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Tory MP Dame Caroline Dinenage has suggested it is time to “move on” from James Cleverly’s spiking joke.The home secretary has faced calls to quit after last week joking about putting a date rape drug in his wife’s drink – hours after the Home Office announced plans to crack down on spiking.However, no action will be taken against him as prime minister Rishi Sunak “considers the matter closed”.“It was a very ill-judged comment, but James has owned that comment and apologised,” Dame Caroline told Sky News on Friday 29 December.“So let’s move on,” she added, calling it a “silly remark”. More

The UK is “desperate for an election”, Emily Thornberry has claimed.Speaking to Sky News on Thursday 28 December, the shadow attorney general added that Jeremy Hunt’s spring Budget date of 6 March “seems to confirm” that voters will be heading to the polls in May.“It is the worst kept secret in parliament isn’t it, that we are likely to be heading for a May election,” Ms Thornberry said.“The country is desperate for an election, we really have to get rid of this lot and we want to have an opportunity to do so, that’s what people tell me.” More

James Cleverly should be “thoroughly ashamed of himself” over his date rape joke, Emily Thornberry has said.No action will be taken against the home secretary, as prime minister Rishi Sunak “considers the matter closed”.Mr Cleverly has faced calls to quit after last week joking about putting a date rape drug in his wife’s drink – hours after the Home Office announced plans to crack down on spiking.“That is not funny. It is a really nasty and frightening joke and he should be thoroughly ashamed of himself,” Ms Thornberry told Good Morning Britain on Thursday 28 December. More

An MP whose north London office was targeted by a suspected arson attack on Christmas Eve says he wears a stab vest when going to public events.Mike Freer, Conservative MP for Finchley and Golders Green, said the use of vests by his colleagues is “sadly par for the course these days”.“I, personally, like some of my other colleagues, wear stab vests if I do public events,” Mr Freer told Sky News.Police on Tuesday (26 December) continued to investigate a fire started on Christmas Eve in a shed at the MP’s office.No one was in the office at the time of the blaze. More

Sixty-three claims for pothole-related damage were made by motorists every day last year, the Liberal Democrats have said.The party has called for road maintenance budgets to be fully restored by the government, accusing the Conservatives of overseeing a “pothole pandemic” on English roads.Data from 85 local authorities in England, obtained by freedom of information requests, shows that compensation paid to motorists reached £1.77 million in 2022/23 – a slight rise on the previous year.The Lib Dems said that the number of pothole claims has grown significantly in the last year, with 23,042 in 2022/23 compared with the 13,579 recorded the previous year. More

Rishi Sunak shared a Home Alone-inspired video message filmed in No 10 for Christmas Day.In the short clip, the prime minister asks “am I the only one here?” in an empty office before parking his work and having some festive fun.He is seen bowling a ball against stacked cans of Coca-Cola, trimming the Christmas tree and pouring syrup on spaghetti while watching Elf.Larry the cat also makes an appearance.“Merry Christmas from Downing Street,” Mr Sunak wrote, sharing the video on social media website X. More

Sir Keir Starmer has delivered his annual Christmas message to Labour supporters, and is calling for ‘love and peace’ in line with the messages of the nativity story.He also took the opportunity to thank NHS, retail, and postal workers, who will continue to deliver vital services over the festive period.Churches also received a nod for helping people with nowhere to go, or those who find Christmas difficult.“Charity, humility and selflessness take centre stage in the Christmas story,” he says. “This season serves as a reminder that these qualities should be a guiding light for all of us.” More

Russia is a “real and constant threat” to Europe, Sir Keir Starmer said as he visited British troops in Estonia deployed near the border with Vladimir Putin’s nationThe UK and its allies “need to be prepared [and] need to deter” in response to Moscow’s actions, underlined by the war in Ukraine, the Labour leader urged.Sir Keir’s comments came as he and shadow defence secretary John Healey spoke with soldiers stationed in Estonia to stress his party’s commitment to Nato and thank them for their service over Christmas. More