Politics

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

Voters in North Shropshire wanted to send “a message” to the Conservatives and “we have heard that loud and clear”, party co-chairman Oliver Dowden has said. His comments came after the Conservatives lost the North Shropshire by-election to the Liberal Democrats in a shock result that puts more pressure on Boris Johnson after a difficult

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

Voters have begun to cast their ballots in the North Shropshire by-election as they choose a replacement for former Conservative MP Owen Paterson. From 7am this morning to 10pm tonight, voters in the constituency will decide on a new local MP following ex-cabinet minister Mr Paterson’s decision to quit the House of Commons last month.

Britons have been advised not to attend football matches in stadiums and to “prioritise” social events that “that really matter to them” amid the sharp rise in COVID cases. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, both Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, and Dr Nikki Kanani, medical director of primary care for NHS

Grant Shapps has said he believes “with some confidence” that no further COVID restrictions will be required in England before Christmas and that people can enjoy the festive period as planned. The transport secretary told Kay Burley that the government wanted people “to be sensible but to enjoy their Christmas“, noting that increased testing and

When it came, Tuesday night’s rebellion infected every wing of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons. The rebels included one former leader, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, while a second, Theresa May, missed the vote. The chair of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, was in the opposition lobby, with all of the heft

There are currently 10 people in hospital with the Omicron variant of COVID – not 250, as Dominic Raab told Sky News. The deputy prime minister later told the BBC that there were nine people in hospital with the variant. But officials have clarified that Mr Raab “misspoke” on both occasions by getting his figures

There are likely to be 75 Conservative MPs who rebel against the government’s Plan B COVID restrictions, Sky News can reveal. The 75 likely rebels are expected to vote against or abstain from the vote on Wednesday to push through regulations on masks being worn in most indoor places, the work from home mandate and

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing calls to respond to allegations he broke COVID rules by hosting a festive quiz at Downing Street while restrictions were in force. Labour said the prime minister “might have misled” MPs after he told the House of Commons he had been given assurances that social distancing measures were not

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

Boris Johnson has been accused of presiding over a “culture of disregard for the rules” after a picture emerged of him hosting a virtual quiz flanked by two colleagues in Downing Street last Christmas. The image, obtained by the Sunday Mirror, shows the PM on screen in his office reading out questions for Number 10

Some staff at the Treasury had office drinks while England was in lockdown last year. The Times reported that around two dozen civil servants were present for the drinks on 25 November, 2020. The group had been working on the Autumn Spending Review, the Treasury said. UK could see one million infections – COVID latest

The government has been “presented with some very challenging new information” about the Omicron variant and will keep restrictions “under review”, Michael Gove has said after he chaired a meeting of the COBRA emergency committee. Mr Gove headed the talks with first ministers and deputy first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to discuss

At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Boris Johnson apologised after footage emerged of senior Number 10 staff joking and laughing about a Downing Street Christmas party last year - but told MPs he has been repeatedly “reassured” no such event occurred. The PM told MPs he was “furious” at the leaked video and had asked Cabinet