Month: February 2021

Everyone in the top four priority groups has been offered a coronavirus vaccine, the health secretary has confirmed. Speaking to Sky News, Matt Hancock said the government had met its target for offering a COVID-19 jab to all over 70s by Monday’s deadline. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Uptake has

The first rule of world-beating vaccine club is you don’t talk about world-beating vaccine club. A weird one, especially when the first rule of world-beating coronavirus test and trace club seemed to be that you talk about little else. Even when the reality is clearly not living up to the description. So what’s going on?

Scotland’s former first minister Alex Salmond is accusing its Crown Office of an “abuse of legislation” in blocking the publication of key documents. In his final submission to a parliamentary inquiry he will claim that Scotland’s prosecuting authority has misused the law to block the material’s release. A source close to Mr Salmond says it

The government will not be setting an “arbitrary target” for when lockdown can be lifted despite pressure from some MPs to scrap all restrictions by the end of April, the foreign secretary has told Sky News. Dominic Raab said the plan was to “ease the lockdown” with the return of schools, which Prime Minister Boris

Boris Johnson is to urge world leaders to unite and work together to defeat the “common foe” of the COVID-19 pandemic. His comments come as he hosts his first meeting of the G7, a virtual one, with the UK occupying the organisation’s rotating presidency this year ahead of a major summit scheduled to be held

Boris Johnson has said he is “optimistic” ahead of his “roadmap” for easing England’s lockdown – and hinted at which industries will reopen first. The prime minister said his plan, which will be unveiled on 22 February, will prioritise the reopening of schools from 8 March. He added that non-essential retail will follow, then hospitality

Anyone eligible for a vaccine who has not yet had a jab is being urged to come forward – with Britons in top priority groups being told it isn’t too late to receive one. The government and the NHS have launched a new vaccine uptake plan that’s designed to reach vulnerable and underserved groups, and

Home Secretary Priti Patel has branded the Black Lives Matter demonstrations “dreadful” and opposed taking the knee as an anti-racism protest. The cabinet minister criticised last summer’s protests – sparked by the death in the US of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer – that saw historical statues torn down and

Over-65s will begin receiving letters inviting them to get COVID vaccines from early next week as part of the next phase of the UK’s vaccination programme, Sky News understands. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has previously set a deadline of Monday 15 February for offering a first dose of a vaccine to 15 million people in

A senior Conservative MP has warned the government against “backsliding” on the reopening of all schools in England on 8 March and suggested some younger children should return to classrooms this month. Robert Halfon, the chair of the House of Commons education committee, told Sky News of his concerns of an “epidemic of educational poverty”