Politics

An inquiry has found no evidence of “corruption or illegality” at the Teesworks site in the North East of England – but has raised concerns over “transparency and oversight. The development of the former Redcar Steelworks began in 2015 and has seen the area transformed into a large industrial site, with plans to turn it

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was preaching to the converted. To a majority of members of the House of Lords, the government’s Rwanda bill is an unholy abomination. Politics live: Tory MP quit six-figure minister role because he ‘couldn’t afford mortgage’ Last week, their lordships voted by 214 votes to 171, a majority of

The family of Sir Tony Lloyd have urged “divisive” politicians to stay away from the contest to replace the Labour MP following his death from leukaemia earlier this month. A writ to hold a by-election in his seat of Rochdale was laid before parliament on Monday, with the local council later confirming the vote would

The Archbishop of Canterbury has again slammed the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, telling the House of Lords: “We can as a nation do better than this bill.” Speaking in the upper chamber, the Most Rev Justin Welby said the government was “continuing to seek good objectives in the wrong way”, leading

Jeane Freeman has told the UK COVID-19 Inquiry she will ‘regret for the rest of her life’ care home deaths caused by Scottish government decision-making. Ms Freeman, who was Scotland’s health secretary during the pandemic up to the 2021 Holyrood election, said there were “no risk-free choices” when considering whether to introduce social distancing measures

As smoking has been increasingly curtailed in public, it’s easy to forget that it’s still one of the leading causes of death and illness in the UK. It kills around half of those who smoke, making it the biggest one that’s entirely preventable. The habit kills 76,000 people a year, according to the NHS. Rishi

Labour MP Kate Osamor has had the Labour whip suspended while she is investigated for saying Gaza should be remembered as a genocide on Holocaust Memorial Day. The Edmonton MP sent the message to her party members, saying Holocaust Memorial Day should be observed, but other genocides should also be remembered – and list Gaza

Allies of Rishi Sunak say they believe the Tories are likely to lose both by-elections in two weeks time, as they continue to face down plotters trying to bring down the prime minister. Defeat in both by-elections on Thursday 15 February is likely to unnerve Tory MPs and restore momentum to Tory plotters trying to

Rishi Sunak has announced plans to ban disposable vapes in a bid to crack down on their use among children. The prime minister is also set to unveil new powers to restrict vape flavours as a means to make them less appealing to children. The Scotland and Wales governments will also ban single-use vapes. The

MPs have demanded that the Treasury and other public sector organisations reveal the details of any contracts awarded to Fujitsu since 2019 as the firm continues to come under fire for its role in the Post Office scandal. The letter to the Treasury – which was also sent to the Bank of England, the Office

MPs are considering using an arcane parliamentary mechanism to force Lord Cameron to take questions in the House of Commons. There have been questions about how Lord Cameron – who was appointed a peer to allow him to be foreign secretary in Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle – would be held to account given he is no

Rishi Sunak awkwardly laughed when he was challenged about the state of the health service by a former NHS worker in Winchester. The prime minister was walking through the city in Hampshire when he was stopped by a woman who indicated she had worked for the NHS in the past. In the footage, captured by

Former prime minister Gordon Brown told Sky News he was too old to be a politician in the UK but too young to be one in the US. He has a point, with Americans set to choose between 81-year-old Joe Biden or 77-year-old Donald Trump in November’s presidential election, while France’s new prime minister is

The Northern Ireland secretary has said he will introduce new legislation to address the political deadlock after the latest deadline to restore Stormont passed. Chris Heaton-Harris said his legislation will support Northern Ireland departments to manage “the immediate and evident challenges they face in stabilising public services and finances”. The power-sharing Stormont Assembly has been

The chancellor says he wants to cut taxes at the spring budget this year, declaring that doing so will be the quickest route to getting the economy growing again. Talking to Sky News on the fringes of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Jeremy Hunt said that while he has yet to see the fiscal

Fresh from his Commons victory, the prime minister took to the stage on Thursday to declare he was making progress on his plan to send migrants to Rwanda, his party was “completely united” and any failure to deliver on this pledge would not be down to him, but rather a new bogeyman, peers in the House