Politics

The school concrete scandal has prompted Labour to revive its series of controversial attack adverts on Rishi Sunak. A new social media post on Sunday features the prime minister’s face alongside the tagline: “Do you think your child’s school should be safe? Rishi Sunak doesn’t.” It comes as the government continues to investigate the extent

MPs are returning to Westminster on Monday for the rapidly accelerating downhill run to the next general election. Thanks to Boris Johnson’s success in repealing the Fixed Term Parliament Act there is no precise guidance as to when that date with political destiny will be. The next general election could even take place the year

The home secretary has ordered a review into how “political activism” among officers, including actions like taking the knee, is impacting policing. Suella Braverman has commissioned His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary to look into impartiality and written to police chiefs to remind them their “focus should be on tackling crime”. In the letter, she highlighted

The crisis over unsafe concrete in schools may extend beyond the education sector to other types of public buildings, experts have warned. They say the scale of the problem with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is “much bigger than schools” and could include hospitals, police stations, and court buildings. Even private sector sites such as

Not all schools impacted by concrete safety fears have been contacted and it is not clear how many will have to shut fully, a minister has admitted. Schools minister Nick Gibb said in most cases “just a few buildings” or rooms within the affected schools will have to shut but “in some cases it will

Rishi Sunak today sought to put his own stamp on the cabinet, in a way not possible a year ago when he took over.  Yet this reshuffle – which was already in the works in May – took only baby steps towards creating a cabinet truly in Mr Sunak’s image. Even this level of change

The Home Office is eyeing an expansion of the use of facial recognition software – including potentially within police forces and the security agencies. The department put out a call asking for companies to make suggestions of how they could improve the way in which facial recognition is used by the government. And the market

Police officers who are found guilty of gross misconduct will face automatic dismissal under reforms designed to toughen up the disciplinary process following a series of scandals. Chief constables and other senior officers will be given greater powers to sack rogue staff while those who fail vetting checks can also be fired. Under the new

The foreign secretary has landed in China for meetings with senior members of the government as Rishi Sunak comes under pressure at home over how to approach the country. James Cleverly will hold talks with senior Chinese officials – including minister of foreign affairs Wang Yi and vice president Han Zheng – on issues ranging

The housing secretary Michael Gove is planning a major change to rules on waterway pollution in a bid to boost home building in England. The so-called “nutrient neutrality” rules have been criticised by developers and some Tory MPs for blocking much-needed housebuilding. The government hopes the move, which is coming in an amendment to the

Police chiefs have warned the home secretary they must have “operational independence” when deciding how to respond to crime. The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) was responding to Suella Braverman‘s announcement that police forces in England and Wales must investigate every theft as part of a crackdown on crime. The home secretary said it was

“A nightmare. Absolute nightmare. It can’t happen.” Those were the words of a senior NHS Trust leader when I called to break the news of joint action by junior doctors and consultants over four days across England in October. This will effectively bring the NHS to a grinding halt. Christmas-style rotas will be in place

The government is not ruling out using electronic tagging to control migrants who come to the UK illegally. Home Secretary Suella Braverman told Sky News she is willing to use a “range of options” in dealing with migrants who cross the Channel in small boats. It comes after a report in The Times said the

Labour has “no plans for a wealth tax”, the shadow chancellor has said – comments described as “shameful” by a left-wing pressure group. Rachel Reeves has also admitted she will find it difficult to raise taxes at all, should Labour win a majority at next year’s general election. And she confirmed that Labour leader Sir

Labour and the Liberal Democrats hit the campaign trail in Mid Bedfordshire in the hours after Nadine Dorries stood down. The former Conservative culture secretary handed in her resignation yesterday – 11 weeks after she vowed to go – leaving Prime Minister Rishi Sunak facing yet another test in the form of a by-election. In

Nadine Dorries has announced her resignation with a scathing attack on Rishi Sunak, accusing him of “demeaning his office by opening the gates to whip up a public frenzy” against her. The Tory MP for Mid Bedfordshire said on Saturday she had submitted her resignation letter to the prime minister, publishing it in the Mail

Former Conservative minister Nadine Dorries has announced she is resigning, after months of criticism over her absence from the House of Commons. In her resignation letter, the Tory MP accused Rishi Sunak of “demeaning his office by opening the gates to whip up a public frenzy” against her. The letter to the prime minister said:

Rishi Sunak has said the inquiry into the murders carried out by Lucy Letby should be judge-led. The government ordered an inquiry last week after Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others while working as a neonatal nurse. She was sentenced to 14 whole-life orders and will never

Elizabeth Barton arrived in the UK from South Africa in September- one of more than 120,000 people who came from overseas to fill vacancies in the struggling health and care sector in the last year.  “It’s hard to get a job at home,” she told me. “Here I can get a job, the salary’s okay. Back

Asylum seekers who were housed on the Bibby Stockholm barge have claimed the Home Office did not contact them even when some on board showed signs of suspected Legionnaires’ disease. In an open letter to the Home Office, seen by Sky News, one asylum seeker hit out at their treatment from the department, describing their