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Hunt draws comparisons with Thatcher’s tax-slashing chancellor as he claims UK is ready for economic boomJeremy Hunt has compared himself to former tax-cutting chancellor Nigel Lawson, as he joined Rishi Sunak in teasing further potential cuts in the spring budget.Writing in the Mail on Sunday, the chancellor drew comparisons with the late Lawson, who was known for slashing personal taxation while serving in the...

Nobody seems to know mystery organisation that funded YouGov survey but its agenda is clearAt the centre of this week’s mega-poll that projected an election wipeout for the Conservatives there lurked both a mystery and a statement of the obvious. Who was behind it? No one seemed to know. But what do they want? Seemingly, a change from Rishi Sunak.It is a sign of...

Prime minister expected to talk about Rwanda bill after it cleared Commons as Tory ‘rebels’ abandoned protestIn an interview with LBC, Chris Philp, the Home Office minister, claimed that Rishi Sunak was in a better position in the light of the Rwanda bill getting a third reading. Asked if Sunak was “stronger or weaker” after the passing of the Bill but the departure of...

As tensions in the Middle East continue to rise, this week John Harris speaks to Niku Jafarnia of Human Rights Watch about the regional conflicts. The Rwanda bill passed its third reading and Pippa Crerar, the Guardian’s political editor, reveals what happened behind the scenes. And the former No 10 adviser Gavin Barwell talks about the increasingly vicious struggles within the Conservative partyArchive: GB...

Paul Kagame also says he would be happy for the scheme to be scrappedUK politics live – latest updatesRwanda’s president has said there are limits to how long attempts to implement an asylum deal with Britain can “drag on”, indicating he would be happy for the scheme to be scrapped.Paul Kagame’s comments on Wednesday came before Rishi Sunak faced a potentially leadership-ending rebellion by...

Michael Tomlinson says ‘there’s a difference of about an inch’ between Tory MPs, despite resignation of two deputy chairsThe illegal migration minister has rejected suggestions of a deepened split within the Conservative party over the prime minister’s Rwanda bill, saying “there’s a difference of about an inch” between MPs.On Tuesday night, Rishi Sunak faced the biggest rebellion of his leadership after two deputy chairs...

Warning that bill is not compatible with international rules comes amid mounting revolt by Tory MPsRishi Sunak’s revised Rwanda plan is still in breach of international law, the UN’s refugee agency has said.The warning came amid a mounting revolt by Conservative MPs threatening to vote against the bill. They drew on a poll believed to be funded by rightwing opponents of Sunak’s leadership. It...

Defence secretary dismisses poll, saying things will change by time general election takes placeGood morning. News organisations, including the Guardian, tend to be a bit wary of splashing on opinion polls. Polls are never 100% reliable, there is a good case for saying they constrain political reporting (because if journalists assume X can’t win, they don’t cover what X might do if they were...

Lee Anderson could be one of ‘six Conservatives on the payroll’ ready to support the amendmentsConservative rebels have said as many as 70 MPs could back amendments or abstain from supporting Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda bill, telling the prime minister he will have “nowhere to go” if he does not toughen up the legislation.A leading figure on the right wing of the party said...

No successor has been named for Lord Deben – and now the independent watchdog’s chief executive has resignedRishi Sunak has been accused of trying to avoid scrutiny of his green policies after details surfaced about his government’s failure, over more than 18 months, to appoint a new chair of the independent climate change committee.Senior environmentalists said they believed Sunak may be deliberately trying to...

Legal bodies, academics and human rights groups say treaty risks undermining rule of lawRishi Sunak’s Rwanda treaty is unlikely to address concerns raised by the supreme court about the country not being a safe place to send asylum seekers, a House of Lords inquiry has been told.Ahead of next week’s showdown on the Rwanda legislation, the Law Society, academics and human rights groups said...

