It was never likely that Boris Johnson would fire one of his cabinet over an alleged affair. This afternoon Downing Street is busy attempting to shut down the Matt Hancock controversy and is making clear they regard the matter as closed. But there are plenty of grounds to think this issue won’t go away that
Politics
Matt Hancock has admitted breaking social distancing guidelines after pictures emerged of him kissing an aide. Questions about the health secretary hiring former lobbyist Gina Coladangelo surfaced after pictures in The Sun newspaper showed Mr Hancock, who is married, embracing the aide in his office. “I accept that I breached the social distancing guidance in
Spain’s Balearic islands, Malta, Madeira, and some islands in the Caribbean – including Barbados – have been added to England’s travel green list, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced. The Balearic islands are made up of Ibiza, Menorca, Majorca and Formentera. The move means those heading to some popular holiday hotspots will not have to
Boris Johnson has indicated that a relaxation of travel rules for those who have had two doses of a coronavirus vaccine is on the horizon. The prime minister said there is a “real opportunity” to “open up travel through the double jab”. “We’ve got more than 60% of our population that have now had two
The UK’s vaccination rollout has saved more than 14,000 lives, and prevented 44,500 hospital admissions in England alone, including 2,500 in the past two weeks, according to vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi. Speaking at a Downing Street news briefing, he hailed the figures as “real progress” but warned “we know there is much more to do”.
A minister has defended allowing UEFA officials and VIP fans to attend games in the latter stages of Euro 2020 at Wembley Stadium. John Whittingdale told Sky News there will be “some people coming in” for the semi-finals and final of the tournament, but they will be under “strict restrictions as to what else they
The UK’s decision to leave the EU five years ago will allow the country to “seize” its true potential when recovering from the pandemic, Boris Johnson has said. Marking half a decade to the day that UK voted to leave the bloc in a knife-edge referendum result, the Prime Minister said Brexit will act as
Since at least 2007,[i] America has been under hidden attack by cyber criminals in Russia. And the attackers have a crucial ally—Vladimir Putin. Many of the attacks on us we never hear of. For example, there have been 40 cyber-attacks on food companies in the last year alone.[ii] These attacks threaten our national security, something that became obvious Sunday, May
Quarantine-free travel to amber list countries for people who have been fully vaccinated is “absolutely something” the government is “working on”, the health secretary has told Sky News. “This hasn’t been clinically advised yet, we’re working on it,” Matt Hancock said. “When I’m in a position to be able to say something then we will
The prime minister has said it is “looking good” for 19 July to be the “terminus point” for England’s coronavirus restrictions – but did not rule out the prospect of further lockdowns in the winter. “You can never exclude that there will be some new disease, some new horror that we simply haven’t budgeted for
Matt Hancock did not withhold key COVID data ahead of the decision to postpone the easing of restrictions in England, the justice secretary has told Sky News. Robert Buckland defended the health secretary and said he has the “full support” of the government, denying reports that Mr Hancock held back data on the effectiveness of
Former Conservative MP and Commons Speaker John Bercow has said his switching of allegiance to join the Labour Party is “not personal against Boris Johnson”. Mr Bercow told Sky News his decision to defect away from the Conservative Party is not to do with the PM, but added that Mr Johnson has “only a nodding
Former Conservative MP and Commons Speaker John Bercow has said he has switched allegiances to join the Labour Party. Mr Bercow, who stepped down as Speaker in 2019, said he regards the Tories under Boris Johnson as “reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic”. “I am motivated by support for equality, social justice and internationalism.
Sir Keir Starmer’s top spin doctor has quit after Labour suffered another poor by-election result in which the party lost its deposit. Ben Nunn announced he was stepping down as the opposition leader’s director of communications, after the party trailed in fourth behind the Green Party in the Chesham and Amersham poll. The departure of
It’s an unwritten rule of politics that every electoral action can have an opposite – if not quite equal – reaction. The question being asked by many Tories this morning will be whether the party’s recent relentless focus on winning new supporters in traditionally Labour-held areas in the north is starting to cost them in
Boris Johnson has denied his Conservative Party are neglecting southern parts of England in favour of its new northern seats as he blamed “particular circumstances” for a surprise by-election loss. The Tories have been dealt a humiliating defeat after the Liberal Democrats won Thursday’s Chesham and Amersham by-election. The Buckinghamshire constituency had been a Conservative