Politics

Pensioners are being urged to check if they are eligible for the winter fuel allowance after universal payments were scrapped. Last month Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that the tax free benefit, to help older people with higher heating costs during the colder months, would be limited to those on pension credit. The surprise move was

An emergency plan to avoid overcrowding in jails could be triggered in the coming days as more rioters are sentenced, according to the Prison Officers’ Association. Operation Early Dawn is a long-standing plan that allows defendants waiting for a court appearance to be kept in police cells until prison space is available. However, it could

An emergency plan to avoid overcrowding in jails is expected to be triggered on Monday as more rioters are sentenced, Sky News understands. Operation Early Dawn is a long-standing plan that allows defendants waiting for a court appearance to be kept in police cells until prison space is available. Sky News understands that the operation

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has promised to crack down on people “pushing harmful and hateful beliefs” and “kickstart” a new approach to fighting extremism in the wake of riots that broke out across the UK earlier this month.  The Home Office has commissioned a “rapid sprint” to develop a new approach to countering extremism. The

ASLEF’s lead negotiator has denied the union sees the new government as a “soft touch” after announcing fresh strikes two days after train drivers were offered a pay deal. Drivers working for London North Eastern Railway (LNER) – which runs the passenger service on the East Coast main line between London and Edinburgh – will

Nigel Farage’s presenting job on GB News earned him nearly £98,000 a month – more than an MP’s annual salary. The Reform UK leader was earning £97,900 a month as a presenter on the news channel – meaning he received more a month than an MP’s annual salary, which currently stands at £91,346, plus expenses. According

Thousands of prisoners languishing in prison indefinitely deserve “justice” and should be resentenced as a priority, the UN’s leading torture expert has said. Speaking to Sky News, Alice Jill Edwards described sentences of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) as a “horrific indictment of the British justice system”. PM suffers post-election poll slump – politics latest

Infected blood campaigners have criticised a “derisory and insulting” offer from the government as part of the compensation scheme. The row centres around former pupils at the Lord Mayor’s Treloar’s College, where children with haemophilia were experimented on without their knowledge. Under the recently announced compensation package, victims of the scandal could receive as much

Ruth and Beth are back from their holidays to catch up on the big political stories. This time, they’re joined by the former Labour MP and ex-shadow culture secretary, Thangam Debbonaire. They talk about the riots across England in the last couple of weeks with Thangam, and question whether Sir Keir Starmer should have labelled

The education secretary has said private schools have themselves to blame for closures – not the government’s VAT policy. Bridget Phillipson said some private schools have failed to balance their books over a number of years as she denied they had closed because the government is making them pay 20% VAT on fees from January.

A funding injection of £13.5m will be given to businesses and workers affected by job losses at Tata Steel, the government will announce. Up to 2,800 jobs at Tata Steel are expected to be axed at the country’s biggest steelworks in Port Talbot as the company moves over to a greener form of steel production

Liz Truss has stormed off stage after a banner featuring a lettuce and the words “I crashed the economy” unfurled behind her at an event. The former prime minister was taking questions from an audience in Beccles, Suffolk, as part of her book tour on Tuesday evening when campaign group Led By Donkeys carried out

There were “multiple and fundamental failures” with the NHS’s management of Nottingham killer Valdo Calocane’s mental health treatment, the health secretary has said. Speaking after a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report found paranoid schizophrenic Calocane’s condition was downplayed by the NHS, Wes Streeting said the report’s findings were “deeply distressing”. Calocane fatally stabbed students Grace

Conservative leadership hopeful Tom Tugendhat has called Elon Musk’s claim civil war was inevitable in the UK “delusional”. In his first major speech since declaring his bid for the Conservative leadership, the former security minister hit out at the billionaire X owner who has been criticising Sir Keir Starmer’s response to the week of riots

Sir Keir Starmer has spoken with the Iranian president as part of international efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, Sky News understands. The 30-minute phone conversation with Masoud Pezeshkian followed a joint statement on Monday issued with France, the US and Germany calling on Iran and its allies not to “jeopardise the opportunity

The home secretary has said respect for the police needs to be restored after the “brazen abuse and contempt” shown by rioters. Yvette Cooper said there is “lots of rebuilding to be done” after a fortnight of rioting following the Southport stabbings on 29 July. “Respect for the police, respect for the law, and respect

A government minister has been unable to guarantee that rioters who are sent to prison won’t be released early under a controversial scheme to ease overcrowding. Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, said the government had delivered an “incredibly swift and publicly visible” response to the riots that gripped the UK last week, including by publicising

Children will be taught how to spot extremist content and fake news online under proposed changes to the school curriculum, the education secretary has said. Bridget Phillipson said she is launching a review of the curriculum in both primary and secondary schools to embed critical thinking across multiple subjects and arm children against “putrid conspiracy theories”.

The impact of the far-right riots seen across the UK could be felt for “months and years to come”, the justice secretary has warned. Shabana Mahmood made the remarks in a piece for The Observer as courts have been working extended hours to deal with rioters who were charged by police during the disorder. Far-right

Junior doctors will begin voting later this month on whether to accept the government’s pay offer. The new Labour government has offered the medics in England a 22.3% average pay rise, which the British Medical Association (BMA) union is recommending is accepted by members. If it does pass, it would signal an end to the