Politics

Greg Hands has said he will not resign as Conservative Party chair despite the government suffering another two by-election defeats in safe Tory seats. Mr Hands said the results in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire – where the Labour Party overturned substantial Tory majorities – were “clearly disappointing”, but blamed low turnout among traditional Conservative voters.

Labour has hailed a “political earthquake” after overturning huge Conservative majorities in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire. Sir Keir Starmer claimed his party was “redrawing the political map” after dealing a double by-election blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – in results viewed as significant markers ahead of a general election next year. The contests were

Asylum seekers have reboarded the Bibby Stockholm barge after they were evacuated when Legionella bacteria was discovered two months ago. The vessel – docked at Portland Port in Dorset – is part of the government’s plans to deal with illegal migration into the UK. The Home Office says using the ship – with a capacity

Rishi Sunak will arrive in Israel on Thursday, commencing a two-day trip to the wider region amid growing concerns the conflict with Hamas could escalate. The prime minister will hold a meeting with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog on Thursday morning, before travelling to a number of other regional capitals in

Polling has opened in two crunch by-elections taking place today in Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth. Voters in the constituencies will have until 10pm to decide who they want to represent them in parliament, following the resignations of Conservative MPs Nadine Dorries and Chris Pincher. Ms Dorries, a key ally of Boris Johnson, officially quit her

Rishi Sunak is set to visit Israel, possibly as soon as Thursday, Sky News understands. The trip could be part of a broader visit to the region, which may include stops in Jordan and Egypt. It follows visits from Germany’s chancellor Olaf Scholz today and US president Joe Biden on Wednesday. And it comes amid

Former Tory minister Peter Bone has been kicked out the parliamentary party after a report found he committed acts of bullying and sexual misconduct. Mr Bone has lost the Conservative whip – meaning he will have to sit as an independent MP. A spokesperson for Chief Whip Simon Hart said: “Following a report by the

A recession is on the horizon and the chancellor “is in a terrible bind” as low growth and high-interest payments on debt mean little room for manoeuvre, according to a respected think tank. The UK economy is stuck between the possibility of low growth and persistently high inflation, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said

Rishi Sunak has raised with Benjamin Netanyahu Israel’s need to minimise the impact on civilians as it prepares to launch an expected ground invasion of Gaza in the aftermath of Hamas’s deadly attack. The prime minister repeated his belief that Israel had “every right to defend itself and its people to ensure that nothing like

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