UK

The relaxation of coronavirus restrictions over Christmas will increase infections “potentially by a large amount”, the government’s scientific advisers have warned. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) said the prevalence of COVID-19 “could easily double” over the festive period with “substantial mixing” of people. The warning comes in a document called “notes on festive

Boris Johnson is facing a revolt from his own MPs after it emerged that 99% of England’s population will fall under the two toughest coronavirus tiers when lockdown ends next week. Several senior Conservatives have urged the government to publish analysis of the impact that these tightened rules will have on reducing infection rates –

Coronavirus infections across the UK appear to have dropped significantly, according to the government’s daily data. In the last week there have been 121,306 cases of coronavirus recorded, a 25% drop on the week before, which saw 163,061 infections. The figures come as 17,555 cases were recorded in the last 24 hours along with 498

A former porter at Great Ormond Street Hospital has been charged with sex offences against children. Paul Farrell, 55, of Camden, north London, faces 84 charges including rape, attempted rape, sexual assault of a child under 13, and indecent assault on a male, police said. The charges relate to seven victims, with the alleged offences

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has told MPs that the UK economy is forecast to have suffered the largest fall in output for more than 300 years as a result of the coronavirus crisis. As he set out his one-year spending review to the House of Commons, Mr Sunak declared the “economic emergency” from the pandemic “has

The Home Office broke equality law when it imposed its “hostile environment” immigration policies which contributed to the Windrush scandal, a report has found. Problems caused by the policies were “repeatedly ignored, dismissed or their severity disregarded” as they were being developed, according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) assessment. The Windrush scandal

The number of road rage crimes has risen sharply in the UK, with thousands of offences including attempted murders, assaults and racist abuse incidents reported in the last three years, Sky News has found. More than 3,500 road rage offences were recorded by police forces last year – an increase of more than a third

Three households will be able to meet together over Christmas under plans being discussed by all four nations of the UK, according to a government source. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove will this afternoon chair a meeting with the first ministers of the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from 4pm. Live updates

Travellers who arrive in England from countries with high infection rates will be able to shorten their quarantine from 14 days to five if they test negative for coronavirus on the fifth day, the Department of Transport has said. Passengers will have to pay for the tests themselves, and will need to book with one

England’s second national lockdown will be lifted on 2 December when a revised three-tiered system of restrictions will allow shops, gyms and hairdressers to reopen across the country. The prime minister’s “stay at home” instruction to the country will end a week on Wednesday, following a month of tougher national instructions. Under his 56-page COVID

Contacts of those who are diagnosed with COVID-19 may no longer have to isolate under new plans announced by the government. Currently, a person must isolate for 14 days if they have been a close contact with someone who has tested positive to the virus. But under the new plans, they would instead have the

The UK has reported another 18,662 coronavirus cases and 398 deaths. The daily total includes 141 deaths which were omitted from yesterday’s government figures in error. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 1,512,045 and the total number of deaths to 55,024. On Saturday, there were 19,875 COVID-19 cases and 341

The chancellor will announce a £500m package to support mental health services following the “major impact” of the coronavirus pandemic. Rishi Sunak will pledge the new funding in his Spending Review on Wednesday, when he will also deliver his long-term plan for infrastructure investment, the Treasury said. The majority of the spending is planned to

A major search operation is under way to find two missing fishermen after their boat sank off the coast of East Sussex. Three men were on board the fishing vessel Joanna C when it sank, with one man rescued after he was found clinging to a lifebuoy by rescuers. HM Coastguard scrambled a search and

Priti Patel has praised “brilliant civil servants” in her first televised comments since being forced to apologise over bullying allegations. The home secretary said she was “sorry that my behaviour has upset people”, adding that she had “never intentionally set out to upset anyone”. She continued: “I work with thousands of brilliant civil servants every

The UK’s reproduction number has fallen slightly to a maximum of 1.1 from a maximum of 1.2, according to new figures. The figure has been confirmed by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), which advises the government on its response to the pandemic. Scientists have estimated the reproduction number, known as R, is now