Politics

Downing Street has failed to deny reports that two parties took place at No 10 the night before Prince Philip’s COVID-restricted funeral – at a time when indoor mixing was banned. In fresh claims that will further fuel the “partygate” crisis afflicting the prime minister, it is claimed that Downing Street staff drank alcohol into

Home Secretary Priti Patel has distanced herself from Chancellor Rishi Sunak as she threw her full support behind Boris Johnson over the Downing Street garden party row. In an exclusive interview with Sky News political editor Beth Rigby, Ms Patel said that “supporting the prime minister” and his government’s work is how she “spends all

Boris Johnson has cancelled a visit to Lancashire today because a family member has tested positive for COVID, Downing Street said. A Number 10 spokesman said the prime minister will “follow the guidance for vaccinated close contacts, including daily testing and limiting contact with others”. It is not known which member of Mr Johnson’s family

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has demanded the resignation of Boris Johnson over the Downing Street drinks party row. Mr Ross claimed the prime minister’s position was “no longer tenable” and revealed he had spoken to Mr Johnson on Wednesday afternoon to “set out my reasons and I explained to him my position”. The Scottish

The government’s use of a so-called VIP lane to award PPE contracts to two companies during the first COVID wave was unlawful, the High Court has ruled. The challenge was brought by campaign groups the Good Law Project and EveryDoctor who argued the bid process conferred preferential treatment on those with political connections. The judgment

Boris Johnson “is going nowhere” and “retains the confidence of the people of this country”, a minister has claimed, as pressure mounts over Downing Street holding a “bring your own booze” party during the first COVID lockdown. The prime minister and his wife Carrie are understood to have been among 40 people in attendance at

If Downing Street hoped to press the reset button this year after weeks of damaging allegations of lockdown breaches, the latest revelations are the most damaging yet. The net appears, from what sources tell Sky News and other outlets, to be closing around the prime minister. This is not another claim of unknown officials having

Boris Johnson can run from the latest “partygate” allegations, but he can’t hide. This is no longer about junior and middle-ranking Number 10 officials breaking COVID rules but about the prime minister’s own personal conduct. From the moment Mr Jonson failed to deny that he attended the now notorious “bring your own booze” party in

Boris Johnson has said the UK is making “great progress” in tackling Omicron – but warned the variant remains “incredibly contagious”. Speaking following a pharmacy visit, the prime minister said 36 million people have now received the booster jab and are more protected from Omicron, but acknowledged that the number of people in hospital with

Almost half of all Tory members now believe that Rishi Sunak would make a better leader and could win more seats at the next election than Boris Johnson, an exclusive poll for Sky News has found. A third of the Tory membership now think Mr Johnson should stand down as Tory leader. Almost four in

A cabinet minister has said he is in favour of reducing the coronavirus isolation period from seven days to five – provided the move is backed by officials. Speaking to Trevor Phillips on Sunday, Nadhim Zahawi said the issue is something that the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is looking at. Live COVID updates from

Leaseholders in lower-rise blocks of flats are set to be spared having to take out loans to remove dangerous cladding from their buildings as the government prepares to “reset” its approach to the scandal. Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, is due to make a statement in which he

More than one million people have signed a petition calling for Sir Tony Blair to have his knighthood removed. The former Labour prime minister, who was in office between 1997 and 2007, was appointed a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in the New Year Honours list. However, there has been

The NHS is facing a “rocky few weeks ahead” as it contends with a wave of Omicron cases, the health secretary has said – as two major incidents were declared in England due to pressures caused by the COVID variant’s spread. Speaking during a visit to King’s College Hospital in south London, Sajid Javid said

Boris Johnson has questions to answer over his apparent backing for a “great exhibition” plan supported by a Conservative donor who helped pay for the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat, Labour has said. “It stinks. It does appear to be cash for access,” the party’s shadow justice secretary Steve Reed told Sky News. He

Boris Johnson has offered a “humble and sincere apology” for failing to disclose WhatsApp messages with a Tory peer in which he discussed the funding of his Downing Street flat refurbishment – and blamed getting a new phone for not declaring the conversation. In a series of letters between the prime minister and his independent

Pre-departure coronavirus testing for people returning to England has been scrapped because it has “outlived its usefulness” amid the rapid spread of Omicron in the UK and around the world, the transport secretary has told Sky News. “Omicron is global, it is worldwide, everybody has it now, the proportion that comes in overseas is completely

Boris Johnson denied during PMQs that he’d ever described inflation fears as “unfounded” – despite Sky News having him saying just that on camera. Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner, standing in for Sir Keir Starmer as he has COVID, told the prime minister he claimed in October that public fears about inflation were “unfounded”. Three

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has tested positive for coronavirus, a party spokesman has said. Deputy leader Angela Rayner will stand in for him at Prime Minister’s Questions later. It comes a day after Sir Keir delivered a speech to an audience in Birmingham setting out his new “contract with the British people” and his

A petition calling for Sir Tony Blair to be stripped of his knighthood has been signed by more than 670,000 people. The former prime minister was made a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in the Queen’s New Year’s honours list. However, a petition started three days ago has said he