Politics

Ministers have recommended NHS workers, police officers, teachers and judges are all given a 3.5% pay rise for the next financial year. Government departments have written to the independent pay review bodies of each sector to submit their evidence and say what figure is deemed affordable by them and the Treasury. But a number of

The breakup of the UK is “at stake” if a new deal on post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland is not reached, a senior DUP politician warned. Sammy Wilson MP said his party will continue with its protest at Stormont if EU rules aren’t removed in the region – saying this threatens Northern Ireland’s place

Sir Keir Starmer said the path to a Labour victory “must run through Scotland” as he urged SNP voters to put their faith in his party in the wake of Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation. Delivering a keynote speech at the Scottish Labour conference in Edinburgh, the Opposition leader also ruled out a deal with whoever succeeds

Penny Mordaunt said Boris Johnson’s Brexit intervention is “helpful” as there is “there’s still a lot to be done” to secure a deal over the Northern Ireland Protocol. In a move that could trigger a new Tory civil war on Brexit, a source close to the former prime minister told Sky News: “His general thinking

Boris Johnson is on collision course with Rishi Sunak over the prime minister’s attempts to reach a deal with Brussels over the Northern Ireland Protocol. The former PM is bitterly opposed to Mr Sunak‘s plans to abandon the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which gives ministers power to rip up parts of the protocol and ignore

Rishi Sunak says Britain and the EU have an understanding on what needs to be done around the Northern Ireland Protocol, but that work still needs to be done. The prime minister spoke about where things stand following his speech at the Munich Security Conference, saying that Britain wanted to have a positive relationship with

Britain and the EU have an understanding on what needs to be done to resolve issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol but a deal is “by no means done”, Rishi Sunak has said. Speaking during a question and answer session after his speech at the Munich Security Conference, the prime minister said Britain wanted to

“Significant progress has been made” to resolve the row over the Northern Ireland protocol and a deal is “very much game on”, Sinn Fein’s leader said.  Speaking after talks with Rishi Sunak, Mary Lou McDonald told reporters: “We have always believed that a deal on the protocol was possible and we’ve always known it was

Candidates are expected to formerly enter the race to replace Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the SNP and first minister today – after the timeline for the contest was unveiled last night. No individual has officially announced their bid to become Ms Sturgeon’s successor at present. But on Thursday, numerous candidates ruled themselves out of

Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation could prompt a major rethink around the SNP’s plans for indyref2, the party’s Westminster leader has suggested. The first minister previously announced her intention to fight the next UK general election as a de facto referendum on independence. Following the decision of the UK Supreme Court that Holyrood could not legislate for

Jeremy Corbyn has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “a flagrant attack on the democratic rights of Islington North Labour Party members” after he ruled out allowing the former party leader to stand as a Labour candidate in the next general election. Earlier today, marking a watchdog’s decision to no longer monitor the party over antisemitism,

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced her resignation, saying the job “takes its toll on you and all around you”. The SNP leader made the shock announcement during a press conference in Edinburgh at her official residence, Bute House. The 52-year-old said it had been “the very best job in the world” and one

The Labour Party had become “an incubator for this poison” of antisemitism under its former leadership, Sir Keir Starmer has said – as he vowed that the changes made to ensure “zero tolerance” are “permanent”. The Labour leader’s party is no longer being monitored by the equalities watchdog after making the changes demanded over its

Brexit and the ensuing political turmoil under the Conservative Party has hindered efforts to attract investment to the UK, a minister has admitted. Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride conceded that creating “frictions” between Britain and the European Union will have had an impact. His comments came after Paul Drechsler, the chairman of the International

A legal firm says it has been instructed to pursue libel proceedings against the deputy chairman of the Conservative Party after he “made defamatory allegations of bribery”. Bindmans LLP said its client, Michael Hollis, considered remarks that Lee Anderson made about a planning application submitted in his name to be defamatory. Mr Hollis’s solicitors said

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak still supports BBC chairman Richard Sharp, despite revelations about the part he played in securing an £800,000 loan for Boris Johnson, his spokesman has said. Mr Sharp took the role in January 2021 after being recommended by then-PM Mr Johnson and having his appointment approved by a committee of MPs. But

Rishi Sunak has been accused of failing to rein in a “culture of lavish spending” across government departments as Labour published details of thousands of purchases over the past two years on taxpayer-funded debit cards. The opposition party’s report on Government Procurement Cards (GPCs) showed 14 departments spent at least £145.5m in 2021 compared with

The BBC chairman’s position is becoming “increasingly untenable” after a committee of MPs found he made “significant errors of judgement” by facilitating a loan guarantee for Boris Johnson, a frontbench Labour MP has said. Lisa Nandy made the remarks on Sky News after it emerged Richard Sharp, who helped Mr Johnson secure an £800,000 loan,

The new Conservative Party chairman has said he believes a Russian spy tried to recruit him over a pint of beer in a London pub. The cabinet minister said he met the man who he now believes was a secret agent at the Seven Stars pub in Fulham, while he had been seeking election as

Tory MPs have stepped up calls for the government to cut taxes after pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca overlooked Britain for a new £320m drug factory. Sir Pascal Soriot, the firm’s chief executive, said it wanted to build a new plant close to its existing sites in northwest England but “because the tax rate was discouraging” chose