Politics

A local council has demanded Nadine Dorries resigns as an MP over their “concerns and frustration at the continuing lack of representation” of her constituents. The former culture secretary announced on 9 June that she was standing down as an MP “with immediate effect”, just ahead of her close ally Boris Johnson’s own exit from

Rishi Sunak was heckled for failing to answer questions over delays to a full compensation scheme for victims of the NHS infected blood scandal. The prime minister’s evidence to the infected blood inquiry was met with groans, jeers and even laughter from those listening. The reaction prompted Sir Brian Langstaff, chair of the inquiry, to

Rishi Sunak is planning to delay energy efficiency targets for rented homes following pressure from landlords about the cost of the improvements. The overhaul is part of a wider review of the government’s environmental policies, which some Tory MPs fear are too expensive and will hurt the party’s chances at the next general election. Politics

As a record breaking heatwave ravages southern Europe, back in a drizzly United Kingdom another debate has fired up – the future of the government’s green agenda. Sparked by its narrow win in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election last week – a battle fought and won by the Conservatives’ opposition to London’s Ultra Low

Cabinet minister Michael Gove says he is going on holiday to a Greek island which is experiencing wildfires – as he insisted the region is “safe”. The housing secretary told Sky News he was heading to Evia – a large island just off the coast of Athens – in “just over a week”. It has

Michael Gove and Rishi Sunak have pledged to see off Conservative rebellions over housebuilding as they lay out their plans to increase homes in the UK. Mr Gove, the housing secretary, was delivering a speech on his plans to increase the number of homes being built in the UK, with the government having previously missed

The “turmoil” at the top of the Tories has led to “slow” progress in tackling Islamophobia within the party, an independent reviewer has said. Boris Johnson launched an inquiry into discrimination within its ranks after the last election in 2019. And in 2021, Professor Swaran Singh published his findings, saying anti-Muslim sentiment “remains a problem”

Developers have accused the government of not doing enough to tackle falling levels of house building, as Michael Gove prepares to unveil plans that he says will boost construction – without spoiling the countryside. In a speech expected on Monday, the levelling up and housing secretary will set out measures aimed at “unblocking the planning

Metro Bank has insisted it is politically neutral after being accused of closing down the Reform UK party’s account because of its support for Brexit. The party’s leader Richard Tice believes Reform has been caught up in the same debanking scandal as his friend and former UKIP leader Nigel Farage and has written to Metro

Labour’s big beasts descended on Nottingham on Saturday for the party’s National Policy Forum (NPF). Alongside the unions and other party representatives, they will hash out what will become the main thrust of their manifesto. The problem is they are doing it in the wake of a by-election that was lost on the back of

Labour’s failure to take Boris Johnson’s former seat is a reminder that “policy matters”, Sir Keir Starmer has said – after the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) by London mayor Sadiq Khan was blamed for the narrow loss. The opposition leader told activists that the Conservatives hanging on to Uxbridge and South

All three leading political parties are turning their attention to next year’s general election after a mixed bag of results from Thursday’s ballot box contests. The Conservatives managed to hold former prime minister Boris Johnson’s seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip overnight, with Rishi Sunak saying the victory showed the next national vote was “not

Holding on to Uxbridge and South Ruislip on Friday morning at least gave Rishi Sunak a life jacket to cling to in the by-election wash-up – a 2-1 defeat rather than a 3-0. Popping up in Uxbridge, the prime minister used his wafer-thin victory (winning Boris Johnson’s old seat by just 495 votes) to insist

Rishi Sunak has criticised the EU for a “regrettable choice of words” after it appeared to endorse the Argentine name for the Falkland Islands. The prime minister’s official spokesman said his view was that it would have been “entirely unacceptable for the EU to question the Falkland Islanders’ right to decide their own future”. A

Polls will open today at 7am for three by-elections across the country, as voters decide who they want to represent them in parliament. The seats of Uxbridge and South Ruislip in west London, Selby and Ainsty in North Yorkshire, and Somerton and Frome in Somerset, will all be up for grabs, with polls closing at

The Conservatives have lost the Somerton and Frome by-election to the Liberal Democrats. The Lib Dem victory comes roughly a year after a similar result in the nearby Tiverton and Honiton by-election. David Warburton stood down as the constituency’s MP last month, but shortly after it was found that an investigation into claims he sexually

Susan Hall has been selected as the Conservative candidate for London mayor. She will face the current mayor, Sadiq Khan, when the next election is held in May 2024. Ms Hall, who has served on the London Assembly since 2017, won the race with 57% of the vote, compared with 43% for her opponent, Mozammel

Selby in Yorkshire, Somerton in the south west and Uxbridge in the London suburbs: from rural to town, from north to south – the three by-elections up this Thursday will tell a bigger story of the state of our politics, with records up for grabs. In these three seats – and the prospect of at

The risk from terrorism is “rising”, Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said. The cabinet minister was speaking as the government published a review of its counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST, which has been updated for the first time in five years. Ms Braverman said: “We now face a domestic terrorist threat which is less predictable, harder to

A Tory MP has demanded to see safety reports for a barge that the government plans to use to house asylum seekers. The Bibby Stockholm – which will accommodate 500 people waiting for decisions on their applications – departed from Cornwall today to head to its new dock at Portland Port in Dorset. But Chris