Labour faces 'massive rebuilding challenge' as poll rating slumps

Louise Haigh has popped up in the House of Commons for the first time since she resigned as transport secretary last year.

As you'll recall, the MP for Sheffield Heeley in late November became the first minister to reign from the new Labour government after Sky News revealed she pleaded guilty to an offence related to incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013.

Ms Haigh spoke in questions to energy ministers, and asked Energy Secretary Ed Miliband if he will look at proposals to build a nuclear manufacturing centre in her constituency as the government looks to build small, modular nuclear reactors.

Mr Miliband said his former cabinet colleague made "such an important point" and committed to looking at the proposal in detail.

Below is an image of Ms Haigh asking her question - and spotted sitting behind her was the second minister to resign from government, Tulip Siddiq, who quit last month after controversy over links to her aunt's ousted political movement in Bangladesh.

Farage would seek better Brexit deal - but doesn't say how

With Reform UK topping a landmark Sky News-YouGov poll last night, Nigel Farage will have woken up smiling this morning.

He's likely not been such a force in British politics since the Brexit referendum back in 2016 - and the UK's departure from the EU has been making headlines this week.

Polling suggests the public reckon things have got worse since we left, and the prime minister has been holding talks with European leaders in Brussels - hoping to forge closer ties with the bloc.

Mr Farage is no fan of that strategy and would much rather the government move closer to the US, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning that becoming entwined with Europe will mean "less flexibility" when dealing with other countries.

UK can be 'friendly' with EU

"I do not see that any steps back towards a failing EU makes sense in a world changing very, very quickly," he added.

But he did say Britain can be "friendly" with Europe and wants a better deal, saying the one struck by Boris Johnson "wasn't very good".

'We're not feeling sorry for ourselves in government' despite challenges

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been speaking at an event hosted by Macmillan Cancer Support to mark World Cancer Day today, taking questions from broadcaster Nick Robinson, as well as doctors, nurses, and people who work to support people with cancer.

He said it is "right" that charities "hold the government to account" on its performance in ensuring the NHS effectively treats cancer - and any other health condition - properly.

But he continued: "All I'd ask people to do as they do that is to recognise two things. One is we've only been in government for five minutes. It feels like longer.

"And secondly, to recognise [that] if this is a partnership, and I think it should be, part of partnership involves acknowledging the choices and the trade-offs that we're having to confront."

'It's not easy'

The health secretary went on to say "if the only thing this government had to do was take the NHS from the worst crisis in its history" and fix it, while building a National Care Service, those would be "historic".

But he said he sits round the cabinet table with secretaries of state who all have immense challenges to tackle in their departments.

Mr Streeting said these challenges are "not easy", but added: "I don't say that by way of complaint."

"Don't worry - we're not feeling too sorry for ourselves in government," he continued. "We wanted this task, and we've been trusted to deliver, and we will."

But he called on the country to be "honest about those choices, those trade-offs".

How does Starmer keep Trump's US and the EU sweet?

After having introduced trade tariffs on Canada and Mexico over the weekend, President Donald Trump is now threatening import taxes on EU goods. He has, however, said the UK would stay tariff-free "for now".

Sir Keir Starmer says Britain won't need to choose between the two, saying it's important to work with both on areas including trade and security.

On the Sky News Daily podcast, Niall is joined by our deputy political editor Sam Coates and US correspondent Mark Stone to break down how Sir Keir might be able to navigate the push and pull between the EU and Trump, for Britain's economic future.

PM thinks he can manage relations with the US, EU and China - which could be easier said than done

The symbolism was plain to see.

Five years on from Brexit, the British prime minister on Monday was brought back into the club for one night only, invited to an informal dinner with the EU's 27 leaders to talk about resetting relations after a bumpy Brexit.

The invite was sent out weeks ago, with the intention on both sides to forge closer defence, security and trade ties.

Britain is under new leadership with a Labour government that wanted no part of Brexit, while the European Union is perhaps now a bit more pragmatic as it seeks to renew a lapsed friendship with an old ally in a more hostile world.

The stage was set then for a rapprochement - instead the EU leaders spent the informal summit locked up in a room war gaming the threat of a US-EU trade war.

Veteran Tory MP chairs news conference with Lucy Letby's legal team on 'new evidence'

Veteran Tory MP Sir David Davis is chairing a news conference with killer nurse Lucy Letby's legal team this morning.

They claim they have "new medical evidence" to announce that would undermine the nurse's murder convictions, and say it's based on the unanimous findings of independent analysis made by 14 neonatal experts.

Lawyers for the convicted child serial killer applied yesterday to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to investigate her case as a potential miscarriage of justice.

Starmer says it's 'early days' after Trump tariff threat

Sir Keir Starmer has said it is "early days" when it comes to the possibility of Donald Trump imposing tariffs on the UK.

Speaking at a joint news conference with NATO's secretary general Mark Rutte last night, the prime minister said the need for "open and strong" trading relations formed the basis of his discussions with the new US president so far.

It comes after Mr Trump suggested he is poised to expand his tariff regime to both the UK and the EU, but added that he thinks a deal can be done with Britain.

Asked by Sky News's political editor Beth Rigby if he is worried, Sir Keir said: "On the question of tariffs it's early days, and I think what's really important is open and strong trading relations and that has been the basis of my discussions with President Trump."

