British Politics

Health secretary Matt Hancock has been reminded that he voted against free school meals – after he praised the government for providing them. He told Good Morning Britain: “I’m really glad we’re able to send out food for those who receive free school meals when schools are in, and I’m really glad we’re able to […]

Brexiteer MP John Redwood has been ridiculed after calling for the free movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.   In a tweet directed at the government, Redwood said it “needs to take urgent action to ensure free movement of goods between Northern Ireland and GB”. The Tory backbencher added: “We voted to take […]

Labour has accused Boris Johnson of deliberately trying to delay the local elections beyond May for his own advantage. Downing Street is considering plans to delay the elections until June, arguing it would be too dangerous to proceed. The elections had been set for May 6 and will take place alongside the mayoral elections – […]

Former Commons speaker John Bercow has criticised Theresa May’s eagerness to “pay homage to Donald Trump” during the early days of his controversial presidency. Ex-prime minister May was the first foreign leader to meet the US president in January 2017 when the pair held bilateral discussions in Washington only days after his inauguration. The former […]

Boris Johnson is likely to face questions on the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine after warnings to abide by lockdown restrictions were stepped up to ease pressure on the NHS. The prime minister will be grilled by senior MPs on the liaison committee after facing Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during PMQs on Wednesday. Vaccines […]

The government’s attempt to postpone debates which require MPs to attend parliament in person has been defeated by two Tory backbenchers. Westminster Hall debates are continuing to take place during the pandemic, but MPs are not allowed to contribute via Zoom and must be in the room if they want to speak. Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg […]

Home secretary Priti Patel has said that “outdoor recreation” is permitted in a “restricted and limited way” – despite it being prohibited during the lockdown. Moments after insisting the coronavirus rules are “actually very simple and clear”,  Patel apparently misspoke during a Downing Street press conference when trying to explain that exercise is permitted. She […]

Downing Street is seeking to hire someone to help improve its image through engagements with social media influencers. The Cabinet Office is currently advertising for a Relationship Manager – Influencers and Civil Society to sell Britain’s “climate action” efforts and role in the COP26 – the UN’s annual climate change summit meeting – to “high profile influencers […]

The government should not allow a British tech entrepreneur to be extradited to the US over fraud charges because the UK has “surrendered sovereignty” over its justice system for “too long”, former cabinet ministers have argued. Electrical engineering expert Michael Lynch is facing fraud charges in the US where authorities claim he overstated the value […]

James O’Brien has accused companies distributing free school meals of ‘profiteering’ after pictures emerged of parents receiving meagre packages surfaced online. Downing Street has pushed for an investigation after parents began sharing pictures online of what they have been given to feed their children for ten days. Children’s Minister Vicky Ford said she would “urgently” look into the matter after one […]

Television and radio presenter Graham Norton has criticised home secretary Priti Patel – claiming “it’s extraordinary she’s in charge of anything”. The chat show host and Eurovision commentator lambasted the Tory minister, along with Boris Johnson, comparing Patel to a lunch monitor. Asked by the Sunday Times to give three words to sum up Boris Johnson, […]

Dominic Raab has faced Tory pressure to develop new measures to block trade deals with countries found to have committed genocide. The foreign secretary told MPs he rejected a cross-party amendment made by peers to the Trade Bill, describing it as “well-meaning” but also “rather ineffective and counter-productive”. The House of Lords changed the proposed […]

Number 10 has sidestepped a key question about Boris Johnson’s bike ride in east London during coronavirus lockdown. The prime minister’s official spokesperson insisted the prime minister’s exercise was permitted under coronavirus guidance.  He added: “The prime minister acted in accordance with the Covid guidance while he was exercising. “We have always trusted the public to […]

The government has made a speedy u-turn on how it selects questions for ministers from the public at coronavirus press briefings, after previously updating its guidance to suggest it would now choose what was asked. Byline Times reported the government’s website was updated on Monday to state that it no longer leaves an independent polling company to decide […]

