The prime minister has warned coronavirus “is still out there” but vowed his new COVID winter plan “will give us the confidence” to avoid lockdowns. Speaking at a Downing Street briefing on the day the government set out its winter plan for managing COVID-19 in England, Boris Johnson said that higher case numbers than this
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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
Boris Johnson’s mother has died at the age of 79. Charlotte Johnson Wahl, a professional painter, passed away “suddenly and peacefully” at a London hospital on Monday. Johnson Wahl had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease. During an interview in 2008, she had said: “I try to paint every day if I possibly can, though I
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
The NHS is launching the world’s biggest trial of a potentially life-saving blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer before symptoms appear. Some 140,000 volunteers in eight areas of England will be recruited to try the Galleri test, which is already available in the US. The test can detect cancers that
The body of a man has been recovered by the Coastguard in the English Channel, after being spotted by another vessel. The body, which was lifted from the water this afternoon, has been taken to Eastbourne, Sussex Police have said. Officers said the man had been seen in the water in the “mid-English Channel”. They
Emma Raducanu is one match away from winning the US Open after making history as the first qualifier to reach a Grand Slam final. Raducanu, 18, earned a place in the record books by defeating 17th-seeded Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-4 in straight sets during a stunning semi-final on Thursday night. Now the British tennis sensation,
Emma Raducanu is through to the final of the US Open after defeating Maria Sakkari of Greece in straight sets. The British 18-year-old has now become the first qualifier in history to ever reach a grand slam final – and the youngest since Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004 when she was 17. Thursday night’s
Growing numbers of children are at risk of being excluded and “falling off the radar” as schools return to normal following the pandemic, experts fear. Analysis of recent government data shows the problem was worsening before the pandemic but there was a lull while schools were closed because of the virus. Department of Education figures
Emma Raducanu has made history by becoming the youngest British tennis player to reach the US Open final in the Open era. The 18-year-old from Bromley beat Maria Sakkari of Greece in straight sets in New York in the semi final. Raducanu is ranked 150th in the world – her opponent was 12th – and
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
People in the north of England were more likely to die from COVID-19, spent longer in lockdown, and were made poorer than the rest of the country, a new report states. The Northern Health Science Alliance – which includes universities and NHS Trusts – commissioned the study to establish the impact of the pandemic on
Police Scotland have admitted their failings “materially contributed” to the death of a woman who was left in a crashed car for three days after the incident was reported to police Lamara Bell, 25, died in hospital four days after police eventually arrived at the scene of the crash off the M9 in July 2015,
Some children as young as 12 should be allowed to overrule their parents on whether they have the COVID vaccine, a senior doctor has said. Dr David Strain, a clinical lead for COVID services, told Sky News he believed there were 12-year-olds “mature enough” to decide to have the coronavirus jab without the consent of
Girls Aloud star Nadine Coyle has led the tributes to former bandmate Sarah Harding, who died on Sunday morning at the age of 39. Harding’s mother revealed on Instagram on Sunday that the singer passed away that day, after her “battle with cancer”. Sharing a picture of Harding laughing on Instagram, Coyle said: “I am
Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding has died aged 39, her mother has said. The singer had announced she was diagnosed with advanced-stage breast cancer in August 2020, saying the disease had spread to other parts of her body. On Instagram, her mother Marie wrote: “It is with deep heartbreak that today I’m sharing the news
Flying at the Bournemouth Air Festival has been suspended after a light aircraft crashed into Poole Harbour. Police said in a statement: “We received a report at 3.50pm on Saturday 4 September 2021 that a small aircraft had crashed into the water in the Sandbanks area of Poole Harbour. “Emergency services are at the scene.
The government must immediately remove the mandatory requirement for care home staff to be vaccinated amid a workforce crisis in the sector, the UK’s largest social care union says. UNISON is calling on ministers to stop “sleepwalking into a disaster” and end the ‘no jab, no job’ rule for those in the care industry. Repealing
Almost three quarters of people under 50 who needed hospital treatment for the COVID Delta variant last week in England were unvaccinated, figures have revealed. Data released by Public Health England showed 9,472 people were admitted to hospital with the highly transmissible coronavirus variant in the seven days up to 29 August. Of this number, 5,098
A volunteer helping Afghan refugees to settle in Glasgow is facing calls for his deportation after pledging his support for the Taliban. Waheed Totakhyl, who says his brother is a military commander for the Taliban in east Kabul, has told Sky News that since it captured Afghanistan, the country is “safer than Europe”. In 2010,
The education secretary has insisted children must return to a “normal pre-pandemic” experience in schools, despite the risk of an increase in COVID cases. Gavin Williamson said testing would be key to guarding against rising infection rates, but refused to outline what the government’s “contingency plan” for other potential measures might involve. Experts are predicting