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UK coronavirus live: Sturgeon demands urgent explanation from UK government over test result delays Scottish leader has ‘serious concerns’ over testing backlog; Welsh health minister says national lockdown could be just weeks awayKeir Starmer to miss crucial Brexit debate due to self-isolationPolice urge people in England to respect ‘rule of six’86% of doctors in England expect second wave within six monthsCovid tests sent to Italy and Germany as UK labs are overwhelmedGlobal coronavirus updates – live 1.11pm BST And here is another Tory rebel. Damian Collins says he will support the amendment to the internal market bill tabled by Sir Bob Neill, the Conservative chair of the justice committee, that would require ministers to win a fresh vote in the Commons if they wanted to use the powe...

Trump's first indoor rally since June defies Covid laws, attacks Biden Nevada event in front of a mostly mask-less crowd breaches state’s 50-person limit and Trump administration’s coronavirus guidelinesIn open defiance of state regulations and his own administration’s pandemic health guidelines, President Donald Trump on Sunday hosted his first indoor rally since June, telling a packed, nearly mask-less Nevada crowd that the nation was making the last turn in defeating the virus.Eager to project a sense of normalcy in imagery, Trump soaked up the raucous cheers inside the warehouse venue. Relatively few in the crowd wore masks, with one clear exception: those in the stands directly behind Trump, whose images would end up on TV, were mandated to wear face coverings. Continue reading... ...

Lib Dems drop mayoral contender over antisemitic comment about Jack Straw Geeta Sidhu-Robb said in 1997 she would ‘tell everyone Jack Straw is a Jew’ in response to Labour’s anti-Islam claimThe Liberal Democrats have suspended a prospective party choice for mayor of London after footage emerged of her urging Muslim voters not to vote for a Labour candidate in a previous general election because he was Jewish.The footage from the 1997 general election, uncovered by the PoliticsHome website, was filmed when Geeta Sidhu-Robb was taking on Labour’s Jack Straw, who is not Jewish, in his Blackburn constituency. Continue reading... Go to Source

Tory rebellion widens over Boris Johnson's bill to override Brexit deal Criticism grows of plan to break international law as EU calls for bill to be droppedDowning Street is facing a showdown with Conservative backbench rebels as criticism over its plans to break international law with a new controversial bill that could override parts of the Brexit withdrawal agreement grew louder on Sunday.It is understood that opposition among the party is growing, with dozens of Tory MPs expected to support a key amendment to the internal market bill that would give parliament a crucial veto of any changes to the agreement. Continue reading... Go to Source

Motorists who cause death by speeding could face life sentence Law change will ensure dangerous drivers face full force of law, says ministerDrivers who cause death by speeding, racing or using a mobile phone could face life sentences under a overhaul of sentencing to be unveiled this week.The changes follow concerns from families and campaigners, as well as some judges, that the 14-year maximum fails to reflect the severity of the crime. Continue reading... Go to Source

Police urge people in England to respect Covid-19 ‘rule of six’ Resources strained as officers called to parties on last weekend before rule change on gatheringsPolice chiefs have urged the public in England to take personal responsibility and observe the new “rule of six” regulations following a weekend rife with illegal gatherings.Overall crime dropped dramatically during the coronavirus lockdown, when police were handed powers to enforce regulations designed to limit the spread of the disease. But Martin Hewitt, the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said demand for the police was now close to that before the outbreak of the pandemic and urged the public to do their part by limiting gatherings indoors and outdoors to six people. Continue reading... Go to Source...

'Lost decade for nature' as UK fails on 17 of 20 UN biodiversity targets UK government said it failed on two-thirds of targets, but RSPB analysis is bleaker – and suggests UK is moving backwards in some areasThe UK has failed to reach 17 out of 20 UN biodiversity targets agreed on 10 years ago, according to an analysis from conservation charity RSPB that says the gap between rhetoric and reality has resulted in a “lost decade for nature”.The UK government’s self-assessment said it failed on two-thirds of targets (14 out of 20) agreed at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Nagoya, Japan, in 2010, but the RSPB analysis suggests the reality is worse. On six of the 20 targets the UK has actually gone backwards. The government’s assessment published last year said it was not regr...

Ministers seek to extend police stop and search in England and Wales Proposals unveiled despite increased tensions between police and black communitiesMinisters are seeking to expand stop-and-search powers in England and Wales by allowing police to repeatedly check people previously convicted of carrying a knife without suspicion they are committing a fresh offence.The proposals are being unveiled despite mounting evidence that stop-and-search tactics are used disproportionately against ethnic minorities, which is in part behind enflamed tensions between black communities and the police. Continue reading... Go to Source