Politics

Lord Frost says the EU has “significantly undermined” post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland. Source link

Boris Johnson defends his pay rise proposals after a warning nurses may quit for feeling undervalued. Source link

But the Brexit-backing politician says he wants to “go on influencing the debate” via social media. Source link

Speaking on a visit to a vaccination centre in Brent, North London, the Prime Minister said that a 1% pay rise recommended for NHS workers was as much as ministers could give. Unions and bodies representing health trusts said the government should honour a rise of 2%, suggested back in 2019. Source link

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson told the BBC’s Andrew Marr that he was confident reopening schools in England would be an ‘irreversible’ measure. He said that a system of protective measures would be in place, including mass testing of pupils for the virus. Source link

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth told the BBC’s Andrew Marr that reopening schools in England should take priority as we come out of lockdown. He said that the impact of schools being open on the R-number should determine how other lockdown measures are eased, especially hospitality. ‘You have to be driven by data’, he added. […]

Boris Johnson wants the power to choose the date of the next election – but the argument may not be over. Source link

Danny Sriskandarajah, Oxfam GB chief executive, said: “Aid cuts are a false economy that will remove a vital lifeline from millions of people in Yemen and beyond who can’t feed their families, have lost their homes and whose lives are threatened by conflict and Covid.” Source link

Televised briefings will “increase public accountability and transparency”, the Cabinet Office says. Source link

Image copyright House of Commons A Brexit minister has said he accepts he made a mistake in a Commons exchange which prompted a row about the independence of the civil service. Unions had accused Steve Baker of not challenging a “half-baked conspiracy theory” that the Treasury was trying to influence policy on the customs union. […]

Image copyright Laura Dodsworth Image caption Ministers want to create a specific offence criminalising psychological abuse A bill to criminalise psychological domestic abuse is has been passed, with some campaigners saying it “could change Scotland forever”. The Domestic Abuse bill, which has wide backing, creates a specific offence of “abusive behaviour in relation to a […]

Image copyright PA Image caption Mr Russell is leading the Scottish government’s negotiations with the UK government over the Brexit process The Scottish government has said it will publish the UK government’s controversial Brexit briefing paper if it is given it. The document, which was leaked to Buzzfeed earlier this week, predicts that Brexit will […]