Politics

Rishi Sunak has announced an additional £1bn in financial support for the hospitality and leisure sectors, with every business able to claim a one-off cash grant of £6,000. The Treasury is also providing a £30m top-up to the Cultural Recovery Fund – which supports institutions such as museums and theatres – and reintroducing the Statutory

“It’s important if you are running a political party, which I did for almost eleven years and the country for six years, the process of communicating is incredibly important.” That’s what David Cameron told me when I interviewed him for the new Sky documentary Feral Beasts about the relationship between prime ministers and the media.

Dominic Raab has said a lockdown gathering in the garden of 10 Downing Street was a staff meeting because they were “all in suits” – which Sir Keir Starmer has called “a bit of a stretch”. The picture, first published by the Guardian, shows the prime minister, his wife and their then-newborn baby, with 17

Lord Frost has revealed he quit as Brexit minister because he cannot support “coercive” policies on COVID. Speaking for the first time since his resignation, Lord Frost said he had “huge admiration” for Boris Johnson and insisted they never disagreed “in any way about Brexit policy right up to the last day”. The former lead

Number 10 has defended a photo which appears to show Boris Johnson and staff relaxing and drinking in the Downing Street garden at a time of tough social restrictions in May 2020. The picture, published by The Guardian, shows the prime minister, his wife Carrie, and colleagues with wine and cheese. Nineteen people were present

Conservative MP Jamie Wallis has admitted he was involved in an “accident” and is “assisting police with their inquiries”. It comes after South Wales Police confirmed officers were called to an incident in which a car collided with a lamppost at Church Road in Llanblethian, Vale of Glamorgan, on Sunday 28 November shortly after 01:10

Boris Johnson’s Brexit minister has resigned from the cabinet and will depart in the new year. Lord Frost quit in a letter to the prime minister last week, but won’t officially leave until January. Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates reports that Lord Frost goes “on good terms”, but he is unhappy with the

The top civil servant will no longer lead a Whitehall investigation into alleged Christmas parties in Number 10 after he was revealed to have been aware of a separate party in his own office in December last year. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case has removed himself from his role in heading the probe into claims of

The Downing Street Christmas party furore has ended a year of notable political scandals with yet another one. All eyes have been on the Conservatives as 2021 draws to a close, but they were not the only party to have been hit by embarrassing events. But as the party of government for more than 10

After a bruising few weeks in Westminster, the voters of North Shropshire delivered their own body blow on Boris Johnson, booting the Tories out of a seat they’ve never lost on the second biggest swing by-election since 1945. Governments often lose by-elections. But this loss will send shockwaves through the Conservative Party because it shows

Boris Johnson has said he takes “personal responsibility” after his Conservative Party lost the North Shropshire by-election in a shock result that has dealt another significant blow to his premiership. Lib Dem candidate Helen Morgan overturned a huge Tory majority to triumph in the contest, which was sparked by the resignation of Owen Paterson amid

The Conservatives are facing a nervous wait as votes are counted overnight in the North Shropshire by-election, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson hoping his party can hold on to what has been a long-time Tory safe seat. Between 7am to 10pm on Thursday, voters in the constituency cast their ballots to decide on a new

Boris Johnson has said ministers do not “want to make your choices for you about your social life” after England’s chief medical officer advised people to prioritise events that matter to them in the run-up to Christmas. Speaking to broadcasters on Thursday, the prime minister reiterated that people should be “cautious” in the next few

Large numbers of COVID patients ending up in hospital is a “nailed on prospect” as the Omicron variant spreads at an “absolutely phenomenal pace” across the country, England’s chief medical officer has warned. Professor Chris Whitty, speaking at a Downing Street news conference, warned the UK was facing “a really serious threat” from the new

Sir Keir Starmer questioned whether Boris Johnson was too “weak” to lead the country after a significant number of his own backbench Conservative MPs voted against plan to introduce a COVID pass for some events. Reading out comments from Conservative MPs including former chief whip Mark Harper and Philip Davies, the Labour leader accused the

It was but two years back that Boris Johnson swept into No 10 on a Conservative majority not seen since the days of Margaret Thatcher, his foot on the neck of a broken Labour party, his position seemingly unassailable. So, to mark the anniversary of that triumph with a 100-strong rebellion from unbiddable backbenchers must

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to meet with the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbench MPs as pressure mounts ahead of crunch votes on Plan B coronavirus restrictions. Sky News understands that Mr Johnson will hold a “special meeting” with the committee at 5.30pm, an hour before MPs are due to vote on regulations. Plan B

Boris Johnson is facing the biggest Tory rebellion since the 2019 general election in a bitter Commons showdown with many of his own MPs over his Plan B COVID rules. Nearly 80 Conservative backbenchers have signalled they are prepared to vote against new regulations on face masks, isolating, vaccine passports and compulsory vaccinations for NHS

Sajid Javid has urged the British public to “play your part” and get a COVID booster vaccine – warning that the UK is “once again in a race between the vaccine and the virus”. The heath secretary told Kay Burley that cases of Omicron are growing at a “phenomenal rate”, which is why the government

The Conservative Party is drifting into authoritarianism, a senior Tory MP has warned, as he confirmed he would oppose new coronavirus restrictions. Former Brexit minister Steve Baker told Sky News he believed at least 60 of his party colleagues at Westminster would join him in voting against the imposition of further COVID-19 measures by Boris