Politics

Matt Hancock was told by the Cabinet Office to tone down claims in his book that a Wuhan lab leak started the pandemic over fears it would “cause problems” with China. The former health secretary wanted to include in his Pandemic Diaries book that the Chinese government’s explanation “just doesn’t fly”, the latest messages leaked

Boris Johnson earned 85% of all the outside pay generated by MPs this year, Sky News can reveal. The former prime minister has declared earnings of £4.8m, mostly since stepping down from Downing Street in speeches and book deals, the latest update to the Westminster Accounts by Sky News can reveal. Some £3.7m of this

The home secretary has told Sky News the government’s new plan to stop small boat migrants arriving in the UK is “not breaking the law”. Suella Braverman said she is “very confident” the measures announced on Tuesday “are in compliance with our international law obligations”. The government revealed its new plan to stop migrants entering

Rishi Sunak has said the crackdown on small boats crossing the Channel is needed as the current system that is being exploited is “unfair on the British people”. The prime minister described the new Illegal Migration Bill as “tough, but it is necessary and it is fair”. “This will always be a compassionate and generous

The UK’s inability to replenish its dwindling munitions stockpile is putting national security at risk, MPs have warned. The UK and its NATO allies have allowed reserves of ammunition to fall to “dangerously low levels” while supporting Ukraine in its defence against Russia, according to the Commons Defence Committee. And it could take at least

Tory MPs are fighting between themselves over Sue Gray’s decision to leave the civil service to work for Labour, leaked WhatsApp messages reveal – as questions continue to swirl over the controversial job move. In a series of exchanges seen by Sky’s deputy political editor Sam Coates, allies of Boris Johnson clashed with their colleagues

Sir Keir Starmer has appointed partygate investigator Sue Gray as his chief of staff, prompting some Tory MPs to say her inquiry was a “Labour stitch-up”.    But she will have to set out the timeline of her discussions with Labour, including when she first began talking to Sir Keir about the role. Not the

Cabinet Secretary Simon Case described Boris Johnson as a “distrusted figure” during the COVID pandemic and warned the public were unlikely to follow isolation rules set out by him, leaked messages have revealed. Mr Case said to then health secretary Matt Hancock the public needed to be told to isolate by “trusted local figures, not

The government is stepping up its bid to stop migrants crossing the Channel in small boats with a new set of legislation. This week the Illegal Migration Bill will be presented in the House of Commons – and will reportedly include a ban on asylum claims for anyone who arrives in the UK illegally. Refugee

A cabinet minister said she has “no reason to believe” Sue Gray was not impartial when she investigated partygate ahead of the ex-civil servant becoming Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff. Sky News revealed on Friday the Labour leader has appointed Ms Gray and she has left her role in the civil service. The news

Boris Johnson has put his father forward for a knighthood in his resignation honours list, it has been reported. The former prime minister, who left office last September, has nominated Stanley Johnson for the honour, The Times newspaper said. Stanley Johnson, a former MEP, was among as many as 100 names put forward by Mr Johnson

The journalist who leaked Matt Hancock’s lockdown WhatsApp messages has said the public are only interested in what happened – not in her or the former health secretary’s reputation. Isabel Oakeshott released the messages to The Daily Telegraph this week after Mr Hancock shared them with her while working on his Pandemic Diaries book. Mr

Sue Gray has been appointed by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to serve as his chief of staff. The senior civil servant became a household name during the partygate scandal, authoring the report which found “a failure of leadership and judgement” in Number 10 during Boris Johnson’s premiership. Conservative MPs and former cabinet ministers have

Sir Gavin Williamson accused teachers of looking for an “excuse” not to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to leaked messages from Matt Hancock published by The Daily Telegraph. In May 2020, as teachers prepared for classrooms to reopen, the then education secretary had messaged Mr Hancock asking for help in securing personal protective equipment

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is considering recruiting senior civil servant Sue Gray to be his new chief of staff. Best known for her report into lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street, Ms Gray has built a fearsome reputation over decades at the heart of government. A veteran investigator of ministerial misbehaviour, she currently runs the

Matt Hancock’s handling of the COVID pandemic has come under fresh scrutiny following a leaked trove of more than 100,000 WhatsApp messages. An investigation by the Daily Telegraph alleges the former health secretary rejected testing advice on care homes and expressed concern this could get in the way of meeting his targets. The MP strongly

Rishi Sunak has said his new post-Brexit deal puts Northern Ireland in an “unbelievably special position” because it gives it access to both the UK and European Union markets. The prime minister said implementing the newly negotiated Windsor Framework would create “the world’s most exciting economic zone” with international companies “queuing up to invest” in the

Rishi Sunak will continue to push forward with his new post-Brexit deal today as he seeks to convince politicians from Northern Ireland it will solve ongoing issues with trade and sovereignty. The prime minister signed the Windsor Framework on Monday, alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to make changes to the much debated

Rishi Sunak has negotiated a deal on Northern Ireland and Brexit which his predecessors Liz Truss, Boris Johnson and Theresa May could not have secured. Having convinced the EU figures he was a serious prime minister they do business with, Mr Sunak has produced a deal that has already turned the heads and won the

After weeks of playing down expectations of an imminent Brexit agreement, Rishi Sunak is now setting the formal wheels in motion to lay out the deal he has struck with the EU. But there is still a big question about whether he has got the politics of this right on this side of the channel.