British Politics

Boris Johnson is facing a sizeable Commons Tory rebellion over the government’s coronavirus restrictions – including the 10pm curfew and “rule of six”. Leading rebel Steve Baker said he does not expect to defeat the government, but instead get ministers to shift ground. MPs will vote on Tuesday, the day the prime minister addresses the […]

MPs have approved a longer autumn recess for the House of Commons. The chamber will adjourn after business has concluded on Friday October 23 and return on Monday November 2. The motion detailing the recess was supported unopposed. MPs will be unable to challenge ministers in the Commons chamber during this period over coronavirus restrictions, […]

Priti Patel’s immigration bill has suffered a setback in the House of Lords after peers inflicted a number of defeats on the bill that will end EU freedom-of-movement rules in the UK. The Lords has demanded a series of changes to the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill, including to ensure continued help for […]

Rishi Sunak has declared that he does not want to take over as prime minister, laughing off claiming his own job is difficult enough. The chancellor acknowledged disagreements but spoke warmly of his relationship with Johnson after rumours of a split between the two men inhabiting Downing Street. The suggestions have largely been fuelled by […]

Boris Johnson has made his third gaffe in a week when he mistakenly told Britons they were eligible for a “£500-per-week” payment for self-isolating. The prime minster claimed it was a weekly payment to people on low incomes when it in fact was for the whole period of isolation, which could be a minimum of 14 […]

Laurence Fox has been labelled a hypocrite after vowing to boycott Sainsbury’s because of its support for Black History Month. The 42-year-old actor accused the supermarket of promoting “racial segregation and discrimination” during a Twitter rant on Sunday. Fox’s post came after the supermarket chain announced it would be marking Black History Month, an annual observance of black […]

A comedian has taken aim at new government restrictions by releasing a hilarious chart mocking the way ministers have come up with new coronavirus rules. Belfast comedian Paddy Raff tweeted a table which asks participants to make up their own coronavirus laws. Dubbed the “government COVID-19 Law Generator”, users answer three questions, such as what your and your […]

James O’Brien has compared Dido Harding to Rodney Trotter from Only Fools and Horses after a “technical glitch” was blamed for 16,000 Covid cases going unreported. The LBC presenter laid into England’s test and trace chief after Public Health England (PHE) admitted 15,841 cases between September 25 and October 2 were left out of daily case figures. […]

The official Twitter account for the House of Commons has been banned from tweeting results of votes after Tory MPs complained about its impartiality over a key Brexit vote. The account – launched in 2012 to inform the public about events taking place in the Commons – informs users about debates and votes taking place […]

Nigel Farage has predicted Boris Johnson will get Britain an EU trade deal – it just will not be one Brexiteers want. The Brexit Party leader said he had a “sense” the government would compromise over fishing rights and state aid to bag a deal with the EU before the end of the transition period. MORE: Nigel Farage called a […]

Dido Harding – the Tory peer in charge of the new Test and Trace scheme  – has been urged to either resign or be sacked over coronavirus testing failures. The government is under fresh scrutiny after 16,000 Covid-19 cases went unreported and led to a delay in efforts to trace contacts of people who tested positive […]

The SNP’s Westminster leader has told one of his own MPs to stand down, urging her “to do the honourable thing” as calls for her resignation increase. Ian Blackford has called for Margaret Ferrier to resign her seat after it emerged she travelled between Glasgow and London with coronavirus. Ferrier said in a statement on Thursday […]

Wealthy seats and new Tory strongholds have evaded lockdown despite having higher infection rates than areas experiencing tighter restrictions, leaked emails have shown. Emails between health officials leaked to the Sunday Times show there is growing pressure to explain why large parts of the Midlands and the North are under local lockdowns while seats such as the prime minster’s […]

A front cover from the Daily Express featuring comments from health secretary Matt Hancock suggesting Brexit can “save lives” has been criticised. Under the headline “BREXIT GIVES UK FREEDOM TO FAST-TRACK WONDER DRUGS”, the newspaper reports that Hancock had insisted that Brexit will help save lives by allowing new drugs to be approved faster. The […]

