Politics

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

A Conservative MP has called on fellow Tories to change their attitude towards people who take the knee as an anti-racism protest. Steve Baker’s comments, first reported by The Guardian, come after members of the England squad received racist abuse following their defeat in the Euro 2020 final. “This may be a decisive moment for

Boris Johnson has seen off a Conservative rebellion over his plan to cut the UK’s foreign aid spending. MPs voted 333 to 298, a majority of 35, to back reducing overseas aid spending from 0.7% of gross national income to 0.5%. Ministers have insisted the cut – which will see a reduction of around £4.4bn

Boris Johnson has called the bluff of rebel Tory MPs demanding a Commons vote on Rishi Sunak’s controversial decision to cut spending on overseas aid. After months of resisting a vote, ministers sprang a surprise on the rebels by announcing a last-minute change to Commons business with a debate and vote less than 24 hours

England will move to the fourth and final stage of the government’s roadmap for lifting lockdown restrictions in a week’s time, the health secretary has confirmed to MPs. In what Sajid Javid said was a “major milestone for this country”, the move to step four on 19 July will see social distancing rules and limits

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said “caution is absolutely vital” as he prepares to address the nation on Monday to announce whether the final stage of releasing coronavirus restrictions can go ahead. The prime minister is expected to confirm that England can move to step four of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, but to

An eight-week interval between vaccine doses provides “much better” protection from coronavirus, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has said, as he dismissed reports that the gap is due to be reduced from eight weeks to four. Mr Zahawi also told Sky News he is “confident” that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce on Monday that COVID

Labour has called for Theresa May’s former communications director to be sacked from the BBC board over claims he tried to block someone from a senior job on political grounds. Sir Robbie Gibb, who became non-executive director at the Corporation in May, tried to stop Jess Brammar, former HuffPost UK editor and Newsnight journalist, from

Boris Johnson’s Brexit minister has blamed Theresa May for problems with the implementation of border arrangements for Northern Ireland. Lord Frost told members of the Northern Ireland Assembly on Friday that current issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol were “to a very large degree” the fault of negotiations under Mr Johnson‘s predecessor as prime minister.

Details of a plan to allow vaccinated expats into the UK without having to quarantine could be revealed in the “next couple of weeks”, the transport secretary has said. Grant Shapps told Sky News that ministers are “actively working” on proposals to allow those who received their jabs outside of the UK to be exempt

The government will set out its plans for post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland within the next two weeks – as Labour claimed trust in Boris Johnson over the issue had fallen to “an all-time low”. At the end of last month, the UK and EU agreed a three-month extension to a grace period to avert

Boris Johnson did not break the MPs code of conduct by accepting donations towards a private 10-day holiday to Mustique over Christmas in 2019, an investigation has found. Parliament’s standards watchdog said the PM’s account of the “informal” funding arrangement was “accurate and complete” but that it was “regrettable” information related to the trip was