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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...

US-UK trade deal in danger if Good Friday agreement jeopardised, Democrats warn Dominic Raab faces backlash over Irish border and attempts to leave EU on own termsThe UK foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, is facing a growing backlash in the US Congress after senior Democrats warned they would scupper any future US-UK trade deal if the UK does anything to jeopardise the Good Friday agreement in an attempt to leave the European Union on its own terms.Raab flew to Washington to try to repair relations with pro-Irish Democrats, including the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and the chairman of the House ways and means committee, Richard Neal. The tide of opinion in Congress is moving fast against the UK after a lobbying campaign by the Irish embassy. Continue reading... Go to Source