Politics

Sir Keir Starmer has hailed John Prescott’s “fighting spirit” ahead of the former deputy prime minister’s funeral. Labour grandees, government ministers and MPs, prominent party supporters and trade union leaders are gathering today for the service in Hull Minister. Lord Prescott, who died on 20 November aged 86, was MP for Hull East for 40

Deregulation, streamlining planning decisions, and clamping down on judicial reviews – you might have found much of what Rachel Reeves said on Wednesday a bit dry and abstract. But keep reading, because it is also a very big deal, and years down the track will probably be looked back on – for good or for

The government supports a third runway at Heathrow, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced. The chancellor said there had been “no progress in 80 years” and that a third runway was “badly needed”. She said the airport “connects us to emerging markets all over the world” and its expansion would increase trade opportunities. Ms Reeves said

Sir Keir Starmer has warned the UK has a “cohort of loners who are extreme and need to be factored in” as a leaked Home Office review said the UK should deal with extremism by focusing on concerning behaviours and activity rather than ideologies. The prime minister said his government is “looking carefully where the

Over the last week, Sir Keir Starmer’s government has fired the starting gun on the biggest domestic fight of this parliament on his highest priority issue. Yet it’s a battle this government is far from certain to win, and the manner in which they’ve entered combat makes ultimate success less likely. The outcome matters to

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has brought some “Order! Order!” to ITV’s Emmerdale by playing a cameo role in the hard-hitting TV soap. Proud Lancastrian Sir Lindsay turned up in the fictional Yorkshire Dales village playing a rambler visiting its bar and bistro, wearing a tweed jacket and wellies. Since the long-running soap first broadcast

The Scottish government is scrapping its plans to create a National Care Service. It is an embarrassing but perhaps predictable end to years of ambitious talk about finally coming up with a solution to the social care crisis. In a statement at Holyrood, the government tore up parts of the bill that would require major

Kemi Badenoch has defended blaming “peasants” from “sub-communities” in foreign countries for the grooming gangs crisis. Speaking to Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, she insisted she would not be “shy” when talking about the scandal, which saw a string of child sexual exploitation convictions of men mostly from Pakistani backgrounds. Ms Badenoch told

The government has confirmed retailers selling knives online will require ID to purchase and also on delivery. After it emerged Southport killer Axel Rudakubana bought the knife he used to kill three young girls from Amazon when he was just 17 years old, the government has brought forward planned changes to online knife sales. A

Southport child killer Axel Rudakubana received the second-longest life sentence in English history and the government does not ever want to see him released, Downing Street has said. Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said ministers “share the public’s disgust at [Rudakubana’s] barbaric crimes” but said imposing a whole life order (WLO) was not possible because

The government has hinted it is open to joining a tariff-free trading scheme as part of its plan to “reset” its relationship with Europe. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds suggested that joining the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM) could be acceptable as it “is not a customs union”. Politics latest: Minister ‘hopes’ Southport killer dies in prison The

From shattering the record for most executive orders signed on a first day in office, a bishop imploring him to have mercy on immigrants and LGBTQ+ people, Melania’s hat and Mark Zuckerberg’s wandering eye – the first few days of Trump 2.0 has been not just the talk of the town in Washington DC, but in

A record number of children are living in B&Bs beyond the legal limit as England’s homelessness crisis pushes councils to breaking point. MPs said there is a “dire need” for housing reform, with the lack of affordable homes forcing cash-strapped local authorities to haemorrhage their funds on temporary accommodation. The “crisis situation” means there is

👉Listen to Politics At Jack And Sam’s on your podcast app👈 Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Dan Bloom look at the day ahead in British politics. Today, Sir Keir Starmer is on the NIMBY offensive to boost economic growth, with plans to reduce the number of times people can go to

A peer has claimed ADHD is a “fashionable disorder” and that many diagnosed with the condition are “not that ill or not ill at all”. Baroness Claire Fox, who used to be a member of the Brexit Party, spoke about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a debate in the House of Lords. She said

Sir Keir Starmer is vowing to take on “the NIMBYs” by reducing legal challenges to infrastructure building – with a new approach stopping “newts and bats” from blocking construction. The Labour government has made growth one of its primary targets, with a key plank of this strategy to build new infrastructure like roads and power

It presented Sir Keir Starmer with his first big challenge in office, and the Southport stabbings – followed by riots – look set to colour the early stages of his premiership. He dealt with the immediate aftermath by successfully mobilising the justice system and fast-tracking offenders through it – a throwback to his days as

Former staffers and members of the GMB union have launched an official complaint to the equalities watchdog this week over allegations of institutional sexism and bullying, Sky News understands. In the complaint, which Sky News has seen, the women allege that there is a “pattern of victimisation and harassment against women who speak out” about

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will travel to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos this week to court potential investors in UK growth projects, joining hundreds of political and economic leaders gathering in the Swiss Alps in the shadow of Donald Trump’s inauguration. Ms Reeves will join political leaders including German chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Commission

It was a small signifier – one which could be over-interpreted – but nevertheless provoked angst among some in government at a time when there isn’t universally huge confidence that UK-US political relations are as robust as they should be. On Sunday, the British Embassy in Washington had a bash for members of the incoming