News- UK

Eat out to help out sees diners claim 100m cut-price meals in August Last-minute rush means Treasury scheme will cost more than the £500m set aside to help hospitality industry in pandemicAt least 100m subsidised meals were eaten by diners in the UK in August following a last-minute rush by the public to take advantage of the government’s month-long “eat out to help out” scheme, the Treasury stated.The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, praised the public for helping to save jobs in the vulnerable hospitality industry as it emerged that the meal discount scheme had exceeded expectations and would cost more than the £500m he set aside in the July mini budget. Continue reading... Go to Source

No 10 urged to revoke trade role for 'misogynist' Tony Abbott Calls grow to block the appointment of former Australian PM as trade adviserBoris Johnson is under mounting pressure to backtrack over the appointment of Tony Abbott as a trade adviser, amid growing condemnation of his misogynistic and homophobic comments and his dismissal of the climate crisis.Facing the prospect of another potentially embarrassing U-turn, Downing Street insisted on Thursday that “no decisions” had been taken over the choice of the former Australian prime minister. Continue reading... Go to Source

Greece and Portugal stay on England's list of quarantine-free travel But Wales removes mainland Portugal, Gibraltar and more Greek islands from its listCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageEnglish tourists in Greece and Portugal have been spared the cost and chaos of rushing back to the UK after the British government defied expectations and maintained quarantine-free travel from both countries for the time being.But in another break from the previous UK-wide approach to the issue, the Welsh government added mainland Portugal and Gibraltar to its quarantine list, and expanded the number of Greek destinations subject to the rules. Continue reading... Go to Source

'Reach in' to help victims of domestic violence, urges Duchess of Cornwall Camilla says Covid pandemic may make it impossible for some victims to reach outCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Duchess of Cornwall has urged anyone worried that a loved one or friend could be suffering from domestic violence to “reach in” and help them, as the coronavirus pandemic may make it impossible for them to reach out.Writing in the Guardian, Camilla cited “deeply troubling” statistics showing a sharp increase in domestic violence since March, with cases globally escalating by 20%. More than a third of specialist services in the UK have reported an increase in requests for support. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK coronavirus live: Scotland's R number 'probably now above 1' and could be 1.4, says Nicola Sturgeon News updates: Nicola Sturgeon says Scottish R number ‘probably above 1’; 20-minute test could be available ‘in coming weeks and months’, says HancockUK may reimpose quarantine on travellers from PortugalMass weekly testing of population to be trialled in EnglandChildcare crisis risks pushing women out of workforce, says TUCGlobal coronavirus updates – live 12.50pm BST Q: Why is Scotland applying quarantine from arrivals from the whole of Greece when the Welsh government’s quarantine policy just covers arrivals from Zante?Sturgeon says test and protect provides a lot of information about where cases are coming from, and there have been a lot of positive cases in Scotland in people who h...

Labour urges UK government not to hire Tony Abbott as trade envoy Australian ex-PM ‘wrong person for job’ because of views on women and equal marriage The UK government is facing increased pressure over its proposed appointment of Tony Abbott as a trade envoy because of his views about women, equal marriage and climate change, with Labour calling for the idea to be scrapped.“I have real concerns about Tony Abbott and don’t think he’s the right person for the job,” Keir Starmer said in a TV clip. “And if I was prime minister I wouldn’t appoint him.” Continue reading... Go to Source

Merkel pressured to end Nord Stream 2 support after Navalny poisoning German opposition calls on chancellor to use gas pipeline project to pressurise Kremlin Angela Merkel is under growing domestic pressure to end her support for the joint German-Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline project over the confirmed poisoning of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.The German Green party called on the chancellor to use the nearly completed infrastructure project to pressure the Kremlin into answering allegations over what Merkel called the “silencing” of Navalny with a novichok nerve reagent. Continue reading... Go to Source

