UK

The NHS coronavirus contact tracing app has finally been launched in England and Wales after months of delay and questions about its effectiveness. The app was trialled first on the Isle of Wight and in the London Borough of Newham and was used to send alerts to users after someone had tested positive. It uses

The UK has reported 6,178 new coronavirus cases – the highest daily total in four months.  There have only been two days since the pandemic began which have exceeded this total – 1 May, when there were 6,201 confirmed cases and 5 April, when there were 6,199. More cases are being detected now than at

Massive queues of up to 7,000 lorries could be seen outside Dover if hauliers fail to prepare for changes to customs rules after the Brexit transition period ends, according to the government. The transition period, which kept the UK aligned to the EU’s single market and customs union rules to allow trade to flow smoothly

Johnny Depp has lost his libel claim against the publishers of The Sun over an article calling him a “wife beater”. Three months after the high profile three-week trial, Judge Justice Nicol has now ruled that the tabloid was justified in reporting that Depp was violent towards ex-wife Amber Heard on at least one occasion

People in Scotland have been banned from visiting other households indoors, in tough new restrictions that go further than those announced for England. First minister Nicola Sturgeon said the COVID-19 restrictions would come to force from tomorrow. “We intend, as Northern Ireland did yesterday, to also introduce nationwide additional restrictions on household gatherings, similar to

Pubs, bars and restaurants throughout England will be forced to close at 10pm from Thursday, Boris Johnson will announce in a new coronavirus crackdown. In a House of Commons statement followed by a TV address to the nation, the prime minister will unveil a range of new measures to tackle the dramatic surge in COVID-19

The UK could soon see 49,000 new cases of coronavirus every day unless action is taken to drive down the current rate of infection, the government’s chief scientific adviser has warned. Sir Patrick Vallance told a Downing Street briefing that the number of new COVID-19 cases was doubling roughly every seven days. Live coverage of

Britons are being fined for breaches of coronavirus lockdown regulations that are “unclear and ambiguous”, a parliamentary committee has warned. The Joint Committee on Human Rights said it was “unacceptable” that “many thousands” were receiving fixed penalty notices (FPNs) despite evidence the police did not fully understand their powers. It added that the way regulations

The UK faces a “tipping point” where “more restrictive measures” could be brought in to slow the spread of coronavirus, the health secretary has told Sky News. Matt Hancock said “people have got more relaxed over the summer” but “now is the moment when everybody needs to get back” to following the rules. He told

Boris Johnson must act now – not next week – to tackle a second wave of coronavirus infections across the UK, an expert in infectious disease control has warned. Dr Bharat Pankhania, senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter, told Sky News it is “blindingly obvious” what needs to be done to stem the

Newcastle city centre has a strangely subdued atmosphere for a Friday night. This is a party city with a night-time economy worth an estimated £340m, but as the new local lockdown restrictions bite, the pickings are slim. In the Bigg Market, the destination of choice for generations of late night drinkers, the 10pm curfew imposed

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has not ruled out a second national lockdown, telling Sky News: “We’ll do what is necessary to keep people safe.” It has been reported that scientists advising the government have proposed a two-week national lockdown in October to try to tackle the rising number of coronavirus cases. Live coverage of the

The head of Test and Trace has said that she doesn’t believe “anybody was expecting to see the really sizeable increase in demand” for coronavirus tests. Baroness Dido Harding’s comments in front of the Commons Science and Technology Committee come after some residents in COVID-19 hotspots complained they were finding it difficult to get tested.

People in northeast England will not be able to meet others outside their household from today – as Lancashire is also expected to be placed under tighter restrictions.  More than 10 million people across the UK are now in lockdown, after new restrictions in Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham

The UK’s revenge porn helpline has dealt with more cases so far this year than it did for the whole of 2019 as calls remain high since the coronavirus lockdown. Around 2,050 reports of so-called revenge porn had been made to the government-funded helpline as of Monday – meaning there has been a 22% rise

Local lockdown measures are to be imposed in the Welsh county of Rhondda Cynon Taf after a rise in coronavirus cases. The new restrictions will come into effect at 6pm on Thursday, 17 September, Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething confirmed. They are being brought in after two key clusters of cases were identified at “a