Fix ‘broken’ NHS to get more sick people back into work, Starmer tells Sunak

Rishi Sunak should focus on fixing the “broken” NHS and reducing waiting lists if he wants to get more people back into work, Sir Keir Starmer has argued. ]]>

Police must investigate ex-Tory MP over £5,000 ‘ransom’ phone call, say Labour

Sir Keir Starmer has called for the police to investigate Mark Menzies after he lost the Conservative whip while the Tories look into claims he misused campaign funds.]]>

Government ‘should have held votes through the night’ after Rwanda Bill blocked again

Ministers have come under fire for failing to “run votes through the night” as peers blocked Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda Bill for a fourth time on Wednesday, threatening further delays to the first deportation flights.]]>

Leadership hopefuls fail to back Sunak’s smoking ban

Nearly half of Tory MPs, including five leadership hopefuls, failed to support Rishi Sunak’s flagship smoking ban on Tuesday.]]>

US House to vote on Israel and Ukraine aid bills

MPs vote down Rwanda Bill amendments after Government accused of ‘flogging a dead horse’

MPs have rejected all the Lords’ Rwanda Bill amendments, after the Government was accused of “flogging a dead horse” with the policy.

The seven amendments included those that sought to require local authorities to complete age assessments for migrants before their removal, and to exempt Afghan staff who worked alongside the UK armed forces.

The Bill will return to the Lords tomorrow, when it is expected that Labour and crossbench peers may seek to reinstate three or four amendments.

The votes came after Labour’s Stephen Kinnock accused the Government of “flogging a dead horse” over the policy, more than two years after it was first introduced.

MPs also voted to support a proposal put forward by James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, offering an annual report on the impact of the Rwanda Scheme on modern slavery victims.

In the latest round of “parliamentary ping-pong” shadow Home Office minister Mr Kinnock criticised the Government for what he described as “two years of pursuing a policy that is fundamentally unworkable, unaffordable and unlawful”. 

“Two years of flogging this dead horse,” he added.]]>

Starmer refuses three times to say whether Rayner should quit if guilty

Sir Keir Starmer refused three times to say if Angela Rayner should resign as deputy leader of the Labour Party if she is found to have broken the law.]]>

Tory MP apologises after backing Reform’s Lee Anderson

A Conservative MP has been forced to apologise after he appeared to urge voters to back Reform UK’s Lee Anderson at the next election.]]>

Cameron warns US politicians against ‘appeasement’ of Putin’s Russia

Lord Cameron has warned against the “appeasement” of Vladimir Putin and Russia as he stepped up calls for the US to release billions of dollars of new military aid for Ukraine.]]>

Cameron: We need a ‘Plan B’ in case Israel invades Rafah

The West needs a “Plan B” in case Israel presses ahead with an invasion of Rafah, the Foreign Secretary has said.]]>

Scrap net zero drive to fund NHS, says Reform UK leader Richard Tice

Reform UK would scrap the net zero emissions drive and use the money to improve the NHS, Richard Tice said this morning. ]]>

Tory support in ‘Blue Wall’ falls to new low

Support for the Conservative Party in crucial “Blue Wall” seats has fallen to a new low in a fresh set back for Rishi Sunak. ]]>

Sunak must take Israel arms issue ‘very seriously’, says ex-head of British Army

Rishi Sunak must take a warning from hundreds of lawyers about suspending arms sales to Israel “very seriously”, a former head of the British Army has said. ]]>

China and Iran will cheer if Ukraine fails, warns Lord Cameron

China and Iran will “cheer” if the West allows Ukraine to fail and Vladimir Putin to succeed, Lord Cameron has warned.]]>

Sunak confident he can ‘stop the boats’ despite record crossings

Rishi Sunak is still confident he can deliver on his pledge to “stop the boats” despite a record start to 2024 for migrant Channel crossings, Downing Street said. ]]>

Reform support hits record high

Reform UK has hit a new record high in poll support. ]]>

Sunak has failed on small boats pledge, says Reform leader Richard Tice

Richard Tice claimed Rishi Sunak had “failed” on his pledge to stop the boats after Channel crossings for the first three months of 2024 hit a record high. ]]>

Robert Halfon quits as minister and MP quoting Lord of the Rings

Rishi Sunak has suffered a fresh blow after Robert Halfon, the Skills Minister, quit his post and announced he will stand down as an MP at the next election.]]>

‘Feeble’ British sanctions will only embolden China, says Jenrick

Robert Jenrick has said that the “feeble” sanctions against China announced by Oliver Dowden “will only embolden China to continue its aggression towards the UK”.]]>

Farage more popular with 2019 Tory voters than Sunak

Nigel Farage is more popular with 2019 Conservative Party voters than Rishi Sunak, a new poll has found. ]]>

Mordaunt fails to praise Sunak amid leadership speculation

Penny Mordaunt failed to praise Rishi Sunak on Thursday when challenged to confirm her support for the Prime Minister amid speculation about a plot to oust him.]]>

