Politics

David Cameron did not do anything wrong when lobbying for Greensill Capital and “meticulously observed the rules”, the environment secretary has told Sky News. George Eustice also said current rules on lobbying are “pretty good”. Asked about the former prime minister’s conduct, Mr Eustice said: “Has he done anything wrong? Well, on the face of

It will take five years for some hospitals to catch up with the backlog of patient care caused by the coronavirus pandemic, NHS Providers has warned. The trusts in England worst impacted by the crisis are between three and five years away from returning to pre-COVID levels, according to the association. It also claims that

A government adviser became a director of Greensill Capital months after taking on his Cabinet Office role – in the latest link between the now-collapsed finance firm and Whitehall to emerge. David Brierwood, a former employee of the Morgan Stanley investment bank, was appointed as a crown representative by the Cabinet Office under David Cameron’s

The foreign secretary is set to reveal which UK projects around the world will be axed or reduced following a decision to slash foreign aid spending by almost a third, Sky News understands. A statement to parliament was scheduled for this week but had to be postponed because of the death of the Duke of

Whitehall’s spending watchdog has launched an investigation into Greensill Capital’s involvement in government-backed COVID support schemes prior to the firm’s collapse. The National Audit Office (NAO) on Friday announced the latest Westminster inquiry into Greensill, which is at the centre of a lobbying row involving former prime minister David Cameron. In June last year, the

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is being accused of “cronyism at the heart of government” by Labour after it was revealed he has been given shares in a family firm that has done business with the NHS. Mr Hancock has declared in the Commons register of MPs’ interests that he now owns shares in Topwood Ltd,

The chair of the watchdog which exposed how the former government chief commercial officer was able to take a job at Greensill Capital while still working in Whitehall has said he’s “not really come across anything like it before”. Lord Pickles’ Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) revealed how Bill Crothers worked as a part-time

Senior civil servants have been told they have until the end of the week to declare any other jobs they hold outside government. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case said there was “acute concern” at the top of the civil service about issues that have emerged in the David Cameron lobbying affair. On Tuesday, it was revealed

Boris Johnson has told MPs he shares “widespread concern” about the Greensill controversy – and questioned whether “boundaries” between top civil servants and businesses had been “properly understood”. The prime minister faced a repeated quizzing by MPs about the lobbying row that has engulfed his predecessor David Cameron and also dragged in former and current

A senior civil servant worked for Greensill Capital – the financial firm at the centre of the David Cameron lobbying row – while still employed in Whitehall, it has been revealed. Questions have now been asked about why Bill Crothers did not consult a Whitehall watchdog before joining Greensill as a director. He began working

Boris Johnson has warned that the reduction in coronavirus infections, hospitalisations and deaths “has not been achieved” by the rollout of COVID vaccines. The prime minister, speaking the day after the latest easing of lockdown restrictions, instead said it was the national shutdown that had been “overwhelmingly important” in driving down COVID rates. Nearly 40

The target of offering a first COVID vaccine dose to the nine most vulnerable groups by 15 April has been reached, the government has said. Ministers had vowed to offer a COVID-19 jab to all over-50s, the clinically vulnerable and health and social care workers – about 32 million people – by Thursday. The target

Boris Johnson has said Prince Philip “touched the lives of millions” and “made this country a better place” as all the UK’s parliaments were recalled early from the Easter recess to pay tribute to the duke. The House of Commons’ session to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, attended physically by socially distanced MPs,

Former prime minister David Cameron has accepted he should have acted differently over his role in the Greensill lobbying controversy. In his first statement in weeks over the scandal, Mr Cameron insisted he broke “no codes of conduct and no government rules”, but having “reflected on this at length” accepted there were “lessons to be

Election campaigning is to resume this week after being paused as a mark of respect following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer both agreed to the suspension after holding discussions in the wake of Friday’s announcement that Prince Philip had died. The Conservatives and

Boris Johnson has said he will not go to Prince Philip’s funeral, and instead will give up his seat to allow another family member to attend. It comes after Buckingham Palace revealed that only 30 people would be attending the duke’s funeral, in an effort to follow COVID-compliant protocols. A statement from a Downing Street

David Cameron has reportedly told friends it was a mistake to send private text messages to Chancellor Rishi Sunak to help his employer gain access to a coronavirus loan scheme. The former prime minister caused controversy after it emerged he had been trying to secure access for finance company Greensill Capital, which later collapsed and

Grant Shapps has insisted the government is trying to make foreign travel as affordable as possible amid criticism that a testing requirement will drive up holiday costs. The transport secretary also told Sky News that people could now think about booking a break abroad in a change from previous advice as the government unveiled plans

Boris Johnson has praised Prince Philip’s lifelong “ethic of service” as he led political tributes to the Duke of Edinburgh. After Buckingham Palace confirmed the death of the 99-year-old on Friday, politicians across the UK chose to suspend their campaigning ahead of next month’s local elections. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, the prime minister said

The government has refused to confirm whether foreign holidays will be permitted from 17 May – and where Britons will be able to travel without self-isolating on their return. A traffic light system is going to be introduced to categorise countries based on risk, and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says the UK will work with