Politics

The SNP has called for the two-child benefit cap to be scrapped and for billions more to be put into the NHS as the party pledged to “end 14 years of austerity” during its manifesto launch. Speaking in Edinburgh, First Minister John Swinney claimed his was the only major party arguing for an end to

The general election may be “the last chance” to fix the UK’s “broken renting system”, housing organisations have warned as they called on party leaders to come up with bolder solutions to the crisis. In an open letter to Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer, groups representing tenants said thousands more people “face homelessness, poverty

There’s no faulting the scale of Reform UK’s ambition – but just how much does this really matter?  Their proposed policies come with a spending tag of an eyewatering £141bn a year – some thirty times the size of Labour’s plans, 10 times the amount of additional spending proposed by the Tories and more than

A former Brexit Party candidate is running for Reform UK under a different name, following accusations of Islamophobia in 2019. Dionne Moore Cocozza is now running in Glasgow West as Dionne Moore, using her middle name as a surname. No details on Reform UK’s website link the candidate to the 2019 race. The Reform UK

Nigel Farage has acknowledged Reform UK will not form a government after 4 July – but said the general election campaign is the “first big push” towards the next contest. Launching his party’s offer to the electorate – which he is calling a “contract” rather than a manifesto – Mr Farage said his campaign has

An extra 250,000 children will be hit by the two-child benefit cap next year, rising to an extra half a million by 2029, a leading thinktank has warned. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the number of children who will fall under the cap – which limits child benefits for the first two children

Nigel Farage is “terrorising” the Conservative Party and Rishi Sunak is afraid to take him on, Labour grandee Lord Mandelson has told Sky News. The former cabinet minister and spin-doctor, who masterminded Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide win, argued the job of the Tory leader should be to stand up to Mr Farage and Reform UK

Covering a general election campaign as a journalist can largely be summed up in two words – battle bus. Not too dissimilar to the coaches that rockstars use for their tours, battle buses are the vehicles each political party uses to transport their leaders, candidates, and advisers around the country during the election campaign. Sky’s

People are “really annoyed” the government has not always kept its promises, a Tory minister has said as he acknowledged the election was “tough” after 14 years in power. Speaking to Sky News Johnny Mercer admitted the campaign had been “up and down”, but insisted the polls showing the party lagging behind were not reflected

Even a poll-obsessive like me would have to admit that during election campaigns we often spend too much time focusing on the election ‘horse race’ – who is up and who is down in the polls – on an almost hourly basis. Even in this election, where Labour has been well ahead of the Conservatives

Rishi Sunak has responded to a poll showing Nigel Farage’s Reform party ahead of the Conservatives – saying a vote for the party would “give a blank cheque to Labour”. Speaking to journalists at the G7 summit in Italy, the prime minister said: “We are only halfway through this election, so I’m still fighting very

Let’s party like it’s 1997. That could be the message from Labour’s 2024 general election. Back in ’97, the front cover of Labour’s manifesto showed a full-page photo of a mean and moody-looking Tony Blair. The title then was “New Labour, because Britain deserves better” and the campaign song was D:Ream’s Things Can Only Get

Sir Keir Starmer has promised to “end to the desperate era of gestures and gimmicks” with a “credible” long-term plan from Labour to “rebuild our country”. There were no surprises at the party’s manifesto launch in Manchester, with the leader sticking to the “five missions” for government he set out last year – if they

Whether it was the audience reaction, the overwhelming verdict in a snap poll or simply the crestfallen look of the PM as he battled to defend his record, it was clear which of the two leaders had the more challenging time on Wednesday night. The Battle for Number 10 rigorously ran the rule over Keir

The countdown is almost over. In just a matter of hours, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will answer questions from Beth Rigby and audience members in the Sky News leaders’ special event. The Battle for No 10 will be broadcast live from Grimsby with each leader facing 20 minutes of questions from Sky’s award-winning

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will be interrogated by Sky’s political editor Beth Rigby and members of the public tonight. During The Battle For Number 10, they will talk and be questioned at length about their ambitions, so viewers can understand in detail what their plans are. Mr Sunak

Rishi Sunak has said “now is the time for bold action” as he pledged a £17bn package of tax cuts in the Conservative manifesto. The prime minister has put reductions to national insurance, stamp duty and a tax break for pensioners at the heart of his pitch to voters in a multi-million pound gamble to

The Labour Party has seized on Rishi Sunak’s admission that it has become “harder” to own a home under his government, branding it “damning indictment” of his party’s time in power. In an interview with the BBC, the prime minister said he wanted to make it “easier” for young people to get on the housing

Douglas Ross has announced he is stepping down as leader of the Scottish Conservatives after the 4 July election. It comes following criticism over the deselection of David Duguid as a general election candidate as well as amid reports Mr Ross used Westminster expenses to travel in his role as a football linesman. Mr Ross

The Tory party chairman has refused to answer questions about his selection controversy after he was chosen to stand in a “safe seat” 300 miles away from his former constituency. Richard Holden was chosen to be the Conservatives’ parliamentary candidate in Basildon and Billericay in Essex last week, after being the only candidate on the