Politics

Reuters By Tony Bonsignore & Ione Wells BBC News Boris Johnson will publish evidence in his defence ahead of a grilling by MPs him over whether he misled Parliament about Covid rule-breaking parties. The former prime minister faces a crucial televised evidence session in front of the Commons Privileges Committee on Wednesday. The committee is

Getty Images The SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has resigned with immediate effect in a row over party membership. Mr Murrell, who is married to outgoing party leader Nicola Sturgeon, said he had become a distraction to the leadership race. The party has been forced to confirm a large drop in its membership numbers, which

PA Media By Chas Geiger BBC News Senior Tory MP Steve Brine is being investigated over claims he lobbied the NHS on behalf of a recruitment firm. Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg will carry it out. Leaked messages from 2021 show Mr Brine had been “trying for months” to contact health bosses while acting as

Getty Images By Joshua Nevett BBC Politics Jeremy Hunt has denied that the decision to give some overseas construction workers easier access to UK jobs was a “betrayal of Brexit”. The chancellor’s budget relaxed immigration rules to help construction employers fill certain vacant roles. Net migration to the UK – a prominent political issue ahead

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. By Noor Nanji Business reporter, BBC News The UK economy is set to shrink this year but avoid a technical recession, according to the government’s independent forecaster. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) now expects the size

Getty Images Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will unveil his Budget on Wednesday. He’ll say how much money the government will take in taxes, and what it will spend it on. What is the Budget? Each year, the chancellor of the exchequer – who is in charge of the government’s finances – makes a Budget statement to

Getty Images By Paul Seddon & Chris Mason BBC News Rishi Sunak has pledged to increase defence spending by nearly £5bn over the next two years to counter emerging threats from hostile states. The funding boost will be confirmed in a new UK foreign and security strategy, to be published on Monday. It comes ahead

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. By Paul Seddon & Laura Kuenssberg BBC News The chancellor has vowed to help reduce the cost of childcare at Wednesday’s Budget as part of a wider drive to help people into work. Jeremy Hunt told the

Reuters By Chris Mason Political editor, BBC News Wandering onto the crunch of the courtyard gravel of the Elysee Palace in Paris, the president and the prime minister shared smiles and a brolly. It was the image that said more than many more words had sought to convey. These leaders of similar age and similar

Getty Images Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson would not be “wise” to nominate his own father for a knighthood, a government minister has said. Speaking on BBC Question Time, Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said prime ministers should “absolutely not” hand honours to family members. It follows reports Mr Johnson planned to name his father, former

HS2 By Simon Jack Business editor The government is set to announce that construction of certain sections of HS2 will be delayed in an attempt to cut costs, the BBC understands. It is thought the delay will primarily affect sections from Manchester to Crewe and Birmingham to Crewe. But sources have also indicated that some

PA Media By Chris Mason Political editor, BBC News The government always knew this was going to cause a row. And the row is only just beginning. The prime minister’s aim is clear enough. Stop The Boats – another three word slogan. Sunak says he is up for the fight on migrant boats Will this

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. By Sam Francis Political reporter, BBC News Matt Hancock supported threatening to block a disability centre in a Tory MP’s constituency in a bid to get him to vote for the Covid tier system in England, leaked

PA Media By Ione Wells & Phil Kemp BBC Politics Former colleagues of Dominic Raab have spoken to the BBC about their experience of working with him, as an inquiry into bullying claims reaches its final stages. The investigation into the allegations against Mr Raab is being led by senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC. Dozens

Reuters By Helen Catt Political correspondent Matt Hancock suggested to an aide that they “frighten the pants off everyone”, messages published by the Sunday Telegraph show. It appears the former health secretary discussed when to reveal the existence of the Kent variant of Covid, to ensure people comply with lockdown rules. In another exchange, the

PA Media By Kate Whannel & Oscar Bentley BBC News MPs investigating whether Boris Johnson misled Parliament over lockdown gatherings in Downing Street have produced an update on their investigation. Parliament voted for the cross-party Privileges Committee to examine the matter last year. In a statement, released at the same time as the committee’s update,