Politics

The wait for Sue Gray’s report into lockdown parties in Downing Street and Whitehall to be published looks almost certain to roll into tomorrow as the House of Commons has concluded its business – with Boris Johnson still yet to receive the findings. Sky News understands from three government sources that, as of Wednesday afternoon,

One of the odder claims doing the rounds in Westminster is that the announcement that the Metropolitan Police is investigating potentially illegal pandemic parties in Downing Street somehow diffuses Boris Johnson’s political troubles and relieves the pressure on him.  This counterintuitive argument is being pushed by Mr Johnson’s inner circle, who say that since the

Number 10 has now received Sue Gray’s report into the Downing Street lockdown parties – so what happens next? Boris Johnson and his team will be poring over the senior civil servant’s published inquiry into whether COVID rules were broken before reacting to it. The reaction – and whether he faces calls to resign –

A celebration in Downing Street on Boris Johnson’s birthday involved people who were already working together, the transport secretary has told Sky News. Speaking to Kay Burley, Grant Shapps said he did not “seek to defend” the gathering on 19 June 2020, the PM’s 56th birthday. Latest reaction as new claims of Downing Street parties

An MP’s claim that she was sacked as a minister because of her Muslim faith is “disturbing”, the former co-chair of the Conservative Party has said. Baroness Warsi, who was also a former Conservative minister, told Sky News it sends “a shiver” down the spines of British Muslims to know “that this is the kind

A Cabinet Office investigation has been launched into claims from a Conservative MP that she was sacked as a minister because of her Muslim faith. Nusrat Ghani was sacked as transport minister in a February 2020 reshuffle. Downing Street police officers ‘interviewed about partygate’ as PM faces crunch week – politics latest Ms Ghani said

Dominic Cummings is set to be interviewed by Sue Gray on Monday as part of her investigation into alleged Downing Street parties during lockdown. The prime minister’s former top adviser will be one of the final people to be interviewed by Ms Gray, the highly experienced civil servant tasked with finding out whether the events

The UK will stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine but it is “extremely unlikely” British troops will be sent to the Russian border, Dominic Raab has said. The deputy prime minister said the UK and other nations will enforce economic and financial sanctions on Moscow if Russia invades Ukraine – as troops mount at the

Attempts to pressure Tory MPs trying to topple Boris Johnson are illegal, the head of a Westminster sleaze watchdog has argued. Labour MP Chris Bryant, who is chairman of the Commons Standards Committee, said alleged threats to pull public funding from members’ constituencies amounted to “misconduct in public office” and should be reported to the

Wales’ first minister has claimed that Boris Johnson’s “history” is “catching up with him”. In a highly-charged intervention in the partygate row, Mark Drakeford said he is not surprised the prime minister has become embroiled in controversy over Downing Street parties during COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021. “If I’m truthful about it, the prime

Two-thirds of anti-vaccination propaganda posted online is created by just 12 so-called influencers, research has found. Different to those who describe themselves vaccine hesitant, anti-vaxxers tend to employ aggressive methods to persuade others not to get injections designed to help prevent disease. The list was compiled by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and

Fears are growing inside 10 Downing Street that former pub landlady Sue Gray could call time on Boris Johnson in her Whitehall report on partygate. Sky News understands there is nervousness in Number 10 over what the top civil servant’s report on the Downing Street Parties – which some MPs believe could be published as

For all of the turbulence and the tempestuous events of the last 48 hours, the key drivers which will determine the prime minister’s future remain broadly the same. A large number of MPs, possibly a majority, are unhappy with Boris Johnson‘s premiership. However they are unsure when to defenestrate him, how to do so, and

Conservative MPs who want Boris Johnson to resign have been intimidated by the party and should contact the police if they have been blackmailed, a senior Tory has warned. William Wragg, chair of the public administration and constitutional affairs committee, said a “number of MPs have faced intimidation” after declaring, or assumed to have declared,

Conservative MPs are considering a rule change that would mean Boris Johnson could face a second confidence vote later this year, Sky News has learnt. Under the current rules, the prime minister would be immune from another challenge for a year if he wins such a vote. Follow live updates as confidence vote speculation continues

The threat to Boris Johnson’s leadership has ramped up today as more Conservative MPs said they have submitted letters of no confidence in the PM. Around 12 letters were handed in this morning, according to Sky News political correspondents Sam Coates and Joe Pike. They were from MPs who were part of a group of

Dominic Cummings will be interviewed as part of an investigation into parties and gatherings at Downing Street during coronavirus restrictions. Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser confirmed to Sky News that he will be involved in the probe, which is looking at events in Number 10 and other government departments. And a Cabinet Office source told

The government’s attempt to introduce laws to contain protests has been dealt a major blow after the House of Lords voted down a number of the controversial proposals. The government had been moved to act after the disruption caused by eco-activists such as Insulate Britain. But the Lords rejected several of the proposed powers, including:

No 10 policy bosses have explored the use of powerful sonic weapons to force migrants to turn around in the English Channel, amid a growing row over how to handle the situation. The Long-Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD) are already installed on two Border Force vessels but are used to issue voice commands. They were purchased

The education secretary has defended the prime minister as he said Boris Johnson did not know a Downing Street lockdown event was a party. Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News’ Kay Burley: “It’s not true that the prime minister knew about this. He implicitly thought this was a work event.” He said senior civil servant Sue