Coronavirus

A Tory MP has come under fire after calling for an economic assessment of lockdown measures despite previously dismissing similar analysis on Brexit. Steve Baker has urged the government to carry out a cost-benefit analysis of new Covid restrictions despite having previously called analysis by civil servants as “always wrong”. The government has signalled that England will return […]

Campaigners have launched legal proceedings against the government claiming it handed out top jobs in the coronavirus pandemic to “cronies” without proper competition. The Good Law Project and race equality think tank the Runnymede Trust said they had filed for judicial review at the High Court claiming that prime minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary […]

Boris Johnson will face an “enormous” backbench rebellion from his own party if he does not end lockdown in December, a Conservative MP has claimed. Brexiteer Steve Baker, who has founded the Covid Recovery Group, said he had told whips they would vote against a third lockdown in the Commons. He told the Telegraph: “I think the […]

Boris Johnson’s efforts to buy essential kits for the coronavirus outbreak has been likened to panic buyers trying to get their hands on loo rolls. Former military top brass Lord West of Spithead claimed he understood such behaviour could be excused for those who were “ill-informed and not well educated”, but it was not acceptable for a […]

Despite the EU originally setting a deadline for this week, both sides have agreed to suspend talks after another positive case of coronavirus amongst the negotiation teams. Brussels diplomat Michel Barnier announced that high-level talks between the EU and UK would be paused with just 42 days until the Brexit transition period ends. He tweeted: “One […]

Jacob Rees-Mogg has compared the awarding of billions of pounds worth of Covid-19 contracts without proper process to “calling a plumber out at 2am”. Rees-Mogg attempted to dismiss calls for a debate on a National Audit Office report into government spending on coronavirus contracts. A report published by the independent parliamentary body found up to £10 […]

Led By Donkeys has urged Boris Johnson to meet with the bereaved families of Covid-19 victims in its latest clip beamed onto the Houses of Parliament. The anti-Brexit campaign group have piled pressure on Johnson to make good on his promise to meet the families of people who have died from coronavirus. Johnson is yet to follow […]

Brexiteer Julia Hartley-Brewer has been accused of calling on people to break the coronavirus rules at Christmas, after suggesting those that celebrated other religious events had contributed to a rise in cases. The talkRADIO presenter previously claimed that “families getting together for Eid in an area with a large Muslim population” was a “key part of reasoning” […]

Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg has been urged to make virtual participation in parliament available to all MPs as soon as possible. The government has been criticised in recent weeks for its reluctance to bring back hybrid proceedings for the House of Commons, as per the first coronavirus lockdown in the spring when MPs could participate […]

A Labour MP has clashed with a Tory minister after saying Boris Johnson had a “pattern of behaviour” wasting taxpayers’ funds. Shadow housing and communities minister Steve Reed said the prime minister had a track record of spending public funds on projects that were either scrapped or seen as inefficient. Reed also said the Tory party […]

Boris Johnson has said he is “very proud” of the government’s efforts to buy up urgently needed kit during the coronavirus outbreak after the public spending watchdog criticised the way normal standards of transparency were set aside. At prime minister’s questions, Labour leader highlighted the National Audit Office report criticising the government’s handling of the […]

Piers Morgan and Alok Sharma have clashed over the UK government’s preparedness for the coronavirus pandemic in a fiery interview on Good Morning Britain (GMB). Morgan seized an opportunity to question the business minister over the UK’s Covid death toll, which is one of the highest in Europe. “If we were well prepared why do we […]

Piers Morgan has criticised government decisions to award controversial contracts over Covid-19 which has left the taxpayer “reaping the ruin financially”. Morgan was interviewing business secretary Alok Sharma on Good Morning Britain after it was revealed that £21 million was awarded to a Spanish businessman to act as a “go-between” in a contract which worked with Chinese manufacturers […]

A senior MP has slammed the“fast track VIP lane” which allowed people in the Westminster bubble to recommend companies to receive “special treatment” by government if they were supplying masks, gloves, aprons and other PPE during the pandemic. Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the Commons spending watchdog the Public Accounts Committee, said she was “appalled” by the […]

The country’s biggest civil servants’ union said there were “serious doubts” about No 10’s coronavirus safety measures after it emerged Boris Johnson and 10 MPs were forced to self-isolate after a meeting. Johnson and six other MPs were forced to quarantine on Monday after being told they had come into contact with an infected Tory backbencher. Nottinghamshire MP Lee Anderson developed Covid-19 […]

The UK has scrambled to buy US firm’s Moderna jab after early data showed it was almost 95% effective in protecting against Covid-19. Britain chose not to buy the vaccine because it did not believe the company would do a deal “with anyone outside the US”, and had concerns about a lack of dependable European […]

