Politics

If the Conservatives thought the autumn statement would bring the party a much needed boost – announcing cuts to national insurance and business taxes – some very big numbers were lurking just around the corner that would ruin the party. The very next day, the Office for National Statistics released figures that showed net migration

Pensioners have started receiving payments of up to £600 to help them with the cost of living throughout the winter. The government says around 11.5 million pensioners will be receiving the winter fuel payments for the second year running. The winter fuel payments come on top of the additional £300 provided per household through the

Boris Johnson has heaped further pressure on Rishi Sunak over the UK’s “all-time high” net migration figures, as he suggested “demographic change” had led to “race riots” in Dublin. The former prime minister criticised net migration numbers released this week as “way too big” and suggested imposing a minimum income of £40,000 for those who

Nicola Sturgeon is among senior figures accused of “misfeasance” in former first minister Alex Salmond’s fresh legal action against the Scottish government. Mr Salmond took the government to court in 2019 and was awarded £512,000 over its mishandling of harassment complaints against him. The former SNP leader – who was first minister between 2007 and

It is more bad news for the government on migration. There are lots of headline figures coming out from the Office for National Statistics, but the most important one is this: net migration to the UK in the year to December 2022 has been revised up to 745,000. That is a huge number: higher than

James Cleverly has admitted to calling a Labour MP “s***” – but denied describing Stockton-on-Tees as a “s***hole”, a source has said. The home secretary came under scrutiny for his language after this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions, with claims he made the rude remark about the northern town following a question from Stockton North MP

Net migration to the UK has risen to 672,000 in the year to June 2023 – up from 607,000 for the previous year, the ONS has said. The last figure for a 12 month period was released in May, saying net migration had hit 606,000 – deemed a record high for a calendar year. But

Jeremy Hunt has acknowledged it will “take time” to bring taxes down, but he had “made a start” with his autumn statement. The chancellor admitted the tax take – the total the government collects – stood at £45bn, outstripping the benefits of the cuts announced in the fiscal event. The headline-grabbing announcement in Mr Hunt’s

There is “no doubt” the Falkland Islands are British, Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson has said, after Argentina’s new president vowed to “get them back”. Javier Milei, who was elected in Argentina’s presidential election on Sunday, has said Buenos Aires had “non-negotiable” sovereignty over the Falklands, known as Islas Malvinas by Argentines. He said his government would

Professor Sir Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, will be the latest high-profile figure to reveal his first-hand experience of the COVID pandemic when he gives evidence to the inquiry later today. Sir Chris became a household name alongside the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, when the pair appeared alongside politicians at the daily

Boris Johnson was left “bamboozled” by the science around COVID, according to the government’s then chief scientific adviser. Extracts from Sir Patrick Vallance’s diaries were shown to the official inquiry into the handling of the pandemic on Monday, with several references to the prime minister’s difficulty in getting to grips with the data he was

Ofsted is seen as “not fit for purpose” and schools should “self-evaluate their progress” instead, an inquiry has said. The Beyond Ofsted inquiry into the education inspectorate for England said it found Ofsted has a “detrimental impact” that is perceived by some as “toxic” – and called for “transformational change”. The inquiry chairman, Lord Jim

An MP found guilty of racial abuse has announced he will stand down at the next election. Bob Stewart, who has represented the London constituency of Beckenham since 2010, revealed his decision in a brief statement on X, formerly Twitter, which made no reference to the recent court case. Following his conviction, the 74-year-old surrendered

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt says “everything is on the table” when it comes to tax cuts in this week’s autumn statement. Speaking to Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Mr Hunt said his speech on Wednesday would focus on growth, and pledged to “remove the barriers that stop businesses growing”. Politics live: Chancellor facing questions

The chancellor has warned “difficult decisions” need to be made to “reform the welfare state” as he mulls introducing controversial tax cuts in next week’s autumn statement. Jeremy Hunt said there is “no easy way to reduce the tax burden” following reports he’s looking to slash inheritance tax and levies on businesses. Tax levels are

A Labour MP and member of Sir Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet says she has been left “shocked”, “angry” and “frightened” after her constituency office was vandalised. Shadow Welsh secretary and Cardiff Central MP Jo Stevens’ office was sprayed with the word “murderer” and covered with posters saying she had “blood” on her hands, following a

Rishi Sunak has vowed to “take on” anyone who is “standing in our way” regarding the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. The prime minister struck a combative tone following the Supreme Court’s ruling on Wednesday, which found the policy – a key tenet of Mr Sunak’s pledge to stop small boat crossings

Public sector borrowing reached the second highest level for any October since records began, according to official figures, casting doubt on the prime minister’s pledge to cut debt and the chancellor’s capacity to cut taxes. Public sector net borrowing was £14.9bn last month, £4.4bn more than the same point last year and the second highest

A group of Tory MPs plans to write a letter to Rishi Sunak demanding his “emergency legislation” to revive the Rwanda deportation scheme overrides human rights laws. Sky News understands the New Conservatives group – a cohort of predominantly red wall MPs on the right of the party – will demand the legislation be “over-engineered”

Jeremy Hunt has said there is “no guarantee” deportation flights to Rwanda will take off next year – in an apparent climbdown on the government’s position. On Wednesday Rishi Sunak said three times the flights would take off by spring, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling that the asylum scheme is unlawful. Follow live: James Cleverly