https://www.scmp.com/rss/507725/feed Latest news and updates on the impact of a new strain of coronavirus on the United Kingdom. The virus causes the disease Covid-19 and the World Health Organisation has declared the spread of the infection a pandemic. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Britain’s former prime minister Boris Johnson slammed an inquiry report critical of his government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic as “hopelessly incoherent” in a social media post on Saturday. “More than three years after the end of the pandemic, they are still wrangling about what went wrong,” Johnson, 61, also wrote in an article for the Daily Mail tabloid, days after the inquiry slammed his government for its “chaotic” response to the global pandemic costing thousands of lives. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333803/uk-ex-pm-boris-johnson-hits-back-incoherent-covid-inquiry-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333803/uk-ex-pm-boris-johnson-hits-back-incoherent-covid-inquiry-report?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 12:35:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A public inquiry report released on Thursday slammed the UK’s initial response to the coronavirus pandemic in the early months of 2020 as “too little, too late”, saying the failure to lock down the country earlier “led to an unacceptable loss of life”. The inquiry, chaired by former judge Heather Hallett, found that chaos at the heart of the then Conservative government and a failure to take Covid-19 seriously potentially cost 23,000 lives in England alone during the first wave of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333600/too-little-too-late-former-uk-government-slammed-its-initial-covid-19-response?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333600/too-little-too-late-former-uk-government-slammed-its-initial-covid-19-response?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 17:20:26 +0000 Kemi Badenoch will announce her shadow cabinet within days, as she begins her term as leader of Britain’s opposition Conservative Party. The new Tory leader is understood to want her top team in place by Tuesday, when the shadow cabinet is scheduled to meet for the first time since her election. During the campaign, she suggested she would be open to offering roles to all five of her leadership rivals, although former home secretary James Cleverly has already announced his intention to return to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3285001/uks-new-conservative-party-leader-name-shadow-cabinet-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3285001/uks-new-conservative-party-leader-name-shadow-cabinet-days?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Nov 2024 07:57:48 +0000 British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff resigned on Sunday, citing concerns that growing news reports about her role “risked becoming a distraction to the government”. Sue Gray’s resignation came after recent reports about tensions between her and Starmer’s chief adviser Morgan McSweeney, and that she was earning more than the prime minister. The BBC has reported that Gray’s annual salary was £170,000 (US$223,000), about £3,000 (US$3,933) more than Starmer is paid. Gray said she... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3281298/uk-pm-starmers-chief-staff-quits-over-reports-about-salary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3281298/uk-pm-starmers-chief-staff-quits-over-reports-about-salary?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Oct 2024 18:41:42 +0000 The BBC cancelled a prime-time interview with former British prime minister Boris Johnson after one of its best-known presenters accidentally sent him the notes prepared for her questions. Laura Kuenssberg, the BBC’s former political editor and now the host of its flagship Sunday morning news programme, said she mistakenly sent Johnson the notes “in a message meant for my team” and this meant the interview had to be cancelled. “It’s very frustrating, and there’s no point pretending it’s anything... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3280963/bbc-cancels-interview-boris-johnson-after-embarrassing-mistake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3280963/bbc-cancels-interview-boris-johnson-after-embarrassing-mistake?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Oct 2024 09:49:33 +0000 Cheryl Arcibal Cheryl Arcibal Homebuyers are flocking back to capital cities, reversing the so-called “sea change” or “tree change” trend during the Covid-19 pandemic, when homes in areas close to nature were the most sought after, according to analysts. That shift has become evident in metropolises across the UK and Australia, as well as in compact cities like Singapore and Hong Kong, where home demand in core areas are outperforming those on the fringes. “There was certainly a shift away from cities and urban centres …... