Greater Manchester mayor says move ‘totally disproportionate’ given case rate in Bolton is lower than Dundee Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Andy Burnham has called on Nicola Sturgeon to justify the “totally disproportionate” travel ban between the north-west of England and Scotland in an open letter. […]

Embattled prime minister pressed to abandon top-down approach to government as difficult autumn nears Cabinet ministers including Rishi Sunak will this week urge Boris Johnson not to keep sidelining his ministers, as officials warn of a difficult autumn ahead with pressures over hospital waiting lists, social care reform and court […]

Rightmove data shows largest June increase since 2015 but economists suggest Covid boom may be fading Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage House asking prices have hit record levels across every region of Great Britain, according to latest figures, although some experts have questioned whether the pandemic […]

Chief scientific adviser will head new government body looking at big bets in science and technology The government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, has been asked by Boris Johnson to investigate whether the UK’s successful vaccine procurement programme can be replicated in other areas of technology. Vallance, who has […]

Former Speaker says party has become reactionary and xenophobic under its current leadership • The blue wall: what next for the Tories after shock defeat? John Bercow, the former Tory MP and Speaker of the House of Commons, has delivered an extraordinary broadside against Boris Johnson and the Conservative party […]