Coronavirus

As the UK prepares for a possible second wave of the coronavirus pandemic it appears once again divided. The unity seen during the first lockdown has been lost, explains TIMOTHY OLIVER. The arrival of the coronavirus pandemic transformed the UK political scene in the blink of an eye. At the start of 2020, the national […]

Tory ministers past and present have defended Boris Johnson’s father for not wearing a face mask in public and say he should not be fined. Environment minister George Eustice and former health secretary Jeremy Hunt said penalties, which range from £200 to £10,000 for failing to follow government advice on new Covid measures, should only be reserved for […]

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has apologised after reportedly breaking coronavirus restrictions. Corbyn was pictured with his wife, Laura Alvarez, at a party of nine people, which breached the rules that state only six people can meet indoors or outside. The photograph was published in The Sun, a newspaper which also published an apology from […]

Matt Hancock has promised to work more closely with MPs on new coronavirus restrictions. The health secretary told the Commons on Wednesday: “Today I can confirm to the House (of Commons) that for significant national measures with effect in the whole of England or UK-wide we will consult parliament, wherever possible we will hold votes […]

Boris Johnson has acknowledged that some of the coronavirus restrictions around the United Kingdom appeared illogical, but rules out preventing English people currently in lockdown from travelling to Wales while restrictions are in place. The prime minister was facing calls to prevent people from locked-down areas of England travelling to Wales after first minister Mark […]

Sir Keir Starmer has slammed Boris Johnson for not understanding his own coronavirus restrictions during this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), as the prime minister called for more support from the Labour leader. On Tuesday, the prime minister contradicted government advice and told people in the North East they could continue to socialise in groups of six […]

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has blocked a rebel amendment from backbench Tory MPs which could have defeated the government over coronavirus laws. Around 50 MPs signed an amendment by Sir Graham Brady, chair of the influential Tory backbench 1922 committee, demanding a vote on new coronavirus restrictions that would curb the “liberties” of Britons. Ringleaders claimed […]

A chef has been praised for his subtle dig towards Boris Johnson during a BBC News interview on new coronavirus restrictions in the North East of England. Max Gott, head of the Bistro Forty Six, remained professional about the prime minister while appearing on the rolling news channel – but viewers realised he had still […]

Piers Morgan has called Boris Johnson a “drongo” and a “bumbling fool” as he reacted to the prime minister’s confusion over the latest Covid-19 restriction rules. The Good Morning Britain presenter said Johnson was the “captain of the Titanic taking us down” as he renewed calls for him to go. He told viewers: “He not […]

Boris Johnson will be joined by his medical and scientific advisors later for a coronavirus press conference – his 21st time since the pandemic started. The prime minister will be flanked by chief medical officer for England professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. It is not clear if anything particularly significant […]

Business secretary Alok Sharma has accused the media of engaging in a “gotcha” style of journalism when it comes to quizzing ministers about the latest regional and national coronavirus regulations. It comes after Boris Johnson and a junior minister could not properly explain what the latest restrictions are for the north east of England. Speaking […]

Council leaders have said government restrictions in the North East lack clarity. Boris Johnson issued an apology after he failed to clarify precisely what the new restrictions would mean for around two million people in Northumberland, Newcastle, Gateshead, North and South Tyneside, Sunderland and County Durham. Gateshead council leader Martin Gannon said, although he was […]

Boris Johnson has told a reporter he is “fitter than a butcher’s dog” after being asked if was still suffering from the effects of Covid-19. Speaking at press conference in Exeter, the prime minister brushed aside concerns by MPs in his own party that he had still not fully recovered from his bout of coronavirus in […]

Boris Johnson has been forced to apologise after giving the wrong advice on coronavirus restrictions in the North East. Johnson was asked to explain the new rules when it came to pub beer gardens in response to questions after delivering a speech. Boris Johnson’s ‘clarification’ of rules for North East adds He said: “In the North […]

A government minister has admitted No 10 “looked to Europe” for help developing the latest of coronavirus lockdown rules. Speaking on Sky News, skills minister Gillian Keegan said Downing Street was trying to strike a balance between keeping pubs open and suppressing a second spike in Covid cases. Asked if the 10pm curfew was leading […]

A year ago, monitoring the G7 protests in Biarritz, I was kettled for more than two hours by police under a baking sun. The following day, I was almost choked by tear gas in Bayonne. What I experienced in the southwest of France was part of a heavy-handed police and judicial response to peaceful protest […]

