Author: LoveWorld UK

New photographs have emerged of Boris Johnson raising a glass of wine in front of a table strewn with bottles at the leaving do of a senior aide – an event for which the Metropolitan police decided not to issue the prime minister with a fixed-penalty notice. The photos obtained by ITV News show Johnson holding a glass of wine as others raise their glasses, as well as appearing to give a speech. The event on 13 November 2020 was to mark the departure of his head of communications, Lee Cain. Johnson has denied in the House of Commons that an event took place…

Scientists have created genetically edited tomatoes, each containing as much provitamin D3 – the precursor to vitamin D – as two eggs or a tablespoon of tuna. Outdoor field trials of the tomatoes are expected to begin in the UK next month, and if successful, could provide an important new dietary source of vitamin D. Approximately 13-19% of Britons have low levels of vitamin D, which is needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. Our main source of this nutrient comes from exposing the skin to sunlight, which converts provitamin D3 into an active form of vitamin D that our…

Pfizer has asked a U.S. court to throw out a lawsuit from a whistleblower who revealed problems at sites that tested Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. Brook Jackson, the whistleblower, alleged in a suit that was unsealed in February that Pfizer and associated parties violated clinical trial regulations and federal laws, including the False Claims Act. In its motion to dismiss, Pfizer says the regulations don’t apply to its vaccine contract with the U.S. Department of Defense because the agreement was executed under the department’s Other Transaction Authority (OTA), which gives contract holders the ability to skirt many rules and laws that typically apply to contracts. That…

London Underground station staff will stage a 24-hour strike on Monday 6 June, the day after the platinum jubilee holiday weekend, in a dispute over job cuts. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has called 4,000 members out on strike in protest at Transport for London’s plans to cut 600 posts to reduce costs. The walkout follows two strikes in a week in early March, and is likely to reduce tube services and close stations in central London. The union has also announced an overtime ban from 3 June, which could affect the underground during the jubilee celebrations. Only…

Gündogaaaan. It was a moment of the highest drama, the wildest of celebrations and it was impossible to ignore the parallels. Manchester City had looked goosed, two goals down to Aston Villa with 76 minutes on the clock, knowing that they needed three because, well, did anybody really think that Liverpool would not beat Wolves at Anfield? The Etihad Stadium was an angsty place. Villa had lost their previous 11 league matches at City; the longest such streak away from home against an opponent in their history. But they were ready to buck the trend. Steven Gerrard, their manager, was about to…

They would not go. Not the fans who invaded the Goodison Park pitch and sang with raw emotion for 30 minutes after the final whistle. Not the players who joined the choir from the other side of a police cordon. Not Frank Lampard, who disappeared in the throng and re-emerged on the roof of the executive boxes to soak up the acclaim. And not Everton. Their Premier League life was ebbing away after 45 desperate minutes against Crystal Palace. They would not go. Five minutes of normal time remained of a fraught but unforgettable encounter. Five minutes for Everton to preserve their top-flight…

Civil servants and special advisers have reacted with fury and disbelief after Scotland Yard confirmed Boris Johnson got only one of 126 fines levied for law-breaking parties at the heart of Downing Street and Whitehall. The Metropolitan police came under intense pressure to explain how it reached its conclusions after Downing Street said officers confirmed no further action would be taken against the prime minister despite him attending gatherings for which others were fined. The Met’s four-month £460,000 investigation has concluded, paving the way for the publication of a full report by the senior civil servant Sue Gray next week. Her preliminary report found…

Doncaster, Milton Keynes and Stanley in the Falkland Islands have been awarded city status, approved by the Queen, in a competition being held as part of the platinum jubilee celebrations, the Cabinet Office has announced. The eight winners of the 2022 Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours competition, also included Bangor in Northern Ireland, Colchester in England, Douglas on the Isle of Man, Dunfermline in Scotland and Wrexham in Wales. The competition for city status has taken place in each of the last three jubilee years, with previous winners including Lisburn and Newport (2002) and Chelmsford (2012). This time the contest was open for the…

The UK deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab, has called for ministers who were fined for breaching Covid regulations to be named by the senior civil servant tasked with investigating the Partygate scandal. Scotland Yard’s inquiries were closed on Thursday with a total of 126 fixed penalties handed out to 83 people, as it was confirmed the prime minister would not be punished further than the £50 fine he received in April for attending his birthday party in June 2020 when indoor mixing was banned. Westminster now awaits the publication of Sue Gray’s separate report into lockdown gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall, expected…

The Metropolitan police have completed their investigation into lockdown-breaching parties in Downing Street and Whitehall, and issued a total of 126 fixed-penalty notices, the force has announced. Thus far Boris Johnson has received one fine. It is not immediately clear if any of the last tranche of fines involve any more for the prime minister. The Met said it had imposed fines for events on eight dates. However, on several of these, more than one event took place. The Met said that of the 12 events referred to it for investigation, “all resulted or will do so in a FPN being issued”. If Johnson…