Politics

Rishi Sunak looks to have seen off his backbenchers – at least for now. The nascent rebellions have gone quiet in the past few weeks and the Commons is currently in its Easter recess, with MPs returning to Westminster on 15 April. Time away from parliament normally strengthens – or at least prevents the further

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has warned the UK should “absolutely” be concerned about the threat of Islamic State following the terror attack in Moscow. At least 133 people died in the massacre in the Russian capital on Friday. Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), which is a branch of the militant group operating in central Asia, has claimed

The chancellor has claimed that earning £100,000 a year is “not a huge salary”. Jeremy Hunt made the remark on social media platform X, in a post which was aimed at his constituents in Surrey. He will be campaigning hard as he is changing seats for the next general election after the boundaries were redrawn

Rishi Sunak has warned against “messing with” the national flags after Nike changed the colour of the St George’s Cross on a new England football shirt. Wading into the controversy, the prime minister argued the standards are “a source of pride, identity, who we are and they are perfect as we are”. His comments came

Harry Maguire says he did not give permission for the Conservative Party to use an image of him and his partner on social media. The photo is of the footballer talking to his then girlfriend – now his wife – Fern Hawkins after England‘s penalty shootout win over Colombia in the 2018 World Cup in

Police are investigating alleged racist comments made by a major Tory party donor about former Labour MP Diane Abbott. The remarks were made by businessman Frank Hester during a company meeting, where he said Ms Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and she “should be shot”. A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said

Sir Keir Starmer has backed criticism of Nike for changing the cross of St George on the back of the new England kit. The Labour leader called on the sports manufacturer to switch the multicolour flag back to the original one. His comments come after a social media storm over the change, with calls on

A long-awaited report on how women born in the 1950s were affected by increases to their retirement age has recommended they are owed compensation. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has been looking at potential injustices resulting from the decision to raise women’s retirement age to bring it into line with men’s. Women Against State

A government bill centred on deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda has been sent back to MPs after peers rejected it. The Safety of Rwanda Bill had been debated in the House of Lords after their previous changes were dismissed by the Commons earlier this week. In the upper chamber, the government lost seven votes by

What was Jeremy Hunt up to? Was he aiming to snatch the headlines from his Labour rival Rachel Reeves on the evening of her weighty and well-trailed lecture on the economy? Almost certainly. Was he also aiming to tease Labour MPs about an October election when he and the prime minister are really planning for

Jeremy Hunt has hinted at an autumn election as speculation continues to grow over when the country will head to the polls. Speaking at the Lords’ Economic Affairs Committee on Tuesday, the chancellor was asked about the government’s spending review – the detailed multi-year plan on how departments will spend their cash – and revealed

Campaigners and MPs are calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the Loan Charge scandal – accusing HMRC of “airbrushing” its approach to a harsh tax crackdown linked to several suicides. The Loan Charge Action Group (LCAG) has hit out at the Treasury Committee after it wrote to the tax office requesting information on its approach

Rishi Sunak said he is “not interested in Westminster politics” and insisted his party is “united” as he brushed off rumours of a plot to oust him. Asked during a visit to the West Midlands why he did not let one of his “disloyal colleagues” have the “poisoned chalice” of being prime minister, Mr Sunak

The government has “drawn a line” under the Frank Hester race row and shouldn’t have to give back the money he donated, Kemi Badenoch has said. The business secretary, who was the first cabinet minister to break ranks and label his reported comments about Diane Abbott as racist last week, suggested she would be comfortable

Rishi Sunak hopes three key moments this week will turn around his fortunes after his standing in the party plummeted. The PM is hoping Monday’s speech on the economy, Wednesday’s end of term appearance before Tory MPs and new inflation figures due out the same day, which could be close to the Bank of England