UK

The Queen and senior members of the Royal Family have marked Remembrance Sunday at a scaled-back event at the Cenotaph, due to coronavirus restrictions. Last year, more than 1,000 military personnel took part in commemorations in Whitehall in central London – this year, it was fewer than 150. Where ordinarily 10,000 veterans would usually gather,

The Queen has worn a face mask in public for the first time as she visited the grave of the Unknown Warrior to mark 100 years since his burial. The visit to Westminster Abbey was her first public engagement in London since March. A royal aide said Wednesday’s service was “deeply personal” for the Queen,

It is too late to find the nurses needed to meet the demands of an “extremely challenging” winter – with 40,000 vacancies in England alone, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned. The union now called on the government to “be honest” about the risks a lack of staff could pose to patient safety.

More than 618,000 people had coronavirus in community settings in England last week, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said. The estimated total, which covers 25 to 31 October, equates to around one in 90 people in the population. New infections in England stabilised at around 50,000 a day, suggesting a levelling off in

People should be paid to have a COVID-19 jab so the country reaches herd immunity as quickly as possible, a leading ethicist has suggested. Professor Julian Savulescu from the University of Oxford said incentives would help to overcome rising vaccine hesitancy due to perceived safety concerns. People could either be given a financial inducement to

Just 59.9% of close contacts of people who tested positive for coronavirus were reached by NHS Test and Trace in the week ending 28 October, figures show. This is the second-lowest weekly percentage for the scheme so far – down from 60.6% in the seven days to 21 October. Over the same period, 137,180 people

Along with the rest of England, people in the West Yorkshire city of Wakefield are beginning a new lockdown. Until 2 December, at least, the majority of households cannot mix indoors or outdoors, non-essential shops will close along with hospitality venues, beauty services and leisure facilities. In Wakefield, the prospect of another month under lockdown

Boris Johnson has warned of deaths “on a grievous scale” without further action to stem the spread of coronavirus infections. As he opened a House of Commons debate on England’s new lockdown, the prime minister urged MPs to vote in favour of a second national shutdown later on Wednesday. Mr Johnson said he was “not

People who ignore coronavirus restrictions should be prepared to “face the consequences of greater levels of enforcement”, police have warned. The chief constables of five forces in the north-west of England have said in an open letter that they will “collectively target” the minority of people who break the rules by holding large gatherings, music

In scenes reminiscent of the first lockdown in March, some supermarket shelves have begun emptying once more, ahead of the second lockdown in England. Social media users have shared pictures of empty shelves where usually there would be toilet roll, bread, vegetables and meat, despite stores insisting there are no stock shortages. Live updates on

The entire population of the COVID-19 hotspot city of Liverpool will be regularly offered a coronavirus test in a pilot scheme using the armed forces. The city, which has been under Tier 3 restrictions for nearly three weeks and has one of the highest coronavirus rates in England at 366.4 cases per 100,000, volunteered for

Police in South Gloucestershire have closed down an illegal rave at a warehouse near Bristol – attended by up to 700 people – describing it as an “incredibly challenging operation”. The Avon and Somerset force said they was called to reports of an unlicensed music event in Millbrook Road, Yate, at around 10.35pm on Saturday,

England’s month-long lockdown could be extended beyond 2 December if necessary, cabinet minister Michael Gove has told Sky News. Speaking to Sophy Ridge on Sunday, the Tory frontbencher also defended the introduction of the nationwide restrictions, having previously rejected it, arguing the “situation has been worse than anyone expected”. He also warned that the NHS

England will enter a month-long lockdown from Thursday, Boris Johnson has announced. Until 2 December, people in England will only be allowed to leave their homes for specific reasons, such as education, work or food shopping. Mr Johnson, speaking at a Downing Street news conference on Saturday evening, said there was “no alternative” to a

Cosmetic practitioners are warning about the dangers of seeking “back alley” treatments during lockdown. Professional clinics offering procedures such as lip fillers and botox are closed again, prompting concerns that some may turn to unregulated and often untrained practitioners. Some doctors say the last lockdown resulted in large increases in people needing corrective treatments after

The prime minister is considering new national lockdown restrictions, which could be imposed in England as early as next week. Whitehall sources confirmed Boris Johnson met his most senior cabinet colleagues on Friday to discuss the possible toughening of restrictions in light of worsening coronavirus infection rates and hospital admission data. Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Health