Politics

Boris Johnson has confirmed England will progress to the next stage of lockdown lifting as he said the roadmap was on track. The government’s four tests – a successful vaccine deployment programme, coronavirus hospitalisation and death rates under control, infections not putting pressure on the NHS, and the risk assessment not changed by variants –

Supporters of Scottish independence look set to win a big majority in next month’s Holyrood elections. The latest Panelbase survey for The Sunday Times suggests that pro-independence parties could win 79 of the Scottish Parliament’s 129 seats come the 6 May vote. With nearly half of the constituency vote, Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP would win a

Labour is demanding a new law in next month’s Queen’s Speech to crack down on political lobbying, following disclosures about David Cameron’s links with an Australian tycoon. The former prime minister lobbied Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Treasury minister Jesse Norman for access to coronavirus support payments on behalf of financier Lex Greensill. From 2018, Mr

Boris Johnson has said Britain can look forward to “brighter days ahead” while Sir Keir Starmer has said “it’s a time for hope and renewal” as the country celebrates Easter. The Prime Minister said it had been a “very tough” year, but said the holiday brought with it new hope. “And, this year more than

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has been criticised by members of his own party for visiting a church that has homophobic links. LGBT+ Labour said the visit to Jesus House in north London was “unacceptable”. Sources confirmed that the leader of the opposition‘s office had offered an “unreserved apology” to the group. Image: Sir Keir

Children will be able to visit grandparents in care homes from next week – in many cases, for the first time in a year. Care home residents in England will be able to receive two visitors indoors from next Monday 12 April in the latest easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Boris Johnson has announced that care

Pakistan, Kenya, Bangladesh and the Philippines have been added to England’s coronavirus red list. The move, which will take effect from 4am on Friday, 9 April, is in response to concerns about new variants of COVID-19, like those first detected in South Africa and Brazil. It means international visitors who have departed from or transited

More than 70 MPs – including more than 40 Conservatives – have sent a warning shot to Boris Johnson by forming a major cross-party campaign against the use of vaccine passports within the UK. The prime minister has said there will “definitely” be a role for vaccine passports for Britons heading abroad, with it reported

The prime minister’s most senior black adviser is to step down from the government. Samuel Kasumu will leave his role as special adviser for civil society and communities in May. It comes a day after a government-backed review of racial disparities in Britain was published. The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities’ 2458-page report was

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has suggested the “British instinct” will be against the introduction of vaccine passports for places like pubs. The government is conducting a review into the possible use of COVID certification to help with the reopening of some sectors of the economy. Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week said “there is

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,