Politics

PA Media By Ione Wells & Joshua Nevett BBC Politics Energy Secretary Grant Shapps has told the BBC the government plans to “halve” the time it takes for more power lines to be built across the UK. Mr Shapps said a report proposing ways to speed up the construction of electricity cables and pylons would

UK Parliament MP Margaret Ferrier, who was suspended from the Commons for breaking Covid lockdown rules, has lost her seat in a recall petition. A total of 11,896 out of the 81,124 eligible constituents in Rutherglen and Hamilton West signed the petition. That exceeded the 10% threshold and means a by-election will take place. Ferrier

Getty Images By Joshua Nevett BBC Politics Council leaders have accused the government of delaying controversial plans to make households in England use up to six different recycling bins until after the next general election. The government says the move was postponed until 2025 as part of broader changes to recycling policy. But councils claim

PA Media The prime minister is expected to announce millions of pounds of funding for a carbon capture project during a visit to the north east of Scotland. Rishi Sunak will emphasise the role the region will play in the UK’s wider energy security plans as he meets industry figures this week. The UK government

By Oliver Slow BBC News Rishi Sunak has ordered a review of low traffic neighbourhoods, saying that he is on the side of drivers. The prime minister told the Sunday Telegraph he was supporting people to “use their cars to do all the things that matter to them”. LTNs aim to reduce traffic, in part

Reuters It would not be “helpful” for NatWest’s chairman to quit over the row that has followed the closure of Nigel Farage’s account, the city minister has said. Andrew Griffith made the comments after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declined to back Sir Howard Davies on Thursday. Sir Howard has faced calls to resign after he

PA Media By Nick Eardley BBC political correspondent Anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller had a bank account for her political party closed without explanation. Monzo initially refused to tell Ms Miller why her “True and Fair” party account would be closed in September. After the BBC contacted the bank about the case, it said it did

PA Media The solicitors’ watchdog in England and Wales has confirmed it is investigating law firms accused of helping clients make false asylum claims. It comes after a Daily Mail reporter, posing as an economic migrant, asked law firms for help applying for asylum. Two companies allegedly agreed to help devise fictional backstories aimed at

By Vanessa Clarke Education Reporter The government’s plan to expand funded childcare for working parents “will not work” unless the amount paid to providers is right, MPs have warned. Underfunding had left the sector “straining to provide” enough places for children, the Education Committee report found. Early-years charities have welcomed the inquiry’s focus on the

Getty Images By Kate Whannel BBC News Michael Gove is to relax planning rules in England in an effort to create more homes in “the hearts of our cities”. The levelling up secretary says he wants to make it easier to convert empty retail premises and betting shops into flats and houses. But critics say

Getty Images By Iain Watson Political correspondent, BBC News Labour’s leadership says it has agreed an ambitious programme for government without a need for new spending commitments. Labour’s Policy Forum in Nottingham brought together representatives of the shadow cabinet, rank and file party and Labour-supporting trade unions. It is part of the process of drawing

PA Media By Charley Adams BBC News Labour must learn the lessons of its by-election defeat in Uxbridge, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The Labour leader had blamed the loss on London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) – a tax on polluting vehicles. Conservative Steve Tuckwell won the

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. By Chris Mason Political editor, BBC News This set of by-elections amounts to a single question: just how badly did the Conservatives do? The answer – very badly. But not as badly as they had feared. The

PA Media The Conservatives have suffered a heavy defeat in the Somerton and Frome by-election but narrowly held on to Boris Johnson’s old Uxbridge seat. The Lib Dems overturned a majority of more than 19,000, with a 29% swing to secure victory in the Somerset seat. But the Tories managed to fend off a challenge

Getty Images A senior Tory has expressed regret for posting a video in which he said Afghanistan had been “transformed” under the Taliban. Speaking to TalkTV’s Piers Morgan Uncensored, Tobias Ellwood said he “got it wrong” and has subsequently deleted the clip from Twitter. He added that the days after he posted the widely-criticised video

By Chris Mason Political editor, BBC News On Thursday Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces a triple by-election test, after three of his own MPs stood down. BBC political editor Chris Mason has visited each area to find out what activists and voters think of the parties’ chances. “We are going to lose them all horribly.”