Politics latest: Tories hit historic low in new poll; date set for latest Rwanda bill showdown (2024)

In a point of order in the Commons, Penny Mordaunt has confirmed that three police forces are looking into the social media scandal around William Wragg.

Wragg is at the centre of controversy after he admitted sharing colleagues' personal phone numbers with someone he met on a dating app.

Ms Mordaunt said today: "The honourable lady was asking about a raft of allegations, including the allegations starting with the honourable member for Hazel Grove.

"And my understanding is that that particular issue is under a number....there's, I think, three police forces that are looking into it. I'm not aware of any other police investigations."

We know of two of these forces - the Metropolitan Police and Leicestershire Police.

You can read more about the situation below:

Back in the Commons, and Penny Mordaunt has defended the government's rejection of calls for Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron to be scrutinised in the Commons.

The Procedure Committee had recommended that he should take questions from MPs at the "bar" of the House, the white line on the Commons floor from behind which visitors must not pass while Parliament is sitting.

The committee said Lord Cameron should appear for Foreign Office Questions, for statements and urgent questions first in the Commons rather than the Lords, amid concerns about a lack of scrutiny of such a high-profile figure during a time of global turmoil.

But Commons leader Ms Mordaunt said: "Since the Foreign Secretary was appointed we have had eight FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) oral statements, three ministerial statements on foreign affairs, a general debate in Government time on the situation in the Red Sea and 17 Westminster Hall debates responded by FCDO ministers and oral questions in both Houses.

"We are sticking with the usual precedents of both Houses."

The Sky News live poll tracker - collated and updated by our Data and Forensics team - aggregates various surveys to indicate how voters feel about the different political parties.

With the local election campaign well under way, Labour is still sitting comfortably on a roughly 20-point lead, averaging at 43.5% in the polls, with the Tories on 23.4%.

In third is Reform UK on 12.3%, followed by the Lib Dems on 9.3%.

The Green Party stands at 6.3%, and the SNP on 3.1%.

See the latest update below - and you can read more about the methodology behind the trackerhere.

Anneliese Dodds, the Labour Party chair, has written to her Conservative counterpart asking why no action has been taken on "disturbing" allegations around Mark Menzies.

Mr Menzies is alleged to have used thousands of pounds given by donors to fund medical expenses and to have made a late-night call to an elderly aide asking for help because he had been locked up by "bad people" demanding money for his release, according to The Times.

The MP for Fylde in Lancashire, who was one of Rishi Sunak's trade envoys, disputes the allegations but theConservative Partysaid it is taking them "seriously" and "will always investigate matters put to them".

The party's chief whip Simon Hart is said to have been made aware of the claims in January, when the former campaign manager reported what had happened.

In light of this, Ms Dodds has written to the Conservative Party Chair Richard Holden asking why no action has been taken.

She says: "These are deeply troubling allegations.

"Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party have serious questions to answer about whether funds have been misused and why no action has been taken despite the allegations reportedly being known about since January.

"Rishi Sunak promised professionalism, integrity and accountability at all levels. He has delivered stagnation, scandal and sleaze which is engulfing his party.

"Britain deserves better than this Conservative chaos."

A police investigation is required into allegations of an MP misusing campaign funds, Labour has told the Commons.

Lucy Powell, the shadow Commons leader, raised the case of Mark Menzies, who lost the Conservative whip while the party investigates the claims - which the MP for Fylde disputes.

She said: "Today's revelations about the Member for Fylde are extraordinary but they raise some very serious questions about the misuse of funds and the pressure put on others to facilitate it; perhaps more importantly also how these issues are handled by the Conservative Party.

"There's a worrying pattern here of cover-up and inaction. So, can she shed some light: what and when did the chief whip, prime minister and the party chairman know? Why did it take the publication of the story today for the whip to be removed? Has this matter been referred to the police, if not why not?

"It seems that yet again, like with the Member for Hazel Grove (William Wragg) and so many other recent cases of sleaze and scandal, they're too weak to act decisively and instead choose to brush things under the carpet."

Commons leader Penny Mordaunt did not make reference to any specific case in her reply, saying: "(Ms Powell) mentions some very serious allegations and other incidents that came to light during the course of the recess.

"These are very serious matters and some of them are under police investigation, she wouldn't expect me to comment on that."

"Absolutely nuts" was how former prime minister Boris Johnson described Rishi Sunak's plan to gradually phase out smoking - banning anyone born since the start of 2009 from ever being able to buy cigarettes or tobacco products like vapes.

Liz Truss, who was also briefly prime minister in between the two men, is also among some critical of the proposal - which she described as "profoundly un-conservative".

Tories were given a free vote in the Commons - allowing them to vote with their conscience, not necessarily the government.

But will the policy create a smoke-free generation? And what will it mean for Conservative Party ideology?

Niall Paterson looks at the health implications with Alice Wiseman, vice president of The Association of Directors of Public Health, and the politics of the policy with Sky's political editor Beth Rigby and Tory peer Lord Frost, who disagrees with the planned legislation.

👉Listen above then tap here to follow the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts👈

Mark Menzies is no longer a trade envoy in the wake of an investigation, Sky News understands.

Mr Menzies gave up the Conservative whip on Wednesday after it was alleged he used thousands of pounds given by donors to fund medical expenses and that he made a late-night call to an elderly aide asking for help because he had been locked up by "bad people" demanding money for his release,according to The Times.

Sky News understands there has been an investigation ongoing by CCHQ since the allegations were first raised in January.

It is said "further information" came to light yesterday and the chief whip acted "immediately".

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has "paused" the prescription of puberty blockers for young people seeking gender-affirming care in Scotland, the health board has announced.

In a statement, the board said the decision came with the support of Scotland's chief medical officer Professor Sir Gregor Smith following a review by Dr Hilary Cass in England which prompted the health service south of the border to take the same action.

Dr Emilia Crighton, director of public health at the board, said: "The findings informing the Cass Review are important and we have reviewed the impact on our clinical pathways.

"The next step from here is to work with the Scottish government and academic partners to generate evidence that enables us to deliver safe care for our patients.

"We echo the views of Dr Hilary Cass that toxicity around public debate is impacting the lives of young people seeking the care of our service and does not serve the teams working hard to care and support them.

"We understand the distress that gender incongruence can cause and, while all referrals to endocrinology are paused, we will continue to give anyone who is referred into the young people gender service the psychological support that they require while we review the pathways in line with the findings."

The Cass Review criticised the lack of evidence around the use of puberty blockers and other medical intervention, with the health board - which controls Scotland's only gender clinic for under-18s at the Sandyford in Glasgow - saying it would work with the government on research into the treatments.

Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, has just confirmed the Rwanda bill will be considered by MPs again on Monday.

This will be to give their verdict on two amendments passed by peers last night.

On Tuesday, there will be further consideration of the Safety of Rwanda Bill "if necessary", Ms Mordaunt says.

By Tim Baker,political reporter

A Conservative peer has called for an election to take place "sooner rather than later" - adding that if the government were accountable to shareholders, they would have been sacked.

Lord Stuart Rose, the former chief executive officer of Marks and Spencer and current chair of Asda, was speaking to the Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge on Sky News.

He has been a Conservative peer since 2014 and was not previously an MP.

Lord Rose told Sophy that he is "not a mouthpiece for the government" - but is rather "a Conservative because I believe in Conservative values".

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