UK

The Queen will spend Christmas Day with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, a Clarence House spokesman has said. It comes after Princess Anne’s husband Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence tested positive for coronavirus yesterday, which means they will now not be spending Christmas with the Queen as they will be isolating. The

The UK has reported more than 100,000 daily COVID cases for the first time since of the start of the pandemic. Some 106,122 cases have been recorded in the latest 24-hour period – around 13,000 more than the previous high of 93,045 on 17 December. A further 140 coronavirus-related deaths have also been recorded. The

The self-isolation period for people in England will be cut from 10 days to seven for those who can produce negative lateral flow results on both day six and their final day of quarantine. Making the announcement, Sajid Javid said the move has been informed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and that those

Boris Johnson has confirmed he will not introduce any further COVID restrictions in England before Christmas, but warned that the situation remains “finely balanced” ahead of the New Year. In a video posted on social media and released by Downing Street, the prime minister said “people can go ahead with their Christmas plans” but urges

Wales is ordering sports events to take place without fans to help fight Omicron, as reports suggest new restrictions in England are unlikely before Christmas but could come in before New Year. Indoor and outdoor events will have to take place behind closed doors from Boxing Day, said Welsh economy minister Vaughan Gething. Football sides

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has not announced further restrictions today – but said he is following the data “hour by hour” and warned the rules could still be tightened in the days to come. The PM said the data is “under constant review”, with the situation “extremely difficult” and the “arguments either way are very,

Dominic Raab says he cannot make “hard, fast guarantees” that more restrictions won’t be imposed in the run-up to Christmas. However the deputy prime minister said he believes Britons will have a “much better Christmas than last year”. Mr Raab told Kay Burley: “I think we will have a much better Christmas than last year

Number 10 has defended a photo which appears to show Boris Johnson and staff relaxing and drinking in the Downing Street garden at a time of tough social restrictions in May 2020. The picture, published by The Guardian, shows the prime minister, his wife Carrie, and colleagues with wine and cheese. Nineteen people were present

Sajid Javid has not ruled out plans for a two-week circuit breaker after Christmas, as he accused those unwilling to have the vaccine of having a “damaging impact” on society. When pushed on reports that ministers are drawing up plans to introduce more restrictions after Christmas, the health secretary told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips on

Extra restrictions are needed within days to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed by Omicron, according to senior government scientists. Sky News understands experts who produce advice for ministers believe there are now “hundreds of thousands” of infections every day, many more than the number of official cases recorded on the daily dashboard. Even if transmission

Officials are drawing up plans for a two-week circuit breaker lockdown after Christmas which would include a ban on indoor mixing, according to reports. Draft regulations are being prepared which would ban meeting others indoors except for work purposes, and that pubs and restaurants would be limited to outdoor service only, according to The Times.

The UK has reported 93,045 cases of coronavirus in the latest 24-hour period – a record high for daily infections as the Omicron variant surges across the country. It comes after the UK recorded another 3,201 new cases of Omicron. It takes the total number of confirmed cases of the strain to 14,909 as it

Four children who are believed to be related have died in a house fire in south London. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were sent to Collingwood Road, Sutton, just before 7pm on Thursday. Crews faced an “intense blaze” throughout the whole of the ground floor of the

The Bank of England’s latest interest rate hike will add to monthly mortgage payments for millions of borrowers and push up the cost of debt – but there is a silver lining for savers. Here’s how Britons will be affected – and what they can do next. How will mortgage borrowers be affected? Those who

“Each six months will be better than the last six months”, England’s chief medical officer has said, as he predicted it could be “possibly 18 months” until a wide range of vaccines covers all variants of the coronavirus. Professor Chris Whitty said it is likely that COVID vaccines and anti-viral drugs will do “almost all of

People should “make a sensible choice” if their priority is to make it to the Christmas dinner table with their families, a health minister has said – while not ruling out the possibility of more restrictions being imposed. Gillian Keegan told Kay Burley that individuals should “take a different approach” if they want to “make

Large numbers of COVID patients ending up in hospital is a “nailed on prospect” as the Omicron variant spreads at an “absolutely phenomenal pace” across the country, England’s chief medical officer has warned. Professor Chris Whitty, speaking at a Downing Street news conference, warned the UK was facing “a really serious threat” from the new

Adults must now show a COVID pass to enter nightclubs and other large events in England. The new measures coming into force today require proof of double-vaccination or a negative PCR or lateral flow test result within the last 48 hours for those attending some venues. The rules apply to nightclubs, indoor unseated venues with

Boris Johnson has suffered the biggest Conservative rebellion since the 2019 general election as almost 100 Tory MPs opposed the introduction of COVID certificates for nightclubs and large events in England. In a House of Commons vote that immediately raised further questions over the prime minister’s leadership, more than a quarter of Tory MPs opposed

Boris Johnson is facing the biggest Tory rebellion since the 2019 general election in a bitter Commons showdown with many of his own MPs over his Plan B COVID rules. Nearly 80 Conservative backbenchers have signalled they are prepared to vote against new regulations on face masks, isolating, vaccine passports and compulsory vaccinations for NHS