Politics

The prime minister has vowed to rebuild a “stronger than ever” economy and highlighted the need for co-operation between central and devolved government. Ahead of a visit to Northern Ireland, Boris Johnson acknowledged the close working relationship between Westminster and the power-sharing administration at Stormont. He will meet first minister Arlene Foster and deputy first

The education secretary says he won’t apologise for changing how exams are graded after he came under fire on the eve of A-level results being revealed. Gavin Williamson said by allowing pupils to use their best results from mock exams, or a moderated system or by taking exams in October, students would “benefit”. “I won’t

A-level students in England will be able to use grades in mock exams to progress to university and college courses and employment, the education secretary is set to announce. The change forms part of what Gavin Williamson has called a “triple lock” to give students confidence in the moderation system, which can see predicted results

Exam results in Scotland that were downgraded by a controversial moderation process will be withdrawn, the Scottish education secretary has announced. John Swinney told the Scottish parliament that the 124,564 results affected will revert to the grades estimated by the pupils’ teachers. He said he was directing the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to “reissue those

Universities have been urged by the UK Government to be flexible in their admissions ahead of A-level results day this week. The eleventh hour move is in response to claims that the university places of thousands of pupils in England are in peril amid exam chaos. Experts have warned that pupils whose marks are downgraded

The UK has to look at the “legal framework” for migrants crossing the English Channel, the prime minister has said. Boris Johnson said he wanted to work with France to stop the crossings and ensure that migrants “understand that this isn’t a good idea, this is a very bad and stupid and dangerous and criminal

Boris Johnson knows that reopening England’s schools is a tricky political test he can’t afford to flunk. After June’s false start, the prime minister has now made it clear he will do everything he can to get children learning again and keep them learning. But that could involve trade-offs as other sectors are forced to

Boris Johnson says it is a “national priority” and a “moral duty” to get all pupils back in class next month, raising the prospect of closing shops, pubs and restaurants in local lockdowns to allow schools to stay open. In a newspaper article, the prime minister writes that “social justice demands” that classrooms are full

Boris Johnson has been urged to boost the government’s coronavirus test and trace scheme in order to safely reopen schools next month, with calls for teachers and students to be tested as often as once a week. The prime minister has declared it is a “national priority” to get all children back into the classroom

Former Labour MP Eric Joyce has been given a suspended sentence for making an indecent image of a child. Joyce, who represented Falkirk in parliament from 2000 to 2015, has been sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. He has also been ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work. Joyce had

One of the most popular faces in Whitehall, Palmerston the Foreign Office cat, is retiring for a quiet life in the countryside. The affectionately-nicknamed “Diplo Mogg” is meowing out after four years of service, having found “working from home” during the coronavirus outbreak a much more “relaxed, quieter and easier” life. In a letter penned

Britons preparing to visit France have been warned there is “always the risk of disruption to travel plans” amid speculation the country could be next on the UK’s quarantine list due to a spike in coronavirus cases. New COVID-19 infections in France have risen by more than 1,600 over a 24-hour period for a second

Dominic Cummings’ lockdown-busting trip to Durham and Barnard Castle damaged public trust in the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study. Scientists from University College London (UCL) claim that confidence dropped after Boris Johnson‘s controversial adviser drove his wife and child 300 miles from London to Durham and then took a

Face coverings are to be made mandatory indoors in Northern Ireland after the R number – a crucial measure of how quickly coronavirus is spreading – jumped in the region. The reopening of pubs and bars which do not sell food has also been delayed. The devolved government’s health department said the R number rose

Tributes from Pope Francis, the Dalai Lama and Bono have been read at the funeral of John Hume, a key figure in Northern Ireland’s peace process. The former leader of the nationalist SDLP, widely regarded as the architect of the Good Friday Agreement, died on Monday, aged 83. With his family and a small number

Former government minister Douglas Ross has been confirmed as the new Scottish Conservative leader. The 37-year-old takes on the role after winning the leadership without a contest. The Moray MP was the only candidate to put their name forward to replace Jackson Carlaw, who quit as the Scottish Tories‘ leader last week. Image: The former