England could escape tougher lockdown measures for now after science chief Patrick Vallance suggested the current measures are ‘enough’ to control the mutant Covid strain and Neil Ferguson pointed to a ‘plateau’ in hospital admissions. Boris Johnson is set to hold off tightening the rules despite soaring deaths and Nicola Sturgeon imposing extra curbs in … Read more
Holiday firms are reporting an explosion in ‘grey pound’ bookings from Easter onwards as Britain’s millions of over-50s plan multiple breaks away because of ‘vaccine confidence’ and the likely scrapping of travel restrictions. Tui, the UK’s biggest package holiday company, said today that more than half of online bookings this week to places such as … Read more
Furious fishermen threaten to dump rotting seafood in Downing Street unless Boris Johnson sorts out delays to exports since Brexit UK seafood exporters have faced a ‘perfect storm’ of problems since January 1 IT problems, bureaucracy and confusion have all played a part in trade hold-ups Reports made about shellfish rotting in ports meaning they … Read more
Not since he emerged from ICU in April has Boris Johnson appeared so zapped. Perched in a committee room in Portcullis House, shoulders hunched, eyes drained of all enthusiasm, he looked as if he was steeling himself to sit through Ibsen. In Norwegian. Actually it was worse than that. The Prime Minister was facing a … Read more
21 million reasons to be hopeful: Huge number of Covid-19 vaccines are now in the UK… and there are enough doses to hit the target of injecting over-70s, health staff and care home residents by mid-February More than 21million Covid jabs are on British soil, the Daily Mail can reveal Means all over-70s, care home … Read more
Britain is in for a ‘pretty grim period’ for Covid deaths which won’t fall for ‘some weeks’, the Government’s top scientist warned today – after the UK recorded its deadliest day yet with 1,564 confirmed fatalities. Department of Health figures show the daily laboratory-confirmed death toll has risen 50 per cent week-on-week, with data suggesting the … Read more
Catering firm Chartwells has announced it will start including breakfast in free school meal deliveries in response to the fierce criticism of its meagre parcels. The under-fire schools food provider has apologised and vowed to raise standards after parents railed against the paltry lunches it was sending their children. Boris Johnson branded the boxes of … Read more
The dispiriting photo shared by a parent in receipt of a Government school meal food parcel – where the items appeared to add up to around £5 – has left many suggesting that they could provide a healthy, more satisfying box of food for the same price. Fierce criticism of the scheme, which this morning saw … Read more
Parents will be able to claim food vouchers from next week after an outcry over paltry free school meal parcels forced another Government U-turn. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson today announced he would be reintroducing the £15 vouchers from January 18. He told MPs he was ‘absolutely disgusted’ by images shared by angry parents laying bare … Read more
Tensions with China escalated again today as Tories warned the ‘Golden Age’ in relations is over – and Beijing accused the UK of ‘spreading lies’ about human rights abuses. A war of words is raging after Boris Johnson lashed out at ‘demented’ Chinese medicine for helping trigger the coronavirus pandemic, and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab … Read more