Politics

As Omicron cases rise rapidly across the UK, Boris Johnson has reportedly been presented with options for further restrictions – including a full lockdown. The prime minister held an unscheduled cabinet meeting on Monday where his senior ministers were presented with Omicron data by chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and England’s chief medical officer

“It’s important if you are running a political party, which I did for almost eleven years and the country for six years, the process of communicating is incredibly important.” That’s what David Cameron told me when I interviewed him for the new Sky documentary Feral Beasts about the relationship between prime ministers and the media.

Dominic Raab has said a lockdown gathering in the garden of 10 Downing Street was a staff meeting because they were “all in suits” – which Sir Keir Starmer has called “a bit of a stretch”. The picture, first published by the Guardian, shows the prime minister, his wife and their then-newborn baby, with 17

Lord Frost has revealed he quit as Brexit minister because he cannot support “coercive” policies on COVID. Speaking for the first time since his resignation, Lord Frost said he had “huge admiration” for Boris Johnson and insisted they never disagreed “in any way about Brexit policy right up to the last day”. The former lead

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will take on Lord Frost’s Brexit responsibilities following his resignation, Downing Street has said. Ms Truss, 46, will become “lead negotiator with the EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol”, Number 10 said in a statement. She will have “ministerial responsibility for the UK’s relationship with the European Union with immediate effect”.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries was removed from a Tory WhatsApp group after defending Boris Johnson during an exchange about the Brexit minister’s resignation. Messages from a 100-strong group called Clean Global Brexit show a discussion among a handful of Tory MPs after a week widely seen as the worst in Mr Johnson’s reign. Theresa Villiers,

Boris Johnson’s Brexit minister has resigned from the cabinet and will depart in the new year. Lord Frost quit in a letter to the prime minister last week, but won’t officially leave until January. Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates reports that Lord Frost goes “on good terms”, but he is unhappy with the

The top civil servant will no longer lead a Whitehall investigation into alleged Christmas parties in Number 10 after he was revealed to have been aware of a separate party in his own office in December last year. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case has removed himself from his role in heading the probe into claims of

The Downing Street Christmas party furore has ended a year of notable political scandals with yet another one. All eyes have been on the Conservatives as 2021 draws to a close, but they were not the only party to have been hit by embarrassing events. But as the party of government for more than 10

Voters in North Shropshire wanted to send “a message” to the Conservatives and “we have heard that loud and clear”, party co-chairman Oliver Dowden has said. His comments came after the Conservatives lost the North Shropshire by-election to the Liberal Democrats in a shock result that puts more pressure on Boris Johnson after a difficult

Boris Johnson has said he takes “personal responsibility” after his Conservative Party lost the North Shropshire by-election in a shock result that has dealt another significant blow to his premiership. Lib Dem candidate Helen Morgan overturned a huge Tory majority to triumph in the contest, which was sparked by the resignation of Owen Paterson amid

Boris Johnson is facing fresh claims of a Downing Street party held during lockdown – this time relating to an event during the first few months of the pandemic – as police have said they still don’t plan to investigate allegations of other Number 10 gatherings. The prime minister is alleged to have joined Number

Voters have begun to cast their ballots in the North Shropshire by-election as they choose a replacement for former Conservative MP Owen Paterson. From 7am this morning to 10pm tonight, voters in the constituency will decide on a new local MP following ex-cabinet minister Mr Paterson’s decision to quit the House of Commons last month.

Britons have been advised not to attend football matches in stadiums and to “prioritise” social events that “that really matter to them” amid the sharp rise in COVID cases. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, both Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, and Dr Nikki Kanani, medical director of primary care for NHS

Grant Shapps has said he believes “with some confidence” that no further COVID restrictions will be required in England before Christmas and that people can enjoy the festive period as planned. The transport secretary told Kay Burley that the government wanted people “to be sensible but to enjoy their Christmas“, noting that increased testing and

When it came, Tuesday night’s rebellion infected every wing of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons. The rebels included one former leader, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, while a second, Theresa May, missed the vote. The chair of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, was in the opposition lobby, with all of the heft

There are currently 10 people in hospital with the Omicron variant of COVID – not 250, as Dominic Raab told Sky News. The deputy prime minister later told the BBC that there were nine people in hospital with the variant. But officials have clarified that Mr Raab “misspoke” on both occasions by getting his figures

There are likely to be 75 Conservative MPs who rebel against the government’s Plan B COVID restrictions, Sky News can reveal. The 75 likely rebels are expected to vote against or abstain from the vote on Wednesday to push through regulations on masks being worn in most indoor places, the work from home mandate and

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing calls to respond to allegations he broke COVID rules by hosting a festive quiz at Downing Street while restrictions were in force. Labour said the prime minister “might have misled” MPs after he told the House of Commons he had been given assurances that social distancing measures were not

The Conservative Party is drifting into authoritarianism, a senior Tory MP has warned, as he confirmed he would oppose new coronavirus restrictions. Former Brexit minister Steve Baker told Sky News he believed at least 60 of his party colleagues at Westminster would join him in voting against the imposition of further COVID-19 measures by Boris