Politics

Lockdowns through the winter will be an “absolutely last resort”, the vaccines minister has told Sky News. Nadhim Zahawi said the government will instead rely on vaccines to shift COVID-19 from pandemic to endemic status. He told Sky News: “Lockdowns will be an absolutely last resort. “What we’re trying to do at the moment is

The government has accepted the recommendation from the UK’s chief medical officers that children aged 12 to 15 should be offered a first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine and invitations will start being sent out next week. Making the announcement in the Commons, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “We will now move with the

The prime minister is said to be “dead set” on avoiding another lockdown as he prepares to reveal his plan for managing COVID-19 over the autumn and winter. Boris Johnson is expected to address a news conference on Tuesday when he will outline how vaccinations will provide Britain’s main defence over the colder months. According

A cabinet colleague has rallied to the defence of the home secretary as she faced fresh claims of breaking ministerial rules over a meeting with a billionaire Tory donor and British Airways. Health Secretary Sajid Javid gave his backing to Priti Patel, saying she was doing “incredibly well”, as Labour demanded an investigation into her

Sajid Javid has told Sky News he wants to remove the PCR test requirement for travellers returning from some foreign countries “as soon as I possibly can”. The health secretary said he was aware of the cost for families holidaying abroad and that the measure should not be in place “for a second longer than

Northern Ireland could see “instability, uncertainty and unpredictability” if there is an attempt to renegotiate the post-Brexit agreement, the European Commission’s vice president has warned. Maros Sefcovic said the Northern Ireland Protocol must be “properly implemented”, but admitted both sides would have to compromise. His warning came after DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said his

Private COVID-19 testing companies will face £10,000 fines for taking advantage of holidaymakers as 91 are removed from the government’s approved list following a review. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said following a review by the Competition and Markets Authority into the private COVID testing market, 135 providers have also had their inaccurate prices corrected. “They

The government will look at extending the use of vaccine passports if there is a “public health need” to do so, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has said. Mr Dowden told Sky News the government “want as few restrictions for as short a period as possible”, but that if the situation with coronavirus worsens, ministers will

Booster vaccines are reportedly set to be given the go-ahead next week, despite a professor who helped develop the AstraZeneca jab warning that a mass campaign may not be necessary. According to The Times, data suggests that an additional Pfizer dose, months after a second vaccine is given, significantly boosts the body’s immune response to

Sir Keir Starmer has told Sky News he would back “wealth taxes” to fund social care reform – but refused to reveal if he had his own plan. The Labour leader told Sky’s political editor, Beth Rigby, a “range of options” needs to be looked at after criticising the government for voting to increase National

MPs have backed a tax hike to boost funds for dealing with the NHS treatment backlog and to reform social care in England. On Wednesday night, the House of Commons voted by 319 to 248, majority 71, in favour of a 1.25 percentage point rise in National Insurance contributions from next April. The backing for

Boris Johnson’s government has reneged on key promises it has made in the efforts to combat climate change, according to one of the most senior Conservative environmentalists. The Tory chair of the Climate Change Committee – which advises the government on tackling global warming – has condemned the decision by ministers to give into Australian

A plan to hike National Insurance contributions will raise “enough money” to pay for reforms to the care sector in England and is “a very Conservative thing to do”, Sajid Javid has said. The health secretary told Kay Burley that while “I don’t like raising taxes”, without these changes, NHS waiting lists would have reached

Boris Johnson has refused to rule out further tax rises prior to the next general election as he defended his abandonment of a Conservative manifesto promise not to raise National Insurance contributions. After unveiling his plan for a hike in National Insurance contributions by 1.25% to pay for the social care system in England and

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi has not denied that ‘firebreak’ restrictions could be implemented in October if COVID-19 hospitalisations remain high – but said it depends on the success of the booster jab programme for the elderly and most vulnerable. Mr Zahawi said the booster programme is his “absolute priority” as it will “absolutely help us

The NHS in England will receive an extra £5.4bn over the next six months in order to help deal with the impact of COVID-19, the government has confirmed. The additional funding will help tackle hospital waiting lists and the backlog of operations and treatments delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. There are currently around five million

Boris Johnson is set to face a significant amount of opposition from MPs over his handling of the Afghanistan crisis, possible plans to hike national insurance, and cutting the Universal Credit uplift when parliament resumes today. In a statement set to be delivered to the Commons later, the prime minister will praise the “courage and

Concern at the top of government over a rise to national insurance has spilled into the open after a senior minister suggested that voters would remember broken promises on tax. Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg used his weekly segment in the Sunday Express newspaper to republish a famous quote by former president

No decision has been made on whether to offer coronavirus jabs to all 12 to 15-year-olds, the vaccines minister has told Sky News. Speaking to Trevor Phillips On Sunday, Nadhim Zahawi said parents of children in this age group will need to give their consent if a rollout takes place. He also confirmed that vaccine

Government “incompetence” is to blame for the shortage of flu vaccines, the shadow business minister has told Sky News. Speaking on Sky News Breakfast, Seema Malhotra said the government needs to “get a grip” on the “supply chain crisis” that is hitting the country. On Saturday, the largest provider of flu vaccines to the UK,