Politics

Police in Northern Ireland have said they received a complaint that led to the arrest of former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson over allegations of historical sexual offences in early March. Donaldson resigned over the allegations on Friday. It is understood he will be “strenuously contesting” all charges against him. The Police Service of Northern

Greater Manchester Police has said it is “reassessing” its decision not to investigate allegations made against Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner over her living arrangements after receiving a complaint. The Labour MP has come under the spotlight in recent weeks over the sale of an ex-council house she previously owned in Stockport, having been accused

The Home Office granted 275 certificates of sponsorship for care workers after “forged” documents were used to make an application, a damning report into the department has shown. The probe, by ex-borders and immigration inspector David Neal, claimed the Home Office had a “limited understanding” of the care sector after it was added to the

When David Cameron was prime minister, Oliver Dowden was one of his backroom fixers, first at Tory HQ and then in 10 Downing Street. From his early days as a Tory researcher he’s been known as “Olive” because of an office typo. But it’s a nickname that’s stuck, even now he’s deputy prime minister. Politics

Home Secretary James Cleverly used a private chartered flight to visit Rwanda at a cost of £165,561.53 to the taxpayer, government documents have revealed. The latest transparency data from the Home Office showed Mr Cleverly took the flight in December last year as he headed to Kigali to sign a new treaty with the African

Diane Abbott has said she is “glad” police are investigating alleged racist comments made by Conservative Party donor Frank Hester. The remarks, first reported by the Guardian, were said to have been made by businessman Frank Hester during a company meeting in 2019, where he said Ms Abbott made him “want to hate all black

A government bill centred on deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda has been sent back to MPs after peers rejected it. The Safety of Rwanda Bill had been debated in the House of Lords after their previous changes were dismissed by the Commons earlier this week. In the upper chamber, the government lost seven votes by

Tory MPs trooped purposefully through the voting lobbies on Monday night to knock down all the Lords’ amendments which had threatened to rip the Rwanda bill to shreds. It was without the drama of the last vote in January, when three Tory figures resigned their posts and dozens signed amendments to toughen up the bill.

Diane Abbott has appeared at a rally where she hit out at the “level of racism that is still in Britain”, following a row over comments made about her. Ms Abbott was greeted in Hackney, east London, with cheers and chants of “I stand with Diane” after a Tory donor’s reported offensive remarks. The former

An MP has asked the home secretary to consider introducing sanctions on the irresponsible sale or use of catapults to kill or harm wildlife following a Sky News investigation. The report exposed a UK-wide network in which children – some primary school age – have been sharing footage and photos of their kills in WhatsApp

The first minister of Wales has said Boris Johnson was like the “absent manager” of a football team in the early days of the pandemic. Mark Drakeford criticised the former prime minister during his evidence to the UK COVID public inquiry. He said Mr Johnson was “not taking it seriously” and was deliberately unclear about

Former Conservative deputy chair Lee Anderson has defected to Reform UK, becoming the party’s first MP in the Commons. Mr Anderson, who took the seat of Ashfield in 2019, was kicked out of the parliamentary Conservative Party for refusing to apologise after alleging that London mayor Sadiq Khan was controlled by “Islamists”. And while some

A cabinet minister has apologised and paid damages to an academic after suggesting she had expressed sympathy for Hamas, with the costs covered by her department. Michelle Donelan, the Science Secretary, retracted her comments about Professor Kate Sang and agreed to pay her an undisclosed sum on Tuesday, saying there was “no evidence” that the

Police are “assessing” a report of hate speech made against Lee Anderson following his claim “Islamists” had taken control of London and its mayor, Sadiq Khan, Sky News understands. The Ashfield MP was suspended from the Conservative Party last weekend after he refused to apologise for the remarks, which have been branded as racist by

Polls have now closed in the Rochdale by-election as political parties wait to see who has taken the Greater Manchester seat. The campaign to replace Labour stalwart Sir Tony Lloyd – who died last month from leukaemia – has been fractious, with the Labour Party withdrawing support for its candidate, Azhar Ali, over allegedly antisemitic

Lee Anderson has accused Sadiq Khan of “playing the race card” as he denied being racist following a row that resulted in his suspension as a Tory MP. Mr Anderson used a column in the Daily Express to hit back at accusations of Islamophobia and racism following his comments about London’s mayor. The Ashfield MP,

A cabinet minister has appeared to leave the door open for Lee Anderson to regain the Tory party whip following an attack on Sadiq Khan that resulted in his suspension. Mr Anderson was suspended at the weekend after he refused to apologise for claiming “Islamists” had got “control” over London and that Mr Khan had

Kemi Badenoch is embroiled in another political row after Canada refuted her claim she was engaging with them on trade talks. The country’s high commissioner to the UK, Ralph Goodale, has told MPs that no discussions of any kind are happening. The intervention risks inflaming tensions after Ms Badenoch paused negotiations with Canada on a

The Home Office has fired the chief inspector of borders and immigration who claimed UK Border Force had failed to check the occupants of hundreds of private jets at a London airport. The department said it had “terminated the appointment” of David Neal on the grounds he had “lost the confidence of the home secretary”.

The Home Office is launching an investigation after a baby’s birth certificate was returned to her parents “with the word Israel scribbled out”. The Campaign Against Antisemitism said the certificate was sent off as part of a passport application two weeks ago and returned on Monday with the father’s place of birth defaced. The organisation, which