News- UK

Labour donor who quit over antisemitism is ready to rejoin Sir David Garrard, one of the party’s biggest private supporters, is optimistic about Keir Starmer’s reformsOne of Labour’s most generous private donors, who dramatically quit the party over antisemitism, has signalled he is ready to rejoin in a further sign that Keir Starmer is winning back Jewish supporters.Sir David Garrard revealed he had quit in 2018 as Labour struggled with accusations of antisemitism within the party. He said at the time that he no longer felt “any affinity or connection” with the party, adding that the Labour he joined “no longer exists”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, supreme court justice, dies aged 87 Stalwart of court’s liberal bloc had survived four cancer treatmentsDeath of justice gives Trump chance of third appointmentThe supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died of pancreatic cancer, the court said Friday. She was 87. Ginsburg was the second woman appointed to the court in history and became a liberal icon for her sharp questioning of witnesses and intellectually rigorous defenses of civil liberties, reproductive rights, first amendment rights and equal protections under the law. Continue reading... Go to Source

Mitch McConnell vows US Senate will push on with Trump's pick to replace Ginsburg McConnell says vote will go ahead despite refusing Obama’s, as Biden says next president should choose replacementMitch McConnell, the US senate majority leader, vowed on Friday to move forward quickly with Donald Trump’s nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the supreme court, setting the stage for an extraordinary political battle just six weeks before election day.Shortly after the 87-year-old justice’s death was announced, the Republican released a statement removing any doubt about his intention to act, though the timeline for doing so remained notably vague. Continue reading... Go to Source

Ruth Bader Ginsburg changed America long before she joined the supreme court | Moira Donegan She spent her extraordinary career fighting for women’s rights and ensuring the promise of the constitution applied to allThe most important feminist lawyer in the history of the American republic has died. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a supreme court justice and singularly influential legal mind, was appointed by Bill Clinton in 1993, the court’s second-ever female justice, and served for nearly 30 years. She passed away due to complications from cancer on Friday. She was 87.Strategic, contemplative and disciplined, but with a passion for the feminist cause that is rarely admitted into the halls of power, Ginsburg established an impressive legal legacy long before she became a judge. Over the course of...

England-wide Covid lockdown needed 'sooner rather than later', says former adviser Prof Neil Ferguson says new rules needed to minimise deaths in ‘perfect storm’ second waveCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe epidemiologist whose modelling helped shape Britain’s coronavirus lockdown strategy has said new restrictions will be needed in England “sooner rather than later” if the government is to prevent infections surging again.Prof Neil Ferguson, who resigned from the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said the country was facing a “perfect storm” after controls were eased over summer. Continue reading... Go to Source

Engagement with anti-vaccine Facebook posts trebles in one month Exclusive: Guardian analysis prompts calls for new drive to combat conspiracy theories Medical experts v anti-vaxxers: the Covid-19 information battle Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageEngagement with anti-vaccine posts on a sample of UK Facebook pages trebled between July and August, analysis by the Guardian has found, triggering calls for a major new push to tackle conspiracy theories.Interactions on posts expressing scepticism or hostility towards vaccines on six UK Facebook pages increased from 12,000 in July to 42,000 in August, according to the analysis, conducted using the social media analytics tool CrowdTangle. Continue reading... Go to Source

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, supreme court justice and champion of women's rights, dies aged 87 – live Beloved justice was a crucial liberal vote on the courtDecision follows report CDC scientists raised objectionsTrump under fire for ‘shocking’ Covid failuresAdministration to ban US downloads of TikTok and WeChatSign up for our First Thing newsletter 12.57am BST Supreme Court press release on Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s death “Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died this evening surrounded by her family at her home in Washington, D.C., due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer. She was 87 years old. Justice Ginsburg was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Clinton in 1993. She was the second woman appointed to the Court and served more than 27 years... 12.53am BST Will Trump react...

UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson says 'second wave coming in' and warns measures may be intensified PM warns it is ‘inevitable’ coronavirus will hit UK again; R number increases to between 1.1 and 1.4; 4,322 new cases recordedStricter restrictions imposed in Lancashire, Merseyside and Warrington‘Circuit break’ plans for England to prevent new lockdownTest and trace: how does UK compare with other countries?London New Year’s Eve fireworks cancelled, says Sadiq KhanGlobal coronavirus updates – live 6.46pm BST That’s it from the UK blog for today. But you can follow our global coronavirus blog here - Related: Coronavirus live news: Iran in grip of 'third wave' of pandemic; Covid-related deaths in France on the rise 6.44pm BST Continue reading... Go to Source

Amal Clooney quits UK envoy role over 'lamentable' Brexit bill Exclusive: Prominent human rights lawyer writes to foreign secretary with stinging denunciationAmal Clooney, the high-profile human rights lawyer, has resigned from her position as the UK’s special envoy on media freedom in protest at the government’s intention to breach international law through the internal market bill.In a stinging denunciation of Boris Johnson’s threat to override Britain’s international treaty obligations in the EU withdrawal agreement, the barrister described the government’s actions as “lamentable”. Continue reading... Go to Source

'Hail, gallant woman': Amy Dorris praised for coming forward with Trump assault allegation Fellow accuser E Jean Carroll leads chorus of voices supporting former modelA prominent American former magazine columnist who accused Donald Trump of raping her in the 1990s has joined a chorus of voices supporting the latest woman to accuse Trump of sexually assaulting her, Amy Dorris.Dorris, a former model and actor, said in a Guardian interview published on Thursday that Trump had forced his tongue down her throat and groped her at the 1997 US Open. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK government faces legal action over 'moonshot' Covid testing project Good Law Project says plans ignore scientific evidence and break value-for-money rulesThe UK government is facing legal action over Boris Johnson’s “moonshot” project, which could involve up to £100bn being spent on an attempt to increase Covid-19 testing capacity to 10m per day.The health secretary, Matt Hancock, and the minister for the Cabinet Office, Michael Gove, are named in a case that alleges the project, as described in leaked papers, is unlawful because it ignores scientific evidence, involves potentially huge private contracts that may not have been tendered and breaks the government’s own value-for-money rules. Continue reading... Go to Source

The Queen strips disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein of CBE The jailed former movie mogul is removed from the roll of honour of the award given to him in 2004Harvey Weinstein has been stripped of his CBE. The former movie mogul, 68, was granted an honorary CBE, for his contribution to the British film industry, in 2004. He is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York after being convicted of rape in February.A notice in the Gazette, the UK’s official public record, said: “The Queen has directed that the appointment of Harvey Weinstein to be an Honorary Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated January 19 2004, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.” Continue readi...

Stricter Covid restrictions imposed in Lancashire, Merseyside and Warrington Measures from Tuesday include ban on mixing with other families and nightlife curfewCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMillions of people across north-west England and Yorkshire will be banned from mixing with other families under tougher restrictions announced to control the spread of coronavirus.The measures, which will come into force on Tuesday, will prohibit residents in Lancashire, Merseyside, Warrington, West Yorkshire, Halton in Cheshire, and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands from meeting others outside their support bubbles and include a 10pm curfew on nightlife. Blackpool is the only area in the county to be exempted from the restrictions. Continue reading... Go to Source...

Covid-19: UK test and trace 'barely functional' as 11 million face lockdown With local lockdowns set to spread, report shows 90% of tests failing to hit turnaround targetCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe coronavirus test and trace system was condemned as “barely functional” today as its tsar admitted that demand was up to four times capacity, while 90% of tests were failing to hit the 24-hour turnaround target.The Guardian has seen documents showing tracers taking up to two weeks to contact friends, relatives and workmates of people diagnosed with Covid-19 – the entire length of the self-isolation period. Continue reading... Go to Source

