Politics

The government has been told to “focus on the job in hand” rather than “squabbling” in Downing Street following the dramatic resignation of the prime minister’s spin chief. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called on Number 10 to “pull yourselves together” amid signs of a bitter power struggle at the top of Boris Johnson‘s administration.

Boris Johnson’s top Downing Street spin doctor has quit after a bitter power struggle behind the scenes. In a major blow for the prime minister, his director of communications Lee Cain has resigned and will leave the role at the end of the year. Just hours earlier there were reports of bitter arguments within the

A Brexit deal is “unlikely this week” and trade talks are “likely to move into next week”, according to Ireland’s foreign minister. Simon Coveney said he was hopeful he would be “proven wrong” but played down the prospects of a breakthrough in the next few days. He also warned of “real problems” if a deal

Rebel Tory MPs opposed to England’s national lockdown have formed a powerful new campaign group to turn up the heat on Boris Johnson and his stance on COVID-19. Ominously for the prime minister, they are led by a former chief whip Mark Harper, and Brexiteer Steve Baker, mastermind of parliamentary guerrilla campaigns. And in a

The NHS has been asked to be ready to deploy a coronavirus vaccine from the start of December, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has told Sky News. It was announced on Monday that a COVID-19 vaccine, being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, has been found to be 90% effective in preventing people from getting the virus.

The House of Lords has voted to remove parts of the government’s Brexit legislation that ministers have admitted will allow them to break international law. In two votes, peers voted overwhelmingly (433 votes to 165, majority 268, and 407 votes to 148, majority 259) to strip out the controversial clauses in the UK Internal Market

Lord Kilclooney has been reported to the Commissioner for Standards and the Lords Speaker after referring to vice-president elect Kamala Harris as “the Indian” on Twitter. It is not the first time Lord Kilclooney, a cross-bench peer, has been accused of racism, after he previously described then-Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar as “a typical Indian”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted that a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union is “there to be done”, as the end of the transition period looms. A deal would need to be agreed by mid-November to allow time for ratification but talks had stalled in recent months, with both sides struggling to reach

Boris Johnson has said America is the UK’s “closest and most important ally” – and that “won’t change” under a new president. Congratulating both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their US election victory, the prime minister said the two countries would work together to support democracy and combat issues such as tackling climate change.

European diplomats have been told that there are still “fundamental differences” in the hunt for a Brexit trade deal and that the UK has “blocked” progress in key areas while trying to run down the clock. The EU‘s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, briefed representatives from all 27 member states on Wednesday afternoon. The meeting

Boris Johnson and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen have agreed their negotiating teams will continue talks next week as both acknowledged “significant differences” remain. Downing Street said it would enable the two sides to “redouble efforts” to reach a deal as the end of the transition period looms. The talks will resume in London

Boris Johnson has said he has “every confidence in the checks and balances of the US constitution” as Donald Trump makes unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in the country’s election. The US president has been an ally of Mr Johnson after backing him to become prime minister and supporting his position on Brexit. Asked if

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is self-isolating after recently being in “close contact” with someone who tested positive for coronavirus. The cabinet minister will have to self-isolate for a period of 14 days, in line with government and NHS rules. Mr Raab will continue to work remotely, a spokesman said, during a time when the result

Four weeks of lockdown in England is “enough” to make a “real impact” on coronavirus infection rates, Boris Johnson has said. The prime minister spoke at a Downing Street news conference alongside NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens, which was held on the first day of England’s second national lockdown. Pubs, bars, restaurants and non-essential

Boris Johnson will hold a COVID-19 briefing later today after England entered lockdown for the second time. The prime minister will be joined at 5pm in Downing Street by Sir Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England. No new measures are expected to be announced but the pair will reflect on the new restrictions

England will enter a fresh month-long lockdown from tomorrow after MPs approved the new shutdown. In a House of Commons vote on Wednesday, MPs supported the new coronavirus measures by 516 to 38, a majority of 478. It means that, from one minute past midnight, pubs, bars, restaurants and non-essential shops will close across England