Politics

GCSE results have hit record highs again this year. The proportion of UK pupils getting the top grades – that’s a 7 or higher, equivalent to at least an A – is 28.9%, an increase of 2.7% on last year. The overall pass rate also rose, with over three quarters – 77.1% – of pupils

Lorry traffic controls introduced to avoid post-Brexit disruption around the Port of Dover in Kent are set to be used to manage future issues in the area. The Department for Transport has announced that the traffic reconfiguration on the M20, known as Operation Brock, will continue past its current 31 October deadline. It said the

Gurkhas protesting for pension equality opposite Downing Street by staging a hunger strike say they have had their gazebo dismantled by police. Dhan Gurung, who is on day four of his hunger strike, told Sky News the incident happened on Tuesday morning. Speaking to Kay Burley, he said the officers who turned up told them

The education secretary has revealed he cannot remember what he got in his A-levels. Doing a round of media interviews on the day thousands of students got their results for this year, Gavin Williamson recalled the day he got his A-level grades 27 years ago. Live updates as students receive their A-level results But when

Universities that do not return to face-to-face teaching this coming academic year should not be charging full fees, the education secretary has told Sky News. Speaking to Kay Burley, Gavin Williamson said: “I think if universities are not delivering what students expect, then actually they shouldn’t be charging the full fees.” Live updates as students

Labour are calling for a senior Conservative to be investigated for training witnesses before they give crucial evidence to MPs. Parliament’s standards watchdog has been told to “urgently” look into payments made to James Gray for coaching witnesses ahead of appearances before select committees. The Tory MP has been receiving the cash while sitting on

Hopes for a summer getaway are given a boost from today with a sizeable expansion of the government’s green travel list – and the return of holiday favourite France to the regular amber category. After a spell on the so-called “amber plus” list, France’s move back to amber means that fully vaccinated travellers returning from

Urgent action is needed to address climate change or the world will soon face “catastrophe”, the UK’s COP26 chief has warned. With just 85 days until the climate conference in Glasgow, minister Alok Sharma told the Observer that failing to act would have “catastrophic” consequences. “I don’t think there’s any other word for it,” said

The prime minister is not expected to isolate after flying to Scotland this week with a member of his staff who has tested positive for COVID-19. Boris Johnson was on the same flight as the person but did not come within two metres of them, Sky News understands. A Number 10 spokesman said: “The prime

An alpaca condemned to death after testing positive for bovine tuberculosis looks set to die despite his owner pleading with Boris Johnson for a stay of execution. Geronimo the six-year-old alpaca has tested positive for the disease twice and a High Court judge has ruled he must be put down. His owner, Helen Macdonald, whose

Boris Johnson has refused to apologise after he said Margaret Thatcher gave the UK a “big early start” in its battle against climate change when she closed coal mines in the 1980s. The PM’s official spokesperson told reporters Mr Johnson recognises the “huge impact and pain” caused by the closure of coal mines – but

Climate minister Alok Sharma’s air travel to 30 countries in seven months is “bizarre” and sets a bad example ahead of COP26, a Labour minister has said. Speaking to Kay Burley on Sky News, David Lammy told that reports that COP26 President Mr Sharma flew tens of thousands of miles during the pandemic are “worrying”

Fully vaccinated travellers and under 18s arriving in England from France will no longer need to isolate, while India is coming off the red list. The Department for Transport has set out the government’s latest COVID-19 travel update, with all of the changes taking effect from 4am on Sunday. In a surprise move, the cost

Nicola Sturgeon has said it is “a bit strange” for Boris Johnson to have declined her invitation to meet for talks during the PM’s trip to Scotland this week. Speaking to reporters, Scotland’s first minister said “most people will think it is a bit odd” that the prime minister did not want to discuss COVID-19

Boris Johnson has declined Nicola Sturgeon’s invitation to meet for talks while he is in Scotland this week. The first minister had invited the prime minister to her official Edinburgh residence, Bute House, to discuss their plans for recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world But in

Nicola Sturgeon has invited Boris Johnson to meet her to discuss their COVID recovery plans. The Scottish first minister invited the prime minister to her official Edinburgh residence, Bute House, during his visit to Scotland this week. She said it would be “their first opportunity to meet in person for a while”. Ms Sturgeon acknowledged

Fully vaccinated travellers from the US and EU can now arrive in the UK without having to isolate. The new rules came into effect at 4am on Monday but they have not yet been met by a reciprocal easing of restrictions for travellers from the UK. The new rule applies to England, Scotland, Wales and

The UK and US have blamed Iran for an attack on an oil tanker in which two crew members, including a British national, were killed. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab accused Iran of carrying out a “deliberate, targeted” assault which he says constituted “a clear violation of international law”. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken

Something strange seems to be going on in the Conservative government. Recent weeks have seen ministers announce mandatory vaccination to enter nightclubs, speak supportively of businesses that demand workers are jabbed and moot the idea of barring students from university who’ve not been inoculated. Novel developments for members of the self-professed “freedom-loving” party. Please use

The Conservatives could be in danger of losing more than a dozen seats in their so-called “blue wall” heartlands, a new poll suggests. YouGov found that voting intention in 53 such constituencies in the south and east of England currently held by the party stood at 44% for the Conservatives, 24% for Labour, 18% for