Politics

The prime minister has raised the prospect of people getting a coronavirus vaccine “booster” jab in the autumn. Boris Johnson said the move would likely be required as the UK battles the emergence of new variants of COVID-19. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world “I think we’re going to have to

The government had difficulty contacting hundreds of thousands of clinically vulnerable people who were told to shield at the start of the pandemic, a watchdog has discovered. A lack of contingency planning meant officials scrambled to develop a system to find those who might need support while they were unable to leave the house, according

UK and Irish residents returning from 33 “red list” countries will have to pay £1,750 to quarantine in hotels for 10 days, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has told MPs. As part of a new quarantine system due to come into force from Monday next week, the government has booked 4,600 rooms across 16 hotels for

Boris Johnson has not ruled out a shake-up of the school calendar as part of a “flat out” bid to help pupils catch up from missed classroom time. The prime minister on Monday said the government’s “single biggest priority” now was to overcome the loss of learning suffered by children during the coronavirus pandemic. In

Labour has told the government to “crack down on the cronyism” as it claims almost £2bn in COVID contracts have gone to “friends and donors” of the Conservative Party. The Labour Party’s analysis of government procurement data during the coronavirus crisis found that more than £1.9bn in government contracts has been directly awarded to companies

Trade barriers between Great Britain and the island of Ireland are a consequence of the UK’s EU exit and Brexiteers need to accept that, the president of Sinn Fein has told Sky News. Speaking to Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Mary Lou McDonald said it should not come as “any surprise to any sensible person that

The government is “very concerned” about low uptake of the coronavirus jab among black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, the vaccines minister has told Sky News. Speaking to Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Nadhim Zahawi said overall COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was “very high”, with data from the Office for National Statistics showing 85% of adults

Details of a huge overhaul of how the NHS is run have been revealed in a leaked government document. The reforms would reverse controversial changes brought in by David Cameron’s coalition government in 2012 and slim down the role of private providers in the health service. The policy document, leaked to the website Health Policy

Business leaders have welcomed changes to lockdown loans but say more support is needed to keep firms afloat over the coming months. On Friday night, Rishi Sunak announced that small businesses would be given more time to repay bounce-back loans under a “pay-as-you-grow” initiative. The chancellor said he was determined to give firms the “breathing

The government has revealed it wants all over-50s to be reached in the coronavirus vaccine rollout by May. It is a significant target and the first time a firm date has been put on when all those in the top nine categories on the priority list for a COVID-19 jab will be offered one by.

A minister has blamed hotel quarantine not coming into force for another 10 days in England on needing more “time to prepare”, after Labour branded the delay “beyond comprehension”. James Cleverly told Sky News that “hindsight is a wonderful thing”, as he faced questions about why the policy was announced on 27 January but will

The Department for Education was “surprisingly unconcerned” about whether a private company was profiting from providing free school meal vouchers, MPs have warned. Edenred was contracted to run the scheme during the first lockdown but struggled to cope with demand for vouchers from eligible families – causing “unacceptable” delays, according to the Public Accounts Committee.

England’s economy will be unlocked gradually after schools hopefully return at the start of March, the vaccines minister has told Sky News. Nadhim Zahawi gave an insight into what Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s promised roadmap out of lockdown, earmarked to be announced on 22 February, will look like. He confirmed the government intends to start

Boris Johnson’s adviser tasked with protecting the UK union is set to leave the role amid heightened concern about the threat posed by Scottish independence campaigners. Luke Graham, who missed out on being re-elected as MP for Ochil and South Perthshire in the 2019 election despite the Conservative landslide, is losing his job as head

Boris Johnson has vowed to “do everything we need to do” – including an attempt to override post-Brexit arrangements with the EU – in order to “ensure there is no barrier down the Irish Sea”. Having held talks with Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster on Wednesday morning, the prime minister later raised the prospect

The chancellor is under pressure to increase benefit payments to more than two million vulnerable people who missed out on last year’s £20 per week boost to Universal Credit, with one Conservative MP saying it was “vital we don’t forget them and leave them behind”. A new report has found additional costs created by the