Politics

The government is bringing forward new strike laws to “maintain a basic function and deliver minimum safety levels” in the public sector during industrial action, the business department has confirmed. In a statement, it said the government would “always protect the ability to strike”, but added: “It must be balanced with the public’s right to

Sir Keir Starmer will promise to end “sticking plaster politics” when he delivers his first speech of the new year. The Labour leader will claim on Thursday that “a short-term mindset” dominates Westminster under the Conservatives, pointing in particular to its handling of the crisis in the NHS. He will promise “a completely new way

Rishi Sunak has pledged to boost the economy, cut hospital waiting lists and stop migrant crossings in the Channel in his first speech of the year. Speaking in Stratford, the PM laid out his priorities for 2023 and asked the public to judge his premiership on five promises. These pledges are: • to halve inflation

The health secretary has blamed high cases of flu, COVID and fears about Strep A for the “massive pressure” the NHS faced over the festive period. Several trusts have announced critical incidents in recent days, and ambulances have waited hours outside hospitals to transfer their patients, as the government faces growing questions over what it

Winter crises are nothing new for the NHS, for which January is the toughest month. But this year’s could well be, NHS figures warn, the worst in its history. The government has acknowledged that accident and emergency departments are under pressure; but the warnings from medics on the ground are of an unprecedented crisis. This

UK Border Force officers have joined patrols on French beaches for the first time in a bid to stem the flow of migrants crossing the Channel. The first joint patrols are believed to have taken place just before Christmas after months of negotiations between UK and French officials. The collaboration aims to give UK officers

The Archbishop of Canterbury has kicked off 2023 by putting the Church of England on a collision course with Rishi Sunak’s government. Justin Welby is a canny political operator who is almost certainly the most political archbishop of Canterbury in recent years. And there have been a few of those. During 2022 he led an

The major events which come define a year, or even a decade, are seldom predicted. Nobody foresaw the 9/11 attacks on the US in 2001 which then swamped the leaderships of Tony Blair and George W Bush. This time a year ago most experts doubted that Russia would go ahead with the vicious attack on

Ian Blackford watched the election of his successor Stephen Flynn via zoom, surrounded by his closest allies. And by boxes. His imminent forced departure from the two-floor, wood-panelled suite of offices afforded to the leader of parliament’s third party, was a source of sadness and frustration. Nicola Sturgeon had made her own unhappiness clear to

Rishi Sunak has warned the UK’s problems will not “go away” in 2023 after a “tough” 12 months in his New Year message. The prime minister promised the “very best of Britain” will be on display in the coming months as he pledged continuing support for Ukraine. And he also predicted King Charles’s coronation on

Tory and Labour MPs who caused trouble for Boris Johnson have been recognised in the first New Year Honours list to be published since he left No 10. Conservative Julian Lewis, chairman of the parliamentary intelligence and security committee (ISC), and Labour MP Chris Bryant, who chairs the commons standards committee, have both received knighthoods.

Nearly 2,000 offenders have been made to wear tags that detect if they have drunk alcohol this Christmas. New statistics have revealed about 1,800 offenders have been made to wear sobriety tags over the Christmas and New Year period to tackle alcohol-related crime. The tags, introduced in 2020, monitor the alcohol content in an individual’s

Tony Blair wanted Vladimir Putin to have a seat at the international “top table” during his time as prime minister, according to newly released official files. The Labour PM from 1997 to 2007 believed the Russian president was at heart a “Russian patriot” and it was important to encourage him to adopt Western values, the

Government targets to curb the number of smokers in England by 2030 will not be met, according to new analysis. In 2019 ministers set out an ambition for England to become “smoke-free” by 2030 – which is said to be achieved when adult smoking rates fall to 5% or less. But Cancer Research UK said

The North East of England could be the latest region to get a directly elected mayor as part of a new £1.4bn devolution deal. Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said the new deal would bring fresh powers over skills, transport and housing to people across areas including Northumberland, Newcastle and Sunderland. It would also see

The British government would not apologise over Bloody Sunday as it would mean accepting liability, confidential documents have revealed. The incident in January 1972 saw members of the Parachute Regiment shoot dead 13 civil rights protesters on the streets of Derry. Papers from the Irish government have now detailed a conversation between then-Northern Ireland Secretary