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Ben Hatton

Ben Hatton is a parliamentary reporter for the PA news agency. He has previously worked as an output producer for Sky News and as a reporter in the regional press for the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Fujitsu UK head office in Bracknell. Fujitsu has confirmed it will pay compensation to victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal (Andrew Matthews/PA)
Business

Fujitsu vows to compensate victims of Post Office Horizon IT scandal

Sir Elton John is visiting Parliament (Yui Mok/PA)
UK

PM praises Sir Elton John’s contribution to fight against HIV

Esther McVey has said she is committed to delivering common sense decisions (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
UK

Esther McVey: I’m committed to delivering common sense decisions

Mr Sunak said he looked forward to giving evidence to the inquiry (Yui Mok/PA)
UK

Sunak avoids specifics when asked if scientists consulted on Eat Out to Help Out

Former Brexit minister Lord Frost (Jonathan Brady/PA)
UK

Lord Frost says parliamentary scrutiny of trade deals worse now then when in EU

Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton gave his maiden speech in the upper chamber (House of Lords/PA)
UK

Cameron takes dig at Boris Johnson in maiden speech in House of Lords

New Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron made his maiden speech in the Lords (James Manning/PA)
UK

Lord Cameron tells peers he was ‘surprised’ to be asked to return to Government

Grant Shapps has said that service accommodation is at the forefront of his mission as defence secretary (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
UK

Armed forces personnel living in ‘rat-infested’ accommodation, Commons hears

The Government should stand up to ‘vested interests’ and avoid any further delay in banning the overuse of antibiotics on farms, former environment minister Zac Goldsmith has suggested (PA)
News

Zac Goldsmith calls for end to delay in banning overuse of antibiotics on farms

MP Bob Stewart (James Manning/PA)
UK

MP guilty of racial abuse to stand down at next election

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves on Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg (Jeff Overs/BBC/PA)
UK

Reeves: Some protests aimed at MPs over Gaza war have ‘crossed the line’

Foreign Secretary David Cameron is not an MP and so cannot sit in the House of Commons (Kin Cheung/PA)
UK

Labour: Cameron should take regular questions from MPs in Westminster Hall

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt (Peter Byrne/PA)
UK

Mordaunt: MPs under increased threat after vote against Gaza ceasefire

UK

Mordaunt: MPs under increased threat after vote against Gaza ceasefire

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt (Peter Byrne/PA)
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk (Lucy North/PA)
UK

Chalk vows to work with Labour MP who says public advocate plan not good enough

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he will stick to his plan on reducing inflation, claiming success in halving the rate and insisting it is the ‘most effective tax cut’ (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA)
Business

PM says he will stick to his plan on reducing inflation amid calls for tax cuts

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt (Victoria Jones/PA)
UK

Mordaunt says Government’s values are fine amid criticism of Covid messages

Cabinet Office minister Johnny Mercer told the Commons he has received ‘verbal assurances’ from Pakistani authorities that those eligible to come to the UK will not be deported to Afghanistan, and he is working to ensure ‘that line is held’ (PA)
UK

Minister: Nearly 3,000 Afghans in Pakistan to come to UK by the end of the year

Cabinet Office minister Johnny Mercer told the Commons he has received ‘verbal assurances’ from Pakistani authorities that those eligible to come to the UK will not be deported to Afghanistan, and he is working to ensure ‘that line is held’ (PA)
UK

Minister: Nearly 3,000 Afghans in Pakistan to come to UK by the end of the year

The Criminal Justice Bill could give police powers to enter a property without a court warrant to seize stolen goods (PA)
UK

Senior Tories criticise plans to let police search properties without a warrant

Robert Courts has be selected as chair (House of Commons/PA)
UK

Robert Courts elected chairman of Commons Defence Committee

Mr Andrew said no-one would make an announcement about what would be in the King’s Speech ahead of time (Martin Rickett/PA)
UK

Equalities minister apologises for delay in Bill banning conversion therapy

Sir David Amess was an MP for nearly 40 years (Chris McAndrew/PA)
UK

Plaque commemorating murdered MP Sir David Amess unveiled in Commons

A heat pump (Octopus Enegery/PA)
UK

Uplift in grants for heat pumps takes effect amid concerns Government off target

Housing in Westminster and Pimlico, London (Anthony Devlin/PA)
UK

No-fault evictions ban due before MPs with Labour warning delay has heavy price

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said chanting ‘Jihad’ on the streets of London is ‘completely reprehensible’ (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
UK

