Politics

At least one Number 10 official has received a fixed penalty notice from the Metropolitan Police for attending a lockdown-busting “bring your own booze” event held in the Downing Street garden, Sky News understands. It is not known who has been fined for the gathering which was held at the height of the UK’s first

Boris Johnson has said he is sure he will still be prime minister in six months despite further rumblings of backbench discontent over partygate. The PM has faced repeated questions about his future as the scandal continues to dog him despite his attempts to move on to broader issues during a trip to India. On

Boris Johnson is to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday as a investigation into whether he misled parliament about lockdown-busting Downing Street parties looms. The prime minister will try to progress UK-India trade talks when he meets Mr Modi in New Delhi, emphasising the importance of the partnership between the two nations for

Boris Johnson has insisted he has “nothing to hide” over partygate – as he comes under pressure from MPs debating a fresh investigation into the prime minister. Speaking to Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby on his two-day trip to India, Mr Johnson said he didn’t “want this thing to endlessly go on”. His comments

If the prime minister was feeling bruised or laid low over the storm that has been building over his fine for breaking COVID-19 regulations, the attempt by MPs to investigate his conduct and the prospect of more fines from other events he attended, he did a very good job of disguising it as he bounded

A Conservative MP has called on Boris Johnson to appoint a minister for men and to rollout a men’s health strategy. Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Nick Fletcher, the Tory MP for Don Valley, said the new ministerial position should be created so there is an individual responsible for looking out for the particular health

Boris Johnson acted in the “heat of the moment” to interpret the rules when he attended events at the heart of the partygate scandal, a minister has said. Business minister Paul Scully defended Mr Johnson’s conduct as the prime minister prepared to face a second day of grilling by MPs following his Commons apology after

Boris Johnson will face a Commons vote on whether claims that he misled MPs over partygate should be investigated. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle granted a request from opposition MPs for a vote which will be held on Thursday – and which Sky News understands will seek to refer Mr Johnson for investigation by the privileges

Nicola Sturgeon has been spoken to by police to “remind her of the importance of wearing a face covering when there is a legal requirement to do so”, Police Scotland has said. The Scottish first minister has apologised for what she said was “a few seconds” without a face covering and said officers were “absolutely

Pegasus spyware is suspected to have been used to infect the 10 Downing Street network, researchers at Canadian internet security watchdog Citizen Lab have concluded. A device connected to that network was infected using the spyware on 7 July 2020, according to a report on the research by the New Yorker. The report added that

The legal requirement to wear face masks on public transport and most indoor public spaces in Scotland has ended. It is Scotland’s final legal COVID requirement to be lifted – though the Scottish government is still recommending the use of face masks where appropriate. The long-planned easing of rules comes a day after Scotland’s first

New allegations have emerged regarding lockdown parties in Downing Street – with Labour claiming Boris Johnson has “deliberately misled the British people at every turn”. The prime minister has already been fined once for breaking COVID rules on his birthday in 2020, but that is said to be regarded as the least problematic of a

The Home Secretary has issued a “ministerial direction” in relation to the Rwanda asylum plan, overruling concerns from her own civil servants, Sky News understands. Ministerial directions are used when the top civil servant in a department has objected to the costs or feasibility of a spending plan. A Home Office source said: “Home Office

In our analysis of the government’s new plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, we’ve looked at the moral and legal implications as well as the cost. There is one thing we’ve overlooked, though, and that is how those changes will impact the country which the government says will process “tens of thousands” of asylum

Coming two days after the prime minister was fined for breaking his own lockdown rules, today’s eye-catching asylum announcement has been greeted by many as a cynical attempt to change the subject. In reality, this unveiling has been in the offing for a while, with details of the home secretary’s trip to Rwanda pencilled in

There are “question marks” around the validity of Sajid Javid’s claim to “non-dom” status, according to tax experts. The health secretary previously told The Sunday Times he had held non-domiciled status for six years between 2000 and 2006, which would mean not having to pay UK taxes on his overseas earnings. He said he was

Boris Johnson said he will face the Commons next week to “set the record straight” over his partygate fine – as more of his MPs called on him to quit. The prime minister apologised earlier this week after he was ordered to pay a £50 fixed penalty for attending a birthday gathering in Downing Street

Conservative peer David Wolfson has quit as justice minister over the “scale, context and nature” of breaches of COVID regulations in Downing Street. Lord Wolfson said in a letter to Boris Johnson he was quitting not only over the events themselves, or the prime minister’s “own conduct,” but also “the official response to what took

Despite everything that has happened in the last few days, the official Treasury line is that Rishi Sunak never contemplated resigning and is committed to staying in the UK. Of course one of the complications Mr Sunak faces is that – on a practical level – it would be not as straightforward as it once

Boris Johnson has apologised after being fined by the Met Police for breaking lockdown rules but said he would not resign. The prime minister said: “I have paid the fine and I once again offer a full apology.” Asked if he would quit over the fine, Mr Johnson said: “I want to be able to