Afghanistan 1) Parliament recalled as triumphant Taliban take Kabul “Afghanistan was braced for a full-scale return to Taliban rule last night as the government in Kabul collapsed, the western-backed president fled and fighters entered his palace claiming victory for their “Islamic Emirate”. Senior Taliban leaders told The Times they would accept nothing less than “absolute […]
UK rush to evacuate envoy from Kabul before Taliban arrive “Britain’s ambassador is to be airlifted from Afghanistan by Monday evening amid fears that the Taliban could imminently take Kabul and seize the airport that would provide the only means of escape. By Saturday night, the number of UK diplomats and government officials in the […]
Johnson says winning in Afghanistan is ‘not realistic’ after two decades of fighting… “Boris Johnson said tonight that it is not ‘realistic’ to expect outside powers to impose a ‘combat solution’ on Afghanistan as the Taliban’s surging advance closes on Kabul and British and US troops are sent into evacuate Westerners. The Prime Minister said: […]
US and UK send troops to help evacuate Afghan embassies “The US and UK will send troops to help evacuate staff from their embassies in Kabul as the Taliban continued its rout of provincial capitals in Afghanistan following Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw American troops. The Pentagon said it would send 3,000 troops in the […]
Johnson ‘to oust bungling Williamson after A-Levels fiasco’ “Boris Johnson is planning to axe bungling education secretary Gavin Williamson after this year’s A-Levels row, it has been reported. The PM has set his sights on drafting in controversial culture warrior Kemi Badenoch, who has made a name for herself crusading against “woke campaigners”. He is […]
Call for urgent A-levels overhaul as grades soar “The credibility of the A-level system risks being undermined by soaring grade inflation, politicians and education experts warned after yesterday’s unprecedented results. Across all entries, almost 20 per cent were A* and 45 per cent at least A. More than a third of pupils were awarded three A […]
A Levels: A-grades awarded in almost half of exams… “Almost half of Tuesday’s A-level results are expected to be at A* or A in a second year of rampant grade inflation. The Times has learnt that about 19 per cent of the qualifications are likely to be graded A* this year and a further 30 per […]
Coronavirus 1) Get back to the office, ministers order Whitehall… “Cabinet ministers are planning a “big push” to get civil servants to return to the office from next month amid concern about the lack of staff at desks. One Whitehall department is likely to order its employees to work from the office at least three days a […]
ConHome survey fuels concerns about Johnson’s leadership… “Johnson’s mood on Monday would hardly have been improved by the monthly survey conducted by ConservativeHome, a website that measures the views of party members. After a month in which he was forced into a U-turn over isolating and presided over chaotic Covid travel rules, Johnson plummeted 36 […]
Coronavirus 1) Scientists advise further lockdowns “unlikely to be needed” “Lockdowns are unlikely to be needed again, government scientific advisers have said, as official figures showed a clear fall in coronavirus cases. Data from the Office for National Statistics, considered the gold standard for infection rates, confirmed the first clear drop outside of lockdown. Even […]
£750m fund for festivals as ministers declare that the show must go on “Festivals like Glastonbury will be able to go ahead next summer under the insurance cover of the Treasury after the Government stepped in to protect live events from Covid uncertainty. After months of lobbying from industry, Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, and Oliver Dowden, […]
Holidays to France are back on as Johnson removes it from ‘amber plus’ list “Summer holidays to France are back on, as Boris Johnson said Britons “yearn to go abroad this year”. In a significant reopening of foreign travel from this weekend, France is to be removed from the “amber plus” list, ending the requirement for […]
Coronavirus 1) Teenagers aged 16 and 17 to be offered vaccine within days in drive to stop Covid spread before new school year “Youngsters aged 16 and 17 will get the green light for Covid jabs within days. The news comes as a study found having two vaccine doses makes people at least half as […]
Prime Minister steps in to ‘save holidays on the Continent’ “Summer holiday plans have received a major boost after Boris Johnson blocked the creation of a controversial new “amber watchlist” for foreign countries. The extra category in the Government’s travel traffic light system would have left popular holiday destinations under threat of imminently turning red, forcing […]
Tories revolt over amber watchlist crackdown on holidays “Tory backbenchers and the travel industry have criticised “inexplicably complicated” government plans to warn holidaymakers against visiting popular destinations such as Spain. Ministers are in discussions about creating a new amber watchlist of countries that are at risk of moving to the government’s travel red list with […]