Millions of families across the UK have had their Christmas plans plunged into chaos after a huge government U-turn will ban households from mixing. Boris Johnson said last week it would be “inhumane” to scrap the five-day relaxation of restrictions for Christmas but today he did just that. The prime minister warned “infections would soar, […]
Continue Reading
The number of workers made redundant in the UK has soared to a record high in the three months to October – the original date for the end of the job furlough scheme. Figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show 819,000 fewer workers on company payrolls compared to pre-pandemic levels – a […]
Continue Reading
Matt Hancock has revealed a “new variant of coronavirus” may be driving the spread of Covid that will see the south east of England moved into tier 3 restrictions from 00.01hrs on Wednesday. The health secretary told the Commons the “very sharp, exponential rises” in cases requires London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire to […]
Continue Reading
Boris Johnson has followed up last night’s warning there’s a “strong possibility” of a no-deal Brexit by saying today it’s now “very, very likely” to be the outcome. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU Commission agrees with the prime minister’s assessment and told EU leaders she is pessimistic about the chances of a […]
Continue Reading
Matt Hancock has hailed the approval of the Pfizer/BioNtech coronavirus vaccine as “a day to remember in a year to forget”, describing the jab as a “victory for science”. The health secretary earlier claimed the fast approval of the vaccine – which makes the UK the first country in the world to authorise one – […]
Continue Reading
Wales has announced a ban on alcohol sales in bars, restaurants and cafes starting on Friday (December 4), while shops in England will get the go ahead to trade 24-hours-a-day in the run up to Christmas and beyond. Wales’ first minister Mark Drakeford said the rising rate of coronavirus infection in Wales requires new rules, […]
Continue Reading
The UK’s R-rate for coronavirus infection has fallen to below 1 for the first time since August – three weeks into England’s second national lockdown. Government scientists have announced the R-number for the UK has dropped to between 0.9 and 1 meaning infections should now decrease. The number of new cases reported today – 16,022 […]
Continue Reading
The chancellor’s plan to combat the UK’s worst recession for 300 years has been attacked for its cuts to international aid spending that one former Tory minister claims will cause “100,000 preventable deaths, mainly among children.” Critics have also hit out at other parts of Rishi Sunak’s historic spending review which will see the government […]
Continue Reading
England will return to a tighter three-tier system of Covid restrictions next week when the current lockdown ends on December 2. Boris Johnson set out his Winter Covid Plan to the Commons today and said he was “sorry to say that we expect more regions will fall, at least temporarily, into higher [tier] levels than […]
Continue Reading
The four nations of the UK have agreed a unified plan to allow families to “bubble” together at Christmas with Covid restrictions to be suspended for a short period over the festivities. Ministers in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast have agreed that limits on household mixing will be lifted on Christmas Eve, across the country, […]
Continue Reading