News and Opinion

Dominic Raab has faced Tory pressure to develop new measures to block trade deals with countries found to have committed genocide. The foreign secretary told MPs he rejected a cross-party amendment made by peers to the Trade Bill, describing it as “well-meaning” but also “rather ineffective and counter-productive”. The House of Lords changed the proposed […]

Number 10 has sidestepped a key question about Boris Johnson’s bike ride in east London during coronavirus lockdown. The prime minister’s official spokesperson insisted the prime minister’s exercise was permitted under coronavirus guidance.  He added: “The prime minister acted in accordance with the Covid guidance while he was exercising. “We have always trusted the public to […]

The government has made a speedy u-turn on how it selects questions for ministers from the public at coronavirus press briefings, after previously updating its guidance to suggest it would now choose what was asked. Byline Times reported the government’s website was updated on Monday to state that it no longer leaves an independent polling company to decide […]

Home Secretary Priti Patel will host a Downing Street press conference at 5pm, her first since May last year. This would be the first time Patel addressed the nation since May 22. During a previous appearance in April, Patel drew criticism for refusing to apologise for reports of failure to provide PPE to frontline NHS […]

A columnist has said Boris Johnson is incapable of “denying himself any pleasures” after he was spotted cycling seven miles away from his home for daily exercise. Current official government advice says exercise should be limited to once a day and within your local area, prompting accusations Johnson had broken coronavirus rules when he cycled around […]

German chancellor Angela Merkel has criticised Twitter for permanently suspending Donald Trump’s account. Merkel’s spokesperson said that while social media platforms need to prevent being flooded by “hatred and lies”, the politician believes freedom of opinion should not be determined by the website bosses. “The fundamental right to freedom of opinion is a fundamental right of […]

British pensioners are being forced out of Spain’s Costa del Sol due to changes brought about by Brexit, ex-pats living in the country have said.  Under new rules introduced on January 1, tourists, including people who have a second home in the country but have not taken up residency, will only be able to spend […]

The government has been urged to investigate after images shared online showed “woefully inadequate” free school meal parcels sent to families. Sharing the image, Twitter user Roadside Mum said: “2 days jacket potato with beans, 8 single cheese sandwiches, 2 days carrots, 3 days apples, 2 days soreen, 3 days frubes. “Spare pasta & tomato. […]

Policing minister Kit Malthouse has denied Boris Johnson broke coronavirus restrictions over the weekend by exercising at Stratford Olympic Park. Johnson was spotted cycling at Queen Elizabeth Park on Sunday, which is located seven miles away from Downing Street, prompting accusations he broke government guidance. Current official government advice says exercise should be limited to once a day […]

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick has insisted that Boris Johnson did not break the law with his bike ride seven miles from his home. Johnson has been accused of hypocrisy following reports he went cycling away from his home after imposing sweeping Covid restrictions on others. The prime minister was seen at the Olympic Park in […]

A lawyer who took on Dominic Cummings over his lockdown breach has claimed he has been forced to move home because his campaign for an investigation sparked attacks on his property. Nazir Afzal has revealed after launching his legal campaign to prosecute the former Number 10 adviser he had a brick thrown through the window […]

Hauliers are spending tens of thousands of pounds bringing empty lorries to Northern Ireland, an industry spokesman has said. Seamus Leheny, of Logistics NI, said exports of goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain are doing well, however, less is coming back across the Irish Sea as suppliers are faced with new customs demands. There […]

Border officials in the Netherlands have confiscated ham sandwiches and other food items from UK travellers due to post-Brexit rules. Dutch TV network NPO filmed customs patrols explaining to arrivals that they cannot take meat or dairy products into the EU. One driver who arrived by ferry at the Hook of Holland sea port was […]

Theresa May has insisted Britain must reject “any push towards nationalism and isolationism” if it wants to prosper post-Brexit and deal with the effects of Covid-19. The Conservative former prime minister also reiterated her criticism of Boris Johnson for cutting the UK’s aid and threatening to breach international law over Brexit, warning this risked undermining […]

Boris Johnson has been under pressure to explain why he broke coronavirus lockdown rules to exercise at a park seven miles away from Downing Street. Johnson was spotted wearing a hat and face mask at Queen Elizabeth Park on Sunday. A source told the Evening Standard that Johnson was exercising and had been accompanied by his […]

A new insurance card enabling UK travellers to access healthcare in the European Union has been launched. Global Health Insurance Cards (GHIC) became available on Monday as part of the UK’s post-Brexit deal with the EU. It replaces European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC), which covered EU countries as well as some non-EU countries such as […]