Government suffers clean sweep of seven Rwanda defeats in House of Lords

Rwanda flights are set to be delayed as the Lords inflicted a series of heavy defeats on Rishi Sunak’s landmark legislation, pushing back the passage of his Bill until after Easter.]]>

Jeremy Hunt hints at general election date

Jeremy Hunt has hinted that the next election could be held in October after Rishi Sunak ruled out a vote on May 2.]]>

Sunak set for fresh battle with Lords after MPs vote down Rwanda Bill amendments

Rishi Sunak faces a showdown with the Lords on Wednesday over his Rwanda Bill after he used his Commons majority to reverse their amendments to his flagship legislation.]]>

MPs to vote on watered down Rwanda Bill – watch live

The Government is attempting to block peers from watering down the Rwanda Bill in a series of Commons votes, ahead of the scheme finally becoming law. ]]>

Liz Truss accuses Labour MPs of blocking her transgender law reforms

Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch on Friday accused Labour of using arcane parliamentary procedure to block a debate on transgender reforms.]]>

Sunak insists Tories ‘united’ despite calls to replace him

Rishi Sunak insisted his Conservative Party is “united” despite a call for him to be replaced before the general election and reports of Cabinet ministers discussing his future.]]>

Liz Truss accuses Labour MPs of blocking her transgender law reforms

Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch on Friday accused Labour of using arcane parliamentary procedure to block a debate on transgender reforms.]]>

Sunak insists Tories ‘united’ despite calls to replace him

Rishi Sunak insisted his Conservative Party is “united” despite a call for him to be replaced before the general election and reports of Cabinet ministers discussing his future.]]>

Former Tory chairman joins calls to return £10m donation amid racism row

A former Tory chairman has urged Rishi Sunak to hand back £10 million from the Conservatives’ biggest donor, insisting a racism row over alleged comments about Diane Abbott is an “open and shut” case.]]>

The photo ID you need to vote in UK elections

Biden and Trump to face off in US election rematch

Reform will be ‘significant factor with or without me’ at next election, says Farage

Reform UK will be a “very significant factor” at the next general election “with or without me”, Nigel Farage has said. ]]>

Lee Anderson joining Reform bigger moment than rise of Ukip, Farage says

Lee Anderson joining Reform UK is a bigger moment than the rise of Ukip, Nigel Farage has said.]]>

Tories triggering election in May would be ‘absolutely nuts’, says Osborne

George Osborne said it would be “absolutely nuts” for Rishi Sunak to call a general election in May as he claimed the idea has been considered by No 10. ]]>

Former Tory chairman joins calls to return £10m donation amid racism row

A former Tory chairman has urged Rishi Sunak to hand back £10 million from the Conservatives’ biggest donor, insisting a racism row over alleged comments about Diane Abbott is an “open and shut” case.]]>

The photo ID you need to vote in UK elections

Biden and Trump to face off in US election rematch

Reform will be ‘significant factor with or without me’ at next election, says Farage

Reform UK will be a “very significant factor” at the next general election “with or without me”, Nigel Farage has said. ]]>

Lee Anderson joining Reform bigger moment than rise of Ukip, Farage says

Lee Anderson joining Reform UK is a bigger moment than the rise of Ukip, Nigel Farage has said.]]>

Tories triggering election in May would be ‘absolutely nuts’, says Osborne

George Osborne said it would be “absolutely nuts” for Rishi Sunak to call a general election in May as he claimed the idea has been considered by No 10. ]]>

Sunak refuses to rule out May election

Rishi Sunak refused to rule out a May general election on Thursday, prompting renewed speculation about when he is planning to trigger the vote.]]>

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree selected as Labour candidate for Mid Sussex

Autumn election ‘the working assumption’, says Hunt

An autumn general election is the Government’s “working assumption”, Jeremy Hunt said as he provided the clearest hint to date about when the next national poll would take place.]]>

National Insurance cut sparks talk of May election

Jeremy Hunt is expected to unveil a 2p cut to National Insurance in Wednesday’s Budget in a move that has sparked speculation that an early election could be called.]]>

Trump wins North Dakota ahead of Super Tuesday vote

Government defeated in Lords over Rwanda Bil

The Government has been defeated multiple times in the House of Lords over the Rwanda Bill as peers voted add tougher safeguards to the scheme.]]>

Jeremy Hunt goes to war on ‘immoral’ Whitehall waste

Rishi Sunak latest news: British democracy being targeted by extremists, says PM

Rishi Sunak has warned that extremists are trying to tear Britain apart as he called for the country to come together and “beat this poison”.]]>

Britain’s border protection ‘neither effective nor efficient’

The protection of Britain’s borders and airports is “neither effective nor efficient”, the former immigration inspector has warned, in a series of reports in which he said the Home Office “must do better”.]]>