Top stories
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UK government under pressure to tighten Christmas Covid rules
The government has been accused of blundering into a major error that will cost lives, if it goes ahead with plans to ease Christmas restrictions. This was the stark warning from two major health journals today.
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UK redundancies hit record high as jobless rate rises again
The number of people in the UK who’ve been laid off has soared to a record high.
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UK inequalities exposed by Covid death toll, says report
The Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare the inequalities in our society, and multiplied the suffering of some of our most deprived communities.
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The often secret world of government special advisers
They work behind closed doors and they’re paid for by the taxpayer – to the tune of some £10 million in total, it turns out.
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Biden presidential election victory confirmed by electoral college
In the United States, the Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has joined other leading Republicans to congratulate Joe Biden on becoming the country’s president elect, after the electoral college formally confirmed Mr Biden’s victory.
Latest news
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What next for the Iran nuclear deal?
Last month, Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated in an ambush near the capital Tehran. Our International Editor, Lindsey Hilsum, has been reporting on Iran for over 20 years, and explains what this killing might mean for tensions in the region.
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Esther Rantzen says ‘we don’t have the right to make individual decisions’ amid Christmas virus concerns
Although everyone is desperate for some kind of respite, is an extended family Christmas too much of a risk?
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Pandemic ‘exposed the underlying inequalities in society and amplified them’, says Prof Sir Michael Marmot
We spoke to the author of the report on inequality, Sir Michael Marmot, and asked if he saw parallels with the transformations seen in post-war Britain.
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Schools in England told they cannot close early for Christmas
Schools in the London borough of Greenwich are being forced to stay open, even though the council wanted to move to online learning amid fears over rising Covid infection rates.
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‘The worst gift you can give to anybody over Christmas is a dose of this horrible disease’ – Prof Steve Reicher
Professor Steve Reicher is a behavioural scientist at the University of St Andrews. He’s advised both the UK and Scottish governments on their response to the coronavirus crisis.
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‘Growing frustration and anger about being told how we must behave and what we must do’ – Tory MP Sir Desmond Swayne
We spoke to the Conservative MP Desmond Swayne and started by asking if we should cancel Christmas.
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UK ministers offer Welsh patients treatment in England
The Covid case rate in Wales remains by far the highest in the UK, something which will no doubt be playing into four-nation discussions about Christmas rules.
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UK government may toughen message on Christmas household mixing
Our political editor Gary Gibbon joins us from Westminster.
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Thriller author John le Carré dies aged 89
The world of espionage has lost its greatest raconteur, forged from his own life as a spy in Germany in the 1950s.
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Daniel Barenboim on a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
One of the strongest advocates for finding a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is Daniel Barenboim.
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Activist Akram Salhab on the Palestinian experience of British colonialism
Are there some parts of this country’s history that remain off-limits for discussion?
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Electoral College to confirm Joe Biden win
Today the Electoral College convenes to ratify the result – and presumably deal the final blow to President’s Trump’s hopes.
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‘Brexit will hurt us but it won’t kill us’, says Bentley chief
Bentley Motors has been preparing for years for leaving the EU.
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EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier says there’s a ‘narrow path’ to Brexit deal
Some MEPs are now questioning whether there’s enough time left for the European Parliament to ratify a deal.
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MPs grill civil servants over billions spent on PPE during Covid
There was enormous pressure to find protective clothing for NHS staff and care home workers.
