Politics

A “high volume” of lorries are being delayed and refused entry at ports including Dover due to “incorrect paperwork” following Brexit, a shipping company has said. One week into the new arrangements, disruption has begun to be felt from Britain leaving the EU’s customs union and single market and operating on new trade terms with

Boris Johnson has been slammed by MPs for being too secretive about the scientific advice that informed lockdowns and the tier system in England. The prime minister has been warned that transparency is essential for allowing scrutiny of scientists’ advice and promoting public confidence in lockdown decisions. The warning comes in a hard-hitting report by

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has predicted England’s latest national lockdown will be the last full shutdown of the COVID crisis – but suggested Britons might need to be re-vaccinated every six to 12 months. The government is aiming to offer a first dose of a COVID vaccine to nearly 14 million of the most vulnerable

It’s often said that the first rule of politics is to be able to count. (It was Lyndon Johnson who first said it. And while it seems to have been forgotten by some in the US right now, it applies in the UK too.) The numbers will show that lockdown three in England was backed

MPs have approved England’s third coronavirus lockdown – but the government has been urged by leading Conservatives to allow further votes on the measures both this month and next month. Following a four-hour debate in the House of Commons, MPs approved the newest lockdown by 524 votes to 16, a majority of 508. Their approval

The UK will have to roll out more than two million coronavirus vaccines a week to meet its target of offering a jab to the top four priority groups by the middle of February, a minister has acknowledged. Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News that the target, which involves inoculating 13.9 million people against

More than a million people in England are currently infected with coronavirus, the prime minister has said. Boris Johnson was speaking at a Downing Street news conference on the first full day of the nation’s third lockdown, as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said one in 50 people in England have COVID-19. Figures show

The government “should be able” to begin easing England’s coronavirus lockdown in March, a senior minister has told Sky News. Michael Gove said the public should not expect a sudden relaxation of the COVID-19 rules, with restrictions “progressively” relaxed instead. “The government is doing everything it can in order to ensure that we can roll

Boris Johnson has announced a new national lockdown for England – with people instructed to “stay at home” as they did during last March’s first shutdown. The prime minister revealed the action in an eight-minute TV address on Monday night, after being told that COVID-19 cases are rising rapidly in every part of the country

The health secretary has not ruled out the prospect of another national lockdown – and said whether Tier 4 restrictions work is “down to people’s behaviour”. Asked if the government could take further measures to try and curb the spread of COVID-19, Matt Hancock told Sky News: “We don’t rule anything out.” He said areas

The government must impose a national lockdown within 24 hours, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said. Sir Keir said the virus is “clearly out of control” and national restrictions have to be “the first step”. He said: “It’s no good the prime minister hinting that further restrictions are coming into place in a week

Pressure is mounting on the government to keep all of England’s schools closed when the new term starts this week amid fears over the spread of COVID-19. But it comes as Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said children’s education cannot be “furloughed” for months while the country waits for the coronavirus pandemic to subside. Writing in

Staff at schools have a legal right not to return to classrooms due to the spread of COVID, a leading union has said – while another has started legal proceedings against the Department for Education. The National Education Union (NEU) has said all primary schools should remain closed for at least two weeks following the

The smooth start to post-Brexit border operations may be the “calm before the storm”, industry bosses have warned. The first day of January marked the first day of a new trading relationship between the UK and the EU. There had been fears it would create chaotic scenes at ports, with outbound lorries now subject to

As the Pride of Kent eased its way towards the port in Calais, it was making history. The first ferry to have crossed the English Channel in 2021; the first to carry lorries that were travelling under the umbrella of new rules and regulations. What happened next was exactly as you might have predicted. Image:

The UK has begun a new relationship with the European Union with the Brexit transition period coming to an end. Despite leaving the EU on 31 January last year, the UK has remained subject to the bloc’s rules as a member of the single market and customs union. However, this ended at 11pm and the