The business secretary has suggested the government could put up national insurance for employers in the budget without breaking its election pledges. Jonathan Reynolds told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that Labour’s promise not to increase national insurance “was specifically in the manifesto, a reference to employees”. National insurance is paid by both employees and