Politics

There are now four councils in England classed as an “area of intervention” on the government’s coronavirus watchlist – but what does that mean? What is the coronavirus watchlist? The watchlist of local authorities is part of the weekly surveillance report of coronavirus infections published by Public Health England (PHE). This is all part of

The coronavirus pandemic has shown the “merits” of the union between England and Scotland are “very strong”, the prime minister has said. Speaking during his first visit to Scotland since his December general election victory, Boris Johnson reiterated his opposition to a second independence referendum. The PM said the strength of the UK has been

Boris Johnson is visiting Scotland claiming the “sheer might of our union” has strengthened the fight against coronavirus north of the border. In a trip billed as kick-starting a campaign to save the union, he will tell Scots that if they stick with Britain they will continue to benefit from huge economic support. But the

Boris Johnson has told MPs there was “no smoking gun” in the Russia report, as Sir Keir Starmer claimed the prime minister “sat on” the “extremely serious” document. The Intelligence and Security Committee’s report into the threat posed by Moscow to UK democracy dominated exchanges between the PM and Labour leader at the final PMQs

Russia’s ambassador to London has dismissed claims of Russian election interference efforts, cyber attacks and espionage against the UK contained in a new report as “much ado about nothing”. Andrey Kelin denied that the Kremlin tried to interfere in the Brexit referendum and refuted allegations it meddled with Scotland’s independence vote, saying such action was

England’s chief nursing officer has confirmed she was “dropped” from one of Downing Street’s daily coronavirus briefings in the midst of controversy over Dominic Cummings’s lockdown trips. Ruth May told MPs she was axed from the line-up for the Number 10 briefing on 1 June despite having already prepared for her appearance. It had previously

The prime minister has said he will not be “pushed into a position of becoming a knee-jerk Sinophobe” because of deteriorating relations with China. Boris Johnson acknowledged that the UK has “serious concerns” with Beijing’s treatment of its Uighur minority, alleged human rights abuses and the ongoing situation in Hong Kong. And while he promised

The government has admitted its contact tracing programme is unlawful in a legal letter which confirms it has been running in breach of data protection laws since it was launched in May. Confirmation the programme failed to adhere to privacy regulations comes as Sky News can reveal that contractors working for NHS Test and Trace

With international relations between the UK and some key superpowers deteriorating, what actions are being taken against Russia and China? And has easing lockdown led to a spike in COVID- 19 infections? Here are five things we learnt from this week’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday: 1. An end to extradition to Hong Kong? Dominic Raab

Boris Johnson has played down the prospect of a second national coronavirus lockdown as he compared enforcing the measures to using Britain’s nuclear deterrent. The prime minister added that authorities are getting better at identifying and isolating local outbreaks, but said it was important that the power to order national action was held in reserve.

Councils in England now have extra powers to impose shutdowns if clusters of coronavirus appear – but central government will step in if local authorities don’t go far enough or act fast enough, Grant Shapps has told Sky News. From today, councils can close specific premises, shut public outdoor spaces and cancel events. Prime Minister

The inquiry into the UK’s response to coronavirus will be brutal and it will be dirty. Scrapping for survival, the cast of characters thrust into the spotlight during the pandemic will be desperate to avoid being cast as the villain – and that may mean looking for an alternative candidate. Boris Johnson has already committed

Social distancing will need to continue for a “long period of time” and eliminating COVID-19 in the UK is unlikely, England’s chief medical officer has said. Professor Chris Whitty told the Lords science and technology committee that certain hygiene measures would remain for the foreseeable future and that people would also need to continue keeping

An urgent review has been ordered into how the daily coronavirus death figures are calculated after it was claimed the current method does not take into account the fact that some people may have recovered from COVID-19 and died of a different cause. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has asked for the examination of Public Health

Boris Johnson will pledge another £3bn for the NHS as he lays out the next stage of the coronavirus recovery roadmap, amid reports he wants staff to return to work. The prime minister will make the funding pledge to prepare the health service for a second wave of COVID-19 infections as the country heads towards

A long-awaited report into alleged Russian interference in UK politics will be released within the next week. The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) unanimously agreed on Thursday morning to publish the report before parliament’s summer recess begins next Wednesday. Critics have previously accused the government of sitting on the Russia report for nine months. Image: