Politics

Home Office asylum decisions are being overturned by more than half of applicants, as Sky News reveals a convicted sex offender was awarded refugee status after a judge ruled he would be at risk of “mob violence” in Afghanistan. The man, who was convicted of “outraging public decency and exposure” in 2017, was placed on

A group of pro-Palestinian activists have held a protest outside the home of Sir Keir Starmer – a move that has been condemned by the prime minister. The campaigners arrived at the Labour leader’s house to call on him to support an arms embargo on Israel. Their decision to target Sir Keir’s home was criticised

The Tory MP at the heart of a Westminster sexting scandal has stood down from two top Commons posts. William Wragg, the MP for Hazel Grove, has resigned as the chair of the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACA) and vice chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs. Mr Wragg, who

The UK has a “duty” to support Israel “in her hour of need” despite the killing of three British aid workers in Gaza, a government minister has said. A row has been raging over whether the UK should continue to sell arms to the country after the incident last week, with questions over whether Israel

Angela Rayner has “played by the rules” when it comes to her tax affairs, her shadow cabinet colleague has said, amid further claims around her former living arrangements. Labour’s deputy leader has come under the spotlight in recent weeks over the sale of an ex-council house she previously owned in Stockport, having been accused of

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner is facing fresh questions over her tax affairs – and there’s a feeling in Westminster that they will not be the last. It’s the same allegation that keeps popping up around whether she paid enough tax on the sale of her home in Stockport in 2015. She had bought her

No complacency. The dictat from Labour high command is that nothing can be taken for granted – certainly not the 99% likelihood which Sir John Curtice places on Labour forming the next government, after the general election. Victory, even a smashing one, is a possibility however – at least according to stubbornly consistent opinion polls.

The chancellor has praised Tory MP William Wragg for offering a “courageous and fulsome” apology after admitting to The Times that he had shared MPs’ personal phone numbers with someone he met on a dating app. Jeremy Hunt said the news had been a “great cause for concern”. Speaking to reporters in Guildford, he said:

A Conservative MP has said he was targeted in the parliamentary honeytrap sexting scam and was the politician that first alerted police and Commons authorities. Dr Luke Evans, the MP for Bosworth, in Leicestershire, said that he was approached in March by two different numbers on WhatsApp “who purported to know me”. In a video

“Why do politicians never answer the question?” It’s something Beth Rigby, Jess Philips and Ruth Davidson get asked all the time – so this week, they’ve dedicated the whole episode to answering your questions. From why backbenchers ask seemingly pointless questions at PMQs to the importance of Instagram for the next general election – and

Civil servants overseeing arms exports to Israel have requested to “cease work immediately” over fears they could be complicit in war crimes in Gaza. Officials in the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) have raised concerns with senior civil servants that they may be liable if it is deemed Israel has broken international law. Politics

Tens of thousands of people are facing crippling tax demands from HMRC for tax their employers failed to pay. It’s an injustice that has been compared with the Horizon scandal. At least 23 victims have taken – or attempted to take – their own lives. For the first time, two of those who tried to

The UK is breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel, Rishi Sunak has been warned. Three former Supreme Court justices are among over 600 lawyers and academics who have signed a 17-page letter to warn the present situation in Gaza is “catastrophic”. The government has been facing growing calls to suspend arms exports to

Labour could be swept into power with a landslide of more than 400 seats at the next general election, according to the latest YouGov mega poll. The survey of 18,000 people predicts Sir Keir Starmer’s party will gain a parliamentary majority of 154 – almost double what the Conservatives achieved with Boris Johnson in 2019.

The government has no national plan for the defence of the UK or the mobilisation of its people and industry in a war despite renewed threats of conflict, Sky News has learnt. With ministers warning that Britain is moving to a “pre-war world” amid mounting concerns about Russia, China and Iran, it can be revealed

The prime minister has been unable to guarantee a childcare place to everyone that wants one, as the government rolls out its new scheme. Eligible parents and carers of two-year-olds are now entitled to 15 hours of funded childcare per week, as of Monday 1 April, with further extensions planned. The policy was announced in

Rishi Sunak has said people should not be criminalised “for stating simple facts on biology” as he backed author JK Rowling in her criticism of new Scottish hate crime laws. The Harry Potter author, who has become a fierce critic of the Scottish government’s stance on transgender rights, dared police to arrest her as the

A Windrush victim has branded the compensation scheme for victims of the scandal “disgusting”, and suggested the government were waiting for those affected to “die off”. Critics have repeatedly called for the Home Office to be stripped of responsibility for determining and handling payments to victims and said it should be given to an independent

The government’s extended childcare policy is beginning today – but it starts amid warnings of a lack of funding and not enough staff to fulfil the pledge. From today, eligible parents and carers of two-year-olds will be entitled to 15 hours of funded childcare per week. It is the first part of a £8bn package