Politics

Coming two days after the prime minister was fined for breaking his own lockdown rules, today’s eye-catching asylum announcement has been greeted by many as a cynical attempt to change the subject. In reality, this unveiling has been in the offing for a while, with details of the home secretary’s trip to Rwanda pencilled in

There are “question marks” around the validity of Sajid Javid’s claim to “non-dom” status, according to tax experts. The health secretary previously told The Sunday Times he had held non-domiciled status for six years between 2000 and 2006, which would mean not having to pay UK taxes on his overseas earnings. He said he was

Boris Johnson said he will face the Commons next week to “set the record straight” over his partygate fine – as more of his MPs called on him to quit. The prime minister apologised earlier this week after he was ordered to pay a £50 fixed penalty for attending a birthday gathering in Downing Street

Conservative peer David Wolfson has quit as justice minister over the “scale, context and nature” of breaches of COVID regulations in Downing Street. Lord Wolfson said in a letter to Boris Johnson he was quitting not only over the events themselves, or the prime minister’s “own conduct,” but also “the official response to what took

Despite everything that has happened in the last few days, the official Treasury line is that Rishi Sunak never contemplated resigning and is committed to staying in the UK. Of course one of the complications Mr Sunak faces is that – on a practical level – it would be not as straightforward as it once

Boris Johnson has apologised after being fined by the Met Police for breaking lockdown rules but said he would not resign. The prime minister said: “I have paid the fine and I once again offer a full apology.” Asked if he would quit over the fine, Mr Johnson said: “I want to be able to

The Metropolitan Police has just launched a pair of missiles at the two occupants of Downing Street. All indications from those in government in advance of this moment lead us to believe that the prime minister will almost certainly not be resigning., In fact, he may even decide to try and appeal the fine through

Tory MP Crispin Blunt has been criticised for questioning the conviction of his colleague, Imran Ahmad Khan. Khan, MP for Wakefield, was found guilty on Monday of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2008, and was thrown out of the Tory party following the verdict. But Mr Blunt described the conviction as a “dreadful miscarriage

Ali Harbi Ali had spent years hatching his plot to target an MP before his “cold and calculated” murder of Sir David Amess. The 26-year-old “fanatical terrorist” had researched a number of potential high-profile targets including Michael Gove, Dominic Raab and Sir Keir Starmer, before settling on the MP for Southend West. Prosecutors described the

Former health secretary Matt Hancock is reportedly set to open his home to seven refugees fleeing Ukraine. Mr Hancock, who resigned from the government last June after he admitted breaking COVID rules, told the Sun on Sunday he will house the family – and their four dogs – at his home in Suffolk, under the

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has become the latest Cabinet minister to find his private financial arrangements under scrutiny as he admitted to being a “non-dom” in the past. Mr Javid, who lived and worked in New York and Singapore during his career as a banker at Chase Manhattan and Deutsche Bank, also disclosed that before

Rishi Sunak has admitted holding a US green card while chancellor but his spokesman has insisted all rules have been followed. It follows Sky News reporting earlier that the chancellor and his wife held US green cards – permitting him residence in the country – until more than a year into his time at 11

The home secretary has apologised over the time taken to get a new visa system for Ukrainian refugees up and running – as Labour said new figures on the programme were “scandalous and shameful”. Priti Patel made the comments in a BBC interview recorded ahead of the release of new Home Office data showing just

Rishi Sunak should not be involved in any decision about reforming “non-dom” tax rules given the “clear conflict of interest” presented by his wife’s status, Labour has argued. The party’s shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry stepped up pressure on the chancellor after he described the scrutiny of his multi-millionaire spouse Akshata Murty’s financial affairs as

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been forced to defend his wife’s tax affairs amid criticism her multi-millionaire status puts him out of touch with the current cost of living crisis. Mr Sunak married Akshata, the daughter of the so-called ‘Bill Gates of India’ – Narayana Murty, in 2009 after they met at Stanford University. Her 0.91%

Rishi Sunak has dramatically broken his silence in the row over his wife’s tax affairs, declaring: “To smear my wife to get at me is awful.” In an interview with The Sun, hitting back at attacks by opposition MPs on his multi-millionaire wife, he said: “She loves her country like I love mine.” Mr Sunak

Britain is to step up its development of nuclear power under plans to boost the country’s long term energy security while delivering thousands of jobs and cheaper bills. The government said up to eight reactors could be delivered by 2030 – accelerating the pace from one a decade to one a year – as the

Boris Johnson has said there is a “limit to the amount of taxpayers’ money” that can be used to address rising bills ahead of launching a long-awaited energy strategy. The government will publish its Energy Security Strategy on Thursday to help tackle soaring energy prices and reduce reliance on Russian oil and gas. But Mr

Millions of workers will begin paying higher National Insurance contributions from today as part of a plan to raise billions for the NHS and social care. The 1.25 percentage point increase, first announced last autumn, is being introduced despite pressure for it to be put off given wider cost of living pressures – with energy,

Rishi Sunak has donated more than £100,000 to Winchester College – one of the most expensive private schools in the country, Sky News can reveal.  Mr Sunak has continued to give money to the school, where he was head boy, since becoming chancellor. The money funds bursaries for children whose parents would otherwise not be