Politics

An immediate review of safeguarding policies in schools has been launched after more than 10,000 reports were posted on a website for students to share experiences of sexual harassment and abuse. The government has asked Ofsted to look at the extent and the severity of the issue and ensure both state and independent schools have

It is time to “move on” from a row over David Cameron’s dealings with a financial services company, a minister has told Sky News. “I think people have looked at this. As far as I know, David Cameron did absolutely nothing wrong,” Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said when asked about the former prime minister’s links

A scandal-hit financier claimed he was a “senior adviser” to then prime minister David Cameron, according to a business card handed to the Labour Party. The card suggests Lex Greensill had a government landline phone number as well as a Downing Street email address. The government has previously claimed Mr Greensill’s role was approved “in the

The prime minister has admitted “we don’t know… how strong our fortifications now are” against a fresh COVID wave – while the chief medical officer has warned of a “leaky wall” of vaccine defence. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference on Monday – as people in England saw lockdown restrictions eased slightly – Boris

Nicola Sturgeon has launched a thinly-veiled attack on Alex Salmond as she marked the start of the SNP’s campaign for May’s Scottish Parliament elections. “I don’t have much time these days for the ‘who’s up/who’s down” approach to politics,” the first minister said in a pre-recorded address as she reflected on leading Scotland throughout the

Summer holidays abroad are unlikely to be allowed until August it has been reported, as a cabinet minister said a traffic light system was being considered to enable overseas trips. Speaking to Sky News, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said there were “challenges around international travel” in the face of rising COVID-19 infection rates in Europe,

The UK has planned to ensure second COVID jabs are administered on time, according to the culture minister, who also confirmed a batch of the Moderna vaccine was due to arrive in the coming weeks. It comes as England is set to relax lockdown restrictions with the rule of six returning from Monday, and the

Nicola Sturgeon has warned now is “not the time to gamble” with Scotland’s future as she said there were “significant questions” about Alex Salmond’s return to politics. The SNP leader made her comments after her predecessor and former mentor confirmed he would be standing for his newly-formed Alba Party as a regional list candidate in

England’s route out of lockdown remains on schedule with the prime minister declaring there is nothing to dissuade him from “continuing along our roadmap to freedom”. Speaking to the virtual Conservative Party spring conference, Boris Johnson said he was looking forward to going to the barbers, for a pint in a pub and to “unlocking

Boris Johnson has told Joe Biden that global vaccine access will be vital for beating COVID-19, as the leaders agreed combatting climate change will be a key part of “building back better from the pandemic”. The prime minister and US president spoke on the phone on Friday afternoon, where they discussed the rollout of jabs,

Scotland’s former first minister Alex Salmond has re-entered frontline politics to become the leader of the new pro-independence Alba Party. The party was registered with the Electoral Commission in January by retired TV producer Laurie Flynn. Alba Party will stand candidates in the Scottish Parliament elections on 6 May. Mr Salmond said in a statement:

China has sanctioned individuals and organisations in the UK who it said “maliciously spread lies and disinformation” – days after the British government imposed sanctions on Chinese officials for alleged gross human rights violations in Xinjiang.   Members of parliament including former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith and Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat,

Boris Johnson has said “there is going to be a role” for COVID vaccine certification but suggested it might only be implemented once every adult in the UK has been offered a vaccine by the end of July. The prime minister sought to quell anger from Conservative MPs and businesses over the possibility of Britons

There are 650 MPs in parliament. Each one has a personal mandate to represent their constituency and is under a heavy whip from their party leaders. But only a few tens of thousands of people will actually vote for each MP by name. In the upcoming elections across Britain on 6 May, voters will directly

Boris Johnson has hit back at EU plans for further vaccine export controls as he said companies may reconsider investing in nations that impose trade blockades. The prime minister told the cross-party Liaison Committee he does not think blockades of “either vaccines or of medicines or ingredients for vaccines are sensible”. And in a further

Boris Johnson is facing a tough end-of-term interrogation on COVID-19 by senior MPs after claiming the UK is making progress a year after his first lockdown. As well as his last Prime Minister’s Questions clash with Sir Keir Starmer for three weeks, he is facing questions from MPs who chair all-party select committees. His double