Politics

James Cleverly has admitted to calling a Labour MP “s***” – but denied describing Stockton-on-Tees as a “s***hole”, a source has said. The home secretary came under scrutiny for his language after this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions, with claims he made the rude remark about the northern town following a question from Stockton North MP

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has insisted his tax cuts are about “long-term growth” for the economy, calling it “silly” to think they were instead about the timing of the next election. The Conservative Party has been told to be ready for a general election from 1 January, a senior government source told Sky News’s political editor

Jeremy Hunt has acknowledged it will “take time” to bring taxes down, but he had “made a start” with his autumn statement. The chancellor admitted the tax take – the total the government collects – stood at £45bn, outstripping the benefits of the cuts announced in the fiscal event. The headline-grabbing announcement in Mr Hunt’s

There is “no doubt” the Falkland Islands are British, Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson has said, after Argentina’s new president vowed to “get them back”. Javier Milei, who was elected in Argentina’s presidential election on Sunday, has said Buenos Aires had “non-negotiable” sovereignty over the Falklands, known as Islas Malvinas by Argentines. He said his government would

Professor Sir Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, will be the latest high-profile figure to reveal his first-hand experience of the COVID pandemic when he gives evidence to the inquiry later today. Sir Chris became a household name alongside the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, when the pair appeared alongside politicians at the daily

Boris Johnson was left “bamboozled” by the science around COVID, according to the government’s then chief scientific adviser. Extracts from Sir Patrick Vallance’s diaries were shown to the official inquiry into the handling of the pandemic on Monday, with several references to the prime minister’s difficulty in getting to grips with the data he was

Ofsted is seen as “not fit for purpose” and schools should “self-evaluate their progress” instead, an inquiry has said. The Beyond Ofsted inquiry into the education inspectorate for England said it found Ofsted has a “detrimental impact” that is perceived by some as “toxic” – and called for “transformational change”. The inquiry chairman, Lord Jim

An MP found guilty of racial abuse has announced he will stand down at the next election. Bob Stewart, who has represented the London constituency of Beckenham since 2010, revealed his decision in a brief statement on X, formerly Twitter, which made no reference to the recent court case. Following his conviction, the 74-year-old surrendered

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt says “everything is on the table” when it comes to tax cuts in this week’s autumn statement. Speaking to Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Mr Hunt said his speech on Wednesday would focus on growth, and pledged to “remove the barriers that stop businesses growing”. Politics live: Chancellor facing questions

The chancellor has warned “difficult decisions” need to be made to “reform the welfare state” as he mulls introducing controversial tax cuts in next week’s autumn statement. Jeremy Hunt said there is “no easy way to reduce the tax burden” following reports he’s looking to slash inheritance tax and levies on businesses. Tax levels are

A Labour MP and member of Sir Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet says she has been left “shocked”, “angry” and “frightened” after her constituency office was vandalised. Shadow Welsh secretary and Cardiff Central MP Jo Stevens’ office was sprayed with the word “murderer” and covered with posters saying she had “blood” on her hands, following a

Rishi Sunak has vowed to “take on” anyone who is “standing in our way” regarding the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. The prime minister struck a combative tone following the Supreme Court’s ruling on Wednesday, which found the policy – a key tenet of Mr Sunak’s pledge to stop small boat crossings

Public sector borrowing reached the second highest level for any October since records began, according to official figures, casting doubt on the prime minister’s pledge to cut debt and the chancellor’s capacity to cut taxes. Public sector net borrowing was £14.9bn last month, £4.4bn more than the same point last year and the second highest

A group of Tory MPs plans to write a letter to Rishi Sunak demanding his “emergency legislation” to revive the Rwanda deportation scheme overrides human rights laws. Sky News understands the New Conservatives group – a cohort of predominantly red wall MPs on the right of the party – will demand the legislation be “over-engineered”

Jeremy Hunt has said there is “no guarantee” deportation flights to Rwanda will take off next year – in an apparent climbdown on the government’s position. On Wednesday Rishi Sunak said three times the flights would take off by spring, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling that the asylum scheme is unlawful. Follow live: James Cleverly

The blocked Rwanda deportation scheme is “already having an effect” in deterring people smugglers, according to Home Secretary James Cleverly. Speaking to Sky News, Mr Cleverly did not seem deterred by yesterday’s ruling by the Supreme Court that the plan to send asylum seekers to the central African nation was unlawful. Politics live: Eight Labour

Rishi Sunak has said he will introduce emergency legislation to make sure his Rwanda plan is not blocked again – and insisted “flights will be heading off in the spring as planned”. After the Supreme Court ruled the flagship asylum policy is unlawful, the prime minister said he had been working on a new international

Suella Braverman has accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of having “manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver” on key policies in a scathing letter after being sacked as home secretary. In an explosive attack, she said she only accepted the job in September last year because she was given “firm assurances” he would prioritise issues like

The government’s flagship immigration policy, known as the Rwanda plan, is hanging in the balance this morning as ministers wait for the judgement of the highest court in the land. But what is the scheme? Why is it so controversial? And how has it ended up in the judicial system? The Rwanda plan was first

Rishi Sunak will meet with his new cabinet today after a dramatic shakeup of his top team saw David Cameron make an unexpected return to frontline politics. In a major gamble to revive his faltering premiership, the prime minister gave the former Tory leader a peerage in order to make him foreign secretary. It means