Politics

Even the Iron Lady flinched at the prospect of delivering her leader’s speech to the annual party conference. Her speech writer Ronald Millar recalled leaning forward moments before Margaret Thatcher went to the rostrum with words of encouragement. “Piece of cake, prime minister,” he whispered, only to be rebuffed with “not now Ronnie, I’m about

Lisa Nandy has said Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to accept thousands of pounds worth of football tickets was “very sensible”. The minister for culture, media and sport also said she had never accepted free clothes from a donor. Speaking to Sky News at the start of the Labour Party conference today, the MP for Wigan

Nigel Farage has spoken about his aspirations as Reform UK party leader and insists he could become prime minister. He told Sky’s political correspondent Darren McCaffrey the prospect of taking over at Number 10 at some point “may not be probable, but it’s certainly possible”. In an interview on the sidelines of the Reform UK

A government minister has said Sir Keir Starmer accepting more freebies than any other MP “is not important at all”. Jess Phillips said she was “satisfied” with the prime minister’s explanation it would “cost the taxpayer a fortune” in security if he watched Arsenal from the stands after it emerged he has accepted thousands of

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted it would “cost the taxpayer a fortune” if he were to watch Arsenal from the stands after it emerged he had accepted thousands of pounds worth of free football tickets. The prime minister has faced criticism after Sky News’ Westminster Accounts project revealed he had received two-and-a-half times more gifts

Sir Keir Starmer has come under scrutiny over the past week for the more than £100,000-worth of gifts he has accepted. It started with controversy over his wife’s clothes and has escalated since Sky News’ Westminster Accounts project revealed he has been gifted more freebies and hospitality than any other MP since 2019 – a

Sir Keir Starmer has received substantially more freebies than any other MP since becoming Labour leader, Sky News can reveal. Government officials are worried the prime minister’s willingness to accept hospitality to go to football matches could amount to a conflict of interest given plans to overhaul the sport’s regulator which many clubs oppose. The

Ten years ago today the people of Scotland went to the polls to decide on the future of their country in the Scottish independence referendum. The historic event – which would have seen Scotland break free from the rest of the UK – took place on 18 September 2014 and saw more than two million

Sir Ed Davey has pledged to be a champion for carers – as he put his party forward as the “responsible opposition”. In a personal and emotional keynote speech in Brighton on Tuesday, the Lib Dem leader said “care and carers must not be forgotten and ignored any longer”. “If the Liberal Democrats don’t offer

Sir Keir Starmer has said he was “angry” to learn that offenders were being greeted with champagne outside of prison gates after being released early to ease overcrowding. The prime minister said the government had been “forced” to let some offenders out early because prisons across England and Wales had become “so full” that police

The government has diverted up to £75m from the scrapped Rwanda plan to fund the new Border Security Command ahead of an immigration “crime crackdown”. Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, said the agency will “deliver a major overhaul and upgrade in law enforcement against smugglers and trafficking gangs to boost our border security”. The immediate

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper has revealed she was told she had four days to live but the NHS saved her. Speaking to the party’s conference in Brighton, Ms Cooper also told for the first time how the Lib Dems were on the brink of extinction in 2020. She said the NHS gave her

Italy’s migration deal with Albania will be on the agenda as the prime minister meets his counterpart in Rome on Monday, after appointing a former police chief to tackle people smuggling. Sir Keir Starmer has signalled he is “interested” in the plan under which Tirana will accept asylum seekers on Italy‘s behalf while their claims

The foreign secretary has said the UK and allies will not be “bullied by Putin’s shameless grandstanding” as the prime minister faces pressure to allow Ukraine to fire British long-range missiles into Russia. David Lammy told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips the Russian president’s threats to use nuclear weapons if the West sends

Sir Keir Starmer is under investigation for a possible breach of parliamentary rules after failing to declare that some of his wife’s high-end clothes were bought for her by his biggest personal donor, Lord Alli. The Labour peer paid for a personal shopper, clothes and alterations for Lady Victoria Starmer, reportedly both before and after

Sir Keir Starmer has talked up the US-UK relationship after a White House meeting with Joe Biden, but questions remain over Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles. The prime minister travelled to Washington this week to meet with President Biden to discuss the wars in Ukraine and Gaza – among other issues. Speaking before the “long

Labour’s biggest union backer has accused the government of being “cruel” over cuts to the winter fuel payment, as it opens a potential rift at the party’s conference later this month. A motion to be submitted to Labour‘s conference by the Unite trade union – that has been seen by Sky News – says “workers

There has been no impact assessment of how the decision to strip millions of pensioners of winter fuel payments will affect them, Keir Starmer has said. The Prime Minister and Chancellor Rachel Reeves decided to means-test the payments, worth up to £300, to help fill a £22bn “black hole” in the public finances. Pressed on

Sir Keir Starmer has said that Russia started the Ukraine war and “could end the conflict straight away”. The prime minister is heading to Washington DC for talks with President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday over the ongoing conflict. Sir Keir has backed Kyiv’s right to defend itself after Russian leader Vladimir

The NHS will not get any more funding without reforming, Sir Keir Starmer has said as he laid out a 10-year plan to fix the health service. The prime minister stressed his plans to build an NHS fit for the future “do not just mean putting more money in”, and will take a decade to