Politics

Rishi Sunak has sounded a cautious note about the prospects of signing Britain’s biggest post-Brexit trade deal, saying it is “not a given”. Speaking to reporters as he travelled to the G20 in Delhi, the prime minister said he would “check in” with Narendra Modi about the progress towards a free trade agreement. But he

Grant Shapps has defended his appointment as defence secretary – saying the department “needs highly experienced cabinet ministers”. There was a backlash after Rishi Sunak’s ally was moved into one of the top roles in government amid a war in Europe – despite having no military experience. Critics claimed the prime minister had chosen appearance

The UK has been “underinvesting” in its infrastructure and the crisis surrounding concrete defects in schools and public buildings was “foreseeable”, a former Bank of England chief economist has told Sky News. Andy Haldane told the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge show that schools, hospitals, road, rail and digital infrastructure across the UK had all

Schools minister Nick Gibb claimed the government is taking the most proactive approach “in the world” over the concrete crisis following accusations it didn’t heed warnings. Mr Gibb told Sky News he did not accept criticism from the National Audit Office (NAO) that the Department for Education (DfE) was taking a “sticking plaster approach” to

Credit where it’s due, Gillian Keegan is a good sport for coming on Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge to face the music over the crumbling schools fiasco – and her four-letter outburst on TV earlier in the day. The plucky education secretary could have been forgiven for muttering another expletive as she squirmed while Sophy

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it is “completely and utterly wrong” to suggest that he is to blame for failing to fully fund a programme to rebuild England’s schools when he was chancellor. Thousands of pupils face disruption at the start of term this week following an order to fully or partially close 104 schools

Rishi Sunak will be under increased pressure as MPs return to Westminster on Monday after their summer recess. The prime minister has been accused of presiding over a “zombie parliament” – not just by Labour, as would be expected, but in a parting shot by Nadine Dorries, who has finally vacated her seat of Mid

A return to pandemic-style home learning for school pupils impacted by the unsafe concrete crisis should only last “days, not weeks”, the government has said. More than 100 schools and colleges have been told by the Department for Education (DfE) to partially or fully shut buildings – just days before the start of the new

MPs are returning to Westminster on Monday for the rapidly accelerating downhill run to the next general election. Thanks to Boris Johnson’s success in repealing the Fixed Term Parliament Act there is no precise guidance as to when that date with political destiny will be. The next general election could even take place the year

The crisis over unsafe concrete in schools may extend beyond the education sector to other types of public buildings, experts have warned. They say the scale of the problem with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is “much bigger than schools” and could include hospitals, police stations, and court buildings. Even private sector sites such as

Rishi Sunak’s director of communications has quit her role after less than a year in the job and with a general election fast approaching. Amber de Botton, who had a decade-long career as a broadcast journalist at ITV and Sky News, was hired by the prime minister as his top spin doctor a few days

Domestic abusers will be forced to wear electronic tags on leaving prison or risk being sent back to detention under a pilot scheme launched by the government to protect victims. Up to 500 people will be made to wear the devices, which can monitor their whereabouts, enforce a curfew and ban them from going within a

Rishi Sunak today sought to put his own stamp on the cabinet, in a way not possible a year ago when he took over.  Yet this reshuffle – which was already in the works in May – took only baby steps towards creating a cabinet truly in Mr Sunak’s image. Even this level of change

The resignation of Ben Wallace was no surprise, but Rishi Sunak’s choice of replacement has ruffled some feathers. Wallace was by far the most popular cabinet minister before his exit, with a popularity rating of +76, compared to just +3 for his replacement, according to ConservativeHome’s monthly rankings. But despite his lack of popularity or

A new law will force criminals to attend their sentencings in court, with the offenders facing longer behind bars if they still refuse to sit in the dock. The government confirmed its plans to introduce the reform on Wednesday, promising to create a new power for judges to make the order. The change will also

The foreign secretary has landed in China for meetings with senior members of the government as Rishi Sunak comes under pressure at home over how to approach the country. James Cleverly is holding talks with senior Chinese officials – including minister of foreign affairs Wang Yi and vice president Han Zheng – on issues ranging

A local council says it cannot provide the necessary care for vulnerable children in its area due to rising numbers of unaccompanied young people seeking asylum and a “wholly inadequate” scheme to distribute them to authorities across the country. Kent County Council is responsible for 661 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, along with 1,030 care leavers. However,

Nadine Dorries is officially no longer an MP, 81 days after she announced her resignation from the Commons with “immediate effect”. The former culture secretary did not step down instantaneously, instead remaining in her role as a politician as she claimed she was looking into why she was refused a seat in the House of

GP surgeries will face economic sanctions if they do not provide patients with adequate services if Labour come to power, according to the shadow health secretary. Wes Streeting has told the NHS that the “like it or lump it” approach taken by UK health providers is not acceptable and Labour “will give back patients control

Police forces must investigate every theft, Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said. Ms Braverman said it was “unacceptable” crimes such as shoplifting, criminal damage and phone or car theft have been treated as “less important”. Forces have committed to follow all “reasonable lines of enquiry” in an effort to improve investigations and drive down crime