Good morning. “Where are all these mansions [being] seized?”, a Ukrainian activist asked Boris Johnson angrily in Poland last week. The question reflected a concern that the UK has not done enough to directly penalise Russian oligarchs who operate in the UK. But this morning Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, said that he had effectively … Read more
12.27pm GMT 12:27 Ruth Edwards (Con) asks about a constituent who collapsed and died during a football game. She asks for VAT to be removed from commerical defibrilators. Johnson offers his condolences to the family of the constituent who died, and says he will meet with Edwards to discuss the VAT point. 12.25pm GMT 12:25 … Read more
Latest updates: prime minister tells MPs Russian president has staged ‘renewed invasion’ of Ukraine Russia condemned at UN after Putin orders troops into eastern Ukraine Ukraine-Russia crisis: latest updates According to a report by Lucy Fisher in the Telegraph, Russian oligarchs have been lobbying the Foreign Office in the hope of ensuring they avoid being … Read more
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday free mass COVID-19 testing would end in England from April 1 but would still be available for the most vulnerable and could be paid for by others who need the tests. “From April 1, when winter is over and the virus will spread less easily, we will … Read more
Good morning. The most moving feature on the BBC’s Today programme this morning was Rory Cellan-Jones talking about the death of his much-loved dog, Cabbage. But the main news agenda today is dominated by another tale of canine mortality, and it appears that the No 10 “Big Dog”, after two weeks in fear of being … Read more
Harry and Meghan have waded into the row about Spotify spreading Covid misinformation. A spokesperson for their Archewell foundation told Reuters: Hundreds of millions of people are affected by the serious harms of rampant mis- and disinformation every day. Last April, our co-founders began expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all too … Read more
Embattled British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is yet to receive a crucial report into alleged COVID lockdown breaches under his leadership, on Sunday tried to focus attention on the crisis with Russian troop build-up on the Ukrainian border. Downing Street said the UK government is expected to bolster its offer to the North Atlantic … Read more
The prevalence of Covid in the UK has fallen overall in recent weeks, but has risen in school-age children say researchers who have warned the uptick could pose a risk to adults. The latest data from the React-1 study, which is based on more than 100,000 swabs from randomly selected individuals in England collected between … Read more
Britain is prepared to deploy troops to protect Nato allies in Europe should Russia invade Ukraine, Boris Johnson said, as he warned Vladimir Putin faces “ferocious” Ukrainian resistance. The prime minister also said the UK and its allies stand ready to impose “heavy economic sanctions” on Russia and voiced fears that any invasion would result … Read more
As a former Labour parliamentary candidate for Bolton West, a Tory marginal situated among the ‘Red Wall’ seats, I cannot imagine a situation in which its constituents or any of those in the neighbouring seats would vote at the next election for a larger state and even higher taxes. They didn’t want a Corbyn and … Read more