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Rishi Sunak defended accepting a £1000 bet from Piers Morgan on being able to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda before the next election.Mr Morgan told Mr Sunak he would bet “£1,000 to a refugee charity” that he wouldn’t deport anyone to the African country before the election, before the prime minister shook his hand.Mr Sunak has faced heavy criticism for the bet, with the SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn describing it as “depraved.”The PM told BBC Radio 5 Live on Tuesday (6 February) he was taken “by surprise” by the offer, but did not say it was a mistake to have shaken Mr Morgan’s hand. More

A “naked” nature campaigner has attended a meeting with the government wearing only silhouettes of swifts as part of a campaign to help the birds.Hannah Bourne-Taylor was accompanied by Tory peer and ex-minister Zac Goldsmith for the meeting in Westminster to urge the government to mandate “swift bricks” in new homes and extensions.The nest boxes – hollow bricks with an entry hole – provide nesting opportunities in buildings for the migratory birds, who are red listed due to concerns over their conservation status. More

Rishi Sunak has revealed he shared a joke with England manager Gareth Southgate about having “tough jobs”.The prime minister spoke about the challenges of his role during an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV.“I was very lucky to meet Gareth Southgate and the England football team a little while ago,” Mr Sunak revealed.“He and I were joking about who has the toughest job. I would say he has a tough job too. He’s doing a great job, an incredible job.”The full interview is due to be shown on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Monday 5 February at 8pm on TalkTV. More

Michelle O’Neill has said that the all-female team leading the new Northern Ireland powersharing executive should show young women that they can achieve anything.The Sinn Fein vice president has made history as Northern Ireland’s first-ever nationalist First Minister.Ms O’Neill spoke of her pride that her family were at Stormont to see her appointment, and her hope that she and DUP deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly will be able to form a close relationship.”I think that speaks volumes to young women out there that they can achieve anything they set their minds to,” she said. More

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson hailed Saturday, 3 February as a “good day for Northern Ireland” historic day” as powersharing returned to Stormont following a two-year hiatus.”We look to our future. A future that I believe can be one where Northern Ireland prospers. Where NI is stable and at peace with itself,” the DUP leader said.Michelle O’Neill has been appointed as the first nationalist First Minister.The Sinn Fein vice president has pledged to work with unionists to build a better future for Northern Ireland. More

A BBCQuestion Time audience member defended Nicola Sturgeon after the former first minister faced criticism for deleting WhatsApp messaged on her mobile phone.The comments appeared to refer to the time the Covid Inquiry spent discussing the use of WhatsApp during the pandemic and the deletion of messages.On Wednesday (31 January), Ms Sturgeon said she did not keep messages on her phone for security reasons from 2007 onwards, and directly confirmed that she had deleted the messages.Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross accused the former first minister of “destroying vital evidence”.The Question Time audience member described criticism of Ms Sturgeon as a “witch hunt.” More

Kemi Badenoch has denied that she is part of an alleged plan to oust Rishi Sunak as prime minister.“This is a nonsense story. This is the media trying to fuel lots of gossip about Westminster,” the Conservative minister said on Thursday, 1 February.It comes after The Guardian reported that the business secretary is a member of a Tory WhatsApp group called “evil plotters”, a name her allies insist is a tongue-in-cheek joke.A Tory insider told the newspaper that Ms Badenoch is not directly involved with any plot to topple Mr Sunak, but “she’s got a campaign ready for when the moment does eventually come.” More

Lindsay Hoyle has revealed that all MPs “get death threats” as he addressed Mike Freer’s resignation.The government minister has said he will stand down at the next general election after a series of threats and an arson attack on his constituency office.Mr Freer has said he can no longer put his family through the anxiety for his safety.“We all get death threats, but Mike really has been targeted,” Sir Lindsay said, reacting to the resignation on Thursday morning (1 February).“Thankfully, he’s here to tell the story, but I’m really saddened he’s felt he’s had to stand down.” More