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Commons leader Penny Mordaunt ignored questions about replacing Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, saying she is “getting on with my job”.Ms Mordaunt was approached by various journalists and photographers outside the Cabinet Office in Whitehall on Tuesday (19 March).This comes as Mr Sunak faces speculation about a possible Tory revolt against his leadership, with plotters lining up Ms Mordaunt as a potential replacement. Former defence secretary Ben Wallace has said it is “too late” to replace Mr Sunak and Tory candidates at the election just had to “march towards the sound of the guns”. More

The prime minister has maintained hopes of spring flights carrying asylum seekers to Rwanda as the Government overturned all attempts by the House of Lords to change to its deportation legislation.The Government saw off 10 amendments from peers to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, after a minister had accused the Lords of trying to “wreck” the legislation on Monday (18 March).MPs voted by majorities ranging from 57 to 78 to reject the series of amendments made to the Bill by peers. More

Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci has opened up on why Barack Obama paid a surprise visit to Downing Street.The former US president made the unexpected visit to No.10 on Monday (18 March) to meet with Rishi Sunak.Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday (19 March), Mr Scaramucci was quizzed over Mr Obama’s visit by Susanna Reid and Ed Balls.He said: “I think Obama is going to help Joe Biden in the coming months. He is probably expressing some sentiment from the White House to the prime minister about the coalition we need to have with the Ukrainian war.” More

Former US president Barack Obama met with Rishi Sunak in a “courtesy visit” to Downing Street on Monday 18 March.Mr Obama spent around an hour inside the No 10 study with the prime minister.He joked he was “tempted” to discuss the state of Russian democracy when members of the media asked him to stop as he left with the US ambassador to the UK, Jane D Hartley, just after 4pm.It is understood Mr Sunak and Mr Obama discussed a range of subjects, including artificial intelligence, in a largely one-on-one meeting. More

A Labour MP has compared the cost of the government’s Rwanda scheme to Virgin Galactic “sending six people to space” during a debate in the House of Commons.Neil Coyle urged the Tories to “rethink” the bill ahead of another vote on Monday 18 March, in which Rishi Sunak will seek to reverse the defeats from the House of Lords.“Is the minister aware that Virgin Galactic can send six people into space for less than this government wants to spend sending one person to Rwanda?” Mr Coyle asked illegal migration minister Michael Tomlinson.“Is it not time to rethink this absurd policy and extortionate cost?” More

London mayor Sadiq Khan has claimed London is a “safer city” than Berlin, Madrid and Paris but admits he does not want to be “complacent” as he launched his bid for a third term in office.Citing research from University College London, Mr Khan claimed that the capital was safer than most major cities in Europe and the United States despite recent ONS figures suggesting knife crime had risen.“Both as a member of parliament and as the mayor I have met too many victims of crime,” he admitted on Monday 18 March.Mr Khan added that Londoners have the “opportunity” to vote in a Labour government and mayor to “work together” this year. More

Barack Obama arrived at Downing Street on Monday, 18 March, for an undisclosed private meeting.The former US president, who served in the White House from 2009 to 2017, smiled and waved at members of the press before he entered Rishi Sunak’s residence just after 3pm.The reason for his visit was not immediately confirmed at the time of reporting.Mr Obama’s London trip came after he met the Belgian royal family over the weekend at their official residence, the Palace of Laeken. More