Brexit: EU rejects British proposal for reuniting child asylum seekers Warning that lack of agreement means more young people will risk lives crossing ChannelThe EU has rejected a British proposal for a system to reunite children seeking asylum with their families in the UK or Europe, prompting warnings that more young people will risk their lives in dangerous Channel crossings.The government had proposed a post-Brexit agreement to continue transfers of unaccompanied child asylum seekers to families living in either the UK or EU, although with no obligation on either side. Continue reading... Go to Source

French reporter who joined police exposes racism and violence Undercover journalist Valentin Gendrot describes culture where officers act with impunityA French journalist who infiltrated the country’s police force has described a culture of racism and violence in which officers act with impunity.Valentin Gendrot claims the violence was so frequent it became almost banal and describes one incident where he was forced to help falsify evidence against an adolescent who had been beaten by an officer.“It really shocked me to hear police officers, who are representatives of the state, calling people who were black, Arab or migrants ‘bastards’, but everyone did it,” he says.“It was only a minority of officers who were violent … but they were always violent.”Gendrot also says he was shocked to ...

Mass weekly Covid-19 testing of population to be trialled in England Jeremy Hunt says UK should embrace repeat testing as route to more ‘normal life’ Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK government is to trial routine weekly Covid testing of the population as part of preparations to head off a possible winter second wave, as the former health secretary Jeremy Hunt called for such tests to become the norm.Matt Hancock said the government was committing an extra £500m to scale up testing capacity and launch community pilots trialling the effectiveness of repeat testing in schools and colleges, as well as in the population as a whole. It will also ramp up the trials of a new test kit that it is claimed can provide results within 20 minutes. Continue reading......

Thursday briefing: 'Russia must explain' as novichok used once again Same chemical weapon as Salisbury atrocity … report lashes powerful GMB union for sexism and bullying … plan to widen wedding optionsWarren Murray with you and here’s Thursday again, right where we expected to find it. Continue reading... Go to Source

Star Wars actor John Boyega says non-white roles are 'pushed to the side' in franchise British actor, who played former stormtrooper Finn, says the process had changed him and made him ‘angry’The British actor John Boyega has criticised the treatment of non-white characters in the latest Star Wars films, saying they were marketed as important elements in the franchise but were ultimately “pushed to the side”.In an interview published by GQ magazine on Wednesday, Boyega expressed bitterness over how his role as stormtrooper Finn faded in the latter episodes of the trilogy which concluded with The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. Continue reading... Go to Source

Minister relinquishes control of shares in firm given UK government contracts Lord Agnew had faced criticism over his shares in Faculty that are worth £90,000A Cabinet Office minister has relinquished control of shares worth £90,000 in an artificial intelligence firm after criticism that his ownership of the shares potentially clashed with his official duties.Lord Agnew had faced criticism over his shares in Faculty, a firm that has gained extensive work in government since it was hired by Dominic Cummings to work for the Vote Leave campaign. Continue reading... Go to Source

Alexei Navalny poisoned with novichok, says German government Angela Merkel demands answers from Moscow over ‘attempted murder’ of Kremlin criticAngela Merkel has demanded answers from the Kremlin over the “attempted murder” of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, after toxicological exams at Berlin’s Charité hospital indicated “unequivocally” that Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent from the novichok family.“This poison could be identified unequivocally in tests,” Merkel said, referring to tests carried out at a military laboratory. She said the findings raised “very difficult questions that only the Russian government can answer, and has to answer.” Continue reading... Go to Source

Cummings recruit sacked after suggesting police use 'live rounds' on BLM protesters Exclusive: data specialist appointed after responding to call by Boris Johnson’s chief adviser for ‘weirdos and misfits’How civil servants’ concerns about racism led them to Cummings recruit’s tweetA data specialist recruited to the civil service following Dominic Cummings’ call for “weirdos and misfits” to work for the UK government was sacked recently after posting on social media that police should use live rounds against Black Lives Matter demonstrators, the Guardian can reveal.The data architect appointed to a senior role in the Cabinet Office after applying through a scheme unveiled by Boris Johnson’s chief adviser was dismissed in July after colleagues discovered his Twitter post and reported it t...

