Politics

Fully vaccinated travellers from the EU and the US will be able to avoid quarantining when they arrive in England from next Monday, the government has confirmed. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has also announced the resumption of international cruises. The change regarding US and EU arrivals come into force from 4am on 2 August. Live

The government has published a new national strategy on disability which it says will deliver more accessible housing, easier commuting and better job prospects for UK’s 14 million disabled people. The strategy, which includes 100 pledges and £1.6 million of funding, was informed by a survey of more than 14,000 individuals, but disability campaigners and

A senior minister has dropped the strongest hint yet that vaccine passports will be introduced for football matches by the government later this year. Michael Gove said it was his view that “some form of certification is the right way to go” and that “selfish” individuals who refuse to get a COVID-19 jab face being

Boris Johnson has pledged to ensure “less crime, fewer victims and a safer society” as the country recovers from the pandemic. The government will unveil its new Beating Crime Plan on Tuesday which will see the creation of league tables for 101 and 999 call answering times so the public can see how quickly their

The list of sectors able to avoid quarantine as part of a pilot scheme is being extended – and the number of testing sites across England is being increased. To support the expansion of the daily testing pilot scheme, some 1,200 new sites are being added to 800 already in operation. The expanded scheme will

The UK’s former cyber security chief has raised the alarm over the sale of a Welsh microchip manufacturer to a Chinese-backed company. Ciaran Martin, the former chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said the purchase of Newport Wafer Fab by Nexperia, a Dutch subsidiary of the Chinese company Wingtech, poses a greater

The health secretary has apologised for saying people should no longer “cower from” coronavirus. Sajid Javid said he had deleted the tweet, which he posted on Saturday to say he had made a “full recovery” a week after testing positive for COVID-19. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world I’ve deleted a

Sajid Javid has been criticised for saying people should no longer “cower from” coronavirus. The health secretary made the comment on Saturday while tweeting that he had made a “full recovery” a week after testing positive for the virus on 17 July. Mr Javid has had both doses of a coronavirus vaccine and praised the

Pressure is mounting on Home Secretary Priti Patel to rethink a controversial police pay freeze after a chief constable branded it “wholly unacceptable” and an “insult”. At the same time the Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents rank-and-file officers, warned on Sky News it was “not messing about” after it said it no

Throughout his life and political career, Boris Johnson has believed the rules don’t apply to him. And as he marks his second anniversary as prime minister this weekend, it seems nothing’s changed. It was a claim first made by one of his masters at Eton. And the view was reinforced as recently as last Sunday

The government has released more details about which fully-vaccinated workers may be exempt from isolation if they are told to quarantine after coming into contact with a positive COVID case. On Thursday evening, the government published a list of 16 sectors which the new guidance of completing daily coronavirus tests rather than quarantining would apply

The government has released a list of 16 sectors where fully vaccinated workers may be exempt from isolation if they are told to quarantine after coming into close contact with a positive COVID case. The sectors include energy, civil nuclear, digital infrastructure, food production and supply, waste, water, veterinary medicines, essential chemicals, essential transport, medicines,

A Labour MP has been asked to leave the House of Commons for the remainder of the day after refusing to withdraw claims that Boris Johnson has “lied” to the country “over and over again”. Former shadow minister Dawn Butler told MPs that “poor people in the country have paid with their lives because the

Boris Johnson’s plan to mandate proof of vaccination to enter nightclubs and other “crowded venues” from the end of September faces a major backlash as Labour say they do not support part of the proposals. On Tuesday, ministers confirmed that the government want “higher risk” settings to soon make use of the NHS COVID Pass,

NHS workers in England will get a pay rise of 3% backdated to April 2021, the government has announced. Those receiving the increase include nurses, paramedics, consultants, dentists and salaried GPs. They are being recognised for their pandemic contribution during an “unprecedented year”, says the Department of Health and Social Care. In a statement, Health

The government’s Nationality and Borders Bill will only bring more “chaos and delay” to the UK’s “dysfunctional” immigration system, Amnesty International has said. The bill passed its second reading in the Commons on Tuesday evening by 366 votes to 265. It would allow the UK to send asylum seekers to a “safe third country” and