News- UK

Cabinet reshuffle: Sajid Javid resigns as chancellor – live news Unexpected move comes as Boris Johnson begins much-anticipated reshuffle to his cabinetBoris Johnson’s reshuffle: who’s in, who’s out, at a glanceFull report: Julian Smith sacked as Boris Johnson reshuffles cabinetTory donor denies funding Boris Johnson’s Caribbean holiday 11.57am GMTAccording to Sky News, Rishi Sunak, the chief secretary to the Treasury, is expected to be appointed chancellor. And there will be a joint pool of advisers serving No 10 and No 11, Sky reports. 11.56am GMTSajid Javid, the chancellor, reportedly resigned because the PM insisted that he sack his advisers, and replace them with officials chosen by Number 10. Such a move would amount to a repeat of what happened last year, ...

Brexit: Macron pushes for tougher EU negotiating position French government wants stronger UK commitments on ‘level playing field’ with EUEmmanuel Macron is making a last-ditch push for a tougher EU negotiating position with Britain over the post-Brexit relationship despite concerns among other member states that they risk blowing up the talks before they have begun.The conclusion of an internal decision on Brussels’s so-called level playing field demands has been delayed as the French government continues to push for stronger commitments on regulatory alignment to be asked of the British in return for maintaining free trade. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus: China purges regional leaders hours after spike in deaths and new cases Political fallout from outbreak continues, with three more leaders sacked, as change in criteria leads to surge of casesCoronavirus latest updates The number of deaths and infections caused by the coronavirus in China has risen dramatically after authorities changed the way they calculate the figures amid an ongoing purge of party officials in the stricken province of Hubei and in Hong Kong.Figures released on Thursday morning showed that deaths in Hubei, the epicentre of the deadly outbreak, had increased by 242 and new confirmed cases rose by almost 15,000 – a jump of about a third on the total so far. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK prepares for more coronavirus cases after first London diagnosis Officials tell Britons to brace themselves for spread of virus as global disruption continues Coronavirus – live updatesBritain must now prepare itself for more cases of the coronavirus, health officials have warned, as they confirmed a first victim diagnosed in London on a day when the spread of the disease continued to cause disruption across the world.The new patient, who brings the total number in the UK to nine, is a Chinese woman in her late 20s or early 30s who lives in the British capital with relatives. She flew in to Heathrow from China at the weekend and called NHS 111 when she developed symptoms after landing. Continue reading... Go to Source

Boris Johnson rejects revolution in favour of modest cabinet reshuffle Move is the latest sign that PM could take a more cautious approach to government Boris Johnson has set aside plans for a radical overhaul of Whitehall machinery in favour of a modest shakeup of his top team on Thursday, in the latest indication that his approach to government may be less revolutionary than that of his key adviser, Dominic Cummings.After giving the go-ahead to the controversial HS2 rail project, which Cummings was known to be sceptical about, Johnson appears to have rejected – or postponed – proposals to merge or abolish government departments. Instead, several cabinet ministers who are deemed by Downing Street to have performed poorly in recent months are likely to be shown the door. Con...

Lyra McKee: man, 52, charged with murder of journalist Police Service of Northern Ireland charges man over murder in Derry last yearA 52-year-old man has been charged with the murder of journalist Lyra McKee, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has said.McKee, 29, was shot dead as she observed rioting in the Creggan area of Derry in April last year. Continue reading... Go to Source

Home Office tells man, 101, his parents must confirm ID Request caused by apparent tech glitch came when Italian Giovanni Palmiero applied to stay in UK post-BrexitA 101-year-old Italian man who has been in London since 1966 was asked to get his parents to confirm his identity by the Home Office after he applied to stay in the country post-Brexit.In what appears to be a computer glitch the Home Office thought he was a one-year-old child. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus: Tests on 83 people quarantined in Wirral come back negative – latest news HMP Bullingdon inmates also given all clear as Steve Walsh, thought to have caught the virus in Singapore, discharged from hospitalF1’s Chinese GP called off due to coronavirusWHO chief says threat of virus is greater than terrorismWorthing hospital healthcare worker contracts coronavirusShare your stories 5.44pm GMTAll 83 people who were being held in quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital, in the Wirral, have been told their test results for coronavirus came back negative. The BBC reported that they all expect be free to leave the accommodation – which they had been staying in for the past fortnight – tomorrow morning. 5.34pm GMTCoronavirus tests for two prisoners in Oxfordshire have ...

