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Prime minister says not getting people into work is ‘irresponsible burden’ as he says ‘next parliament, a Conservative government’ will enact reformsRishi Sunak is arguing that not getting people into work is an “irresponsible burden” on future generations and taxpayers. He says:We risk not only letting those people down [the people who are long-term sickness benefits], but creating a deep sense of unfairness amongst...

Katie Fieldhouse says Conservative party failed to act after she reported incident in early JanuaryThe Conservative activist who has accused a Tory MP of making a late-night demand for money has said she is appalled by the party’s response.Katie Fieldhouse has said Mark Menzies called her one night in December at 3.15am asking for £5,000 to pay “bad people” who had detained him in...

Shoppers cut back in March, with data likely to increase pressure on Bank of England over interest ratesBusiness live – latest updatesRetail sales in Great Britain unexpectedly stalled in March as consumers cut back on spending because of the cost of living, according to new data.British retail sales volumes stagnated at 0% in March after an increase of 0.1% in February, according to the...

Work and pensions secretary attacks system of dealing with minor mental health problems as PM takes aim at ‘sicknote culture’Nearly everyone who gets signed off work for feeling “a little bit depressed” is classified as incapable of work, according to a senior government minister, as Rishi Sunak prepares to announce a new drive to get sick people back into employment.Mel Stride, the work and...

Exclusive: India seeking to use approach of UK election as bargaining chip and any exemption would be controversialIndia is demanding an exemption from the UK’s planned carbon tax as part of negotiations aiming to finalise a free trade deal before the UK election.India’s negotiating team have spent this week in London in a surprise set of talks to try to overcome the remaining hurdles...

Paperwork filed shows the royal has informed British authorities that he has moved and is now ‘usually resident’ in the United StatesPrince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has formally confirmed he is now a US resident.The acknowledgment is said to underscore the prince’s increasing estrangement from Britain, after he and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, walked away from royal duties four years...

New post-Brexit border checks ‘set to zero’ to avoid what Defra calls risk of serious disruptionThe UK government has reportedly told port health authorities it will not “turn on” health and safety checks for EU imports as new post-Brexit border controls begin this month.A presentation prepared by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) highlighted the risk of “significant disruption” if the...

Company, which also makes Quality Street, says reducing sugar, salt and fats could harm ‘strategic freedom’Business live – latest updatesNestlé faces a resolution at its AGM on Thursday that could force the world’s largest consumer goods company to cut back on high levels of salt, sugar and fats in its food and drinks.The Swiss-headquartered multinational is urging investors to reject the proposal, arguing a...

Rating of -59 is record low for a prime minister in modern times – matching John Major’s score in August 1994, according to IpsosRishi Sunak’s approval rating is at a record low for a prime minister in modern times, according to the polling company Ipsos.In its latest Political Monitor report it says net satisfaction with Sunak (% satisfied with how he is doing his...

Mark Menzies allegedly spent £14,000 of campaign funds on medical costs and demanded £6,500 from aide to ‘escape captors’A Conservative MP has lost the party whip over allegations he misused campaign funds and demanded thousands of pounds from an aide to pay off “bad people” in the middle of the night.Mark Menzies, 52, was suspended from the Tory parliamentary party on Wednesday night while...

Shares in Beyoncé and Neil Young song fund rise amid hopes uncertainty over its future could be overBusiness live – latest updatesThe embattled British music royalties investment fund Hipgnosis, which owns the rights to songs by artists from Beyoncé to Neil Young, has agreed to a $1.4bn (£1.1bn) takeover by a music and theatrical rights rival after months of turmoil over the company’s structure...

Demand for private treatment booms as NHS waiting lists remain long, while more people also sign up for dental cover Britain’s health cover market has grown by £385m in a year as the NHS crisis prompted more people to seek out private medical treatment and demand for dental insurance increased, according to a report.The total health cover market, including medical and dental insurance and...