Race to track 200 people on flight after officials fail to tell airline of Covid cases Exclusive: Wizz Air left in dark after eight teenagers travelling from Crete to London Luton test positiveCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHealth officials are scrambling to contact more than 200 British holidaymakers on a flight from Crete last week after authorities failed to alert the airline that eight passengers had tested positive for coronavirus.The teenagers, from Hampshire, were diagnosed after returning to the UK on a Wizz Air flight to London Luton airport on 25 August. The positive tests should have triggered an urgent response to track down the other 204 passengers on board, but Wizz Air said it had not been made aware of the cases until contacted by the Guardia...

UK coronavirus live: government U-turn on Bolton and Trafford lockdown; Starmer accuses PM of 'wasted summer' News updates: government abandons plan to relax Covid restrictions in Bolton and Trafford; ONS updates overall UK death toll to 57,310Lockdown reimposed in Greater Manchester areas in latest U-turnWilliamson told of A-level flaws weeks before resultsJohnson backtracks on meeting group for Covid-19 bereavedHealth leaders warn Boris Johnson over PHE axingGlobal coronavirus updates – live 12.46pm BST The Mirror’s Oliver Milne has more evidence of Sir Keir Starmer calling for children to be back in school months ago.Keir Starmer backed schools returning in the chamber during an exchange with Boris Johnson on June 24. He also wrote about how to get schools back for the Mirror five da...

Health leaders warn Boris Johnson over axing of Public Health England More than 70 organisations have written to the prime minister with concerns about the future of health improvementCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe abolition of Public Health England will damage the fight against obesity, smoking and alcohol misuse, the UK’s doctors and public health experts have told the prime minister.More than 70 health organisations have written to Boris Johnson outlining their fears about last month’s controversial axing of PHE, which prompted claims it was an attempt by ministers to deflect attention from their own failings over the coronavirus crisis. Continue reading... Go to Source

Most Democrats fear Trump could reject election defeat, poll shows As many as 75% of Biden voters worry that if Trump loses election he will refuse to concede defeat, triggering a constitutional crisisThree in four supporters of Democratic challenger Joe Biden are worried about the prospect of Donald Trump rejecting the US presidential election result if it goes against him, an Opinium Research poll for the Guardian shows.The survey underlined fears that the president will not accept the outcome of November’s race, triggering a constitutional crisis. Last week two congressional Democrats wrote to the Pentagon seeking assurance that the military would ensure an orderly transfer of power. Continue reading... Go to Source

Charlie Hebdo attack: suspected accomplices go on trial in Paris Fourteen charged over killing of 17 people at satirical magazine and kosher supermarketThe trial of 14 suspects accused of involvement in the 2015 attacks on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and the kosher supermarket Hyper Cacher has opened in Paris.The hearing, expected to last 49 days and recorded live for “the historical record”, began amid high security and will relive the three days of terror in January 2015 that left 17 people dead and others injured. Continue reading... Go to Source

Johnson backtracks on meeting group for Covid-19 bereaved PM appeared to agree on Sky News to meet justice campaigners but now says it is ‘regrettably not possible’Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson has declined to meet members of a campaign group representing families bereaved by coronavirus, despite appearing to promise to do so on live TV last week.Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, which says it represents 1,600 bereaved families, is campaigning for a rapid public inquiry into the government’s response to the pandemic and is taking legal action to force one, sending pre-action letters to the government. Continue reading... Go to Source

