Politics

The pups are at the polls once more as voters turn out for local elections with four-legged friends in tow. London mayor Sadiq Khan and his wife Saadiya Ahmed were accompanied by their dog Luna as they voted at St Alban’s Church in south London. Image: Sadiq Khan and his wife Saadiya Ahmed with their

Polls are to open for the local elections across the country, with the added extra of a by-election on the same day. Over 2,600 council seats are up for grabs across 107 councils in England, along with 10 mayoralties in major cities and combined authorities, and 25 London Assembly seats. A total of 37 police

Officers have raided the homes of the first people to be deported to Rwanda. It comes following the recent passing of the Safety of Rwanda Act, which declared the central African nation safe following concerns raised by the Supreme Court last year. A video released by the Home Office showed officers entering homes and bringing

More than 115,000 asylum seekers will be trapped in “permanent limbo” by the end of the year as a result of the government’s flagship Rwanda plan, according to a detailed study by the Refugee Council. The effect of the Rwanda plan will push the already struggling UK asylum system into “meltdown”, the council’s chief executive

The morning after the 2019 general election, Boris Johnson pledged to people in the North East who had voted Conservative for the first time that he and the party would “repay your trust”. That year was the Brexit election, and the Conservatives ultimately won because they and Mr Johnson were trusted to “get Brexit done”

Rishi Sunak warned the world is now “more volatile and dangerous” than at any time since the Cold War, as the prime minister embarked on a trip to Poland and Germany to discuss the threat of expansionist Russia and refocus the world’s eyes back on to Ukraine. Speaking to journalists on the flight over to

The government’s Rwanda bill will finally become law after the Lords decided there would be no further amendments in a late-night session. For weeks, peers have been pushing back on the scheme – which seeks to deport asylum seekers arriving in the UK via small boats to the African nation – and trying to get

“Significant progress” has been made towards a post-Brexit deal for Gibraltar, Spain, the EU and the UK have said. In a joint statement following talks in Brussels, the parties said they had agreed “general political lines” on the territory’s future status and said a final deal could be reached within weeks. Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron

The health secretary has insisted the government “will not criminalise” homeless people, after a large backlash to its proposals for a new law. Ministers are seeking to replace the 200-year-old Vagrancy Act from 1824 – which makes rough sleeping illegal – with its new Criminal Justice Bill, which the government says will instead target “nuisance

The Home Office has promised to close 150 migrant hotels by May after figures showed aid spending on asylum seekers in the UK rose to £4.3bn in 2023. The department said the number of people staying in taxpayer-funded accommodation had dropped from 56,000 in September to fewer than 20,000 people currently as part of a drive

Twelve people have been arrested in connection with a demonstration that saw the Labour Party’s headquarters daubed in red paint. Activists from the Youth Demand Group targeted the Opposition’s headquarters in central London today as it called for an arms embargo on Israel. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “Officers have been deployed in

Oliver Dowden has accused Israel of making “big mistakes” during the conflict in Gaza and insisted the UK government is “holding them to a very high standard”. Speaking to Sky News’ Trevor Phillips on the six month anniversary of the 7 October attacks, the deputy prime minister insisted the UK was not giving Benjamin Netanyahu’s

MP safety has long been a concern in Westminster but the issue is back under the spotlight after conservative MP William Wragg was this week caught up in a “phishing” scandal. The parliament security team insist it takes online safety and security extremely seriously, but MPs are facing cyber attacks that have become more sophisticated

Online comments made by Harry Potter author JK Rowling have not been recorded as a non-crime hate incident, Police Scotland has confirmed. It comes after the force said no further action would be taken over social media posts made by the writer in response to Scotland’s controversial new hate crime laws. A non-crime hate incident

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