Coronavirus

Millions of voters will this year get their first chance to have a say on how politicians have handled Covid-19 and Brexit. A bumper set of elections are to be held across Great Britain on “Super Thursday” – May 6 – including a number of contests postponed from 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Voters […]

MARTYN SLOMAN reflects on a year in politics – and looks forward to life beyond the pandemic. Even if the imposition of Tier 4 in Norfolk had not made it impossible, I was not in the mood to celebrate on New Year’s Eve. 2020 was a disaster year.  Together with many readers of The New European […]

Health secretary Matt Hancock is “confident” that life will bring normality “by 2022”. As he announced millions more people in England will be placed into lockdown from Boxing Day, Hancock warned that the virus was spreading again at a “dangerous rate”. Commenting on the new Tier 4 restrictions, he warned: “This Christmas and the start […]

Millions more people in England will be placed into lockdown from Boxing Day as ministers acknowledged mounting concern about the spread of coronavirus. Health secretary Matt Hancock said the variant coronavirus was spreading at a “dangerous rate” as he announced the fresh Tier 4 restrictions. He also said cases of another new mutant coronavirus linked […]

Companies faces further chaos at Britain’s border after Brexit after a fund set up to help them process customs paperwork ran out of cash. HMRC said almost all the money from the Customs Grant Scheme – an £84million-pound programme to train staff and set up new IT systems – has run dry, leaving businesses at the risk of continued […]

Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick has claimed there was “no reason” why the scenes in Kent this week would be repeated if there was a no-deal Brexit. It comes as Jenrick warned it may take a “few days” to clear the backlog of around 4,000 lorries waiting to cross the Channel sparked by a French travel […]

Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick insisted there will be no further changes to the Christmas plans despite speculation that more areas of England could be moved into a Tier 4 lockdown. The communities secretary told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the Covid operations committee will examine “what more we know now about the new variant” […]

A former Conservative politician has said he will not apologise after replying to a union email about school meals with the phrase “if you can’t feed, don’t breed”. Roger Taylor, an independent councillor on Calderdale Council in West Yorkshire, sent the reply to a newsletter from the public services union Unison, which contained a request […]

Boris Johnson has been warned his future as prime minister will rest on the Oxford vaccine. Katy Balls, the deputy editor of the Spectator, has claimed that with Tories “fuming” over new coronavirus restrictions and no parliamentary scrutiny, they want to see a clear “exit strategy”. Number 10 has previously hinted at a return to normal by […]

Labour leader Keir Starmer has rejected supporting calls for a Brexit extension during the coronavirus crisis – saying that he wants Boris Johnson to deliver his deal. Asked if he would support an extension, he said he wants Boris Johnson to prove he can ‘get Brexit done’ with his ‘oven-ready deal’. He explained: “I don’t want an […]

A Brexiteer MP has come under heavy criticism for suggesting France was “holding the UK to ransom” after it closed its borders into Britain to contain a new strain of the coronavirus. ERG member Andrew Bridgen said France has been acting like “dictators” after it decided to close the Eurotunnel and ban flights from the UK […]

Tory MPs have joined calls for parliament to be recalled to allow politicians to “hold ministers to account” over Brexit and Covid-19 decisions. Former Conservative chief whip – and chairman of the Covid Recovery Group – Mark Harper has led the calls for a recall, while Tory Brexiteer Desmond Swayne has accused the government of […]

Nigel Farage has lashed out at a Chinese journalist after being called “Trump’s puppet” and a “big joke in Europe”.  Chen Weihua, who works for the Chinese state-controlled outlet China Daily, hit out at the Brexit Party leader after he blamed China for Christmas in the UK being cancelled. Farage’s message came shortly after Boris […]

A senior Tory MP has called on Matt Hancock to resign after he introduced a new round of strict coronavirus measures across London and much of South-East England days before Christmas. Sir Charles Walker, vice chair of the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs, made the remarks following the government’s latest lockdown plans. The public has been advised against […]

Transport minister Grant Shapps has dimissed a call to “look at” extending the Brexit transition period to allow for the UK to deal with the Covid-19 chaos. Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Shapps rejected calls from Nicola Sturgeon to ensure the UK is “100%” focused on the coronavirus over the coming weeks. He said: “Nah, I […]

Brexiteers have been mocked after fuming about EU countries closing their borders to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – after previously complaining the EU prevents countries exerting their own control. France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Ireland and Bulgaria have all imposed restrictions on UK travel, while the Port of Dover announced its ferry […]

