Politics

Ministers are not looking to soften the blow for 10 million pensioners who will no longer receive winter fuel payments, the prime minister’s spokesman has said. Ahead of a vote on Tuesday on the controversial decision to limit winter fuel payments to those on pension credit, the government is remaining steadfast despite growing opposition from

Prisoners set to be released early tomorrow have been trawled through in an attempt to not let domestic abusers go, the policing minister said. Tuesday will see about 1,700 prisoners released early to alleviate overcrowded prisons in England and Wales. The government said serious violent criminals, terrorists and domestic abuse perpetrators will not be released

Firebrand union leader Sharon Graham has told Sky News that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is guilty of “picking the pockets of pensioners” by cutting winter fuel payments.  The leader of the Unite union was speaking on the opening day of the TUC conference in Brighton, where she spearheaded demands for a wealth tax on millionaires to

The health secretary has said NHS waiting lists need to be “millions lower” by the next general election in 2029. Wes Streeting told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips he is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure waiting lists are brought down, including using the private sector. He said the “NHS waiting

Children’s health is facing a deadly crisis, with life-threatening illnesses, obesity, eating disorders, and infectious diseases soaring, a shock new government report reveals. Sir Keir Starmer is blaming the Conservatives for a “broken NHS” and claims the Tories’ NHS reforms are “unforgivable and “hopelessly misconceived”. The shocking findings on the deteriorating health of the nation’s

Sir Keir Starmer is visiting the Republic of Ireland as part of a “reset” of relations following the change of government. The prime minister will meet with his Irish counterpart, Simon Harris, as part of the visit to Dublin. At the same time, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn will be committing the UK government to

The Green Party will demand the government introduces a wealth tax when Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers her first budget next month. Giving a speech at his party’s annual conference in Manchester, co-leader Adrian Ramsay said the UK “needs to invest in defending public services and protecting our environment – and we can do that with

The government is not ruling out sending offenders to Estonia as a means of alleviating severe overcrowding on the UK prison estate. Sky News understands that having offenders serve out their sentence in the Baltic state is one of many options being considered to address over-capacity on the prison estate – where there are thought

Sir Tony Blair has warned that tragedies such as the Grenfell Tower fire cannot be completely avoided. The former prime minister, who left office in 2007, said it was a “difficult thing to say”, but that even when systems work well and are “well intentioned”, people are “going to make mistakes”. In an exclusive interview

The deputy prime minister has said she is unhappy with how long it is taking to remove unsafe cladding from buildings following the Grenfell Tower fire. Angela Rayner, who is also the housing secretary, said the government “has got to make sure that we accelerate remediation” after the final phase of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry

Sir Keir Starmer has said he is “deeply sorry” for the actions of the British government after a damning report into the Grenfell Tower blaze said ministers “failed to act”, despite knowing the risk of building materials. A landmark report into the disaster that claimed 72 lives in June 2017 was published earlier on Wednesday,

Senior business leaders have welcomed discussions with Angela Rayner over proposals to improve workers’ rights as “positive”, but warned the “devil will be in the detail” of legislation due to be put before Parliament next month. The deputy prime minister and business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, met the bosses of major employers including John Lewis, Octopus,

Former minister Tom Tugendhat has apologised for the “disrespect and double standards” of previous Conservative governments as he made his appeal to become the next party leader. Speaking from Westminster at his campaign launch, Mr Tugendhat said he had “witnessed the recent political trauma” within the Tory ranks “with a combination of depression and anger”,

Day one of a new term at Westminster and Sir Keir Starmer was already facing double trouble from Labour MPs. First, a partial arms export ban on Israel, which opponents claimed was a sop to pro-Gaza Labour left-wingers, ended up pleasing no-one. And then, predictably, at a packed Parliamentary Labour Party meeting, senior cabinet ministers

A new political term, and a new reality for the Conservatives, as what’s left of the party regroups in Westminster and gets down to the business of picking a new leader. On Monday, it was the turn of Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly to officially launch their campaigns ahead of the first knock-out round on

One-word Ofsted judgements for state schools are being scrapped with immediate effect in a move that has been hailed as a “landmark moment for children”. Previously, the education watchdog awarded one of four marks to schools it inspects: outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate. From this academic year, four grades will be awarded across the

The government is “not attacking the hospitality industry” with proposed plans to ban smoking in pub gardens, a cabinet minister has insisted. Lucy Powell told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that Labour wants to create a “smoke-free country” and measures to achieve this will be done “in consultation” with businesses that could be

As the photos of Angela Rayner raving in an Ibiza nightclub confirm, the deputy prime minister enjoys her time off. But hey, it was August. And, to be fair, hours earlier she chaired a meeting in Whitehall on building safety, before jetting off to the Spanish holiday isle. But while “Angela Raver” was enjoying the

A Labour politician has defended himself as a “renters champion” despite flats he rents out reportedly found to be in poor condition. Jas Athwal, the newly-elected MP for Ilford South, owns 15 rental flats, but some tenants have claimed they regularly have to clean their bathroom ceilings to remove mould. In an investigation first reported

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey calls it “the first big mistake this government has made”. The decision by the new Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves to axe the £300 Winter Fuel Payment for 10 million pensioners forever is probably the biggest domestic headache for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as MPs return to Westminster from