'One rule for black boys and another for white': Corbyn attacks PM Jeremy Corbyn confronts Boris Johnson on drug use after deportation of ex-offendersPMQs – live updatesJeremy Corbyn launched a scathing personal attack on Boris Johnson over the way black and white children connected to class A drugs are treated by the government in the wake of the deportation of ex-offenders to Jamaica.Speaking in the Commons, the Labour leader called out the prime minister over allegations of Johnson’s own drug use, saying: “If there was a case of a young white boy with blond hair who later dabbled in class A drugs, and conspired with a friend to beat up a journalist, would he deport that boy? Continue reading... Go to Source

Giant dams enclosing North Sea could protect millions from rising waters Dams between Scotland, Norway, France and England ‘a possible solution’ to problemA Dutch government scientist has proposed building two mammoth dams to completely enclose the North Sea and protect an estimated 25 million Europeans from the consequences of rising sea levels as a result of global heating.Sjoerd Groeskamp, an oceanographer at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, said a 475km dam between north Scotland and west Norway and another 160km one between west France and south-west England was “a possible solution”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Nine schools in East Sussex testing staff or pupils for coronavirus Primary opposite County Oak medical centre tells families of two pupils to self-isolateCoronavirus – live updatesNine schools in East Sussex have said some of their pupils or staff are being kept in isolation and tested for coronavirus after concerns were raised that a Brighton man who tested positive for the disease may have passed it on to others. Steve Walsh, who unknowingly contracted the disease on a business trip in Singapore before going on a ski trip where he is thought to have infected others, is being held in an isolation unit at St Thomas’ hospital in London. He was in the Alps with two GPs who have since tested positive for coronavirus in Brighton. Continue reading... Go to Source

Ofcom to be put in charge of regulating internet in UK Ministers unveil plans to block harmful content, while guaranteeing free speechOfcom will be put in charge of regulating the internet, the government has announced, with a new range of powers intended to protect users from “harmful and illegal content” online.The announcement comes as the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport publishes its response to a consultation over the online harms white paper, unveiled last April. Continue reading... Go to Source

New Hampshire: Sanders declares victory with Buttigieg a close second ‘This victory here is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump’Amy Klobuchar surges to third place with 85% of precincts inBernie Sanders declared victory in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday night, with Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, coming in a close second.“Let me say that this victory here is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump,” the Vermont senator said, hailing his “unprecedented grassroots movement” from coast to coast. Continue reading... Go to Source

Universal credit could 'steamroll vulnerable into poverty' Exclusive: Salvation Army calls on government to make it easier for people to access the benefitThousands of vulnerable people on low incomes – particularly those with mental illness – are at risk of destitution because they do not have the skills or support to apply for and maintain a universal credit benefit claim, the Salvation Army has warned.The Christian church and charity said there was “overwhelming evidence” that many people found it a struggle to engage with the mainly digital benefit, leaving them unable to pay rent or buy food and effectively locking them out of employment support. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus should be seen as 'public enemy number one', says WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says vaccine for COVID-19 virus could be 18 months awayThe new coronavirus devastating Chinese cities and spreading into many other countries around the world is “a very grave threat”, the director general of the World Health Organization has warned, comparing its potential with that of terrorism.“Viruses can have more powerful consequences than any terrorist action,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, after an international meeting of 400 scientists and other experts convened in Geneva to look for solutions to the crisis. Continue reading... Go to Source

Boris Johnson bets on HS2 to deliver new spine of UK transport PM brushes off Tory objections and says work on laying track could begin in AprilBoris Johnson has staked his political reputation on delivering a “new anatomy of British transport” that will boost capacity and cut fares and journey times, as Downing Street seized control of the HS2 project and promised massive new spending on infrastructure.Brushing off the objections of Tory MPs who warned him that the rail scheme would become an albatross around the government’s neck, the prime minister announced on Tuesday that work on laying the track could start as soon as April. Continue reading... Go to Source

David Hockney's The Splash sold for more than £23m The painting depicts the moment after a diver hits the water in a swimming pool David Hockney’s The Splash has sold for more than £23m at auction.The 1966 piece by the Bradford-born artist last sold at Sotheby’s in 2006 for £2.9m and returned to the same auction house on Tuesday evening as the star piece in its Contemporary Evening Art Auction. Continue reading... Go to Source

Westminster council opposes plan to build Holocaust memorial The council raised concerns about the loss of public green space in a busy locationWestminster city council has objected to a proposal to build a national Holocaust memorial centre in a park next to the Houses of Parliament.The council’s planning committee raised concerns about the impact of the plans on one of the few remaining green spaces next to the River Thames in central London. Continue reading... Go to Source

HS2 to go ahead, Boris Johnson tells MPs Government backs high-speed rail line despite spiralling costs that could top £100bnAll the day’s politics news - liveBoris Johnson’s cabinet has given its approval for the whole of the HS2 high-speed train line to go ahead, with work expected to start within weeks.The prime minister announced his decision to the House of Commons, saying the government believed it should proceed despite spiralling costs that could top £100bn. Continue reading... Go to Source

Deportation flight concerns coming from 'Westminster bubble', says No 10 Government defends decision to go ahead with deportation flight to Jamaica despite outcryDowning Street has dismissed concerns about a deportation flight to Jamaica as the preoccupation of a “Westminster bubble” and vowed to press ahead with an inquiry into the use of judicial review.After a court judgment forced the government to remove more than half the people from the flight list, the prime minister’s press secretary said reaction to the case showed that “certain parts of Westminster still haven’t learned the lessons of the 2019 election”. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK man linked to several coronavirus cases speaks from hospital Steve Walsh says his thoughts are with others who have the potentially fatal illnessCoronavirus – live updatesA businessman who inadvertently infected at least 11 people with coronavirus has identified himself in a statement from hospital in which he said his thoughts were with others who had contracted the potentially fatal illness.Steve Walsh, 53, who is in an isolation unit at St Thomas’ hospital in London, which has a specialist infectious disease centre, said he had fully recovered. Continue reading... Go to Source