A Tory minister has admitted she does not know what lockdown restrictions were being applied in North East England during an interview on national radio. Apprenticeships minister Gillian Keegan said she was unaware of what restrictions were in place across the North East because she was not a local MP. Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Keegan was […]

A Tory Brexiteer MP has claimed that Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance are guilty of coronavirus “scaremongering”, in a speech to the House of Commons. Sir Desmond Swayne claimed it was a “sacking offence” for the government’s chief scientific and medical advisers to deliver a presentation to warn how 200 or more people in the […]

When all this Covid business began we were coming up to the March equinox, the point at which, in this hemisphere, there are more hours of daylight than there are of darkness. It was a dark time, but the light made it easier to deal with. Covid struck in the time of life and growth […]

Scotland’s Tory Party leader, Douglas Ross, was caught out supporting Westminster’s handling of the coronavirus crisis on university campuses while berating Scotland for taking the same action. Appearing on Good Morning Scotland, Ross criticised the Scottish government for allowing students back at university as a second coronavirus wave took hold. He said Holyrood should have given students “crystal clear” […]

At least 52 Tory MPs have signalled they are willing to back Graham Brady’s amendment to the Coronavirus Act which could lead to a fresh government defeat. The amendment demands that “parliament has an opportunity to debate and to vote upon any secondary legislation with effect in the whole of England or the whole United Kingdom […]

BBC News anchor Simon McCoy has caused a reporter to break into laughter as the pair waited for Matt Hancock to appear the dispatch box in the House of Commons. McCoy and political reporter Chris Mason were waiting for the health secretary to provide an update to MPs on the latest coronavirus restrictions. BBC News anchor […]

A Tory MP has likened Boris Johnson to King Theoden from The Lord of the Rings and accused him of being “under the spell” of his special adviser, Dominic Cummings. Former European Research Group chair Steve Baker said Johnson needed to be “woken up” from his “slumber” as he suggested his advisers like Cummings were in control […]

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey accused the government of “unbelievable incompetence” in handling coronavirus, and said that the Tories are failing people “in one of our darkest hours”. In his first conference speech as leader, Sir Ed claimed Boris Johnson “refuses to take even the slightest responsibility” for the “chaos and harm” caused by […]

A new study has found trust in the European Union has increased during the coronavirus pandemic, while support for national governments fell. A new survey by Eurofound revealed that trust in the EU rose sharply since April, and is now higher than support for a number of governments around Europe. Using a scale of 1 to […]

Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle could stop Tory rebels voting on an amendment that would curb the government’s emergency powers. Sir Lindsay is refusing to allow MPs a vote on the amendment out of fear it would be breaking house procedures. Around 50 MPs have signed an amendment by Sir Graham Brady, chair of the influential […]

Parliament has clarified its position on whether its drinking establishments are following the government’s 10pm curfew,  after it was reported the establishments on the premises had exploited a loophole that classed them as “canteens” for workers. The regulations announced by the prime minister last week include exemptions that “workplace canteens may remain open where there is […]

Social media users have expressed concerns for education secretary Gavin Williamson, who appears to have gone “missing” during a row over the government’s handling of universities. Williamson, who was criticised for his approach to A-Level and GCSE results, has not given a single interview since university students were forced to self-isolate in their halls at […]

A leading Tory Brexiteer has been branded a hypocrite after accusing the government of trying to remove people’s liberties. Steve Baker, a former chair of the hard-line Eurosceptic Westminster group the European Research Group (ERG), said it was “only fair” MPs got a vote on coronavirus laws that would take away people’s liberties before they came into effect. Brexiteer […]

The Conservatives have hit out at those trying to score “political points” by claiming that students could have to remain at university over Christmas – despite their own MPs refusing to rule it out. Reports appeared to surface after health secretary Matt Hancock himself did not deny the possibility.It followed the release of Scientific Advisory […]

Boris Johnson’s restrictions for pubs will not apply to bars in parliament. Despite requiring pubs to close at 10pm, and encouraging drinking establishments to collect data for the track and trace system, the Times reports the same rules will not apply where politicians frequent. That is because parliament is using a loophole which claims “workplace canteens […]

A senior Tory MP has claimed that Boris Johnson ruled out a second national lockdown to prevent chancellor Rishi Sunak from quitting. Number 10 has denied a rift between the prime minister and his chancellor, but there are fears the pair are at odds about how best to deal with a second wave of the […]