Home Secretary Priti Patel will host a Downing Street press conference at 5pm, her first since May last year. This would be the first time Patel addressed the nation since May 22. During a previous appearance in April, Patel drew criticism for refusing to apologise for reports of failure to provide PPE to frontline NHS […]

A columnist has said Boris Johnson is incapable of “denying himself any pleasures” after he was spotted cycling seven miles away from his home for daily exercise. Current official government advice says exercise should be limited to once a day and within your local area, prompting accusations Johnson had broken coronavirus rules when he cycled around […]

The government has been urged to investigate after images shared online showed “woefully inadequate” free school meal parcels sent to families. Sharing the image, Twitter user Roadside Mum said: “2 days jacket potato with beans, 8 single cheese sandwiches, 2 days carrots, 3 days apples, 2 days soreen, 3 days frubes. “Spare pasta & tomato. […]

Policing minister Kit Malthouse has denied Boris Johnson broke coronavirus restrictions over the weekend by exercising at Stratford Olympic Park. Johnson was spotted cycling at Queen Elizabeth Park on Sunday, which is located seven miles away from Downing Street, prompting accusations he broke government guidance. Current official government advice says exercise should be limited to once a day […]

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick has insisted that Boris Johnson did not break the law with his bike ride seven miles from his home. Johnson has been accused of hypocrisy following reports he went cycling away from his home after imposing sweeping Covid restrictions on others. The prime minister was seen at the Olympic Park in […]

A lawyer who took on Dominic Cummings over his lockdown breach has claimed he has been forced to move home because his campaign for an investigation sparked attacks on his property. Nazir Afzal has revealed after launching his legal campaign to prosecute the former Number 10 adviser he had a brick thrown through the window […]

Hauliers are spending tens of thousands of pounds bringing empty lorries to Northern Ireland, an industry spokesman has said. Seamus Leheny, of Logistics NI, said exports of goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain are doing well, however, less is coming back across the Irish Sea as suppliers are faced with new customs demands. There […]

Theresa May has insisted Britain must reject “any push towards nationalism and isolationism” if it wants to prosper post-Brexit and deal with the effects of Covid-19. The Conservative former prime minister also reiterated her criticism of Boris Johnson for cutting the UK’s aid and threatening to breach international law over Brexit, warning this risked undermining […]

Boris Johnson has been under pressure to explain why he broke coronavirus lockdown rules to exercise at a park seven miles away from Downing Street. Johnson was spotted wearing a hat and face mask at Queen Elizabeth Park on Sunday. A source told the Evening Standard that Johnson was exercising and had been accompanied by his […]

A new insurance card enabling UK travellers to access healthcare in the European Union has been launched. Global Health Insurance Cards (GHIC) became available on Monday as part of the UK’s post-Brexit deal with the EU. It replaces European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC), which covered EU countries as well as some non-EU countries such as […]

Nigel Farage has said his new party Reform UK is now “up and running” in Scotland, with the appointment of former Tory MSP Michelle Ballantyne as leader north of the border. Ballantyne, a former Scottish Conservatives leadership hopeful, has been announced as the new head of Reform UK Scotland. She described her new party as […]

Ofcom has dismissed complaints made by viewers over an appearance by Rishi Sunak on Good Morning Britain. Some 1,064 viewers said statements made by the chancellor were inaccurate, with most objecting to his claim that he had engaged with a campaign group representing people who say they have been excluded from access to Covid-related financial […]

James O’Brien has summed up the “hypocrisy” of people opposing lockdown in a brilliant one-and-a-half minute monologue. O’Brien said people ignoring restrictions were having a “toddler tantrum” and were usually those “who are really into law and order if they think it’s only going to be others that get on the wrong end of authoritarianism”. He said […]

A television presenter has taken on a government minister for refusing to rule out banning support bubbles as part of a tightening of coronavirus measures. Susanna Reid criticised the reports, telling Nadhim Zahim it could have potentially catastrophic effects on people’s mental health. Appearing on Good Morning Britain, she said: “People are really suffering under lockdown and […]