Politics latest: MoD contractor hacked by China 'has contracts across Whitehall'

The defence secretary has given a statement about a hacking attack on the UK's Ministry of Defence, which Sky News understands China was behind. The government has been criticised for not naming the perpetrator, and concern is mounting over the contractor that was targeted.

A soldier stands outside the Ministry of Defence in London, Britain May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall
Image: A soldier stands outside the Ministry of Defence in London, Britain May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall
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That's all for today

Thank you for joining us on the Politics Hub for a busy day in Westminster.

Here's what happened:

  • The defence secretary, Grant Shapps, gave a statement to the Commons confirming that a hack had hit the Ministry of Defence's payroll system, run by an external contractor, with personal details of British service people targeted;
  • But he did not confirm Sky's revelation that China is behind the hack because it is a months-long process for such a formal designation to be made by ministers (China firmly denies it is behind the cyber attack);
  • The refusal to blame China provoked fury from many MPs who want stronger action from the government against China - but Rishi Sunak defended his policy as "robust";
  • The defence secretary did state in the Commons that contractor SSCL was responsible, with the government launching an investigation into all SSCL work with government;
  • The deputy foreign secretary told the Commons that the government is firmly opposed to an Israeli offensive in the Rafah area of Gaza, with the PM saying he is "deeply concerned" by the prospect;
  • Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves gave a speech in which she blasted Tory "economic fiction", saying ministers arguing the economy is turning a corner is not reflecting "reality";
  • New SNP leader John Swinney was formally elected the new first minister of Scotland, with him expected to formally take the role as soon as tomorrow.

Join us again from 6am for the very latest political news - and the first PMQs since the local elections at noon.

Garrick Club votes to accept female members for first time in 193-year history

The Garrick Club, a central London gentlemen's club, has voted to accept women into the ranks of its membership for the first time in its near two-century history.

Founded in 1831, it is one of the oldest members' clubs in the world, and its membership is drawn from across the British establishment.

Among its ranks are said to be 1,500 members including at least 160 senior legal professionals, at least 10 serving MPs, dozens of Lords, heads of public institutions, actors, artists and businessmen.

King Charles is even said to be a member, along with around 150 men with knighthoods who cough up the around £1,000 a year to get access to its dining rooms, luxury lounges and exclusive bedrooms.

Women have been effectively banned from becoming members, and until 2010 were barred from even visiting the club as the guest or spouse of a member.

But in a vote this evening, the membership changed the rules to allow women to become full members.

One member told Sky News that 944 members attended a meeting tonight, either in person or remotely, and said: "It was fairly clear the majority was in favour of admitting women."

The club had been at the centre of a controversy after the UK's chief civil servant, Simon Case, came under heavy criticism for his membership, which he eventually resigned in March (more here).

A list of members of the club was recently published by The Guardian newspaper, which included the King, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden and Sir Richard Moore, the head of MI6.

Read more about the club from our political reporter Tim Baker here:

Prisoners could be freed over two months early to ease overcrowding

An early release prison measure, used to relieve capacity problems in jails across England and Wales, has been extended for a second time since its introduction in October.

As of 23 May, some male prisoners will now be freed up to 70 days before the end of their sentence in order to free up space, under the End of Custody Supervised License scheme.

Originally - it was 18 days, later extended to between 35 and 60 days.

In an email sent to prison and probation officers informing them of the extension, seen by Sky News, staff were told that "despite the push" and efforts of the scheme in previous months, that "pressures continue" in male prisons, and so further extensions to this emergency scheme are necessary.

Sex offenders, terrorists and category A prisoners, plus those serving four years or more, are excluded and aren't eligible for release.

However, sources close to the service have expressed concern about the extent to which the scheme is being amended, at pace, and often with little warning.

Read the full story from our news correspondent Mollie Malone here:

Swinney to become Scotland's new first minister after Holyrood vote

By Jenness Mitchell, Scotland reporter

John Swinney will become Scotland's new first minister after being backed by a majority of MSPs.

Following his victory in the SNP leadership race on Monday, the 60-year-old faced a vote at Holyrood to confirm him as Humza Yousaf's successor.

The Scottish Greens abstained from the vote, with Mr Swinney able to fend off challenges from Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, and Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Alex Cole-Hamilton.

His name will now be submitted to the King, with an official swearing-in ceremony expected to take place at the Court of Session in Edinburgh as early as Wednesday.

Mr Swinney will then be able to appoint his cabinet.

Read the full story here:

Home Office 'aware of technical issue' with UK border system

We've just had a statement from the Home Office amid chaos at UK airports due to a nationwide issue with the border system.

A spokesperson said: "We are aware of a technical issue affecting eGates across the country.

"We are working closely with Border Force and affected airports to resolve the issue as soon as possible and apologise to all passengers for the inconvenience caused."

Queues are building at airports across the country as flights land, but passengers are unable to be processed.

Follow live updates on the outage affecting the UK border on our dedicated live page here:

Are you affected? Send us a message on WhatsApp. Check our contact us page for more information.

Government 'gaslighting' public about state of economy, Labour claims

By Tim Baker, political reporter

The government is "gaslighting" the public about the state of the economy, the shadow chancellor has said.

Rachel Reeves attacked the Conservatives in a speech in the City of London, as the opposition takes the fight to the government on their own turf ahead of the general election.

Running a strong economy has long been the focus of Conservative election campaigns.

And with a raft of economic data coming out this week, Ms Reeves is looking to get ahead of the government's messaging - saying Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claiming the economy is improving is "deluded".

Read the full story here:

Pledge tracker: Is Sunak keeping his promises?

Over a year ago, Rishi Sunak made five pledges for voters to judge him on.

The prime minister met his promise to halve inflation by the end of 2023.

But with the general election approaching, how is Mr Sunak doing on delivering his other promises?

You can see the progress for yourself below:

Travel chaos at airports across UK - as Heathrow and Manchester confirm nationwide border issue

Chaos has been reported at airports across the UK - as two airports have confirmed a nationwide border issue.

A Heathrow spokesperson said: "Border Force is currently experiencing a nationwide issue which is impacting passengers being processed through the border.

"Our teams are supporting Border Force with their contingency plans to help resolve the problem as quickly as possible and are on hand to provide passenger welfare. We apologise for any impact this is having to passenger journeys."

Manchester Airport also confirmed that the UK Border System is down as part of a nationwide outage.

It said its teams are working to assist passengers in the airport.

Sky News has contacted the Home Office for comment and further details:

Will Labour or the Conservatives win the next election? Latest polling from the Sky News live tracker

The Sky News live poll tracker - collated and updated by our Data and Forensics team - aggregates various surveys to indicate how voters feel about the different political parties.

With the local elections complete, Labour is still sitting comfortably ahead, with the Tories trailing behind.

See the latest update below - and you can read more about the methodology behind the tracker here.

Politics At Jack And Sam's: The week Sunak looks on the bright side

Two of Westminster's best-connected journalists, Sky News's Sam Coates and Politico's Jack Blanchard, guide you through their top predictions for the next seven days in British politics. 

Following the local and mayoral elections, Jack and Sam discuss how Rishi Sunak will try to get back onto the front foot and whether the Conservative rebels will continue to plot against him.     

They also predict that the country will come out of recession and look forward to a new SNP leader in Scotland following the resignation of Humza Yousaf. 

 Email with your thoughts and rate how their predictions play out: jackandsam@sky.uk or jackandsam@politico.co.uk