Politics

Rishi Sunak says the relationship between the UK and US is “in great shape” after he held talks with Joe Biden, despite strong criticism of the president from one of Northern Ireland’s main parties. Mr Biden arrived in the region late last night for his trip to the island of Ireland to mark 25 years

Liz Truss will warn of a “global battle between free societies and dictatorships” in a speech in the US designed to revive her economic and political agenda. The former prime minister is due to make a speech in which she will question whether Western democracies – including the UK – are currently “match fit to

SNP leader Humza Yousaf has revealed the firm dealing with his party’s accounts resigned about six months ago – and implied he was not previously aware. He said Johnston Carmichael stopped doing the SNP’s accounting “round about October” of last year but he could not “comment on what was done prior to me becoming a

Labour will continue with its controversial attacks on Rishi Sunak by turning attention to government “failures” over the cost of living crisis. The Labour leader has described the prime minister as the “chief architect of choices prioritising the wealthiest” as both parties gear up for the local elections next month. In a letter to his

Rishi Sunak has called for a swift return of the Stormont Assembly ahead of President Biden’s visit to Northern Ireland. “We must get on with the business of governance,” the prime minister said. He will meet Joe Biden when the US president steps off of Air Force One on Tuesday evening – not long after

After receiving a slap down from Tory HQ, Douglas Ross has stood by his controversial statements about tactical voting by essentially saying his comments were taken out of context. Earlier, he urged people to do “what’s best for the country” and support the candidate most likely to beat the SNP in their constituency. That could,

The mother of murdered nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel is backing voices pushing for a change in the law that would force criminals to attend their sentencing. It comes after Thomas Cashman, 34, refused to appear in the dock when he was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Monday after a jury found him guilty of murdering

Rishi Sunak will welcome President Joe Biden when he arrives in Belfast this week, pledging to fulfil the promise of the Good Friday Agreement as they mark its 25th anniversary and talking of a “better future” for Northern Ireland. The US president’s visit comes amid a heightened terror threat in Northern Ireland, and with power-sharing

Nicola Sturgeon has said she will “fully cooperate” with police after the arrest this week of her husband Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP). The former Scottish first minister broke her silence after Mr Murrell’s arrest on Wednesday as part of an investigation into the SNP’s finances. She said

More brothers and sisters could now be spared the upheaval of being separated when placed into care thanks to increased tax relief for foster parents. The change, announced in the Budget, increases the amount foster carers can earn from £10,000 to £18,140 without needing to pay any tax or National Insurance contributions. After fostering 120

The Labour Party have released a second advert attacking Rishi Sunak just hours after being accused of “gutter politics” for targeting the prime minister personally. Yesterday, the party’s Twitter account released an advert claiming Mr Sunak does not think child sex abusers should go to prison. The tweet on Friday afternoon suggests the prime minister

A Labour frontbencher has defended a social media post used by the party which claims Rishi Sunak does not think child sex abusers should go to prison. Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell said the post was part of “political campaigning” but admitted: “It won’t be to everybody’s taste.” Asked whether she was “comfortable with pointing

More than 400 people crossed the English Channel in small boats in one day, despite the government’s efforts to crackdown on illegal migration. The Home Office confirmed 437 migrants arrived in the UK on Wednesday – the highest number on a single day so far this year, bringing the total number of crossings in 2023

A Conservative MP has been caught indicating he would be willing to break parliamentary lobbying rules for money in an undercover sting operation by The Times. Scott Benton, the MP for Blackpool South, met undercover reporters posing as employees of TAHR Partners, a fake company lobbying to influence government policy, at a central London hotel

New rules must be adopted to prevent hostile states and lobbyists buying access to politics, MPs have been warned. The Commons Standards Committee has proposed a package of reforms to improve transparency around All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) to avoid them becoming the “next big scandal”. APPGs are informal interest groups of MPs and peers that

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick has been disqualified from driving for six months after travelling at almost 30mph over a temporary speed limit on the M1. The MP for Newark, Nottinghamshire, was also fined a total of £1,639 at a court hearing on Tuesday. Mr Jenrick admitted to travelling at 68mph in a temporary 40mph zone