Politics

Boris Johnson is flying into a storm of protest with a visit to Scotland that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon claims is not an essential journey. The prime minister is heading to Scotland on a one-day trip aimed at highlighting the value of the United Kingdom in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. The PM’s controversial visit is

An announcement on mandatory hotel quarantine for some travellers is expected later today, a move that could deal a further blow to an already struggling tourism industry. Home Secretary Priti Patel will make a statement in parliament about border restrictions, after senior ministers met on Tuesday to discuss whether quarantine should be required for all

Boris Johnson has told the country he is “deeply sorry for every life that has been lost” as the UK surpassed 100,000 coronavirus-related deaths. A further 1,631 people were reported to have died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, taking the total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic

It is “far too early” for Britons to be thinking about booking a summer holiday, a minister has told Sky News. Asked if people should hold off on booking a trip, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi replied: “Absolutely.” Live coronavirus updates from the UK and around the world Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible

Travel industry sources have told Sky News they expect mandatory hotel quarantine to be introduced imminently, as the government tries to suppress new variants of coronavirus. They anticipate an announcement could come as soon as Tuesday, but even those close to discussions remain unclear how broad the restrictions will be. Sources believe differing views among

Sir Keir Starmer is self-isolating after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. In a message on his Twitter account, the Labour leader said he currently had no COVID-19 symptoms and would be working from home until next Monday. This is the third time Sir Keir has had to self-isolate during

Nicola Sturgeon has accused Boris Johnson of being “frightened of democracy” and said she will seek a “legal referendum” on Scottish independence. Scotland’s first minister claimed the prime minister “fears the verdict and the will of the Scottish people” over his refusal to agree to another independence vote. It comes after the Scottish National Party

It is still a “long, long, long way” before coronavirus cases are low enough for lockdown to be lifted, the health secretary has told Sky News. Matt Hancock said “early evidence” shows tough restrictions around the UK are starting to bring the number of new infections down, but he warned the NHS remains under “enormous”

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives has resigned after he drank alcohol on the Senedd estate days after a pub alcohol ban came into force. Paul Davies said the controversy over the events of last month had become a “distraction” and that he is standing down with “immediate effect” despite appeals from colleagues to continue.

The coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa could reduce the efficacy of vaccines by half, the health secretary has said. Matt Hancock made the remark during a webinar with business leaders and travel agents on Tuesday. First reported by Mail Online, a recording of the meeting has also been passed to Sky News. Please

There are “no plans” to give everyone who tests positive for coronavirus a one-off payment of £500, Downing Street has said. The dramatic proposal, which would cost the government a massive £453m a week or £2bn a month, was revealed in a leaked 16-page policy document drawn up by Matt Hancock’s Department of Health and

The government has “considered” the full closure of the UK’s borders amid concerns about new COVID variants being imported from abroad, a cabinet minister has revealed. This week, the government closed all UK travel corridors – which had allowed arrivals from some countries to avoid having to quarantine – until at least 15 February. People

Almost two-thirds of elderly care home residents have had a COVID-19 vaccine – with vaccinations among all groups occurring at 200 jabs per minute, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has told MPs. “I’m delighted to say 63% of residents in elderly care homes have now received a vaccination, that is a really significant increase over the

Boris Johnson has been accused of “overruling” Home Secretary Priti Patel – after she claimed she argued for the shutting of the UK’s borders at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In video footage of her comments to Tory supporters, Ms Patel suggested she privately pushed for tougher border measures during the UK’s first national

An online system for booking COVID vaccine appointments has been criticised after claims ineligible people have been using it to “queue-jump” and receive the jab. The Swiftqueue website is being used by numerous NHS trusts to allow health and social care workers and over-70s to sign up for coronavirus vaccinations. Live COVID news from UK

The UK will need to look “very carefully” at the protection provided by the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the government’s chief scientific adviser has told Sky News, amid concerns its effectiveness is significantly lower than had been found in trials. Sir Patrick Vallance said the government would “just need to keep measuring the numbers” as the vaccine

A media enquiry by Sky News has led to questions over what Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon knew of bullying concerns surrounding the office of her predecessor Alex Salmond. When we asked the Scottish Government for copies of its grievance procedure, officials mistakenly sent out their internal emails which detailed their handling of the request.

Four million people have now received a coronavirus jab, the prime minister has revealed, as he warned the public there will be no “open sesame” of lockdown easing. Speaking during a visit to the manufacturing facility for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, Boris Johnson said the UK was rolling out COVID-19 vaccines “as fast as we can”.

The health secretary has said there are “brighter times ahead” as the coronavirus vaccine rollout continues, but warned the public: “Don’t blow it now.” “We are on the route out. We are protecting the most vulnerable. We are getting the virus under control,” Matt Hancock told a Downing Street news conference. Live COVID news from

Replacing the £20-a-week increase in Universal Credit with a one-off payment of £500 is a “terrible” idea, Labour has said. Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reported to be considering giving almost six million benefit claimants the cash payment instead of keeping the £1,000 yearly uplift in Universal Credit. The Universal Credit increase was introduced last year