Politics

The sister of murdered MP Jo Cox is to be Labour’s candidate in the Batley and Spen by-election, a poll that could determine whether Sir Keir Starmer survives as party leader. Kim Leadbeater, 44, who only joined the Labour Party recently, will defend the seat once held by Ms Cox. Until recently it was held

Dominic Cummings has claimed the government originally planned to let coronavirus rip through the country in an attempt to build “herd immunity”. Boris Johnson’s former top adviser said the plan was to develop resistance in the population in the months leading up to September after the disease first emerged in early 2020. In a series

The UK’s border will become “fully digital” so the government is able to measure immigration levels, the home secretary will announce on Monday. Priti Patel is set to announce what the government is calling “sweeping changes” to the UK’s immigration policy to “streamline” the way in which people come into the country. The changes include

The director-general of the BBC has written to staff saying lessons must be learnt following the damning report into the circumstances surrounding the Panorama interview with Princess Diana. In an internal email, Tim Davie said people across the BBC felt “deeply let down” by the contents of Lord Dyson’s 127-page report, which found the corporation

The Met Police says it will assess the contents of the inquiry into the BBC’s Martin Bashir interview with Princess Diana to ensure there is no “significant new evidence” to support a criminal investigation. In March this year, the force said it was “not appropriate” to launch a criminal investigation into “unlawful activity” in connection

A cabinet minister has told Sky News it would make “sense” for many people to carry on wearing masks even after lockdown rules are lifted. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland suggested continuing the practice would help curb the spread of the common cold. He also said “caution has been the watchword” when it came to lifting

The prime minister has declared that the world “must never be caught unawares” by another pandemic, as he backed a new global surveillance network to detect emerging diseases. A “global pandemic radar” is being developed by the World Health Organisation to monitor and track new infections and variants in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Britons should “apply common sense” over whether or not they choose to fly to amber list countries, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says. Since the ban on foreign holidays was lifted on Monday as part of the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, people have been able to enjoy quarantine-free travel to a dozen destinations on the government’s

There are now almost 3,000 cases of the Indian variant in the UK, the health secretary has told MPs. Matt Hancock said 2,967 cases of the COVID-19 variant have now been recorded, having stood at more than 2,300 on Monday. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world As a result, surge testing

The decision to travel to amber list countries is a “personal responsibility”, a minister has said. But skills minister Gillian Keegan echoed the PM’s warning yesterday that they are “not somewhere where you should be going on holiday”. Thousands of people have reportedly travelled to destinations on the amber list since the ban on foreign

Boris Johnson is being warned by scientists that a surge in vaccinations in COVID hotspots may not be enough to halt the spread of the Indian variant – and that he should not have relaxed lockdown rules this week.  The prime minister has said he is keeping the variant under close watch, adding “we’ll know

Rising cases of the Indian COVID variant could delay the easing of restrictions and force the government to impose local lockdowns, a minister has warned. When asked if the proposed end of restrictions in England on 21 June may not go ahead as planned, Environment Secretary George Eustice told Sky News: “We cannot rule anything

A total of 2,323 cases of the Indian coronavirus variant have been reported in the UK, the health secretary has said. Delivering a COVID-19 statement in the Commons, Matt Hancock said 483 cases have been confirmed in Bolton and Blackburn with Darwen, where the variant is now the dominant strain of the virus. Live updates

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said it was “perfectly reasonable” for him to assist a former Conservative minister in winning a multi-million pound PPE contract. Brooks Newmark – who quit as a Tory minister in 2014 after being revealed to have sent sexually explicit pictures to an undercover reporter posing as a female party activist

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has not ruled out imposing local lockdown restrictions in places worst affected by the Indian variant of coronavirus. With a higher transmissibility than the Kent variant – which drove the UK’s deadly second wave – there are fears the Indian variant could derail England’s final roadmap step of lifting all restrictions

There is a “high degree of confidence” that vaccines protect against the Indian variant of COVID-19 – but it can “spread like wildfire” among those who haven’t had a jab, Matt Hancock has told Sky News. The health secretary urged those who are eligible for vaccination – but have not yet booked an appointment –