A total of 42 Tory rebels have railed against the government’s 10pm curfew for bars and restaurants in the latest House of Commons vote. The rebels include Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the influential 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, as well as former Cabinet ministers Esther McVey and John Redwood. Former Labour leader Jeremy
Politics
Boris Johnson’s new coronavirus lockdown rules are being debated and voted on by MPs, with the prime minister facing a Tory backlash and potential rebellion. Some Conservative MPs are against the measures on civil liberties grounds, while others claim restrictions such as the 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants are counter-productive. But unless Sir Keir
A “circuit breaker” lockdown was recommended to the government by scientists three weeks ago, newly published documents have revealed. Minutes from a 21 September meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), published on the government website on Monday night, showed that a short period of lockdown was at the top of a list
The new tiered local lockdown system the prime minister will announce today is aimed at trying to slow the spread of coronavirus while also keeping as many parts of the economy open where it can. But trying to carve England into different zones, driven by charts tracking case numbers per population and hospital capacity from
The prime minister will announce a new three-tier lockdown system for England tomorrow, with “medium”, “high” and “very high” alert levels. However, discussions with local leaders are ongoing to decide which parts of the country will face which restrictions. Boris Johnson will chair an emergency COBRA meeting on Monday morning, before updating parliament on the
SNP MP Margaret Ferrier has said she will not resign despite backlash for travelling to parliament after developing coronavirus symptoms, saying the virus made her act ‘out of character’. Ms Ferrier admitted to travelling to London from Glasgow after taking a coronavirus test last month, and said once she had received a positive result, took
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told the French leader that the UK will explore “every avenue” to reach a trade deal with the EU. Mr Johnson spoke with Emmanuel Macron over the phone on Saturday morning as the deadline for securing an agreement nudges closer. The PM told Mr Macron that the UK was actively
Leaders in the north of England have warned further coronavirus restrictions would have a “devastating” effect on the country and the overall regional economy. Their comments come as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to make a statement to MPs on Monday amid expectations that a three-tier local lockdown system will be introduced across England. Doctors have
Boris Johnson will make a statement to MPs on Monday, amid expectations that a three-tier local lockdown system will be introduced across England. New coronavirus restrictions for North West England could be implemented as soon as Wednesday, Sky News understands. During a meeting on Friday between local leaders and Westminster figures including the Housing Secretary,
A government minister has criticised “inappropriate” plans to give MPs a pay rise in the middle of the coronavirus crisis. Business minister Nadhim Zahawi called on the independent body that decides MPs’ salaries to “explain themselves” after they recommended keeping the existing method of calculating pay. This has seen MPs given a pay rise in
Theresa May has led a fierce onslaught by Tory ex-cabinet ministers against a housing shake-up proposed by Boris Johnson, which could lead to some building going ahead without planning permission. Backed by her former cabinet allies Damian Green, Jeremy Hunt and Chris Grayling – and several more ex-ministers – the former prime minister demanded a
Boris Johnson is expected to order tough new COVID curbs next week on pubs in northern England, which could include closing them altogether in Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle. In an announcement that could come before the end of this week, the prime minister is expected to unveil a clampdown in response to alarming rises in
Ministers are preparing to introduce further restrictions in the north of England as the government races to handle the spike in coronavirus cases and hospital admissions. Government insiders told Sky News that no decisions had been taken on whether to introduce even tighter controls in the North – with the the North East and North
More than a dozen Tory rebels flexed their muscles on new coronavirus rules, but failed to defeat the government over its “rule of six”. Fourteen Conservative backbenchers were joined by five DUP MPs in trying to curb the restrictions on social gatherings. They were easily outnumbered, but Labour and 62 Conservatives abstained, meaning the total
It was a speech without the audience he had hoped for, in a year no one had anticipated. What should have been a Conservative Party victory rally for Boris Johnson on Tuesday turned instead into an attempt to steady the ship after some very rocky weeks. The prime minister used his annual conference speech to
Labour’s deputy leader has called on Health Secretary Matt Hancock to consider quitting over the “disgusting” technology blunder that saw 16,000 coronavirus cases missed by contact tracers. Angela Rayner told Mr Hancock he should be “completely embarrassed” by the delay in the reporting of 15,841 COVID-19 infections in England between 25 September to 2 October.