Timeline of the PM’s lockdown decision Friday, 7am: Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab begins a round of broadcast interviews defending the government’s ‘Tiered’ system of local lockdowns. Friday 2.30pm: Sir Patrick Vallance underlines SAGE’s support for a national lockdown at a briefing with reporters, suggesting it was getting late to arrest the spike in cases before Christmas. … Read more
Boris Johnson was today roasted by Keir Starmer for wasting weeks refusing to lock down England while the death toll spiralled – before performing an embarrassing U-turn. In a statement to the Commons, the PM insisted cases were now surging so high there was ‘no alternative’ to the month-long blanket restrictions across England. He warned … Read more
Timeline of the PM’s lockdown decision Friday, 7am: Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab begins a round of broadcast interviews defending the government’s ‘Tiered’ system of local lockdowns. Friday 2.30pm: Sir Patrick Vallance underlines SAGE’s call for a national lockdown at a briefing with reporters, saying it is ‘not too late to save Christmas’. Friday 3pm: Papers are … Read more
Timeline of the PM’s lockdown decision Friday, 7am: Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab begins a round of broadcast interviews defending the government’s ‘Tiered’ system of local lockdowns. Friday 2.30pm: Sir Patrick Vallance underlines SAGE’s call for a national lockdown at a briefing with reporters, saying it is ‘not too late to save Christmas’. Friday 3pm: Papers are … Read more
Boris Johnson will today try to head off a mounting Tory revolt against his nationwide lockdown by warning coronavirus deaths this winter could double the amount of the first wave. The Prime Minister is set to use a statement to the Commons this afternoon to say there is ‘no alternative’ but to impose four weeks … Read more
Boris Johnson was facing a Tory rebellion last night over his new national lockdown. Many of his own MPs were outraged by the revelation that the restrictions could last much longer than the planned four weeks – and potentially even run into spring with a brief easing over Christmas. Some indicated they would oppose the measures … Read more
The plotters behind the disastrous attempt to topple Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro in May claim they met with two Trump administration officials and held meetings at two of the president’s hotels prior to the failed coup, according to a new report. The two Trump administration officials, Andrew ‘Drew’ Horn, at the time an aide to … Read more
Rishi Sunak was reluctant to agree to the second national lockdown in light of the threat to the economy and the huge £5 billion cost of furlough, sources said last night. The Chancellor was one of those at the Downing Street meeting on Friday which decided to go ahead with new restrictive measures. A source … Read more
Keeping schools open during the November lockdown in England could mean infection rates stay higher for longer than when nationwide restrictions were first introduced in March, a leading scientist has warned. Former chief scientific adviser Sir Mark Walport said the new restrictions were not as ‘severe’ as the first time round, and that there was … Read more
Key points in COVID lockdown Mark 2 Restrictions will start at midnight on Thursday morning and last until December 2. People can only leave their homes for specific reasons, such as to do essential shopping, for outdoor exercise, and for work if they are unable to work from home. Non-essential shops will be told to shut, … Read more