UK

A demonstration that took place outside a school after a teacher showed a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed in the classroom was “disturbing”, a cabinet minister has said. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said the protest was “not right” and that “we shouldn’t have teachers feeling intimidated”. “That is not a road we want to go

Two staff members at a South Devon care home have been arrested in connection with a coronavirus outbreak that is believed to have caused multiple deaths. Nine fatalities have been reported at Holmesley Care Home in Sidford over the past month, all of which are believed to be COVID-related. A 57-year-old woman from Sidmouth and

MPs have voted to extend the government’s emergency COVID legislation for another six months. Despite opposition from some Tory backbenchers, the Coronavirus Act 2020 was passed by 484 votes to 76, a majority of 408. MPs also approved the regulations underpinning the steps to ease restrictions from 29 March as laid out in Boris Johnson’s

NHS staff in Scotland are being offered a pay rise of at least 4%, the Scottish government has said. It said the increase would benefit 154,000 NHS Agenda for Change employees – including nurses, paramedics, allied health professionals, as well as domestic, healthcare support staff, porters and other frontline health workers. The move is in

Plans to overhaul the UK’s asylum system will seek to break the business model of people smugglers, the home secretary has said. Priti Patel told the Commons “while people are dying, we have a responsibility to act”. She added that the new plan for immigration “is driven by three fair but firm objectives”. Live UK

Home Office plans to make it much tougher for those who enter the UK illegally to claim asylum have been condemned as a “divisive policy”, which will “do nothing to stop illegal crossings”. Home Secretary Priti Patel said she would make “no apology” for ensuring those coming here illegally “will no longer have the same

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has hailed the “courage, discipline and patience of the nation” one year after he first announced a lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, he said: “We suffered so many losses.” And he said we have at times been “fighting in the dark” against a

Attempting to take a holiday abroad will result in a £5,000 fine under new coronavirus laws. The legislation covering COVID-19 restrictions includes a ban on leaving the UK without a reasonable excuse – with the hefty fine for those breaking the rule. The new rules will also mean protests will be considered a permitted exception

The size of the British army will be reduced to 72,500 personnel, and the RAF will have its air cargo and personnel carriers drastically cut as part of the biggest overhaul of the armed forces in decades. Under plans revealed by the Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, the army will shrink to its smallest size since

Hearing loss and other auditory problems may be strongly linked to coronavirus, new research suggests. Scientists estimate 7.6% of people infected with COVID-19 experience hearing loss, while 14.8% suffer tinnitus. They also found the prevalence of vertigo was 7.2%. The researchers, from The University of Manchester and Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, compiled data from 24

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has warned any bid by the EU to block coronavirus vaccine exports to the UK would be “counterproductive” and damage the bloc’s reputation globally. He made his comments as EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness refused to rule out a ban, saying that “everything is on the table”. European Commission president Ursula von

Refugees arriving in the UK will be given the right to remain permanently, under a new system the home secretary has described as “fair but firm”. Priti Patel will announce that those fleeing war or persecution who come through the “safe and legal resettlement route” will be given indefinite leave to remain. Currently, resettled refugees

A new Ranger Regiment is being set up to complement the expertise of the SAS and take on “high threat” missions overseas. Under the new plans, four infantry battalions will become the new regiment and will be able to operate in environments usually reserved for Special Forces troops. The force would be expected to range

The UK has broken its record for the most coronavirus jabs given out in one day. A total of 660,276 doses were administered nationwide on Thursday, latest government figures show. That includes 528,260 first jabs and 132,016 second doses. The figures are higher than the previous record, set on 30 January, when 609,010 vaccines were

Vaccinations alone are unlikely to contain coronavirus infections in the UK, a new study suggests. However, the research concluded that gradually easing lockdown restrictions and achieving high uptake of COVID-19 jabs can minimise future waves. The University of Warwick’s modelling was performed before early real-world data emerged from studies examining the impact of the vaccine

People who experience a headache for more than four days after having the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab should seek medical attention, the UK’s medicines regulator has said. They should also get help if they have bruising somewhere other than the injection site after a few days, it added. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said