Politics latest: Labour and Lib Dems to back no-confidence motion in Yousaf; migrants picked for first Rwanda flights, Number 10 says (2024)

By Daniel Dunford, senior data journalist

There might not be a general election just yet, but there are important votes that will define how the areas around us are run for the next four years.

See what's happening where you are here:

The government has issued new sanctions targeting Iranian individuals and businesses "closely involved" in Iran's network of drone production.

Two people linked to the country's network of drone production will be subjected to a UK travel ban and asset freeze, while four companies will face a UK asset freeze.

It comes after Iran launched anunprecedented wave of missile and drone attacks on Israel on 13 April.

Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said: "The Iranian regime's dangerous attack on Israel risked thousands of civilian casualties and wider escalation in the region.

"Today the UK and our partners have sent a clear message - we will hold those responsible for Iran’s destabilising behaviour to account.

"Alongside our partners, we will continue to tighten the net on Iran’s ability to develop and export these deadly weapons."

The government is "committed" to banning conversion therapy despite delays, an equalities minister has said.

Stuart Andrew told the Commons it is a "very challenging issue to get right" but added the government is clear the practice is "abhorrent".

A ban on conversion practices, which aim to suppress or change a person's sexual orientation, was first promised by former prime minister Theresa May in 2018.

Labour's shadow minister Ashley Dalton had accused the government of not being able to make up its mind and of kicking the issue into the long grass.

Mr Andrew replied: "No one in this country should be harmed or harassed for who they are and attempts at so-called conversion practices are abhorrent.

"And we're clear on our stance, that they are harmful and they simply do not work.

"And that's why we are committed to publishing the draft Bill, I know it's taken time but it's been a very challenging issue to get right and I am committed to us doing it."

Earlier this year a Conversion Practices (Prohibition) Bill, tabled by Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Labour MP for Brighton, Kemptown, in a bid to ban offering or advertising the controversial practices, was blocked by MPs.

During the bill's debate on 1 March, equalities minister Maria Caulfield said the government intended to bring forward draft legislation following the Cass Review, which was published on 10 April.

By Connor Gillies, Scotland correspondent

This is absolutely explosive stuff here in Scotland today.

This is a first minister in Humza Yousaf who just two days ago was telling Sky News that he was wanting the pact with the Greens to continue.

It's all been rosy in the garden for a long time between the two parties, but things started to deteriorate in the last couple of weeks, first over the Cass report and then the big moment when the Scottish government ditched one of their key climate targets.

At that point, the writing was on the wall.

Green Party members were furious and called a vote on their future role themselves, which was due to take place in the next couple of weeks.

It could be said Mr Yousaf saw what was potentially coming and decided to take charge of the issue, rather than facing humiliation of the Greens taking themselves out of that arrangement.

But now the SNP will run a minority government here at Holyrood, and we've had confirmation the first minister will face a no confidence vote next week, the ramifications of which could be huge.

Labour have confirmed to Sky News they will back that motion. The Liberal Democrats will do the same.

And the Greens, who are absolutely furious, are due to meet before the end of the working day to discuss how they will vote.

So has this backfired on Mr Yousaf today, who was trying to get on the front foot to try and save his reputation in what has been a really difficult couple of months?

Could it all end in jeopardy? We'll soon see.

By Nick Stylianou, communities producer

More than 115,000 asylum seekers will be trapped in "permanent limbo" by the end of the year as a result of the government's flagship migration plans, according to a detailed study by the Refugee Council.

The effect of the Rwanda plan will cause the already-struggling UK asylum system to go into "meltdown", said chief executive Enver Solomon.

He claimed the plans would cause "immense cost, chaos and human misery" and "any government that wants a fair and efficient asylum system should repeal the legislation, stop wasting resources on futile endeavours and focus on the vital task of processing asylum claims promptly and fairly".

Under the current laws, anyone entering the country illegally - such as by small boat across the Channel - is banned from applying for asylum as their cases are deemed "inadmissible" and the home secretary must arrange for their removal.

However, the report by the UK's leading asylum seeker charity concludes that "in reality, only a small proportion" are likely to ever be sent back to their own country or Rwanda.

The Refugee Council estimates, based on the average number of people arriving illegally over the past two years, only about 2,000 people will be flown to Rwanda by the start of 2025.

The rest will be left relying indefinitely on Home Office support or disappear underground.

Its analysis of Home Office figures sets out that, at the end of 2024, at least 105,309 "men, women and children" will be eligible to be removed and only 9,478 of those will be qualified to be returned to their own country.

Further calculations by the charity warned the impact of the three immigration laws passed by the government - the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, the Illegal Migration Act 2023 and the Safety of Rwanda Bill - are likely to cost taxpayers up to £6.2bn a year in accommodation costs alone as a result of people unable to be removed.

The Home Office confirmed 6,667 people crossed the Channel so far this year, with 402 making the journey successfully yesterday - the day five people died while attempting the same.

Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the government's asylum policy "is a farce" and Labour's plan relied on recruiting 2,000 extra Home Office staff to work on processing and returning people.

