Politics

Sir Keir Starmer’s government has not yet been in place for 100 days. By all accounts, things are not going well. The Labour leader and his top ministers have had to backtrack after taking freebies totalling many thousands of pounds for clothing and entertainment. Sue Gray, the ex-civil servant he recruited as chief of staff,

The British government is providing £10m to Lebanon to support those who have been displaced and impacted by the current conflict in the Middle East. The humanitarian aid, announced on Friday, will go towards supporting the most vulnerable communities in Lebanon to meet their basic needs. It will also help provide education and child protection

Allowing terminally ill people to end their lives would not lead to a “slippery slope” of widening eligibility criteria, an MP pushing for the law has insisted.  Kim Leadbeater told Sky News there is a misconception that in countries where assisted dying has been introduced, the scope has been broadened over time. Politics latest: TV star

Sir Keir Starmer should hold a COBRA-style meeting with his cabinet ministers to decide new rules on donations, a former Labour minister has said. Baroness Harriet Harman, a host of Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast, said there needs to be “new rules and processes in place” following the row over the prime minister and his

Sir Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality received since taking office, Downing Street has said. The prime minister is covering the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer. Follow

The rising cost of social care and school transport will cause a £54bn black hole in council funding across England without government help, local authorities have warned. Councils face a massive shortage over the next five years due to the cost of adult social care, children’s services, and home-to-school transport, a new report from the

Sir Keir Starmer will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to hold talks with EU leaders about “putting the Brexit years behind us” and bolstering ties with the UK. The prime minister has vowed to “reset” relations with Europe following tensions between the previous Tory government and the EU – though he has ruled out a

Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick and Tom Tugendhat are the remaining contenders to become the next Conservative Party leader. 👉 Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts 👈 With infighting already playing out among the candidates, and outgoing leader Rishi Sunak calling for party unity, can whoever is

Robert Jenrick is within touching distance of Kemi Badenoch after a surge in his support, according to an exclusive Sky News poll of Tory members. The latest YouGov survey of Conservative members for Sky News suggests there is a path to victory for all four candidates, although Tom Tugendhat faces a bigger hurdle than the

The head of the civil service Simon Case has announced he will resign at the end of the year on health grounds. Mr Case, 45, said in a letter to colleagues that he has been undergoing medical treatment for a neurological condition over the last 18 months. “Whilst the spirit remains willing, the body is

Kemi Badenoch has said her remarks about maternity pay have been “misrepresented”, as she called for an “honest campaign” for the Tory leadership. The first day of the Conservative Party conference saw a row erupt over comments made by the shadow housing secretary, where she appeared to call the current level of the benefit “excessive”.

Former deputy prime minister Sir Oliver Dowden has become the most senior ally of Rishi Sunak to be interviewed in the official investigation into betting on the date of the general election, Sky News understands. He follows Mr Sunak’s former parliamentary aide Craig Williams and former Downing Street chief of staff Liam Booth-Smith in being

In some ways this isn’t surprising. Rosie Duffield has been open with her discontent with the party, specifically over the party’s gender views – and she has been only too happy in her disagreement with Sir Keir Starmer. But what is surprising is the strength and tone of the letter – it is savage –

Applications for pension credit hit nearly 75,000 in the eight weeks since the new chancellor announced the winter fuel payment for pensioners would be means-tested for the first time. Figures released on Friday by the Department for Work and Pensions figures showed there were around 74,400 pension credit claims in the eight weeks since 29

Russell Findlay’s first task as the new leader of the Scottish Conservatives will be to bring his party back together. It’s been a bruising few months for Tories north of the border. Former leader Douglas Ross left amid a row over candidate selections – and ultimately failed to take any Commons seats. Politics latest: SNP

The race to succeed Rishi Sunak as Tory leader could be won and lost in Birmingham over the next few days. The “beauty contest” involving the remaining candidates at the party conference has the potential to transform one of the not-so-famous four from also-ran to front-runner. Robert Jenrick, ahead among Conservative MPs, has the early

Russell Findlay has been elected the new leader of the Scottish Conservatives. The MSP saw off competition from Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher in the bruising battle to replace Douglas Ross. Mr Findlay won with 2,565 votes. Mr Murdo placed second with 1,187 votes, while Ms Gallacher claimed third with 403 votes. The announcement comes

Downing Street has said Sir Keir Starmer did not break any rules when he used Lord Alli’s London penthouse to record a COVID-era broadcast urging people to “work from home”. The prime minister revealed on Wednesday he used the millionaire Labour peer’s home, estimated to be worth £18m, for his son to study for his

Sir Keir Starmer has attacked Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, accusing the country of “treating [its] own citizens as bits of meat to fling into the grinder”. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council in New York – and sat opposite a Russian representative – the British prime minister accused the state of committing

A motion calling for Labour to reverse its cut to the winter fuel allowance has been backed by party conference members, in an embarrassing blow to Sir Keir Starmer. While there is nothing binding about the vote, it puts further pressure on the Labour leadership over its controversial decision to take away the benefit from