UK

The UK’s COVID-19 alert level should be lowered from four to three, chief medical officers have said. A statement from the medical officers and NHS England National Medical Director said that people must remain “vigilant” of the virus, but said the decision to downgrade the alert level was “thanks to the efforts of the UK

Boris Johnson has confirmed a major easing of COVID-19 restrictions in England will go ahead from next week. At a news conference on Monday evening the prime minister will say that from 17 May, meetings of six people, or two households, will be allowed to take place indoors for the first time since January. Indoor

Boris Johnson is poised to announce that the next stage of lifting lockdown will go ahead as planned on 17 May, a cabinet minister has said. Michael Gove told Sky News the prime minister will give the green light tomorrow, clearing the way for people to meet inside and for indoor hospitality to resume in

Rail passengers face a second day of disruption today after cracks were found on high-speed trains. Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway, Hull Trains and TransPennine Express were all affected on Saturday. GWR and LNER both advised people not to travel after Hitachi 800 trains had to be pulled from lines. GWR operates 93

Detectives hunting for the killer of PCSO Julia James have arrested a man in connection with her murder. Kent Police said the man, a British national in his 20s from the Canterbury area, was detained on Friday evening and remains in custody. Ms James, a serving community support officer, was found dead in Akholt Wood

Bookings for holidays to Portugal have gone “through the roof” after the country was added to the government’s green travel list, Thomas Cook has said. The European nation is one of just 12 destinations where travellers can visit from 17 May without needing to self-isolate upon their return to England. On Friday night, Thomas Cook

All under-40s are to be offered an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine as a precaution. The change in advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation marks an extension to existing guidance where those aged under 30 were given a choice of COVID-19 jab over blood clotting concerns. Live coronavirus updates from the

Polling stations have closed on an election day that could have profound implications for the future of the United Kingdom and the Labour Party. Dubbed Super Thursday, the polls closed at 10pm in the largest test of political opinion outside a general election in nearly 50 years. The future of the Labour Party and the

Alcohol misuse killed more people last year in England and Wales than in any of the previous 20 years, according to official data. In 2020, there were 7,423 deaths related to alcohol misuse – up from 19.6% in the previous year, according to data from the Office of National Statistics. Deaths increased from March 2020,

The polls open at 7am today for the biggest set of elections outside a general election in almost 50 years. Voters will cast their ballots despite the many COVID-19 restrictions still in place, with 48 million people given the chance to have their say. In Scotland and Wales, the electorate will decide on their national

Bridget Jones is on a list of international celebrities granted VIP status under the government’s new points-based immigration system. V good, she would write in her diary. Renee Zellweger, the Texan actress who played the 30-something singleton who cooked blue soup, wore enormous pants and drank and smoked too much, tops the list. She is

Laboratories to test current and new COVID-19 vaccines against variants of concern are to be built at Porton Down, the government has announced. A total of £29.3 million will go towards building the “state-of-the-art” laboratories at Public Health England’s new testing facilities at the Ministry of Defence’s top-secret complex in Wiltshire. Scientists will be able

Government-funded nurseries are facing a crisis which is threatening their survival, according to a survey by leading unions and charities. A third of maintained nurseries, which are financed and controlled by local authorities, are cutting staff and services because of the impact of coronavirus, and uncertainty over the funding they will receive in the next

Restoring the seas around Britain is as important to achieving net zero carbon emissions as reforesting, campaigners have said. Around 205 million tonnes of carbon are stored in the UK’s coastal waters, 50 million more than is held in all of the country’s standing forests, according to a report by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS)

Limits on international leisure travel should continue even after 17 May, a cross-party group of MPs has warned. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on coronavirus has told the government to “discourage all international leisure travel” to protect the UK from COVID-19 variants. The group said that airport arrival halls are a “breeding ground for infection”

Limits on international leisure travel should continue even after 17 May, a cross-party group of MPs has warned. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on coronavirus has told the government to “discourage all international leisure travel” this year to protect the UK from COVID-19 variants. The ban on foreign holidays is expected to end for England