Wednesday briefing: Exam warnings date back to July Confidence in A-levels and GCSEs ‘needs to be urgently rebuilt’ … Strictly’s first same-sex pairing … and did Kim Jong-un hit on Sarah Sanders?Good morning, Warren Murray helping you keep your balance halfway across the tightrope that is the week. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK will lead world on tackling famine and Covid with new department, says Raab Merging DfID and FCO will cement Britain ‘as a force for good’, Raab claims, but critics fear aid will be deprioritisedDominic Raab pledged Britain will take the global lead in tackling coronavirus and the growing risk of famine in developing countries by combining diplomatic strength with “world-leading” aid expertise, as the newly merged Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) prepared to launch on Wednesday.In his first appointment as head of the FCDO, the foreign secretary appointed Nick Dyer, acting permanent secretary of the former Department for International Development (DfID), as the UK’s first special envoy for famine prevention and humanitarian affairs. Con...

Trump told Sarah Sanders to 'take one for the team' after Kim Jong-un wink Ex-press secretary describes boorish remarks in new memoir‘Kim Jong-un hit on you,’ Trump said, after gesture at summitDonald Trump told Sarah Sanders she would have to “go to North Korea and take one for the team”, after Kim Jong-un winked at the then White House press secretary during a summit in Singapore in June 2018. Related: Trump denies 'series of mini-strokes' after book reports mystery hospital visit Continue reading... Go to Source

Williamson told about flaws in A-level model two weeks before results Exclusive: Ofqual reassured Department for Education that faults could be managed by allowing appealsGavin Williamson was offered evidence of serious flaws in the grading of this year’s exams two weeks before A-level results were published in England, the Guardian has been told.But Williamson and the Department for Education were reassured by the exam regulator Ofqual that the flaws could be managed by allowing schools to appeal in cases of unusual results. Continue reading... Go to Source

Olympian Nicola Adams to star in Strictly's first same-sex couple Former boxer to compete with female partner in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing The Olympic gold medallist Nicola Adams will appear on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing in the show’s first same-sex competing couple, the Guardian understands.The former professional boxer will swap the ring for the ballroom when she pairs up with a female dance partner in the series starting next month, a first in the show’s 16-year history. Continue reading... Go to Source

Trump and Barr in Kenosha as protests continue over police shooting of Jacob Blake – live Trump expected to meet with local law enforcementWhite House doctor says Trump never experienced a strokeWhat’s behind Trump’s ‘law and order’ strategy and will it work?Trump compares police shootings to golf and defends teen shooterSign up for our First Thing newsletter 12.51am BST The Russian agency that interfered in the 2016 US election created a fake leftwing news publication, staffed it with fake editors with AI-generated photos and hired real freelance reporters as part of a fresh influence operation detected and removed by Facebook, the company said on Tuesday.The latest operation by the Internet Research Agency (IRA) was still in its early stages when it was detecte...

DJ Erick Morillo found dead in Florida The 49-year-old musician was discovered at a property in Miami Beach on Tuesday morningDJ Erick Morillo has been found dead in Florida at the age of 49, police have said.The world-renowned musician, known for his 1994 hit I Like to Move It, released under the pseudonym Reel 2 Real, was discovered at a property in Miami Beach on Tuesday morning, according to police. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK broadband speeds among slowest in Europe, study finds Lateness in rolling out pure fibre networks to blame for low ranking, says analystThe UK has plummeted down the global broadband speed rankings to rate as one of the slowest countries in Europe, with a typical household taking more than twice as long to download a movie than the average home in western Europe.Britain has dropped 13 places in an annual study ranking the average broadband speeds of 221 countries and territories, placing it 47th fastest in the world. Last year, the UK ranked 34th for average broadband speed. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus: household gatherings banned in parts of Greater Glasgow Two-week localised lockdown imposed in West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow and East RenfrewshireCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNicola Sturgeon has announced a ban on household gatherings in three local authorities in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area for the next two weeks after a surge in coronavirus cases.The Scottish first minister said localised lockdowns, which come into force at midnight tonight, apply to those living in West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow and East Renfrewshire, where infection rates have risen in recent days. Continue reading... Go to Source