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3276643/homebuyers-flock-city-centres-pandemic-induced-demand-flats-close-nature-wanes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3276643/homebuyers-flock-city-centres-pandemic-induced-demand-flats-close-nature-wanes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Sep 2024 03:30:13 +0000 The UK government was ill-prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic and serious errors in planning failed its citizens, an inquiry found Thursday. Retired judge Heather Hallett, who is leading the ongoing inquiry, said the government wrongly believed in 2019 that it was one of the best-prepared countries in the world for an outbreak, and it anticipated the wrong pandemic – influenza. “This belief was dangerously mistaken,” Hallett said in releasing her first report. “In reality, the UK was ill-prepared... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3270999/uk-covid-19-inquiry-finds-government-ill-prepared-pandemic-failed-its-citizens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3270999/uk-covid-19-inquiry-finds-government-ill-prepared-pandemic-failed-its-citizens?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:43:08 +0000 Junior doctors in England on Wednesday started a six-day walkout over pay on Wednesday, the longest strike in the 75-year history of the state-run National Health Service (NHS), which will hit patient care during a seasonal winter peak in demand. As in other key sectors over the past year, junior doctors represented by the British Medical Association (BMA) have staged a series of walkouts to demand better pay in the face of soaring inflation. In a statement, the union urged the government to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3247153/longest-doctors-strike-nhs-history-piles-pressure-englands-health-services?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3247153/longest-doctors-strike-nhs-history-piles-pressure-englands-health-services?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jan 2024 10:18:08 +0000 They’ve served Roman soldiers, knights and poets and have been a gathering place for communities to enjoy a brew beside a crackling fire for centuries. Now many of Britain’s watering holes are calling “last orders” for good because of soaring costs and as people adopt healthier, alcohol-free lifestyles. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), an industry body, said the number of pubs fell from 60,800 in 2000 to 45,800 in 2022. The trend continued this year as a result of high inflation,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3245630/uks-pub-culture-faces-last-orders-due-rising-costs-changing-tastes-post-covid-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3245630/uks-pub-culture-faces-last-orders-due-rising-costs-changing-tastes-post-covid-world?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Dec 2023 09:24:17 +0000 Working from home during the pandemic may have stopped people quitting smoking, research in the UK suggests. The rate of decline in smoking rates across England appears to have “stagnated”, with more young people taking up smoking during the pandemic and a slower decline in the middle classes quitting than those who were less affluent. Experts led by University College London (UCL) analysed data from 2020 to 2022 to see what impact the Covid pandemic had on smoking rates. The study found that,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3245091/uk-study-suggests-working-home-pandemic-may-have-stopped-people-quitting-smoking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3245091/uk-study-suggests-working-home-pandemic-may-have-stopped-people-quitting-smoking?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Dec 2023 10:20:29 +0000 British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told bereaved families at an official inquiry into the UK’s handling of Covid on Monday that he was “deeply sorry” and he hoped the country could learn lessons from the pandemic. Sunak, a relatively unknown politician who was promoted to become finance minister on the eve of Covid’s arrival, said it was important to learn lessons from what had happened so Britain could be better prepared for the future. “I just wanted to start by saying how deeply sorry I am to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3244694/sunak-tells-uk-covid-inquiry-he-deeply-sorry-bereaved-families-hopes-country-can-learn-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3244694/sunak-tells-uk-covid-inquiry-he-deeply-sorry-bereaved-families-hopes-country-can-learn-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Dec 2023 11:49:57 +0000 Former UK prime minister Boris Johnson on Thursday hit out at “absolutely absurd” portrayals of partying in Downing Street during the coronavirus pandemic, as he faced a second day of questioning at a public inquiry. Johnson, 59, was forced from office last year after public anger at revelations about the series of Covid lockdown-breaching parties dubbed “Partygate”. But he insisted to the inquiry that perceptions of the scandal were “a million miles from the reality of what happened”. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3244294/boris-johnson-hits-out-version-partygate-which-prompted-his-downfall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3244294/boris-johnson-hits-out-version-partygate-which-prompted-his-downfall?