Four men arrested in connection with murder of Lyra McKee Men detained in Derry under Terrorism Act over April 2019 murder of journalistFour people have been arrested in the investigation into the murder of the journalist Lyra McKee.The men, aged 20, 27, 29 and 52, were detained under the Terrorism Act in Derry on Tuesday morning, a Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesman said. They are being questioned by detectives at the Musgrave serious crime suite in Belfast. Continue reading... Go to Source

HS2 to be given go-ahead by government despite fierce opposition Boris Johnson to give high-speed rail line green light after weighing up ‘pros and cons’HS2 is expected to get the go-ahead on Tuesday as the chancellor said government had weighed up the “pros and cons” of the multibillion-pound rail line connecting London to the north of England.The high-speed line’s spiralling costs led Boris Johnson to request a review of the scheme last summer. Leaked reports suggested the line may eventually cost in excess of £100bn – more than double the 2015 estimate. Continue reading... Go to Source

Jamaica deportation flight leaves with 'about 20' people Home Office flight leaves UK less than half full after court upheld legal challengeA planned deportation flight to Jamaica has taken off but with fewer than half of those due to have been on board after a court upheld a legal challenge.As the government came under fire for proceeding with the flight, it was defended on Tuesday by the chancellor, who said those onboard were not members of the Windrush generation but offenders who posed a risk to the public. Continue reading... Go to Source

Gove criticises US and Brazil for climate crisis scepticism Minister refuses to comment on speculation he could take over UK’s COP 26 preparationsMichael Gove has implicitly criticised the US and Brazilian presidents for their scepticism about the climate emergency, as he refused to comment on speculation that he could be put in charge of government preparations for UN climate crisis talks.Gove, a Cabinet Office minister with a wide-ranging government role, used a speech opening an event looking ahead to COP 26 to express strong views on the UK’s likely role at the summit it is hosting in Glasgow in November. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus live updates: two senior Hubei officials sacked as deaths pass 1,000 – latest news Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam tells people to stay at home and nervous global investors turn to safe havens like gold. Follow updates live‘Come back soon’: coronavirus wreaks havoc on global tourism hotspotsNumber of confirmed UK cases rises from four to eightCould the coronavirus mutate if a vaccine can’t be found in time? 5.44am GMTAgence France-Presse has published its roundup of global cases of the virus. I have updated the list to include the newest cases in the US (1) and Vietnam (1), today. 5.33am GMTSouth Korea’s Yonhap news agency is reporting that the country has advised against travel to Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore. I’ll bri...

Johnson plans £5bn bus funding ahead of HS2 announcement PM poised to approve controversial rail project as he unveils funding boost for depleted servicesBoris Johnson is poised to give the formal go ahead to the HS2 project on Tuesday with ministers promising an additional £5bn on buses and cycle routes to head off critics who fear the troubled high speed rail line will suck cash from other priorities.Ahead of an expected announcement giving the green light to the vast infrastructure project, Johnson will claim that his government will offer bus passengers outside London a more frequent service and simpler fares, as part of his agenda to “level up” the UK. Continue reading... Go to Source

Coronavirus: new UK cases are 'closely linked', official says – live news UK government declares virus an ‘imminent threat to public health’ as death toll inside China jumps to 908 with more than 40,000 infectionsNumber of UK confirmed cases rises from four to eightSixty more cases on cruise ship as ‘depression sets in’How to protect yourself from coronavirusShare your stories 5.47pm GMTBritish Airways has extended the suspension of flights serving Chinese cities amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus. On Monday the airline said flights to and from Beijing and Shanghai had been cancelled until March 31. 4.45pm GMTIn the same statement, PHE revealed that two of the four new cases of coronavirus are healthcare workers. Doyle added: “Two of these new ca...

Priti Patel apologises to Yvette Cooper after Tory activist is jailed Labour MP sought apology after Joshua Spencer jailed for sending threatening messagesPriti Patel has formally apologised in parliament to Yvette Cooper after a Conservative activist was jailed for sending messages threatening to pay “crackheads” £100 to beat up the Labour MP.Cooper used Home Office questions in the Commons to seek an apology after Joshua Spencer was jailed last week for nine weeks, and to ask why Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns gave Spencer a character reference at the court case. Continue reading... Go to Source

Sinn Féin declares victory in Irish general election Party leader Mary Lou McDonald calls for talks with main rivals to form coalitionIrish general election – latest resultsShare your reactionSinn Féin has declared victory in Ireland’s general election and called for talks with other main parties to form a coalition government.Its leader, Mary Lou McDonald, urged Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to start negotiations with the republican party as the scale of its breakthrough confirmed a realignment of Irish politics. Continue reading... Go to Source