The government has announced that in 2024 the BBC licence fee will rise by £10.50. The fee, which had been frozen at £159 two years ago, was expected to rise in line with inflation but Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has said the predicted increase of £15 would "absolutely" be too much. The government is also launching a review of the BBC's funding model. The governing body of the BBC has said the below-inflation rise will “have a significant impact on the wider creative sector across the UK”. So ...
Dec 08, 2023•16 min
Rishi Sunak has told Conservatives to "unite or die" over his Rwanda migration bill. The prime minister's plan to send migrants to the African country, where their asylum claims would be processed, is in turmoil following the resignation of immigration minister Robert Jenrick. He stood down after it was revealed the bill did not allow the government to override the international laws that have stopped the policy in its tracks. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson talks to our deputy political e...
Dec 07, 2023•21 min
The former prime minister, Boris Johnson, has given almost five hours of evidence to the COVID inquiry today. He began by apologising for the pain and suffering of victims and their families during the pandemic and admitted that "unquestionably" mistakes were made by his government. But the King’s Counsel’s attempt to get square answers from him about vanished WhatsApp messages, the ‘toxic’ culture inside cabinet and the government’s stalled reaction time wasn’t so straight forward. Today, Sky’s...
Dec 06, 2023•23 min
Home Secretary James Cleverly is having a busy third week in his new job, just as his approval ratings among Tory supporters collapse, according to polling by ConservativeHome. He's announced new rules intended to bring down legal migration to the UK, including raising the salary needed to qualify for a skilled worker visa to £38,700, and overseas care workers will no longer be allowed to bring their partners and children. British people will also no longer be able to bring over their foreign-bo...
Dec 05, 2023•22 min
Police forces make more than 850 arrests a month for online child sex offences in England and Wales. The majority of suspects are men who can have families living with them at the time of the offence. Thousands of children every year now have to deal with the vicarious shame and stigma that's associated with such a crime. Families have to move, and leave schools and jobs - the trauma of which can cause warzone equivalent post-traumatic stress. On the Sky News Daily, Sarah-Jane Mee speaks to our ...
Dec 04, 2023•20 min
The King has urged world leaders assembled in Dubai to make the COP28 climate summit a "critical turning point" in the fight to tackle global warming. And there has already been a breakthrough with wealthy nations contributing nearly $300m to a 'loss and damage' fund compensating poorer countries for the effects of climate change. It has taken 32 years to agree so while it is an achievement, the real issue remains cutting fossil fuels. In oil-rich Dubai that is a thorny issue. It and other petro...
Dec 02, 2023•20 min
It took just minutes for Israeli airstrikes to resume on Gaza after a week-long truce between Israel and Hamas ended. Israel's military resumed combat operations after accusing Hamas of violating the temporary ceasefire. Despite an overnight effort from Egypt and Qatar to mediate a third extension of the truce, the deal fell apart with both warring sides blaming each other. Hamas accused Israel of rejecting the group's offers to release more hostages, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netany...
Dec 01, 2023•13 min
Matt Hancock took the stand at the COVID inquiry for the first of two days of giving evidence on Thursday. In 2021, the then health secretary was forced to resign after he admitted he broke the government's own coronavirus guidance to pursue an affair with an aide. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson analyses what Mr Hancock said and the key questions he answered, with our political editor Beth Rigby. Producer: Soila Apparicio Promotions producer: David Chipakupaku Editor: Philly Beaumont...
Nov 30, 2023•25 min
The sale of a new book about the Royal Family has been halted in the Netherlands after publishers of the Dutch translation of Omid Scobie's Endgame appeared to name a member of the Royal Family who allegedly questioned what colour skin the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's son would be born with. In the aftermath of Harry and Meghan's Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2021, where Meghan claimed a member of the family raised "concerns" about Archie's skin colour, Mr Scobie's book claims that Meghan wro...
Nov 29, 2023•19 min
The world's attention has been turned to the Israel-Hamas conflict, resulting in the war in Ukraine falling further down the news agenda. Not only does this impact keeping pressure on Putin but in Ukraine, momentum for the war is also running low. Independent reporting suggests the country is facing a recruitment crisis, with just 1 in 4 men joining the army voluntarily. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson explores what this means for Ukraine’s defence against Russia with Dr Alexandra Walmsley...