Boris Johnson will not be given a “warm” reception from the White House if Joe Biden wins the presidential election, according to Britain’s former ambassador to Washington. Lord Kim Darroch said there was still some “resentment and unhappiness” over comments Johnson made while mayor of London and in newspaper columns about the former US president. He also said Johnson would […]

The chancellor has said he has “no regrets” over the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme, despite reports it could have spread coronavirus infections. Rishi Sunak was dubbed Dishi Rishi after unveiling his August scheme of subsidised meals out to help a pub and restaurant sector badly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Treasury figures show more […]

Boris Johnson has claimed Brexit will provide a “huge opportunity” for Scotland – suggesting it will have a positive impact on the country. The prime minister made the comments following a speech by Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, who spoke about the party’s “defeatism” over Scottish independence. The Moray MP said: “The case for separation is now being […]

Home secretary Priti Patel has used her conference speech to criticise Black Lives Matter protests, accusing them of “hooliganism and thuggery” on the country’s streets. Social media video clips showed police in Westminster having objects hurled at them by anti-racist campaigners earlier this year, while a statue of Sir Winston Churchill had to be boarded […]

A health minister has been urged to apologise after he compared the coronavirus pandemic response to the Olympics. The peer was asked at a Conservative Party conference fringe event where the UK would rank in the world in terms of its response to the pandemic, and said the UK would be “proud” of how it […]

A former Brexit Party MEP has suggested the Tory manifesto contained lies on Brexit – claiming there was not a “single accurate thing” in the section on leaving the EU. Ben Habib, an ex-Brexit Party politician who represented the seat of London in the European Parliament for six months before it was abolished in January this […]

Boris Johnson has joined the row over an SNP MP who made a “monumental” error of judgment by taking a train from London to Scotland when she knew she had tested positive for coronavirus. The prime minister was asked about Margaret Ferrier on BBC Scotland when he replied that it was vital that “everyone obeys the rules […]

The Green Party’s leadership has avoided referencing Brexit or membership of the European Union as it pitched its vision to supporters as part of this year’s virtual conference. Co-leaders Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry instead used their conference speech to focus on the pandemic response.  Bartley said the action taken in response to the crisis had […]

The Commons has become more a more divided and hostile place since the Tories were elected in 2010, research has revealed. Analysis carried out by the think-tank Compassion in Politics has shown cooperation between Labour and Tory MPs has steadily declined since the Conservative won power a decade ago. Examining voting records since Tony Blair’s […]

Former Brexit secretary David Davis has claimed the government should “shrug off” the EU threat of legal action over the Internal Market Bill which breaches international law. The Brexiteer told talkRADIO: “I don’t think it’s something we should take terribly seriously. “The first thing to understand is this was going to happen. “If the EU […]

Dominic Cummings is said to be so “obsessed” with migrant Channel crossings that he is pushing No 10 to consider the construction of offshore processing facilities, a Home Office official has claimed. The prime minister’s most senior adviser is reported to be worried about the impact of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel on the opinions […]

A Tory Brexiteer MP has told Matt Hancock he needs to “start acting like a Conservative” in the House of Commons. The comments were made in anger to the proposals from the health secretary to tackle the coronavirus. In a clash in the House of Commons, backbencher Philip Davies stood up in front of MPs […]

Robert Jenrick has been accused of having “double standards” after his criticisms of opposition MPs breaking Covid regulations was not extended to the prime minister’s top adviser, Dominic Cummings. SNP MP Margaret Ferrier broke self-isolation guidelines when she travelled from her Glaswegian seat of Rutherglen and Hamilton West to Westminster while waiting for the results of a coronavirus test. Upon […]

Tory backbenchers are plotting a new rebellion over coronavirus restrictions – this time over the 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants. Rebels are reportedly looking to force a vote on the issue, the Telegraph reports, after MPs in Boris Johnson’s own party accused him of presiding over a “nanny state”. Steve Baker, one of the […]