Politics

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has led a minute’s silence from the steps of Downing Street as the UK showed solidarity with Ukraine on the anniversary of the start of the war. Standing alongside Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, and members of the Ukrainian armed forces, Mr Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, observed

Rishi Sunak is to urge fellow world leaders to “move faster” to arm Ukraine’s troops as he leads a minute’s silence on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion. The prime minister is expected to use a G7 meeting today to call on allies to supply longer-range weapons to Ukraine as there is an urgent need

Boris Johnson has said Rishi Sunak’s attempts to renegotiate Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland may create additional problems rather than solve them. Speaking exclusively to Sky’s Mark Austin on the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, the former prime minister refused to say he would back any deal negotiated by his

When Sir Keir Starmer became Labour leader in 2020, few ever believed he would become prime minister. The party was reeling from its worst performance at the ballot box since 1935, riven by internal divisions, under fire over its record of tackling antisemitism and facing a seemingly unassailable Boris Johnson atop an 80-seat majority. Sir

Rishi Sunak is poised to launch a major crackdown on the asylum seeker backlog in the coming days by invalidating applications if they fail to return a new questionnaire within 20 working days, Sky News can reveal. A leaked Home Office letter shows that asylum seekers, who often speak little or no English and have

Enemies are circling, Brexiteers are already pronouncing it dead, and the DUP are warning it undermines the Union. But as opponents line up to try and assassinate Rishi Sunak’s forthcoming deal with Brussels to rework Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit future, Sky News can reveal that Number 10 is yet to play its trump card. Despite weeks

Nurses have paused strike action as they begin pay talks with the government – despite a recommendation that most public sector staff should get a pay rise of just 3.5%. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is getting around the table with the health secretary today to start “intensive talks” on pay and conditions. It

A minister has played down the suggestion a Brexit deal on Northern Ireland can be struck this week as Rishi Sunak faces a fresh split among Tories. Maria Caulfield told Sky News the prime minister is still trying to fix problems with the contentious Northern Ireland Protocol, amid signs of a possible Tory rebellion. Asked

Women going through the menopause will soon be able to access a year’s supply of a key treatment for just under £20. The Department of Health and Social Care said from 1 April, women prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) will be able to access a new scheme that will cut prescription costs. They will be

The breakup of the UK is “at stake” if a new deal on post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland is not reached, a senior DUP politician warned. Sammy Wilson MP said his party will continue with its protest at Stormont if EU rules aren’t removed in the region – saying this threatens Northern Ireland’s place

Sir Keir Starmer said the path to a Labour victory “must run through Scotland” as he urged SNP voters to put their faith in his party in the wake of Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation. Delivering a keynote speech at the Scottish Labour conference in Edinburgh, the Opposition leader also ruled out a deal with whoever succeeds

Penny Mordaunt said Boris Johnson’s Brexit intervention is “helpful” as there is “there’s still a lot to be done” to secure a deal over the Northern Ireland Protocol. In a move that could trigger a new Tory civil war on Brexit, a source close to the former prime minister told Sky News: “His general thinking

Boris Johnson is on collision course with Rishi Sunak over the prime minister’s attempts to reach a deal with Brussels over the Northern Ireland Protocol. The former PM is bitterly opposed to Mr Sunak‘s plans to abandon the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which gives ministers power to rip up parts of the protocol and ignore

Britain and the EU have an understanding on what needs to be done to resolve issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol but a deal is “by no means done”, Rishi Sunak has said. Speaking during a question and answer session after his speech at the Munich Security Conference, the prime minister said Britain wanted to

“Significant progress has been made” to resolve the row over the Northern Ireland protocol and a deal is “very much game on”, Sinn Fein’s leader said.  Speaking after talks with Rishi Sunak, Mary Lou McDonald told reporters: “We have always believed that a deal on the protocol was possible and we’ve always known it was

Candidates are expected to formerly enter the race to replace Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the SNP and first minister today – after the timeline for the contest was unveiled last night. No individual has officially announced their bid to become Ms Sturgeon’s successor at present. But on Thursday, numerous candidates ruled themselves out of

Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation could prompt a major rethink around the SNP’s plans for indyref2, the party’s Westminster leader has suggested. The first minister previously announced her intention to fight the next UK general election as a de facto referendum on independence. Following the decision of the UK Supreme Court that Holyrood could not legislate for

Jeremy Corbyn has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “a flagrant attack on the democratic rights of Islington North Labour Party members” after he ruled out allowing the former party leader to stand as a Labour candidate in the next general election. Earlier today, marking a watchdog’s decision to no longer monitor the party over antisemitism,

A mainstay of Scotland’s political leadership for two decades, and one of the most formidable politicians of her generation, the abrupt resignation of Nicola Sturgeon left Holyrood and Westminster slack jawed. There is no doubt Scotland’s longest-serving first minister and leader of the Scottish National Party was having a tough run politically – facing a

The Labour Party had become “an incubator for this poison” of antisemitism under its former leadership, Sir Keir Starmer has said – as he vowed that the changes made to ensure “zero tolerance” are “permanent”. The Labour leader’s party is no longer being monitored by the equalities watchdog after making the changes demanded over its