Politics

Getty Images The number of people on furlough has fallen sharply, with young people moving off the government scheme fastest, new figures show. At the end of June, 1.9 million people were still on furlough, the lowest level since the start of the pandemic and half a million fewer than in May. In the last

Reuters Boris Johnson believes the UK will see a “steady” economic recovery post-pandemic, but he warned there would be “bumps on the road” in the next year. Speaking to LBC, the PM said job numbers were “increasing”, but a “cautious approach” was needed. It comes as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it expected UK

PA Media Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to cut crime by tackling drug misuse and using electronic tagging on more burglars after release. The government is also proposing that every neighbourhood in England and Wales should have a named police officer for residents to contact. Mr Johnson said his efforts to make society safer

Ian Forsyth Workers should be given “full” employment rights from day one, Labour has said as it announces plans to “fundamentally change the economy”. Currently some rights – such as being able to request flexible working – only kick in at a later stage. Labour is also calling for a ban on “fire and re-hire”

Reuters Health Secretary Sajid Javid has apologised after saying people should no longer “cower” from coronavirus. He made the comments in a tweet announcing he had made a “full recovery” from Covid, a week after testing positive. Labour accused him of denigrating those who followed the rules, while the founder of a victims’ group said

PA Media The widow of the former head of the civil service has told the BBC her late husband was effectively “gagged” by a government inquiry into lobbying. The review said Lord Jeremy Heywood failed to fully consider conflicts of interest over a government role for the financier Lex Greensill. Lady Suzanne Heywood said the

Getty Images There is a padlock on the door. A bill on the doormat. On the corner of King Street and Lowther Street, in the west Cumbrian town of Whitehaven, is the carcass of a High Street giant. Etched into the cream coloured stone work above the first floor windows are the words: Montague Burton,

Shutterstock Businessman Lex Greensill had a sometimes “extraordinarily privileged” relationship with government, a Cabinet Office report has found. The report says the Australian financier’s government role gave him “a marketing platform” for his business. Civil servants “should have considered” the conflicts of interest, it adds. Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said the report had been

EPA UK ministers will outline how they want to overhaul trading arrangements between Britain and Northern Ireland that came into effect after Brexit. The Northern Ireland Protocol helps prevent the need for checks on the island of Ireland’s internal border. But Lord Frost says the deal – which could mean a ban on exports of

Leon Neal David Cameron showed a “significant lack of judgement” in the way he lobbied the government on behalf of Greensill Capital, a report has found. The Treasury committee also questioned the former prime minister’s judgement on the financial health of the now-collapsed lending firm. The report comes after Mr Cameron was found to have

Getty Images Experts have recommended that a limited group of children should be offered Covid jabs to protect them against the pandemic ahead of winter, Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi has said. He told BBC Breakfast it included children who were almost 18, vulnerable to Covid or who lived with people who were clinically vulnerable. But

Getty Images The prime minister and chancellor will now self-isolate as normal after contact with Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who tested positive for coronavirus. The reversal comes just hours after they said they would take part in a pilot scheme involving daily testing. Opposition parties said it suggested there was “one rule for them and

Getty Images Hippos, walruses and whales could receive greater legal protection under UK government proposals to crack down on ivory poaching. Ministers want to extend the Ivory Act because they say elephants are not the only animals at risk. Conservationists have welcomed the move as sending a “clear signal to the rest of the world”.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to “sweat blood over months and years to earn respect” from voters. Speaking to the BBC after taking questions from ex-Labour voters in Blackpool, Sir Keir admitted “there is a trust issue” for his party. He also said he had been “utterly frustrated” the pandemic had stopped him

Boris Johnson has promised the government will not make the “rich parts” of the UK poorer as it pursues its “levelling up” programme. In a speech in Coventry, the prime minister said plans to invest more in deprived areas and improve skills are not a “jam-spreading exercise”. He also pledged to improve services and boost

Getty Images Conservative MPs need to change their attitude and support footballers who take the knee, a senior figure on the right of the party has said. Steve Baker told the BBC players were not calling to “defund the police” or being “anti-capitalist” – they were saying “we suffer racism”. Last month, Home Secretary Priti