Uk Prime Minister

UK transport minister Louise Haigh quits in new blow to PM Starmer

In her resignation letter shared by Starmer's office early on Friday, Haigh said she was standing down as the issue 'will inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this government'

PM Modi meets Starmer, says eager to work closely in tech, green energy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his UK counterpart Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the G20 Summit on Tuesday, during which he expressed eagerness to work closely in areas such as technology, green energy, security, innovation and technology. Modi -- who arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday after concluding a two-day trip to Nigeria -- has met leaders of several countries, including those from Italy, Indonesia, Norway and Portugal, on the sidelines of the summit. He also met French President Emmanuel Macron and discussed ways to keep working closely in sectors such as space, energy and AI. Modi said in a post on X about his meeting with Starmer, "Had an extremely productive meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Rio de Janeiro. For India, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the UK is of immense priority." "In the coming years, we are eager to work closely in areas such as technology, green energy, security, innovation and technology. We also want to add strength to tr

Will treat people-smuggling gangs like terrorists: UK PM tells Interpol

Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will double funding for Britain's border security agency and treat people-smuggling gangs like terror networks in an attempt to stop migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats. In a speech Monday to a meeting of the international police organization Interpol, Starmer will say the gangs behind irregular migration are a serious threat to global security. Arguing that the world needs to wake up to the severity of this challenge, Starmer will say that we're taking our approach to counterterrorism, which we know works, and applying it to the gangs, according to extracts released by his office. He'll call for more cooperation between law-enforcement agencies, closer coordination with other countries and unspecified enhanced powers for law-enforcement. Starmer plans to increase the U.K. Border Security Command's two-year budget from 75 million pounds ($97 million) to 150 million pounds ($194 million). The money will be used to fund high-tech .

UK PM Starmer to meet sceptical investors in attempts to woo them

Years of Brexit-linked political chaos may have ended with his Labour Party's big election win, but the near-collapse of utility Thames Water has unsettled investors

Voting begins in UK polls; future of Rishi Sunak as PM hangs in balance

The future of Rishi Sunak as Britain's Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party hangs in the balance as polling booths opened across the UK on Thursday, with the British Indian leader and the man who wants his job Keir Starmer out early to cast their votes along with millions across the country. Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty walked hand-in-hand to their local polling booth on a sunny day in his constituency of Richmond and Northallerton in Yorkshire, northern England. A little later, Starmer and wife Victoria were at their polling station in Camden, north London, sporting Labour red colours. As is customary, there is no campaigning or party political canvassing on polling in the UK. Sunak, 44, is up against voter angst towards the incumbent Tories after 14 years in power and has had to contend with trailing far behind 61-year-old Keir Starmer-led Labour Party throughout the six-week campaign. Both leaders wrapped up their poll pitches with contrasting messages Suna

UK elections: Who is Keir Starmer and what's his vision for UK-India ties?

Keir Starmer, the Centre-Left Labour Party's leader, is the current favourite to win UK's July 4 election and replace Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister

Impending changes

The Tories stare at the likely end of 14 years in power

UK PM Rishi Sunak, wife Akshata Murty's fortunes rise in 2024 Rich List

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murty, who made their debut in the annual Sunday Times Rich List' two years ago, have moved up the ranks in the 2024 edition released on Friday thanks to the Murty's lucrative Infosys shareholding. The couple, both 44, have risen from 275th last year to 245th with an estimated wealth of GBP 651 million, making them the wealthiest people to call 10 Downing Street home. Murty's earnings are said to far exceed that of her husband as financial statements published in February are quoted to say Sunak made GBP 2.2 million in 2022-23 compared to Murty's estimated GBP 13 million in dividends over the past year. The couple's most valued asset is Murty's shareholding in Infosys, a Bangalore-based IT company co-founded by Murty's father [Narayan Murthy], reads the newspaper's analysis. Over the past year, the shares have grown in value by GBP 108.8 million to nearly GBP 590 million. The latest annual report suggests that Murty received about

UK PM Sunak resists call to set election date amid leadership threat

A general election must be held by the end of January and Sunak has said his "working assumption" is it will be in the second half of 2024

Why is social media up in arms against Rishi Sunak's choice of sneakers?

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced flak from social media users over his Adidas Samba look during an interview at 10 Downing Street

Obama-Sunak's first one-to-one meet surprises many: All you need to know

Rishi Sunak was "happy" to have Barack Obama at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK PM, where the two held informal talks, an official statement said

Sunak's leadership in turmoil amid infighting in Conservative Party

Transport Secretary Mark Harper was directly asked during a television interview if he thinks Sunak will be the leader of the Conservative Party at the general election

UK PM Rishi Sunak rules out possibility of holding early general election

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has firmly ruled out an early general election to coincide with local polls scheduled for May 2 amid intense speculation from the Opposition Labour benches. The British Indian leader had indicated earlier in the year that he was considering going to the polls in the second half of the year but in recent weeks there had been mounting theories that he may call a snap election in early May. But during an interview with ITV News West Country' channel on Thursday, he sought to quash the speculation having previously preferred to keep people guessing. In several weeks' time we've got elections for police and crime commissioners, for local councils, for mayors across the country, the 43-year-old prime minister said. Asked if there would also be a general election at the same time, Sunak said: There won't be a general election on that day but when there is a general election, what matters is the choice. I can see that the Labour Party are trying to whip

