Politics

The chair of the watchdog which exposed how the former government chief commercial officer was able to take a job at Greensill Capital while still working in Whitehall has said he’s “not really come across anything like it before”. Lord Pickles’ Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) revealed how Bill Crothers worked as a part-time

Senior civil servants have been told they have until the end of the week to declare any other jobs they hold outside government. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case said there was “acute concern” at the top of the civil service about issues that have emerged in the David Cameron lobbying affair. On Tuesday, it was revealed

Boris Johnson has told MPs he shares “widespread concern” about the Greensill controversy – and questioned whether “boundaries” between top civil servants and businesses had been “properly understood”. The prime minister faced a repeated quizzing by MPs about the lobbying row that has engulfed his predecessor David Cameron and also dragged in former and current

A senior civil servant worked for Greensill Capital – the financial firm at the centre of the David Cameron lobbying row – while still employed in Whitehall, it has been revealed. Questions have now been asked about why Bill Crothers did not consult a Whitehall watchdog before joining Greensill as a director. He began working

Boris Johnson has warned that the reduction in coronavirus infections, hospitalisations and deaths “has not been achieved” by the rollout of COVID vaccines. The prime minister, speaking the day after the latest easing of lockdown restrictions, instead said it was the national shutdown that had been “overwhelmingly important” in driving down COVID rates. Nearly 40

The target of offering a first COVID vaccine dose to the nine most vulnerable groups by 15 April has been reached, the government has said. Ministers had vowed to offer a COVID-19 jab to all over-50s, the clinically vulnerable and health and social care workers – about 32 million people – by Thursday. The target

Former cabinet minister and Liberal Democrat peer Shirley Williams – one of the “Gang of Four” who defected from Labour in the early 1980s – has died aged 90. Baroness Williams of Crosby – whose long parliamentary career began when she was elected an MP in 1964 – was said to have “died peacefully” in

Boris Johnson has said Prince Philip “touched the lives of millions” and “made this country a better place” as all the UK’s parliaments were recalled early from the Easter recess to pay tribute to the duke. The House of Commons’ session to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, attended physically by socially distanced MPs,

Former prime minister David Cameron has accepted he should have acted differently over his role in the Greensill lobbying controversy. In his first statement in weeks over the scandal, Mr Cameron insisted he broke “no codes of conduct and no government rules”, but having “reflected on this at length” accepted there were “lessons to be

Election campaigning is to resume this week after being paused as a mark of respect following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer both agreed to the suspension after holding discussions in the wake of Friday’s announcement that Prince Philip had died. The Conservatives and

Boris Johnson has said he will not go to Prince Philip’s funeral, and instead will give up his seat to allow another family member to attend. It comes after Buckingham Palace revealed that only 30 people would be attending the duke’s funeral, in an effort to follow COVID-compliant protocols. A statement from a Downing Street

David Cameron has reportedly told friends it was a mistake to send private text messages to Chancellor Rishi Sunak to help his employer gain access to a coronavirus loan scheme. The former prime minister caused controversy after it emerged he had been trying to secure access for finance company Greensill Capital, which later collapsed and

Grant Shapps has insisted the government is trying to make foreign travel as affordable as possible amid criticism that a testing requirement will drive up holiday costs. The transport secretary also told Sky News that people could now think about booking a break abroad in a change from previous advice as the government unveiled plans

Boris Johnson has praised Prince Philip’s lifelong “ethic of service” as he led political tributes to the Duke of Edinburgh. After Buckingham Palace confirmed the death of the 99-year-old on Friday, politicians across the UK chose to suspend their campaigning ahead of next month’s local elections. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, the prime minister said

The government has refused to confirm whether foreign holidays will be permitted from 17 May – and where Britons will be able to travel without self-isolating on their return. A traffic light system is going to be introduced to categorise countries based on risk, and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says the UK will work with