Politics

Labour’s Yvette Cooper has refused to say if she supports Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to keep the two-child benefit cap, amid growing party divisions over the issue. The shadow home secretary said that – while the party wanted to address child poverty – “we’ve got to keep saying how we will pay for things”. Sir

The government is set to finish only 32 of its promised new 40 hospitals by 2030 as part of an over-budget and hard-to-deliver scheme, that might result in medical facilities that are “too small”, according to a “damning” report. The National Audit Office (NAO) has completed an investigation into the programme, initiated by the 2019

Tony Blair has said that the NHS is “not serving its purpose” in an exclusive interview with Sky News. Speaking to Sophy Ridge on Sunday, the former PM didn’t mince his words when addressing the current state of the UK’s health service. Asked if he thought the NHS was providing a good standard of service,

The Ministry of Defence must admit its ability to arm the military is broken and urgently needs fixing at a time of growing security threats, a group of MPs has warned. The damning verdict emerged as Ben Wallace, who has overseen the department for the past four years as the longest-serving Conservative defence secretary, revealed

Senior Conservatives are said to be discussing abolishing inheritance tax – at an annual cost of £7billion to the Treasury – in a bid to win over voters ahead of the next election. Downing Street is in talks about whether to scrap the levy in an attempt to shore up votes in so-called “blue wall”

Ben Wallace – the longest-serving Conservative defence secretary – is considering leaving government in an anticipated autumn reshuffle, Sky News understands. It follows a failed UK bid to make Mr Wallace, 53, the next head of NATO and as the prime minister reportedly prepares to refresh his top team ahead of next year’s election. The

Two local councils have won their bid to try and block new asylum centres from opening in their areas. The Home Office announced plans earlier this year for RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire and Wethersfield Airfield in Essex to be used to house people while they awaited for a decision on asylum applications. But West Lindsey

A breakthrough may have been made in attempts to unlock Boris Johnson’s old mobile phone. An ally of the former prime minister has suggested that a “version” of the device’s PIN has been found by the government. The phone was used until May 2021, and likely contains WhatsApp messages related to the ordering of coronavirus

Millions of UK public sector workers, including teachers and doctors, will get pay rises of about 6% after Rishi Sunak decided to accept the recommendations of independent pay review bodies. The bodies had suggested pay rises of between 6% and 6.5% for 2023-24, at a potential cost of £5bn. Mr Sunak met Jeremy Hunt, the

On 20 July, Rishi Sunak could become the first prime minister since Harold Wilson in 1968 to lose three seats at by-elections on the same day. The Conservative Party’s implosion over MP misconduct and whether Boris Johnson lied to parliament has presented election watchers with an intriguing set of contests. Uxbridge and South Ruislip in

The Illegal Migration Bill is heading back to the House of Lords later after MPs voted against almost all of the changes previously proposed by peers. The controversial legislation bans people from claiming asylum if they arrived in the UK illegally, and puts a legal duty on the Home Office to remove them. Tonight the

Rishi Sunak has hinted there will be no tax cuts on offer from the government before the next general election, as his party faces three by-elections next week. A number of Conservative backbenchers have been pushing the prime minister for reductions to a range of levies, including corporation tax, income tax and fuel duty. But

A cabinet minister has cautioned MPs against using parliamentary privilege to name the BBC presenter who has been suspended over allegations he paid a teenager for sexually explicit photographs. Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said the facts appeared to have changed in the last 24 hours and MPs should wait to “see where all

Rishi Sunak will call on the UK’s NATO allies to commit to spending a minimum of 2% of their GDP on defence as he attends an alliance summit in Lithuania. The prime minister will argue the commitment will be crucial to NATO’s ability to deter and defend against the kind of tactics Russian President Vladimir

A Cabinet minister has suggested the BBC presenter who has been suspended for allegedly paying for sexually explicit images of a teenager should only be named once a “full” investigation has taken place. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk agreed there was a “public interest” in the broadcaster being named but said it would not be appropriate

More than 1,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats in just two days, with Friday seeing the highest number of crossings in a single day so far this year. According to the latest Home Office figures, 686 migrants were found crossing the Channel on 13 boats on Friday – the highest number

Monday will mark the sixth meeting between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden – and their seventh encounter in all as both were at official functions for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II last September during the Liz Truss interregnum. The president did not attend the King’s Coronation – that is normal

Friday saw the highest number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the Channel in a single day so far this year. Some 686 migrants made the dangerous journey, according to Home Office figures. The previous daily high for 2023 was recorded on 11 June, when 549 people made the trip. The latest crossings

Former chancellor George Osborne has called in police to investigate alleged online harassment after a so-called “poison pen” email was sent to guests due to attend his wedding this weekend. Friends say the email – which has since been posted online – is part of a “long-term campaign” of abuse in which an individual has

Rishi Sunak was unaware of Home Office emergency break proposals on migration reportedly rejected by his predecessor, No 10 has suggested. The Sun reported the Home Office had drawn up a policy document suggesting ministers could cap entry visas, raise fees and increase salary thresholds as “deliberate frictions” in a bid to meet the Conservatives’