Politics

As AI deepfakes cause havoc during other elections, experts warn the UK’s politicians should be prepared. “Just tell me what you had for breakfast”, says Mike Narouei, of ControlAI, recording on his laptop. I speak for around 15 seconds, about my toast, coffee and journey to their offices. Within seconds, I hear my own voice,

The general election campaign has stepped up a gear with both the Conservatives and Labour launching their battle buses. A sizeable coach, emblazoned in party colours and slogans, is a mainstay of the campaign trail dating back decades. The Liberal Democrats launched theirs on Sunday last week. General election latest: Starmer takes pop at Johnson

The Conservatives have pledged to give £20m to 30 towns across the country – a move the Labour Party has branded a “reckless, unfunded commitment”. Rishi Sunak’s party said it would add the towns – many of which are based in the Midlands and north – to its existing long-term plan for towns, increasing the

People caught fly-tipping will get points on their driving licences if the Conservatives win the next general election. Rishi Sunak will make the announcement on Friday as part of his party’s election campaign, promising to crackdown on anti-social behaviour. Other measures will include a new “three strikes and you’re out” system for nuisance social housing

In a Sky News interview after Tory MP Christian Wakeford defected to Labour in 2022, Mark Logan was asked if he planned to join him. At the time, the Northern Ireland-born MP laughed and replied jokingly: “I’m not planning to defect – to the Democratic Unionist Party.” Yet two years later, Mr Logan has indeed

Labour will promise to “get police back out in the community” as they focus their campaigning on tackling crime. Speaking on Thursday, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper will reiterate the party’s pledge to put 13,000 neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs “back on the beat in communities across the country”, saying there will be “guaranteed neighbourhood

On 12 June, Sky News will be hosting an election leaders event in Grimsby – a key marginal seat and one of our Target Towns this election year. The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and the Conservative leader Rishi Sunak have been invited to attend, and we are looking for a live audience to join

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will go head-to-head in their first televised debate of the general election on 4 June. The two leaders will appear on ITV at 9pm for an hour, the channel has announced. “Sunak v Starmer: The ITV Debate” will be moderated by journalist Julie Etchingham and will take place live

The Conservatives will promise to replace “rip-off degrees” with 100,000 apprenticeships each year by the end of the next parliament if they win the general election. The Tories will outline their plans on Wednesday to replace the “worst performing” courses with high-skilled apprenticeships, which they say will provide “more opportunities and greater financial security”. Politics

Police will take no further action against Labour’s Angela Rayner after accusations surrounding her living arrangements in 2010. Officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) launched an investigation into the party’s deputy leader earlier this year, after reports suggested she may have lived primarily at her then-husband’s address in Stockport, despite registering to vote under her

The Conservatives have promised to cut taxes for pensioners by creating a new “age-related” tax-free allowance – dubbed “triple lock plus”. Currently, people can receive £12,570 a year of their pensions before they start paying income tax on them – the same figure as the personal allowance for those who work. But if the party

An MP who is not contesting her seat at the election has quit the Conservative Party after she was suspended for supporting the Reform candidate in her constituency. Lucy Allan, the outgoing MP for Telford, said on X she was supporting Alan Adams, who is standing for the rival Reform Party, to be the next

Suddenly, at election time, political predictions become so much harder and riskier. Everything changes in a campaign, not least the news cycle. That’s my excuse, at any rate, for failing to foresee the announcement of a general election in last week’s Politics at Jack and Sam’s. There were a few clues – and one magisterial

Whether you heard the wet outdoor version of Rishi Sunak’s election campaign launch or the dry indoor one, his message on national security was the same.  “The world is more dangerous than it has been at any point since the end of the Cold War,” he told the small banner-waving crowd bussed in to the

Sir Keir Starmer has defended Labour’s decision to rebrand its package of workers’ rights after a union said the plans had “more holes than Swiss cheese”. Sharon Graham, general secretary of the Unite union, accused the party of watering down its policies after it rebranded “Labour’s new deal for working people” as “Labour’s plan to

The prime minister has joked he avoided catching pneumonia after making his election announcement speech outside Number 10 in the pouring rain. Speaking during a breakfast meeting with ex-servicemen in his constituency of Richmond, North Yorkshire, Rishi Sunak assured concerned local Vicky Rudd of his health, but couldn’t guarantee his suit survived the wet weather.

Rishi Sunak is set to battle it out with Sir Keir Starmer over the economy after a bruising day for the Conservative leader which saw two senior party figures quit as MPs. Michael Gove and Andrea Leadsom both announced on Friday they would not stand in the 4 July general election, bringing the total number

Sir Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of “sounding a bit desperate” after he accused him of chickening out of TV debates. The Labour leader told Sky News that “of course there are going to be TV debates” and they are “part and parcel of the election cycle now”. “I obviously want to spend as

Rishi Sunak is presenting himself as the underdog in this campaign. In many ways it’s remarkable that a prime minister can position like this, but the 20-point poll deficit means he feels he has no alternative. But can he pull it off? He knows the job of the next six weeks is to change minds

Rishi Sunak has admitted Rwanda flights will not take off before the general election – as he denied calling a summer vote because inflation is expected to rise. The prime minister has said for the past few months the first flights removing asylum seekers to the African nation will happen in July. But after calling