Government to speak to Met about why no action taken over ‘Jihad’ chant video

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick has said chanting ‘Jihad’ on the streets of London is ‘inciting terrorist violence’ (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
UK

Jenrick says chanting ‘Jihad’ is ‘inciting terrorist violence’

Housing in Westminster and Pimlico, London (Anthony Devlin/PA)
UK

No-fault evictions ban due before MPs with Labour warning delay has heavy price

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said chanting ‘Jihad’ on the streets of London is ‘completely reprehensible’ (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
UK

Government to speak to Met about why no action taken over ‘Jihad’ chant video

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick has said chanting ‘Jihad’ on the streets of London is ‘inciting terrorist violence’ (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
UK

Jenrick says chanting ‘Jihad’ is ‘inciting terrorist violence’

Conservative MP Theo Clarke speaking in the House of Commons, during a backbench debate on birth trauma (UK Parliament/PA)
UK

MP tells Commons of ‘terrifying’ moment she believed she would die in childbirth

UK

MP tells Commons of ‘terrifying’ moment she believed she would die in childbirth

Conservative MP Theo Clarke speaking in the House of Commons, during a backbench debate on birth trauma (UK Parliament/PA)
The SNP has proposed capping basic daily essentials to help with rising prices (Julien Behal/PA)
UK

SNP’s proposal for staple food price caps dismissed as ‘communism’ by minister

A group of people thought to be migrants being brought in to Dover, Kent (Gareth Fuller/PA)
UK

Tory MP says ‘illegal migrants’ should be expelled from UK

Signage for Larne Port (David Young/PA)
UK

Sunak says east-west council proposed by DUP has ‘considerable merit’

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer visited a sixth form with his party’s candidate for the Tamworth by-election (Jacob King/PA)
UK

Winning Tamworth by-election ‘tough ask’ says Starmer, as he visits constituency

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer visited a sixth form with his party’s candidate for the Tamworth by-election (Jacob King/PA)
UK

Winning Tamworth by-election ‘tough ask’ says Starmer, as he visits constituency

Rishi Sunak has condemned a ‘disgusting rise’ in antisemitism in the days after Hamas’s attack on Israel (PA)
UK

Sunak condemns ‘disgusting rise’ in antisemitism

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said Israel has the right to defend itself (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
UK

Shapps says Israel has right to go after Hamas amid north Gaza evacuation order

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is attending the International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings in Morocco (PA)
Business

Chancellor says numbers ‘worse than in spring’ as he looks to autumn statement

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk will meet criminal justice partners on Thursday and set out a programme of reform in the coming days (Lucy North/PA)
UK

Minister to set out reforms as prison overcrowding reaches ‘critical point’

Steve Barclay acknowledged there is ‘huge pressure’ on the prison system but refused to confirm or deny reports that judges have been told not to jail some criminals due to prisons nearing capacity (Alamy/PA)
UK

Barclay refuses to say if judges have been told not to jail some criminals

Israel has retaliated to the attack by Hamas with air strikes on Gaza (Hatem Moussa/AP)
UK

Government organises flights to get British nationals out of Israel

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to emphasise the UK’s commitment to fiscal responsibility at the IMF meeting in Marrakech (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Business

Hunt to attend IMF meeting in Morocco after next year’s forecast downgraded

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps will meet Nato counterparts in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Ukraine (Jonathan Brady/PA)
UK

Shapps: No chance of losing focus on Ukraine despite Israel conflict

Dame Caroline Dinenage is chairwoman of the committee (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
UK

Promotion of crypto assets in sport poses risks to clubs and fans, MPs warn

Rishi Sunak (centre) with England striker Harry Kane (left) and England manager Gareth Southgate (Darren Staples/PA)
UK

Sunak says jointly hosting Euro 2028 will deliver ‘massive boost’ to economy

The Prime Minister visited a Currys repair and customer service centre in Nottinghamshire, where he insisted he can change the UK by doing politics differently (PA/Joe Giddens)
UK

Sunak insists he is the choice for ‘change’ as he defends HS2 decision

UK

Sunak insists he is the choice for ‘change’ as he defends HS2 decision

The Prime Minister visited a Currys repair and customer service centre in Nottinghamshire, where he insisted he can change the UK by doing politics differently (PA/Joe Giddens)
Lee Anderson (David Woolfall/UK Parliament/PA)
UK

