The vaccines minister has told Sky News he is “confident” the UK will hit its “tough target” of offering everybody over 50 a coronavirus jab by May. Speaking to Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Nadhim Zahawi said that at one point on Saturday, the UK was administering COVID-19 jabs at a rate of almost 1,000 per
Politics
Business leaders have welcomed changes to lockdown loans but say more support is needed to keep firms afloat over the coming months. On Friday night, Rishi Sunak announced that small businesses would be given more time to repay bounce-back loans under a “pay-as-you-grow” initiative. The chancellor said he was determined to give firms the “breathing
Details of a huge overhaul of how the NHS is run have been revealed in a leaked government document. The reforms would reverse controversial changes brought in by David Cameron’s coalition government in 2012 and slim down the role of private providers in the health service. The policy document, leaked to the website Health Policy
CNN’s Chris Cuomo speaks with Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, about Fox Business Network’s cancellation of “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” the network’s top-rated right-wing talk show hosted by Lou Dobbs. #CNN #News
A minister has blamed hotel quarantine not coming into force for another 10 days in England on needing more “time to prepare”, after Labour branded the delay “beyond comprehension”. James Cleverly told Sky News that “hindsight is a wonderful thing”, as he faced questions about why the policy was announced on 27 January but will
While taking reporter questions after the House voted to remove her from committee assignments, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) refused to answer questions from CNN’s Jessica Dean on specific remarks about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. #CNN #News
Howard Bloom’s Space Development Steering Committee advises Joe Biden’s NASA to make a radical switch. Stop building rockets, buy launch from private companies, and concentrate on building the infrastructure we will need to bring life to the moon and Mars. Oh, and make every vehicle reusable. For example, says Bloom, the Biden administration can get
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) gave remarks for the first time since the House of Representatives voted to remove her from committee assignments, a decisive step that comes in the wake of recently unearthed incendiary and violent past statements from the congresswoman that have triggered widespread backlash from Democrats and divided congressional Republicans. The vote
The government has revealed it wants all over-50s to be reached in the coronavirus vaccine rollout by May. It is a significant target and the first time a firm date has been put on when all those in the top nine categories on the priority list for a COVID-19 jab will be offered one by.
The Department for Education was “surprisingly unconcerned” about whether a private company was profiting from providing free school meal vouchers, MPs have warned. Edenred was contracted to run the scheme during the first lockdown but struggled to cope with demand for vouchers from eligible families – causing “unacceptable” delays, according to the Public Accounts Committee.
CNN’s Jake Tapper says Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) speech on the House floor defending her past support of conspiracy theories about the September 11th attacks and the Parkland school shooting was one of the most disingenuous things he’s heard. #JakeTapper #CNN #News
England’s economy will be unlocked gradually after schools hopefully return at the start of March, the vaccines minister has told Sky News. Nadhim Zahawi gave an insight into what Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s promised roadmap out of lockdown, earmarked to be announced on 22 February, will look like. He confirmed the government intends to start
Boris Johnson’s adviser tasked with protecting the UK union is set to leave the role amid heightened concern about the threat posed by Scottish independence campaigners. Luke Graham, who missed out on being re-elected as MP for Ochil and South Perthshire in the 2019 election despite the Conservative landslide, is losing his job as head
A team of World Health Organization investigators in Wuhan are visiting a laboratory that has been the focus of conspiracies and speculation about the origin of the coronavirus pandemic. The WHO investigators began research in the central Chinese city last week, after a 14-day quarantine and bureaucratic delays. Their work has been subject to intense
Boris Johnson has vowed to “do everything we need to do” – including an attempt to override post-Brexit arrangements with the EU – in order to “ensure there is no barrier down the Irish Sea”. Having held talks with Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster on Wednesday morning, the prime minister later raised the prospect
Boris Johnson’s government has offered to help Scotland with its coronavirus vaccine rollout. It comes after Nicola Sturgeon was accused of overseeing a “slow and stuttering” COVID-19 vaccination programme that was “lagging way behind the rest of the UK”. But the first minister launched a staunch defence of her government’s vaccine rollout during an appearance
A Moscow court sent Alexey Navalny to prison for more than two and a half years on Tuesday, closing a heated hearing in which the Kremlin critic ridiculed claims he broke his parole conditions while recovering from poisoning, and denounced Russia’s leader as “Putin the poisoner.” The decision is likely to inflame anger among Navalny’s
The government has been urged to “reverse this reckless policy of leaving our borders unlocked” after it was claimed scientific advisers warned only a total shutdown would stop new COVID-19 variants entering the country. It comes amid fears the more infectious South Africa coronavirus variant is spreading across England. According to The Times newspaper, the
It is “absolutely vital” that people in areas of England where the South African variant of coronavirus has been identified minimise all social contact, the health secretary has said. Speaking at the Downing Street news conference, Matt Hancock said the emergence of the COVID-19 variant was a “stark reminder the fight against this virus is
Moving all teachers up the queue for COVID vaccines would risk more overall deaths among more vulnerable groups, cabinet minister Liz Truss has suggested. The international trade secretary pushed back against Labour’s call for all teachers and school staff to be vaccinated during the upcoming February half-term, in a bid to get all children back