Politics

Kemi Badenoch has denied the Conservatives would consider means testing the pensions triple lock, as she accused her opponents of trying to “scare people”. The Tory leader sought to clarify remarks she made on LBC on Thursday evening, which were interpreted as her leaving the door open to means testing the system that guarantees the…

Sir Keir Starmer has been warned the British Army may be too small to deploy troops to Ukraine for peacekeeping. The prime minister told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby during a trip to Kyiv on Thursday the UK would play its “full part” in any peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. He said that…

MP Mike Amesbury has pleaded guilty to assault by beating for punching a man in Cheshire. The Runcorn and Helsby MP appeared at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday morning where he admitted attacking 45-year-old Paul Fellows in Main Street, Frodsham, Cheshire, in October. Speaking outside the court, he said his actions were “highly regrettable” and…

Lisa Nandy has said she “utterly refutes” claims Elon Musk’s intervention on UK grooming gangs prompted action from the government. The culture secretary told Sky News: “We’re not a government that conducts government by social media.” Tech billionaire and Trump ally Mr Musk spent the first fortnight of 2025 accusing the government of failing to…

A multimillion-pound plan for local inquiries into grooming gangs has been announced by the government, a day after the home secretary was threatened with legal action over the issue. Five new inquiries, including one in Oldham, will be assisted by central government, with £5m of funding. They will be advised by Tom Crowther KC, who…

The war in Ukraine has ground on for nearly three years. From the start, Western allies have stood in solidarity with Kyiv. The US has poured tens of billions in military aid into the war, while leaders across Europe have vowed to stand with Volodymyr Zelenskyy for as long as it takes to defeat Vladimir…

Kemi Badenoch has said the Conservatives will consider means-testing the pensions triple lock. The Tory leader said her party would “look at means-testing” the system which guarantees that the state pension rises in line with average earnings, inflation or 2.5% – whichever is highest. The Conservatives have long championed the triple lock – introduced by…

Sir Keir Starmer will visit Poland on Friday, when he will hold talks on a new security pact to protect the UK’s national security. The new treaty, which the prime minister will discuss with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, is designed to protect Europe from Russian aggression, tackle people-smuggling gangs, and combat misinformation and cyber…

The UK will play its “full part” in peacekeeping in Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The prime minister told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby that the conflict with Russia was not just about “sovereignty in Ukraine” but about the impact it also had on the UK, including the cost of living crisis. Sir…

Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to the presidential palace in Kyiv was met with a message from Russia when a drone was blasted out of the sky above. The prime minister was meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the next steps for Ukraine, on Sir Keir’s first visit to Kyiv since his election victory last July….