Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth says it is "bewilderingly negligent that the government still isn't giving people proper sick pay and financial support to isolate." Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says there is "some evidence" the UK Covid variant is associated with a "higher degree of mortality". The government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, added the new strain appeared 30-70% more transmissible than the original virus. Report by Alibhaiz. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Environment Secretary George Eustice says the government is considering changing the formula in which it determines how its funds are distributed in flood-stricken areas. He suggests town that are hit by floods more frequently, "may be three or four times in a decade", will be eligible to more money. His comments came on a visit to Northwitch, which was recently hit by heavy rains brough by Storm Christoph. Report by Alibhaiz. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Four men have been jailed for the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese migrants found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex. Essex Police's DCI Daniel Stoten says the men "made their money from misery", transporting the victims in ways animals would not be transported. Ronan Hughes, 41, and Gheorghe Nica, 43, who played "leading roles" were jailed for 20 and 27 years respectively. Eamonn Harrison, 24, was sentenced to 18 years., while Maurice Robinson, 26, was given 13 years and four months. Report by Alibhaiz. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Residents have begun a clean-up in Northwich after parts of the north west of England were devastated by flooding brought by Storm Christoph. A yellow warning for ice is in place across Wales, the north west of England, the west coast of Scotland and large parts of Northern Ireland. Report by Alibhaiz. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Japanese car maker Nissan has confirmed it will maintain its operation in Britain, as a result of the post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and the EU. The future of the company’s plant in Sunderland was thrown into doubt following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union in June 2016. The car maker employs around 6,000 people at its plant in the northeast of England. Nissan also said it will move production of the batteries used in its Leaf electric cars to the UK, a move that is likely to create more jobs on Wearside. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson greeted the news as a “great vote of confidence”. Report by Avagninag. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Environment Secretary George Eustice says further Covid measures, such as closing the UK borders, are not necessary. However, the government is looking at toughening the enforcement of restrictions as the infection rate is still high. Report by Alibhaiz. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Dozens of elderly residents have been evacuated from Northwich, Cheshire. Firefighters used boats to rescue the pensioners and transport them to a nearby hotel by bus. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Home Secretary Priti Patel and London Medical Director for NHS England Dr Vin Diwarkar have spoken at the Downing Street press conference to urge the public to take the vaccine when they are offered it, and ignore misinformation around the jab. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Another 65 new vaccination centres have opened in England today, as nearly two million people in the UK have received their fist jab in the past week. The new vaccination hubs include a mosque in Birmingham and an Odeon cinema in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England Medical Director, said that supplies of the vaccine “will be variable” as manufacturers are “ramping up the production process”. Two millions vaccinations a week are required to meet the government’s target of immunising all over 70s, health and care workers and the extremely clinically vulnerable by mid-February. Report by Avagninag. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced a new clampdown on house parties, with a fine of £800 for those in attendance which will double for each repeat offence. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Aerial views show the flood damage caused by Storm Christoph, as three severe flood warnings remain in place across parts of Greater Manchester. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Sir Keir Starmer has attacked Boris Johnson over his "inadequate" response to flooding around the UK and many "unfulfilled promises". Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says Gavin Williamson has failed in his role as Education Secretary. Sir Keir said it was good news that notice of two weeks would be given before schools reopened but there was more that the government could be doing to improve learning for children. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
The 79-year-old mother of Jonathan Van-Tam has had her coronavirus vaccination at a GP surgery in Cambridgeshire. The deputy chief medical officer for England has previously spoken about encouraging his mother Elizabeth Van-Tam to be ready to receive the vaccine when she got the call. Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that it is too early to tell when coronavirus restrictions will be able to be lifted, but data is showing how contagious the new variant of the virus is. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
On a visit to Didsbury, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has praised the flood protection efforts put in place in areas of Greater Manchester due to the risk of flooding from Storm Christoph. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson says teachers, pupils and parents will be given at least two weeks' notice before schools reopen, which may now not be until Easter. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson says his department are consulting on whether a standardised test will be introduced this year to ensure pupils are tested fairly by teachers. Last year students were assessed by teachers following anger over an algorithm which was criticised for treating candidates unfairly. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
NHS England Medical director Professor Stephen Powis hails the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine to 65 new pharmacies across England which are at the heart of the local community. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Joe Biden called for an end to the 'uncivil war' as he is sworn in as 46th President of the United States of America. Report by Barberl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended his response to the coronavirus pandemic, despite criticism that he should have closed the border earlier. Mr Johnson said that Britain now has one of the toughest border regimes in the world, which was designed to stop people bringing the virus into the country. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Prime Minister Boris Johnson warns that there are "more tough weeks to come" with deaths from coronavirus, and that infection rates are "not flattening very fast", as he urges people to continue to stick to restrictions and support the vaccine programme. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has chaired a Cobra crisis meeting as major incidents are declared in Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and Cheshire due to Storm Christoph. The storm is expected to bring "significant" rainfall across large swathes of the UK putting thousands of properties at risk of flooding. The PM warned people to prepare for the floods and not be caught off guard. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had hailed the inauguration of President Biden as a 'big moment' for the special relationship between the UK and the US. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Prime Minister Boris Johnson refuses to answer whether he thinks President Biden is 'woke' but says he and the new US president share many values. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Donald Trump left the White House for the last time as US President on Wednesday, saying that this ‘is not a long term goodbye’ and ‘we will see each other again’. Trump and First Lady Melania headed to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where the outgoing president spoke at a farewell event on a smaller scale than he had hoped for. In fact, his request for a huge military-style parade with crowds of supporters was rejected by the Pentagon. It is not clear how many guests attended the event either, with Mike Pence deciding to skip it in order to attend Biden’s inauguration instead. Trump is the first president in modern history to boycott his successor’s inauguration. Report by Bassaneseg. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Home Secretary Priti Patel has defended Prime Minister Boris Johnson amid criticism from his predecessor Theresa May over Britain's role in the world. Ms Patel defended the Government's work to strengthen international commitments and tackle global challenges. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Former Prime Minister Theresa May has accused Boris Johnson of “abandoning” Britain’s “moral leadership”. Mrs May wrote an article in the Daily Mail to mark the inauguration of Joe Biden as US President. In her article, she criticised again Mr Johnson’s threat to break international law over Brexit and his decision to cut the overseas aid budged below 0.7% of national income. This comes just a few months after the Prime Minister was criticised for leaving the House of Commons as his predecessor began speaking. Mrs May also said that Mr Biden’s presidency represented a “golden opportunity” for Britain. Report by Avagninag. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Home Secretary Priti Patel says regional variations in the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine were always inevitable because of the way in which the NHS manages itself at a local level. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Sir Keir Starmer has pressed Boris Johnson over the UK's 'open border' during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Labour leader questioned why the Prime Minister overruled the Home Secretary last March when she raised the issue of border controls, and why tough measures were only introduced last week. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Sir Keir Starmer has challenged the Prime Minister to explain the loss of records from the police database. Mr Johnson admitted he didn't know how many cases had been affected by the issue, but the Home Office are "working around the clock" to recover the data. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and leader of the opposition Sir Keir Starmer have begun Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons by offering congratulations to Joe Biden ahead of his inauguration as US president. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy says the inauguration of Joe Biden as US president today is a time for the world to "turn the page on a very dark and divisive era". Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
The British Ambassador to the USA Dame Karen Pierce says the Biden presidency is 'very good news' for the UK, and that Covid recovery and climate will be the initial focus of the UK's co-operation with the new administration. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for rain for Tuesday to Thursday for central northern England. Storm Christoph is set to bring widespread flooding, gales and snow to the north and Midlands. Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
England’s deputy chief medical officer has suggested that schools may reopen on a regional basis when the current national lockdown restrictions begin to ease. Dr Jenny Harries said: “I think it's likely that we will have some sort of regional separation of interventions”. Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced that the stay-at-home lockdown in place across mainland Scotland and some island communities will remain in place “until at least the middle of February”. Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
The Trump Baby Blimp has been “consigned to history” after being acquired by the Museum of London. The giant inflatable depicts US President Donald Trump as a baby with a nappy and mobile phone. The balloon first took to the skies over Westminster during Trump’s state visit to the UK in 2018. The 20ft effigy has since travelled to protests in France, Ireland, Argentina and various locations across the United States. It has now found a “final resting place” at the Museum of London, where it will be conserved and potentially displayed as part of the museum’s protest collection. Report by Avagninag. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis says it is “too early” to make a decision on the extension of the £20-a-week Universal Credit uplift. It comes after Number 10 told Conservative MPs to abstain on a non-binding vote in the Commons on Monday evening to extend the uplift. Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis said he was “very surprised” at the Welsh first minister’s comments over the Covid-19 vaccine rollout. Mark Drakeford said that administering jabs too quickly would leave "vaccinators standing around with nothing to do". Wales’ health minister Vaughan Gething has denied holding back coronavirus vaccines, saying the rollout is going "as fast as possible". Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Labour cabinet minister Emily Thornberry has said that a decision not to extend the £20-a-week uplift in Universal Credit during a pandemic would be “outrageous”. It comes after Number 10 told Conservative MPs to abstain on a non-binding vote in the Commons on Monday evening to extend the uplift. Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Health Secretary Matt Hancock says vaccine rollout is 'on track' with over 4 million people vaccinated so far. Some areas have already vaccinated everyone over 80 and are now moving down the priority list to over-70s and the clinically extremely vulnerable. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said following his concerns that London wasn't getting the right numbers of coronavirus vaccine, the government has now increased supply to the capital. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Home Secretary Priti Patel says support is being provided to front line police officers to ensure they are safe, and that she is talking to the vaccine committee and health secretary to ensure officers are among those to receive a vaccine as soon as possible. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Home Secretary Priti Patel has blamed a "technical issue" for the deletion of records from the police database and says that engineers are looking at the issue. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for the £20 uplift Universal Credit recipients receive due to the pandemic to be extended beyond 31 March. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said £100m funding will be made available to businesses in the fishing industry affected by Brexit. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Boris Johnson says the easing of coronavirus restrictions will depend on many factors, including people adhering to the rules now, but that he still believes that things will be 'different' by the Spring. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he is proud of the support being offered to people throughout the pandemic, but refused to answer whether Universal Credit would be cut. Report by Etemadil. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn