In this issue

December 20, 2021

Tighter Covid rules could be in place by Christmas

Javid refuses to rule out new restrictions in bid to stem Omicron

1 min

‘Get a grip' and strengthen sick pay, Labour tells Sunak

Labour’s Rachel Reeves has called on Rishi Sunak to “get a grip” and act urgently to strengthen sick pay as the country faces a new wave of the Covid pandemic.

2 mins

Truss Takes Over Brexit Role Left By Lord Frost Departure

Liz Truss has been drafted in to take over negotiations with the EU on the Northern Ireland protocol following the dramatic resignation of Lord Frost. The foreign secretary, who is widely seen as a possible contender in a future Tory leadership race, will be given an expanded brief, taking responsibility for the UK’s relationship with the bloc with immediate effect, No 10 announced yesterday.

2 mins

Dorries Ousted From Tory WhatsApp Group For Calling Prime Minister A ‘Hero'

Culture secretary Nadine Dorries has been removed from a WhatsApp group of Conservative MPs after praising Boris Johnson, it has been reported.

1 min

Women are being wrongly denied their maternity pay

Rising numbers of pregnant women and new mothers are being denied their maternity pay entitlement in the wake of the pandemic, new figures show.

5 mins

The odds are beginning to fall on a white Christmas

The weather has turned colder and it’s thought that parts of the UK could even be in for a white Christmas this year.

2 mins

Omicron Most Dominant Covid-19 Strain In Ireland

Omicron is now the dominant Covid-19 strain in Ireland, health officials have said. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has estimated that approximately 52 per cent of reported cases are now due to the Omicron variant.

2 mins

Biden Has His Own Headache Over Coronavirus Mandates

Not unlike Boris Johnson's government – although without the scandal surrounding Christmas parties – Joe Biden's administration is trying to plot a way through a likely winter surge in Covid-19 cases, with the Omicron variant complicating matters.

2 mins

Read all stories from The Independent

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