Politics

Boris Johnson is urging humankind to “grow up” and “come of age” at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow this year. The prime minister, in an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, called on world leaders to “recognise the scale of the challenge we face” on climate issues. In a

Boris Johnson has said France should get over its anger at a partnership between the UK, US and Australia that saw the latter pull out of a major contract with Paris for submarines. “What I want to say about that is I just think it’s time for some of our dearest friends around the world

Ministers are considering efforts to join an existing free trade agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada – or to strike a series of mini-deals with America – after Boris Johnson appeared to admit a standalone UK-US free trade deal was not an imminent prospect. On his visit to New York and Washington DC this

Members of a coronavirus campaign group will be able to attend the Conservative Party conference after initially having their application rejected. COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, made up of 4,000 people who have lost a loved one to the virus, hit out after being told its members would not be allowed into next month’s event

Fears remain over the future of a number of UK energy providers due to surging gas costs as it was confirmed the price cap must “remain in place”. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng held a crisis meeting with the industry then announced to the Commons that ministers would not be bailing out energy firms and that

There is “absolutely no question of the lights going out this winter” and the energy price cap will remain in place despite escalating gas prices, the business secretary has said. Kwasi Kwarteng said the cap “protects millions of consumers” and reiterated “the need for us all to prioritise consumers” during crisis talks with industry figures.

Rich countries must do more to help developing nations cut carbon emissions, Boris Johnson will tell other world leaders at a high-level gathering in New York. The prime minister will be hosting the meeting on climate change with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. It is understood the PM is likely to focus on coal, cash

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has challenged his party to “tear down” the Conservatives’ “blue wall” in order to help oust Boris Johnson from Downing Street. In his keynote address at the Liberal Democrat conference on Sunday, Sir Ed said the Tories would only lose power at the next election if his party took

New Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has defended the UK’s “hard-headed” security pact with the US and Australia, amid a deepening diplomatic row with France. The AUKUS deal saw the UK, Australia and the US form a security pact to develop and deploy a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, adding to the Western military presence in

The bonds of friendship between France and the UK, US and Australia have been “tarnished” by the AUKUS pact, and it is now “more difficult than before” for France to trust those countries, the president of the French National Assembly has told Sky News. Richard Ferrand is attending the G7 Speakers’ Conference in Chorley, Lancashire, hosted

Michael Gove’s new levelling up department is being warned not to expect a large injection of new cash in the spending review hours after Boris Johnson called levelling up “our fundamental project”, Sky News understands. Mr Gove‘s department, which covers housing, the Union, local government and elections, will be expected to negotiate its three-year budget

“It’s Howard o’clock” has become a slogan used on swimsuits, t-shirts, bags, mugs, bottles of wine and, even, turned into a monopoly-style drinking game. But while Isle of Man chief minister Howard Quayle might have become an almost cult-like personality during the COVID crisis, he was also working 20 hour days, scrambling to purchase an

Boris Johnson will gather his cabinet later for the first meeting of his top team since the prime minister’s reshuffle. It comes after the PM completed a shake-up of his cabinet that saw a number of high-profile casualties. Dominic Raab was replaced as foreign secretary by Liz Truss and moved to the roles of justice

Dominic Raab will keep playing an “important senior role” in the government despite being moved in Boris Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle, Downing Street has said. Mr Raab was replaced as foreign secretary by Liz Truss and shifted to the justice brief, a move widely seen as a demotion. Live updates as government reshuffle continues Please use

The prime minister is expected to continue his reshuffle on Thursday, concentrating on the lower ministerial ranks, with vaccines minister and schools minister among the roles yet to be filled. Boris Johnson overhauled some of the cabinet’s top positions on Wednesday, sacking education secretary Gavin Williamson and replacing him with vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi. He

Gavin Williamson has been sacked as education secretary in a cabinet reshuffle that has also seen Dominic Raab removed from the Foreign Office. Mr Raab, who had been heavily criticised for his handling of the Afghanistan crisis while foreign secretary, will now become justice secretary and deputy prime minister. He has been replaced as foreign

One thing the prime minister and his scientific advisers clearly agree upon is that when it comes to this winter, nothing should be ruled out. Boris Johnson made a point of explaining the “toolbox” of measures available were varied, and outlined the coronavirus restrictions that could be reintroduced if a “plan B” were needed. This

Lockdowns, mandatory face masks, vaccine certificates, and work from home orders could return this winter as part of a “plan B” to deal with the pandemic, the health secretary has announced. Sajid Javid said if the data shows the NHS is likely to come under “unsustainable pressure” from the COVID-19 pandemic again, the government has

The government has accepted the recommendation from the UK’s chief medical officers that children aged 12 to 15 should be offered a first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine and invitations will start being sent out next week. Making the announcement in the Commons, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “We will now move with the

Boris Johnson has said the government wants to avoid the introduction of COVID vaccine passports in England “if we possibly can”, but added they would be an option to be kept “in reserve”. The prime minister, who will on Tuesday set out his plan to deal with coronavirus during the upcoming autumn and winter months,