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Dec 2023 20:10:11 +0000 Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday he was deeply sorry for the loss of life during the Covid-19 pandemic as he appeared as a witness at the official inquiry into Britain’s handling of the pandemic. Johnson said at the start of the hearing how glad he was to give evidence and how sorry he was for the suffering of victims and their families, but also defended his health record. The hearing was disrupted by a protester, who was asked to leave by the inquiry’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3244094/former-uk-pm-boris-johnson-apologises-families-pain-and-loss-covid-inquiry-defends-health-record?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3244094/former-uk-pm-boris-johnson-apologises-families-pain-and-loss-covid-inquiry-defends-health-record?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Dec 2023 11:14:42 +0000 Net migration to the UK hit a record high last year, official figures showed on Thursday, heaping pressure on Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has vowed to reduce new arrivals. Immigration – long a vexed political issue in Britain – is set to be a key issue in a general election expected next year, which the main opposition Labour Party are currently favourites to win. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said net migration – the difference between the number of people arriving... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3242647/record-migration-uk-piles-pressure-pm-rishi-sunak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3242647/record-migration-uk-piles-pressure-pm-rishi-sunak?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Nov 2023 19:56:06 +0000 Britain’s Conservative government launched plans on Wednesday to stimulate growth and woo voters for the next general election, delivering a massive tax-cut sweetener for workers but also forecasting sharply lower growth and stubbornly high inflation. Finance minister Jeremy Hunt unveiled a huge package of 110 measures aimed at reinvigorating the ailing economy and boosting business investment by some £20 billion (US$25 billion) per year. The speech sets the battleground for next year’s expected... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3242506/uk-unveils-voter-friendly-budget-election-horizon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3242506/uk-unveils-voter-friendly-budget-election-horizon?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Nov 2023 17:46:13 +0000 Boris Johnson, the former British prime minister, struggled to come to grips with much of the science during the coronavirus pandemic, his chief scientific adviser said on Monday. In keenly awaited testimony to the country’s public inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic, Patrick Vallance said he and others faced repeated problems getting Johnson to understand the science. “I think I’m right in saying that the prime minister gave up science at 15,” he said. “I think he’d be the first to admit it... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3242233/coronarivus-ex-uk-pm-boris-johnson-bamboozled-science-covid-19-inquiry-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3242233/coronarivus-ex-uk-pm-boris-johnson-bamboozled-science-covid-19-inquiry-told?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Nov 2023 16:00:15 +0000 Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns and other restrictions have had a “real, lasting impact” on the brain health of people over the age of 50, researchers have suggested. Older people’s cognitive function and working memory declined more rapidly during the pandemic, regardless of whether they were infected with Covid-19, a study has found. This could be down to factors exacerbated by the pandemic, such as not exercising enough and drinking too much alcohol, as well as loneliness and depression,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3240178/fears-higher-dementia-risk-over-50s-after-covid-pandemic-study-finds-lockdowns-had-real-lasting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3240178/fears-higher-dementia-risk-over-50s-after-covid-pandemic-study-finds-lockdowns-had-real-lasting?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Nov 2023 09:14:20 +0000 A heckler scattered glitter on Britain’s opposition leader Keir Starmer on Tuesday as he began to deliver a keynote speech at his Labour Party’s annual conference. Starmer had just arrived on the event’s main stage in Liverpool to make his address when he was interrupted by the male protester who stormed the platform. The protester shouted “true democracy is citizen-led” and “politics needs an update” as well as other slogans, before scattering glitter over Starmer’s head and shoulders. Several... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3237492/uk-opposition-leader-keir-starmer-hit-glitter-protester-labour-conference-speech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3237492/uk-opposition-leader-keir-starmer-hit-glitter-protester-labour-conference-speech?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Oct 2023 14:52:25 +0000 My last three years in Hong Kong were spent trying to avoid catching Covid-19 or, at least, being carted off to the Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre, otherwise known as Stalag PB. Much to my surprise and largely thanks to the many limitations on daily life we all had to endure, I succeeded. But I expected to catch the virus immediately on my return to Britain in August 2022, where I went from zero-Covid to zero-restrictions. Somehow, my luck held. Living in the countryside must have helped. But I... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/3236999/i-avoided-covid-hong-kong-now-back-uk-my-luck-has-finally-run-out-and-its-not-fun-all?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/3236999/i-avoided-covid-hong-kong-now-back-uk-my-luck-has-finally-run-out-and-its-not-fun-all?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Oct 2023 06:15:12 +0000 British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ended long-running speculation on Wednesday by announcing he was scrapping part of a massive high-speed rail scheme, during a keynote speech closing his ruling Conservatives’ annual conference. His much-anticipated address in northwest England effectively fired the starting gun on Britain’s next general election campaign, with a vote widely expected to take place next year. “I’m ending this long-running saga,” Sunak told delegates to loud applause and cheering,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3236817/uk-pm-rishi-sunak-axes-costly-hs2-high-speed-rail-line-vows-raise-smoking-age-during-conservative?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3236817/uk-pm-rishi-sunak-axes-costly-hs2-high-speed-rail-line-vows-raise-smoking-age-during-conservative?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Oct 2023 13:28:36 +0000 Britain is exploring designating its genomics sector as critical national infrastructure, deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden said on Monday, amid pressure from lawmakers concerned at China’s activity in the field. Genomics is the study of the genome – the complete set of DNA contained within a single cell. A Reuters investigation in 2021 found that China’s BGI Group had developed prenatal tests in collaboration with the Chinese military and used them to collect genetic data from women around... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3234187/britain-may-designate-genomics-sector-critical-infrastructure-says-deputy-pm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3234187/britain-may-designate-genomics-sector-critical-infrastructure-says-deputy-pm?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Sep 2023 17:34:08 +0000 British Conservative MP Nadine Dorries stepped down from the House of Commons on Saturday, more than two months after announcing she was resigning in the wake of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s own resignation from Parliament. Dorries, who served as culture secretary in Johnson’s government, left with a broadside against Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whom Johnson and his allies blame for helping to topple the former leader. In a resignation letter published by the Daily Mail newspaper,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3232432/boris-johnson-ally-nadine-dorries-quits-britains-parliament-after-months-delay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3232432/boris-johnson-ally-nadine-dorries-quits-britains-parliament-after-months-delay?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Aug 2023 19:10:18 +0000 A new coronavirus variant with a “high number of mutations” has been detected in Britain. The BA.2.86 mutation was identified in the UK on Friday in someone with no recent travel history, the British Health Security Agency said. This means there could already be “significant community transmission” among Britons, the agency added. The strain was first detected in Denmark on July 24 and was also found in that country on July 31, the same day it was discovered in Israel. A case in the US was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3231632/coronavirus-new-covid-variant-high-number-mutations-found-britain-significant-community-transmission?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3231632/coronavirus-new-covid-variant-high-number-mutations-found-britain-significant-community-transmission?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Aug 2023 05:31:07 +0000 British police will reopen an investigation into Covid-19 lockdown breaches at a December 2020 event held in the London headquarters of the governing Conservative Party following an assessment of new evidence. However police said other referrals, made to them by the government following an examination of former prime minister Boris Johnson’s diary, did not meet the criteria for further investigation. The reopened investigation concerns a Christmas party organised by staff working on a mayoral... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3226572/london-police-reopen-investigation-lockdown-breaches-conservative-party-hq?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3226572/london-police-reopen-investigation-lockdown-breaches-conservative-party-hq?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jul 2023 17:38:30 +0000 British MPs on Monday voted overwhelmingly to remove ex-prime minister Boris Johnson’s parliamentary pass as they approved a damning report that found he lied to parliament about Covid-19 lockdown-breaking parties. Following hours of debate, held on Johnson’s 59th birthday, MPs voted by 354 to seven in favour of the Privileges Committee’s findings, with many Conservatives, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, abstaining. During the debate, MPs and a former prime minister lined up to urge... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3224666/uk-mps-vote-remove-boris-johnson-parliamentary-pass-over-partygate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3224666/uk-mps-vote-remove-boris-johnson-parliamentary-pass-over-partygate?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jun 2023 21:40:45 +0000 Former British Prime Minister David Cameron said his government made a “mistake” in focusing on potential influenza pandemics rather than preparing for other respiratory diseases. “The failing was not to ask more questions about asymptomatic transmission and what turned out to be the pandemic we had”, Cameron, who served as premier from 2010 to 2016, told the country’s Covid-19 inquiry on Monday. “So much time was spent on a pandemic influenza and that was seen as the greatest danger. But why... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3224657/uk-ex-pm-cameron-admits-mistake-pandemic-preparation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3224657/uk-ex-pm-cameron-admits-mistake-pandemic-preparation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jun 2023 15:22:04 +0000 Boris Johnson deliberately misled the British parliament in an unprecedented way over rule-breaking parties at his office during Covid-19 lockdowns, a committee said on Thursday in a damning verdict that further tarnished the former prime minister Almost a year ago, Johnson was talking about remaining prime minister into the 2030s. But the privileges committee – the main disciplinary body for lawmakers – said on Thursday he should now be stripped of having automatic access to parliament. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3224231/boris-johnson-deliberately-misled-parliament-concludes-uk-report-dubbed-charade-ex-pm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3224231/boris-johnson-deliberately-misled-parliament-concludes-uk-report-dubbed-charade-ex-pm?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jun 2023 12:45:07 +0000 The UK government’s focus on Brexit seriously hampered pandemic planning, an inquiry examining the country’s handing of the Covid-19 health emergency was told on Tuesday. Hugo Keith, lead lawyer to the Covid-19 inquiry which is holding its first public session, said the country’s departure from the European Union had “required an enormous amount of planning and preparation”. “It is clear that such planning, from 2018 onwards, crowded out and prevented some or perhaps a majority of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3223975/covid-19-inquiry-told-brexit-hit-uks-pandemic-preparations-victims-relatives-lash-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3223975/covid-19-inquiry-told-brexit-hit-uks-pandemic-preparations-victims-relatives-lash-out?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:29:45 +0000 Hong Kong-based asset manager Panda Residential is seeking to raise as much as £1 billion (US$1.2 billion/HK$9.4 billion) from outside investors in the region to bet on the recovery of the UK commercial property market. The fund, whose backers include the heir of the Sasa cosmetics retail chain in the city, deems it opportune to pick up pubs, hotels and student housing amid “depressed moments” which could deliver an additional 15 to 20 per cent upside in an industry upturn. “We are already... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3223576/depressed-moments-hong-kong-fund-seeks-ps1-billion-asian-investors-acquire-uk-pub-hotel-housing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3223576/depressed-moments-hong-kong-fund-seeks-ps1-billion-asian-investors-acquire-uk-pub-hotel-housing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jun 2023 04:30:08 +0000 Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson shocked Britain on Friday by quitting as a lawmaker after being told he will be sanctioned for misleading parliament. Johnson quit after receiving the results of an investigation by lawmakers over misleading statements he made to parliament about “Partygate”. In a statement, he accused opponents of trying to drive him out. He said he had “received a letter from the Privileges Committee making it clear – much to my amazement – that they are determined to use... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3223623/boris-johnson-quits-uk-lawmaker-he-faces-partygate-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3223623/boris-johnson-quits-uk-lawmaker-he-faces-partygate-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jun 2023 19:49:59 +0000 The British government on Thursday refused an order to hand over a sheaf of Boris Johnson’s personal messages to a Covid-19 pandemic inquiry that the former prime minister himself set up when he was the UK’s leader. The head of the probe, retired judge Heather Hallett, asked to see notebooks, diaries and WhatsApp messages between Johnson and other officials that represent key evidence in the inquiry. The government provided incomplete versions, saying it cut personal and private information that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3222663/uk-government-refuses-hand-over-boris-johnsons-messages-covid-19-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3222663/uk-government-refuses-hand-over-boris-johnsons-messages-covid-19-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jun 2023 19:10:06 +0000 Thousands of university students asked London’s High Court on Wednesday to give the go-ahead to a mass lawsuit against University College London (UCL) over disruption to their studies caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and strikes. More than 3,000 current and former students – who paid at least £9,250 (US$11,482) a year – are suing UCL for breach of contract, in a case which could be followed by similar litigation against other British universities. UCL says it did not breach its contract with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3221730/coronavirus-uk-students-seek-go-ahead-lawsuit-over-covid-19-strikes-disruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3221730/coronavirus-uk-students-seek-go-ahead-lawsuit-over-covid-19-strikes-disruption?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 May 2023 15:58:58 +0000 Dr Judith Mackay and her husband, John, were in Scotland last summer. On a warm August afternoon, they took their son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren on a fun excursion – a beach walk with alpacas. She had been given her fourth Covid-19 vaccination a few weeks earlier. Strolling along the East Lothian shore, she started feeling a little breathless. This was odd. Mackay – a medical doctor in Hong Kong and one of the city’s best-known anti-tobacco advocates – was physically fit. The 79-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3219104/i-feel-responsibility-speak-out-long-covid-hits-influential-hong-kong-doctor-and-her-family-now-she?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3219104/i-feel-responsibility-speak-out-long-covid-hits-influential-hong-kong-doctor-and-her-family-now-she?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 May 2023 23:15:10 +0000 Long-term sickness is costing the UK economy £43 billion (US$53.6 billion) a year, or about 2 per cent of gross domestic product, according to a study that adds to pressure for government action. The Institute for Public Policy Research said each new illness costs people as much as £2,200 (US$2,700) in annual earnings by forcing them to resign or work less. The findings are the latest to identify health as one of the factors dragging down the UK economy, which the Bank of England says may... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3218632/long-term-sickness-costing-uk-economy-us536-billion-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3218632/long-term-sickness-costing-uk-economy-us536-billion-year?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Apr 2023 13:01:16 +0000 Doctors working in England’s public health service on Tuesday launched what has been billed as the most disruptive strike in its history, in a dispute over pay and working conditions. The four-day walkout, which began at 7am (local timeT), follows months of strikes by other public and private sector staff as inflation sparks the UK’s worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. The action by so-called junior doctors – physicians who are not senior specialists but who may still have years of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3216636/uk-nhs-braces-catastrophic-four-day-doctors-strike-could-affect-350000-appointments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3216636/uk-nhs-braces-catastrophic-four-day-doctors-strike-could-affect-350000-appointments?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Apr 2023 05:31:07 +0000 Boris Johnson said “hand on heart” he did not lie to parliament over rule-breaking Covid-19 lockdown parties as the former British prime minister fought for his political career at a hearing with lawmakers on Wednesday. Parliament’s Committee of Privileges is investigating whether Johnson, who was ousted from Downing Street in September, intentionally or recklessly misled the House of Commons in a series of statements about the gatherings. If the committee finds Johnson deliberately misled... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3214495/boris-johnson-tells-coronavirus-lockdown-party-hearing-i-did-not-lie?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3214495/boris-johnson-tells-coronavirus-lockdown-party-hearing-i-did-not-lie?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Mar 2023 17:47:57 +0000 Former British prime minister Boris Johnson has told a parliamentary inquiry there was no evidence he intentionally misled lawmakers about illegal parties held at his office during Covid-19 lockdowns. Parliament’s Committee of Privileges has been investigating statements Johnson, who was ousted from Downing Street last September, made to parliament in December 2021. It is considering whether he intentionally set out to mislead lawmakers about illegal gatherings that took place in Downing Street... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3214340/ex-uk-pm-boris-johnson-admits-he-misled-parliament-over-covid-19-lockdown-parties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3214340/ex-uk-pm-boris-johnson-admits-he-misled-parliament-over-covid-19-lockdown-parties?