Nov 28, 2023•20 min
The Revenge Porn Helpline has seen the number of phone calls it receives rise by nearly a third. It was set up when revenge porn was made a crime in 2015 – and this year alone, has handled more than 10,000 calls or reports online. The team in Devon has allowed our news cameras inside for the first time to see the work they do. On the Sky News Daily, Sally Lockwood speaks to our home news correspondent Dan Whitehead about the scale of the problem, and Sophie Mortimer, Revenge Porn Helpline manage...
Nov 27, 2023•23 min
The COVID inquiry is now into its second round of public hearings – examining how key decisions were made in Westminster as the coronavirus began to take hold around the world in early 2020. The evidence from those at the heart of Downing Street has certainly provided plenty of bombshell headlines but does the inquiry need to move quicker to make recommendations on how the country could be better prepared for the next pandemic? There is no specific timescale for how long the inquiry could last a...
Nov 24, 2023•20 min
Qatar has announced key details of the planned pause in fighting and release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas. In the first phase of the agreement, Hamas is due to release 50 hostages from Gaza and Israel will free 150 Palestinian prisoners. On today’s episode of the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson sits down with James Alvarez, a hostage negotiator who’s worked in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Gaza itself, to talk about what it takes to negotiate with hostage takers. Plus, we hear from our Midd...
Nov 23, 2023•20 min
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has revealed his autumn statement. Among the proposals National Insurance is to be cut by two percentage points, and NI payments for the self-employed have been abolished. There have also been increases to Universal Credit and the state pension. But the chancellor also announced new tougher measures for job seekers, saying those who fail to find work after 18 months of "intensive support" will be given mandatory work placements. Those who do not engage with the process for...
Nov 22, 2023•33 min
Police who investigated the disappearance of Nicola Bulley from beside a riverbank have been heavily criticised in a damning report. Lancashire Police's decision to reveal the mother-of-two's mental health issues was condemned as "avoidable and unnecessary". The College of Policing's chief executive officer Andy Marsh said there was "substantial learning" for the Lancashire force. On the Sky News Daily, host Niall Paterson is joined by former chief constable of Northumbria Police Sue Sim, who wa...
Nov 21, 2023•21 min
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described al Shifa hospital in Gaza City as a "death zone" - it said there was a mass grave at the entrance and a "desperate situation" inside. A joint UN team led by the WHO assessed the hospital for one hour following its occupation by the Israeli military and as some patients and those seeking shelter there began to evacuate it. The team said they saw evidence of shelling and gunfire and observed a mass grave at the hospital's entrance. On the Sky News ...
Nov 20, 2023•18 min
Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, causing pain and affecting fertility. It is estimated to cost the UK economy £8.2bn a year in treatment, loss of work and healthcare costs. Up to 30% of women who have surgery for endometriosis experience a recurrence within five years, according to the National Institutes of Health. There is still no cure for the condition. On the Sky News Daily, host Sally Lockwood is joined by Charline Bou...
Nov 17, 2023•19 min
On 29 December 1969, Alick McKay returned home from work to his house in Wimbledon, southwest London, to discover that his wife, Muriel, was not at home. The lights were on and the contents of her handbag strewn all around the stairs. Then he received a phone call. "We are Mafia M3. We are from America. We tried to get Rupert Murdoch's wife. We couldn't get her so we took yours instead. You have a million by Wednesday night or we will kill her." Muriel was never found, her body never recovered. ...
Nov 16, 2023•20 min
The government's Rwanda plan, devised to tackle illegal migration, has been ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court, ending more than 18 months of legal battles in the UK. The prime minister has said he will introduce emergency legislation to make sure his Rwanda plan will work, and said "flights will be heading off in the spring as planned". On this episode of the Sky News Daily, Jayne Secker sits in for Niall. She’s joined by political editor Beth Rigby to unpick the fallout. Plus, Nicolas Rollaso...
Nov 15, 2023•19 min
There have been 16 housing ministers in the last 13 years of Conservative rule – seven of those in the last two years alone. With Lee Rowley taking over the housing brief after the prime minister’s latest reshuffle, on the Sky News Daily we’ll be exploring why there has been so many, and if any of them managed to make a difference to the housing crisis. Presenter Sally Lockwood is joined by Gurpreet Narwan, our political correspondent, on why there has been so much churn. Plus, Sally speaks to L...