How much should Britain get involved in the conflict in the Middle East? The Guardian’s John Harris is joined by the columnist Gaby Hinsliff and former national security adviser Peter Ricketts to talk about the fallout from Iran’s attack on Israel at the weekend. Plus, John talks to Gaby about smoking bans, NatCon and Liz Truss’s new bookArchive: Sky News, BBC News Continue reading...

Paul Kagame flew to UK for Champions League match while national police told citizens to restrict activities including footballThe president of Rwanda, whose police force has asked the country’s people to restrict football-related activities during the 30-year anniversary of the Rwanda massacre, is facing questions after flying to the UK and watching Arsenal play Bayern Munich.Paul Kagame visited on Tuesday 9 April to watch...

Lords also press ministers to allow independent Rwanda monitoring as deportation bill returns to CommonsUK politics – latest updatesRishi Sunak’s government is considering concessions on the Rwanda deportation bill to allow exemptions for Afghans who served alongside UK forces, parliamentary sources say.Ministers are also being pressed to give ground to an amendment to the legislation so that the east African country could be ruled...

Peers pass four amendments inserting safeguards into bill, including exempting migrants who helped British troopsDavid Cameron, the foreign secretary, has said that Israel is gearing up to retaliate after the mass Iranian drone and missile attack launched on Saturday night.Speaking to reporters in Jerusalem this morning, where he has meetings scheduled with senior figures including Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, Cameron said:It’s right to...

Predictions for when Bank of England will start lowering cost of borrowing pushed back Business live – latest updatesThe UK’s annual inflation rate fell by less than expected in March to 3.2%, complicating the timing of a first Bank of England interest rate cut.Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show inflation continued to fall from 3.4% in February to reach the lowest...

Time taken for Farhad Moshiri to attract new investors may have made a viable solution harder to find Everton fans are used to owner Farhad Moshiri telling them that better times will be arriving soon. He began his reign at the club in 2016 promising to give fans “whatever I have” – the type of soundbite he would continue to deliver during the following...

Annual watchlist raises concern for native chicken, duck, geese and turkey populations as well as rare pig breedsAll of the UK’s native breeds of chicken, duck, geese and turkey are under threat because of bird flu, a report from the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) has found.The disease, which has swept the globe after it originated in poultry farms in Asia, has caused devastating...

Health Foundation report also predicts people in poorest areas will be three times more likely to die by the age of 70A record 3.7 million workers in England will have a major illness by 2040, according to research.On current trends, 700,000 more working-age adults will be living with high healthcare needs or substantial risk of mortality by 2040 – up nearly 25% from 2019...

PM’s plan to prevent those under 16 ever being able to buy tobacco should pass due to Labour support, but many of his own MPs could abstain or vote againstIn another interview this morning, Laura Farris, minister for victims, told GB News that she thought Liz Truss, the former PM, was wrong to call for the supreme court to be abolished. Asked about the...

Julian Dunkerton decided against takeover offer and company will delist from London Stock ExchangeBusiness live – latest updatesSuperdry is to embark on a restructuring plan including rent reductions in stores and a fundraising, backed by its boss and co-founder Julian Dunkerton, and will quit the London Stock Exchange.Trading in the shares was halted on Tuesday morning after they fell 25% to just over 5p,...

Former PM launches apparent attack on civil servants over plans she said had been put ‘in the bin’UK politics – latest updatesLiz Truss has blamed “unelected individuals” in the Department of Health and Social Care for the government’s planned smoking ban as she launched an apparent attack on civil servants such as the chief medical officer for England, Sir Chris Whitty.The former prime minister...

International Paper settles all-share deal after tussle with British rival MondiBusiness live – latest updatesThe FTSE 100 UK packaging firm DS Smith is to be taken over by a bigger US rival, International Paper, after the companies agreed a £5.8bn all-share deal.Tennessee-based International Paper, one of the largest paper and pulp companies in the world, moved in late March to gatecrash a £5.14bn all-share...