Nigel Farage has said his new party Reform UK is now “up and running” in Scotland, with the appointment of former Tory MSP Michelle Ballantyne as leader north of the border. Ballantyne, a former Scottish Conservatives leadership hopeful, has been announced as the new head of Reform UK Scotland. She described her new party as […]

Ofcom has dismissed complaints made by viewers over an appearance by Rishi Sunak on Good Morning Britain. Some 1,064 viewers said statements made by the chancellor were inaccurate, with most objecting to his claim that he had engaged with a campaign group representing people who say they have been excluded from access to Covid-related financial […]

James O’Brien has summed up the “hypocrisy” of people opposing lockdown in a brilliant one-and-a-half minute monologue. O’Brien said people ignoring restrictions were having a “toddler tantrum” and were usually those “who are really into law and order if they think it’s only going to be others that get on the wrong end of authoritarianism”. He said […]

The government needs the right message – and the right messenger – to ensure the UK is protected from the coronavirus. The commencement of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine roll-out is axiomatically good news. It now means Britain has two vaccines (the Pfizer-BioNTech came first) being administered to all those deemed priority groups. And there is […]

A television presenter has taken on a government minister for refusing to rule out banning support bubbles as part of a tightening of coronavirus measures. Susanna Reid criticised the reports, telling Nadhim Zahim it could have potentially catastrophic effects on people’s mental health. Appearing on Good Morning Britain, she said: “People are really suffering under lockdown and […]

Downing Street has denied there is demand for coronavirus vaccines to be delivered out-of-hours after Labour called for a ramping up of the roll-out. Number 10 said that Covid-19 vaccines could be delivered into the night but that there is currently “not a clamour for jabs after 8pm”. Boris Johnson’s press secretary Allegra Stratton was […]

Ann Widdecombe has said concerns teachers have about carrying out lessons remotely were “a load of rubbish”. The former Brexit MEP used a guest appearance on Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine show to chide teachers who were concerned about parents spying on lessons over Zoom. “I’ve heard a load of rubbish talked during this pandemic and this is the biggest […]

Downing Street has defended Boris Johnson’s father receiving two coronavirus vaccines – insisting the move was made before a change in policy. The prime minister’s press secretary Allegra Stratton said: “This is a matter for the prime minister’s father. “It’s not something I’ve spoken to Stanley Johnson about. By way of explanation in the early […]

A Fine Gael politician has warned that Brexit lobbying group Leave.EU may be breaking data protection rules ever since it moved to the Republic of Ireland this month. Neale Richmond, the Irish Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin Rathdown, has written to the EU’s domain registry, EURid, and his own country’s data protection commissioner querying if Leave.EU was GDPR […]

The government has dropped proposals to hold White House style press briefings at Number 10 – on the day the first was set to be held. The briefings were intended to replicate the regular events held by Donald Trump’s team in America, with Allegra Stratton – a former journalist – hired to front the weekly […]

Greta Thunberg has criticised the government for allowing UK farmers permission to use a bee-killing pesticide so poisonous that is banned by the EU. English farmers will soon be able to use neonicotinoid thiamethoxam on sugar beet crops, prompting outcries by environmentalists that ministers have bowed to pressure from farmers. Environment secretary George Eustice has given farmers permission […]

The government has not denied that it could bring in tougher restrictions over the coronavirus lockdown, following suggestions the public may not be able to leave their home more than once a week. The Mail Online reports a Whitehall source claiming that under measures being discussed the opportunities to leave home could be cut to once […]

The public has been urged to back The Big Issue after its vendors were again forced to stop selling the magazine because of the latest coronavirus lockdown. Almost 1,400 vendors are affected, are not eligible for furlough and cannot work from home. The Big Issue called on the public to support its 100 Days of Action […]

A tweet by Downing Street seeking questions from the public ahead of Boris Johnson’s press conference has backfired spectacularly. The prime minister’s Twitter account asked if anyone had questions about coronavirus that they would like to ask the government. The request did not go down well. One user asked: “Where is Dido Harding and can she […]

The president’s removal from the social network could create yet another cultural chasm between Democrats and Republicans. “Hello, I’m new to Twitter, what are you guys up to”, says a tweet purporting to be from someone called John Barron – whose avatar resembles Donald Trump with a photoshopped moustache. On Friday, Trump’s Twitter account was […]

Former White House adviser Anthony Scaramucci has said “another insurrection” like the one witnessed on Capitol Hill last Wednesday could occur before Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20. Scaramucci, who was a former White House communications director to president Trump, said rioters were planning a second protest on January 17. This comes after thousands of […]