Nov 14, 2023•20 min
David Cameron is back in government as the new Foreign Secretary. Whilst many commentators had predicted that Suella Braverman would be sacked as Home Secretary, none predicted that the former Prime Minister would be walking down Downing Street into a new job and a place in the House of Lords. On this episode of the Sky News Daily, Sally Lockwood looks over Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle with political editor Beth Rigby. She’s also joined by former Tory MP, and cabinet minister during Mr Cameron's gove...
Nov 13, 2023•24 min
Sky News has spoken to more than 50 people who say they have witnessed or been on the receiving end of sexual misconduct and harassment within leading drama schools across the UK. Students have described their training as being "indoctrinated into this cult-like bubble, and the expectation was to say yes to everything". On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by correspondent Ashna Hurynag, who has been investigating these allegations. She shares more about her reporting, plus intimacy c...
Nov 10, 2023•21 min
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has come under fire for making controversial statements about Israel-Hamas war protests in the UK. In the Times she described pro-Palestinian protesters as "hate marchers". She also likened the protests to scenes from the past in Northern Ireland, prompting politicians there to accuse her of “deliberately stoking division”. Ms Braverman has also publicly slated the Metropolitan Police, which is allowing a pro-Palestinian march to go ahead on Armistice Day. She sai...
Nov 09, 2023•21 min
'Free Palestine' has been painted across Rochdale’s Cenotaph ahead of Remembrance Sunday and is now being guarded by police support officers. It comes as a planned pro-Palestinian protest on Armistice Day in London on Saturday is to go ahead. Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met on Wednesday to discuss how the protest will be policed. Mr Sunak said afterwards: “It is because that sacrifice is so immense, that Saturday’s planned protest is not just disrespectful but...
Nov 08, 2023•22 min
The King has set out the government’s policies for the coming year in the first King's Speech for 70 years. It was also the first since Rishi Sunak became prime minister and will probably be the last before the next general election. Of the bills set out in the speech, it could be the law and order measures and ones on the environment which the Conservatives might hope provide the clearest dividing lines between themselves and Labour ahead of the election. On the Sky News Daily Niall Paterson sp...
Nov 07, 2023•21 min
Israel's military objective in the war against Hamas, constantly repeated by its politicians and commanders, has become a national mantra: "Hamas must be destroyed." But with Israeli forces targeting Gaza City and the number of people killed in the enclave more than 10,000, according to the Hamas-led health ministry, there's mounting international pressure on Israel to at least pause its military operations. So what will Israel do next? On the Sky News Daily host Sarah-Jane Mee speaks to securit...
Nov 06, 2023•19 min
As the world's attention turns to the Israel-Hamas war, Russia is ramping up its offensive on Ukraine. President Putin is seizing the opportunity of less attention, while Kyiv fears the West will stop providing aid as the war slips down the news agenda. On the Sky News Daily, host Leah Boleto is joined by defence and security analyst Professor Michael Clarke, with Melinda Haring, non-resident senior fellow at Atlantic Council's Eurasia Centre to discuss what is happening in Russia and Ukraine, w...
Nov 03, 2023•20 min
Bletchley Park - the once top-secret home of the World War Two codebreakers, including Alan Turing - has this week hosted Rishi Sunak’s UK AI safety summit. It could help position Britain as a world leader on AI regulation, as governments seek to take back control over how the technology is developed and used, to prevent abuse. On the Sky News Daily, presenter Sally Lockwood looks at the risks and concerns AI poses, speaking to Professor Stuart Russell, a member of the World Economic Forum's Glo...
Nov 02, 2023•19 min
The Gaza Strip; just 25 miles long and but only seven and a half wide at its broadest point. It’s a sliver of land sandwiched between the Mediterranean and Israel is home to two million people – or at least it was until war between Hamas and Israel broke out. On the Sky News Daily, host Niall Paterson is joined by our chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay and senior foreign producer Dominique van Heerden on the Israel-Gaza border to paint a picture of how Gaza has changed over their years spent repo...
Nov 01, 2023•23 min
Boris Johnson's former chief adviser Dominic Cummings has appeared at the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, where he criticised the way the government worked in the early months of the pandemic. Mr Cummings said it was "crackers" there was no plan for shielding or protecting care homes if the virus was not brought under control. On the Sky News Daily, presenter Belle Donati is joined by our deputy political editor Sam Coates and Emma Norris, deputy director at the Institute for Government, to pick apart Mr C...
Oct 31, 2023•20 min
