Politics

The government will look at extending the use of vaccine passports if there is a “public health need” to do so, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has said. Mr Dowden told Sky News the government “want as few restrictions for as short a period as possible”, but that if the situation with coronavirus worsens, ministers will

Booster vaccines are reportedly set to be given the go-ahead next week, despite a professor who helped develop the AstraZeneca jab warning that a mass campaign may not be necessary. According to The Times, data suggests that an additional Pfizer dose, months after a second vaccine is given, significantly boosts the body’s immune response to

Sir Keir Starmer has told Sky News he would back “wealth taxes” to fund social care reform – but refused to reveal if he had his own plan. The Labour leader told Sky’s political editor, Beth Rigby, a “range of options” needs to be looked at after criticising the government for voting to increase National

Boris Johnson’s government has reneged on key promises it has made in the efforts to combat climate change, according to one of the most senior Conservative environmentalists. The Tory chair of the Climate Change Committee – which advises the government on tackling global warming – has condemned the decision by ministers to give into Australian

Ministers agreed to bow to pressure from Australia to drop binding commitments to the Paris climate change agreement from the UK-Australian trade deal, a leaked government email obtained by Sky News has revealed. Liz Truss, the trade secretary, and Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, decided the government could “drop both of the climate asks” from

Boris Johnson has refused to rule out further tax rises prior to the next general election as he defended his abandonment of a Conservative manifesto promise not to raise National Insurance contributions. After unveiling his plan for a hike in National Insurance contributions by 1.25% to pay for the social care system in England and

Boris Johnson has announced a major shake-up of social care funding in England. A hike in National Insurance will pay for a pledge made when Mr Johnson became prime minister in 2019 to “fix the broken care system”. However, this means he will be breaking his promise to not raise taxes, which has angered Tory

Boris Johnson is expected to raise national insurance by about 1.2% to pay for a pledge to end the “catastrophic costs” of social care, a move Tory MPs claim amounts to a £10bn tax raid. On Tuesday, he is planning a major launch of a long-awaited shake-up which he claims will fulfil a pledge he

Boris Johnson is set to face a significant amount of opposition from MPs over his handling of the Afghanistan crisis, possible plans to hike national insurance, and cutting the Universal Credit uplift when parliament resumes today. In a statement set to be delivered to the Commons later, the prime minister will praise the “courage and

Boris Johnson will tell MPs that he will use “every economic, political and diplomatic lever” to help Afghans left behind by the British as he looks to defend his handling of the withdrawal from the country. The prime minister will reiterate the pledge in the House of Commons on Monday, when parliament returns from its

No decision has been made on whether to offer coronavirus jabs to all 12 to 15-year-olds, the vaccines minister has told Sky News. Speaking to Trevor Phillips On Sunday, Nadhim Zahawi said parents of children in this age group will need to give their consent if a rollout takes place. He also confirmed that vaccine

Government “incompetence” is to blame for the shortage of flu vaccines, the shadow business minister has told Sky News. Speaking on Sky News Breakfast, Seema Malhotra said the government needs to “get a grip” on the “supply chain crisis” that is hitting the country. On Saturday, the largest provider of flu vaccines to the UK,

The government is reportedly determined to push ahead with COVID-19 vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds, despite advisers recommending against it. The Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation said on Friday that, while it would widen the vaccination programme to include more children in that age group with health conditions, it was not recommending the widespread

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has highlighted the importance of engaging with the Taliban as he acknowledged the need “to face up to the new reality in Afghanistan”. While not recognising the militant group as the government in Kabul, the cabinet minister pointed to the necessity of having “a direct line of communication” to discuss a

The prime minister is expected to announce a rise in national insurance payments to fund social care, despite this being a breach of the 2019 Tory manifesto. Reports in The Times and The Daily Telegraph say the plans could be revealed as soon as next week when parliament returns from its summer recess. Both newspapers

One of the many hundreds of Afghans who was eligible for evacuation to Britain but was unable to board a flight has told of his family’s harrowing two weeks on the run from the Taliban. Ahmad – not his real name, and whose location cannot be revealed – is a former Afghan government official who

Dominic Raab has flown to Qatar for talks about evacuating British nationals and interpreters from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover. The foreign secretary departed the UK hours after he was questioned by MPs in the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on the events in central Asia. Mr Raab said he was “not confident with any precision”

A leaked Foreign Office report warned government ministers on 22 July that the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan would lead to ‘rapid Taliban advances’, a senior Conservative MP has claimed. Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat, told Sky News that the department’s own principle risk report on Afghanistan suggested the country’s cities

The Foreign Secretary will be questioned by MPs later on how the government intends to deal with the fall-out from the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Parliament is still on its summer break, but an emergency session of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee will take evidence from Dominic Raab this afternoon. Here are some of the

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has rejected claims a British request may have contributed to the risk of a terror attack at Kabul airport – as senior Conservative MPs hit out at a “reprehensible” blame game over last week’s suicide bombing. On Thursday, 13 American troops, two British men and at least 169 Afghans were killed