Politics

Professor Sir Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, will be the latest high-profile figure to reveal his first-hand experience of the COVID pandemic when he gives evidence to the inquiry later today. Sir Chris became a household name alongside the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, when the pair appeared alongside politicians at the daily

Ofsted is seen as “not fit for purpose” and schools should “self-evaluate their progress” instead, an inquiry has said. The Beyond Ofsted inquiry into the education inspectorate for England said it found Ofsted has a “detrimental impact” that is perceived by some as “toxic” – and called for “transformational change”. The inquiry chairman, Lord Jim

An MP found guilty of racial abuse has announced he will stand down at the next election. Bob Stewart, who has represented the London constituency of Beckenham since 2010, revealed his decision in a brief statement on X, formerly Twitter, which made no reference to the recent court case. Following his conviction, the 74-year-old surrendered

A failure by the government to be able to provide basic details on the crumbling concrete crisis in schools has been branded “shocking and disappointing” by MPs, as they warned about the “alarming” state of classroom buildings. The head of the influential Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said an “absolute catastrophe” had been “averted through

The chancellor has warned “difficult decisions” need to be made to “reform the welfare state” as he mulls introducing controversial tax cuts in next week’s autumn statement. Jeremy Hunt said there is “no easy way to reduce the tax burden” following reports he’s looking to slash inheritance tax and levies on businesses. Tax levels are

Jeremy Hunt has said there is the chance to lower taxes in the autumn statement next week, arguing the economy had “turned a corner”. Ahead of Wednesday’s financial announcement, the chancellor said that as inflation had halved over the year, “this is the moment” to focus on growth. But he argued that there is a

Rishi Sunak has vowed to “take on” anyone who is “standing in our way” regarding the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. The prime minister struck a combative tone following the Supreme Court’s ruling on Wednesday, which found the policy – a key tenet of Mr Sunak’s pledge to stop small boat crossings

A group of Tory MPs plans to write a letter to Rishi Sunak demanding his “emergency legislation” to revive the Rwanda deportation scheme overrides human rights laws. Sky News understands the New Conservatives group – a cohort of predominantly red wall MPs on the right of the party – will demand the legislation be “over-engineered”

Jeremy Hunt has said there is “no guarantee” deportation flights to Rwanda will take off next year – in an apparent climbdown on the government’s position. On Wednesday Rishi Sunak said three times the flights would take off by spring, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling that the asylum scheme is unlawful. Follow live: James Cleverly

The blocked Rwanda deportation scheme is “already having an effect” in deterring people smugglers, according to Home Secretary James Cleverly. Speaking to Sky News, Mr Cleverly did not seem deterred by yesterday’s ruling by the Supreme Court that the plan to send asylum seekers to the central African nation was unlawful. Politics live: Eight Labour

Rishi Sunak has said he will introduce emergency legislation to make sure his Rwanda plan is not blocked again – and insisted “flights will be heading off in the spring as planned”. After the Supreme Court ruled the flagship asylum policy is unlawful, the prime minister said he had been working on a new international

Suella Braverman has accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of having “manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver” on key policies in a scathing letter after being sacked as home secretary. In an explosive attack, she said she only accepted the job in September last year because she was given “firm assurances” he would prioritise issues like

Monday brought us the marmalade dropper reshuffle with the return of former prime minister David Cameron. But when it comes to the fate of Rishi Sunak’s government with voters, Wednesday could well prove a much more consequential moment. Politics Hub: Braverman launches scathing attack on PM Because tomorrow the Supreme Court will rule on whether

Rishi Sunak will meet with his new cabinet today after a dramatic shakeup of his top team saw David Cameron make an unexpected return to frontline politics. In a major gamble to revive his faltering premiership, the prime minister gave the former Tory leader a peerage in order to make him foreign secretary. It means

Until the formal confirmation of a reshuffle, we won’t know for sure whether Rishi Sunak intends to oust his home secretary Suella Braverman on a charge, effectively, of disobedience. We do know, however, it has been discussed. And we don’t know the resolution yet. One Whitehall source put the odds as high as 90% on

Two of Westminster’s best-connected journalists, Sky News’s Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard, guide us through their predictions of how British politics will play out over the next seven days. In this episode, they look ahead to what could be the biggest week of Rishi Sunak’s premiership so far. The prime minister is set to

Suella Braverman has been accused of emboldening far-right protesters who clashed with police in London on Armistice Day. It follows calls for the home secretary to be sacked after branding pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including one planned for Saturday in central London, “hate marches” and accusing the police of “double standards” in the way they handle protests.

Deepfake audio of Sadiq Khan that has circulated on social media “does not constitute a criminal offence”, the Metropolitan Police has said. The digitally generated audio, using the London mayor’s voice and mannerisms, purports to be a recording of him playing down the importance of Remembrance weekend commemorations. A spokesman for the mayor said the

Digitally generated audio of Sadiq Khan seemingly calling for Armistice Day to be delayed is being investigated by police. Clips have been circulating on social media, using the London mayor’s voice and mannerisms, where he can be heard playing down the importance of Remembrance weekend commemorations. In one clip, a voice similar to Mr Khan

Suella Braverman and Tory critics of the police are undermining public confidence in law enforcement and eroding trust in Britain’s system of democracy, according to heated WhatsApp exchanges among Tory MPs leaked to Sky News. The true scale of the civil war between Tory MPs over the policing of pro-Palestinian marches and behaviour of the