UK

The Queen has described how she feels the country’s sadness and anguish at being separated from family because of coronavirus this Christmas, as many just want “a simple hug or a squeeze of the hand”. In her annual Christmas Day broadcast, Her Majesty praises how individuals and communities across the UK and the Commonwealth have

Hundreds more troops are being deployed to help clear a backlog of hauliers who have been stuck in Kent since Sunday. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said the government is doing its “utmost” to try to get the drivers home for Christmas and had sent “special instructions to the Army to take control of testing

Two cases of new, “more transmissible” COVID-19 variant linked to South Africa have been identified in the UK, the health secretary has said. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in a Downing Street news conference that both cases are contacts of people who travelled from South Africa over the last few weeks. Both people with the

Two cases of a new, “more transmissible” COVID-19 variant linked to South Africa have been identified in the UK, the health secretary has said. Both cases are contacts of people who travelled from South Africa over the last few weeks, Matt Hancock said at a Downing Street news conference. Those with the new variant, and

It’s 9pm, in a dark and drizzly Plymouth city centre as the soup van pulls into a dead-end road surrounded by tall office blocks. Twenty hungry people are already waiting in a queue. Volunteers tell me some of them will have walked a couple of miles to get there – and this will be the

A deal to unblock travel with France following a shutdown over the new coronavirus variant could come later today, Sky News understands. The solution would involve rapid turnaround lateral flow tests being conducted on lorry drivers with the help of the military. More than 1,500 hauliers are queuing on the M20 or parked at Kent’s

England has been put on notice for a New Year lockdown after the government’s chief scientific adviser demanded a massive extension of Tier 4 restrictions. With the new variant now surging across the UK, an announcement that large areas of England will join London and parts of southeast England in Tier 4 is expected on

The UK has reported a record daily rise in confirmed coronavirus cases, with another 35,928 infections. The update comes amid growing concern over a new variant of COVID-19 which appears to be causing a dramatic uptick in infections in London and the southeast of England, prompting the prime minister to enforce new Tier 4 restrictions.

Extra police officers are being deployed at railway stations to stop people from making non-essential Tier 4 journeys after passengers crowded onto trains in London to escape the tightening of COVID-19 restrictions. People were seen leaving the capital yesterday in vast numbers following the announcement of new Tier 4 measures. Transport secretary Grant Shapps announced

Millions of people across southeast England will no longer be able to mix with other households at Christmas, with a new Tier 4 level of COVID restrictions – equivalent to a full lockdown – to come into force tomorrow. In a dramatic move, prompted by fears over a new strain of coronavirus, all those areas

Scientific advisers have warned ministers they believe the new variant of COVID-19 spreads more quickly than previous strains, Sky News understands. It is expected the SAGE advisory group will be convened on Monday to work up a series of recommendations for how Tier 3 restrictions could be strengthened in light of the increased transmissibility of

More parts of England have moved into Tier 3 meaning nearly 70% of the population are living under the toughest restrictions. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said earlier this week that parts of the East and the South East of England would be moved up to the most severe measures. Mr Hancock told the Commons that

The R number in the UK is estimated to have gone up to between 1.1 and 1.2, according to the SAGE group of government advisers. The growth rate of COVID-19 is therefore estimated to be between 1% and 4%. Last week, the number was put at 0.9-1.0, with a growth rate of -2% to 0%

Northern Ireland will enter a six-week lockdown on Boxing Day amid rising COVID-19 infections, Sky News understands. The new restrictions, due to come into force at 00.01am on 26 December, are expected to include the shutting of all non-essential shops as well the closure of pubs, bars and restaurants apart from takeaway services. It comes after

Almost all Tier 3 areas will remain at their current level of restrictions – but a wider area of east and southeast England will move up to the most severe measures, Matt Hancock has said. From Saturday, the following areas will be moved up into Tier 3: Bedford Central Bedfordshire Luton Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire Reading

Boris Johnson has warned “a smaller Christmas is going to be a safer Christmas” as he urged people to see festive bubbles of three households as “maximums” and not “targets to aim for”. The prime minister confirmed that Christmas COVID rules would not be changing in law, but he admitted that the “overall situation” is