Home Office 'bases immigration policies on anecdotes and prejudice' – MPs Public accounts committee report accuses department of ignoring evidence and failing to learn from its mistakesThe Home Office has drawn up immigration policies on “anecdote, assumption and prejudice” instead of relying on evidence, an influential parliamentary committee has concluded.The public accounts committee said Priti Patel’s department was unaware of the damage caused by policy failures on “both the illegal and legitimate migrant populations”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Donald Trump accused of sexual assault by former model Amy Dorris Exclusive: Amy Dorris alleges Trump forced his tongue down her throat and groped her at 1997 US Open ‘It felt like tentacles’: the women who accuse Trump of sexual misconduct Support the Guardian’s investigative journalism – make a contributionA former model has come forward to accuse Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her at the US Open tennis tournament more than two decades ago, in an alleged incident that left her feeling “sick” and “violated”.In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Amy Dorris alleged that Trump accosted her outside the bathroom in his VIP box at the tournament in New York on 5 September 1997. Continue reading... Go to Source

Shocking state of English rivers revealed as all of them fail pollution tests Data reveals just 14% of good ecological standard and none of good chemical standardAll rivers in England have failed to meet quality tests for pollution amid concerns over the scale of sewage discharge and agricultural chemicals entering the water system.Data published on Thursday reveals just 14% of English rivers are of “good” ecological standard. There has been no improvements in river quality since 2016 when the last data was published, despite government promises that by 2027, 75% of English rivers would be rated good. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK coronavirus live: new restrictions placed on nearly 2 million people in north-east England News updates: residents in Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, County Durham and Sunderland banned from mixing with other familiesFull story: restrictions announced for swathe of north-east EnglandNorth-east England residents: how are you affected by the lockdown?More than 60% back in the workplace, UK traffic figures suggestProportion of people getting in-person test results in 24 hours halvesGlobal coronavirus live blog 12.39pm BST When Munira Wilson, the Lib Dem MP for Twickenham, asks about testing, Hancock criticises her for what she said about the system in the Commons two days ago. That was when Wilson said people in Twickenham were obtaining tests local...

More than 60% back in the workplace, UK traffic figures suggest Proportion commuting highest since ONS started to measure impact of Covid-19 in MarchCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe proportion of people travelling into their place of work in the UK has risen above 60% for the first time since the start of lockdown, official figures show.Office for National Statistics figures suggest the government’s call for people to return to the workplace is increasing being acted upon, with 62% commuting last week, the highest figure since the ONS started measuring the impact of coronavirus in March. Continue reading... Go to Source

North-east of England faces new restrictions amid Covid-19 spike Extra measures to restrict social contact in Newcastle, Tyneside, Durham and Sunderland expected to be unveiled on Thursday morningCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNew restrictions on social contact between households and a 10pm curfew on pubs are expected to be introduced in parts of north-east England in an attempt to curb rising coronavirus cases.Nick Forbes, the leader of Newcastle city council, confirmed that “additional, temporary restrictions” were being planned to prevent another full lockdown for the region. Continue reading... Go to Source

Thursday briefing: Vaccine reality check needles Trump CDC director says general populace may not get shot until late 2021 … concern over Saudi capacity to enrich uranium … and debate over existence of dyslexiaHello, Warren Murray here, and I’d appreciate you taking on board the following. Continue reading... Go to Source

Robert Buckland urged to join Lord Keen in quitting over Brexit bill Exclusive: Justice secretary’s position is untenable, says former Tory attorney generalThe justice secretary, Robert Buckland, is facing calls to resign over government plans to override international law after another senior law officer, Lord Keen, quit rather than continue to support the controversial policy.Downing Street confirmed Keen’s departure as advocate general for Scotland. In his resignation letter, he said he “found it increasingly difficult to reconcile what I consider to be my obligations as a law officer with your policy intentions”. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK awards border contract to firm criticised over role in US deportations Exclusive: tech firm Palantir has come under fire for links to Trump’s drive to eject migrants The government has awarded oversight of the UK’s post-Brexit border and customs data to Palantir, an American tech firm notorious for assisting the Trump administration’s drive to deport migrants from the US.Palantir, whose co-founder Peter Thiel has been a vocal supporter of Trump, was formally awarded a contract last week to manage the data analytics and architecture of the UK’s new “border flow tool”, which will collate data on the transit of goods and customs from 31 December, according to a Cabinet Office document seen by the Guardian. Continue reading... Go to Source

