Politics

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has admitted NHS reform will not happen straight away and patients will have to wait until next April to see any changes. The government launched a public consultation on Monday, asking members of the public, NHS staff, and experts to share their experiences and ideas to “help fix our NHS”. But

The health secretary has warned of “difficult and big choices” coming in the budget, while refusing to rule out that tax thresholds will be frozen. Wes Streeting told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme the government “can’t fix 14 years in one budget” and there are lots of choices “we will have to

A housing minister has lost her building safety brief after Grenfell survivors complained about her attendance at a conference sponsored by a firm criticised by an inquiry into the deadly fire. Rushanara Ali said she understands that “perception matters” and trusted relationships between the government and the Grenfell community are “essential”. It came after Grenfell

A housing minister has lost her building safety brief after Grenfell survivors complained about her attendance at a conference sponsored by a firm criticised by an inquiry into the deadly fire. Rushanara Ali said she understands that “perception matters” and trusted relationships between the government and the Grenfell community are “essential”. It came after Grenfell

One in five councillors in England and Wales have received death threats or threats of violence, according to a new survey. The findings from the Local Government Association (LGA) come as the group calls for the UK government to take more action to protect councillors and other local political figures. Almost three-quarters of those who

The world “will not tolerate any more excuses on humanitarian assistance” from Israel on the situation in Gaza, the prime minister has said. Speaking following a meeting with US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir Starmer sought to make the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar a

The son of Jimmy Lai, the tycoon and pro-democracy activist jailed in China, has called for “urgent” intervention from the UK as his father’s health deteriorates in solitary confinement. British citizen Mr Lai, one of the most prominent critics of the Chinese Communist Party, has been in prison in Hong Kong since December 2020. He

Sir Keir Starmer will travel to Germany on Friday for talks with Joe Biden, Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron on the situation in the Middle East. The leaders of the UK, the US, Germany and France will discuss the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in northern Gaza, where the UN has warned essential supplies for survival are

Several government departments failed to agree their spending settlement by yesterday’s deadline in a sign of ongoing turbulence over the budget, Sky News can reveal.  A number of departments have still been unable to agree with the Treasury on the scale of cuts they will be expected to deliver in the next two years, despite

Former prime minister David Cameron has opened up about the death of his six-year-old son Ivan in 2009 – and described the “chaos” of caring for him while balancing a life in politics. Speaking to Sky’s Kay Burley, the former Tory leader, 58, said the loss of Ivan – who had Ohtahara’s syndrome – was

Labour’s first budget in 14 years will be delivered on 30 October, and as per the warnings of Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer, it will not be one the public is likely to welcome. The chancellor and prime minister have spent months preparing the stage for a “painful” budget, where tax rises are likely

Sir Keir Starmer met Taylor Swift when he attended her concert in Wembley, Sky News understands. It has emerged the prime minister and his family spoke to the pop star and her mum for 10 minutes and discussed the Southport stabbings. It had not been clear previously if the two had met. Sir Keir’s attendance

Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to support a new law to ban smartphones in schools to stop children “doom-scrolling” – after Number 10 refused to back the plan. New Labour MP Josh MacAlister is calling for the government to make legal changes to make social media and smartphones less addictive for children and to

Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard share their daily guide to the day ahead in politics in under 20 minutes.  With just over two weeks to go until the autumn budget – what are the rumours about national insurance, and would a rise in the tax for businesses be breaking

It was billed as a “big moment” for the Starmer administration and, arriving at Labour’s International Investment Summit, it was clear how seriously the government was taking it The venue was the spectacular 15th century Guildhall in the heart of the City of London, where 200 leading executives gathered with the UK’s prime minister, cabinet,

Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard share their daily guide to the day ahead in politics in under 20 minutes. On the day of the government’s first ever investment summit in the capital, how will the prime minister win over business leaders after a tricky run-up to the meeting? Plus,

The business secretary has suggested the government could put up national insurance for employers in the budget without breaking its election pledges. Jonathan Reynolds told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that Labour’s promise not to increase national insurance “was specifically in the manifesto, a reference to employees”. National insurance is paid by both employees and

This shock of Alex Salmond’s death is reverberating around every corner of UK politics. There was not a soul involved in the political life of the past three decades who did not know his name and his achievements. A Marmite figure, Salmond divided opinion. But, he was respected as the giant who was instrumental in

Alex Salmond has died at the age of 69. The former first minister of Scotland was first elected to Westminster in 1987 as the SNP MP for Banff and Buchan – a position he retained until 2010. In 1990, he successfully defeated Margaret Ewing in the SNP leadership contest and would go on to campaign

Once again, the government’s narrative on the economy is shifting.  After a summer warning of tax rises and cuts to deal with the “dire” inheritance allegedly left by the Tories, Rachel Reeves made a conscious “pivot” in her conference speech last month to something more optimistic. For the first time in Liverpool, there was a