Thank you for us at Politics Hub this year.
Although there has only been one Prime Minister in 2023, it has not been a quiet year in Westminster, with many major issues facing the country.
The Politics Hub will be back up and running on January 3, 2024 at 6 a. m. M. Y we look forward to signing up for a very important year as politics prepares for the general election.
But until then, all of us at Politics Hub and Sky News wish you and yours a glorious holiday season.
By Jennifer Scott, Political Reporter
It may not seem unusual for chaos to ensue in any place where politics takes place on these days.
But there have been a number of political moments this year that have left even the most seasoned Westminster observer speechless.
We take a look at some of the most unexpected incidents of the past year. . .
Reports emerged tonight that Sir Keir Starmer may be backtracking on his promise that a Labor government would invest up to £28 billion a year in green energy in the UK.
When asked about the report, Shadow Secretary for External Development Lisa Nandy denied it.
He told broadcasters: “We are surely committed to making Britain an energy superpower in white, cutting citizens’ bills, creating smart jobs across the country and ensuring we maintain our own energy security, which may be more important, especially now with Putin’s movements in Russia.
“But what we’re committed to is looking at the economic scenario and spending as much as the scenario allows. “
Nandy noted that if Labour were to come to power, it would be “likely” that they would “inherit the worst economic situation since World War II”.
As a result, he said Labour would “be careful with every penny” and said: “We will set out our exact plans before the general election so that other people can take a stand at the general election. “
“But we are surely committed to being a green government and one that puts other Britons first,” he added.
Labour’s Lisa Nandy was also asked about Rishi Sunak backtracking on plans to hike the minimum salary requirement for family visas.
It emerged last night that they had quietly softened the much-criticised measure.
The threshold will now be above £29,000 in the spring, and then increase in “gradual stages” to the full amount of £38,700 until “early 2025”.
If Labour wins the next general election, they would be in power in early 2025, and the shadow cabinet minister is asked if the party would allow the rise to go ahead.
He told television stations that the Labour Party had “made it clear from the outset that immigration policy needed to be skills-aligned” to tackle shortages here in the UK.
“That’s why we’ve said that all those projects that the prime minister has announced and not announced and announced over and over again, we pass them on to the Advisory Committee on Migration to get qualified recommendations before making a decision, if we’re lucky enough to come into force next year. “
But he described Mr Sunak as “just one example of the chaos that ensues when the government is afraid of its own back seats and does not have a coherent immigration policy, or even a strong opinion in the cabinet”.
We have just heard from Labour’s shadow minister for external progress following the UN Security Council vote on a solution to create “the situations for a lasting cessation of hostilities” and on increasing aid deliveries to Gaza (see our live pledge). Cover here).
Speaking to the media, Nandy described it as a “welcome and a moment in the search for peace in the Middle East. “
She noted that today is “the first time the international community has spoken with one voice about the need to work towards a sustained ceasefire and to flood Gaza with aid”.
“It’s urgent now that the international community steps up and ensures that hostages are released, that settler violence in the West Bank ends, and there’s no return to the horrors of recent months.”
Asked if there had been a call for an early ceasefire, Nandy replied: “Everyone needs to see a ceasefire where the violence ends and aid can be delivered to Gaza and peace talks can begin.
“The difficulty is that with hostages still being held and with rockets still flying into Israel at the hands of Hamas, that is a very difficult thing to achieve.”
But he added that the UN solution requires a return to the “horrors of recent months” and moving towards a “lasting ceasefire. “
The shadow Labour minister also rejected Israel’s claim that the aid debate is unnecessary, saying there is “no doubt” that a “humanitarian catastrophe” is unfolding in Gaza.
By Alexandra Rogers, Political Journalist
Rishi Sunak has said the upper threshold for a family visa will increase in 2025 after being criticised by Conservative MPs for abandoning plans to introduce it next spring.
The Prime Minister said the Government will “significantly extend the salary threshold” to £38,700 until “early 2025”, an update to the initial plan defined by Home Secretary James Cleverly earlier this month.
