Lead News

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip may “let it be known” once they have received a vaccine against COVID-19, The Times newspaper reported, citing unnamed royal aides. The 94-year-old monarch and her 99-year-old spouse are likely to be among the first to be offered a jab, with the government prioritising elderly people as it begins the rollout of ...

If the two sides fail to reach a deal, the five-year Brexit divorce will end messily   British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen instructed their negotiators to resume trade talks on Sunday in a last-ditch attempt to bridge significant differences. The decision to revive the long-running talks after they stalled on Friday over ...

Britain’s approval of a coronavirus vaccine this week, beating every other Western country, would be a political gift for any leader. But perhaps none needs it as much as Prime Minister Boris Johnson. A successful vaccine rollout could be the last chance for Johnson’s government to show competence, after botching virtually every other step of its response to the pandemic, ...

The UK and the EU have resumed talks on post-Brexit trade in London, with time running out to achieve a deal. A senior UK government source said the prospects of a breakthrough were “receding” and accused the EU of making “11th-hour” demands. But a Brussels source denied this, with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier calling Friday an “important day”. Both ...

Britain hopes that millions of doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered by the end of the year but the total will depend on how quickly it can be manufactured, Britain’s business minister Alok Sharma said on Friday. Britain approved Pfizer Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, jumping ahead of the rest of the world in the race to ...

The UK has become the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for widespread use. British regulator, the MHRA, says the jab, which offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 illness, is safe for roll out. Immunisations could start within days for people in high priority groups. The UK has already ordered 40m doses – enough ...

Britain’s foreign minister said Sunday there is only about a week left for the U.K. and the European Union to strike a post-Brexit trade deal, with fishing rights the major obstacle to an agreement. As talks continued between the two sides in London, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said “I think we are into the last week or so of substantive ...

Boris Johnson has written to Conservative MPs to reassure them about aspects of England’s new Covid tier system, as he faces the prospect of a rebellion in the Commons this week. England’s lockdown ends on 2 December, and many Tory MPs are unhappy with the toughened tiers that will replace it. MPs will vote on the system on Tuesday, with ...

Britain plans to create a new watchdog to police big tech companies including Google and Facebook to counter their market dominance and prevent them from exploiting consumers and small businesses. The U.K. government said Friday that it’s setting up a “Digital Markets Unit” next year to enforce a new code of conduct governing the behavior of tech giants that dominate ...

Up to three households will be able to meet up during a five-day Christmas period of 23 to 27 December, leaders of the four UK nations have agreed. People can mix in homes, places of worship and outdoor spaces, and travel restrictions will also be eased. But a formed “Christmas bubble” must be “exclusive” and would not be able to ...