Boris Johnson has warned against a “new Cold War on China” as he came under pressure from senior Conservative MPs over continuing “naivety” in the UK’s relationship with Beijing. Setting out the government’s wide-ranging shake-up of foreign, defence and security policy, the prime minister told the House of Commons that “China will pose a great
Politics
Labour and the Conservatives are heading for a fierce showdown on crime after Sir Keir Starmer ordered his MPs to vote against a flagship piece of government legislation. MPs are voting on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill at the end of a two-day Commons debate dominated by clashes about protection for women and
The European Union has launched legal action against the UK for making changes to Northern Ireland’s trading arrangements, an EU official said. The European Commission has accused the UK of breaching EU law concerning the movement of goods and pet travel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland after the UK moved to unilaterally change parts
Labour has revealed it will vote against the government’s flagship crime legislation, branding it a “mess” that could lead to tougher penalties for damaging a statue than attacking a woman. Shadow justice secretary David Lammy said the suspected murder of Sarah Everard had “instigated a national demand for action to tackle violence against women”. In
The suspected kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard has sent shockwaves throughout the country and fuelled demands for change in tackling violence against women. A vigil to mourn the 33-year-old on Clapham Common close to where she was last seen was marred by clashes and condemnation of the police response, with images of women being
Boris Johnson has said new efforts to radically boost the UK’s cyber capabilities will “transform our ability to protect our people”. The impact of the new technology will be comparable to the emergence of military air power a century ago, the prime minister said. His comments come ahead of next week’s publication of the government’s
The prime minister has backed a national day of reflection to mark the anniversary of the first coronavirus lockdown. The end-of-life charity Marie Curie is planning the day for 23 March to remember those who have died during the coronavirus pandemic. This was the date in 2020 when Boris Johnson first told UK residents they
The prime minister has stressed “there has got to be east-west consent” to the Northern Ireland Protocol after talks scheduled on Friday were snubbed by Sinn Fein. Boris Johnson, who visited Northern Ireland as it prepares to mark its centenary in May, is said to have held “frank” discussions with the DUP over the post-Brexit
A Green Party peer who suggested a 6pm curfew for men in the wake of Sarah Everard’s disappearance has told Sky News: “I just don’t think that men understand the pressure that women are under.” Baroness Jenny Jones of Moulescoomb told Sky News that the idea was “not an entirely serious suggestion” and is not
The “stay at home” order in Wales will be lifted and replaced by a “stay local” message this weekend – with people allowed to socialise outdoors in small groups. From Saturday, four people from two households will be able to meet outdoors to socialise, including in gardens. Outdoor sports facilities, including basketball courts, tennis courts
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has played down the prospect of the party making significant gains in May’s local and mayoral elections, saying the polls are going to be “tough”. Asked by Sky’s political editor Beth Rigby what would represent success for the party, Sir Keir said Labour would “fight really hard everywhere we’re putting
Sir Keir Starmer is attempting to exploit the row over the 1% NHS pay offer in elections on “super Thursday”, by claiming “a vote for Labour is a vote to support our nurses”. He is launching his party’s campaign for elections in England, Scotland and Wales on 6 May, the biggest poll since the general
The boss of Test and Trace has defended the £37bn pound service, dismissing a critical report by MPs as “old news”. In a rare interview, Dido Harding said England’s Test and Trace service was an “an essential component in the fight against COVID” and promised it would be carrying on for some time to come.
A new UK-EU row has broken out after the bloc’s chief made “completely false” claims that Britain has imposed an export ban on COVID-19 vaccines. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is understood to have written to European Council President Charles Michel to “set the record straight” over remarks he made on Tuesday. And a top EU
Health service staff were expecting a bigger pay rise than the 1% offered by the government, the head of NHS England has said. Sir Simon Stevens told MPs that previous plans had budgeted for a 2.1% salary increase this year. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Please use Chrome browser for
Boris Johnson has hailed the return of schools across England as a “big” and “emotional” day – but warned it will impact on the spread of coronavirus and there is no guarantee the country will reopen on the target dates set out. Speaking at a news conference in Downing Street, the prime minister said it