Politics

A former Labour councillor has been charged with encouraging violent disorder. Ricky Jones, 57, was filmed addressing a crowd at a London demonstration on Wednesday evening, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Jaswant Narwal, chief crown prosecutor for CPS London North, said: “Jones was filmed addressing a crowd… during which he appeared to make remarks and

The chancellor has confirmed she is considering plans to consolidate local government pension schemes and use their £360bn of resources to invest in the economy. Rachel Reeves said she was interested in following the example of Canada, where pension funds are used to invest heavily in infrastructure projects to help drive growth. It comes after Sky News

Humza Yousaf, the former first minister of Scotland, has revealed the recent days of violent riots have left him unsure whether his family has a future in the UK. Mr Yousaf – the first ethnic minority leader of a devolved government and the first Muslim to lead a major UK party when he became SNP

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has called accusations of two-tier policing “complete nonsense” – and said they are putting officers at risk. Sir Mark condemned the claims saying: “It’s complete nonsense. We operate independently under the law without fear or favour. “They are putting them at risk by suggesting that any of those officers

A newly elected Labour MP has apologised after a series of offensive tweets from more than a decade ago resurfaced. Lauren Edwards, who last month ousted the Tories in Rochester and Strood, said she had made a “significant error of judgement” which she “deeply regrets”. Politics Live: Starmer vows not to ‘let up’ on rioters

A sharp rise in families living in temporary accommodation has prompted calls from English councils for the government to deal with the homelessness crisis. The total number of people living in temporary accommodation across England rose by 12.3% to a record 117,450 households in the year up to March 2024, the latest government data shows.

Thousands of anti-racism protesters gathered across England and formed human barriers to protect asylum centres after police warned of more than 100 far-right-led rallies on Wednesday night. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson speaks to Tawhid Islam, a trustee at the Liverpool Region Mosque Network, who we spoke to on the last episode, after

Number 10 will be breathing a huge sigh of relief this morning as the nation wakes up not to images of burned down buildings and looted shops, but community solidarity and peaceful protest. It appears that Sir Keir Starmer’s plan has worked. Swift arrests, speedy prosecutions, and the threat of being charged with terrorism offences.

The government’s policing minister has warned there is intelligence more protests could happen in the next few days after concerns about violence last night did not materialise. Dame Diana Johnson said: “I am cautious about what happened last night. “It’s good that we didn’t see the level of disorder and criminality on our streets that

A suspended Labour councillor has been arrested after allegedly telling a protest that fascists needed to have their throats cut. Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrest in a tweet which included the original video of Ricky Jones, a local councillor in Dartford in Kent, appearing to make the comments. The force said: “Officers have arrested a

Sir Keir Starmer has told police chiefs to remain “on high alert” after anticipation of more disorder largely failing to materialise on Wednesday. The prime minister is understood to have told an emergency COBRA meeting that the levels of policing and swift justice in response to the past week’s unrest has “undoubtedly” worked as a

Family doctors in England have voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking collective action for the first time in 60 years. It means GPs will be able to pick and choose from a menu of actions set out by the British Medical Association (BMA). This disruption could potentially see GPs limit the number of patients they

A police unit will be set up to tackle violent disorder across the country after rioting by far-right groups in the wake of the Southport stabbings, the prime minister has announced. Sir Keir Starmer said he would not allow a “breakdown of law and order on our streets” following violent scenes in Southport, Hartlepool and

Sir Keir Starmer is holding an emergency meeting with senior police leaders following violent protests in the wake of the Southport stabbings. The prime minister will offer the government’s full backing to emergency service workers following outbreaks of violence in Southport, London, Hartlepool and Manchester this week. Sir Keir will meet senior police leaders on

Labour has pulled £1.3bn of investment in tech and AI projects promised by the Tories. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said the funding committed by the previous Conservative administration was not allocated in its budget and so will not proceed. It included £800m for the creation of a next-generation exascale supercomputer at

Robert Jenrick thinks the Tories can win at the next election – but he added the party has a “mountain to climb” and must show “where we went wrong”. The former immigration minister will formally launch his campaign for the Conservative leadership on Friday. He will say the Tories need to undergo “serious changes” to

The cost of putting homeless people in temporary accommodation has soared by 25% for London councils in the past year as landlords sell up or choose private tenants, Sky News can reveal. Some councils in the capital are facing potential bankruptcy as the growing demand for homelessness services alongside increasing accommodation costs has meant local

A senior Labour politician who lost their seat in a shock result on election night has hinted at a future to return to parliament. Jonathan Ashworth, the former Labour MP for Leicester South who was defeated by an independent candidate, told Beth Rigby’s Electoral Dysfunction podcast that he was “still around” and “not going anywhere”.

The culture secretary has said BBC newsreader Huw Edwards should return his salary after he admitted accessing indecent images of children. Edwards was paid £200,000 after he was arrested in November while he was suspended by the broadcaster up until he resigned in April on medical advice. On Wednesday, the 62-year-old BBC veteran pleaded guilty