The threshold for obtaining a family visa, which applies to Britons who wish to bring family members to the UK, will rise from £18,600 to £38,700 next spring in a bid to reduce net legal migration, which hit a record high. last year.
But on Thursday night, the Home Office quietly watered down the measure, saying the threshold would be raised first to £29,000 from the spring and then in “gradual stages”; No timetable has been set for the arrival of the maximum figure.
The party’s right-wing conservative MPs immediately criticized the change, with David Jones, vice president of the right-wing European studies group, telling the Palestinian Authority news agency that it was an “unfortunate sign of weakness,” while Jonathan Gullis, a former conservative minister, told the Palestinian Authority news firm, he wrote in X that it is “deeply disappointing and undermines our efforts. “
Read the full story here:
By Alexandra Rogers, Political Journalist
Simon Case will return to his role as head of the civil service in January after weeks of absence for health reasons, the Cabinet Office has confirmed.
Case, who as cabinet secretary is the UK’s top civil servant, took a medical leave in October.
It was reported at the time that he was likely to be off for a number of weeks and that he would be returning in 2024.
A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office told Sky News: “The Cabinet Secretary will return to work in the new year. “
It is understood that when he returns to public service, he will resume the same day-to-day jobs as Cabinet Secretary.
The Cabinet Office would not comment on the medical advice he has received as it is a private matter.
Case is expected to testify at the COVID inquiry at some point, and the chair of the inquiry, Baroness Heather Hallett, said last month that “it remains my goal to have Mr. Case give oral testimony to the inquiry” and call a special meeting. Module 2 hearing to get your testimony.
Read the full story here:
The Christmas recess has begun and MPs are returning to their constituencies for the season.
But while the latest opinion polls are likely to be a source of festive cheer for Labour, Conservative MPs will feel a glaring lack of goodwill.
Sky News’ live ballot tracking formula, compiled and updated through our insights and studies team, aggregates polls to give an indication of how the electorate feels about other political parties.
Labour is sitting on an average of 42.7%, with the Tories on 25.7% – a roughly 17-point lead.
In third are the Lib Dems on 10.8%, followed by Reform on around 8.9% and the Greens on 5.8% – with the SNP on 3.0%.
Check out the most recent update below and you can read more about the tracker method here.
Sir Keir Starmer has just published a report on the UN Security Council’s vote on a solution to create “the situations necessary for a lasting cessation of hostilities” and on accelerating the delivery of aid to Gaza (see our policy commitment at I live here).
The Labour leader welcomed the resolution’s passage, saying: “The horrors of recent months have been intolerable. This resolution describes how we must work for a sustained ceasefire.
“The upcoming humanitarian truce is urgent, and in the area it brings, intense international relations are beginning to create new situations in which fighting will not resume and the threat of escalation will be reduced. “
Sir Keir continued: “Hamas will have to release all remaining hostages, end all attacks on Israel and play no role in the long-term governance of Gaza.
“Israel must agree to end its bombing campaign, allow a humanitarian surge into Gaza, and end settler violence and displacement in the West Bank.”
More broadly, Sir Keir argued that a lasting ceasefire is “not enough” for the implementation of a long-term peace, stressing that “there have been no peace talks for more than a decade. “
He called for “a new political procedure that has the capacity, conviction and commitment to rhetoric around two states living face to face in peace and becoming reality. “
He concluded: “The next Labour government will strive to achieve this. Foreign organizations should be encouraged to act rather than shirk the challenge. The future of Israelis and Palestinians depends on it. “
In January this year, Rishi Sunak made five promises on which the electorate could judge him.
The prime minister has achieved one of his goals so far: to halve inflation by the end of the year.
And when it comes to the NHS, while both waiting lists and waiting times are shrinking, the waiting list is still longer than in January.
With the end of the year fast approaching, how does the Prime Minister manage to deliver on his other promises?
You can see the progress below.