Politics

There are some weeks in politics where what Westminster needs is a monsoon to wash away the toxicity enveloping this place and clean up the atmosphere – and this week is one of them.  Be it the Number 10 agenda this week on better defining extremism, an unruly MP in the shape of Lee Anderson,

Communities Secretary Michael Gove has named five groups that will be re-assessed as a result of the government’s new definition of extremism. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Gove said two far-right organisations – the British National Socialist Movement and the Patriotic Alternative – and three Islamist organisations – the Muslim Association of Britain, Cage and

The government has unveiled its new definition of extremism as part of a drive to clamp down on Islamist and far-right extremism. Some have warned the change could have a “chilling effect” on free speech, while others have said it doesn’t go far enough. How has the definition changed, why has the government done it,

Rishi Sunak appears to have ruled out returning money to a Tory donor who allegedly said Diane Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and “should be shot”.  Asked at Prime Minister’s Questions by Labour MP Marsha De Cordova if he would hand back one of the specific donations from Frank Hester’s company

A Conservative minister says he does not believe his party’s biggest donor is a racist, despite alleged comments he made about former Labour MP Diane Abbott – apparently saying she made him “want to hate all black women”. Rishi Sunak took the whole of Tuesday to call out the remarks from businessman Frank Hester –

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has said alleged comments made about Diane Abbott by a Tory donor were “racist” – but that there should be “space for forgiveness”. Ms Badenoch is the first cabinet minister to use the term to describe Frank Hester’s reported remarks about the former Labour MP, after government ministers including Graham Stuart

A minister has refused to say if the Conservatives should return money to one of its biggest donors, after reports Frank Hester said former Labour MP Diane Abbott made him “want to hate all black women”. The allegations about the chief executive of The Phoenix Partnership – who donated £10m to the Tories last year

Rishi Sunak will call a snap general election if 10 Conservative MPs defect to Reform UK, a top Tory with close links to Downing Street has claimed. The source of the claim, made to parliamentary colleagues after Lee Anderson’s shock defection, is an influential party figure with impeccable connections. The prime minister’s threat emerged as

Former Conservative deputy chair Lee Anderson has defected to Reform UK, becoming the party’s first MP in the Commons. Mr Anderson, who took the seat of Ashfield in 2019, was kicked out of the parliamentary Conservative Party for refusing to apologise after alleging that London mayor Sadiq Khan was controlled by “Islamists”. And while some

Far-right and Islamist threats made the man set to be the UK’s next anti-Muslim hatred adviser withdraw before being appointed. Fiyaz Mughal, founder and director of Faith Matters, said he was set to be appointed by Communities Secretary Michael Gove as a liaison to help the government tackle Islamophobia. It was first reported by GB

Michael Gove has urged pro-Palestinian protesters to question whether extremist groups are behind some of the demonstrations – days ahead of publishing a new official definition of extremism. The housing secretary said “good-hearted people” attending the marches should be aware they could be “lending credence” to extremists. Tens of thousands of people participated in a

Two serving ministers have broken cover to urge Rishi Sunak’s government to “lead the way” and increase defence spending to at least 2.5% at a time of growing threats. In a highly unusual intervention, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, a foreign office minister and former defence minister, and Tom Tugendhat, the security minister and an experienced soldier, published

Politicians have condemned a “moronic act of vandalism” after pro-Palestine activists damaged a portrait of Lord Balfour. Palestine Action shared a video on social media of a demonstrator defacing and slashing the historic painting, which hangs at the University of Cambridge’s Trinity College. In the clip, a woman can be seen spraying red paint before

Former Prime Minister Theresa May has announced she will stand down as an MP at the next general election, it has been reported. In an exclusive statement to her local paper, Mrs May said she had taken the “difficult decision” to quit the Commons after 27 years representing her Maidenhead constituency. The 67-year-old also pledged

Rishi Sunak has appeared to quash lingering speculation of a May general election – saying “nothing has changed” since he last indicated it will happen in the autumn. The prime minister told reporters in January that his “working assumption” is that voters will go to the polls in “the second half of this year”. Politics

Jeremy Hunt’s budget is unlikely to win back many Tory supporters from the last election, the Sky News Voters Panel suggests.   We have spent the last fortnight interrogating the views of our YouGov-run online community of more than 50 voters who backed the Tories in the 2019 general election. Today they deliver their verdict on

The chancellor has said that the current tax system for non-doms will be abolished – and confirmed a 2p cut to national insurance. In the budget, Jeremy Hunt said “permanent cuts in taxation” were possible because of the progress made in bringing down inflation – with forecasts suggesting it will fall to the target level

This week, as Jeremy Hunt was putting the final touches to his budget, a poll dropped putting the Conservatives on their lowest level of support in 40 years. MPs are desperate for the chancellor to give them something this week that just might pull them back up. The final budget before the general election will

Britain’s electoral map could look dramatically different after voters go to the polls this year. Labour is on course for a majority but in parts of the North of England and the Midlands, the battle is by no means straightforward. Galloway met with silence in Commons – politics latest Here, there are a number of

The UK is almost certain to hold a general election in 2024 after 14 years of Conservative prime ministers. The latest the next election could be held is January 2025, but polling experts have predicted it will take place no later than November. As politicians plunge themselves into “campaign mode”, Sky News will be speaking