Parents wanted me to speak without an accent to fit in: UK PM on racism

Rishi Sunak, the UK's Indian-origin Prime Minister, has said that he experienced "racism" when he was a child and his parents sent him for extra drama lessons so that he could "speak properly" without an accent to "fit in". In 2022, Sunak scripted history when he was appointed by King Charles III as Britain's first Indian-origin Prime Minister after being elected unopposed as the new leader of the governing Conservative Party on Diwali. The 43-year-old former Chancellor of the Exchequer, a devout Hindu, is the youngest British prime minister in 210 years. He is also the first Hindu Prime Minister of Indian heritage in the UK. Speaking to ITV News, Sunak shared how his parents were so determined he should fit in and speak without an accent that he was sent for extra drama lessons. You are conscious of being different, he said. It's hard not to be, right, and obviously I experienced racism as a kid. Sunak also recalled the pain of hearing slurs directed at his younger siblings, add

UK PM Rishi Sunak faces byelection challenge after ex-minister quits

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was on Friday hit with a byelection challenge as a former energy minister resigned as Conservative Party MP over new oil and gas production related legislation coming up in Parliament next week. Chris Skidmore, who was a minister for energy under former prime minister Boris Johnson, said he was resigning as Tory MP for Kingswood in Gloucestershire, south-west England, because the constituents deserved a new member of Parliament after his "personal decision" not to continue in the Commons. Skidmore, 42, had already announced plans not to contest the next general election but his hastened exit means Sunak will be forced to contend with a byelection, which is often seen as a precursor to the final poll results in a general election year. "The bill would in effect allow more frequent new oil and gas licences and the increased production of new fossil fuels in the North Sea," said Skidmore in his resignation letter posted on X. "I can no longer stand b

PM Rishi Sunak indicates UK general election in second half of 2024

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday seemed to rule out going to the electorate in the coming months as he indicated that the UK general election will be held in the second half of 2024. During his first tour of the New Year to the market town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands region of England, the British Indian leader told broadcasters that he still has a lot to do before calling an election which must be held latest by January 2025 at the end of five years of a Conservative Party led government. While he declined to rule out an election in May, as was being widely speculated, Sunak seems to be inclined to go the polls around the two-year mark since he took charge at 10 Downing Street in October 2022. "My working assumption is we'll have a general election in the second half of this year and in the meantime, I've got lots that I want to get on with," said Sunak. "We want to keep managing the economy and cutting people's taxes, and I want to keep ...

UK statistics watchdog looking into Rishi Sunak's asylum backlog claim

The UK's statistics watchdog on Thursday said that it is "looking into" the government's recent announcement that it had met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's target to clear the country's asylum backlog by the end of 2023, a claim strongly contested by the Opposition. Earlier this week, the UK Home Office said that 112,000 asylum cases were processed in the past year, which exceeded Sunak's initial target of 92,000 applications pending at the end of 2022. However, the Opposition Labour Party had contested this and accused the government of misleading the public. It has now emerged that a formal complaint is likely to have been raised with the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), which independently monitors the use of official statistics. "The Office for Statistics Regulation confirmed it is looking into the government announcement about the asylum backlog, said a spokesperson for OSR. While the OSR can ask for additional information from the Home Office, it does not have the power

UK PM Sunak survives crunch vote on controversial Rwanda policy

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday night survived a crunch vote in Parliament as none of his party MPs voted against the government's Safety of Rwanda Bill. The vote in the House of Commons passed by 313 to 269, a majority of 44 votes. Around 38 Conservative MPs were recorded as not taking part in the vote, with sacked Home Secretary Suella Braverman and resigned Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick believed to be among them. Earlier, Sunak had launched a charm offensive at 10 Downing Street in a bid to win over MPs from within his Conservative Party threatening to rebel against the bill, aimed at overcoming legal hurdles in the way of deporting illegal migrants to the east African nation. Ahead of the early-stage vote on the bill, Sunak hosted a breakfast summit for the Tory rebels on the extreme right of the party who are opposed to the bill because they feel it is not strong enough to circumvent legal challenges. However, more centrist Tories are against the toughest .

Sunak travels to Egypt for crisis talks to prevent conflict from spilling

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will travel to Egypt on Friday as part of his Middle East tour for crisis talks to prevent the Israel-Gaza conflict spilling over across the region. His talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi follow productive discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. I had an important and productive meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. We agreed on coordinated action to prevent further escalation in the region, provide vital humanitarian aid in Gaza and support stability, both now and in the long-term, tweeted Sunak after the meeting. Sunak "encouraged the Crown Prince to use Saudi's leadership in the region to support stability, both now and in the long-term", Downing Street said. His stop at Riyadh followed a visit to Israel for talks with President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during which he addressed a joint press conference with the latter to reiterate that the UK stands

UK and I stand with you: Sunak assures support to Israel after reaching

He also mentioned that he would meet the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and hoped for a "productive" meeting