Politics

Nurses will continue to strike in January if the government does not negotiate with them on pay, union leader Pat Cullen has told Sky News. Ms Cullen, of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said it was “absolutely not true” that pay is a “tiny element” in the dispute as she hit out at “disparaging”

A backbench Conservative MP has failed in an attempt to override international human rights rulings and get the Rwanda deportation scheme up and running again. Jonathan Gullis was said to have the backing of former prime minister Boris Johnson and former home secretary Priti Patel – but the bill he proposed was voted down by

A group of 90 Ukrainian judges will undergo training, provided by the UK, to carry out war crimes trials for Russian soldiers. The first group of judges attended sessions at a secret location in the region last week, and more will follow in the coming months, as part of a £2.5m investment. In her first broadcast

Rishi Sunak has promised to bring in new laws to tackle illegal immigration, saying anyone who comes to the UK illegally will not be allowed to stay. Making a raft of announcements in the Commons, the prime minister said the legislation would be introduced early next year and mean people who do not come to

The “tide is turning” in rail unions when it comes to pay offers on the table, Transport Secretary Mark Harper has claimed. Members of the RMT rejected the latest offer from Network Rail yesterday by 64%. The deal would have included a 5% and 4% pay rise over two years, but meant thousands of job

Talks to avert the nursing strike on Thursday have failed after the union leader behind the action accused Health Secretary Steve Barclay of refusing to discuss pay. In a statement on Monday night, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary Pat Cullen said: “I needed to come out of this meeting with something serious to

Troops are being trained to drive ambulances ahead of strikes as the government holds emergency COBRA meetings to limit disruption while 10 different industries go on strike this week. Over the weekend, government sources said a decision had not yet been made to put in a formal request to the Ministry of Defence but said

The government is “dangerous, reprehensible and irresponsible” for failing to sit down with nurses to try and avert a strike, Labour has said. NHS nurses are due to strike next Thursday and on 20 December in a dispute over pay and patient safety. It is the first time the Royal College of Nursing has staged

The UK will look to form long-lasting partnerships with Latin American, Asian and African countries, the foreign secretary will say next week. James Cleverly will give his first major speech at the Foreign Office on Monday, and will call for alignment with increasingly influential countries in the three regions. This includes states that are not

A formal request for troops to drive ambulances during strike action could be made within days, Sky News understands. After a formal request known as a MACA – or Military Assistance to the Civil Authorities – is made to the Ministry of Defence (MOD), training to drive ambulances would begin. A decision from the Department

He’s done it! It was a low bar to jump over but at least Rishi Sunak has lasted longer as prime minister than Liz Truss. The nation can be reassured that there will not be a fourth prime minister this year, or even a general election before Christmas, as Boris Johnson subjected the country to

Troops have been training at Heathrow and Gatwick airports for passport checking roles ahead of Border Force staff going on strike over Christmas. The Ministry of Defence confirmed to Sky News armed forces personnel arrived at London’s two main airports earlier this week. The PCS union announced on Wednesday that Border Force officers will go

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will launch a major reform of the UK’s financial sector, with plans to rip up red tape and replace a number of EU regulations. Mr Hunt said the changes, to be announced in Edinburgh later, will “turbocharge” growth as the country struggles with a sluggish economy and a cost of living crisis.

People should “think carefully” about going on holiday over the Christmas period after Border Force workers became the latest to announce they would go on strike, the home secretary has said. Suella Braverman has urged people to rethink flying around the festive period as she warned of “undeniable, serious disruption for the many thousands who

Tory MP Julian Knight has had the whip removed after a complaint about him was made to the Metropolitan Police. A spokesperson for the Conservative chief whip, Simon Hart, said the complaint was made to the force on Wednesday evening and he removed the whip “with immediate effect”. It means Mr Knight, who is also

Border Force workers across UK airports and ports will take strike action on key dates in December as their union calls for the government to come back to the negotiating table. Strikes will take place between 23rd and 26th December, and from 28th to 31st December, impacting Birmingham, Cardiff, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow and Manchester airports,

The Speaker of the Lords is set to condemn Labour’s plans to abolish the second chamber, claiming changing it to a fully elected House would “present fundamental challenges”. Sir Keir Starmer announced the plan on Monday – alongside former prime minister Gordon Brown – as the pair insisted a new Labour government would ensure “the

The government has U-turned over its ban on onshore wind by saying turbines could be installed if the projects gain the support of local communities. Onshore windfarms were effectively barred under the leadership of David Cameron when he excluded them from government’s green energy subsidies. And asked during the summer Tory leadership contest what his

“TikTok traffickers” who use social media to advertise small boat crossings to migrants must face criminal penalties, ministers have been told. Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke believes the advertising of Channel crossings on networks such as TikTok and Facebook should be recognised as a crime. Speaking during a Commons debate on the Online Safety Bill, the

Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to abolish the House of Lords in his first term if he is elected prime minister. Speaking to Sky News, the Labour leader confirmed his party “do want to abolish the House of Lords“, adding that he does not think anybody could “defend” the institution. Sir Keir told Kay Burley: