Politics

More brothers and sisters could now be spared the upheaval of being separated when placed into care thanks to increased tax relief for foster parents. The change, announced in the Budget, increases the amount foster carers can earn from £10,000 to £18,140 without needing to pay any tax or National Insurance contributions. After fostering 120

The Labour Party have released a second advert attacking Rishi Sunak just hours after being accused of “gutter politics” for targeting the prime minister personally. Yesterday, the party’s Twitter account released an advert claiming Mr Sunak does not think child sex abusers should go to prison. The tweet on Friday afternoon suggests the prime minister

Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to apologise over a Labour social media post which claimed Rishi Sunak doesn’t think child sex abusers should go to prison. The party has been accused of “gutter politics” and criticised by its own MPs after posting a message on its official Twitter account vowing to “lock up dangerous

Humza Yousaf has admitted the governance of the SNP “was not as it should be”. Scotland’s new first minister also said with the removal of power couple Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell from the top of the party, it would allow an opportunity to “have a different way of doing things”. Mr Yousaf said it

A Conservative MP has been caught indicating he would be willing to break parliamentary lobbying rules for money in an undercover sting operation by The Times. Scott Benton, the MP for Blackpool South, met undercover reporters posing as employees of TAHR Partners, a fake company lobbying to influence government policy, at a central London hotel

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has said convicted criminals should be forced to attend their sentencing in court, after Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s murderer Thomas Cashman refused to face his punishment. New videos of Olivia were released by her family the day after Cashman was sentenced to a minimum of 42 years in prison before parole is considered.

A giant barge could be used to house more than 500 asylum seekers, under controversial plans to reduce the government’s reliance on hotels. The Home Office hopes in the coming days to announce a leasing agreement to use the Bibby Stockholm “floatel” in Portland, Dorset, in what could start a fresh Tory row. Details of

Ministers and shadow cabinet members are claiming up to £3,300 a month to cover rent on a second home, research by Sky News can reveal. MPs are allowed to expense the costs of a second property to either have a base in their constituency or somewhere to stay when they travel to parliament, if their

New strike dates have been announced after teachers from the National Education Union (NEU) overwhelmingly rejected a government pay offer. Some 98% of members who voted rejected the offer, with strikes now scheduled for 27 April and 2 May. The union had called the offer “insulting” and advised members to reject it. It said it

Nicola Sturgeon has said online rumours and the need to seek more privacy was “part of the reason” she resigned. The former SNP leader announced her shock resignation as Scotland’s first minister in February, saying “in my head and in my heart” she knew it was time to step down. But she has now revealed

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has refused to confirm if deportation flights to Rwanda will begin this summer. The policy to deport migrants arriving in the UK on small boats to Rwanda is one of the home secretary’s key pledges. But since the scheme was introduced in April 2022, no flights have taken off due to

The Home Secretary has announced people working with children in England will have a new legal duty to report “signs or suspicions” of child sex abuse. Suella Braverman will announce new measures to beef up child protection on Sunday. Writing for the Mail on Sunday in an article published this evening, Ms Braverman set out

A leaked government report has revealed some teachers are working 60 hours or more a week, with a quarter considering leaving the profession altogether because of the “unacceptable” high workload. The findings from a survey conducted by the Department for Education (DfE), and seen by Sky News, said eight in ten were working upwards of

Conservative MPs defending slim majorities have accused colleagues of “gaming the system” to try and move to safer seats and maximise their chances of keeping their jobs. There is “fury” at the “ultra-confidential” process which will allow some Tories to switch constituencies ahead of the next election. Around 15 parliamentarians have applied to be declared

Labour’s governing body has voted to block Jeremy Corbyn from standing as a Labour candidate at the next general election. Mr Corbyn is already suspended as a Labour MP and sits as an independent following a row over antisemitism. In a statement, he said the decision to block him showed “contempt” for the voters who

Sir Keir Starmer says he is “prepared to be ruthless” to ensure Labour wins the next election, including when it comes to his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn. Earlier this week, Sir Keir put forward a motion to Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), to block Mr Corbyn from running for the party at the

Sir Keir Starmer will promise “lower taxes for working people”, as he launches Labour’s local election campaign on Thursday. Speaking in Swindon, the party leader will try to highlight the different choices a Labour government would make if it was in power – saying he would freeze council tax for a year as a priority.

Voters across much of England will head to the ballot box for local and mayoral elections on 4 May. It will be the first time people in England will have to show photographic identification at voting stations before they can cast their ballot. Sky News takes you through all you need to know about the

Local Tory councils have threatened to take legal action against the government over its plans to house asylum seekers in disused military bases in their areas. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick confirmed the scheme today, saying “thousands” would be accommodated at former RAF sites in Essex and Lincolnshire. But Braintree District Council said it was planning

Kate Forbes has rejected a job offer from Scotland’s new first minister Humza Yousaf and will return to the backbenches after serving in government for almost five years. A senior source told Sky News that Ms Forbes, who narrowly lost the SNP leadership race to Mr Yousaf on Monday, was asked to take on the