Politics

“That’s it, folks,” Boris Johnson said, flanked by dozens of his MPs and staff, as he and his wife Carrie left Downing Street for the last time. Jovial and never emotional – that’s not his style – this was (mostly) a more good-humoured affair than his resignation speech in July, which was raw with bitterness

Priti Patel is to resign as home secretary when Liz Truss takes office as prime minister. Writing a letter to Boris Johnson on Monday afternoon, Ms Patel said “it has been the honour of my life to serve our country as home secretary for the last three years”, adding that she will now “champion many

On a prime minister’s first day in office, they are taken into a top secret meeting and asked to make a plan in case of nuclear attack. Kate Fall, David Cameron’s ‘gatekeeper’ and deputy chief of staff, remembers that moment because she was firmly ushered out of the PM’s den: “I was told categorically: ‘No.

Later today, either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak will be crowned victor of the Conservative leadership contest and the country’s next prime minister. It follows a gruelling six-week long campaign which has seen the two leadership hopefuls take part in 12 Conservative hustings across all four nations of the UK. Who will be the next

The home secretary has spelled out to the new Scotland Yard commissioner the vast improvements she is demanding in his force’s culture and performance. Priti Patel writes in a letter to Sir Mark Rowley: ‘It is absolutely vital that trust and confidence is restored and that visible, responsive policing which cuts crime is at the

Thousands of beds in shelters and new supported living accommodation in England will be provided as part of a strategy to end rough sleeping. An extra 14,000 emergency beds for rough sleepers and 3,000 support staff roles will be created this year as part of a three-year £500m plan, according to the Department for Levelling

Voting in the Conservative leadership contest has ended, with the party’s next leader to be announced on Monday. After a long and bitter summer of campaigning, there is nothing more Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak can do to try and win the keys to Number 10. The winner of the race, and subsequently the next

Whether it is Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak who becomes Conservative leader on Monday, they will be the third in six years to become UK prime minister by the grace and favour of the Tory party membership and without the other 99% of the electorate giving their endorsement at a general election. Liz Truss, and

The prime minister’s official jet was used for a “boozy jolly” by civil servants, according to a report. Sky News understands a number of officials joined the 91-minute journey over the UK – and that it took place with “usual catering for a flight”. The Sun newspaper claims that during the 700-mile trip – which

Boris Johnson has given his support to the Sizewell C nuclear power plant in Suffolk, promising £700m of government funding for the project. He confirmed the move during a speech from the site in one of his final acts as prime minister – and amid the rising cost of living crisis – saying he was

Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has told Sky News that nobody should be cut off this winter because they can’t pay their energy bills. In an exclusive interview with Kay Burley, he accused Russia of using energy to divide Western countries, but he insisted the UK must continue to support Ukraine. Mr Zahawi promised there would be

The Queen will receive the new prime minister at her Balmoral estate in Scotland for the first time in her long reign. Her Majesty will meet either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak on 6 September, a day after one of them is announced as the winner in the race for 10 Downing Street. She would

After Tory MPs sprinted through five rounds of voting for a new party leader in just a week, the battle for the votes of party members has already been a six-week marathon. For Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak it’s almost the end of the road as they prepare for the 12th and final Conservative Party

The government’s target to bring gigabit broadband to “every home and business across the UK” by 2025 seems to have been scaled back to reach 85% of the country instead. Boris Johnson made the initial pledge as part of his 2019 manifesto, with £5bn of funding behind the scheme. However, in a press release published

Liz Truss has cancelled a scheduled interview on the BBC with just a week to go before the next Conservative Party leader is announced. A BBC spokesperson said: “Liz Truss has cancelled her BBC One interview with Nick Robinson which was due to air this Tuesday evening (30 August) at 7pm. “Ms Truss’s team say

Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi will travel to the United States this week to meet top bankers and US government officials to try and seek joint solutions to the cost of living crisis. Mr Zahawi is expected to push for co-operation on energy security, financial services and tackling spiralling prices as the government faces growing pressure to

People relying on the state pension could be left with less than £11 a day to live on from next April because of the soaring cost of energy, according to Sky News analysis. A leading charity working with older people said it is “seriously worried” and called on the government to step in urgently. According

Four new bank holidays should be created in the UK to reward a “nation of grafters”, according to a union. Workers in England and Wales typically get eight bank holidays a year – but some European countries have 15, almost twice as much. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is calling for a “national conservation” on

The government’s new plan to crack down on sewage discharge by 2050 has been branded a “cruel joke” and “licence to pump sewage on to our beaches”. The Department for the Environment (DEFRA) said on Friday that water companies will have to deliver £56bn of capital investment over the next 25 years to stop untreated

Pressure is mounting on the government to put forward detailed proposals to curb rocketing gas and electricity prices after energy regulator Ofgem announced the price cap for an average household will rise to £3,549 a year in October. The figure is £800 more than the forecast figure that was provided to Rishi Sunak in May