Politics

Rishi Sunak has said the UK’s AI safety summit will “tip the balance in favour of humanity” after governments reached a “landmark agreement” with tech companies to test their models before their release. The prime minister said while the event at Bletchley Park was “only the beginning of the conversation”, it showed there was a

The COVID inquiry took a political turn this week when a number of key figures who served in Downing Street during the pandemic faced questioning from the probe’s lawyers. Hours of evidence were presented to the inquiry’s chair, and there were a raft of revelations uncovered – from the attitudes shown by senior ministers to

Only one in 10 voters who supported the Tories in 2019 have switched to Labour, according to a major new poll for Sky News.   The exclusive YouGov survey of 5,621 voters found 11% of 2019 Tory voters would now vote for Labour while slightly more – 12% – have switched to Reform UK, a

Boris Johnson’s government displayed an “unbelievably bullish” approach to coronavirus early in the pandemic and sat “laughing at Italians” in meetings, a former civil servant has said. The former prime minister was “confident the UK would sail through” the outbreak of the disease and warned against “over-correcting” on something he thought “was unlikely to have

There was no shielding plan early in the pandemic and vulnerable groups were “appallingly neglected” as a “fatalistic” approach took hold in Downing Street, Dominic Cummings has claimed. The former chief aide to Boris Johnson, who described Downing Street as being in “complete chaos”, was asked to what degree decision-makers considered ethnic minority groups, domestic

WhatsApp messages sent at the height of COVID paint a picture of how senior officials really felt about the government’s handling of the pandemic. The exchanges have been shared as part of the COVID inquiry amid criticism that major decision-making may have happened over WhatsApp rather than through normal processes. But not all the messages

The number of people who died from COVID-19 in the UK has been projected onto the walls of Barnard Castle – the evening before Dominic Cummings was set to give evidence to the official inquiry into the virus and how the UK government handled it. A message saying “231,332 COVID deaths – is that clear

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has described street demonstrations in support of Palestinians as “hate marches”. It comes as five people have been charged after a pro-Palestinian protest took place in London on Saturday – the second weekend in a row during which marches have been held. When questioned about the demonstrations, after an emergency COBRA

The COVID public inquiry is set to become explosive this week, with former Boris Johnson aide Dominic Cummings expected to dish the dirt on the former prime minister. The maverick former No 10 adviser, once Mr Johnson‘s closest ally but now his sworn enemy, heads a list of top former Downing Street insiders giving evidence

The Met Police chief has said there is scope for “sharper” laws in dealing with extremism amid a surge of protests in the capital over the Israel-Hamas war. Sir Mark Rowley told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that his officers are working “ruthlessly” to arrest anyone who “steps over the line” by committing a hate

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf has said he is “desperately worried” about whether his family who are trapped in Gaza are alive or dead after losing contact with them. The first minister said he last spoke to the parents of his wife Nadia El-Nakla at around 7.30am on Friday before communications were cut off as

Former leadership candidate for the SNP, Ash Regan, has quit the party to join the Alba Party – becoming its first MSP. Ms Regan, who got just over 11% of the vote in the race to succeed Nicola Sturgeon earlier this year, said the SNP has “lost its focus on independence”. Ms Regan said she

Humza Yousaf has said he has lost contact with his family who are trapped in Gaza as Israel expands its ground operations overnight. Scotland’s first minister has previously spoken to Sky News about how his wife’s parents are “trapped” in Gaza. The Israeli Defence Forces said tonight that it had “significantly expanded” its ground operations,

There is no wider cultural problem among Conservative MPs, a minister insisted, after Crispin Blunt was arrested on suspicion of rape and the possession of controlled substances. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the allegation against the former minister related to an “individual incident” and was not a sign of a wider problem in the party.

The Labour Party has promised to set up a COBRA-style taskforce that would meet every winter to assess the flood risk to communities as parts of the UK continue to be battered by heavy rain after Storm Babet. The party said it would create a flood resilience taskforce that would co-ordinate preparation between the government, local

Rishi Sunak has vowed to tackle fears around artificial intelligence (AI) “head-on” as the government prepares to host a world-first global safety summit. The prime minister has made taking advantage of the fast-improving technology, while also regulating against its potential dangers, a focus since taking office last year. Politics latest: Potential by-election headache for PM

Asking Israel to reach a ceasefire with Hamas is “untenable”, the UK’s defence secretary has said, as the number of MPs calling for a cessation of hostilities grows. Grant Shapps said Israel has “a right” to “go after” Hamas after its gunmen killed more than 1,400 Israelis on 7 October and abducted over 220 other

Sir Keir Starmer mocked Rishi Sunak over the Conservatives’ two by-election defeats last week, as he pressed him on the cost of living crisis at Prime Minister’s Questions. Labour took both Tamworth and Mid Befordshire from the Conservatives after Thursday’s vote, overturning huge majorities in a double blow for the government. In the Commons today,

A mosque in South Wales that hosted Sir Keir Starmer has apologised for the “hurt and confusion” caused by the visit after a backlash from some within the Muslim community. The South Wales Islamic Centre issued a statement late on Tuesday evening in which it sought to “clarify our stance” following the Labour leader’s visit

The government will stop using 50 hotels for asylum seekers by January, Sky News understands. Ministers are expected to make the announcement as they continue attempts to reduce the amount of money being spent on accommodation that houses people waiting for a decision on their applications. But many hotels will still be in use –