What’s the government’s first bill of the new Parliament? Something to tackle sky-high energy bills? Something to address the climate crisis? Something to address the NHS staffing crisis? Of course not.

The policing minister has said officers should not use discretion when deciding whether to prosecute people who are caught stealing food to eat amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Keir Starmer has said a lack of trust in Boris Johnson is a crucial reason why the UK government and the European Union remain at an impasse over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Well over two years since the UK left the European Union, and nearly six years since the in-out referendum of June 2016, the government and EU are at loggerheads and Brexit is back in the headlines once again.

Last week, a young woman was arrested at her flat the day after stewarding a peaceful protest against the policies of our government.

Undermining encryption means the Online Safety Bill in its current form is not fit for purpose.

An apparent attempt by Boris Johnson to take the heat out of the Northern Ireland Protocol debate has been cautiously welcomed on the EU side after the Prime Minister met with the Northern Irish party leaders on Monday.

Northern Ireland’s political map was redrawn when nationalist Sinn Fein overtook unionist DUP to become the largest party at last week’s Assembly elections, but it’s the surge of the non-aligned Alliance party that is more likely to raise fundamental questions for the region in the short term.

The Home Office is rarely out of the headlines, with perceived failings enraging campaigners and providing constant material for opponents and journalists. The question remains: is it fit for purpose? Georgina Bailey investigates

Former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Conservative MP Julian Smith, and Irish Times columnist Finn McRedmond join PoliticsHome’s Alain Tolhurst and Adam Payne on this week’s episode of The Rundown to unpack a seismic week in Northern Irish politics, which looks likely to amp up further as the UK threatens to rip up the contentious protocol.

As the frontline charity Veterans Aid publishes its latest Impact Report, CEO Dr Hugh Milroy reflects on how provision of support for veterans changed over lockdown and calls for a new approach to dealing with the age-old problem of homelessness in post-pandemic Britain.

Google “Home Office” and “failings,” and a long list will emerge of failures of every description: staff allegedly not caring; new IT systems delayed and inadequate; the Home Office castigated by senior judges for failures to disclose documents.

A former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has warned that some figures in Westminster are using it for their own agendas as the government moves closer to unilateral action on the protocol.

Voters always worry about crime, and politicians always want to offer them reassurance. That usually means talking about police numbers, and often about “bobbies on the beat”. But such conversations fail to take account of the fact the nature of crime has changed.

US politicians are warming to the UK position on wanting to overhaul the Northern Ireland Protocol, which risks a major diplomatic row with the European Union, according to the government minister for the province.

Downing Street has defended announcing no new measures to support those struggling amid the cost of living crisis in its Queen’s Speech on Tuesday.

Responding to the wide range of legislation announced in today’s Queen’s Speech, Mark Fenhalls QC, chair of the Bar Council, said:

UK government is "very close" to reaching a decision on what action to take on the Northern Ireland Protocol after the Democratic Unionist Party today fulfilled its threat to refuse to form an Executive in Stormont over their opposition to the post-Brexit treaty.

The war in Ukraine has called into doubt the United Kingdom’s ability to manage a large-scale emergency refugee crisis. Now, critics fear new rules could exacerbate the challenge. Analysis by Alexandra Ming of Dods Political Intelligence.

Lord Harrington earned his stripes before becoming minister for refugees. So why is his Homes for Ukraine scheme beset by criticism?

This year’s local elections have been largely described as a ‘disaster’ for the Conservatives and the ‘blue wall’ stronghold shows signs of crumbling in many cabinet ministers’ constituencies.

The European Union is bracing itself for the UK to take unilateral action on the Northern Ireland Protocol after nationalist party Sinn Fein came out on top in Thursday's Assembly elections.

New poll shows nearly three quarters of voters want to see government pass more laws to protect animals.

Nationalist party Sinn Fein has been elected the largest party in Northern Ireland for the first time ever since the province was formed a century ago.