Lead News

Sir Keir Starmer says he is “frustrated” at how long it is taking to deal with building safety and cladding, following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report this week. Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the prime minister said he accepts it is his “duty”, and that his government “will accelerate the programme”, when questioned about the number of people ...

The government has faced criticism over this week’s approval of plans to pump treated wastewater into the River Thames in south-west London. The Teddington Direct River Abstraction (DRA) would see treated sewage pumped into the river above Teddington Lock through an underground pipeline from Mogden Sewage Treatment Works. Twickenham MP Munira Wilson said the Thames Water scheme could damage the ...

The government is set to introduce a bill in the Commons next week which will ban landlords from evicting tenants without a reason. Ministers are expected to bring the Renters’ Rights Bill for its first reading. The draft law, which will apply in England, will also give tenants the right to request a pet. A ban on no-fault evictions has ...

The political wing of the trade union movement has been elected to power for the first time in 14 years. So many delegates at next week’s Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Brighton will blend celebration with anticipation. But the Labour Party – set up by trade unions more than a century ago – now claims to be both the party ...

Labour is “getting it wrong” in “so many areas” and the Greens will “hold the new government to account”, the party’s co-leader Adrian Ramsay has told its conference in Manchester. In his first such speech since the Greens’ major advance in July’s general election, when it went from a single MP to four MPs, he said the party would challenge ...

The prison population in England and Wales has reached a record high, just days before the government’s temporary early release scheme comes into force. According to figures released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on Friday, the number of inmates has risen by 1,159 since 2 August, the week when the UK riots began, and now stands at 88,521. This ...

Germany could make use of facilities funded by the UK to process some asylum seekers in Rwanda, the country’s migration agreements commissioner has suggested. Joachim Stamp, from the Free Democratic Party, which is a junior partner in the governing coalition, suggested accommodation originally intended for people deported from the UK could be utilised by Germany. However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ...

Boris Johnson’s suspension of the UK Parliament is unlawful, Scotland’s highest civil court has ruled. A panel of three judges at the Court of Session found in favour of a cross-party group of politicians who were challenging the prime minister’s move.The decision overturns an earlier ruling from the court, which said last week Mr Johnson had not broken the law, ...

Harriet Harman has confirmed she will run to become the next Commons Speaker. The Labour MP and Mother of the House – the longest continuously-serving female MP – made the announcement after the current Speaker, John Bercow, said he would stand down by 31 October. Ms Harman told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme it was the Speaker’s job “to ensure ...

Boris Johnson has said “there is a way” of getting a Brexit deal as he prepares to discuss his options with Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster. The PM, whose attempts to force an early election have been blocked by MPs, said “loads of people” wanted an agreement but he was prepared to leave without one if “absolutely necessary”. The DUP ...