Politics

Anneliese Dodds has quit as international development minister over Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to slash the overseas aid budget to pay for an increase in defence spending.  Ms Dodds, who is also women and equalities minister and attends cabinet, said she was resigning from both posts “with great sadness” but would continue to support the

“Relieved is an understatement”. That’s how one senior government figure described their mood as the prime minister, his foreign secretary and the Number 10 team left the White House having cemented Sir Keir and President Trump’s personal relationship; secured a commitment to NATO; the prospect of a trade deal that could spare the UK from

All eyes have been on Sir Keir Starmer as he held the most consequential news conference of his premiership so far. By Donald Trump’s own admission, Sir Keir’s first trip to Washington as prime minister got off to an “outstanding start”. The love-in between the prime minister and the US president continued on stage, as

I’ve been on quite a few trips now to the White House with successive prime ministers, but I can’t remember one that mattered as much as this.  As Keir Starmer himself puts it, “everything has changed” and the prime minister finds himself negotiating with an old ally that is looking at the post-war world order

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of failing to guarantee the recently announced uplift in defence spending will not be spent on the contentious Chagos Islands deal. After initially refusing to set out a timeline to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, the prime minister confirmed on Tuesday the threshold would be met by

Sir Keir Starmer has admitted his decision to increase defence spending was “accelerated” by Donald Trump taking office. The prime minister said today’s announcement was “three years in the making” after Russia invaded Ukraine – but a “very changed context” pushed him forward. Politics Live: PM warns ‘everything has changed’ after announcing defence spending boost

People who have tracked the location of their stolen mobile phones, laptops or bikes can expect swifter police action under new measures to be introduced to parliament today. In a drive to tackle street crimes, officers will no longer need a warrant to enter a premises where stolen items have been electronically located, such as through

MP Mike Amesbury, who has been jailed for 10 weeks after punching a man in the street, will still get his £91,000 salary in prison. The Runcorn and Helsby MP pleaded guilty in January to assault by beating of 45-year-old Paul Fellows in Main Street, Frodsham, Cheshire, in the early hours of 26 October. Politics

MP Mike Amesbury, who has been jailed for 10 weeks after punching a man in the street, will still get his £91,000 salary in prison. The Runcorn and Helsby MP pleaded guilty in January to assault by beating of 45-year-old Paul Fellows in Main Street, Frodsham, Cheshire, in the early hours of 26 October. Politics

👉Listen to Politics At Jack And Sam’s on your podcast app👈 Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy have their guide to the day ahead in British politics. On the third anniversary of Ukraine’s invasion, Sam and Anne take stock on the milestone’s significance for global politics. With transatlantic tensions remaining,

The prime minister has announced £200m for Grangemouth ahead of the closure of Scotland’s last oil refinery. Sir Keir Starmer, speaking at the Scottish Labour conference on Sunday, said the cash would come from the National Wealth Fund for an “investment in Scotland’s industrial future”. Grangemouth oil refinery, on the banks of the Firth of

Sir Keir Starmer has said the United States “is right” about the UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence and security. The prime minister, speaking at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow on Sunday, said he is clear Britain “will take a leading responsibility” in protecting the continent. “Instability in Europe always

For a prime minister who has spent so much of his time in office out of the country, this week’s high-stakes trip to Washington DC may well be the one for which Sir Keir Starmer ends up being most remembered. At a time when the Western alliance seems close to fracturing over Donald Trump‘s verbal

Visits by prime ministers to the American president matter much more to us “Brits” than they do to them. Donald Trump spelt this out in the off-hand way he announced that he had granted Sir Keir Starmer the coveted appointment in his busy schedule. “We have a lot of good things going on,” the president

Being a politician is not always easy – and neither is it straightforward if you are in a relationship with one. Jen Wilson joins her partner Baroness Davidson on Beth Rigby‘s Electoral Dysfunction podcast where she describes how her life became “quite intense” when Ruth led the Scottish Conservatives. A caller tells the podcast that

The solicitors’ watchdog has said it will now investigate claims Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has made about his legal career. The Solicitors’ Regulation Authority (SRA) initially said there was “no need to take any action” after Mr Reynolds was accused of misrepresenting his past work as a lawyer. The business secretary worked for Addleshaw Goddard

The first domestic violence specialists have been placed in 999 control rooms in memory of a woman who was murdered by her ex-husband despite ringing police on the night she died. Raneem’s Law has been launched in five pilot areas – West Midlands, Northumbria, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Humberside. The legislation – promised in Labour’s manifesto

Sir Keir Starmer has held private calls with European leaders to ensure the Western alliance does not fracture, a minister has said, after Donald Trump claimed Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a “dictator”. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told Wilfred Frost on Sky News Breakfast the prime minister has spent a “quite considerable amount of time” over the

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has spoken with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to give the Ukrainian president his backing after Donald Trump called him a “dictator”. A Downing Street spokesperson said Sir Keir called Mr Zelenskyy this evening and shared his support for him “as Ukraine’s democratically elected leader”. The prime minister “said that it was perfectly

A former Australian prime minister has said his country should be “prepared to make a contribution” to protect the freedom of Ukraine. Tony Abbott told Sky News’ Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge that no country “will be safe against a bully” if Vladimir Putin wins the war. He called on Britain to take the lead