Politics

Peers have been warned by the government not to block its controversial bid to override the Brexit deal, as an ally of Angela Merkel branded the UK a “despot” like North Korea. Downing Street turned the heat up on the House of Lords ahead of it debating and voting on the legislation that passed a

Former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke has been sentenced to two years in prison for three sexual assaults on two younger women. The judge, Mrs Justice Whipple, described the 49-year-old as a “sexual predator” who used his “success and respectability as a cover”. “You made your victims come to court,” she said. “They told the truth,

Boris Johnson’s controversial bid to override parts of the Brexit deal has cleared a major hurdle in parliament. The prime minister had been expected to win the key vote on his Internal Market Bill, given the Conservatives’ large majority in the House of Commons. MPs voted for the proposed legislation by 340 to 263 –

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is self-isolating after a member of his household displayed possible coronavirus symptoms. Sir Keir will now be working from home and will not speak in today’s House of Commons debate on the government’s controversial internal market legislation. He is understood to have not shown any COVID-19 symptoms himself. A spokesperson

Boris Johnson has been hit by a devastating attack from a former loyal ally as he embarks on bruising Commons clashes on a bitterly contentious piece of Brexit legislation. In a huge boost for rebel Tory MPs, Geoffrey Cox, the prime minister’s pro-Brexit attorney general until February this year, has condemned the move to override

Boris Johnson’s Brexit proposals have “damaged trust” and set back talks on a trade deal with the EU, an Irish minister has told Sky News. The backlash to the prime minister’s Internal Market Bill is continuing, with former prime ministers Sir John Major and Tony Blair joining the chorus of criticism. The government has admitted

Tony Blair and Sir John Major have teamed up to accuse Boris Johnson of “shaming” the UK by proposing legislation which undermines his own Brexit deal. The two former prime ministers, who unsuccessfully opposed Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum, claim the PM’s UK Internal Market Bill will damage the Irish peace process and trade

Boris Johnson has urged Conservative MPs to support Brexit-related legislation which his government has admitted breaks international law. Addressing about 250 MPs on Friday evening, the prime minister said the controversial UK Internal Market Bill was necessary in order to avoid “an economic barrier down the Irish Sea”. He added that certain clauses in it

Downing Street is calling for “more realism” from the EU in trade negotiations but believes a post-Brexit trade deal is still possible despite a tumultuous week. Relations between Brussels and London soured dramatically as Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to back down over plans to override the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement. The EU had threatened legal

Boris Johnson is facing a potential parliamentary rebellion after angering both Conservative Remainers and Brexiteers by vowing to push ahead with plans to override key elements of the Brexit withdrawal deal. Despite a demand by the EU to drop proposed legislation – and an accompanying threat of legal action from Brussels if the UK does

The European Union has branded draft UK legislation a “clear breach” of the Brexit withdrawal deal and demanded it be scrapped by the end of the month. The demand follows emergency talks in London on Thursday between European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic and UK cabinet minister Michael Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Leaked documents reportedly show the government plans to carry out up to 10 million coronavirus tests a day by early next year, but critics have branded the proposals “waste on a cosmic scale”. The mass testing programme would cost £100bn – almost as much as the government spends on the NHS each year (£130bn) –

Boris Johnson has spoken of his hope for regular mass coronavirus testing of the population as a route back to a more normal life. The prime minister said the government is “working hard” to increase daily COVID-19 testing capacity to 500,000 by the end of next month. But he said the long-term ambition was for

The health secretary has appeared to blame people without coronavirus symptoms getting tested inappropriately for the system reaching its limit. Matt Hancock told Sky News’ Kay Burley programme the reason many people have reported being unable to book a test is because the proportion of those asking for them who have no symptoms has risen

A ban on groups of more than six people gathering in homes, parks, pubs and restaurants in England is being imposed by Boris Johnson in the biggest coronavirus crackdown since lockdown rules were eased. First offenders will be fined £100, which will double on each further repeat offence up to £3,200, the prime minister will

Boris Johnson’s reported bid to override parts of the Brexit deal have been dealt a blow, after the head of the government legal department quit. Jonathan Jones has resigned after concerns that Downing Street may be attempting to undermine parts of the Withdrawal Agreement, according to Whitehall sources. The move means six top civil servants