Politics

The target of offering a first COVID vaccine dose to the nine most vulnerable groups by 15 April has been reached, the government has said. Ministers had vowed to offer a COVID-19 jab to all over-50s, the clinically vulnerable and health and social care workers – about 32 million people – by Thursday. The target

Gordon Brown has suggested former prime ministers should be banned from lobbying on behalf of businesses for five years after leaving Downing Street. The ex-Labour premier proposed such a measure if existing rules can’t be tightened to stop departed ministers from lobbying for commercial purposes. It follows the actions of Mr Brown‘s predecessor as prime

Former prime minister David Cameron has accepted he should have acted differently over his role in the Greensill lobbying controversy. In his first statement in weeks over the scandal, Mr Cameron insisted he broke “no codes of conduct and no government rules”, but having “reflected on this at length” accepted there were “lessons to be

Election campaigning is to resume this week after being paused as a mark of respect following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer both agreed to the suspension after holding discussions in the wake of Friday’s announcement that Prince Philip had died. The Conservatives and

Boris Johnson has said he will not go to Prince Philip’s funeral, and instead will give up his seat to allow another family member to attend. It comes after Buckingham Palace revealed that only 30 people would be attending the duke’s funeral, in an effort to follow COVID-compliant protocols. A statement from a Downing Street

David Cameron has reportedly told friends it was a mistake to send private text messages to Chancellor Rishi Sunak to help his employer gain access to a coronavirus loan scheme. The former prime minister caused controversy after it emerged he had been trying to secure access for finance company Greensill Capital, which later collapsed and

Boris Johnson has praised Prince Philip’s lifelong “ethic of service” as he led political tributes to the Duke of Edinburgh. After Buckingham Palace confirmed the death of the 99-year-old on Friday, politicians across the UK chose to suspend their campaigning ahead of next month’s local elections. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, the prime minister said

Grant Shapps has insisted the government is trying to make foreign travel as affordable as possible amid criticism that a testing requirement will drive up holiday costs. The transport secretary also told Sky News that people could now think about booking a break abroad in a change from previous advice as the government unveiled plans

Rishi Sunak “pushed” officials to find alternative ways to help a financial services firm David Cameron was lobbying for, text messages released by the chancellor reveal. The chancellor said the former prime minister “reached out informally by telephone” to him about getting COVID support for Greensill Capital in April last year. Mr Cameron also called

Nicola Sturgeon is on course to command an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament after the latest Sky News poll showed her party’s ratings up sharply in the last month. Alex Salmond’s breakaway Alba Party registered just 2% support in the new poll by Opinium for Sky News, meaning it currently has a level of

Britons aged 18-29 will be offered an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine where available, government advisors have decided. Currently, the UK is also rolling out the Pfizer jab, and the first doses of the Moderna vaccine were administered today in Wales. The decision from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation follows a review of

Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has refused four times to say whether he believes Russia was behind the Salisbury poisonings. Mr Salmond, who has formed a new pro-independence party ahead of next month’s Scottish elections, hosts “The Alex Salmond Show” each week on RT – a Russian state-controlled TV network. In 2019, RT –

Boris Johnson has not “given up” on allowing Britons to jet abroad from 17 May as he raised the prospect of holidaymakers being able to use cheaper and faster COVID tests on their return to the UK. Under the prime minister’s roadmap for lifting lockdown restrictions, international travel without a reasonable excuse will not be

Looking at the use of domestic COVID passports for people attending pubs and restaurants is “only the right thing to do”, the vaccines minister has told Sky News. Nadhim Zahawi admitted that requiring people to show certification before entering some venues “does throw up a number of difficult, ethical questions”. But he stressed the government

Boris Johnson has confirmed England will progress to the next stage of lockdown lifting as he said the roadmap was on track. The government’s four tests – a successful vaccine deployment programme, coronavirus hospitalisation and death rates under control, infections not putting pressure on the NHS, and the risk assessment not changed by variants –

Labour is demanding a new law in next month’s Queen’s Speech to crack down on political lobbying, following disclosures about David Cameron’s links with an Australian tycoon. The former prime minister lobbied Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Treasury minister Jesse Norman for access to coronavirus support payments on behalf of financier Lex Greensill. From 2018, Mr