Politics

Emergency measures to exempt food supply chain workers from coronavirus self-isolation rules will not be extended to other businesses, Environment Secretary George Eustice has told Sky News. On excluding other sectors such as hospitality, the cabinet minister said he understood it was frustrating, but stressed the need to “dampen the pace and velocity” at which
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The government is “very concerned” about the numbers of people being pinged by the NHS app, the business secretary has told Sky News. Speaking to Kay Burley, Kwasi Kwarteng said ministers were “monitoring” the situation and would be setting out a list of exempt critical workers “very soon”. Live COVID updates from the UK and
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NHS workers in England will get a pay rise of 3% backdated to April 2021, the government has announced. Those receiving the increase include nurses, paramedics, consultants, dentists and salaried GPs. They are being recognised for their pandemic contribution during an “unprecedented year”, says the Department of Health and Social Care. In a statement, Health
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Five Tory MPs breached the code of conduct by trying to influence the trial of former MP Charlie Elphicke, the Commons Standards Committee has ruled. The MPs include Elphicke’s former wife Natalie Elphicke, Sir Roger Gale, Theresa Villiers, Adam Holloway and Bob Stewart. Three of them – Ms Elphicke, Sir Roger and Ms Villiers –
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Downing Street has said the prime minister was already at his country retreat when he was contacted by NHS Test and Trace and told to isolate – as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer labelled Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s initial decision to “dodge” quarantine as “crass and insensitive”. According to the prime minister’s official
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A senior minister has told Sky News he is “confident” the government is doing the right thing by lifting almost all coronavirus restrictions in England, as a top World Health Organization (WHO) envoy warned: “This virus hasn’t gone away.” Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said now is “as good a time as any” to lift most
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Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have performed a dramatic U-turn and announced they will no longer dodge self-isolation after a fellow minister tested positive for COVID. The prime minister and the chancellor performed a full reversal little more than two-and-a-half hours after it was announced they would make use of a Downing Street pilot scheme
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Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak will not be isolating despite being ‘pinged’ after Sajid Javid’s positive COVID test, Downing Street has said. After Mr Javid, the newly-appointed health secretary, contracted coronavirus and went into quarantine, it was thought a number of other ministers and officials might also have to self-isolate. But Downing Street said Mr
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More than 35 million people, including secondary school pupils, will be offered a free flu vaccine this winter under plans announced by the government. The biggest flu programme in the country’s history will be launched in September, the government said, and will build on the success of last year’s expanded scheme which saw a record
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