Politics

Iran’s most senior diplomat has again been summoned by the Foreign Office after a UK-based Iranian broadcaster was forced to move out of the UK due to assassination threats from Tehran. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said he summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires in the UK, Mehdi Hosseini Matin, “to make clear we will not tolerate

The Chinese governor of Xinjiang has pulled out of a trip to London after senior MPs protested over the persecution of Uyghur Muslims in his province. Downing Street confirmed on Monday that Erkin Tuniyaz was set to meet officials in the Foreign Office, saying they would “make clear the UK’s abhorrence to Uyghur people’s treatment”.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak still supports BBC chairman Richard Sharp, despite revelations about the part he played in securing an £800,000 loan for Boris Johnson, his spokesman has said. Mr Sharp took the role in January 2021 after being recommended by then-PM Mr Johnson and having his appointment approved by a committee of MPs. But

As the death toll from the earthquake in Syria and Turkey continues to rise, development minister Andrew Mitchell defends the government’s cuts to the international aid budget as Conservative MP John Redwood calls for tax cuts at home. Plus, SNP MP John Nicolson and member of the DCMS select committee says Richard Sharp’s position is

The corporate vice president of Xbox has told Sky News “there’s no silver bullet” to protect women and minority groups on the internet who experience online harassment and abuse. Dave McCarthy said it takes just one toxic experience on a platform and “your trust in an online space dissipates immediately, as it should”. In an

The tax and benefits system in Scotland is more progressive than elsewhere in Britain, a report has said. The Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank said that, by April, the poorest 10% of Scottish households are set to have incomes £580 (4.6%) per year higher than they would under the system in England and Wales.

Just last week Lee Anderson compared the government to the “band on the Titanic” in a heated WhatsApp exchange about small boat crossings. Now, the outspoken Tory MP for Ashfield in Nottingham has been handed the senior position of deputy party chairman – and the appointment has raised eyebrows. The 56-year-old former miner has a

BBC chairman Richard Sharp has offered no apology for his part in securing an £800,000 loan for Boris Johnson, shortly before being recommended by the former prime minister for his job. Appearing in front of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, the media boss said he regretted the “embarrassment” caused to his employer since

Modern warfare is “accelerating away” from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) due to delays in technology upgrades, MPs have claimed. A new report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the department had been “struggling for years” to update systems, such as those needed by UK warships and satellites, meaning some projects were in danger

Boris Johnson was reportedly told to stop asking Richard Sharp for “advice” about his “personal financial matters” just days before he was announced as the new BBC chairman. Mr Johnson, who was prime minister at the time, was warned by officials to stop discussing his financial arrangements with Mr Sharp on 22 December 2020, according

Richard Sharp has said there was “no conflict of interest” over his role in helping Boris Johnson secure a loan before being appointed BBC chairman. He said he is confident he was given the job “on merit” after an investigation was launched into his hiring. The BBC is also reporting that Mr Sharp has no

The government is giving £5m to 200 grassroots sports organisations in an effort to offer young people in deprived areas a constructive way to spend their spare time. You may be forgiven for assuming this money was part of a Department of Culture, Media and Sport initiative, but it is in fact part of a push from

A plan to ban gay conversion therapy will be brought back by the government and will include the outlawing of trans conversion therapy, the culture secretary has confirmed. The policy had been proposed several times by successive Conservative governments, starting with Theresa May back in 2018. Boris Johnson also supported the move, but after a

Nurses will stage two more strikes next month as the row over pay continues. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has announced its members will walk out on 6 and 7 February. In an escalation of industrial action, more NHS trusts will take part than during the two previous days of industrial action in December.

The High Court has granted an appeal against its own ruling last month that the government’s scheme to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is lawful. The controversial policy was introduced under Boris Johnson, but has been pushed forward by his successors as part of their plans to tackle small boats crossings in the Channel. Campaigners

The foreign secretary has condemned the planned execution of a British-Iranian dual national by Iran, calling it “a politically motivated act by a barbaric regime”. James Cleverly has appealed for the release of Alireza Akbari, a former senior defence official in Iran accused of working for British intelligence. The Iranian judiciary claimed Mr Akbari, who

Nurses have said they will call off strike action later this month if the government discusses pay for this year – but ministers are standing by their refusal not to. Rishi Sunak dodged answering whether talks the government has invited all unions to next week will include discussions about pay for the 2022-23 financial year

To say 2022 was an eventful year in British politics is certainly an understatement. Luckily (or unluckily), politicians gave us some memorable quotes to remind us of all the year’s tumultuous events. From the bizarre to the poignant and the outrageous, here they are: January Boris Johnson: “Categorically nobody told me it was against the

Nurses will continue to strike in January if the government does not negotiate with them on pay, union leader Pat Cullen has told Sky News. Ms Cullen, of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said it was “absolutely not true” that pay is a “tiny element” in the dispute as she hit out at “disparaging”

Police officers have expressed “grave concern” after being told they may be called on to drive ambulances when paramedics go on strike this month. Under national contingency plans, it was understood that military personnel would be drafted in to help drive ambulances when the walkouts go ahead just before Christmas. Now it has emerged that