Boris Johnson has warned that the route out of lockdown may face “serious disruption” because of the India variant, just two days before the biggest lifting of restrictions in England for a year. Rising numbers of cases combined with “important unknowns” about the variant, including how transmissible it is, means “hard choices” may have to […]
Angela Rayner has come out fighting following a turbulent 24 hours in which she was scapegoated for Labour’s disastrous Super Thursday results and sacked as chair of the party by Sir Keir Starmer, who had just said he took “full responsibility” for the results. However, his rush to be seen to act decisively, with speed […]
Surge testing is being deployed in east London after “several” variant cases of coronavirus were detected in the community. The Tower Hamlets Council’s website confirmed “a small number” of “variants of concern” that were “first identified in Brazil and South Africa” have been identified in Tower Hamlets and tweeted that ”enhanced Covid-19 testing” will be […]
David Cameron has broken his month silence over his lobbying for “scandal-hit” finance company Greensill Capital, admitting he should have acted through “the most formal channels”. Cameron said “there are important lessons to be learnt” after the latest twist in his relationship with the “disgraced financier Lex Greensill” has seen “Matt Hancock dragged” into the […]
Political campaigning for the May 6 elections has been paused following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, aged 99. Parliaments in London, Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh have been called back from their Easter recess to pay tribute on Monday to the Duke whose death was confirmed by Buckingham Palace at noon on […]
A former leader of the Conservative party has warned that the decision to offer under 30-year-olds an alternative to the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine “plays into hands of anti-vaxxers”. Sir Ian Duncan Smith said the new advice issued by the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is “messy, confusing and very unhelpful” and risks jeopardising “all […]
A group of Conservative MPs has accused the government of wanting “total social control” as the Commons overwhelmingly backed extending emergency coronavirus powers. A total of 76 MPs – including 35 rebel Tory backbenchers – voted against the extension but 483 MPs, including 176 from Labour, voted for the legislation to remain for another six […]
The UK government and European commission have moved to avert a trade war over vaccines by pledging to “create a win-win situation and expand vaccine supply for all”. A joint statement released this evening states: “We are all facing the same pandemic and the third wave makes cooperation between the EU and UK even more […]
Thousands of anti-lockdown protestors defied the government and Covid restrictions to take to London’s streets today, with at least 33 arrested by the Metropolitan Police after “ugly clashes”. Huge protests in Manchester passed without any arrests reported though the city centre was brought to a standstill by demonstrators against the new policing bill, violence against […]
Nicola Sturgeon has come out fighting against calls for her resignation, declaring she stands by “every word” of evidence given to the Alex Salmond committee. Scottish Conservatives have escalated their demands for the first minister to resign after new leaks from the highly critical report emerged on Friday (March 19). The committee’s report is not […]