Politics

Tougher sentences for the country’s most serious offenders and a crackdown on grooming have taken centre stage in the first King’s Speech in decades. The King struck a personal note when he began his speech – the first by a king in over 70 years – by acknowledging the “legacy of service and devotion to

The government’s policies for the upcoming year will be unveiled during the King’s Speech on Tuesday, with a pledge to put criminal justice “at the heart” of its plans. The speech – devised by the prime minister, but delivered by King Charles – will include details of a Sentencing Bill to ensure whole life orders

This is King Charles’s first King’s Speech as monarch. This matters to him, not only because he knows the world will be looking to see if he does something differently (he won’t – continuity matters), nor because it could be an opportunity to say something about his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in a new

Rishi Sunak has said the UK’s AI safety summit will “tip the balance in favour of humanity” after governments reached a “landmark agreement” with tech companies to test their models before their release. The prime minister said while the event at Bletchley Park was “only the beginning of the conversation”, it showed there was a

Boris Johnson asked his most senior scientific advisers if blowing a “special hair dryer” up your nose could kill COVID, according to Dominic Cummings. Mr Cummings’s full evidence statement to the COVID inquiry has been revealed, following his blockbuster in-person grilling on Tuesday. In the document, which runs for more than 100 pages, Mr Johnson‘s

Boris Johnson suggested he saw COVID as “nature’s way of dealing with old people” and was “obsessed” with them accepting their fate, the inquiry into the pandemic has heard. During a hearing on Tuesday, notes were shared from the government’s former chief scientist describing a “bonkers set of exchanges”. Sir Patrick Vallance wrote in one

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has described street demonstrations in support of Palestinians as “hate marches”. It comes as five people have been charged after a pro-Palestinian protest took place in London on Saturday – the second weekend in a row during which marches have been held. When questioned about the demonstrations, after an emergency COBRA

Dominic Cummings, Martin Reynolds and Lee Cain are among the former Downing Street employees who will be giving evidence to the COVID Inquiry next week. It forms part of Module 2 of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, which is “examining core UK decision-making and political governance”. Mr Cummings has previously provided bruising testimonies when appearing before

The BBC has defended the appearance of its director general at the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers where anger was expressed over the corporation’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. Tim Davie addressed the committee of Tory MPs this evening in what has been regarded as an unusual move. Speaking to journalists before and after the

A mosque in South Wales that hosted Sir Keir Starmer has apologised for the “hurt and confusion” caused by the visit after a backlash from some within the Muslim community. The South Wales Islamic Centre issued a statement late on Tuesday evening in which it sought to “clarify our stance” following the Labour leader’s visit

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

Boris Johnson’s chief adviser during the coronavirus pandemic, Dominic Cummings, has said he will give evidence to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry later this month. Mr Cummings used his latest Substack post to reveal he had been going through his statement with inquiry lawyers, describing the process as “painful”. “I finally sent it in on Thursday.

Police say two dozen fines will be issued over COVID rule breaches at Conservative campaign headquarters. Several people were filmed dancing at a party organised by Shaun Bailey’s London mayoral campaign team on 14 December 2020. The event at the Tories’ London headquarters was billed as “jingle and mingle” on an invitation. Lord Bailey stepped

A bout of COVID, getting a speeding fine and a young man behind me – unbeknown to me – baring his backside at the camera while I was broadcasting live. These are just some of the perils I’ve encountered covering by-election counts in more than 20 years at Sky News. Mid Bedfordshire, on Thursday, will

Rishi Sunak has been reported to Police Scotland over comments he made about Nicola Sturgeon in his Tory Party conference speech. Chris McEleny, the general secretary of Alba Party, told Sky News he had filed a complaint and asked for an investigation into whether Mr Sunak may have committed contempt of court by mentioning Scotland’s

The government is set to issue new guidance across England to ban mobile phones from schools, Sky News understands. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan will make the announcement later today during the Conservative Party conference, which is being held in Manchester this week. Politics live: Election question momentarily throws Hunt She will recommend the devices are

Boris Johnson has said delaying or scrapping the northern leg of HS2 would be “betraying the north of the country and the whole agenda of levelling up”. The ex-prime minister’s intervention on the eve of the party’s conference comes as Sky News understands the government is set to scrap or delay the Birmingham to Manchester

The Home Office has been ordered to stop work converting a former military base into an accommodation site for asylum seekers, over concerns planning conditions have been breached. West Lindsey District Council has issued the government with an enforcement notice and stop notice in regards to RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. It means work must cease

Ben Wallace has resigned as defence secretary ahead of an expected reshuffle from the prime minister. Mr Wallace had said he would resign from the role the next time Rishi Sunak made changes to his cabinet – ahead of standing down at the next election. Read his resignation letter in full: Dear prime minister, Last

The Home Office is eyeing an expansion of the use of facial recognition software – including potentially within police forces and the security agencies. The department put out a call asking for companies to make suggestions of how they could improve the way in which facial recognition is used by the government. And the market