UK

Liz Truss was “crazy” when she raised concerns about nuclear weapons, Vladimir Putin has claimed. During a major speech in Moscow, the Russian president hit out at the UK’s former prime minister. He said she must have been “a bit out of it” and he claimed to have “never said anything proactively about possible use

Britain’s year of political turmoil could cost the taxpayer up to £726,000 in severance payments to former ministers and whips, Sky News analysis of House of Commons library data has found. Since the beginning of the year, 79 government ministers and whips have either been sacked or have resigned. And 71 of them are likely

Two members of a Rochdale sex grooming gang have lost their long-running appeal against being deported to Pakistan. Adil Khan, 51, and Qari Abdul Rauf, 52, had fought the deportation on human rights grounds but an immigration tribunal said they should be removed from the UK. Judges said Khan had shown a “breathtaking lack of

Rishi Sunak will make his debut at Prime Minister’s Questions at lunchtime, in what is shaping up to be the first big test of his leadership.  The new PM will face Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in the Commons – a day after culling almost a dozen Conservative ministers from the cabinet. Jacob Rees-Mogg has

Rishi Sunak has made his first speech as prime minister, saying he was chosen to take over to “fix” the mistakes made by Liz Truss. Speaking outside Number 10, the former chancellor praised his predecessor’s “restlessness” and her “noble aim” to improve economic growth in the UK. But, he added: “Some mistakes were made, not

Rishi Sunak is being urged to overhaul the cabinet on his first day as prime minister. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told Sky News that the new PM’s government should feature the best ministers available – rather than focusing on those who are loyal. “We have got to have the first 15 on the pitch. I

Rishi Sunak has said the UK faces a “profound economic challenge” in his first comments since being announced as the next prime minister. He said he is “humbled and honoured” after he was selected by Conservative MPs to lead the party and the nation, describing it as the “greatest privilege in my life”. Mr Sunak

Boris Johnson has pulled out of the Conservative leadership race. His withdrawal leaves the path open for Rishi Sunak, who has a chance of picking up the keys to Downing Street as early as today. The former prime minister had the public backing of 59 Tory MPs – far short of the 100 required to

Penny Mordaunt has rejected a call by Boris Johnson to pull out of the Tory leadership race and back him for prime minister instead, sources close to her have told Sky News. The Commons leader is understood to have spoken to the former PM as he seeks to shore up support for a return to

Liz Truss’s “disastrous premiership” means British families are spending an extra £530 a month on their mortgage than they were a year ago, Labour has claimed. The Opposition claims the effects of higher interest rates will be felt by tens of thousands of households for years to come. Labour’s analysis is based on the current

Early morning in south Manchester – and a prolific burglar known to police is arrested for a spate of thefts. Officers from Greater Manchester Police were granted a warrant to enter and search the home of the man, who is believed to have stolen items from student accommodation. Enough evidence was seized and examined to

Rishi Sunak has become the first to receive 100 public endorsements from Tory MPs – enough to meet the threshold for nominations in the leadership race. The news came before a source close to Boris Johnson claimed he had also reached the threshold to reach the ballot, although this has yet to be verified. The

Penny Mordaunt has become the first MP to enter the race to replace Liz Truss as prime minister after her dramatic resignation yesterday. The leader of the Commons announced her candidacy in a tweet on Friday afternoon, saying fellow Conservatives had urged her to stand. Ms Mordaunt, who came third in the last leadership race

The second Tory leadership race in just three months is underway following the extraordinary resignation of Liz Truss. The now-outgoing PM was forced from office after just 44 days following a seismic few weeks in Westminster that saw her tax-slashing mini-budget crash and burn. Ms Truss’s resignation, signalling the end of the shortest term by

Liz Truss has resigned as prime minister just 44 days after taking over from Boris Johnson. She will be the shortest-serving prime minister in British history. A new leader is set to be elected next Friday. In a statement read outside Downing Street, Ms Truss said: “I came into office at a time of great

Liz Truss’s premiership is hanging by a thread after an extraordinary day in Westminster that saw a cabinet minister resign and a Commons motion descend into chaos with allegations of “manhandling and bullying”. The unprecedented events have led to some Tory MPs declaring the Conservative party is “finished”, with one hitting out at the “talentless

Suella Braverman has departed Liz Truss’s government, the Home Office has confirmed. She was only appointed as home secretary 43 days ago by Ms Truss. It follows the sacking of chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng last Friday and the axing of the majority of the government’s mini-budget on Monday by new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. Ms Braverman was

The NHS is setting up data-driven “war rooms” as it prepares for what could be England’s “toughest winter on record”, new plans have revealed. Under the government’s winter preparation plan, which aims to help the NHS cope during the colder months, the 24/7 “care traffic control centres” are expected to be created in every local

The majority of Conservative Party members want Liz Truss to resign now – just six weeks after voting her in – and former PM Boris Johnson topped the list, among those asked, on who would be best to replace her, a new poll has found. A YouGov poll of Tory members found 55% would now

Liz Truss has apologised for the “mistakes” she has made in her first few volatile weeks as prime minister – but insisted she will lead the Tories into the next general election. Speaking for the first time after almost all the tax cuts announced in last month’s mini-budget were scrapped, Ms Truss said: “I recognise