Politics

More than 60 MPs have signed a letter to the home secretary calling for the easing of COVID-19 restrictions to allow protests to go ahead. The letter to Priti Patel, organised by campaigns group Liberty and Big Brother Watch, warns that allowing the police to criminalise people for protesting “is not acceptable and is arguably

The prime minister has said there will be “no change” to England’s lockdown easing roadmap, despite the NHS warning of a “significant reduction” in the supply of coronavirus vaccines next month. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Boris Johnson said: “Our progress along the road to freedom continues unchecked. “We remain on track to

Boris Johnson has had the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. The prime minister, who is aged 56, got his first dose at London’s St Thomas’ Hospital, where he was treated in intensive care last April after contracting COVID-19. By having the vaccine, Mr Johnson joins more than 26 million people in the UK who have received a

Sky News can reveal further details contained in a report that found Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon misled parliament. Holyrood’s harassment committee also concluded that it finds it “hard to believe” she didn’t know of concerns around Alex Salmond’s behaviour before November 2017. And committee members have included a passage in their report to say

A Scottish parliamentary committee has concluded that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon misled parliament. Sky News understands that Holyrood’s harassment committee has reached the conclusion by a majority vote ahead of the publication of its final report. Members have decided that Ms Sturgeon misled the committee itself and, as such, misled parliament and potentially breached the

Reduced numbers of vaccines are due to problems with international supplies, a government minister has suggested – but he insisted the issues would not slow down the easing of lockdown. The NHS has warned of a month-long “significant reduction” in weekly supply of vaccines in a letter to local health leaders. But Housing, Communities and

The health secretary has played down criticism from Dominic Cummings, who described the Department of Health and Social Care as a “smoking ruin” in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Matt Hancock said the UK’s rollout of COVID-19 jabs was a “huge team effort” by the health department, the vaccine taskforce and the NHS

Dominic Cummings, the former Downing Street aide described as Boris Johnson’s “Rasputin”, is to break his silence following his dramatic departure from Number 10 late last year. The prime minister‘s former de facto chief of staff, who quit in a bitter power struggle involving Mr Johnson’s fiancée Carrie Symonds, is appearing before a high-powered committee

The Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine is safe, the health secretary has said, urging people in the UK: “If you get the call, get the jab.” Germany, France, Italy and Spain became the latest European countries to suspend use of the COVID-19 jab on Monday after reports of some people suffering blood clots after being vaccinated. But

Labour and the Conservatives are heading for a fierce showdown on crime after Sir Keir Starmer ordered his MPs to vote against a flagship piece of government legislation. MPs are voting on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill at the end of a two-day Commons debate dominated by clashes about protection for women and

Boris Johnson has given his full backing to the head of the Metropolitan Police but admitted the chaos at Saturday night’s vigil for Sarah Everard was “very distressing”. Cressida Dick has faced calls to resign over her force’s handling of events at Clapham Common in south London, after police were seen grabbing several women and

Clashes between police and attendees of a vigil for Sarah Everard were “distressing” and “alarming”, the policing minister has told Sky News. Kit Malthouse said that officers were “happy” to be held “accountable” by an independent investigation into Saturday night’s chaos. But he insisted the under-pressure Metropolitan Police commissioner, Cressida Dick, should not resign over

Labour has revealed it will vote against the government’s flagship crime legislation, branding it a “mess” that could lead to tougher penalties for damaging a statue than attacking a woman. Shadow justice secretary David Lammy said the suspected murder of Sarah Everard had “instigated a national demand for action to tackle violence against women”. In

Boris Johnson has said new efforts to radically boost the UK’s cyber capabilities will “transform our ability to protect our people”. The impact of the new technology will be comparable to the emergence of military air power a century ago, the prime minister said. His comments come ahead of next week’s publication of the government’s

Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish National Party have passed their peak and Scotland has had enough of them, according to Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson. “We’ve passed ‘peak Nat’ and, more and more, Scotland is saying ‘enough’,” she is claiming in a battle cry ahead of the elections for the Scottish Parliament in May. Her

The prime minister has backed a national day of reflection to mark the anniversary of the first coronavirus lockdown. The end-of-life charity Marie Curie is planning the day for 23 March to remember those who have died during the coronavirus pandemic. This was the date in 2020 when Boris Johnson first told UK residents they

The prime minister has stressed “there has got to be east-west consent” to the Northern Ireland Protocol after talks scheduled on Friday were snubbed by Sinn Fein. Boris Johnson, who visited Northern Ireland as it prepares to mark its centenary in May, is said to have held “frank” discussions with the DUP over the post-Brexit

The “stay at home” order in Wales will be lifted and replaced by a “stay local” message this weekend – with people allowed to socialise outdoors in small groups. From Saturday, four people from two households will be able to meet outdoors to socialise, including in gardens. Outdoor sports facilities, including basketball courts, tennis courts

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has told MPs the offer of a 1% pay rise for NHS staff is “based on affordability”. The government has come under pressure over its proposed salary increase for health workers, who have battled through the COVID crisis. Critics have pointed out the 1% rise could actually be a real-terms cut due

Sir Keir Starmer is attempting to exploit the row over the 1% NHS pay offer in elections on “super Thursday”, by claiming “a vote for Labour is a vote to support our nurses”. He is launching his party’s campaign for elections in England, Scotland and Wales on 6 May, the biggest poll since the general