Politics

Michael Gove has said he is “confident” that progress can be made in talks with the European Union over the Northern Ireland Protocol without Article 16 needing to be triggered. Speaking at the British-Irish Council summit in Cardiff, the Cabinet minister said “a constructive approach” is being taken by both sides in the negotiations and

The UK and EU need to “knuckle down” and resolve the dispute over Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit arrangements, the Irish premier has said.  Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he was encouraged progress was being made, and with the change in “mood music”. Brexit Minister Lord Frost will hold further talks with European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic on

“I want to be the prime minister who does with Northern Powerhouse Rail what we did for Crossrail in London.” Those were the words of Boris Johnson days after he entered Downing Street in 2019. As people digest the contents of his government’s Integrated Rail Plan, there will be many people who will feel the

Northern political leaders have warned the government will pass up huge economic benefits and betray promises to voters if, as expected, it cancels major rail projects including the eastern leg of HS2 and a new Manchester-Leeds line. Boris Johnson will unveil a long-delayed integrated rail plan for the Midlands and the north of England today,

MPs have backed the government’s approach to curbing MPs’ outside interests, after Labour’s proposals were voted down in the Commons. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer used one of his party’s designated opposition day debates in the Commons to put forward a motion setting out his party’s plans for banning MPs from paid political consultancy work.

Boris Johnson is to face questioning by MPs about parliamentary standards as the row over sleaze continues. The prime minister will appear in front of the liaison committee, comprised of the chairs of all Commons select committees, from 3pm today. He will face questions on government standards, violence against women and girls, the COP26 summit

Boris Johnson has set out plans to ban MPs from working as paid political consultants or lobbyists in the wake of Westminster’s sleaze row. In a letter to the Speaker of the House of Commons, the prime minister said there was a need to ensure rules for MPs are “up to date, effective and appropriately

The sleaze row over MPs’ second jobs is set to drag on at Westminster after the government failed to bring a parliamentary conclusion to its U-turn over the Owen Paterson lobbying scandal. Opposition MPs accused ministers of overseeing a “total farce” as government efforts to scrap its controversial attempt to overhaul parliament’s standards rules were

England’s chief medical officer has urged all women who are pregnant, or wishing to become pregnant, to get a COVID vaccine as he admitted there was a “major concern” about those not getting jabbed. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Professor Chris Whitty presented “stark” data on the number of pregnant women ending up

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has hailed the “game-changing” agreement made at COP26 but says that countries need to “stand by” the decisions they made in the 11th hour of the talks. The climate talks ended with an agreement on Saturday, after 15 days of deliberations, although, a late disagreement over the wording on fossil fuels

Two MPs have admitted using their parliamentary offices as part of a paid meeting. Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran and senior Conservative backbencher Crispin Blunt both took part in a panel event for Bindmans legal firm regarding the treatment of detainees in Saudi Arabia. According to her register of interests, Ms Moran has

Former health secretary Matt Hancock has been accused of trying to “cash in” on the COVID crisis after he was approached to write a book about the pandemic. The ex-cabinet minister is reported to be in talks with publisher HarperCollins over his account of the government’s coronavirus response. According to the Daily Mail, the book

Boris Johnson has insisted sleaze allegations levelled at the Conservatives will not affect voters’ choice in upcoming by-elections. The prime minister visited Sidcup on Friday afternoon ahead of a vote next month to replace former minister James Brokenshire who died of cancer last month. He said the local candidate in Old Bexley and Sidcup was

Boris Johnson has warned the rising COVID cases in Europe could be seen in the UK if people do not get their booster jabs fast enough. Both the Netherlands and Austria today announced fresh lockdown rules in the coming days as cases rise again in some European countries. The prime minister said: “I’m seeing the

Hospital bosses have spoken out after Boris Johnson was pictured speaking to staff without a face mask. The prime minister chatted and bumped elbows with masked nurses at Hexham General Hospital in Northumberland on Monday morning. Soon after the photo opportunity, Mr Johnson put a mask on after an aide handed him one. Image: The

Only two in five people would support increasing taxes as part of efforts to reduce Britain’s carbon emissions – but a majority are in favour of hiking the cost of air travel and banning petrol and diesel cars from city centres, new polling suggests. In a YouGov poll for Sky News, more than three-quarters of

The government needs to “do better” amid sleaze allegations against MPs “and we know that”, the chancellor has told Sky News. Speaking to economics editor Ed Conway as scrutiny continues into lobbying by MPs and their outside earnings through second jobs, Rishi Sunak said: “On the broader point and just reflecting over recent events, I

Boris Johnson has said MPs who break parliamentary rules on second jobs “must be investigated and should be punished”. In the last week, the government has come under fire over its backing of former MP Owen Paterson, who was found to have breached rules on lobbying. It has since emerged that former attorney general Sir

A senior Conservative MP under scrutiny over his extra earnings for legal work has defended himself – and declared it is up to his constituents to vote him out if they are unhappy about it. Sir Geoffrey Cox’s entry in the register of members’ interests shows he earned more than £800,000 for law firm Withers,

Labour has called on the government’s anti-sleaze watchdog to investigate a former Conservative cabinet minister, amid claims he mis-used his parliamentary office to carry out legal work. The former attorney general has earned more than £800,000 for his work for law firm Withers, which is representing the British Virgin Islands government in a corruption case