Politics

Boris Johnson has hit back at Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby over his criticism of sending illegal migrants to Rwanda, claiming the top clergy should be condemning Vladimir Putin instead. In an upbeat speech to Tory MPs after his partygate apology in the Commons, the prime minister said that while bishops attacked the Rwanda deal

A cabinet minister has likened Boris Johnson’s lockdown fixed penalty to a parking fine – ahead of the prime minister facing MPs for the first time since the punishment was issued. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis also told Sky News’ Kay Burley that Mr Johnson had not misled parliament when he initially declared that no

The price of more than a million train tickets will be cut by up to half in April and May as the government seeks to ease cost of living pressures – but commuters will not benefit as only off-peak and advanced tickets are included in the sale. Dubbed the Great British Rail Sale, Transport Secretary

Boris Johnson is preparing to set out his “version of events” on partygate as he faces MPs this week for the first time since being fined as a result of a police investigation. Mr Johnson is expected to update the House of Commons on the affair as parliament resumes following the Easter break – after

New allegations have emerged regarding lockdown parties in Downing Street – with Labour claiming Boris Johnson has “deliberately misled the British people at every turn”. The prime minister has already been fined once for breaking COVID rules on his birthday in 2020, but that is said to be regarded as the least problematic of a

Priti Patel’s top official told her it was “highly uncertain” that sending migrants to Rwanda would reduce attempts to cross the English Channel – the day before the policy was announced. In a letter to the home secretary, dated Wednesday, Matthew Rycroft also said there was “uncertainty” over “value for money”. The permanent secretary at

In our analysis of the government’s new plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, we’ve looked at the moral and legal implications as well as the cost. There is one thing we’ve overlooked, though, and that is how those changes will impact the country which the government says will process “tens of thousands” of asylum

More than a month after the UK’s Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme was launched, thousands of sponsors are still waiting to welcome Ukrainian nationals, amid reports of red tape and bureaucracy in the process. Lynette Protheroe, from Derbyshire, was matched with sisters Yana and Inna and their three children on 20 March but weeks after submitting an

The Home Secretary has issued a “ministerial direction” in relation to the Rwanda asylum plan, overruling concerns from her own civil servants, Sky News understands. Ministerial directions are used when the top civil servant in a department has objected to the costs or feasibility of a spending plan. A Home Office source said: “Home Office

The government hopes it can start sending asylum seekers to Rwanda in a matter of “weeks”, according to Boris Johnson’s policy chief. The UK government is attempting to crack down on Channel crossings by small boats and as part of the plans, the Home Office has signed a “world first” deal with Rwanda to send

Coming two days after the prime minister was fined for breaking his own lockdown rules, today’s eye-catching asylum announcement has been greeted by many as a cynical attempt to change the subject. In reality, this unveiling has been in the offing for a while, with details of the home secretary’s trip to Rwanda pencilled in

The Royal Navy will take over responsibility for tackling people crossing the English Channel from today, Boris Johnson has said as he announced plans plans to fly some migrants to Rwanda. Speaking at an airport in Kent, the prime minister said: “We must ensure that the only route to asylum in the UK is asafe

The government plans to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing in an attempt to tackle small boat crossings in the Channel. Boris Johnson is set to argue action is needed to combat the “vile people smugglers” turning the ocean into a “watery graveyard” in a speech on Thursday. After the prime minister’s speech, Home

More than half of voters think that Boris Johnson should resign as prime minister after he was fined by police over partygate allegations. The prime minister attended his own birthday party in the Cabinet room in Downing Street in June 2020, when the rest of the country was under coronavirus restrictions. On Tuesday, Mr Johnson

Boris Johnson has apologised after being fined by the Met Police for breaking lockdown rules but said he would not resign. The prime minister said: “I have paid the fine and I once again offer a full apology.” Asked if he would quit over the fine, Mr Johnson said: “I want to be able to

Former Tory justice minister Crispin Blunt has retracted his statement questioning the conviction of his MP colleague Imran Ahmad Khan. Mr Blunt also apologised and offered to quit as chair of a parliamentary LGBT+ rights group for his comments after Khan, MP for Wakefield, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2008.

A “bloodthirsty” and “fanatical” terrorist has been found guilty of the murder of MP Sir David Amess. The veteran Conservative politician was stabbed to death during a constituency surgery meeting in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, in October last year. Sir David, who was the MP for Southend West, suffered more than 20 stab wounds in a “vicious

A cabinet minister has said that he would never seek a green card or non-dom status – as he was grilled over Rishi Sunak’s household financial affairs. George Eustice, the environment secretary, was speaking as the chancellor remained in the spotlight over revelations that he held US residency even after he moved into Number 11

The chancellor has written to the prime minister asking him to refer him to the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests to determine whether all his interests were “properly declared”. In a tweet, Rishi Sunak said he had “always followed the rules” and that he hoped the review would “provide further clarity”. In the letter Mr