UK

All international arrivals to the UK will again be required to take pre-departure COVID-19 tests to tackle the spread of the new Omicron variant, the health secretary has announced. The rule applies to all travellers visiting the UK or returning from a holiday, regardless of vaccination status, and will come into force from 4am on

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes should have been a top priority for social services but was “missed” during the coronavirus lockdown, a child protection boss has said. The six-year-old from Solihull was poisoned, starved and beaten by step-mother Emma Tustin, 32, and his father Thomas Hughes, 29, in a prolonged campaign of “evil abuse”. He was left with

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines being used in the UK as boosters prompt the best overall response, according to a UK trial. The study, published in the Lancet, involved almost 3,000 people aged 30 and over, and it found that the mRNA vaccines gave the best boost to antibodies and T-cells, particularly after two initial

France has rejected the idea of a joint British-French patrol in the English Channel to deal with the rising number of migrant crossing – but said Paris officials are “ready to pursue our operational cooperation” with the UK. Writing to Boris Johnson, French Prime Minister Jean Castex told his British counterpart that his country “cannot

Around 500 leaseholders from across the UK have told Sky News about the extreme mental health impact and financial toll of having to live in an unsafe building.  Our research has exposed the devastating consequences the national building safety crisis is having on flat owners who can’t afford to fix the problems with their homes.

A new drug which can reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID by 79% has been approved for use in the UK for people aged 12 and up. Xevudy – also known as sotrovimab – has been given the greenlight by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after being found to

One of the UK’s leading COVID experts has told Sky News that if people are “sensible” with wearing masks and social distancing in the coming weeks then they should all be able to enjoy Christmas. But Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) also cautioned that this may

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has suggested the possible impact of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 will be known in a fortnight’s time and ahead of the government’s three-week review of fresh restrictions. The government has responded to the discovery of the Omicron variant by reimposing compulsory mask-wearing in England in shops and on public transport,

The government plans to offer booster vaccines to everyone over the age of 18 by the end of January, Boris Johnson has said. Speaking at a Downing Street news briefing on Tuesday, the PM said the rollout of booster programme will go in age order, and that there will be more than 1,500 community pharmacy

Three more cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant have been identified in Scotland, taking the UK’s total to 14. Scotland’s health secretary Humza Yousaf said there are now five cases in the Lanarkshire area and four in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Scotland hosted South Africa in a rugby international at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield stadium on

A judge has ruled that a 14-year-old convicted of shooting schoolboy Keon Lincoln can be now identified. The decision comes as the teenager and four other youths convicted of killing the 15-year-old await their sentences. The judge at Birmingham Crown Court lifted reporting restrictions and Yussuf Mustapha can now be named as the boy who shot

Six cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been found in Scotland, authorities have confirmed. They are in addition to the three already detected in England. Four cases are in the Lanarkshire area and two have been identified in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. Scotland’s health secretary Humza Yousaf said: “This will be a

A third person infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant has been identified in the UK, health officials have said. The individual, who is no longer in the country, tested positive after travelling to Britain and “is linked to travel to southern Africa“. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is now carrying out targeted testing where

The health secretary has said it is going to be a “great Christmas” as he defended not imposing stricter restrictions to combat the new COVID variant. Sajid Javid told Trevor Phillips On Sunday it would be “irresponsible to make guarantees” but the measures announced this week in reaction to the Omicron variant will “buy us

Boris Johnson has said that people who come into close contact with anyone who tests positive for coronavirus with the new Omicron variant will have to self-isolate, regardless of their jab status, as he delivered a press conference in Downing Street. The prime minister warned the Omicron variant could reduce the effectiveness of vaccines, as

No cases of the new COVID variant have been detected in the UK, but it is highly likely it has now spread beyond southern Africa, the health secretary has said. Sajid Javid warned the new strain could be more transmissible than the Delta variant and there is a “possibility it might have a different impact