PM defends lawfulness of military action against Houthis as MPs call for parliamentary scrutinyMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe prime minister has said the UK acted in “self-defence” with military strikes in Yemen intended to “de-escalate tensions and restore stability to the region”, as he faced calls for greater parliamentary scrutiny.Speaking from Ukraine, Rishi Sunak said that in the face of this aggression “we...

Friday’s trip comes as PM stresses Britain’s continued backing for Kyiv before meeting with Volodymyr ZelenskiyRussia-Ukraine war – latest news updatesThe UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, is visiting Ukraine on Friday to meet his counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, as the UK announced it would provide further military aid to the country over the coming year.The UK has been one of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters since Russia’s...

Assessment comes despite claims by Rishi Sunak that Rwanda is safe when making case for asylum policyThe government has admitted that Rwanda still has “issues with its human rights record” despite claims by Rishi Sunak that it is a safe country.Documents released on Thursday said that “while Rwanda is now a relatively peaceful country with respect for the rule of law, there are nevertheless...

Wes Streeting says he is shocked by the extent to which the health and wellbeing of the nation’s children has declinedGood morning. Keir Starmer will today start a series of fortnightly visits around Britain intended to promote Labour’s “missions”, and today he is in the north-west of England launching the party’s child health action plan. He has written about the proposals for the Guardian...

Kevin Hollinrake, the minister for postal services, says a government announcement on the scandal is imminent Good morning. Cabinet is meeting for the first time this year and, among its other problems, the government is still under pressure to announce something definitive about the Post Office Horizon scandal that will show it is responding to the outrage generated by the ITV drama about the...

Party to ask for details of individual relocation costs and any payments to the Rwandan governmentLabour will table a vote in parliament on Tuesday calling for the release of documents relating to the UK government’s Rwanda deportation policy.The vote, which will be part of a humble address on the opposition day debate in the Commons, will ask for any documents that show the cost...

Parliament returns for election year with a resignation over North Sea drilling and a fight over the Tories’ Rwanda planRishi Sunak is facing a backlash in parliament this week over plans to allow more oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, as Tory troubles pile up on multiple fronts in the run-up to a general election expected this year.MPs return to Westminster on...

Paul Maynard under investigation by MPs’ expenses watchdog over claims he charged taxpayers for political campaign servicesCalls have been made for the prime minister to suspend the whip from a minister while claims he used his taxpayer-funded constituency office to campaign for the Conservative party are reviewed.Paul Maynard, the pensions minister, has been referred to an investigator by the parliamentary expenses watchdog over reports...

Labour leader says investing up to £28bn a year subject to fiscal rules but it is a ‘confident ambition’Starmer says junior doctors have a “good case” when they say they deserve a pay rise.But he says Victoria Atkins, the health secretary, should be negotiating with them now. Continue reading...

Labour leader will say Tories have governed so badly people no longer believe a change of party will make a differenceIn his speech this morning Keir Starmer will also promise that Labour will clean up politics. He will say:To change Britain, we must change ourselves. We need to clean up politics. No more VIP fast lanes, no more kickbacks for colleague, no more revolving...

Prime minister pledged to halve inflation, grow economy, cut national debt, lower NHS waits and ‘stop the boats’This article is extracted from our First Edition newsletter. Sign up hereOne year ago today, Rishi Sunak made five pledges that he said were a straightforward yardstick for his government’s success: “No tricks. No ambiguity. We’re either delivering for you or we’re not.” Here’s a report card...

In today’s newsletter: Guardian experts assess the government’s progress on the prime minister’s key promisesSign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. After Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year, the last great festival of the season: Rishi Sunak’s five pledges anniversary day. The prime minister is marking the occasion with a trip to the east Midlands, while Keir Starmer is making a...

Labour says reports PM discussed working with Boris Johnson’s former aide shows he is ‘out of ideas’Dominic Cummings has claimed Rishi Sunak sought a “secret deal” with him in a bid to win next year’s election.The UK prime minister, whose party is trailing behind Labour in the polls, reportedly discussed working with Boris Johnson’s ex-chief aide as he prepares to go to the country...