Politics

This is a major blow for Nicola Sturgeon’s ambition to hold a second independence vote next October. It almost certainly rules out that plan.  But it’s not entirely surprising as the first minister’s own top law officer wasn’t fully convinced of the legal basis for Holyrood legislating for a referendum against Westminster’s approval. That is

King Charles has hosted his first state visit since becoming monarch, welcoming South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa to Buckingham Palace. The pair are said to have voiced their mutual respect and admiration for both the late Queen and Nelson Mandela during the first day of the leader’s two-day trip. The pomp and ceremony began with

There are now no people at the Manston migrant processing centre after it experienced severe overcrowding earlier this month, Sky News understands. The Home Office site in Kent, where thousands of migrants who have arrived in small boats have been taken since it opened in February, currently has zero people in it. In recent weeks

Rishi Sunak has reiterated his commitment to Brexit amid reports the government could be seeking a closer “Swiss-style” deal with the EU. Speaking at the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) annual conference, the prime minister said he was “unequivocal” that he would not return to any alignment with EU laws. “I voted for Brexit, I

The UK government has introduced legislation to extend the deadline for forming an executive in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Bill also sees MLA salaries slashed by about a third while the Assembly is unable to conduct business and enables civil servants to have limited decision-making powers to ensure public services can

Labour wants to replace the House of Lords with an elected chamber if it gets into power as part of a plan to “restore trust in politics”. The party will hold a consultation on the make-up of the new look Lords, including on how to make sure “regional voices” are included. But it has said

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will accuse Iran of spreading “bloodshed and destruction” around the world as he reaffirms Britain’s determination to prevent it acquiring a nuclear weapon. Addressing an international security conference in Bahrain on Saturday, Mr Cleverly will warn that Iranian-supplied weapons are threatening security in the Middle East and beyond. He will point

Rishi Sunak is to axe the daily appearance of ministers on morning breakfast shows, it is understood. Instead of being grilled on the airwaves every day, the government will now only provide a minister to be interviewed around three mornings a week. The move was first reported by the Daily Mirror, which said the appearances

The UK’s science and technology sector survived a much feared spending cut in this week’s budget – but those in the field say the government will need to do more to realise the UK’s potential as a “science superpower.” The expectation was that this was going to be a budget of cuts, with the government’s

There are calls for the chancellor to commit to a further freeze of fuel duty after a forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility said 12p a litre would be added to pump prices if the government did not act. Fuel duty was not mentioned by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his autumn statement earlier, but

If you’re feeling a bit disorientated by the chancellor’s autumn statement, you’re not alone. In just eight weeks, the government has shifted from wanting to roll out the biggest tax cuts in 50 years to taking the country’s tax burden to its highest level since the Second World War. Liz Truss and her chancellor Kwasi

Dominic Raab has requested an investigation into himself following two formal complaints made against him after days of bullying allegations. The deputy prime minister and justice secretary has written a letter to Rishi Sunak asking for an independent investigation into the complaints, one regarding his time as foreign secretary and another while he was justice

His Majesty’s Treasury has opened a Discord account on the instant messaging platform and been subjected to a tidal wave of abuse. The government department’s official Twitter account posted a link to its server on the chat app on Tuesday, though it has apparently been active since 14 October. Discord allows users to communicate with

Rishi Sunak has refused to apologise for the economic turmoil Liz Truss’s short-lived government caused the British people. The prime minister, who is in Bali for the G20 summit, refused six times today to say sorry for the decisions his predecessor made, which caused severe and continuing financial turbulence. He acknowledged that “mistakes were made”

Just three weeks ago, Dominic Raab was sitting in Number 10 being offered his old jobs back, after a short hiatus from government thanks to Liz Truss. But now he has returned to government as justice secretary and deputy prime minister, he is facing questions over his conduct during his previous tenures in the roles,

Rishi Sunak has avoided sticking to his predecessor’s pledge to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP ahead of the autumn budget, set to be unveiled on Thursday. During her campaign for Number 10, Liz Truss said the figure would be reached by the end of the decade. But asked if he would standby her

Rishi Sunak will set out a five-point economic action plan to address global instability and the rising cost of living at this week’s G20 summit – where he will face Russia’s foreign minister and call out Vladimir Putin’s regime. The prime minister is travelling to Bali for talks with leaders of the world’s biggest economies

The last time a chancellor of the exchequer appeared on the Sunday morning political shows he helped kick the economy off a cliff-edge. Seven long weeks ago, Kwasi Kwarteng was still revelling in the aftermath of his not-so-mini budget and its promise of unfunded tax cuts, so much so he promised more to come. It

The head of the UK’s armed forces and the defence secretary have held “serious” talks with the prime minister and chancellor about the need to invest in defence at a time of war in Europe despite grave economic pressures at home. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme that Rishi

Rishi Sunak will this week kick off his premiership for real, with an international summit in Indonesia that will give a taster of his approach to foreign policy and an economic statement back in London that will define the early months of his government – for good or ill. On Monday, Mr Sunak will arrive