News and Opinion

Environment secretary George Eustice has claimed ‘we don’t need to worry too much’ about interrupts to food supplies after Brexit. Concerns have been raised about interruptions to food supplies in the face of a ‘no-deal’ situation where a trade agreement is not secured with the EU before January. But Eustice said the pandemic had shown […]

MPs have backed the government’s immigration bill which seeks to end EU freedom of movement rules in the UK. The Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill is part of the move towards the government’s so-called points-based immigration system, to be introduced from 2021. It was approved at third reading by 342 votes to […]

During a PMQs largely devoid of action, we at least got one big announcement: there is no border between England and Scotland Well, OK, technically today’s session of prime minister’s questions did throw up one genuine news line: that people with British National Overseas status from Hong Kong are to get limited leave to remain […]

Labour MP Jess Phillips has accused Boris Johnson of lying in the House of Commons, after he answered questions on local lockdowns during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). During PMQs, Boris Johnson denied claims from Labour leader Keir Starmer that the mayor for Leicester city had been trying ‘for weeks’ to get the full data on […]

Boris Johnson has been accused of being ‘blind to the risks’ of easing lockdown during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Boris Johnson at Prime Minister’s Questions. Photograph: Parliament TV. – Credit: Archant Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said people flocking to Bournemouth beach and other seaside towns last week showed the government had eased the lockdown […]

A health watchdog has called on the government to announce a public inquiry into its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), an ombudsman which deals with unresolved NHS complaints in England, has said the government must come clean about mistakes it made in the handling of the crisis if […]

Brexiteer Andrew Bridgen has called for a Labour politician to stand down, blaming him for the rise infections in his local area, just weeks after defending Dominic Cummings for breaking lockdown. Bridgen, a local MP in Leicestershire where there is now a local lockdown in place, said that the mayor of the city was responsible […]

Matt Hancock has incited panic at a West Yorkshire town after announcing a spike in coronavirus cases in the area when the real epicentre was actually 16 miles away. Hancock told BBC Breakfast and the Today show that Keighley, in West Yorkshire, was encountering a surge in Covid-19 cases. Speaking on the BBC Today show, […]

Ministers have been accused of backtracking on a commitment to hold Downing Street briefings for ‘significant announcements’. Boris Johnson said at the time of scrapping the daily press conferences that ministers would keep the nation informed as there will be ‘more outbreaks, certainly local outbreaks’. But despite the introduction of a local lockdown in Leicester, […]

Cabinet minister Michael Gove was heckled in the Commons when he suggested that civil servants supported the appointment of David Frost as National Security Advisor (NSA), despite the Brexit negotiator having no security experience. Gove was taking an urgent question from the opposition over the recent appointment when one MP erupted in laughter at the […]

The prime minister has delivered his ‘New Deal’ speech where he outlined initiatives to reboot the UK economy after Brexit and coronavirus. But Twitter did not appear enthused by the Dudley speech, which seemed full of platitudes while being short on detail, particularly on how the money would be raised. LBC radio presenter James O’Brien […]

Boris Johnson has been told to stop falsely claiming that Weston-super-Mare was one of the first examples of a ‘local lockdown’. The deputy leader of North Somerset Council has claimed that the comments are both ‘damaging’ and give a ‘false impression’ of the area which is ‘not helpful’. The prime minister was asked this week […]

Campaigners have called on the government to reform the EU settlement scheme (EUSS) to allow greater flexibly for applicants in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Up to 30 charities and organisations have written to home secretary Priti Patel calling for a number of amendments on Tuesday – a year exactly until the scheme ends. Under […]

The number of deaths registered in England and Wales over one week has fallen below the five-year average for the first time since before lockdown was imposed, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The overall number of weekly registered deaths fell below the five-year average for the first time since the week ending March […]

A leaked government document has laid bare plans to force lorry drivers into seeking the permission of tax authorities to cross into Europe after Brexit. According to a Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) report obtained by Bloomberg, lorries and any other vehicles hauling goods will need permission from the department before shifting goods out […]

Health secretary Matt Hancock has claimed data on how many people are being tested is not ‘meaningful’, as he defended the government’s decision not to show the figures for five weeks. Questioned by the BBC’s Dan Walker on BBC Breakfast, the health secretary said that the numbers ‘doesn’t add anything to the battle against coronavirus’. […]

