Politics

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

A phased return of pupils to classrooms in Scotland could begin from 22 February, the first minister has announced. Nicola Sturgeon revealed the news as she confirmed the country’s COVID-19 lockdown restrictions would be extended until at least the end of February. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Please use Chrome

It is “absolutely vital” that people in areas of England where the South African variant of coronavirus has been identified minimise all social contact, the health secretary has said. Speaking at the Downing Street news conference, Matt Hancock said the emergence of the COVID-19 variant was a “stark reminder the fight against this virus is

Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit border arrangements became “collateral damage” in the EU’s “nasty row” over COVID vaccines, Ireland’s prime minister has said. Micheal Martin claimed EU officials were “blindsided” by the bloc’s dispute with drugmaker AstraZeneca when they acted to override part of the Brexit agreement, risking a hard border on the island of Ireland. Amid

AstraZeneca is set to supply nine million more doses of its COVID vaccine to the EU after a high-profile row over shortages. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen announced the extra jabs will come in the first three months of the year, making a total of 40 million doses for that period. She said

Experts have said social distancing measures may be needed all year, and a cabinet minister has said it’s too early to predict what the situation will be come autumn. Liz Truss, the international trade secretary, told Sky News it is “not wise” to make long-term predictions, after modelling by a sub-group of SAGE showed that

The EU “recognise they made a mistake” by invoking a Brexit deal clause to prevent coronavirus vaccine shipments entering the UK, Michael Gove has said. The bloc has faced widespread criticism after its short-lived move to override part of the agreement on Northern Ireland over export controls. And Minister for the Cabinet Office Mr Gove

Boris Johnson says he is “in awe” at the way parents have been been looking after their children during the pandemic. In an open letter, the prime minister says the COVID crisis has been “tough for all of us” but has “brought out the very best in a great many people”. “I’m particularly in awe

Prisoners in England should start being offered coronavirus vaccines from today, the prisons minister has told Sky News. “The vaccination rollout in prisons has commenced in Wales and should be commencing today in England,” Lucy Frazer said. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible

The SNP is facing fresh claims that senior party figures conspired against its former leader Alex Salmond.     One of its own MPs has told Sky News that high-ranking members of the party shared dozens of messages about the former first minister in a social media group chat, calling themselves the “Vietnam” group. In

Travel to the UK from the United Arab Emirates, Burundi and Rwanda will be banned as the government takes further action to prevent the spread of the COVID variant first found in South Africa. From 1pm on Friday, non-British or Irish passengers who have been in or transited through those countries in the last 10

Boris Johnson has visited a Lighthouse Laboratory used for processing COVID-19 tests during his one-day visit to Scotland. The prime minister met staff at the lab at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow after pressing ahead with the trip to Scotland despite First Minister Nicola Sturgeon saying he should not come as it was

Boris Johnson is flying into a storm of protest with a visit to Scotland that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon claims is not an essential journey. The prime minister is heading to Scotland on a one-day trip aimed at highlighting the value of the United Kingdom in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. The PM’s controversial visit is

A minister has defended the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, telling Sky News that in the future “I suspect there will be things that people will say we did extremely well”. Speaking the day after the UK exceeded 100,000 COVID-19-related deaths, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said “there is no textbook as to how to