Politics

Rishi Sunak is set to reiterate the UK’s total condemnation of Hamas’s attack on Israel during an address to MPs later. Before making a statement in the Commons, the prime minister is expected to make a visit this morning to demonstrate the government’s continued support for the Jewish community and zero-tolerance for antisemitic abuse. It

The SNP will not use the next general election as a de facto independence referendum, in a shift away from the strategy employed by Nicola Sturgeon. Instead, the party has used its annual conference in Aberdeen to state that, should it win a majority of Scottish seats at the general election expected next year, it

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has insisted the UK will maintain support for Britons trapped in Gaza, as he said it was proving “incredibly difficult” to open the Rafah border crossing into Egypt. Speaking to Sky News’ Trevor Phillips On Sunday Morning programme, the cabinet minister also said that 10 was “not an unreasonable estimate” for

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has condemned Hamas’s “evil” attack on Israel one week on from the group’s surprise raids. In an unprecedented incursion, Hamas took hostages and killed civilians last weekend. In the week since, Israel has retaliated by bombing Gaza, from where the militants launched the attack. Civilians have been caught up in the

The UK could be complicit in war crimes in Gaza and could face legal action if it does not do more to “restrain” Israel, Tory MP Crispin Blunt has warned. The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) – of which Mr Blunt is co-director – announced it has written a notice of intention to

As first minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf sets many of the rules by which millions of Scots live their lives. But when I interviewed him in Glasgow on Friday ahead of the Scottish National Party’s annual conference, what I saw before me was a husband and father who felt “powerless” to protect his family. There

The UK will send RAF aircraft and Royal Navy ships to carry out surveillance over Israel in a show of support following the Hamas incursion over the weekend. RAF aircraft will begin patrols in the next 24 hours while two ships will be sent to the eastern Mediterranean. A Royal Navy task group will be

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is urging the UK to draw on the experience of the Northern Ireland peace process and encourage talks between Israelis and Palestinians. In an exclusive interview, ahead of his party‘s conference, he also told Sky News that if the government fails to address Unionist concerns about post-Brexit trading arrangements, it

Convicted criminals could avoid jail from next week because prisons are full, according to reports. The Times reported that Lord Edis, the senior presiding judge for England and Wales, has said that from next week the sentencing of criminals who are on bail should be delayed. Some prisoners may also be released early under proposals

Waving a Palestinian flag on British streets “may not be legitimate” if it is done to show support for acts of terrorism, the home secretary has told police chiefs. In a letter to chief constables across England and Wales, Suella Braverman urged officers to use the “full force of the law” against shows of support

It was a leader’s speech received with such defining and raucous applause that Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria, having exited the stage, came back for an encore. You probably never thought of Starmer as a rockstar politician, but in that hall this cautious, steady lawyer had undoubtedly electrified his crowd. It was, shadow

A protester threw glitter over Sir Keir Starmer at the start of his speech to the Labour conference in a serious security breach. The Opposition leader was being applauded by delegates when an activist in a suit and T-shirt stormed the stage. The protester shouted “true democracy is citizen-led, politics needs an update” – prompting

Sir Keir Starmer has pledged a “Britain built to last” with a new generation of towns in a major pitch to the nation about why he should be the next prime minister. Delivering a keynote speech at the annual party conference in Liverpool, the Labour leader promised to build 1.5 million homes by reforming the

Two of Westminster’s best-connected journalists – Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Jack Blanchard – provide the essential guide to politics in the week ahead. They look to what’s in store at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool – including how Sir Keir Starmer will lay out his priorities ahead of a general election –

Labour has been warned against being “too timid” and “limping into Number 10” by the head of its biggest donor on the eve of the party’s conference in Liverpool. Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, said she wanted the party to resemble the reforming Labour government of 1945 led by Clement Attlee in the

When Labour last met in Liverpool for its annual conference, Liz Truss had just delivered her mini-Budget, sterling had fallen to a 37-year low and the markets were about to be plunged into turmoil. With her government imploding and weeks after the Johnson collapse, Labour were on a high. Sir Keir Starmer had clocked up

Labour rallies in Scotland have been far from headline news for a very long time.  Their political sparkle fizzled out in the wake of the independence referendum in 2014 as an electoral punishment for teaming up with the Conservatives in a bitterly bruising campaign. Opponents have repeatedly poked fun at Labour’s failures at the polls,

This Labour Party conference will feel different. Unlike the Conservatives, they don’t need a big comeback moment to save them from dire polling, nor are there peacocking leadership hopefuls waiting in the wings (or at least, there is no looming vacancy). Instead, particularly after the massive win in the Rutherglen by-election, this is a party

Angela Rayner is set to become the UK’s deputy prime minister if Labour wins the next general election.  With Labour’s annual conference starting this weekend, here’s what you need to know about the party’s deputy leader – from her early life and career in politics to the abuse and controversy she has faced. Early life

Labour sources at the Rutherglen and Hamilton West count were either playing a game with us about the scale of their party’s victory or were genuinely surprised. Early on at the count, they said they thought the swing from the SNP to Labour would be 7% to 8%, suggesting a gain of 15 to 22