Reform UK poll lead 'an indication of frustration' from the public, says top Tory

Reform UK has topped a Sky News-YouGov poll for the first time, pushing Labour into second place and the Tories into third.

Sky's Kay Burley asked Tory shadow minister Richard Fuller for his reaction and he replied: "It's tough. It really is tough."

He said most new governments have a honeymoon period, but Labour has not had that.

"People are very frustrated. They were very frustrated with the Conservative Party ahead of the election, that's why the Conservative Party ended up with its worst result ever," he said.

"Now under new leadership, clearly we've got to learn lessons. That's what Kemi Badenoch has said. It takes time for us to restore trust with the British public."

He said he does not see this is as a "light-hearted" matter, but continued to attack Labour, saying: "What they found is actually governing is difficult and this lot aren't really doing a very good job.

"So they [the public] are very frustrated. That's what the opinion polls are expressing."

The job of the Conservative Party is to "learn the lessons from 14 years in office, do the hard work of looking at the principles that can guide us into office again, and then communicate to the British public so we earn back their trust".

"And that will not happen overnight," he added.

Reform UK's position in the polls is "an indication of frustration", he argued, and said when it comes to actually being in the ballot box, if the Tories have "earned back the trust", the public will elect them once again.

Starmer 'not sending a very good signal' to Trump with EU trip

With Donald Trump and the EU seemingly on a collision course, Sky's Kay Burley asked Tory shadow minister Richard Fuller which side Sir Keir Starmer should take.

He replied that the PM "should side with Britain".

"That was the whole point of us leaving the EU, is that we now have the toolkit where we can promote British interests, British consumers and British producers, and that's really what we need," he said.

"We need someone leading the country who can take those tools and negotiate, whether it's with the EU or with the US, but always with British interests at heart."

Asked how the PM can do that with the two sides at loggerheads, Mr Fuller replied: "The best thing is to keep out of the way while they resolve their differences."

He said Donald Trump is "really good at negotiation" and is a "dealmaker".

More broadly, he said Sir Keir signalling that he wants to be closer to the EU at a time when Donald Trump is critical of bloc is "not sending a very good signal", and he should have "kept out of the way".

Shadow minister hopes health secretary can 'give more comfort' to families of Nottingham killer victims

We've just been speaking with Conservative shadow minister Richard Fuller, and we asked him about NHS England deciding not to publish a full report into care received by Nottingham triple killer Valdo Calocane.

A summary of the independent mental health homicide report is set to be made publicly available this week, but the full version will be kept confidential due to "data protection legislation relating to patient information".

The senior Tory told Sky's Kay Burley: "I think parents in these circumstances really do want the full picture of a tragic circumstance."

Mr Fuller said people "want to know that they've turned over every stone and they've looked at everything".

He went on to say that he hopes the health secretary, Wes Streeting "will be engaged" on this matter.

"Obviously the NHS have made their judgement based on the rules as they see it.

"But perhaps the secretary of state here can find some way that he can give more comfort to the family and to meet some of the concerns they have, that they're not getting the full picture."

Minister defends impending council tax hikes

In order to keep up with demands, councils are usually allowed to raise council tax usually by up to 5% each year, broken down into 3% core spending with an additional 2% for social care.

But the government is allowing several local authorities to raise council tax by more than the maximum amount this year - more than two million people will be hit by increases of between 5 and 10%.

Windsor and Maidenhead Council wanted to increase council tax by 25% but the plan was blocked - instead it will go up by 9%.

Newham Council will go up by the same amount, while Bradford Council will put up taxes by 10% and Birmingham, Somerset and Trafford councils will all put up rates by 7.5%.

'They are really struggling'

We asked government minister Karin Smyth if that is fair on the local residents in those areas, the minister said it's a result of "the state of councils, as much of the public sector, that we inherited in July" that is "dire".

"They are really struggling," she continued. "They're struggling across the entire country."

As a result, some places are being given the power to raise more money through higher council taxes.

She went on to say that "many more councils" asked to be able to increase council taxes than have been granted permission, and insisted that each request was "scrutinised very closely because we don't want to see taxes increase for people in those areas, but those areas are particularly desperate and need that in order to keep basic services running".

Health minister challenged as NHS England to keep report on Nottingham killer private

NHS England has been urged to change its decision not to publish a full report into care received by Nottingham triple killer Valdo Calocane.

A summary of the independent mental health homicide report is set to be made publicly available this week, but the full version will be kept confidential due to "data protection legislation relating to patient information".

Sky's Kay Burley asked health minister Karin Smyth why the NHS is not publishing the report, and she replied that it is "such a tragic case", and her "understanding is the report, part that is shared with the family and [there are] discussions with the family".

Asked in her capacity as health minister if she things the report should be published, Ms Smyth replied: "There may be reasons that things aren't published."

Burley put to her that Calocane relinquished his right to privacy when he murdered three people, and the minister said: "I think we have to think about the victims and supporting the family in this.

"And if there are lessons to be learned, or that there are ways in which reports need to be published differently, then obviously I think that does need to be looked at."

She suggested that there "may be other parts of that report that are private".

Asked if the decision not to publish the report should be looked at again, Ms Smyth said: "I think all of these things should be looked at and learned from in time.

"And families shouldn't have to work that hard to get the sort of justice that they need.

"And if there are reasons that things are kept private and that's not a good reason, then we should always look at that, because I do think transparency for families and the wider system is really important."

-SKY NEWS