She accused ministers of choosing "gimmick over grip".

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are removing thousands of illegal migrants to their country of origin.

"Many of this cohort will be in scope for removal to Rwanda, which is an uncapped scheme, and can expect to be served removal notices in due course."

Former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has said the collapse of the power-sharing deal between the SNP and the Scottish Greens today is a "pretty bitter divorce".

Speaking on Sky News' latest Electoral Dysfunction podcast, the Tory peer says: "This isn't a conscious uncoupling like Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin. I mean, this is a proper a bitter doozy."

She says it will be "really interesting" to see whether the Greens are "so angry" that they vote with other opposition parties in Holyrood, having previously been "pretty willing allies of the SNP".

"It will be really interesting as we go forward to find out whether they want to exact revenge or whether they're going to be more independent-minded than they have previously been in previous parliaments," she says.

Earlier, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said the SNP can no longer rely on its votes in parliamentafter First Minister Humza Yousaf terminated the deal (see post at 1.31pm).

Mr Yousaf will now lead a minority government (see post at 10.16am).

Ruth says the move was a "sign of weakness" from Mr Yousaf.

"He had to pull the trigger before he was dumped," she says.

You can hear Ruth's comments in full on Sky News' latest Electoral Dysfunction podcast - out at 6am tomorrow.

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Email Beth, Jess, and Ruth atelectoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

This was a trip with two aims: to refocus the world's attention on Ukraine and announce a big boost in defence spending - with an eye, of course, on national security, but also on the general election.

When it comes to Ukraine, this was a co-ordinated effort across the Atlantic.

As Rishi Sunak arrived in Berlin, overnight in Washington the US was finally approving a $600m military aid package for Kyiv.

This was all designed to send a message to Russia - allies are in lockstep and will stand behind Ukraine for as long as it takes.

The prime minister used the Poland leg of the trip to commit the UK to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2030, while in Berlin, Mr Sunak announced a formal bilateral security partnership with Germany to deepen co-operation on defence and military manufacturing.

It was all part of his agenda to position himself as a wartime leader, speaking of the UK's defence industry going onto a war footing as Europe stood at a turning point.

"The world we are living in is increasingly dangerous and the axis of authoritarian states are working together to undermine our security," he told his audience in Berlin.

"We need to do more. Germany has done more and we have met the NATO standard [on spending], and you see global defence spending is rising."

Mr Sunak added: "I do believe we will look back at this moment in time and recognise this inflection point, where the old paradigm is no longer the case and we need to adjust for a new paradigm."

Read Beth's full analysis here:

People voting in local elections in England on 2 May will need to provide photo ID.

It is the second year the requirement has been in place - but in 2023,14,000 people couldn't cast their ballot because they didn't take ID to the polling booth.

There are 22 different types of ID you can use - and if you don't have any of them, you can register for a Voter Authority Certificate.

Here's everything you need to know to avoid being caught out:

The Scottish Labour Party and Scottish Lib Dems are to back a motion of no confidence in First Minister Humza Yousaf, Sky News understands.

It comes after the Scottish Conservatives confirmed they have lodged the motion after the power-sharing agreement between the SNP and Scottish Greens collapsed.

Mr Yousaf is now leading a minority government.

Sky's Scotland correspondent Connor Gillies has said the Greens "are absolutely furious," and are due to meet by the end of the day to decide how they are going to vote.

Connor says if Mr Yousaf loses the vote, expected next week, the SNP would have to install a new leader within 28 days.

The SNP have 63 seats in the Scottish parliament.

The Scottish Conservatives have 31, Scottish Labour have 22 and the Scottish Liberal Democrats have four - a combined number of 57.

The Greens have seven MSPs.

There is also one Alba Party MSP and a presiding officer of no party affiliation.

By Nick Martin, people and politics correspondent

June gives me a wry smile when I ask her if she trusts politicians. But it soon fades.

"They promise you the Earth, and you don't see anything. And it's soul destroying," she says.

I meet her and husband Joe as they tuck into fish and chips in the town's oldest chippy, the Peabung, which has served this town since 1883.

June tells me she really wants to trust politicians but they "just mess it up every time". I ask Joe if he thinks politicians care about him? "Well hopefully they do. I'm not sure really."

He stops to think for a moment. "I don't really trust politicians," he says.

The findings of a Sky News/YouGov poll are starkand echo how voters like June and Joe feel. The findings suggest voters no longer believe what politicians say.

In some places, there appears to be a deep loss of faith in British politics.

Shannon Donnelly has nearly 200,000 followers on TikTok and has used the platform to develop her Grimsby-based business selling personal safety equipment, such as panic alarms. I ask her if she trusts politicians.

"No - I think things like Brexit has massively changed people's opinion. I won't forget when they said all that money would go to the NHS.

"Now we seem to be in a worse position, but they still expect us to trust them. It's crazy."

Read more here:

The Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge is going to be live in Grimsby tonight with a special programme in our Target Towns series. She'll be talking about trust in politics with a live audience - that's live tonight on Sky News at 7pm.