Politics

A parliamentary researcher who has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China has said he is “completely innocent”. In a statement released by his lawyers, the man – who they did not name – said: “I feel forced to respond to the media accusations that I am a ‘Chinese spy’. It is wrong that

China should not be described as a “foe” or a “threat” but it should be regarded as a “challenge”, a cabinet minister has said – following allegations a Chinese spy infiltrated parliament. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch said the claims were an “extremely serious concern” but we “shouldn’t be using language that makes people scared”. It

Mick Lynch is. But Sharon Graham isn’t. Yet Mick’s union the RMT isn’t even affiliated to the Labour Party, while Sharon’s Unite is one of the party’s biggest donors. Sir Keir Starmer breezes into blowy Liverpool on day two of the TUC conference to attend the traditional gala dinner for shadow cabinet ministers and the

About 40 prisoners have been moved out of Wandsworth prison after the escape of terror suspect Daniel Khalife. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that inmates were moved “out of an abundance of caution”. Khalife, 21, was arrested on Saturday after 75 hours on the run. Politics Live: Justice

Rishi Sunak says he is confident a trade deal will be struck between the UK and India after meeting with Narendra Modi at the G20 summit. The meeting came as the Indian prime minister said a consensus had been reached on a G20 leaders’ declaration and it has now been adopted. The wording around the

Rishi Sunak has denied his party is preparing for election defeat and insists his team is “fired up” about winning a full term. Asked what his message would be to Tory MPs despondent about the party’s lag in the polls, Mr Sunak said he was “entirely confident we can win the next election”. “I am

The jail from which terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife escaped “really needs closing ultimately”, the chief inspector of prisons has said. Speaking to Sky News’ Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge, Charlie Taylor said there was a “crisis” in large institutions like Wandsworth prison in south London due to a lack of places and staff, and

With his heritage and large extended family in the country, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will receive a warmer welcome than most of the other world leaders arriving in India this weekend for the G20 summit. Unfortunately though, a free trade agreement between the UK and India is not guaranteed any time soon. Last year, India

The UK will rejoin the European Union’s flagship Horizon science programme after two years of absence post-Brexit, the government has confirmed. Number 10 said the UK will join “through a bespoke new agreement with the EU”. A spokesperson added Prime Minister Rishi Sunak secured “improved financial terms of association that are right for the UK

Rishi Sunak has sounded a cautious note about the prospects of signing Britain’s biggest post-Brexit trade deal, saying it is “not a given”. Speaking to reporters as he travelled to the G20 in Delhi, the prime minister said he would “check in” with Narendra Modi about the progress towards a free trade agreement. But he

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has come under fire from colleagues for her “unilateral” decision to determine which school buildings need to close as part of the concrete crisis, Sky News has learned. Ministers elsewhere in Whitehall fear she has opened a “Pandora’s box” by setting a more cautious than necessary standard that could affect a

Labour’s Rachel Reeves has opened up a clear lead over the Conservatives’ Jeremy Hunt when voters are asked who should be the next chancellor of the exchequer, according to an exclusive poll for Sky News. The Labour shadow chancellor is the choice of 21% of voters, according to YouGov, while Jeremy Hunt is judged to

Schools minister Nick Gibb claimed the government is taking the most proactive approach “in the world” over the concrete crisis following accusations it didn’t heed warnings. Mr Gibb told Sky News he did not accept criticism from the National Audit Office (NAO) that the Department for Education (DfE) was taking a “sticking plaster approach” to

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is carrying out a reshuffle of his shadow cabinet as the party prepares for the next general election, expected in 2024. But who has won a promotion in the ranks? Who has been demoted to a lower position? And who is returning to the backbenchers after a stint in a

Cash-strapped schools affected by collapse-risk concrete will not have to pay for repairs out of their budgets, the education secretary has insisted. Gillian Keegan told Sky News there will be no new money to fix the problem, but the costs will be covered by the Department for Education’s existing budget. There has been a growing

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