Politics

The normally moderate Royal College of Nursing described the 3% pay rise for NHS staff in England as a “shambolic announcement” after a “shambolic day”. And it’s difficult to disagree. The announcement – just before 6pm – came four hours after health minister Helen Whateley told MPs the government was “still considering” the recommendations of

Boris Johnson’s plan to mandate proof of vaccination to enter nightclubs and other “crowded venues” from the end of September faces a major backlash as Labour say they do not support part of the proposals. On Tuesday, ministers confirmed that the government want “higher risk” settings to soon make use of the NHS COVID Pass,

The government will announce plans to better protect women and girls on the street, at home and online on Wednesday following growing safety concerns. Home Secretary Priti Patel will confirm to MPs that the government will create a new national policing lead to improve the response times to crimes involving violence against women. The proposals

It is “crucial” that people isolate when identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for coronavirus, Downing Street has said. A Number 10 spokeswoman said quarantining at home “remains the most important action people can take to stop the spread of the virus”. Live COVID updates from the UK and around

A minister has not explicitly ruled out the prospect of the government requiring vaccine passports for people to go to pubs. Business minister Paul Scully told Kay Burley that ministers are “not saying crowded pubs at all” in addition to plans to require people to prove their COVID-19 vaccine status to enter nightclubs and other

Downing Street has said the prime minister was already at his country retreat when he was contacted by NHS Test and Trace and told to isolate – as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer labelled Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s initial decision to “dodge” quarantine as “crass and insensitive”. According to the prime minister’s official

Frontline health workers in England are to be spared self-isolation rules in an emergency move to tackle the “pingdemic” that has triggered an NHS staffing crisis. Coinciding with the lifting of most mandatory lockdown restrictions in England, fully vaccinated NHS and social care staff may not have to isolate if they are pinged by the

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have performed a dramatic U-turn and announced they will no longer dodge self-isolation after a fellow minister tested positive for COVID. The prime minister and the chancellor performed a full reversal little more than two-and-a-half hours after it was announced they would make use of a Downing Street pilot scheme

The timing could hardly be worse. A little more than 24 hours before what he used to call Freedom Day, Boris Johnson is under pressure to self-isolate. The reason: a face-to-face meeting the prime minister held with Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who has now tested positive for COVID-19, in 10 Downing Street on Friday morning.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has tested positive for coronavirus and has mild symptoms, he has said. In a tweet, he wrote: “This morning I tested positive for Covid. “I’m waiting for my PCR result, but thankfully I have had my jabs and symptoms are mild. “Please make sure you come forward for your vaccine if

People arriving in England from France will still have to quarantine for 10 days on their return – even if they have received both doses of the coronavirus vaccine, the government has announced. From Monday, those who have had two COVID vaccine doses will no longer have to isolate after travelling back from countries on

Discussions over whether to put France on the red travel list are active in Whitehall amid pressure to make a definitive decision within days. Some health figures are understood are pushing to make the change, which would mean everyone returning from France having to pay thousands of pounds for mandatory 10-day hotel quarantine on return.

The UK is “not out of the woods yet” when it comes to coronavirus and people should approach the end of most restrictions on Monday with caution, England’s chief medical officer has warned. Professor Chris Whitty said the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 is doubling around every three weeks and could hit “quite

Officials from the UK’s data watchdog have raided two homes and seized computers as part of an investigation into the leak of CCTV footage of disgraced former health secretary Matt Hancock kissing a departmental aide. The Information Commissioner’s Office said its teams searched two addresses in the south of England on Thursday and took personal

Boris Johnson will argue his “levelling-up” project is a “win-win” and will not mean “robbing Peter to pay Paul” as he sets out his post-pandemic vision for the UK. In a speech in the West Midlands on Thursday, the prime minister will indicate his flagship programme will benefit the whole country, not just the Conservatives’

Football banning orders will be changed to cover online racism, Boris Johnson has told MPs. The prime minister said the government is “taking practical steps to ensure that the football banning order regime is changed”. “So that if you are guilty of racist abuse online of footballers then you will not be going to the