The foreign aid budget could reportedly be cut temporarily after the UK’s public finances took a hit dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, despite foreign secretary Dominic Raab insisting the government was “absolutely” committed to the 0.7% target. The Times reported plans had been drawn up to pare back the commitment to spend at least 0.7% of […]

Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson has insisted that Number 10 observes social-distancing rules, despite all attendees of a recent meeting between the prime minister and MPs having to self-isolate. They said: “Social distancing was observed at the meeting. It is also the case that Number 10 is a Covid-secure workplace. “We take every possible step to […]

A lobbyist who secretly advised a health minister for six months was given unfettered access to private coronavirus meetings and later leaked sensitive information to clients. George Pascoe-Watson, who chairs the PR firm Portland Communications, advised Lord Bethell on Test and Trace strategy while still a Westminster lobbyist, a Sunday Times investigation has revealed. Portland Communications represents pharmaceutical companies, weapons […]

A health minister has been criticised for telling people to “eat less” and “move more” to protect themselves from Covid-19. Nadine Dorries tweeted a Mail Online story from a former medical tsar who claims that the obesity crisis led to Britain having the highest death coronavirus toll in Europe. She wrote: “No doubt that there is a […]

Boris Johnson could miss Prime Minister’s Questions this week as he continues to self-isolate. Health secretary Matt Hancock said that he did not know what would happen for this week’s PMQs session. “I don’t know what will happen with PMQs and I know the parliamentary authorities are working on it,” he told Times Radio. “Actually […]

Boris Johnson is self-isolating after coming into contact with a Tory MP who tested positive for Covid-19, Downing Street has said. The prime minister is “well” and does not have any symptoms of the virus, according to a spokesman for Number 10. “The prime minister has today been notified by NHS Test and Trace that […]

Shadow justice secretary David Lammy has broken official Labour Party ranks to call for a Brexit extension on Question Time. Lammy urged Downing Street to seek an extension while it “works out” the economic mess caused by the coronavirus. Prime minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly vowed not to extend the transition period which is set to end on […]

A radio caller has said he thinks Dominic Cummings is leaving Downing Street because his plans to reform Westminster had been ‘ruined’ by the coronavirus. Dan from Warwick suggested Cummings had quit because of a lack of funding to support radical reforms to the way government and public services function. The prime minister most senior adviser confirmed on […]

Grant Shapps has fallen short of promising the public that Brexit would not affect the delivery of the coronavirus vaccine currently being developed in the EU. The transport secretary said he remained somewhat confident Britons would have access to the Pfizer vaccine being produced in Belgium. Earlier this week, the government announced coronavirus vaccine trials […]

Brexiteers claim that “Remainers” in government are pushing for a one-year extension to the Brexit transition period, as the clock runs down in talks to secure a deal. The European Union has placed a “seven-day deadline” on talks ahead of an EU summit, with both sides reportedly discussing a “grace period” for Northern Ireland businesses as […]

The business minister has failed to rule out that the supply of coronavirus vaccine could be affected by Brexit when the transition period ends on December 31. Cabinet minister Alok Sharma repeatedly did not appear to dispute warnings from Croda International, which supplies a crucial ingredient in the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine candidate, that there could be Brexit impact. […]

A British company who are supplying a crucial ingredient of the Covid-19 vaccine have warned that delays at the border after Brexit could prevent a “crucial step” in ensuring it is available to millions of people. Croda International, based in Yorkshire, have provided a key chemical element of the vaccine to Pfizer in the trial phase, […]

Boris Johnson is set to avoid the latest Downing Street press conference following reports of in-fighting at the heart of his administration. There had been planned to be an update on coronavirus on Thursday afternoon, but it will be left to business secretary Alok Sharma to update the nation. He will be joined by NHS England […]

Downing Street has dismissed claims that the in-fighting at the heart of government shows that Boris Johnson is distracted from tackling coronavirus. Responding to Labour leader Keir Starmer’s criticisms that he is not focusing “on the job in hand”, his official spokesperson said that he was “absolutely focused” on the pandemic.  The spokesman said: “The prime minister is […]

Nigel Farage has dismissed suggestions he is not taking Covid-19 seriously after launching an anti-lockdown outfit to fight against measures designed to protect people from the pandemic. The Brexit Party leader, who hopes to rebrand his organisation as Reform UK, has revealed his own family has tested positive with the illness. Appearing on Times Radio, […]

A minister has hit out at the “politicisation” around questions about contracts and public funding being handed to associates of the Tory party. Alex Chalk, a justice minister, was forced to defend the government over allegations of “cronyism” from a Labour shadow minister on Politics Live. Labour’s Jo Stevens explained: “It raises another issue… the amount of […]