Politics

Conservative MPs have been told they must be in Westminster on Monday – leading to speculation a new Brexit deal is to be announced. Tory MPs will be on a three-line whip on Monday, meaning all 355 of them must be in parliament for a possible important vote. If they defy the order, they could

King Charles was lined up by Number 10 to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday – just as highly contentious negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol were poised to come to a head. After weeks of fraught talks and growing anger among Tory backbenchers and unionists, a deal between the UK

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has led a minute’s silence from the steps of Downing Street as the UK showed solidarity with Ukraine on the anniversary of the start of the war. Standing alongside Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, and members of the Ukrainian armed forces, Mr Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, observed

Rishi Sunak is to urge fellow world leaders to “move faster” to arm Ukraine’s troops as he leads a minute’s silence on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion. The prime minister is expected to use a G7 meeting on Friday to call on allies to supply longer-range weapons to Ukraine as there is an urgent

Sir Keir Starmer has promised to “give Britain its future back” with a “mission-driven government” as he set out his priorities if he wins power at the next election. The Labour leader set out five goals which will be at the core of his manifesto. They are: Secure the highest sustained growth in the G7

Rishi Sunak is poised to launch a major crackdown on the asylum seeker backlog in the coming days by invalidating applications if they fail to return a new questionnaire within 20 working days, Sky News can reveal. A leaked Home Office letter shows that asylum seekers, who often speak little or no English and have

A senior Tory MP has dampened down the prospect of a Brexit deal on Northern Ireland, telling Sky News the powersharing crisis will not be resolved because the negotiations are “too narrow”. Sir Bernard Jenkin, a veteran Eurosceptic, also suggested there should be a “customs frontier” between the north and south of Ireland to fix

The Royal College of Nursing says it will pause strike action as it is “confident” of agreeing to a pay deal during “intensive talks” with ministers. RCN members in England were set to walk out for 48 hours from 1-3 March, including by emergency departments for the first time, as part of the long-running dispute

A deal to resolve post-Brexit trading issues in Northern Ireland is not likely this week, a minister has suggested. Maria Caulfield told Sky News Rishi Sunak is “working really hard” to fix problems with the contentious Northern Ireland Protocol, amid signs of a possible Tory rebellion. Asked about the prospect of a breakthrough this week

Rishi Sunak says Britain and the EU have an understanding on what needs to be done around the Northern Ireland Protocol, but that work still needs to be done. The prime minister spoke about where things stand following his speech at the Munich Security Conference, saying that Britain wanted to have a positive relationship with

The breakup of the UK is “at stake” if a new deal on post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland is not reached, a senior DUP politician warned. Sammy Wilson MP said his party will continue to refuse to let Stormont sit if EU rules aren’t removed in the region – saying this threatens Northern Ireland’s

Sir Keir Starmer said the path to a Labour victory “must run through Scotland” as he urged SNP voters to put their faith in his party in the wake of Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation. Delivering a keynote speech at the Scottish Labour conference in Edinburgh, the Opposition leader also ruled out a deal with whoever succeeds

Penny Mordaunt said Boris Johnson’s Brexit intervention is “helpful” as there is “there’s still a lot to be done” to secure a deal over the Northern Ireland Protocol. In a move that could trigger a new Tory civil war on Brexit, a source close to the former prime minister told Sky News: “His general thinking

Britain and the EU have an understanding on what needs to be done to resolve issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol but a deal is “by no means done”, Rishi Sunak has said. Speaking during a question and answer session after his speech at the Munich Security Conference, the prime minister said Britain wanted to

Rishi Sunak will urge Western leaders to “double down” on military support for Ukraine, as troops on the front line plead for more weapons. The prime minister is set to tell the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that “advanced, NATO-standard capabilities” are needed to banish Russian forces. UK one of Russia’s ‘main targets’ – Ukraine

“Significant progress has been made” to resolve the row over the Northern Ireland protocol and a deal is “very much game on”, Sinn Fein’s leader said.  Speaking after talks with Rishi Sunak, Mary Lou McDonald told reporters: “We have always believed that a deal on the protocol was possible and we’ve always known it was

Candidates are expected to formally enter the race to replace Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the SNP and first minister today – after the timeline for the contest was unveiled last night. No individual has officially announced their bid to become Ms Sturgeon’s successor at present. But on Thursday, numerous candidates ruled themselves out of

The SNP’s national executive committee has agreed a timetable for members to elect a new leader following Nicola Sturgeon’s shock resignation. Nominations to become Ms Sturgeon‘s successor opened at 11.59pm yesterday evening and will close at midday on Friday 24 February. Once nominations have closed, the ballot will then open at midday on 13 March

The race to replace Nicola Sturgeon as Scotland’s first minister is now under way – with the party meeting to set out the succession timetable later. Sky News’ political correspondent Joe Pike understands the meeting will take place over Zoom at 6.30pm tonight. Ms Sturgeon announced her resignation during a press conference in Edinburgh at

Jeremy Corbyn has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “a flagrant attack on the democratic rights of Islington North Labour Party members” after he ruled out allowing the former party leader to stand as a Labour candidate in the next general election. Earlier today, marking a watchdog’s decision to no longer monitor the party over antisemitism,