'Shocking' lack of racial diversity and women in UK journalism – report In one week, BBC Newsnight did not feature one live interview with guest from minority ethnic backgroundBBC Newsnight went an entire week without featuring a single live interview with a guest from a minority ethnic background, according to an analysis of national media output.All 17 individuals interviewed live on the flagship current affairs programme during one week in mid-July were white, according to a survey conducted by the Women in Journalism group amid the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd. Continue reading... Go to Source

Boris Johnson strikes deal with Tory rebels over Brexit bill PM agrees to give MPs a vote before breaching withdrawal agreement, but that is unlikely to satisfy BrusselsBoris Johnson has brokered a compromise with Conservative rebels to give MPs a vote on when to invoke controversial powers in a new bill which would breach the EU withdrawal agreement.In a joint statement with Bob Neill, the chair of the justice select committee who tabled an amendment to the bill, No 10 said it had reached an agreement with him and Damian Green, chair of the One Nation caucus of Tory MPs – many of whom had threatened to rebel on the bill. Continue reading... Go to Source

Ursula von der Leyen says Poland's 'LGBT-free zones' have no place in EU In her first ‘state of union’ speech, European commission president delivers criticism of Polish ruling partyThe head of the European commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has said Poland’s “LGBT free zones” are “humanity-free zones” that have no place in the European Union in her strongest criticism yet of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party.In a wide-ranging 77-minute speech spanning from coronavirus to the climate emergency, Von der Leyen pledged to build “a union of equality” and criticised European member states that watered down EU foreign policy messages on human rights. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK Covid testing system has 'huge problems', admits Boris Johnson As country hits highest number of cases since May, PM warns death rate set to rise in coming weeksCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson has said the Covid-19 testing system currently “has huge problems” during a sometimes downbeat appearance before an influential committee of MPs, as new figures showed nearly 4,000 UK cases in the 24 hours up to Wednesday morning, the highest daily total since early May.With the number of people admitted to hospital in England with coronavirus also reaching the highest level since the start of July, Johnson warned that the Covid death rate was set to start rising in the coming weeks. Continue reading... Go to Source

Belarus charges opposition leader with 'undermining national security' Maria Kolesnikova could face up to five years in prison as president cracks down on oppositionBelarusian authorities have charged the opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova with “actions aimed at undermining national security”, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.The charge, announced by the country’s investigative committee, is the latest move in a crackdown on opposition leaders by the embattled president, Alexander Lukashenko, who has lost legitimacy among much of the population but retains the support of law enforcement agencies. Continue reading... Go to Source

Dominic Cummings: Met refuses to look into reports of second Durham trip Force declines to examine lockdown allegations, saying it will not investigate Covid breaches retrospectivelyThe Metropolitan police has refused to help clarify whether Dominic Cummings made a second trip to Durham during lockdown at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.Deputy commissioner Sir Stephen House said he understood “the passion” the behaviour of Boris Johnson’s chief adviser provoked, but he insisted the Met was sticking to its decision not to retrospectively investigate breaches of the Covid regulations. Continue reading... Go to Source

UK coronavirus live: Angela Rayner attacks Boris Johnson at PMQs over testing and care homes News updates: Labour leader out of self-isolation but not in time for PMQs; testing shortage could lead to ‘lockdown by default’, says teaching union headSchoolchildren should be next in line for Covid tests, says BucklandFamilies having to ‘hack’ system to get coronavirus testOne coughing child – and three fruitless trips to the same test centreGlobal coronavirus updates – liveSee all our coronavirus coverage 12.42pm BST Nicola Sturgeon has warned that it is “highly likely that cases of serious illness and death will rise in the weeks to come” if community transmission of coronavirus continues, emphasising how important it is for people to limit their interactions “as much as possible to stem t...