Politics

Reuters A government contract given to a firm whose founders were friends of Dominic Cummings has been ruled lawful, overturning an earlier court judgement. Last year, the High Court ruled that the £550,000 contract awarded to PR firm Public First was unlawful as it gave rise to “apparent bias”. That ruling has now been reversed

The prime minister’s former top aide Dominic Cummings has said Boris Johnson was warned about No 10 holding a drinks party during lockdown. Mr Cummings – who has been strongly critical of Mr Johnson since he left No 10 – says the PM “waved aside” concerns about the gathering. Mr Johnson has admitted he attended

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sir Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of breaking Covid laws with parties held in Downing Street during lockdown. The Labour leader said the prime minister had “lied” about “industrial scale partying” in No 10. Six Tory

Getty Images Plans to safeguard England’s national parks for future generations have been unveiled by the government. The proposals also aim to improve access to nature and ensure landscapes are key to tackling climate change. It follows a review of protections for national parks and Areas of Outstanding Beauty (AONBs). Environment Secretary George Eustice said

@Katejosephs A former Covid taskforce chief hosted leaving drinks in the Cabinet Office in December 2020, it has emerged. Kate Josephs worked for the unit, responsible for drawing up coronavirus restrictions, before she became chief executive of Sheffield City Council. The drinks reception is understood to be among the events being investigated by senior civil

Reuters MI5 has issued a rare warning to MPs that a Chinese agent has infiltrated Parliament to interfere in UK politics. An alert from the security service said Christine Ching Kui Lee “established links” for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) with current and aspiring MPs. She then gave donations to politicians, with funding coming from

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson is facing calls from senior Tories to stand down as prime minister after he admitted attending a drinks party during lockdown. The PM apologised for the way he had handled the event in the Downing

EPA Senior Downing Street political staff had to intervene during the first half of 2021 to prevent events at No 10 – such as leaving parties – going ahead, sources have told the BBC. The proposed events – suggested by staff, not politicians – would have taken place during the roadmap out of lockdown, which

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson says he is talking to Chancellor Rishi Sunak over how the government could help people with soaring energy prices. The prime minister is under pressure to act on rising household costs, ahead of further increases

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Labour has called for a windfall tax on North Sea gas and oil producers to help limit the expected rise in household gas and electricity bills by £200 The party says its £6.6bn plan would also remove

Google Housing Secretary Michael Gove is vowing to “expose and pursue” firms responsible for safety problems caused by cladding, the BBC has learned. On Monday, he will pledge to ease the “unfair burden” placed on leaseholders by issues exposed by the Grenfell fire. He will set out measures aimed at forcing developers to pay for

Getty Images Veteran Labour politician Jack Dromey has died aged 73, his family has confirmed. The shadow minister, who had held the seat of Birmingham Erdington since 2010, is understood to have passed away in his constituency on Friday morning. He is survived by his wife, fellow Labour MP Harriet Harman, and his three children.

PA Media Boris Johnson has been criticised by his standards adviser over an official inquiry into the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat. Mr Johnson apologised to Lord Geidt that he had not seen messages the PM exchanged with a Tory peer who initially paid for the revamp. The messages were revealed during a separate

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Labour has stepped up its call for the 5% VAT rate on energy bills to be scrapped, demanding “serious solutions” for the rising cost of living. Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, the party’s deputy leader Angela Rayner

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Boris Johnson says he hopes England can “ride out” the current wave of Covid-19 without further restrictions. But he acknowledged parts of the NHS would feel “temporarily overwhelmed” amid a surge of Omicron cases. The prime minister

PA Media Ministers have been tasked with developing “robust contingency plans” for workplace absences, as the government warned rising cases could see up to a quarter of staff off work. Public sector leaders have been asked to prepare for “worst case scenarios” of 10%, 20% and 25% absence rates, the Cabinet Office said. The UK