Politics

Asylum seekers who were evacuated from the Bibby Stockholm have been told they will return to the barge next week. A total of 39 migrants were moved into the floating accommodation in August as part of a government plan to cut down the number being housed in hotels. But within days, the group of men

Two of Westminster’s best-connected journalists – Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard – provide the essential guide to politics in the week ahead. They look to what’s in store at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool – including how Sir Keir Starmer will lay out his priorities ahead of a general election –

Labour has been warned against being “too timid” and “limping into Number 10” by the head of its biggest donor on the eve of the party’s conference in Liverpool. Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, said she wanted the party to resemble the reforming Labour government of 1945 led by Clement Attlee in the

When Labour last met in Liverpool for its annual conference, Liz Truss had just delivered her mini-Budget, sterling had fallen to a 37-year low and the markets were about to be plunged into turmoil. With her government imploding and weeks after the Johnson collapse, Labour were on a high. Sir Keir Starmer had clocked up

Labour are promising to “get Britain’s future back” as the party meets for its annual conference. Proceedings will kick off on Saturday with Labour Party‘s women’s conference, before the full summit kicks off on Sunday. It follows the Conservative Party conference last week, which was beset by leaks about the scrapping of HS2 – as

This Labour Party conference will feel different. Unlike the Conservatives, they don’t need a big comeback moment to save them from dire polling, nor are there peacocking leadership hopefuls waiting in the wings (or at least, there is no looming vacancy). Instead, particularly after the massive win in the Rutherglen by-election, this is a party

Angela Rayner is set to become the UK’s deputy prime minister if Labour wins the next general election.  With Labour’s annual conference starting this weekend, here’s what you need to know about the party’s deputy leader – from her early life and career in politics to the abuse and controversy she has faced. Early life

Rishi Sunak, and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, have teamed up to call for more action to be taken to tackle illegal migration. Both leaders have made reducing the number of people arriving in their nations outside traditional pathways a key part of their leadership. The pair co-hosted a summit on the fringes of the

Voting has closed and counting is now under way to replace shamed MP Margaret Ferrier. Ms Ferrier was ousted from her Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat in August following a successful recall petition for breaching COVID restrictions in 2020. Voters took to the polls between 7am and 10pm on Thursday for the by-election, with Ms

The transport secretary has defended Rishi Sunak for insisting no decision had been made on scrapping part of HS2 – despite the prime minister recording a video about his announcement days earlier. Mark Harper told Sky News he did not know “why people are getting so het up” on the issue, and work was done

Rishi Sunak has been reported to Police Scotland over comments he made about Nicola Sturgeon in his Tory Party conference speech. Chris McEleny, the general secretary of Alba Party, told Sky News he had filed a complaint and asked for an investigation into whether Mr Sunak may have committed contempt of court by mentioning Scotland’s

There is a story at the Conservative Party in Manchester so much bigger than the spectacle of a prime minister trying in vain not to talk about HS2 before his big speech. It raises existential questions about what the next iteration of the Conservative Party stands for. And all week it has been happening in

Rishi Sunak will announce around £30bn of spending on road, rail and buses in his conference speech. The big spending commitment will come to sweeten the pill that the second leg of HS2, linking Birmingham and Manchester, won’t be fulfilled. Speculation about what will or won’t happen to High-Speed Rail has been raging for weeks

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has continued to dodge questions on the future of HS2, despite the issue dominating his party’s conference in Manchester. Sky News reported on Monday that the northern leg of the high speed rail line between Birmingham and Manchester will be axed after weeks of speculation. The confirmation led to even more

Downing Street struggled to be heard on the first day of Conservative conference in Manchester as a somewhat indistinct headline message struggled to break through unhelpful noises off from the fringe.  Some 24 hours later Downing Street had completely lost control of the narrative as full-on chaos ensued. Tory mayor Andy Street was addressing hacks

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has refused to commit to tax cuts ahead of the next election, despite growing calls from inside his party. His cabinet colleague Michael Gove told Sky News on Sunday that he wanted to see “the tax burden reduced” by the time the public goes to the polls. But speaking to Kay Burley

Liz Truss is to remake her case for the direction she believes the Conservative Party should take – a year after her administration began to collapse around her. The UK’s shortest ever serving prime minister will speak at a fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on Tuesday. A year ago, under her

Michael Gove has called for a tax cut before the next general election – putting him at odds with the chancellor on the first day of Conservative Party conference. Jeremy Hunt told The Times newspaper on Saturday the government was “not in a position to talk about tax cuts at all”, and needed to focus

Grassroots Conservative supporters are saying they want to oust Rishi Sunak and “go to war” with the liberal wing of the party in leaked WhatsApp messages obtained by Sky News. We have obtained the discussions amongst members of the Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO), founded in December 2022 by donor and Johnson-backer Lord Peter Cruddas after

Rishi Sunak has said he is “slamming the brakes on the war on motorists” – with the government confirming that councils will be stopped from enforcing blanket 20mph speed limits. Low-traffic neighbourhoods are also in the prime minister’s crosshairs and will only be permitted where there is local consent. The Department for Transport added that