Politics

With the Bank of England trying to bring down inflation, interest rates have been raised to 5% – the highest level since April 2008. The government is now urging people to “hold their nerve”, as Rishi Sunak put it. But Britain may be headed for another “summer of discontent”, with one Treasury minister unable to

Disgraced Scottish MP Margaret Ferrier has urged her constituents not to trigger a by-election in a last-ditch attempt to avoid losing her job. The former SNP MP, who is now an independent, was convicted of putting people at risk after travelling by train to a debate at Westminster while suffering from coronavirus in 2020. She

Boris Johnson has been stripped of special access to parliament after MPs endorsed the privileges committee’s report that he lied about parties in Downing Street during the COVID pandemic. MPs voted by 354 to seven to back the report’s findings. A debate was held in the Commons on Monday afternoon asking MPs to consider the

Boris Johnson has dramatically made a double retreat from all-out verbal war with Rishi Sunak over the damning report which concluded he lied to MPs over partygate. First, he has ordered his closest allies in the Commons not to vote against the privileges committee report that proposed a 90-day suspension if he had still been

Boris Johnson has done everything he possibly could to discredit the Privileges Committee’s report on claims that he lied to MPs over partygate. But so far he has met fierce resistance. After declaring war with allegations of a “witch-hunt” and kangaroo court”, his latest attack was directed at committee member Sir Bernard Jenkin, after a

After an explosive weekend, former prime minister Boris Johnson has resigned as an MP, taking supporters Nadine Dorries and Nigel Adams with him in exiting the Commons, with whispers that more may follow. It’s left his successor, Rishi Sunak, with an almighty by-election-related headache, as Westminster rolls towards the summer break. Sir Keir Starmer says

Plans for a giant cruise ship to house asylum seekers near Liverpool have been scrapped after being declined by port officials. A government source has told Sky News the vessel was due to house 500 men seeking asylum in Birkenhead, but that will no longer happen following objections from Peel Ports. Politics Live: Boris Johnson’s

It reads like a declaration of war but in reality, today’s resignation statement matters because Boris Johnson is simply throwing in the towel on his political career. Ever since he was slung out as prime minister, Mr Johnson has been a ghost at the Tory feast. Politics latest: Boris Johnson quits He sucked the oxygen out

Members of the public have been urged to share their experiences of how the coronavirus pandemic affected them to help shape the COVID-19 Inquiry’s recommendations. Every Story Matters aims to aid understanding of the full picture of what happened and what more needs to be done to ensure the UK is better prepared in the

The Chinese embassy has been told running overseas police stations in the UK is “unacceptable” and that “they must not operate in any form”. Security minister Tom Tugendhat has set out the findings of an investigation into claims of unofficial stations being used to monitor dispersed communities and coerce people to return to China. Politics

The chair of the COVID inquiry says it is up to her to decide what evidence is “relevant or potentially relevant” amid a legal row with the government over Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages. Baroness Hallett refused to withdraw her order for the government to hand over unredacted material for her investigation as she formally opened

The Home Office is launching an ad campaign in Albania aimed at deterring people from crossing the English Channel illegally. Posters bear the message that people “face being detained and removed” if they make the journey. The department would not say how much the publicity drive is expected to cost but announced it will also

MPs have voted to suspend COVID rulebreaker Margaret Ferrier from the House of Commons for 30 days. The suspension could now lead to a by-election in the politician’s Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency. Ms Ferrier was ruled to have damaged the reputation of the Commons and put people at risk after taking part in a

Boris Johnson has been referred to the police by the Cabinet Office over new claims he broke COVID lockdown rules. The former prime minister’s ministerial diary has revealed visits by friends to Chequers during the pandemic. The visits to the grace-and-favour residence were highlighted during preparations for a public inquiry into COVID, according to The

MP Margaret Ferrier has lost her appeal against a proposed 30-day ban from the House of Commons over breaching COVID rules. The suspension could now trigger a by-election in her constituency. The Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP was found to have damaged the reputation of the Commons and put people at risk after taking part

China poses “the biggest challenge” to global security, Rishi Sunak has said at the end of a G7 summit. The Prime Minister added: “China poses the biggest challenge of our age to global security and prosperity, they are increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad.” “This is all about de-risking, not de-coupling.” Advertisement

Tony Blair, Labour’s most successful election-winning prime minister, had no doubt that being in government was better than being in opposition. The fundamental difference, he would say, is that in opposition politicians can only talk; in government they can actually do things. As the Conservative Party struggles to improve the state of Britain after their

Boris Johnson considered sending Rishi Sunak a foul-mouthed video after he resigned and triggered his downfall, the former PM’s former director of communications has claimed. Guto Harri, who advised Mr Johnson from February to September last year, said Mr Johnson believed Mr Sunak’s decision to resign last summer was “the great betrayal of all time”,

The BBC “had no concerns” about Richard Sharp’s integrity while he was employed as its chairman, a report from the broadcaster has said. Mr Sharp resigned from his role last month after he failed to reveal his involvement in securing a £800,000 loan for Boris Johnson just weeks before the PM appointed him. A report