Politics

A Conservative former minister has become the first Tory MP to publicly call for Nadhim Zahawi to stand down as party chairman. Caroline Nokes said there are “too many unanswered questions” over the former chancellor’s multi-million pound tax dispute and that he is “leading too many front pages”. “When you become the story it’s a

Rishi Sunak has ordered an investigation into Nadhim Zahawi as he resisted calls to sack the Tory party chairman over his multimillion-pound tax dispute. The prime minister asked new ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus on Monday to assess whether the cabinet minister breached the ministerial code with the HMRC settlement he made while he was

An investigation will be launched into the appointment of the BBC chairman following reports he helped Boris Johnson secure a loan. William Shawcross, the Commissioner for Public Appointments, said he would review the competition which led to Richard Sharp’s appointment while Mr Johnson was prime minister. He made the announcement in response to a request

Nadhim Zahawi settled his tax issue with HMRC while he was serving as chancellor, a government source has told Sky News. Questions about the now Tory chairman’s deal with tax authorities have continued, even after he released a statement to “address some of the confusion about my finances”. On Saturday he admitted he paid what

Labour is calling for an investigation into the BBC appointment process for its chair following “sleaze” claims. The man currently in the top role, Richard Sharp, allegedly helped Boris Johnson secure a loan guarantee before being recommended for the job. Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell has written to the Commissioner for Public Appointments, William Shawcross

The Labour Party has reported Boris Johnson to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. It comes after allegations BBC chairman Richard Sharp helped the former prime minister to arrange a guarantee on a loan of up to £800,000 just weeks before he was selected for his current job. Anneliese Dodds, the Labour chair, has written again

Nadhim Zahawi says his tax error was found to be “careless and not deliberate” after Labour called for him to be sacked over his finances. The Tory chairman and cabinet member released a statement saying he wanted to “address some of the confusion” about his finances. He said his father took founder shares in YouGov

Rishi Sunak has been branded a “total liability” and “hapless” as he faced a backlash for being fined for a second time, with police handing him a fixed penalty notice over not wearing a seatbelt. Lancashire Police issued the notice after the prime minister appeared without a belt in a clip on Instagram as he

Labour has called on Rishi Sunak to dismiss Nadhim Zahawi from his cabinet after questions over the Tory chairman’s tax affairs remain unanswered. Questions have swirled following an article in The Sun on Sunday, which claimed a seven-figure payment was made by Mr Zahawi to end a dispute with the taxman “after scrutiny of his

The police have said they are “looking into the matter” after the prime minister was caught on camera not wearing a seatbelt. Rishi Sunak admitted a “brief error of judgement” after appearing beltless in a clip on Instagram as he promoted his levelling-up funding in Lancashire. Downing Street said: “That was a brief error of

Rishi Sunak has apologised for making a “brief error of judgement” after being caught on video not wearing a seatbelt. A Downing Street spokesman said: “That was a brief error of judgement. The PM removed his seatbelt to film a small clip. He fully accepts this was a mistake and apologises about it.” “The prime

Rishi Sunak has announced that more than £2bn will be invested in over 100 projects across the UK through the levelling up fund – with £19m going to his own constituency. Reinforcing his commitment to levelling up the country, the prime minister promised the latest round of funding would “build a future of optimism” by

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called on Rishi Sunak to apologise for the “lethal chaos” in the NHS. He made the demand during Prime Minister’s Questions, saying Mr Sunak should “stop blaming others and take some responsibility”. But the PM said Labour should get behind his anti-strike legislation to ensure minimum service levels when

Thousands of nurses will go on strike today as a bitter pay dispute with the government continues. Nursing staff from more than 55 NHS trusts will take part in industrial action on Wednesday and Thursday following two days of action in December. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has announced that two further, bigger strikes

The education secretary has criticised a teaching union for planning to go on strike, telling Sky News: “Our children don’t deserve it.” Speaking to Kay Burley, Gillian Keegan said she was “very disappointed” after members of the National Education Union (NEU) voted in favour of industrial action, with thousands of staff set to walkout next

A controversial anti-strike bill has moved a step closer to becoming law – hours after teachers and nurses announced fresh walkouts. Under the government’s draft Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, the right to strike would be restricted by imposing minimum service levels and bosses would be legally able to fire employees who ignore a “work

Thousands of teachers are set to walk out of classrooms over pay after the largest education union reached the threshold required to take strike action. The National Education Union (NEU) had organised a ballot of 300,000 members in England and Wales, calling for a “fully funded, above-inflation pay rise”. Nine out of 10 teacher members

The health secretary claims the disparate level of emergency cover during recent ambulance strikes could not be “relied upon to ensure patient and public safety”. In a letter to the GMB union sent ahead of further strikes this month, and seen by Sky News, Steve Barclay accepted all areas that staged walkouts ensured the most

Rishi Sunak plans to give wider powers to the police to tackle “highly disruptive and dangerous protests”. In an announcement on Monday, the prime minister will pledge to amend the already controversial Public Order Bill to “broaden the legal definition of serious disruption”. A government statement said it would give officers “greater flexibility and clarity

More nurses strikes that would see twice as many workers take action will be announced for February if talks with the government do not progress soon, union bosses have warned. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union said that new walkouts would be announced should negotiations over pay remain stalled by the end of January.