Politics

A proposed ban on vaping and smoking in pub gardens will not go ahead, the health secretary has confirmed. Wes Streeting said the Labour government would not press ahead with the idea after it was floated over the summer and caused an outcry within the hospitality industry. Back in August, Sir Keir Starmer said his

The education secretary has said no decision has been made on whether university tuition fees will increase with inflation each year. Bridget Phillipson has announced the maximum cap on tuition fees in England will go up in line with inflation from April 2025. The cost of tuition will increase by £285 to £9,535 next year

Dozens of migrants living in “abhorrent” conditions on the Chagos Islands may now be offered the chance to be transferred to the UK following legal action. Some 61 Tamil Sri Lankan asylum seekers, including 16 children, have been living on Diego Garcia – the largest of the islands in the Indian Ocean – since October

After emerging victorious in the Tory leadership race, Kemi Badenoch has begun to unveil her top team in her new shadow cabinet. Ms Badenoch, who beat Robert Jenrick to become the new Tory leader, has said the party’s first duty would be to hold Labour to account and to prepare for government by the time

Another £75m will go towards “smashing the gangs” as the government beefs up its new Border Security Command unit. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to announce the additional funding as he hosts the Interpol general assembly in Glasgow from today, the first time the UK has hosted it in more than 50 years.

Mayors are set to be one of the big winners in the budget after Sir Keir Starmer personally intervened to ensure they have more freedom to spend cash and boost growth, Sky News understands. England’s dozen metro mayors have been working together to push the prime minister, Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner for more powers

Sir Keir Starmer has downplayed the prominence of reparations for slavery being addressed at a Commonwealth summit, saying “none of the discussions have been about money”. The prime minister, who is in Samoa for the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm), has been facing mounting pressure from leaders of Caribbean nations who want the UK

“Working people.” It’s a fairly broad phrase that’s been banded around a lot this week in light of the budget. Labour actually mentioned the term working people 21 times in their manifesto, so you’d think they would have a pretty concrete idea of who they have in their mind’s eye when pushed on their definition.

Newly elected MPs are struggling to set up offices in their constituencies due to fears for their safety and spiralling rents, Sky News has learnt. Several MPs who spoke to Sky News said they believed landlords were becoming increasingly reluctant to have them as tenants due to the perceived risks that came with the job

Who counts as a working person will matter a lot next week when the new Labour government unveils what is being billed as a historic budget. Sir Keir Starmer used the phrase “working people” repeatedly in the general election as he sought to reassure voters he wasn’t going to raise their taxes. But as this

Commonwealth leaders will agree plans to look at reparations for the slave trade, in defiance of Sir Keir Starmer. The UK prime minister called the transatlantic slave trade “abhorrent” but ruled out reparations as he said countries affected would rather the UK help them with current issues, such as the impact of climate change. His

Sir Keir Starmer has rejected calls for reparations for slavery, saying it would lead to “very long, endless discussions” about the past. The prime minister said while the transatlantic slave trade was “abhorrent”, he believes the countries affected by it would rather the UK help them with contemporary challenges, such as the impact of climate

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted his relationship with Donald Trump has not been jeopardised after the Trump team filed a legal complaint against the Labour Party over its activists travelling to the US to support Kamala Harris in the tightly fought US presidential race. The prime minister said on Tuesday he had “established a good

Russian attacks on the Black Sea is delaying vital aid from reaching Palestinians, Sir Keir Starmer has warned. The prime minister said Vladimir Putin’s actions against Ukrainian port infrastructure are also preventing crucial grain supplies from being delivered to the global south in what he called a threat to global stability. Sir Keir made the

Russian attacks on the Black Sea is delaying vital aid from reaching Palestinians, Sir Keir Starmer has warned. The prime minister said Vladimir Putin’s actions against Ukrainian port infrastructure are also preventing crucial grain supplies from being delivered to the global south in what he called a threat to global stability. Sir Keir made the

Tougher punishments outside prison are being considered as part of a government review into sentencing. The review will be launched on Tuesday by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood in a bid to ease overcrowding in the prison system. Led by former Conservative justice secretary David Gauke, the review will be activated on the same day that

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has admitted NHS reform will not happen straight away and patients will have to wait until next April to see any changes. The government launched a public consultation on Monday, asking members of the public, NHS staff, and experts to share their experiences and ideas to “help fix our NHS”. But

The health secretary has warned of “difficult and big choices” coming in the budget, while refusing to rule out that tax thresholds will be frozen. Wes Streeting told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme the government “can’t fix 14 years in one budget” and there are lots of choices “we will have to

A housing minister has lost her building safety brief after Grenfell survivors complained about her attendance at a conference sponsored by a firm criticised by an inquiry into the deadly fire. Rushanara Ali said she understands that “perception matters” and trusted relationships between the government and the Grenfell community are “essential”. It came after Grenfell

A housing minister has lost her building safety brief after Grenfell survivors complained about her attendance at a conference sponsored by a firm criticised by an inquiry into the deadly fire. Rushanara Ali said she understands that “perception matters” and trusted relationships between the government and the Grenfell community are “essential”. It came after Grenfell