Politics

Top civil servants across Whitehall are to be asked to draw up plans for how they would deliver personnel cuts of up to 40% in each of their departments, Sky News understands. Two senior government sources have said the Cabinet Office is poised to write to all permanent secretaries asking them to model what would

The US has warned a trade deal with the UK is at risk if Westminster implements legislation to change the Northern Ireland Protocol. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it could damage the Good Friday Agreement, which aims to help maintain peace between Northern Ireland‘s communities. Her comments have been met with consternation by the

For five long months, the prime minister and his Number 10 team have been beset by the partygate scandal. From the revelations of multiple rule-breaking events in Downing Street and Whitehall, to the public and political fury that prompted a Whitehall and then a police investigation – the PM will emerge from all of this

The Met Police’s investigation into lockdown breaching events at Downing Street and Whitehall has now concluded. They have issued, or will issue, 126 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to 83 people, with some people getting up to five fines each. Having completed the investigation, the Met Police has now revealed details of how it was carried

Boris Johnson’s legislative programme outlined in the Queen’s Speech has been passed by MPs – despite some suggesting it should have contained more measures to help the poorest households amid the cost of living crisis. The speech, which was read least week by the Prince of Wales, was passed by MPs in the Commons by

Sir Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of dithering over more help for households struggling as inflation hits a four-decade high. The Labour leader, who is calling for a windfall tax on oil and gas companies to help consumers hit by soaring energy bills, said the PM “doesn’t actually understand what working families are going

The UK wants to “lead the way” on Green Trade but remains in “early stage” trade discussions with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, three of which have no net zero climate commitments, the secretary of state for international trade has confirmed. In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, said a new Green Trade

Ministers plan to introduce legislation to change Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trade arrangements in coming weeks as it faces a “very grave and serious situation”, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced. The government argues that without resolving problems caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol it will not be able to re-establish the Stormont power sharing executive

The Foreign Secretary is expected to set out plans for legislation to rewrite the Northern Ireland Protocol on Tuesday. Speaking to broadcasters during a visit to Northern Ireland on Monday, Boris Johnson said the UK needs to “proceed with a legislative solution” to the protocol as an “insurance” in case a deal is not reached

Talks over the Northern Ireland Protocol are “kind of stuck”, an EU source has told Sky News as Boris Johnson heads to Belfast to try to make headway on the issue. The Brussels source said it was “not true or fair to say that we are being intransigent” and that the UK was asking for

The government is planning to publish legislation to override the Northern Ireland Protocol, but Sky News understands the cabinet has still not agreed the wording. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) are demanding the trade border in the Irish Sea, created by the treaty, be removed before they restore power sharing at Stormont. Sources close to

Business Secretary Kwarsi Kwarteng has said it is “absolutely right” the government is ready to tear up parts of post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland. The cabinet minister also accused Brussels of being “unreasonable” in its approach towards the Northern Ireland Protocol. But Ireland’s foreign minister Simon Coveney said his country was also “frustrated” dealing

Sinn Fein has accused Boris Johnson of playing dangerous games with the people of Northern Ireland and shamefully using the nation as a “pawn” in negotiations with the EU. President Mary Lou McDonald said the British government is helping the DUP block Sinn Fein’s right to form an executive following their election win. It comes

The first group of illegal migrants have been told they will be sent to Rwanda within a fortnight under the government’s controversial new immigration plans. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said 50 “illegal entrants into this country” have been served notice and will be relocated as part of a deal new signed by Home Secretary Priti

A bottle of champagne that Conservative Party Chairman Oliver Dowden donated to a fundraising auction was labelled as being “hugely valuable as a souvenir of partygate”. A picture of the gift, shared by food critic Jay Rayner on social media, shows the bottle’s label stating: “A bottle of champagne signed by Boris. Hugely valuable as

Jacob Rees-Mogg has said that plans to cut more than 90,000 civil service jobs in order to free up billions of pounds for measures to ease the cost of living crisis does not amount to the return of austerity. During an away-day with cabinet ministers in Stoke-on-Trent on Thursday, the prime minister asked cabinet ministers

Boris Johnson has ordered ministers to come up with plans to cut more than 90,000 civil service jobs in order to free up billions of pounds for tax cuts. During an away-day with cabinet ministers in Stoke-on-Trent, the prime minister asked them to report back within a month on how they can reduce the size

The UK will have “no choice but to act” if the EU does not show the “requisite flexibility” over the Northern Ireland Protocol, Liz Truss has warned. Following a call between the foreign secretary and European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic, a foreign office spokesperson said that Ms Truss made clear that the arrangement was “the

A Conservative MP has been heavily criticised for claiming that people who use food banks do not know how to cook or manage their finances properly. Lee Anderson, who made the remarks during a House of Commons debate, was accused of insulting people who are struggling to feed their families and Labour said they were

New legislation aimed at cracking down on foreign spying and interference are being introduced by Home Secretary Priti Patel today. The proposals aim to give law enforcement and intelligence agencies the tools to tackle threats such as the use of cyber attacks, drones, and “interference in our economy and democracy”. MI5 director-general Ken McCallum said