UK

Embattled Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has made a double climbdown in the A-levels fiasco that has robbed thousands of students of a place at their first choice university. In what looks like a major concession to demands from Labour and Tory backbenchers, Mr Williamson has pledged that the government will cover the cost of all

Coronavirus restrictions in parts of England are to remain in place for at least another week, the government has announced. Current rules on gatherings in parts of the North West, West Yorkshire, East Lancashire and Leicester will remain in force, the Department of Health and Social Care said. It means people in the areas affected

Fines of up to £3,200 for repeatedly not wearing a mask have been announced by Boris Johnson alongside eased lockdown measures for bowling alleys, casinos, skating rinks and beauty salons. The prime minister says he wants to ease lockdown rules to help people get back to work and enjoy things they have missed – but

Almost 40% of A-level results have been downgraded after exams were cancelled due to coronavirus. In England, 35.6% of marks were adjusted down by one grade, 3.3% were brought down by two, and 0.2% came down by three. Overall, an estimated 280,000 entries have been affected by the process. Image: Exams were cancelled due to

Three people have died and six others have been taken to hospital after a train derailed in Aberdeenshire. Aerial shots appear to show one carriage completely overturned after the service from Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street came off the tracks near Stonehaven earlier. British Transport Police said formal identifications are yet to take place but

The UK has been tipped into the “largest recession on record”, according to official figures charting the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the economy. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that the enforced hibernation of activity through the COVID-19 lockdown meant gross domestic product (GDP) slumped by 20.4% in the second quarter of

Pubs and bars in England are ignoring COVID-19 guidance, potentially putting public health at risk, a Sky News investigation has found. An undercover team visited a variety of hospitality venues in one Greater Manchester suburb, posing as walk-in customers. Nine out of 10 venues visited were not following government guidance by asking for customer contact

Payroll figures show 730,000 people have lost their jobs since the start of the coronavirus crisis lockdown as the UK braces for an expected acceleration in unemployment. Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed a leap of 81,000 last month alone despite continuing support for employers via government loan vehicles and the

Teenagers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are getting their A-level and AS-level results today after exams were cancelled due to COVID-19. Having been out of school since the middle of March due to the coronavirus lockdown, pupils’ grades have been given by their teachers and then each school’s overall grades have been assessed by

There is “little evidence” that coronavirus is transmitted in schools, the education secretary has said. Gavin Williamson said the education and care of children is “a national priority” ahead of the planned return of pupils to schools in England in September. He said the government is continuing to do “everything in our power” to ensure

Subsidies for healthy food, plain packaging for unhealthy food, and more research into meat alternatives could help the UK’s obesity crisis, according to a new report. The report – Turning The Tables – by social policy think-tank Demos, found that too many people face “significant barriers to eating healthy diets”. It estimated that, before lockdown,

Labour MP Dawn Butler has told Sky News she believes she was the victim of racial profiling after the car she was in was stopped by police. The former shadow equalities minister filmed the incident, which happened in the London borough of Hackney on Sunday afternoon. She said police officers stopped her “black male friend”

The government has said it wants to see migrant boats intercepted at sea and directly returned to France in a bid to curb recent increases in Channel crossings. Home Secretary Priti Patel has appointed a “clandestine Channel threat commander” who will work to make the route “unviable for small boat crossings”. Dan O’Mahoney, a former

The UK is demanding that France crack down on migrants crossing the Channel, amid government plans to make the route “unviable”. Sky News filmed on Saturday morning as another dinghy was intercepted by a Border Force patrol vessel, with there having already been record-breaking numbers of migrants arriving in the UK on small boats in

The national lockdown may have indirectly caused 16,000 excess deaths in two months, according to government analysts. The new report says a reluctance to attend A&E and difficulties accessing medical assistance likely meant that for every three deaths from coronavirus itself, a further two occurred because of the wider impact of the lockdown. The findings

Preston is the latest part of the UK to face a tightening of lockdown measures after rising coronavirus infection rates were reported in the city. The rolling seven-day rate of new cases of COVID-19 in the Lancashire city has risen from 20.3 per 100,000 people in the seven days to 27 July to 32.8 in