Lee Anderson plays down ‘poverty nonsense’, saying 1970s was ‘real poverty’

The Work and Pensions Secretary was speaking at the Conservative Party conference (Danny Lawson/PA)
UK

Stride pledges to fast-track child maintenance enforcement process

Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Claire Coutinho said her party will cut ‘red tape’ that limits the amount of solar businesses can install (Danny Lawson/PA)
Business

Businesses to be able to use more rooftop space for solar

David TC Davies was speaking at the Conservative Party annual conference in Manchester (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
UK

Welsh Secretary calls for independent inquiry into health board

David TC Davies was speaking at the Conservative Party annual conference in Manchester (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
UK

Welsh Secretary calls for independent inquiry into health board

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said the era of ‘devolve and forget’ is over (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
UK

Alister Jack: UK Government will no longer ‘fade into background’ in Scotland

LibDem leader Sir Ed Davey during the Liberal Democrat conference (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
UK

Lib Dems: Long waits for GPs three times higher in some rural areas than London

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivers a speech on the plans for net zero commitments in the briefing room at 10 Downing Street (Justin Tallis/PA)
News

Key points from Rishi Sunak’s speech on changes to emissions reduction targets

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is due to speak at the UN Security Council in New York (PA)
UK

Dowden to join Zelensky in criticising Russia at UN Security Council

Johnny Mercer has said that the Government has ended the use of bridging hotels (Mark Marlow/PA)
UK

Government has ended use of bridging hotels for resettled Afghans, minister says

The Post Office began installing Horizon accounting software in the late 1990s (PA)
Business

Wrongly convicted Horizon scandal postmasters offered £600,000 to settle claims

Ballot boxes in Aberdeen (Andrew Milligan/PA)
UK

Neighbours could vouch for people without ID at elections, senior Tory suggests

An investment zone that covers the whole of Northern Ireland has been suggested (Alamy/PA)
UK

Northern Ireland-wide investment zone ‘very interesting idea’, says minister

Environment Secretary Therese Coffey was told to tone down her language after she told the Commons Labour did “sweet FA” on sewage discharges when in power (PA/Aaron Chown)
News

Call for Coffey to resign as she accuses Labour of doing ‘sweet FA’ on sewage

The survey by the British Journal of Surgery prompted calls from the Lib Dems for a public inquiry (PA)
UK

Call for inquiry after survey finds female surgeons sexually assaulted in NHS

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said grassroots football in Scotland is facing a crisis (Andrew Milligan/PA)
UK

Douglas Ross: Scottish grassroots football facing crisis over access to facilities

UK

Douglas Ross: Scottish grassroots football facing crisis over access to facilities

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said grassroots football in Scotland is facing a crisis (Andrew Milligan/PA)
Rishi Sunak (Dan Kitwood/PA)
UK

Sunak under fire from Tory MP over whether PM’s constituency will house migrants

A by-election has been triggered to replace former Tory whip Chris Pincher, who resigned as an MP after losing his appeal against a suspension for drunkenly groping two men (UK Parliament/PA)
UK

By-election triggered for ex-Tory whip Chris Pincher’s seat in Commons

Labour is calling on the Government to block Liz Truss from having a resignation honours list (PA)
UK

Use legislation to block Liz Truss resignation honours, Labour says

Luke Pollard urged the Prime Minister to stand with his community after the Keyham shootings and push ahead with measures to enhance gun controls (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
UK

Do not bow down to gun lobby on safety reforms, Keyham MP tells Sunak

Luke Pollard urged the Prime Minister to stand with his community after the Keyham shootings and push ahead with measures to enhance gun controls (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
UK

Do not bow down to gun lobby on safety reforms, Keyham MP tells Sunak

Mr Sunak responded to the question in the Commons (Commons/PA)
UK

Speaker intervenes as SNP MP calls Labour and Tories ‘two cheeks of same arse’

Lady Justice Thirlwall will lead the statutory inquiry into serial killer Lucy Letby’s crimes (Ministry of Justice/Crown Copyright/PA)
UK

Judge to lead Letby inquiry announced by Health Secretary

The Government said so-called drip pricing is widespread online (PA)
UK

Government assesses changes to stop ‘widespread’ practice of hidden online fees

Jeremy Hunt said that inflation is coming down but there may be a ‘blip’ in September (Jeff Overs/BBC/PA)
Business

Hunt: we may see inflation blip in September

Manufactured nitrogen fertilisers are commonly used across the UK to provide crops with nutrients (Danny Lawson/PA)
News

Charity calls for targets to cut use of fossil fuel-based artificial fertilisers

Grant Shapps has been appointed as the new Defence Secretary (Yui Mok/PA)
UK

Who is Grant Shapps, the man taking over as Defence Secretary?

