Politics

Rishi Sunak has been accused of “funnelling taxpayers’ money to rich Tory shires” after he told party members he had been working to divert funding from “deprived urban areas”. A video obtained by the New Statesman magazine shows the former chancellor telling grassroots Conservatives that he had started changing public funding formulas to ensure more prosperous

Liz Truss has refused a Conservative Party member’s request for her to apologise for proposing to link public sector pay to local living costs – reiterating that the policy was “misrepresented”. On Monday night, the foreign secretary and Tory leadership frontrunner said she would save £8.8bn by introducing regional pay boards instead of national ones

This is the moment that matters. On the advice of the National Cyber Security Centre, an arm of GCHQ, the Conservative party has delayed sending out ballot papers to its members – originally expected last weekend. As a result the next seven days, beginning today, are now crucial to determining the next prime minister of

Sajid Javid has thrown his support behind Liz Truss as the next Conservative Party leader, in what will come as a huge blow to Rishi Sunak. The former health secretary, and ex-leadership hopeful, attacked Mr Sunak’s economic policies as he revealed his choice in The Times this evening. He suggested Mr Sunak’s refusal to cut

The UK Parliament has closed down its TikTok account after MPs raised concerns over allegations the company passes data to the Chinese government. A number of members wrote to the speakers in both the Commons and Lords last week calling for the social media account to be ditched, saying they were “surprised and disappointed” it

Conservative members are facing delays in receiving their postal ballots to vote for who they want to be the party’s next leader due to security fears. In a letter sent to Tory members seen by Sky News, the Conservative Party’s head of membership confirmed postal ballots will arrive “a little later than we originally said”

Liz Truss has U-turned on her latest leadership policy pitch to “wage war on Whitehall waste” after a Tory backlash over its impact on public sector pay. On Monday night, the foreign secretary said she would save £8.8m by introducing regional pay boards instead of national ones to set salaries for civil servants, reflecting where

Former Tory leadership contender Penny Mordaunt has endorsed Liz Truss in the race to be prime minister, in a huge blow to Rishi Sunak. Ms Mordaunt announced her backing for the foreign secretary as she introduced her at the latest Conservative leadership hustings in Exeter, declaring Ms Truss as “the hope candidate” who “knows what

Rishi Sunak is promising a “radical” change if he becomes prime minister by cutting the basic rate of income tax from 20p in the pound to 16p by the end of the next parliament. In his latest pitch to Conservative Party members, the former chancellor claims the 20% reduction would be “one of the most

Rishi Sunak has pledged to introduce a temporary £10 fine for NHS patients who fail to attend a GP appointment as he tries to bridge the gap with Liz Truss in the Tory leadership race. The former chancellor acknowledged he is “playing catch-up” to the foreign secretary in the battle to become the next prime

A retweet by Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, showing Rishi Sunak stabbing Boris Johnson in the back, has been branded “dangerous” by a fellow Conservative MP. The picture has the prime minister and the former chancellor’s faces imposed onto those of Roman leader Julius Caesar and one of the men who conspired against and killed him,

Tom Tugendhat has admitted foreign secretary “would be a fantastic job to do” – but insisted Tory leadership frontrunner Liz Truss has made him no promises. Mr Tugendhat, who also stood as a candidate to take over from Boris Johnson, is the latest senior Tory MP to back Ms Truss over Rishi Sunak. Mr Tugendhat

Summer getaways and weekend plans could be severely disrupted today during a fresh round of rail strikes – with an “amber traffic warning” also in force on the roads. The Aslef union says train drivers at seven rail companies are staging a 24-hour walkout in a dispute over pay, and there are fears millions of

Former Tory leadership contender Tom Tugendhat has endorsed Liz Truss in the race to be prime minister, in a huge blow to Rishi Sunak. Writing in The Times, Mr Tugendhat said that the foreign secretary’s promises of tax cuts are based on “true Conservative principles” and that she can unite the party. He said: “Liz

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has revealed his support for cabinet colleague Liz Truss in the Tory leadership race. Mr Wallace described Ms Truss as “authentic, honest and experienced”, and with having “integrity” for the top job. The defence secretary, who was himself widely tipped to become the next Conservative Party leader before ruling himself out

Rishi Sunak said he would support the return of grammar schools while Liz Truss promised to revive Northern Powerhouse Rail during a wide-ranging hustings event that saw them grilled on everything from Love Island to illegal drugs. After four TV debates with audiences largely made up of floating voters, the leadership hopefuls were finally confronted