Politics

Boris Johnson has said the new coronavirus tiers “have a sunset of 3 February” as he tries to fight off a backlash from Tory MPs. The prime minister has angered some of his party with a plan to impose stringent restrictions across much of England when the national lockdown ends on Wednesday. In a letter

Boris Johnson has appointed a minister to take charge of the coronavirus vaccine rollout, as his government seeks to quell a backbench rebellion over the new tier system. Downing Street said that Nadhim Zahawi – who is among Tory MPs critical of the new restrictions – had been made a health minister responsible for the

COVID-19 restrictions are likely to be in force until Easter, Sky News has learned, as Boris Johnson heads for a Commons showdown with rebel Tory MPs over the new tiers. Senior sources have revealed that even if large numbers of COVID-19 vaccinations begin at the end of January it will be Easter – on 4

Boris Johnson has sought to fight off a growing backlash among Conservative MPs about the new coronavirus tiers, declaring that the “vast majority” of the British public support the measures. “I totally understand why people feel frustrated, I get that,” the prime minister said about the COVID-19 restrictions. Search your area on this map to

Boris Johnson has raised the prospect of a New Year lockdown if Britons ease off in the fight against coronavirus – as his chief medic warned people not to hug elderly relatives at Christmas. England is due to exit its second national lockdown next Wednesday and the prime minister, speaking at a Downing Street news

Boris Johnson has warned against “taking our foot off the throat of the beast” of coronavirus as he raised the prospect of a New Year lockdown. England is due to exit its second national lockdown next Wednesday and, speaking at a Downing Street news conference on Thursday, the prime minister said the action had “prevented

Millions of people are facing tough new COVID restrictions as the government brings in a tier system in England that for large parts of the country could be as strict as the national lockdown. Boris Johnson is facing a potentially damaging rebellion by dozens of Conservative MPs who are bitterly opposed to their constituencies being

A Foreign Office minister has quit following Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement of a cut to the UK’s overseas aid spending. Baroness Sugg resigned from her junior ministerial role after the government abandoned a Conservative manifesto commitment to fund the foreign aid budget at the equivalent of 0.7% of gross national income. Announcing the cut at

Households across the UK will be able to form a “Christmas bubble” with two other households during a five-day window over the festive period, it has been announced. Between 23 to 27 December, people will be able to meet with those two other households in their bubble – but only in a private home, a

The toughest COVID-19 restrictions imposed before England’s second lockdown were not strong enough, the health secretary has told MPs. Matt Hancock said the beefed-up coronavirus tiers unveiled by Boris Johnson are “better-calibrated” than what was in place before the shutdown. Live updates on coronavirus from UK and around world Please use Chrome browser for a

Boris Johnson has suggested the “vast majority” of people most vulnerable to coronavirus could be vaccinated against the disease by Easter. The prime minister, speaking at a Downing Street news conference, said this “would make a very substantial change” to how the UK is able to manage COVID-19. With Oxford University’s vaccine shown to be

Boris Johnson does not think MPs should get a pay rise, Downing Street has said. “MPs’ salaries are obviously decided by an independent body but given the circumstances, the PM doesn’t believe MPs should be receiving a pay rise,” the prime minister’s spokesman told reporters. The intervention comes as Britons continue to feel the effects

Boris Johnson was probably right to kick off a much needed conversation about devolution of power last week, even if the manner of doing so – saying it had been a disaster in Scotland – was for many Tories the kind of quip the head-exploding emoji 🤯 was invented for. In fairness to the PM,

Rishi Sunak has insisted there will be no return to austerity in his spending review next week. Faced with the job of balancing the UK’s books in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic the chancellor told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “You will not see austerity next week. “What you will see is an increase

Boris Johnson is poised to announce up to a week of freedom from COVID-19 restrictions at Christmas – but tough rules will remain in force in England after the national lockdown ends on 2 December. The aim – subject to agreement from the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – is for a UK-wide

Boris Johnson attempted to water down the official inquiry that found Home Secretary Priti Patel bullied staff, Whitehall sources have confirmed to Sky News. It follows claims the prime minister tried and failed to convince his standards ministerial adviser Sir Alex Allan to tone down his finding that her behaviour amounted to bullying as he