Politics

The verdict is in and the decision delivered. Nadhim Zahawi did commit “a very serious breach of the ministerial code” and the prime minister has sacked his party chairman.  Cue a collective sigh of relief from a parliamentary party irritated and angered that the tax affairs of a multi-millionaire cabinet minister had dominated the headlines

Sir Keir Starmer has been on a journey since becoming Labour leader in April 2020. In the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn, Sir Keir promised to maintain Labour’s “radical values” and committed to many Corbyn-era policies. Fast forward three years, and in tone and content, the offer is markedly different. Take this from Sir Keir

A proportion of Conservative members feel “disconnected” from the party as they were “denied a vote” when Rishi Sunak became prime minister, a former Tory chairman said. Sir Jake Berry, who was chair under Liz Truss, said Mr Sunak should have held an “endorsement vote” to show he had the support of the membership. Instead,

Those worried about the health of British politics have diagnosed a new disease at Westminster. Chris Patten, a grandee from the Conservative establishment, spotted what he called “Long Boris” last summer. Weeks after Boris Johnson announced his resignation as prime minister, Lord Patten, a former party chairman and former BBC chairman, lamented the persistent “corrupting

HS2 will end at Euston after reports the high-speed line could stop before reaching central London, the chancellor has confirmed. Jeremy Hunt said he did not see “any conceivable circumstance” the original plan would not be followed and that he was “incredibly proud” of the work going ahead. The endpoint of the line came into

The NHS is in the worst crisis in its 75 years, say health experts. And you only had to listen to the heart-wrenching stories of the audience during a live Sky News programme on the NHS at Coventry Hospital for the reality of that to be laid bare. There was James, whose wife died after

There is plenty of bemusement, irritation and anger in some quarters of the Conservative Party as to why Nadhim Zahawi is still in post.  Revelations that the party chairman reportedly paid nearly £5m to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to settle a tax dispute, and pay a penalty over around £27m of wealth on which

Parliament’s reputation is being put at risk by groups of MPs that can be funded by lobbyists, according to a rare joint letter from the speakers of both the House of Commons and Lords. Parliament’s two most powerful figures called for a major overhaul in the way All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) operate in a letter

A Conservative peer has become the latest senior Tory to call on Nadhim Zahawi to consider his position. Lord Hayward said the Tory Party chairman should think about “standing aside” while parliament’s ethics watchdog investigates his tax affairs. “We don’t know what the timescales are for the inquiry, and I think that’s key,” he told

An MP has described a police chase which took place after two children were “collected” from a hotel housing asylum-seeking children. Hove MP Peter Kyle said officers in his constituency pursued a car that had picked up two children from outside the Home Office approved accommodation after concerns about what was happening. It comes after

A Conservative former minister has become the first Tory MP to publicly call for Nadhim Zahawi to stand down as party chairman. Caroline Nokes said there are “too many unanswered questions” over the former chancellor’s multi-million pound tax dispute and that he is “leading too many front pages”. “When you become the story it’s a

Rishi Sunak has ordered an investigation into Nadhim Zahawi as he resisted calls to sack the Tory party chairman over his multimillion-pound tax dispute. The prime minister asked new ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus on Monday to assess whether the cabinet minister breached the ministerial code with the HMRC settlement he made while he was

BBC chairman Richard Sharp has asked for a review into potential conflicts of interest following reports he helped Boris Johnson secure a loan. Mr Sharp said that while the appointment of the chairman is “solely a matter for the government”, he wants to ensure that “all appropriate guidelines have been followed within the BBC since

Labour is calling for an investigation into the BBC appointment process for its chair following “sleaze” claims. The man currently in the top role, Richard Sharp, allegedly helped Boris Johnson secure a loan guarantee before being recommended for the job. Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell has written to the Commissioner for Public Appointments, William Shawcross

Nadhim Zahawi says his tax error was found to be “careless and not deliberate” after Labour called for him to be sacked over his finances. The Tory chairman and cabinet member released a statement saying he wanted to “address some of the confusion” about his finances. He said his father took founder shares in YouGov

From an Iraqi-refugee who spoke no English to a multi-millionaire businessman and cabinet minister, Nadhim Zahawi’s story is one of the most compelling in Westminster. But questions about his financial affairs are now front and centre, having first gained prominence during the Stratford-on-Avon MP’s short-lived campaign to become prime minister last summer. The allegations centre

“Predators” could exploit gender self-identification, government minister Kemi Badenoch has said, as she voiced her opposition to proposed reforms. The minister for women and equalities argued that offenders would be able to “exploit any system that says you can just say you are what you are,” putting women and girls at risk. In an unprecedented

Downing Street will be hoping that once the prime minister has paid up, voters and journalists will move on and forget this rather embarrassing unforced error. To Rishi Sunak‘s credit, he put his hands up and admitted the error almost immediately. But it is a reminder that in the top job, with a permacrisis of

A series of fresh walkouts by ambulance workers has been announced by Unite in an escalation of the bitter dispute over pay and staffing. The union said its members across England, Wales and Northern Ireland will stage 10 further strikes over the coming weeks, warning that additional dates could be announced soon. Unite’s ambulance workers

The police have said they are “looking into the matter” after the prime minister was caught on camera not wearing a seatbelt. Rishi Sunak admitted a “brief error of judgement” after appearing beltless in a clip on Instagram as he promoted his levelling-up funding in Lancashire. Downing Street said: “That was a brief error of