British Politics

Good Morning Britain presenters Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid have rejected Boris Johnson’s claim that the government did ‘everything we could’ stop prevent the UK coronavirus death toll reaching 100,000. Communities secretary Robert Jenrick was left to defend Johnson’s remarks at the latest Downing Street briefing, where the prime minister appeared to deny his decisions […]

Senior Tory backbencher Tobias Ellwood said numerous government policies have contributed to the UK’s death toll from coronavirus. The Commons Defence Committee chairman was asked on BBC Two’s Newsnight programme if the infection rate was contributed to by locking down too late in March, the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, the Christmas relaxation of […]

The UK could see another 50,000 deaths from coronavirus, a scientist advising the government has warned, as the prime minister said he was “deeply sorry” for every life lost. Boris Johnson insisted he takes “full responsibility” for the response to the pandemic and said “we did everything we could” to minimise suffering as the government’s […]

Boris Johnson has claimed that the government “did everything we could to minimise loss of life” as the UK’s coronavirus death toll reached 100,000. Speaking at the latest Downing Street press conference, he said it is “hard to compute the sorrow contained in that grim statistic”. “I’m sorry to have to tell you that today the […]

Measures in the government’s new environmental protection legislation could be used to ban people from driving cars, a Conservative MP has claimed. Conservative MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (The Cotswolds) said the so-called precautionary principle in the Environment Bill – where actions could be taken by the government to stop environmental damage – could restrict people’s […]

An SNP MP has asked Priti Patel why she has not quit as home secretary following the revelation she failed to close the UK’s borders back in March. The confrontation occurred during a statement from the home secretary in the Commons. Defending the government’s border strategy, Patel told MPs: “From January 2020 the government has had […]

Rishi Sunak has been accused of sexism after telling MPs that “mums everywhere” are owed a debt of thanks for “juggling childcare and work” during lockdown. The chancellor was responding to a question in the Commons specifically about mothers who are working while dealing with childcare and home schooling responsibilities, although there was no mention of […]

The UK will work with the European Union to ensure there is no disruption to the supply of coronavirus vaccines, health secretary Matt Hancock has said. Hancock has said that vaccine protectionism “was not the right approach”, following the EU’s proposal to impose tight controls on the export of Covid-19 vaccines made in the bloc. […]

NHS boss Sir Simon Stevens has warned that the UK faces a coronavirus vaccine shortage. The NHS England chief executive also said any export restrictions on EU-produced vaccines would be a “worry”. He admitted “of course there is a supply shortage” of coronavirus vaccines. He told MPs: “If there were unlimited vaccines then you wouldn’t […]

The Conservative Party’s collection of the personal data of 10 million voters around their ethnicity and religion was illegal, the Information Commissioner has told MPs. Elizabeth Denham said the Conservatives had deleted the data following a recommendation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in a report last year. Speaking to MPs on the Digital, Culture, […]

Boris Johnson has not lost faith in education secretary Gavin Williamson to do his job, despite a minister being sent in his place to answer an urgent question, his spokesperson has claimed. Schools minister Nick Gibb will reply for the government later in response to an urgent question on its plan for the reopening of […]

A Tory backbencher has been accused of “living in cloud cuckoo land” after suggesting schools might reopen by the end of February. Labour’s Chris Byrant accused Tom Hunt MP of ignoring the fact that there were not enough vaccines in circulation to inoculate teachers before the end of April. Speaking on Politics Live, Hunt said: “I don’t think […]

Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband has savaged the new business minister over his attempts to ‘review’ workers’ rights after Brexit. The former Labour leader turned his attention on Kwasi Kwarteng over his previous remarks about the rights of workers. In a debate in the Commons, where Tory MPs abstained on protecting the rights, Miliband pointed to the […]

Nigel Farage has been reminded of a comment he made claiming that fishing rights would be the “acid test” of any Brexit deal. A 33-second recording showing Farage making those claims have resurfaced on Twitter around the same time a former campaigner complained Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal had left her with “no fish”. “Acid test of Brexit […]

