Politics

Tony Blair has said the EU’s short-lived move to override the Brexit deal on Northern Ireland under its vaccine export controls was “very foolish”. The former prime minister, a vocal supporter of the UK remaining in the bloc, said Brussels’ action in triggering Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol to control the movement of

The EU “recognise they made a mistake” by invoking a Brexit deal clause to prevent coronavirus vaccine shipments entering the UK, Michael Gove has said. The bloc has faced widespread criticism after its short-lived move to override part of the agreement on Northern Ireland over export controls. And Minister for the Cabinet Office Mr Gove

Boris Johnson says he is “in awe” at the way parents have been been looking after their children during the pandemic. In an open letter, the prime minister says the COVID crisis has been “tough for all of us” but has “brought out the very best in a great many people”. “I’m particularly in awe

Prisoners in England should start being offered coronavirus vaccines from today, the prisons minister has told Sky News. “The vaccination rollout in prisons has commenced in Wales and should be commencing today in England,” Lucy Frazer said. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible

The SNP is facing fresh claims that senior party figures conspired against its former leader Alex Salmond.     One of its own MPs has told Sky News that high-ranking members of the party shared dozens of messages about the former first minister in a social media group chat, calling themselves the “Vietnam” group. In

Boris Johnson has dismissed the prospect of a second Scottish independence referendum and questioned “what it’s all meant to be about”. The prime minister called for a “focus on the issues that really matter” and urged Scottish voters to ignore “pointless constitutional wrangling”. “I think endless talk about a referendum without any clear description of

Boris Johnson is flying into a storm of protest with a visit to Scotland that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon claims is not an essential journey. The prime minister is heading to Scotland on a one-day trip aimed at highlighting the value of the United Kingdom in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. The PM’s controversial visit is

Schools in England will not reopen after the February half-term, the prime minister has confirmed. Addressing MPs in the Commons, Boris Johnson said there is not enough data to justify all pupils returning to the classroom. Instead, the prime minister said it was the government’s ambition for them to return from 8 March. Live COVID

Labour is calling for “wartime juries” – by slashing the number of jurors from 12 to seven – in order to help clear a Crown Court backlog of 54,000 cases. All four justice chief inspectors recently expressed their “grave concern” about the impact of the backlog on the criminal justice system in England and Wales.

Boris Johnson has told the country he is “deeply sorry for every life that has been lost” as the UK surpassed 100,000 coronavirus-related deaths. A further 1,631 people were reported to have died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, taking the total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic

Travel industry sources have told Sky News they expect mandatory hotel quarantine to be introduced imminently, as the government tries to suppress new variants of coronavirus. They anticipate an announcement could come as soon as Tuesday, but even those close to discussions remain unclear how broad the restrictions will be. Sources believe differing views among

Almost four in five of those aged over 80 have received a first dose of a COVID vaccine, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Mr Hancock said the government was “on track” to meet its deadline of offering a first dose of a coronavirus jab to 15 million

The prime minister and education secretary are coming under increasing pressure to reopen schools. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is expected to confirm this week that there will be no return to the classroom after the February half-term break and Health Secretary Matt Hancock has already refused to guarantee that schools would reopen before Easter. Rob

Nicola Sturgeon has accused Boris Johnson of being “frightened of democracy” and said she will seek a “legal referendum” on Scottish independence. Scotland’s first minister claimed the prime minister “fears the verdict and the will of the Scottish people” over his refusal to agree to another independence vote. It comes after the Scottish National Party

The introduction of “COVID hotels” and other curbs on international travel are to be discussed by senior ministers on Monday. It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson hinted that further border restrictions were needed to stop dangerous new coronavirus variants entering the country. Government sources say while completely closing the border is not the likely

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives has resigned after he drank alcohol on the Senedd estate days after a pub alcohol ban came into force. Paul Davies said the controversy over the events of last month had become a “distraction” and that he is standing down with “immediate effect” despite appeals from colleagues to continue.