Politics latest: No 10 responds after murdered MP's daughter condemns 'absolute insult and betrayal'

By-election to be triggered as Mike Amesbury set to stand down

A by-election will be triggered in Runcorn and Helsby.

The seat was held by disgraced former Labour MP Mike Amesbury.

But he has decided to step away from the Commons following his conviction for punching a man.

Speaking to the BBC, Amesbury said he would resign "as soon as possible".

His decision will prevent the drawn-out spectacle of constituents recalling Amesbury.

MPs can't technically resign from the Commons, but they can be appointed to the defunct roles of either crown steward and bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds or crown steward and bailiff of the Manor of Northstead by the Treasury.

By holding these roles, they become ineligible to be MPs and so get removed from the Commons.

In last year's election, Amesbury came first with 22,358 votes - equating to 52.9% of the electorate.

Reform UK came in second with 7,662 votes - 18.1% - and the Tories in third with 6,756 votes - 16%.

Recent betting odds on the seat suggest Reform could win the seat off Labour.

'Horrific' bullying claims against suspended Reform MP are 'nonsense', says staffer

Claims of bullying against ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe are "nonsense", according to a current staff member.    

The woman, who asked not to be named, added that he is a "good man" who is being subjected to a "horrific and unfair" ordeal. 

The embattled Great Yarmouth MP was suspended by his party over the weekend after being accused by party chiefs of bullying two female staff members and threatening Reform chair Zia Yusuf.

'He has done nothing wrong'

But today, another of his employees has spoken out in his defence.

They told Sky News: "Rupert is a good man who does not deserve any of this. He has done nothing wrong. 

"The allegations aren't against Rupert. I've not seen any evidence of any bullying from anyone in Rupert's office. 

"These claims are nonsense. This is wrong what they're doing to Rupert. 

"He's nice to everybody. What they’re putting him through is horrific and unfair. They are vexatious complaints. 

"There has never been any bullying in the office."

Reform vows to uphold 'highest standards'

A Reform UK spokesman said the party "acted on serious allegations by two female members of Mr Lowe's team by appointing an independent KC to investigate".

"We feel we have a duty of care to all our staff, whether employed directly or indirectly," they added.

"Reform UK stands for the highest standards of conduct in public life, and we will apply these standards without fear nor favour."

Starmer and Trump speak ahead of crunch Ukraine peace talks

Ukrainian and US officials are meeting in Saudi Arabia this week set to discuss whether there is a way forward to peace in the war with Russia.

It comes on the back of a policy reversal from Washington after Donald Trump re-entered office, with the Republican putting heavy pressure on Kyiv to stop their fighting.

This has included withdrawing intelligence support and the bust up in the Oval Office between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ahead of this summit, Downing Street has confirmed Sir Keir Starmer and Trump spoke today for around 20 minutes.

PM hopes for 'positive outcome'

The prime minister's spokesperson said UK officials had spoken to Ukrainian counterparts as well, with several deadly attacks on Ukraine launched from Russia.

The spokesperson said Starmer wants to see intelligence sharing resume as quickly as possible.

They added: "The prime minister said he hoped there would be a positive outcome to the talks that would enable US aid and intelligence sharing to be restarted.

"The two leaders also spoke about the economic deal they had discussed at the White House and the prime minister welcomed the detailed conversations that had already happened to move this forward. Both leaders agreed to stay in touch."

It is understood Starmer and Trump also discussed tariffs. 

'Completely wrong' to suggest judges being told to be harsher on white men

Last week, a row broke out involving both Labour and the Conservatives, and the independent Sentencing Council.

A bit of background

This was due to advice published by the council - which stated that people who are from an "ethnic minority, cultural minority, and/or faith minority community" should be considered for a pre-sentence report before judgement is passed after they have committed a crime.

Our political reporter Alix Culbertson examined the topic further here.

When the advice was published last week, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick was quick to accuse Labour of wanting ethnic minorities to receive more lenient sentences.

Actual Justice Secretary Shabanah Mahmood then pointed out the guidance was consulted on when the Tories were in power, and then wrote to the Sentencing Council requesting they change the guidance - or she would intervene.

What's new?

Well, today the head of the council, Lord Justice William Davis, has published his response in the form of a letter to Mahmood. 

Running to six full A4 pages, it contains a somewhat brisk run-through of the history of his organisation.

But towards the end, the lawyer starts turning the screws on the politicians.

In a semi-transparent jab at Jenrick, Davis writes he has "seen it suggested that the guideline instructs sentencers to impose a more lenient sentence on those from ethnic minorities".

This is "completely wrong", he says.

Jenrick had told our presenter Wilfred Frost that the new guidance showed "blatant bias against Christians and straight, white men" (watch that exchange above).

And what of the government?

Davis is slightly less disobliging - but equally critical - of the government.

He says he will need to take legal advice on whether Mahmood has the right to intervene in the situation.

Davis writes that he does "not accept the premise" of the "objection" by the justice secretary.

He says he "respectfully question[s]" whether the decision to include the list of people who may benefit from a pre-sentence review - which was not exhaustive - was a "policy decision of any significance".

Davis then argues that having the government dictate sentencing guidelines, when the state prosecutes offenders, would breach judicial independence.

Why didn't the government complain before?

In his letter, Davis also lays out a bit of a timeline for the guidance.

He says the guidelines in question were discussed at 15 council meetings between 2022 and 2025.

Davis states the government's response to the proposals did not raise any objections - although he does not highlight that this took place under the Conservatives, rather than Labour.

But he says the current justice secretary's representative to the council raised no objections to the guidance shortly before they were published.

Davis finishes his letter: "I look forward to meeting you to discuss these matters."

AI could cut phone waiting times in half, technology secretary tells Sky News

Phone centre waiting times for public services could be cut in half by using AI, a minister has suggested.

Speaking to Sky News, Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said the technology was "win-win" as it will save the taxpayer money and make the public experience better.

"I am determined to drive this technology through the government," he added.

SKY NEWS