Politics

Boris Johnson is being warned by scientists that a surge in vaccinations in COVID hotspots may not be enough to halt the spread of the Indian variant – and that he should not have relaxed lockdown rules this week.  The prime minister has said he is keeping the variant under close watch, adding “we’ll know

Dominic Cummings is threatening to exert revenge on Boris Johnson by revealing a Downing Street document on the prime minister’s COVID lockdown strategy. Unleashing a blizzard of often erratic messages on Twitter, the maverick former No 10 aide claimed he has “the only copy of a crucial historic document from COVID decision-making”. And as the

The spread of the Indian variant has thrown the timings of key coronavirus announcements into doubt. Boris Johnson said last week that the government would be “saying more later this month about exactly what the world will look like” on 21 June and “what role there could be – if any – for certification [having

The business secretary says it is necessary to be “measured and cautious” because of the Indian COVID-19 variant but it is “very likely” all restrictions will be scrapped by 21 June. Kwasi Kwarteng defended the decision to ease the lockdown amid fears the variant, also called B.1.617, could derail England’s final roadmap step. His comments

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has not ruled out imposing local lockdown restrictions in places worst affected by the Indian variant of coronavirus. With a higher transmissibility than the Kent variant – which drove the UK’s deadly second wave – there are fears the Indian variant could derail England’s final roadmap step of lifting all restrictions

There is a “high degree of confidence” that vaccines protect against the Indian variant of COVID-19 – but it can “spread like wildfire” among those who haven’t had a jab, Matt Hancock has told Sky News. The health secretary urged those who are eligible for vaccination – but have not yet booked an appointment –

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is trailing Boris Johnson as the British public’s preferred prime minister by 17 percentage points, according to a new poll. Sir Keir had started to close the gap in April, pollsters Opimium said, but in a survey held on 13 and 14 May, he garnered just 23% support as preferred

Easing restrictions in England next week is the right thing to do, the government has said, after a warning that it might cause a “substantial resurgence” in hospital admissions. Health minister Edward Argar urged people to behave responsibly as lockdown measures are relaxed across England on Monday. It comes amid mounting concern over the spread

This was a news conference that earlier in the week probably wasn’t in the prime minister’s diary. What was in his diary was a convivial lunch with the Taoiseach Micheal Martin at his Chequers country retreat. The prime minister has grown fond of Chequers, we’re told, and missed escaping to the peace and quiet of

A minister has told Sky News that step three of England’s lockdown easing will still go ahead on Monday, despite soaring cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus in the UK. Latest figures show there are 1,313 cases of the variant in the UK, up from the 520 recorded the previous week. Live COVID updates

It was always going to be a long and painful afternoon for David Cameron. And it couldn’t have been much worse. But he didn’t help himself by being evasive, long-winded and giving some answers to questions that will be challenged and disputed. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Greensill paid ‘far

David Cameron has said he was paid a “generous annual amount” which was “far more than I earned as prime minister” to lobby on behalf of a now-collapsed financial services firm. Mr Cameron is appearing in front of two Commons committees to answer questions about his actions on behalf of Greensill Capital. Follow lives updates

Former prime minister David Cameron is set to face a long afternoon of questions from MPs over his lobbying for a now-collapsed finance firm. The ex-premier is due to appear on Thursday before two separate House of Commons committees over his actions on behalf of Greensill Capital. Mr Cameron has already been revealed to have

An independent public inquiry into the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic will begin in the spring of next year, the prime minister has announced. Boris Johnson revealed the news in a COVID-19 statement to MPs in the Commons on Wednesday. He said that the government will launch a consultation on its terms of reference.

The government has promised to tackle obesity and improve mental health support, but there is no sign of long-promised legislation to reform adult social care. Boris Johnson has set out his legislative agenda for the new parliamentary session in the Queen’s Speech. Follow live updates from the Queen’s Speech Proposals on social care will be

The government has set out its legislative agenda for the new parliamentary session in the Queen’s Speech today. Its usual pomp and ceremony was scaled back drastically due to the COVID-19 restrictions that remain in place. It is also the Queen‘s first major public ceremonial duty since the death of her husband, the Duke of