Chaos at the ports due to a ban on freight to France is likely to cause chaos in Kent as the Brexit lorry park created to deal with disruption is not due to be operational until 1 January at the earliest. Countries across Europe have started banning flights from Britain after the disclosure the country […]

Traders reacted with concern over the latest restrictions announced by the Government on Saturday and the increased fears of a no-deal Brexit. The FTSE 100 blue chip index opened down more than 2%, but by 9.45am it had recovered, trading down 1.45%. Companies including British Airways owner IAG and engine maker Rolls-Royce took heavy hits, […]

Scotland’s first minister has called on Boris Johnson to extend the Brexit transition period. Nicola Sturgeon took to Twitter after talks between the UK and EU failed to secure a breakthrough, and as European countries started to ban travel to the UK due to Covid-19. The SNP politician said that the coronavirus now “our 100% […]

Travellers have booked last-minute Eurostar tickets out of the UK amid flight cancellations, closing international borders and a tightening of Covid-19 restrictions. A long, snaking line of passengers formed inside St Pancras station in central London on Sunday as they waited to board one of the afternoon’s sold-out Eurostar trains. One 23-year-old Frenchman, who only […]

Andrew Marr has ripped into health secretary Matt Hancock over the government’s coronavirus response as millions were forced into a new Tier 4 for Covid-19 restrictions. Playing back a clip of Boris Johnson mocking Keir Starmer for wanting to “cancel Christmas” days before the prime minister announced plans to do that, Marr accused Hancock of […]

The last-minute cancellation of plans to allow millions of people to mix over Christmas is the latest in a series of coronavirus policy U-turns to hit England this year. Throughout the pandemic government advice has shifted on a range of issues, as mixed messages triggered frustration and confusion. Here is a summary of some of […]

Boris Johnson has cancelled Christmas for millions of people across London and south-east England after scientists said that a new coronavirus variant is spreading more rapidly – days after mocking Keir Starmer for wanting to “cancel Christmas”. The prime minister announced that from Sunday areas in the South East currently in Tier 3 will be […]

Boris Johnson is set to hold a cabinet call and will later hold a press conference with the chief medical officer Chris Whitty and the chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. The prime minister is under growing pressure to further tighten coronavirus rules across England amid fears a new variant is accelerating the spread of the disease. […]

A toilet roll manufacturer has insisted they are “equipped to meet increased demand when required” over fears of Brexit panic-buying before the transition period ends on December 31. Manufacturers faced significant demand at the start of the year as the coronavirus pandemic hit, but said they are ready for no-deal Brexit panic-buying at supermarkets. Kimberley-Clark, […]

Brexit has made criticism of Boris Johnson and his government seem like “an act of disloyalty”, a national radio host has said. James O’Brien, a presenter on LBC radio, argued a lack of oversight had caused Britain to become one of the worst-hit victims of Covid-19 around the world. He said confusing messaging around what the public […]

A Tory MP who broke coronavirus rules to attend a Christmas party after advising others to be cautious has been slammed on Twitter. Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood is under fire for attending a Christmas bash with 27 guests at a London club. Ellwood, who chairs the Commons defence committee, gave a speech at the Cavalry […]

Health secretary Matt Hancock has told MPs Tier 3 restrictions will be extended across a wide area of East and South East England. Which tier are you in? Find out below. Tier 3 No mixing indoors. People can only meet outdoors in limited places such as parks and public gardens. Pubs and restaurants must close, […]

LIZ GERARD offers a lexicon for the last year, including many words you will never want to hear again. Activist lawyers Misguided solicitors and barristers who want the courts and the law, rather than Priti Patel, to determine whether migrants she doesn’t like should be deported. Anti-vaxxers Vocal ‘libertarians’ with a death wish for others. Often also […]

Things look particularly bleak this Christmas, but JAMES BALL finds some cause for optimism.  The midwinter is notoriously a bleak season – not for nothing is there a whole song along that theme. Similarly, it’s not coincidental that most cultures and religions mark some celebration of light or of joy in the middle of this […]

A BBC factchecker has debunked Boris Johnson’s claims that coronavirus infection rates were falling across England. Politics Live‘s Joel Massey said government data showed the majority of local authority areas reported an increase in cases over the past week. Johnson had declared that a “huge amount of progress” had been made to bringing down infection rates. His comments comes as […]

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will press ahead with a relaxation of coronavirus restrictions over Christmas. Boris Johnson urged people to “exercise extreme caution” as they celebrate Christmas amid fears about the spread of coronavirus but up to three households will still be allowed to mix between December 23 and 27. Talks involving the UK government […]