Politics

Parts of the North West, West Yorkshire and the Midlands have been placed under further localised coronavirus restrictions. The new measures, prompted by a fast rise in COVID-19 cases, have been confirmed by the Department for Health following consultation with local councils and MPs. Live coverage of the latest coronavirus news and updates Lancashire, Merseyside,

Boris Johnson has said he does not want to put the country in another national lockdown but warned the government may need to “intensify things to help bring the rate of infections down”. He added: “We’re now seeing a second wave coming… clearly we are going to keep everything under review. “As the disease progresses

A Cabinet minister has bemoaned “endless carping” about problems with coronavirus testing and claimed the current system is a “phenomenal success”. The government is under increasing pressure after many people reported problems in being able to get a COVID-19 test, as well as them being advised to travel to distant parts of the country to

New local restrictions are being introduced in northeast England – including a 10pm curfew for bars and pubs and a ban on people mixing with others outside their household. Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the measures in a statement to the House of Commons on Thursday following government talks with North East councils and local

Boris Johnson has partially climbed down on his controversial new Brexit bill in the face of a Tory rebellion. Downing Street has offered a compromise to try and win over the dozens of Conservatives who either abstained or voted against the draft legislation that would override the withdrawal agreement – breaking international law. The prime

Schoolchildren and their parents could be prioritised for coronavirus tests – after hospitals and care homes – as the government deals with “real challenges” in the system, a cabinet minister has told Sky News. The government has come under growing pressure over a lack of availability of COVID-19 tests in some areas – blamed on

Peers have been warned by the government not to block its controversial bid to override the Brexit deal, as an ally of Angela Merkel branded the UK a “despot” like North Korea. Downing Street turned the heat up on the House of Lords ahead of it debating and voting on the legislation that passed a

Former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke has been sentenced to two years in prison for three sexual assaults on two younger women. The judge, Mrs Justice Whipple, described the 49-year-old as a “sexual predator” who used his “success and respectability as a cover”. “You made your victims come to court,” she said. “They told the truth,

Boris Johnson’s controversial bid to override parts of the Brexit deal has cleared a major hurdle in parliament. The prime minister had been expected to win the key vote on his Internal Market Bill, given the Conservatives’ large majority in the House of Commons. MPs voted for the proposed legislation by 340 to 263 –

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is self-isolating after a member of his household displayed possible coronavirus symptoms. Sir Keir will now be working from home and will not speak in today’s House of Commons debate on the government’s controversial internal market legislation. He is understood to have not shown any COVID-19 symptoms himself. A spokesperson

Boris Johnson has been hit by a devastating attack from a former loyal ally as he embarks on bruising Commons clashes on a bitterly contentious piece of Brexit legislation. In a huge boost for rebel Tory MPs, Geoffrey Cox, the prime minister’s pro-Brexit attorney general until February this year, has condemned the move to override

Boris Johnson’s Brexit proposals have “damaged trust” and set back talks on a trade deal with the EU, an Irish minister has told Sky News. The backlash to the prime minister’s Internal Market Bill is continuing, with former prime ministers Sir John Major and Tony Blair joining the chorus of criticism. The government has admitted

Tony Blair and Sir John Major have teamed up to accuse Boris Johnson of “shaming” the UK by proposing legislation which undermines his own Brexit deal. The two former prime ministers, who unsuccessfully opposed Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum, claim the PM’s UK Internal Market Bill will damage the Irish peace process and trade

Boris Johnson has urged Conservative MPs to support Brexit-related legislation which his government has admitted breaks international law. Addressing about 250 MPs on Friday evening, the prime minister said the controversial UK Internal Market Bill was necessary in order to avoid “an economic barrier down the Irish Sea”. He added that certain clauses in it

Downing Street is calling for “more realism” from the EU in trade negotiations but believes a post-Brexit trade deal is still possible despite a tumultuous week. Relations between Brussels and London soured dramatically as Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to back down over plans to override the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement. The EU had threatened legal

Boris Johnson is facing a potential parliamentary rebellion after angering both Conservative Remainers and Brexiteers by vowing to push ahead with plans to override key elements of the Brexit withdrawal deal. Despite a demand by the EU to drop proposed legislation – and an accompanying threat of legal action from Brussels if the UK does