NHS plans vaccine rollout for secondary school children in September May 2, 2021 The NHS is drawing up plans to administer Pfizer vaccines to secondary school children from September. The plans would see pupils aged 12 and over given a first dose of the vaccine when the new school year starts. The Sunday Times reports that the plans, which have been dubbed as the NHS’ “core planning scenario, [...]
Tories extend poll lead despite Boris Johnson’s scandal-plagued week April 29, 2021 The Conservatives have extended their poll lead over Labour to 11 points, despite facing a week-long barrage of negative headlines over a series of scandals blighting Boris Johnson. A new YouGov poll, taken yesterday and on Tuesday, had the Conservatives unchanged on 44 per cent while Labour slipped back a point to 33 per cent. [...]
Sir Simon Stevens to quit as NHS England chief executive April 29, 2021 NHS England chief Sir Simon Stevens will step down from at the end of July after seven years in the role. The NHS put out a statement today about Stevens’ departure, while Downing Street said shortly after that he will be given a peerage. Number 10 said: “The Queen has been pleased to confer a [...]
UK set to formally recognise the EU’s ambassador in bid to cool tensions April 29, 2021 The UK is set to grant full diplomatic status to the EU’s ambassador to the UK in a move that could cool tensions and put to bed a long-running dispute. João Vale de Almeida, a near lifetime Eurocrat, took up the ambassadorial post last year, but had not been formally recognised by Boris Johnson’s government. [...]
UK gets 60m units of Covid booster vaccine from Pfizer April 28, 2021 The UK has secured an extra 60m doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be used for the country’s booster programme that will aim to protect against new variants. The Department of Health said in a statement that the government will also buy booster doses of other vaccines as well to administer the booster programme. About [...]
Arlene Foster resigns as Northern Ireland First Minister April 28, 2021 Arlene Foster has today announced she is resigning as Northern Ireland First Minister and as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Foster said in a statement this afternoon that she will step down on 28 May. It comes after a letter calling for her to face a leadership challenge was yesterday signed by around [...]
Labour says Boris Johnson had his ‘Kevin Keegan moment’ in PMQs April 28, 2021 Labour has called Boris Johnson’s angry performance in Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) today his “Kevin Keegan moment” in an allusion to the former football manager’s famous 1996 rant. Johnson was furious when answering the last of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s six questions in PMQs today, with the Prime Minister shouting so loudly that his [...]
Boris Johnson claims no rules broken in flat refurb as Electoral Commission launches probe April 28, 2021 Boris Johnson has claimed no rules were broken during the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat just hours after the Electoral Commission launched an investigation into who initially paid for the works. The Electoral Commission said today there were “reasonable grounds” to “suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred” and the investigation is [...]
James Dyson denies he tried to ‘extract favours’ from Boris Johnson April 28, 2021 Sir James Dyson has denied he was trying to “extract favours” from Boris Johnson when he texted him over his company’s involvement in building ventilators for the UK’s Covid effort. The UK’s richest man also hit out at the BBC for its coverage of the affair, accusing the broadcaster of “grotesque mischaracterisation” after it incorrectly [...]
European Parliament calls Brexit a ‘historic mistake’ before voting for trade deal April 28, 2021 The European Parliament has voted to ratify the EU’s post-Brexit trade deal with Britain, but not before branding Brexit a “historic mistake”. MEPs overwhelmingly approved the deal, with 660 votes to five and 32 abstentions, in a result announced this morning. The deal was provisionally ratified by the 27 EU ambassadors in December to ensure [...]