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Mar 2023 13:50:08 +0000 The British government said it would end the requirement for people flying from mainland China to England to provide proof of a negative pre-departure Covid-19 test from April 5. From Friday, the UK Health Security Agency’s voluntary, on-arrival testing of travellers arriving from China to London’s Heathrow airport will also end, the government said. “The removal of these measures comes as China has increased information sharing regarding testing, vaccination and genomic sequencing results,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3213966/england-end-pre-departure-covid-tests-arrivals-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3213966/england-end-pre-departure-covid-tests-arrivals-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Mar 2023 14:55:14 +0000 British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Sunday he was willing to discuss pay rises for nurses ahead of a meeting with public sector trade union leaders in an effort to end the biggest wave of industrial disputes in decades. Britain’s National Health Service (NHS), long treasured and funded by taxpayers, delivers free care to all, but is under strain following years of relative underinvestment and the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic. The strikes involving nurses and ambulance workers, staff... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3206040/uk-pm-sunak-open-discussing-nurses-pay-rise-reasonable-honest-two-way-conversation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3206040/uk-pm-sunak-open-discussing-nurses-pay-rise-reasonable-honest-two-way-conversation?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Jan 2023 15:55:45 +0000 Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing calls from senior Conservatives, including members of his own government, to get a grip of the crisis in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and make a more generous pay offer to end strikes by nurses and ambulance drivers. The NHS is routinely buffeted by winter pressures, but the creaking system has buckled under intense strain over the past month. A resurgence of Covid-19 and winter flu plus industrial action - including the first major... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3205980/uk-tories-tell-pm-rishi-sunak-he-must-raise-nurses-pay-fix-nhs-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3205980/uk-tories-tell-pm-rishi-sunak-he-must-raise-nurses-pay-fix-nhs-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Jan 2023 19:36:26 +0000 Passengers arriving in Britain and France from China will require a negative test for Covid-19 after a surge in infections in China. Starting from January 5, travellers arriving in the UK from China will need to show a negative test taken no more than two days prior to departure, the Department of Health and Social Care said in a statement on Friday. The French government says it will require travellers boarding a flight from China to show a negative Covid-19 test fewer than 48 hours old with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3205151/uk-require-negative-covid-test-china-travellers-media-reports-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3205151/uk-require-negative-covid-test-china-travellers-media-reports-say?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Dec 2022 18:30:35 +0000 King Charles III evoked memories on Sunday of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, as he broadcast his first Christmas message as monarch in a speech that also paid tribute to the “selfless dedication” of Britain’s public service workers, many of whom are in a fight with the government over pay. Charles, 74, also empathised in the pre-recorded message with people struggling to make ends meet “at a time of great anxiety and hardship”. Like some other parts of the world, the UK is wrestling with high... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3204551/king-charles-salutes-late-queen-public-workers-speech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3204551/king-charles-salutes-late-queen-public-workers-speech?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Dec 2022 15:46:45 +0000 Thousands of ambulance workers in Britain began a one-day strike on Wednesday, with unions and the government swapping accusations of blame for putting lives at risk. To reduce the risk of needing an ambulance, the government advised people not to get drunk, play contact sports or take unnecessary car trips as paramedics, call-handlers and technicians across England and Wales staged their biggest walkout in three decades. Three ambulance unions were striking for either 12 or 24 hours. They have... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3204180/dont-get-drunk-uk-government-urges-caution-amid-ambulance-strike?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3204180/dont-get-drunk-uk-government-urges-caution-amid-ambulance-strike?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Dec 2022 16:43:30 +0000 The British government said on Tuesday it will not offer more money to nurses and ambulance crews to end strikes that are piling pressure on an already overstretched healthcare system. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative administration is under pressure to increase its pay offer to healthcare staff who are seeking big raises in the face of decades-high inflation that was running at 10.7 per cent in November. Thousands of nurses walked off the job on Tuesday in their second 24-hour strike... