Rishi Sunak news – live: Suella Braverman has learnt from her mistakes, PM insists

New prime minister claims Braverman has ‘taken accountability’

'You need to try harder': Rishi Sunak told off by hospital patient over NHS's pay

Rishi Sunak has said he has no regrets over putting Suella Braverman back in charge of the Home Office just six days after she resigned over a security breach, insisting the home secretary has learnt from her mistakes.

The comments came in his first public visit as prime minister, to a Croydon hospital where he was confronted by an NHS patient who urged him to “try harder” on nurses’ pay. “It’s a pity you don’t pay them more,” Catherine Poole, a 77-year-old recovering from surgery, told the PM.

Mr Sunak also ditched a Tory leadership campaign pledge to fine patients who miss GP and hospital appointments, backtracking on plans health leaders had warned would “make matters worse”.

He pledged to put “fairness at the heart” of the “difficult decisions” he will take to “fix” the economic “mistakes” made by his party, and insisted it was “right” for him to focus on “depressing” domestic challenges, denying accusations of a “massive failure of climate leadership” by opting not to attend the Cop27 summit.

Key points

• Rishi Sunak confronted over nurses’ pay during NHS hospital visit
• Prime minister U-turns on plan to fine patients who miss appointments
• No 10 contradicts Therese Coffey over King Charles Cop27 attendance
• Sunak’s climate summit snub is ‘standard practice’, suggests Coffey
• PM and Jeremy Hunt ‘considering windfall tax on renewable energy firms’
• No 10 aides ‘feared Liz Truss could be probed over lying to Commons'

[27 October 2022 17:24 · Emily Atkinson]

Rishi Sunak ditching manifesto vow on pensions triple lock ‘should trigger election’

Rishi Sunak’s abandonment of “triple lock” protection for the state pension should be the trigger for an early general election, a senior member of Labour’s shadow cabinet has said.

Since coming to power on Tuesday, Mr Sunak has rowed back on predecessor Liz Truss’s pledge to keep the triple lock, which requires pensions to rise by the highest of inflation, average earnings or 2.5 per cent.

Campaigners for the elderly have voiced concern after Downing Street made clear that the protection – dating back to David Cameron’s time in office – was “on the table” for chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s 17 November autumn statement on the government’s tax and spending plans.

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports:

[27 October 2022 17:06 · Emily Atkinson]

Sunak not downgrading tackling climate change, No 10 insists

Rishi Sunak’s decision not to attend Cop27 does not signal a downgrading of climate change as a priority by the new administration, Downing Street inisists.

Liz Truss, Mr Sunak’s predecessor, had been expected to attend the climate conference in Egypt.

A No 10 spokeswoman said: “It is a recognition of other pressing domestic commitments, not least preparations for the autumn Budget.”

She said: “We remain committed to net zero and to leading international and domestic action to tackle climate change. The UK is forging ahead of many other countries on net zero.

“We will obviously continue to work closely with Egypt as the hosts of Cop27 and to make sure that all countries are making progress on the historic commitments they made at the Glasgow climate pact.”

[27 October 2022 16:50 · Emily Atkinson]

Rishi Sunak will not attend Cop27 summit

Rishi Sunak will not be attending Cop27 in Egypt next month, No 10 confirmed.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The prime minister is not expected to attend Cop27 and this is due to other pressing domestic commitments including preparations for the Autumn Budget.

“The UK will be fully represented by other senior ministers as well as the Cop president Alok Sharma.”

Downing Street said the PM remains “absolutely committed” to supporting the climate conference.

[27 October 2022 16:36 · Zoe Tidman]

Comeback for Matt Hancock?

According to The Times...

[27 October 2022 16:24 · Zoe Tidman]

Opinion: How much humiliation are Tory MPs willing to endure under Sunak?

Our political sketch writer Tom Peck has written about the controversy over Rishi Sunak’s decision to bring Suella Braverman back to the Home Office.

“He is not quite so shameless as Boris Johnson – but the government’s chosen line of defence on Suella Braverman’s reappointment is almost as preposterous as anything Johnson ever managed,” he writes.

But he adds: “The invisible cheese and wine parties will never be surpassed.”

Read here:

[27 October 2022 16:01 · Zoe Tidman]

Coffey and Oxford comma

If anyone has been following Therese Coffey and the Oxford comma saga, there appears to be an update...