Politics

Labour is calling for an independent inquiry into how a prisoner was able to escape from a London jail while awaiting trial for terror offences. Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, is alleged to have escaped from Wandsworth prison – one of the UK’s largest – under a food truck. Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said

The political thinking behind Sunak’s five pledges Sam Coates Deputy political editor @SamCoatesSky Rishi Sunak announced his five pledges in January 2023 in order to show a decisive change of approach from the chaos of the Boris Johnson and Liz Truss premierships. The pledges, overseen by campaign chief Isaac Levido, were designed to show the

The government has finally published a list of schools identified with collapse-prone concrete after days of mounting pressure. The list published by the Department for Education showed 19 schools where the start of term has had to be delayed as a result of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Four schools had to open remotely while

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has come under fire from colleagues for her “unilateral” decision to determine which school buildings need to close as part of the concrete crisis, Sky News has learned. Ministers elsewhere in Whitehall fear she has opened a “Pandora’s box” by setting a more cautious than necessary standard that could affect a

Schools minister Nick Gibb claimed the government is taking the most proactive approach “in the world” over the concrete crisis following accusations it didn’t heed warnings. Mr Gibb told Sky News he did not accept criticism from the National Audit Office (NAO) that the Department for Education (DfE) was taking a “sticking plaster approach” to

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has defended being on holiday during the summer – despite there being further evidence of the use of unsafe concrete in buildings. Ms Keegan was on holiday in Spain from 25 August to 31 August when she admitted that three new cases of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) emerged – one

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan was caught on camera complaining about not being thanked for doing a “f***ing good job” over the unsafe concrete crisis. After an interview with ITV News in Westminster, she was heard saying other people are “sat on their arses”. She said: “Does anyone ever say ‘You know you’ve done a f***ing

Rishi Sunak will be under increased pressure as MPs return to Westminster on Monday after their summer recess. The prime minister has been accused of presiding over a “zombie parliament” – not just by Labour, as would be expected, but in a parting shot by Nadine Dorries, who has finally vacated her seat of Mid

The chancellor has admitted more schools and other public buildings with structural problems could come to light in the coming weeks. It comes as the government investigates the extent of problems with crumbling concrete. More than 100 schools and colleges have been told by the Department for Education (DfE) to partially or fully shut buildings

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is confident his plan to reduce rising prices is working and will soon ease the financial strain on UK households. Ahead of parliament returning on Monday, Mr Hunt acknowledged that many households across the country are still struggling financially. He emphasised that “sticking to the plan” to reduce inflation is the best

The home secretary has ordered a review into how “political activism” among officers, including actions like taking the knee, is impacting policing. Suella Braverman has commissioned His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary to look into impartiality and written to police chiefs to remind them their “focus should be on tackling crime”. In the letter, she highlighted

Mohamed Al Fayed and “cash for questions” probably did more to bring about the downfall of John Major’s government than any of the other political scandals of the 1990s. It was Al Fayed’s bribery of Tory MPs Neil Hamilton and Tim Smith – in cash stuffed in brown envelopes – and hospitality at his luxury

Not all schools impacted by concrete safety fears have been contacted and it is not clear how many will have to shut fully, a minister has admitted. Schools minister Nick Gibb said in most cases “just a few buildings” or rooms within the affected schools will have to shut but “in some cases it will

Rishi Sunak today sought to put his own stamp on the cabinet, in a way not possible a year ago when he took over.  Yet this reshuffle – which was already in the works in May – took only baby steps towards creating a cabinet truly in Mr Sunak’s image. Even this level of change

School buildings in England made with a certain type of concrete that is prone to collapse will be immediately closed over safety fears, the government has announced. Around 104 schools or “settings” will be disrupted on top of 50 that have already been affected this year. The Department for Education (DfE) said the “vast majority

Police officers who are found guilty of gross misconduct will face automatic dismissal under reforms designed to toughen up the disciplinary process following a series of scandals. Chief constables and other senior officers will be given greater powers to sack rogue staff while those who fail vetting checks can also be fired. Under the new

A new law will force criminals to attend their sentencings in court, with the offenders facing longer behind bars if they still refuse to sit in the dock. The government confirmed its plans to introduce the reform on Wednesday, promising to create a new power for judges to make the order. The change will also

The foreign secretary has landed in China for meetings with senior members of the government as Rishi Sunak comes under pressure at home over how to approach the country. James Cleverly will hold talks with senior Chinese officials – including minister of foreign affairs Wang Yi and vice president Han Zheng – on issues ranging

The transport secretary has apologised for yesterday’s nationwide air traffic control fault – saying issues on this scale “haven’t happened for a decade”. Mark Harper stressed that technical experts have ruled out a cybersecurity incident, with the Civil Aviation Authority set to investigate. “Something on this scale hasn’t happened for almost a decade – normally

Police chiefs have warned the home secretary they must have “operational independence” when deciding how to respond to crime. The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) was responding to Suella Braverman‘s announcement that police forces in England and Wales must investigate every theft as part of a crackdown on crime. The home secretary said it was