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3204041/uk-government-refuses-give-way-pay-health-worker-strikes-continue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3204041/uk-government-refuses-give-way-pay-health-worker-strikes-continue?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Dec 2022 17:09:31 +0000 Students from Hong Kong and mainland China are boosting demand for homes in the United Kingdom as they head to the country for their studies amid a weak pound that gives their families a buying-power boost, analysts and agents said. For the 2022-23 academic year, UK universities accepted 51,300 students who live outside the European Union, an increase of 9.5 per cent from the previous academic year and a 10-year high, according to property consultancy Knight Frank. China, including Hong Kong,... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3198471/hong-kong-mainland-china-students-boost-uk-home-demand-property-agents-say-weak-pound-increases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3198471/hong-kong-mainland-china-students-boost-uk-home-demand-property-agents-say-weak-pound-increases?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Nov 2022 02:00:10 +0000 The British seem to have a word for it: “omnishambles” – a string of blunders and miscalculations that lead to comprehensive mismanagement. When new British Prime Minister Liz Truss opens the box on her Downing Street desk marked “The State of the Nation” this week, omnishambles is likely to be embossed on it. One might have passing sympathy for Truss, not least because she bears little responsibility for the “omnishambles” that greets her. But the sobering reality is that Britain is not alone... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3191886/brexit-hit-energy-starved-britain-leads-way-world-enters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3191886/brexit-hit-energy-starved-britain-leads-way-world-enters?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Sep 2022 19:30:18 +0000 Former finance minister Rishi Sunak, one of two candidates vying to be Britain’s next prime minister, said it was a mistake to have “empowered” scientists during the coronavirus pandemic and that the downsides of lockdowns were suppressed. The ruling Conservative Party is choosing a new leader after Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to quit when dozens of ministers resigned in protest at a series of scandals and missteps. Party members are voting to select either Sunak or Foreign Secretary... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3190153/uk-leadership-candidate-sunak-attacks-covid-response-says-mistake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3190153/uk-leadership-candidate-sunak-attacks-covid-response-says-mistake?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Aug 2022 08:42:34 +0000 With double-digit inflation and an economy teetering on the brink of recession, the cost-of-living crisis has dominated the race for Downing Street. But the two candidates vying to succeed Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader and UK prime minister have differing approaches to the problem. UK inflation is currently at 10.1 per cent – the highest level in 40 years – with predictions that it could climb to 13 per cent in October. Analysts at Citibank believe it could even surge beyond 18 per... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3189992/uk-pm-race-cost-living-crisis-dominates-leadership-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3189992/uk-pm-race-cost-living-crisis-dominates-leadership-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Aug 2022 07:43:13 +0000 Britain has become the first country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine that targets both the original and Omicron variant of the virus. The UK medicines regulator (MHRA) approved the so-called bivalent vaccine made by US drug company Moderna as a booster for adults. The agency’s decision was based on clinical trial data that showed the booster triggered “a strong immune response” against both Omicron (BA. 1) and the original 2020 virus, it said. The MHRA also cited an exploratory analysis in which... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3188973/uk-first-approve-covid-19-vaccine-targeting-original-and-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3188973/uk-first-approve-covid-19-vaccine-targeting-original-and-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Aug 2022 11:27:38 +0000 British Conservative front runner Liz Truss won another heavyweight endorsement on Monday as Tory members began a month of voting to decide the next occupant of 10 Downing Street. Her lagging rival Rishi Sunak vied to make up lost ground with a plan for future tax cuts – and potentially to fund a future women’s football World Cup in Britain after England’s “Lionesses” won the European championship. Truss attended Sunday’s final against Germany, and the first victory by any England football team... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3187335/uk-pm-race-foreign-secretary-liz-truss-wins-cabinet-backing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3187335/uk-pm-race-foreign-secretary-liz-truss-wins-cabinet-backing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Aug 2022 12:23:48 +0000