Michael Crick

European leaders meeting in Gothenburg have ratcheted up the pressure on Theresa May, by threatening to block trade negotiations at next month’s European Council summit. The Council President Donald Tusk warned that there needs to be “much more progress” towards an agreement on a Brexit divorce bill before any talks. And the Irish Taoiseach Leo…

Nineteen months after the British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in Tehran, her husband has managed to meet the Foreign Secretary for the first time. Richard Ratcliffe said his talks with Boris Johnson had been “positive and constructive”, but revealed that his wife’s mental state had suffered since Mr Johnson wrongly suggested that she had…

So there’s now an exact time and date for the UK’s exit from the EU.  And the Prime Minister says she won’t “tolerate” any attempt to block it. But Lord Kerr, the former diplomat who helped draft Article 50, says the withdrawal process is not irreversible. In Brussels, where the sixth round of talks have been taking place, the EU’s chief…

The Prime Minister may have solved one problem by promoting Penny Mordaunt to replace Priti Patel as International Development Secretary. But the criticism of her foreign secretary Boris Johnson has continued. On Tuesday Mr Johnson suggested Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is in prison in Iran, was “training journalists”. Her family say she was there on holiday. Overnight…

The political future of the International Development Secretary Priti Patel had been, literally, up in the air all day as she flew back from her trip to Africa. By the end of the day, she had handed in her resignation. Michael Crick with the latest.  

Labour has demanded that Theresa May sack two of her cabinet ministers for serious foreign policy mistakes. They say Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson made a mistaken claim about a British-Iranian woman that has given the Iranian government an excuse to increase her jail sentence in Tehran.  And International Development Secretary Priti Patel has admitted holding…

More sexual harassment allegations in Westminster as two more MPs are accused of inappropriate behaviour – both have denied the claims. The suspended Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins – who had been promoted to the shadow cabinet last year – was accused by a young activist, despite this, he was promoted to the shadow cabinet last…

Michael Crick discusses how Gavin Williamson’s rise is being viewed and where it leaves the government.  

Downing Street has confirmed Sir Michael Fallon has stepped down as Defence Secretary.

The pro-Brexit campaign donor Arron Banks has declared there was no Russian funding involved, as the Electoral Commission said it was investigating whether he breached campaign finance rules during the referendum. The watchdog is looking into the source of millions of pounds in loans made to the Leave.EU campaign, chaired by Mr Banks, as well…

Catalonia’s parliament has voted to declare independence from Spain. Downing Street has said the UK will not recognise the declaration.  

The Labour Party has tonight confirmed to Channel 4 News that newly-suspended MP Jared O’Mara was not interviewed before he became a candidate in the Sheffield Hallam constituency. Mr O’Mara lost the Labour whip today after being accused of verbally abusing a local woman earlier this year and a string of historic sexist and homophobic…

Two MPs – one Labour, one Conservative – are now vying for the spotlight. Labour’s Jared O’Mara is under investigation by the Labour Party over offensive comments. And Conservative Chris Heaton-Harris is under fire after writing to universities asking for the names of academics who are teaching Brexit.. Critics said his letter had a “whiff…

MPs have been debating the pros and cons of universal credit all afternoon.

Scotland’s First Minister has announced she is to set up a publicly-owned energy company able to sell gas and electricity at low prices. Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement as she wrapped up the SNP annual conference.