News and Opinion

The Tory leader of Bolton Council has said he is “absolutely disgusted” that Sir Keir Starmer “misrepresented” him in the Commons by claiming he supported a circuit-breaker to control coronavirus. David Greenhalgh said it was “absolutely untrue” that he backed the proposal for a short nationwide lockdown – which Labour is calling for – and […]

Boris Johnson has been told to “keep up” with the latest lockdown announcements after he appeared to lose track during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Defending his three-tiered lockdown approach, the prime minister said: “The disease is appearing much more strongly in parts of the country than in others. “In Liverpool, for instance, alas, the figures are […]

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford has taken a swipe at Boris Johnson over the government’s scheme encouraging people to “retrain” and “reskill” themselves to stay in work. Blackford told the prime minister that he will never be forgiven if he refuses to U-turn on the ending of the furlough scheme, before referencing a series of […]

Sir Keir Starmer has labelled Boris Johnson an “opportunist” after he tried to attack Labour for not supporting the government’s latest Covid-19 strategy during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Sir Keir accused Johnson of ignoring Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) advice on introducing a nationwide two-week “circuit breaker” lockdown put forward on September 21. The […]

Support for Scottish independence is at all-time high, a new poll has revealed. The Ipsos Mori poll for STV News found that 55% of voters now back independence for Scotland, which rises to 58% when undecided voters are stripped out, compared to 42% who support the country remaining in the United Kingdom. The surge in […]

The government is set to install a series of portaloos along the major roads in Kent to deal with possible Brexit congestion from the delays at ports following the end of the transition period. Transport minister Rachel MacClean was responding to questions about documents which revealed the government is planning for queues of up to […]

Boris Johnson is expected to announce a continuation of Brexit negotiations past the October 15 deadline despite telling the EU he was ready to walk away from talks if a deal was not agreed to by then. According to Bloomberg sources close to the negotiations, Downing Street is planning to continue efforts to reach a Brexit […]

Ministers spent £64 million of taxpayers’ money to set up a British equivalent to GPS before it was abandoned and shutdown in September. The UK’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) ran for 18 months until ministers finally decided to shelve the project, official figures have shown. GNSS was established to provide Britain’s first conventional network of […]

The Welsh government is “very actively talking about and preparing for” a circuit-breaker lockdown in Wales, first minister Mark Drakeford has said. Speaking to Sky News, Drakeford said “detailed planning” is under way to establish what measures would be put in place during a circuit-breaker, how long it would last, how schools would be treated, […]

Boris Johnson is under pressure to implement a “circuit-breaker” lockdown, which scientists calculate could save thousands of lives by the end of the year. Downing Street is understood to be keeping the idea on the table, after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said a two to three-week national lockdown over the October half term was needed to […]

Nearly three-quarters of Scots back Holyrood negotiating its own future relationship with the EU, new polling has found. A Survation poll for the pro-independence campaign group Progress Scotland found 74% of the 2,093 people surveyed wanted MSPs to decide how Scotland interacts with the EU in the future when undecided returns were excluded. When included, […]

The work and pensions minister has sparked outrage after refusing to say if she could live on the £5.84-an-hour wage paid by the government’s new furlough scheme. Under the chancellor’s new proposals those earning minimum wage – currently £8.72 for those over 25, would only receive two-thirds of what they are normally paid. But asked […]

Labour has hit back at anonymous sources in Downing Street who claimed Keir Starmer was a “shameless opportunist” for calling for a “circuit breaker” short lockdown to curb coronavirus cases. Starmer used a press conference on Tuesday to tell the nation: “Three things are now clear: the government has not got a credible plan to slow […]

Former Tory prime minister Theresa May has reportedly told prime minister Boris Johnson that business-minded experts should be added to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage). May told the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs that she is keen that more business-minded people appeared at the meetings to give scientists more of an understanding about the […]

A Conservative MP has resigned as a ministerial aide over coronavirus restrictions, saying the “attempted cure is worse than the disease”. Chris Green, who represents Bolton West, said the Greater Manchester lockdown had “failed to control the number of positive tests” within his borough. In a letter to prime minister, Green said he was resigning […]

Sir Keir Starmer has called on the prime minister to impose a national “circuit-breaker” lockdown following reports the government ignored advice to implement one back in September. The Labour leader has broken ranks to criticise the government over its latest lockdown measures. Speaking at a press conference, Starmer said: “There’s no longer time to give […]

