6:52 am, November 8, 2021
Boris Johnson faces demands for public inquiry into sleaze allegations
Boris Johnson will face calls for a public inquiry into allegations of Tory sleaze as MPs consider how to clean up Westminster following the Owen Paterson row.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the prime minister should apologise to the nation and ‘clean out the filthy Augean stable he has created’.
The Commons will spend three hours hearing an emergency debate on the situation today, despite ministers seeking to dismiss the row as a ‘storm in a teacup’.
Climate pledges must be delivered on, says Cop26 president Alok Sharma
Countries must deliver on the commitments they made last week at the Cop26 talks, conference president Alok Sharma has said as the business end of the negotiations loom.
The UN climate talks are entering their second week with ministers arriving for the political stage of the negotiations, while today also sees a focus on support for poorer countries to cope with climate change.
It comes after leaders and countries signed up to a range of initiatives last week, from tackling deforestation to curbing coal power and cutting methane to prevent global warming.
10m boosters complete amid Christmas restrictions warning
More than 10 million people have had Covid-19 booster jabs, according to new figures, as people were told to get their top-up to help prevent restrictions this Christmas.
Boris Johnson said the milestone was ‘amazing’ as he warned boosters will be ‘vital’ to keep ‘you and your loved ones protected through the winter’.
Meanwhile, the chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency said the number of deaths among the vaccinated population is on the rise as immunity wanes.
US reopens borders to UK travellers
The US reopened its borders to UK visitors today in a significant boost to the travel sector.
Thousands of travellers are jetting off on transatlantic flights for long-awaited reunions with family and friends.
Rival airlines British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are operating a synchronised departure from Heathrow to celebrate the end of the travel ban. Their aircraft will take off from parallel runways at the west London airport at 8.30am before flying to New York JFK.
NHS to receive nearly £250m for tech to tackle record waiting list backlog
The NHS will receive £248m funding over the next year for technology to tackle the record waiting list backlog.
Digital diagnostics services across the NHS will be reformed to increase the efficiency of sharing tests, images and results between hospitals, labs and GP surgeries, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
The government said this will lead to quicker detection of illnesses and reduce waiting times for treatment. The NHS hospital treatment backlog in England has reached a new record, with the number of people waiting more than two years rising to nearly 10,000.
Weekend Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Industry leaders complete gruelling Three Peaks Challenge ahead of Kilimanjaro climb
- Toyota launches all-new Aygo X with improved technology and design
- Review: Updates to the Volvo XC60 T8 bring added electric power
- Alfa Romeo confirms first EV will launch in 2024 ahead of brand going all-electric three years later
High winds delay SpaceX crew homecoming after six months in orbit
High winds off the Florida coast have prompted SpaceX to delay the return of four space station astronauts who have been in orbit since spring.
The US, French and Japanese astronauts were supposed to leave the International Space Station on Sunday, with their capsule splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday morning. But with gusts exceeding safety limits, SpaceX bumped the departure to Monday afternoon, with a night-time return to conclude their six-month mission.
Their trip home will now last eight hours, less than half as long as before. The toilet in their capsule is broken, and so the four will need to rely on nappies while flying home.
Welsh community with longest place name joins broadband fast lane
A community famous for having the longest place name in the country will soon be able to access some of the fastest broadband speeds in Europe.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogoch on Anglesey – often known as Llanfair PG – is benefiting from a partnership between residents and Openreach.
They will be able to take advantage of speeds of up to one gigabit per second using Openreach’s ‘full fibre’ network, where fibre is run directly from the exchange to properties.
Cloudy turning wet
A cloudy start for many today, reports BBC Weather, with sunshine reserved for eastern areas. Rain will push into the north-west during the morning, spreading to other parts of England and Wales.
A cloudy and breezy night for all, with spells of rain for Northern Ireland and western Scotland, spreading eastwards overnight.