Rishi Sunak and Michael Gove with Jennie Daly (left), CEO of Taylor Wimpey during a visit to a housing development in Norwich (Joe Giddens/PA)
Business

Campaigners criticise plans to boost housebuilding by relaxing environment rules

(Gareth Fuller/PA)
Business

Scrapping EU-era protections on nutrient neutrality ‘will boost housebuilding’

The Lib Dems say patients are at risk from an increasing number of ambulance breakdowns (PA)
UK

Lib Dems say increasing number of ambulance breakdowns putting patients at risk

A judge-led inquiry should examine the crimes of serial killer Lucy Letby, the Prime Minister has said (Cheshire Constabulary/PA)
Crime

Sunak says Letby inquiry should be judge-led

Nadine Dorries has been criticised for announcing she would quit as an MP but remaining in post (Andrew Matthews/PA)
UK

Tory MP hits out at Dorries’ ‘extraordinary’ entitlement

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murty wave as they board a plane (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
UK

Sunak inadvertently breached MPs’ code of conduct, standards commissioner finds

Nadine Dorries has come under pressure to follow through on her decision to quit the Commons (PA)
UK

Minister suggests Dorries is not fulfilling her duties to constituents

Ministers said the inquiry will investigate the events on the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit between 2015 and 2016 (Jacob King/PA)
Crime

NHS ombudsman calls for Letby inquiry to be put on statutory footing

Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch is visiting India this week to meet G20 trade ministers (Victoria Jones/PA)
UK

India trade deal not imminent but officials say progress is being made

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said people in Mid Bedfordshire struggling with the cost of living are being ‘badly let down’ by MP Nadine Dorries (Joe Giddens/PA)
UK

Sir Ed Davey calls for more action on food inflation with visit to Dorries’ seat

Ministers said the inquiry will investigate the events on the Countess of Chester Hospital’s neonatal unit between 2015 and 2016 (Jacob King/PA)
Crime

NHS ombudsman calls for Letby inquiry to be put on statutory footing

Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch is visiting India this week to meet G20 trade ministers (Victoria Jones/PA)
UK

India trade deal not imminent but officials say progress is being made

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said people in Mid Bedfordshire struggling with the cost of living are being ‘badly let down’ by MP Nadine Dorries (Joe Giddens/PA)
UK

Sir Ed Davey calls for more action on food inflation with visit to Dorries’ seat

Grant Shapps during a visit to a Ukrainian power station (UK Government/PA)
UK

Shapps visits Kyiv as UK announces support for Ukraine’s nuclear energy supply

Court artist drawing of the judge addressing empty seats in the dock during the sentencing of Lucy Letby, who refused to attend (Elizabeth Cook/PA)
Home News

Justice secretary vows law change after Letby sentencing absence

Yazidis protested in London over the treatment of their people by IS in Iraq (Delara Shakib/PA)
UK

UK formally decides that IS attacks on Yazidis in Iraq were genocide

The Ministry of Defence has launched an investigation after reports that typing errors caused a small number of emails to be redirected to Mali (PA)
UK

Privacy watchdog to make inquiries after MoD sends emails meant for US to Mali

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is working on contingency plans to erect marquees to house asylum seekers ahead of an expected increase in numbers arriving (Lucy North/PA)
UK

Refugee charity hits out at ‘cruel’ proposal to house asylum seekers in tents

A year has passed since the first sentencing remarks were broadcast from the Old Bailey (Jonathan Brady/PA)
Crime

Televised sentencing at Crown Court could be expanded to more senior judges

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a visit to Hayes Village, a new housing development under construction by Barratt Homes in Hayes, west London (Pete Cziborra/PA)
UK

Sunak threat to intervene on housebuilding in London sparks row with mayor Khan

Sanctioning MPs through their pensions if they break the rules and then quit is an idea that should be considered, the Commons’ standards commissioner has suggested (PA)
UK

Standards commissioner: Consider sanctioning rule-breaking MPs through pensions

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