United Kingdom

Talks designed to end the conflict between the UK and the EU over Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal have ended without a breakthrough, Lord Frost has said. The Brexit minister said he had had a “frank and honest discussion” with his European counterpart, but that there had been no overall agreement. European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic said that Brussels had engaged “creatively and tirelessly” to reach a deal on the controversial Northern Irish protocol. Mr Sefcovic told a press conference: “Over the past years, the EU has engaged creatively and tirelessly to find solutions that would provide businesses and people in Northern Ireland the stability, minimise the inevitable disruption caused by Brexit and protect the EU’s single market and Ireland’s place in it. “In December las...

A serving police officer has admitted kidnapping and raping Sarah Everard - the marketing executive who went missing near Clapham Common. Wayne Couzens, 48, from Deal in Kent was arrested and charged with her kidnap and murder in March, and a trial was set for October. But the Metropolitan Police officer on Tuesday pleaded guilty to her kidnap and rape. The Old Bailey heard Couzens accepted responsibility for the killing of Ms Everard but was not asked to enter a plea to a charge of murder. He appeared via a video link from Belmarsh Prison where he is being held on remand. Four members of Miss Everard’s family were in court to hear the pleas. The Metropolitan Police officer was wearing khaki trousers and a grey sweatshirt as he pleaded guilty to kidnapping Ms Everard "unlawfully and b...

The Delta variant of Covid-19 first detected in India which is spreading widely in the UK is believed to be 40 per cent more transmissible than previous mutations of the virus, the health secretary has said. During an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr on Sunday morning, Matt Hancock said the heightened infectiousness of the variant – which is now believed to be the dominant mutation in the UK – made life more challenging for everybody. The Sage scientific advisory committee warned last month that if the Delta variant were to be 40 to 50 per cent more transmissible it could lead to a much larger peak than previous waves of the virus seen at the start of this year and last spring, when tens of thousands of people were hospitalised and died. In a report from a Sage video meeting held ...

Contingency plans are being drawn up to delay the easing of restrictions on June 21 by two weeks if hospitalisations rise. Officials are said to be working on back-up options if Boris Johnson decides to postpone the final stage of the lockdown roadmap. Plans to scrap remaining lockdown measures are on a knife-edge amid mounting concern from scientists over the spread of the Delta variant - formerly known as the Indian strain. Whitehall sources told the Daily Mail that fall-back proposals were being drawn up if the Prime Minister decides to slam on the brakes when he updates the public on June 14. Mr Johnson has insisted that there is "nothing in the data at the moment" to delay Step 4 of the roadmap - but his tone has been increasingly cautious in recent days. And Health Secretary Mat...

The UK has reported zero daily coronavirus-related deaths for the first time since the pandemic began. Also, 3,165 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the latest 24-hour period, according to government data. The latest figures come after a bank holiday weekend when the number of deaths and cases can be lower due to reporting lags. On 30 July last year, zero deaths were reported but the next day there were 20. Meanwhile, another 93,103 people had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine on Monday, taking the total to 39,477,158. Some 195,546 people had their second jab on Monday, meaning 25,734,719 have now been fully vaccinated. The race to vaccinate the UK gathered pace yesterday after a major walk-in vaccination centre at Twickenham Stadium opened up the jab offer to anyone aged ov...

The coronavirus variant of concern first detected in India is continuing to spread across England, with cases emerging beyond hotspot areas, data suggests. The variant, known as B.1.617.2, is thought to be driving a rise in Covid cases in parts of the UK and is believed to be both more transmissible than the variant first detected in Kent, which previously dominated, and somewhat more resistant to Covid vaccines, particularly after just one dose. At present up to three-quarters of new Covid cases in the UK are thought to be caused by the India variant. There have also been signs of a slight rise in hospitalisations. The situation has led some scientists to warn that the country is now in the early stages of a third wave of coronavirus, which despite the vaccination programme modelling...

Boris Johnson has married Carrie Symonds in a low-key ceremony planned in strict secrecy. The pair exchanged vows in Westminster Cathedral on Saturday in front of a small group of close friends and family. Initially, Downing Street would not comment on reports of the wedding but on Sunday morning a spokesman said: “The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds were married yesterday afternoon in a small ceremony at Westminster Cathedral. The couple will celebrate their wedding with family and friends next summer. They are said to have sent save-the-date cards to family and friends for the celebration on July 30, 2022. It is understood Ms Symonds will take her husband’s surname and be known as Carrie Johnson. A picture issued by No 10 of the couple in Downing Street’s garden after the wedding saw ...

Confusion over the government’s approach is undermining efforts to control coronavirus, an adviser has suggested, amid reports face masks could remain in use after 21 June if cases continue to rise. Plans to ease lockdown restrictions further next month remain in the balance as experts nervously monitor a new strain of the disease first identified in India. Professor Stephen Reicher, a psychologist on the Sage sub-committee which advises ministers on behavioural science, told BBC Radio 4's Today: The data we are seeing at the moment suggests we have a problem. We don't know how big the problem is - it might be bad, it might be very bad, we will learn in the next week or two. But, he said, the government’s advice was affecting attempts to get the virus under control. "They (ministers) ...

Boris Johnson has defended his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying none of the decisions have been easy. The prime minister has come under fire from his former chief adviser Dominic Cummings during an explosive appearance before MPs this morning. Mr Cummings claimed the government failed the public when they needed them most and that the PM initially considered COVID a scare story like swine flu. Keir Starmer used his weekly chance to question the prime minister to bring up some of the most serious allegations made by Mr Johnson's former adviser. The PM denied that his inaction led to needless deaths at the beginning of the pandemic and in reference to Mr Cummings accusing him of failing to realise the severity of COVID-19, he said: I don't think anybody can accuse this gover...

Post-Brexit British visitors to France and Spain may be asked to show proof of their accommodation, including an official certificate obtained in advance if they are staying with friends or family, once Covid travel restrictions are lifted. Since the UK left the EU, anyone in France hosting non-EU nationals is expected to complete an attestation d’accueil form and submit it for approval to their town hall, a process that can take up to a month. Once stamped, the form, which costs €30 (£26) and requires supporting documents such as proof of address, income and right of residence, must then be forwarded to the guest so they can show it at the border, where officials are entitled to ask for it. Second homeowners and holidaymakers staying in hotels or rented accommodation will not need th...