Politics

Rachel Reeves has strongly hinted there will be tax rises in the autumn budget as she promised to be “honest” about “difficult” decisions that lie ahead. The chancellor said while she did not want to increase taxes on working people, the public had been “misled for too long” about the state of the country’s finances.

The government has offered junior doctors a 22.3% pay rise to end strike action, Sky News understands. The British Medical Association’s (BMA) junior doctors committee has agreed to put the offer to its members, and if it is accepted it will end months of walkouts over pay. The pay rise offer will amount to 22.3%

Rachel Reeves will signal Labour’s plans to cut government departments and the Civil Service as the new administration looks to accuse Rishi Sunak of “covering up” problems with the economy. The chancellor is set to speak to the House of Commons on Monday following a review of the government finances after taking office at the

Conservative leadership contests always start with much handshaking and hat doffing, but it never takes long for the muckraking and kneecapping to commence. Mel Stride managed as much – albeit in a characteristically courteous manner – when he popped up on Friday to announce his campaign. Asked about another candidate’s apparent volte-face on the European

Former home secretary Dame Priti Patel has said it is “time to put unity before personal vendetta” as she threw her hat into the ring for the Tory party leadership. Entering the increasingly crowded field to replace Rishi Sunak, the senior Conservative MP laid the blame for their worst-ever defeat on 4 July not on

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has promised to “fix” the “mess” the Conservative government left in the economy, amid reports of a £20bn “black hole” in the public finances. Ms Reeves, who is currently on a visit to the G20 in Brazil, told broadcasters she aimed to tell the world that the UK “is open for business”

The government is expected to agree to above-inflation pay rises for public sector workers in the coming days, amid concerns over the costs of not settling, Sky News understands. Independent pay review bodies have already recommended the above-inflation figure to ministers for teachers and nurses of about 5.5% to keep them in line with increases

An independent review into the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has revealed “significant internal failings” that are hampering its ability to keep a check on health and social care institutions. An interim report from Dr Penny Dash found the CQC’s ability to identify poor performance at hospitals, care homes and GP practices had been impeded by

Mel Stride has become the fourth Conservative MP to enter the race to become the party’s next leader. The former work and pensions secretary – who now holds the shadow role – hinted his candidacy to Sky News earlier this week, saying there was a “reasonable chance” he would run. But he has now officially

Robert Jenrick will join the race to run for Conservative Party leader this morning. The former minister is the third Tory to throw their hat into the ring to replace Rishi Sunak as leader of the party after he stepped down following a devastating loss at the general election three weeks ago. Mr Jenrick served

Former security minister Tom Tugendhat has joined the race to replace Rishi Sunak as the next leader of the Conservative Party. He is the second person to formally join the race, with shadow home secretary James Cleverly announcing his candidacy yesterday. Nominations for the race opened up this evening, with Mr Tugendhat, Mr Cleverly, Suella

Eluned Morgan is set to become Welsh Labour’s new leader after she ran unopposed. Baroness Morgan, 57, is to replace Vaughan Gething as head of Welsh Labour after he stepped down last Tuesday following the protest resignation of four members of his government. She will be Welsh Labour’s first female leader and is set to

Seven Labour MPs have been suspended from the parliamentary party after voting against the government to call for the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap. Richard Burgon, John McDonnell, Imran Hussain, Apsana Begum, Zarah Sultana, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Ian Byrne have all had the whip suspended for six months, at which point the decision will

Former home secretary James Cleverly has said there is a “reasonable chance” he will run to be leader of the Tory party. The senior Conservative strongly hinted he would throw his hat in the ring to replace Rishi Sunak. Mr Cleverly, shadow home secretary, told Sky News’ Breakfast with Kay Burley: “There is a reasonable

Rishi Sunak’s replacement as Conservative leader will be announced on 2 November, the Tory party has confirmed. The party said the former prime minister, who led the Conservatives to their worst-ever defeat on 4 July, will remain acting leader until that date. Nominations to succeed Mr Sunak will open on Wednesday at 7pm and will

Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard are here with their guide to the day ahead in politics. On the morning after Joe Biden announced he would withdraw from the US presidential race, Jack and Sam talk about all the developments across the pond. And with about a week and a

Unfunded spending commitments crash the economy, a Treasury minister has warned, as he defended keeping the two-child benefit cap in what is shaping up to be the first big test of the Labour government. Speaking on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, James Murray highlighted the market turmoil triggered by Liz Truss’s 2022 mini-budget

A Treasury minister has said there is a cost to not striking a deal on public sector pay in the face of reported proposals for inflation-busting wage hikes costing billions of pounds. But speaking on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, James Murray insisted the Labour government’s fiscal rules were “non-negotiable” as he refused

Independent pay review bodies have reportedly told ministers millions of public sector workers should be given a 5.5% increase in pay. The proposed above-inflation increase for teachers and around 1.3 million NHS staff, reported by The Times, is well above the figure the government is thought to have been preparing for. Sir Keir Starmer’s government

Labour’s Emily Thornberry, who was snubbed for a cabinet role by Sir Keir Starmer, is running to be chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, she has told Sky’s Electoral Dysfunction podcast. Ms Thornberry, who served as shadow attorney general when Labour was in opposition, told political editor Beth Rigby she was “very sad” and