Ministers are set to have their pays frozen amid backlash about an expected £3,500 pay rise for MPs. On Tuesday, Boris Johnson confirmed his ministers will miss out on a wage increase expected for 2021-2022. Johnson’s official spokesman said: “The prime minister has decided that at a time of significant pressure on public finances, it is only […]

The contenders are… NIGEL FARAGEThe nicotine-stained man-frog certainly knows a gap in the market when he sees one. Farage has been hinting he will soon revive the Brexit Party – because with only the Tories, UKIP and Laurence Fox’s Reclaim out there, the British people must be crying out for a right-wing grouping that hates […]

A renewed bid to secure the continuation of free movement with the EU as part of future trade links has been launched by peers at Westminster. The government has been pressed in the House of Lords to hammer out a so-called “mobility framework” with Brussels. The Liberal Democrat-led call came during the committee stage in […]

Dominic Cummings and his family will not be charged an estimated £50,000 in council tax on two properties they built in breach of local planning laws. The Cummings family will dodge years of unpaid taxes equalling between £30,000 and £50,000 but will instead be hit with a new charge on properties located on the outskirts of Durham, […]

Labour leader Keir Starmer is to hold his first televised press conference in response to Monday’s Downing Street press briefing. Whilst Johnson fronted this week’s event alongside chief medical officer Chris Whitty and chancellor Rishi Sunak, he is not expected to front the new ‘White House’ style press briefings starting soon. Johnson has hired former journalist […]

German chancellor Angela Merkel has said that the European Union will not let Ireland down in Brexit talks. Merkel said during a debate on the German presidency of the European Union that the EU wants a trade deal with the UK, but it will stick with Ireland to secure the best outcome from negotiations. She […]

Downing Street has given a lengthy defence against allegations it ignored advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) on a “circuit-breaker” national lockdown. Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson said the prime minister had taken a “considered analysis” of the economic impacts and the public health threat of the virus when he decided not to impose a second […]

Voters in America believe that Joe Biden is the best candidate to help the country recover from coronavirus, polling suggests. With three weeks to go until the November 3 election, analysis suggests Covid-19 remains “front and centre” for the American voting public. Ipsos USA, a public opinion specialist, interviewed thousands of Americans to understand the key […]

The president of the European council has shared an illustration on Twitter which portrayed Boris Johnson as a ‘joker’ in Brexit negotiations. Charles Michel shared the cartoon by Andy Davey of the politician being joined by EU negotiator Michel Barnier and president Ursula von der Leyen, whilst Boris Johnson is holding a series of cards […]

Wales’ first minister has threatened to close the Welsh border if Boris Johnson does not impose a travel ban on virus hotspots in England. Mark Drakeford told the prime minister he had “one final opportunity” to stop people crossing the border from England. Drakeford has pledged to write to the prime minister urging him to impose […]

A Tory minister has claimed that businesses have their “head in the sands” over the impact that Brexit will have on their companies. Cabinet Office minister Lord Agnet said “it’s their businesses at stake” if they fail to prepare for the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31. Agnew said that businesses had […]

A new poll has found that a significant majority of Britons think that leaving the Brexit transition period without a trade deal would be a bad outcome for the country. Last month, Boris Johnson said ending Brexit talks without a deal was a “good outcome” for Britain, even though it would lead to new tariffs on businesses, […]

A new contract to provide post-Brexit freight capacity has been handed to four ferry firms at a cost of £77.6 million. The Department for Transport (DfT) announced that it has signed agreements with Brittany Ferries, DFDS, P&O Ferries and Stena Line. This will ensure that vital medical supplies and other critical goods “continue to be […]

A majority of Britons do not believe Boris Johnson has a clear plan for tackling the latest coronavirus outbreak, new polling has shown. A survey by YouGov asked just under 3,000 British adults if they felt assured the prime minister had a plan to contain the virus following his statement on new coronavirus measures on […]

The government’s environment secretary has insisted that protections for food and farming standards are not necessary – because it was in the Conservative Party manifesto. On Monday, MPs voted to overturn measures aimed at protecting UK food standards in future trade deals. But defending the decision of government to vote against such protections, George Eustice […]

Boris Johnson’s plan for tackling coronavirus will be voted on by MPs, despite warnings from his scientific advisers that it does not go far enough. Official papers showed the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) suggested introducing a national lockdown in September lasting between two and three weeks to halt the rapid spread of the […]