Conservative MPs have abstained on a motion to protect holiday pay, paid breaks, the 48-hour working week limit and legislation that bans firing and rehiring. While the motion was supported by 263 MPs, Tory MPs did not vote, with many Tory politicians failing to turn up for the debate. Labour frontbencher Andy McDonald told the Commons: […]

An SNP minister has warned Boris Johnson could be breaking Scotland’s coronavirus rules by visiting the country this week. Christina McKelvie, the minister for older people and equalities, doubted whether Johnson’s trip would count as “essential work”. The prime minister is reportedly planning a visit to Scotland to make an impassioned plea for Scots to reject […]

Piers Morgan has accused Boris Johnson of delaying unpopular decisions to control the coronavirus pandemic because he fears displeasing people. The Good Morning Britain co-host said the prime minister’s indecision had left the UK in the “worst of all worlds”. Morgan argued the prime minister was more concerned about headlines than he was about introducing unpopular but […]

Members of the public and politicians are up in arms after it emerged a Tory MP, who does not classify as vulnerable under government vaccine guidelines, received a coronavirus jab. Bassetlaw MP Brendan Clarke-Smith wrote on Friday on Facebook that “as a volunteer, I was also asked to have a vaccine” beside a photo of himself receiving […]

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has revealed he has an uncle to Covid-19 in the last week. Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, he said: “It’s painful, and it’s closer to home than you think … in terms of losing relatives and family. “I lost my uncle last week to Covid, but, you’re right, it is […]

Former cabinet minister Chris Grayling is attempting to give hedgehogs increased protection to preserve their numbers. Grayling has tabled an amendment to the Environment Bill which would put a legal obligation on developers to search for hedgehogs and take action to reduce the risk to them. By adding hedgehogs to the list of protected animals […]

Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan has caused hilarity after a jibe in which he likened Lorraine Kelly to “Priti Patel with a brain”. Morgan was tipped by the Daily Star to become the UK’s next prime minister, prompting the breakfast show presenter to look for potential ministers in his cabinet. As Kelly said she […]

The SNP has criticised health secretary Matt Hancock for using the Downing Street coronavirus press conference to make “overtly political statements” about the Union. Amid signs of rising support for Scottish independence, Hancock stressed the importance of collaboration between the nations in the fight against Covid-19 during the health briefing. He told the press conference […]

The UK’s role in a diplomatic row with the EU over the status of the bloc’s ambassador in London has been branded “vindictive” and “offensive” in the Lords. Foreign office minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon said the government continued to engage with the EU on the long-term arrangements for the EU delegation. Lord Ahmad told […]

Boris Johnson will tour Scotland this week in a bid to shore up the union after yet another poll showed strong support for Scottish independence. The Sun has reported Johnson will use the trip to promote the benefits of Scotland staying a part of the United Kingdom. It comes after Nicola Sturgeon threatened to hold a referendum on Scottish independence […]

Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan has hit back at his critics over an interview with Thérèse Coffey – in which she appeared to turn off her webcam off after awkward questioning about the pandemic. Coffey claimed Morgan was being “insulting” when he pointed out that the minister was blaming the UK’s high coronavirus death […]

The government has defied fresh calls to scrap the Festival of Brexit – due to take place in 2022 at a cost to taxpayers of £120 million – after a petition was launched to get the event cancelled. A spokesperson has claimed it will give the country a chance to “champion all that is great […]

A former Brexit Party MEP who owns a seafood company and campaigned on fishing being ‘great’ for coastal communities across the UK has said Boris Johnson’s deal has left her with “no fish”. June Mummery said waiting five years for fishing quotas to expire was “a long time when you have nothing”. Mummery, who campaigned during with […]

Fewer than 60% of people asked to self-isolate over coronavirus actually do so, the head of Test and Trace has revealed. Dido Harding said people tended not to follow the rules because of practical, financial and mental health concerns. But she stressed that all surveys on isolation data are “imperfect” because they rely on people […]