Politics

Free, rapid twice-weekly COVID-19 testing for everyone in England is being promised by the government – starting this Friday. It is aimed at people without symptoms, because one in three people with coronavirus don’t have them and may be spreading the virus unwittingly. The government says the offer is currently for England only and the

Boris Johnson has said Britain can look forward to “brighter days ahead” while Sir Keir Starmer has said “it’s a time for hope and renewal” as the country celebrates Easter. The Prime Minister said it had been a “very tough” year, but said the holiday brought with it new hope. “And, this year more than

Boris Johnson is poised to announce some Easter Monday good news, with home and away lockdown-easing moves as part of his COVID roadmap to freedom. At home, he is launching nine “vaccine passport” pilots from mid-April, including three football showpieces at Wembley, and four night-time entertainment trials in Liverpool. And away, he is preparing for

Children will be able to visit grandparents in care homes from next week – in many cases, for the first time in a year. Care home residents in England will be able to receive two visitors indoors from next Monday 12 April in the latest easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Boris Johnson has announced that care

The prime minister has warned people not to meet others from different households indoors over Easter, even if they have had a coronavirus vaccine. Boris Johnson made the call in a video posted on his official Twitter account, asking questions sent in to the government about his roadmap for easing COVID-19 restrictions. Live COVID updates

More than 70 MPs – including more than 40 Conservatives – have sent a warning shot to Boris Johnson by forming a major cross-party campaign against the use of vaccine passports within the UK. The prime minister has said there will “definitely” be a role for vaccine passports for Britons heading abroad, with it reported

Boris Johnson has described a surge in coronavirus cases in France – which has plunged the country into a third national lockdown  - as “very, very sad” and suggested the UK could be impacted within weeks. Schools in France will be closed for at least three weeks and domestic travel will be banned for a

The prime minister’s most senior black adviser is to step down from the government. Samuel Kasumu will leave his role as special adviser for civil society and communities in May. It comes a day after a government-backed review of racial disparities in Britain was published. The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities’ 2458-page report was

An immediate review of safeguarding policies in schools has been launched after more than 10,000 reports were posted on a website for students to share experiences of sexual harassment and abuse. The government has asked Ofsted to look at the extent and the severity of the issue and ensure both state and independent schools have

The UK is “100% confident in the efficacy” of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, after Germany suspended its use in the under-60s over concerns about rare blood clots. “It is a safe vaccine and the UK’s vaccine rollout is saving people’s lives right across the country every day,” Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick told Sky News. Live

A scandal-hit financier claimed he was a “senior adviser” to then prime minister David Cameron, according to a business card handed to the Labour Party. The card suggests Lex Greensill had a government landline phone number as well as a Downing Street email address. The government has previously claimed Mr Greensill’s role was approved “in the

Up to 60 million doses of COVID vaccine will be manufactured at Barnard Castle in the North East, Boris Johnson has announced. The prime minister revealed that the Novavax jab – which has yet to be approved – will undergo its “fill and finish” stage at a GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) facility. Part of the vaccine is

The prime minister has admitted “we don’t know… how strong our fortifications now are” against a fresh COVID wave – while the chief medical officer has warned of a “leaky wall” of vaccine defence. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference on Monday – as people in England saw lockdown restrictions eased slightly – Boris

Boris Johnson says he hopes Monday’s relaxation of COVID rules in England kickstarts a “Great British summer of sport” – but has urged people to remain cautious and to stick to the rules. From Monday, groups of up to six, or two households, are able to reunite outdoors, and outdoor sport can resume. The stay

Summer holidays abroad are unlikely to be allowed until August it has been reported, as a cabinet minister said a traffic light system was being considered to enable overseas trips. Speaking to Sky News, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said there were “challenges around international travel” in the face of rising COVID-19 infection rates in Europe,