The Telegraph is facing calls to correct its a headline – featured prominently on its website – which claimed that half of coronavirus cases in the UK were imported from Pakistan. https://twitter.com/Telegraph/status/1276629080373370890 The newspaper reported ‘half of Britain’s imported coronavirus cases originate from Pakistan’, but the figure actually represents just numbers from the last month. […]

Theresa May has launched a scathing attack on Boris Johnson’s government for replacing an impartial civil servant as national security adviser with a political appointment. The former prime minister and Tory leader said that David Frost, currently chief Brexit negotiator, has ‘no security experience’ to qualify him to be National Security Advisor. She told the […]

Two senior Conservative MPs are trying to force Boris Johnson to automatically grant EU children in care settled status in the UK when freedom of movement is ended. Former minister Tim Loughton is leading a cross-party effort to ‘avoid the risk of another Windrush scandal’ with an amendment to legislation this week, alongside former cabinet […]

A new poll has found that two-thirds of the public think that now is the time for ambitious plans on climate change. The survey by Opinium found 67% want their local MP to support strong plans for tackling the environmental crisis, while 73% agree the ‘time is now’ to call for the government to invest […]

A Brexiteer has been ridiculed after he tried to intervene in trade talks by sending an angry letter to the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier. Tory MP and ERG chairman Mark Francois wrote to Barnier demanding he listens to Boris Johnson’s negotiators and finds a compromise on contentious trading points quickly. In the letter, which […]

Chief EU negotiator Michel Bariner has said the bloc will remain ‘calm and united’ during the next round of Brexit trade talks. Negotiating teams from both sides of the Channel have met face-to-face on Monday for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak in a bid to revive Brexit negotiations. The last time the two […]

Downing Street has defended the appointment of Boris Johnson’ chief EU negotiator to the key post of national security adviser (NSA). The prime minister has faced criticism that unlike previous holders of the post, David Frost is a political adviser rather than a career civil servant, and lacks security experience. He will replace Sir Mark […]

Brexit voters are less concerned about the spread of coronavirus when pubs and restaurants reopen than their Remainer counterparts, a snap poll has found. The survey – commissioned by LBC radio and run by Deltapoll – showed that Remainers were more worried (69%) about eating in a restaurant than Brexit backers (64%). They were also […]

Negotiators from the UK and EU have met for face to face talks for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit. Teams led by the prime minister’s Europe adviser David Frost and the EU’s Michel Barnier were meeting in Brussels as talks were expected to intensify ahead of the government’s self-imposed deadline in July. […]

A new survey of Brexit Party supporters has asked Nigel Farage’s fans what they want next from the Brexiteer, with one question posed focusing on a new radio show. Farage, who lost his regular radio gig with LBC Radio after his outspoken remarks in the media about the Black Lives Matter protests, now appears to […]

Boris Johnson scrapped the government’s Threats, Hazards, Resilience and Contingency Committee (THRCC) six months before the coronavirus arrived in Britain so they could focus on Brexit. The ‘anti-pandemic committee’, which included senior ministers such as Michael Gove, Matt Hancock and Gavin Williamson, was scrapped before having an opportunity to discuss Covid-19, the Daily Mail reports. […]

A supermarket boss has refused to stock chlorinated chicken and hormone-injected beef in his stores in a blow to a possible post-Brexit trade deal with America. Waitrose boss James Bailey wrote in the store’s Weekend magazine: ‘[Many observers] believe that in an effort to win a trade deal for the UK, we could see the […]

Boris Johnson has been accused of openly discussing a controversial housing scheme with a property developer at the centre of an ongoing political scandal during a lunch in 2010 when he was mayor of London. The i newspaper claimed its editor, David Parsley, was present at a business lunch where Johnson discussed the development with […]

Prime minister Boris Johnson has said the coronavirus crisis had been a ‘disaster’ and an ‘absolute nightmare’ for the country, but still has refused to commit to an inquiry. He told Times Radio that he now wanted to focus on how the country can ‘bounce forward’. ‘This has been a disaster, let’s not mince our […]

MPs and former civil servants have come out swinging against Downing Street’s decision to oust Sir Mark Sedwill as cabinet secretary, accusing it of making him the ‘fall guy’ for mistakes made during the coronavirus crisis. Sir Mark will leave his role as one of the most powerful civil servants in September and is expected […]

Keir Starmer has hit back at suggestions from Piers Morgan that he should be laughing at how the government has handled the coronavirus response. The Good Morning Britain host asked how he ‘wasn’t laughing out loud’ at the claims from the prime minister over how his government has responded. ‘When Boris Johnson stands there and […]