Politics

The Green Party will demand the government introduces a wealth tax when Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers her first budget next month. Giving a speech at his party’s annual conference in Manchester, co-leader Adrian Ramsay said the UK “needs to invest in defending public services and protecting our environment – and we can do that with

The government is not ruling out sending offenders to Estonia as a means of alleviating severe overcrowding on the UK prison estate. Sky News understands that having offenders serve out their sentence in the Baltic state is one of many options being considered to address over-capacity on the prison estate – where there are thought

Sir Tony Blair has warned that tragedies such as the Grenfell Tower fire cannot be completely avoided. The former prime minister, who left office in 2007, said it was a “difficult thing to say”, but that even when systems work well and are “well intentioned”, people are “going to make mistakes”. In an exclusive interview

The deputy prime minister has said she is unhappy with how long it is taking to remove unsafe cladding from buildings following the Grenfell Tower fire. Angela Rayner, who is also the housing secretary, said the government “has got to make sure that we accelerate remediation” after the final phase of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry

Sir Keir Starmer has said he is “deeply sorry” for the actions of the British government after a damning report into the Grenfell Tower blaze said ministers “failed to act”, despite knowing the risk of building materials. A landmark report into the disaster that claimed 72 lives in June 2017 was published earlier on Wednesday,

Senior business leaders have welcomed discussions with Angela Rayner over proposals to improve workers’ rights as “positive”, but warned the “devil will be in the detail” of legislation due to be put before Parliament next month. The deputy prime minister and business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, met the bosses of major employers including John Lewis, Octopus,

Former minister Tom Tugendhat has apologised for the “disrespect and double standards” of previous Conservative governments as he made his appeal to become the next party leader. Speaking from Westminster at his campaign launch, Mr Tugendhat said he had “witnessed the recent political trauma” within the Tory ranks “with a combination of depression and anger”,

A new political term, and a new reality for the Conservatives, as what’s left of the party regroups in Westminster and gets down to the business of picking a new leader. On Monday, it was the turn of Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly to officially launch their campaigns ahead of the first knock-out round on

The UK will suspend some arms sales to Israel, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has announced. Mr Lammy said the decision comes following a review of export licences for UK arms which found there was a “clear risk” that the weapons would be used in a way that could breach international law. Around 30 of 350

The Tories will not win back trust of the British people by simply “pointing out how terrible Labour are”, Kemi Badenoch will say. Speaking at the launch of her Conservative leadership campaign on Monday, the former Business Secretary will attack the new government as failing to offer “something better”. But despite reeling off a list

The economy could have crashed had the government not found savings by cutting winter fuel payments for pensioners, a minister has said. Lucy Powell told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that the loss of the benefit, which will now be means tested, was necessary because of a “£22bn blackhole” left behind by the Conservatives. Politics

As the photos of Angela Rayner raving in an Ibiza nightclub confirm, the deputy prime minister enjoys her time off. But hey, it was August. And, to be fair, hours earlier she chaired a meeting in Whitehall on building safety, before jetting off to the Spanish holiday isle. But while “Angela Raver” was enjoying the

A Labour politician has defended himself as a “renters champion” despite flats he rents out reportedly found to be in poor condition. Jas Athwal, the newly-elected MP for Ilford South, owns 15 rental flats, but some tenants have claimed they regularly have to clean their bathroom ceilings to remove mould. In an investigation first reported

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey calls it “the first big mistake this government has made”. The decision by the new Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves to axe the £300 Winter Fuel Payment for 10 million pensioners forever is probably the biggest domestic headache for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as MPs return to Westminster from

Employers will have to offer flexible working hours – including a four-day week – to all workers under government plans. To receive their full pay, employees would still have to work their full hours but compressed into a shorter working week – something some workplaces already do. Currently, employees can request flexible hours as soon

Labour heavyweight Harriet Harman is joining Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast as a permanent member of the team. The former acting leader of the party and mother of the House will now sit alongside Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby and Conservative peer Ruth Davidson as the three women bring the news – and their

Smoking could be banned in pub gardens, outdoor restaurants and outside stadiums, according to reports. The measures are currently being considered by ministers according to The Sun newspaper. Smokers would also been prohibited from lighting up outside sport venues, nightclubs and in small parks, the newspaper said – citing “secret Whitehall papers”. Read more:How would

“Woeful budgeting” by the Home Office has led to years of overspend on asylum, a watchdog has claimed. For the past three years, the department has set £110m aside for asylum operations. But a new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the actual spend had averaged £2.6bn a year in that time.

Sir Keir Starmer has said his government wants a reset with the EU – “but that doesn’t mean reversing Brexit or re-entering the single market”. Following a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, the prime minister said plans for a new treaty with Germany are about a “reset” with the EU. He said

Cast your mind back to the heady days of early July, as a beaming Sir Keir Starmer swept into Downing Street to a cheering crowd and the promise of “change”. Britain’s seventh ever Labour prime minister had won a landslide that deservedly drew parallels between himself and the party’s most successful election winner Tony Blair.