Politics

Anoosheh Ashoori has revealed Boris Johnson did not respond to any appeals from his family while he was detained, but since his release the prime minister has asked to meet with him.   The 67-year-old British-Iranian was held for five years in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. He was brought back to the UK last week,

Rishi Sunak has said he is “just trying to stay at the crease” and “not get out” when asked by Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby about his leadership ambitions. It was put to the chancellor that Boris Johnson once said, referring to his leadership intentions, that if a ball came loose from the back

Boris Johnson is set to announce a new military support package for Ukraine on Thursday as he meets with NATO and G7 leaders and urges them to “step up” in response to Russian aggression. Calling on the UK’s allies to ensure Ukrainian’s have the means to continue to protect themselves against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s

For all the eye-catching measures from Rishi Sunak in his mini-budget on Wednesday, what most stood out was the strength of the economic headwinds coming our way. For millions of families already feeling the cost of living squeeze, the news was unrelentingly grim. Inflation is set to hit a 40-year high of 8.7% later in

Rishi Sunak is expected to pledge to “stand by” hardworking families and set out further plans to support people with the rising cost of living when he unveils his spring statement on Wednesday. It is understood the chancellor will unveil proposals intended to build “a stronger, more secure economy” as people across the UK face

Energy suppliers are “playing fast and loose” with household direct debit increases and should face a crackdown, personal finance expert Martin Lewis has told MPs. Tariffs have been rising sharply and with the Ofgem price cap due to increase by 54% in April and likely to go up again in October, firms have been asking

A group of Conservative MPs are expected to rebel on a number of the government’s proposed asylum and immigrations reforms today. This afternoon, the Nationality and Borders Bill – which has been branded as “barbaric” by critics – returns to the Commons having been heavily amended by peers in the House of Lords. But ministers

Detectives investigating allegations of breaches of COVID rules in Downing Street and Whitehall have sent questionnaires to more than 100 people as they begin to interview key witnesses. Police are asking the recipients about their participation in the alleged gatherings, with seven days being given for a response. No fixed penalties have been issued so

Boris Johnson is stepping up his bid to reduce UK dependence on oil and gas imports from Russia by holding a summit with nuclear industry bosses. As he attempts to cut household fuel bills by increasing nuclear output after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, he is meeting the industry’s leaders to plot “big bets on

Rishi Sunak has said sanctions against Russia “are not cost free” for British people and he cannot completely protect them “from dififcult times ahead”. The chancellor acknowledged sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine will add to the cost of living crisis ahead of energy bills soaring on 1 April. He told Sky News’ Sophy

Boris Johnson was accused of being a “threat to national security” following reports he was at a Tory party fundraising event on the night Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine. According to The Sunday Times, the prime minister was at a Conservative Party fundraising dinner attended by at least one donor with links to

Vladimir Putin is in “a total panic” about a revolution in Moscow which is why he is trying “so brutally to snuff out the flame of freedom in Ukraine”, Boris Johnson has said. Condemning the “vicious and a barbarian attack on innocent civilians”, the prime minister drew a direct comparison with the actions of the

As the chancellor prepares to deliver the Spring Statement next week, polling suggests confidence in the Conservative Party’s handling of the economy is at its lowest point in more than a decade. Labour’s rating has remained relatively static, with only a slight improvement since Jeremy Corbyn’s time as leader and no sign yet of a

Vladimir Putin sees himself as heir to the brutal Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, Boris Johnson has said. The prime minister also believed the Russian leader’s threat of using nuclear weapons over his invasion of Ukraine is a “complete distraction” and part of his ploy “to get away with it”. The prime minister said he had

The government is reviewing its contracts with P&O after the ferry company’s “wholly unacceptable” and “insensitive” sacking of 800 staff members, a minister has told MPs. Condemning the firm, maritime minister Robert Courts told the House of Commons he was “extremely concerned and frankly angry” at the treatment of workers by P&O. “These are hardworking,

The Defence Secretary has hit out at Russian “dirty tricks” as he revealed how he was forced to terminate a call from an “imposter” claiming to be Ukraine’s prime minister. Posting on Twitter, Ben Wallace wrote: “Today an attempt was made by an imposter claiming to be Ukrainian PM to speak with me. “He posed

Boris Johnson has vowed a further crackdown on oligarchs and the super-rich by promising to curb their abuse of the UK legal system to stifle public criticism. The prime minister has called for an end to the “chilling effect” of elites using the threat of legal action to silence critics. Ministers will take aim at

There is no guarantee sanctioned oligarch Roman Abramovich can return to the UK – and more sanctions will be imposed, the foreign secretary said. Chelsea FC owner Mr Abramovich was in Israel, where he has citizenship, and flew to Moscow via Istanbul on Tuesday after he was sanctioned by the UK last week. Liz Truss

Boris Johnson will hold talks with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as he bids to end the West’s “addiction” to Russian oil and gas. With Vladimir Putin’s increasingly barbaric assault on Ukraine set to enter a third week, the prime minister is visiting the Gulf in a stepping-up of his