Politics

It’s not yet Halloween, let alone Advent, but parliament has launched its new Christmas jumper design for the 2024 Christmas season. And it appears to be politically neutral. The unveiling also comes before Scrooge Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ 30 October budget, which has many MPs chuntering “Bah, humbug!” over her winter fuel payment cuts. Follow politics

Sue Gray will not attend the prime minister’s council of nations and regions on Friday despite her new title as a special envoy. Sir Keir Starmer will meet with leaders of the devolved nations for a summit that will focus on spreading investment and growth across all parts of the UK. Ms Gray, who resigned

Major employment reforms promised by Labour will not become law for at least two years, as the government seeks compromise between unions and businesses on measures intended to strengthen workers rights without hindering economic growth. The Employment Rights Bill, introduced into parliament on Thursday, includes 28 measures, many of which will be subject to extended

Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch will battle it out to be the next leader of the Conservative Party after James Cleverly was eliminated from the race. Tory MPs held a final vote on Wednesday to reduce the field to a final two, who will then go to a ballot of Conservative members. After picking up

Tom Tugendhat has been knocked out of the Tory leadership race after receiving the least votes from MPs. It narrows the field down to three, with James Cleverly, Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick still in the running to replace Rishi Sunak. Mr Cleverly overtook Mr Jenrick to come out on top with 39 of his

Sir Keir Starmer will attend a meeting with US President Joe Biden and the French and German leaders in Berlin this weekend. In the meeting of the “Quad” nations, the leaders will discuss the “concerning developments” in the Middle East and the situation in Ukraine, Sir Keir’s spokesman said. The meeting has been organised to

Boris Johnson has denied mocking the public by questioning why they “so avidly craved” lockdown rules and obeyed them “like a religion”. In an interview with Sky News’ Wilfred Frost, the former prime minister said he “totally rejects” he was expressing disdain for people who did as they were told by his government during the

David Lammy has said the government is “young” after Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Sue Gray resigned and a new poll found most people think the government is “sleazy”. The foreign secretary said Ms Gray was a “superb public servant” after she quit on Sunday following weeks of briefings against her, including her salary

Families have called for an inquiry into mental health provision for offenders languishing on indefinite jail terms – saying it could “save lives”. Relatives of offenders still serving a now-abolished open-ended jail term, known as imprisonment for public protection (IPP), believe resources are so “starved” that the remaining prisoners now have “life-long mental health issues”.

You might not know who the people are, or what they do behind the big black door of Number 10, but what just happened in the bowels of Downing Street is a big moment. After getting off to a pretty dreadful start in government, Sir Keir Starmer has moved to get a grip of his

The man who called in police over the SNP’s finances has told Sky News “delays” in the long-running fraud investigation threatens the future of the Scottish independence movement.  Campaigner Sean Clerkin triggered the probe more than three years ago after phoning detectives with concerns about more than £600,000 that had been fundraised for a second

Sir Keir Starmer has said senior ministers do not need to hand back freebies and gifts like he has – as Diane Abbott said donors do not donate to politicians “out of altruism”. After weeks of criticism over Sir Keir and his top team taking freebies since coming into office, on Wednesday the prime minister

Sir Keir Starmer’s government has not yet been in place for 100 days. By all accounts, things are not going well. The Labour leader and his top ministers have had to backtrack after taking freebies totalling many thousands of pounds for clothing and entertainment. Sue Gray, the ex-civil servant he recruited as chief of staff,

The British government is providing £10m to Lebanon to support those who have been displaced and impacted by the current conflict in the Middle East. The humanitarian aid, announced on Friday, will go towards supporting the most vulnerable communities in Lebanon to meet their basic needs. It will also help provide education and child protection

Allowing terminally ill people to end their lives would not lead to a “slippery slope” of widening eligibility criteria, an MP pushing for the law has insisted.  Kim Leadbeater told Sky News there is a misconception that in countries where assisted dying has been introduced, the scope has been broadened over time. Politics latest: TV star

Sir Keir Starmer should hold a COBRA-style meeting with his cabinet ministers to decide new rules on donations, a former Labour minister has said. Baroness Harriet Harman, a host of Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast, said there needs to be “new rules and processes in place” following the row over the prime minister and his

Sir Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality received since taking office, Downing Street has said. The prime minister is covering the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer. Follow

The rising cost of social care and school transport will cause a £54bn black hole in council funding across England without government help, local authorities have warned. Councils face a massive shortage over the next five years due to the cost of adult social care, children’s services, and home-to-school transport, a new report from the

Sir Keir Starmer will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to hold talks with EU leaders about “putting the Brexit years behind us” and bolstering ties with the UK. The prime minister has vowed to “reset” relations with Europe following tensions between the previous Tory government and the EU – though he has ruled out a

Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat are the remaining contenders to become the next Conservative Party leader. 👉 Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts 👈 With infighting already playing out among the candidates, and outgoing leader Rishi Sunak calling for party unity, can whoever is