Politics

Grant Shapps is expected to become the UK’s new defence secretary as the prime minister carries out a reshuffle at the top of government, Sky News understands. Ben Wallace announced last month that he would be leaving the role the next time Rishi Sunak made changes to his cabinet – as well stepping down as

A new law will force criminals to attend their sentencings in court, with the offenders facing longer behind bars if they still refuse to sit in the dock. The government confirmed its plans to introduce the reform on Wednesday, promising to create a new power for judges to make the order. The change will also

The foreign secretary has landed in China for meetings with senior members of the government as Rishi Sunak comes under pressure at home over how to approach the country. James Cleverly is holding talks with senior Chinese officials – including minister of foreign affairs Wang Yi and vice president Han Zheng – on issues ranging

The housing secretary Michael Gove is planning a major change to rules on waterway pollution in a bid to boost home building in England. The so-called “nutrient neutrality” rules have been criticised by developers and some Tory MPs for blocking much-needed housebuilding. The government hopes the move, which is coming in an amendment to the

The transport secretary has apologised for yesterday’s nationwide air traffic control fault – saying issues on this scale “haven’t happened for a decade”. Mark Harper stressed that technical experts have ruled out a cybersecurity incident, with the Civil Aviation Authority set to investigate. “Something on this scale hasn’t happened for almost a decade – normally

GP surgeries will face economic sanctions if they do not provide patients with adequate services if Labour come to power, according to the shadow health secretary. Wes Streeting has told the NHS that the “like it or lump it” approach taken by UK health providers is not acceptable and Labour “will give back patients control

The government is not ruling out using electronic tagging to control migrants who come to the UK illegally. Home Secretary Suella Braverman told Sky News she is willing to use a “range of options” in dealing with migrants who cross the Channel in small boats. It comes after a report in The Times said the

Labour and the Liberal Democrats hit the campaign trail in Mid Bedfordshire in the hours after Nadine Dorries stood down. The former Conservative culture secretary handed in her resignation yesterday – 11 weeks after she vowed to go – leaving Prime Minister Rishi Sunak facing yet another test in the form of a by-election. In

Whole-life prison sentences will become the “default” punishment for “sexual or sadistic” murders, the prime minister has said. Former NHS neo-natal nurse Lucy Letby was told she will never be released on Monday after being convicted of murdering seven babies and trying to kill six others on 18 August. She is only the fourth woman

Former Conservative minister Nadine Dorries has announced she is resigning, after months of criticism over her absence from the House of Commons. In her resignation letter, the Tory MP accused Rishi Sunak of “demeaning his office by opening the gates to whip up a public frenzy” against her. The letter to the prime minister said:

Rishi Sunak has said the inquiry into the murders carried out by Lucy Letby should be judge-led. The government ordered an inquiry last week after Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others while working as a neonatal nurse. She was sentenced to 14 whole-life orders and will never

Asylum seekers who were housed on the Bibby Stockholm barge have claimed the Home Office did not contact them even when some on board showed signs of suspected Legionnaires’ disease. In an open letter to the Home Office, seen by Sky News, one asylum seeker hit out at their treatment from the department, describing their

The taxpayer bill on asylum almost doubled in a year to nearly £4bn as Rishi Sunak said the cost was “unacceptable” and warned the system is under “unsustainable pressure”. Home Office spending on asylum rose by £1.85bn, from £2.12bn in 2021/22 to £3.97bn this year. A decade ago, in 2012/13, the total cost to the

The backlog of asylum cases in the UK has hit a new record high, according to Home Office figures. A total of 175,457 people were waiting for an initial decision on an asylum application in the UK at the end of June 2023, up 44% at the end of June 2022 and the highest figure

Rishi Sunak “inadvertently” broke the code of conduct for MPs by not correctly declaring his wife’s financial interest in a childminding company set to benefit from government support. The parliamentary commissioner for standards, Daniel Greenberg, ruled that Mr Sunak “confused” declaring his interests as a minister with registering his interests as an MP. The inquiry

Kemi Badenoch heads to India this week in the hope of making progress on a trade deal, but government sources played down the prospect of an imminent breakthrough. A source told Sky News that “tricky” issues have not yet been resolved as the talks enter their twelfth round, almost a year after a deadline announced