UK politics live: Boris Johnson promises ‘massive sanctions’ after Russian invasion of Ukraine

Latest updates: prime minister condemns Russian president Vladimir Putin and promises to stand with Ukraine

General Sir Richard Shirreff, the former British officer who was Nato’s deputy supreme allied commander, told the Today programme this morning the possibility of the war in Ukraine leading to military conflict between Britain and Russia could not be ruled out. Asked if this was possible, he replied:

Absolutely there is a possibility that we as a nation could be at war with Russia, because if Russia puts one bootstep across Nato territory, we are all at war with Russia. Every single one, every single member of the Nato alliance.

Article 5 [of the Nato alliance] says an attack on one is an attack on all, so we need to change our mindset fundamentally, and that is why I say our defence starts in the UK on the frontiers of Nato.

What became evident in the days leading up to this invasion is that Vladimir Putin is increasingly isolated. That bizarre video of him berating his senior officials shows that he’s making these decisions increasingly in isolation and illogically.

And unfortunately I think that that is part of the reason why the initial round of international sanctions that [were] put in place by ourselves, by France, Germany, the US, Canada and others, didn’t have the deterrent effect.

The sanctions package that will be put in response to this is already actually having an effect. Just the announcement that it’s coming - we’ve seen the Russian stock market, the equivalent of the FTSE, drop by over 30%. That is a huge reduction in Russia’s economic abilities to fund this invasion.

And those sanctions will be laid today and over forthcoming days to really prevent Russia from funding this invasion.

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Boris Johnson promises ‘massive package of sanctions’ after Russian invasion of Ukraine – video

The UK prime minister has said that 'a vast invasion is under way, by land, by sea and by air' in Ukraine, as he promised to impose 'massive' sanctions that would 'hobble' the Russian economy.

Speaking as world leaders scrambled to respond to the attacks that began in the early hours of Thursday morning, Johnson said Russia had 'attacked a friendly country without any provocation and without any credible excuse'.

He said Russia must not be allowed to succeed. 'Diplomatically, politically, economically, and eventually militarily, this hideous and barbaric adventure of Vladimir Putin must end in failure,' he said

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Boris Johnson promises massive sanctions to ‘hobble’ Russian economy

PM says ‘we will not just look away’ and Putin’s ‘barbaric adventure’ in Ukraine must end in failure

Boris Johnson has said that “a vast invasion is under way, by land, by sea and by air” in Ukraine, as he promised to impose “massive” sanctions that would “hobble” the Russian economy.

Speaking as world leaders scrambled to respond to the attacks that began in the early hours of Thursday morning, the UK prime minister said Russia had “attacked a friendly country without any provocation and without any credible excuse”.

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Freedom or folly? The end of England’s Covid restrictions

Today marks the first day in nearly two years that no laws will be in place in England to deal with the spread of Covid-19. But is the government still following the science?

All the remaining Covid restrictions in England will be lifted today. Instead of a legal requirement to self-isolate when infected, people with coronavirus will be simply advised to avoid passing on the disease. But the government is also removing financial support for those self-isolating, as well as winding down its expensive contact-tracing infrastructure and refusing to continue funding tests for individuals.

It is a moment that has brought celebration to many in Boris Johnson’s Conservative party, a large number of whom have long been stridently opposing every new restrictive measure designed to curb the spread of the virus. But as the Guardian’s Peter Walker tells Hannah Moore, not everyone is overjoyed at the news. Many on the Labour benches detect an overtly political motivation that they say has trumped a more cautious science-backed approach to living with Covid. While Johnson claims to be moving to end restrictions in England faster than anywhere else in Europe, Scotland and Wales are moving notably slower. Meanwhile, those who have in the past been deemed clinically vulnerable to Covid are now expressing anger and anxiety about what is to come.

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UK ‘out in front’ in imposing sanctions on Russia, says Boris Johnson – video

The British prime minister has claimed the UK  is 'out in front' in terms of sanctions against Russia as the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, pushed him for further measures during PMQs.

Boris Johnson said 275 people were subject to sanctions and bank assets were frozen. Only three individuals have been added to the list since the Ukraine crisis escalated at the beginning of the week, but Johnson added: 'There is more to come.'

The UK is expected to provide further military support to Ukraine, including lethal and non-lethal aid

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Leak confirms Partygate questionnaire includes police caution

Met’s questionnaire asks recipients if they have ‘reasonable excuse’ for attending gatherings in lockdown

The first glimpse of a Partygate questionnaire confirms that Downing Street insiders are being questioned under police caution – and asked if they have a “reasonable excuse” for attending lockdown-busting gatherings.

Boris Johnson has already returned his replies to the Metropolitan police’s questions, and is believed to have argued that he attended social events in No 10 in a work capacity.

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UK will ‘barrage’ Russia with sanctions, warns Boris Johnson – video

Boris Johnson has claimed Russia is bent on a 'full-scale invasion of Ukraine' and said the UK would immediately impose economic sanctions.

Speaking after a 6.30am Cobra meeting, the prime minister said the UK was prepared to continue ratcheting up measures

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Tory row over testing casts shadow over PM’s Covid announcement

Analysis: cabinet colleagues horrified over wrangling between Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid

Cabinet ministers were already waiting in No 10 on Monday morning when it became clear the sign-off for the prime minister’s much-anticipated end to Covid regulations was not going to be as perfunctory as they had imagined.

A festering row between Rishi Sunak’s Treasury and Sajid Javid’s health department was responsible, first reported by the Guardian last week and still unresolved.

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Queen to speak to PM in weekly update from self-isolation

UK monarch tested positive for Covid, which is manifesting in ‘mild cold-like symptoms’

The Queen is expected to speak to Boris Johnson on Wednesday for her regular weekly update from the prime minister as she continues to recover from Covid-19.

Audiences with foreign ambassadors are expected to go ahead – also on a virtual basis – as the monarch remains in self-isolation at her home in Windsor.

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Covid restrictions and free mass testing to end in England on 1 April

Announcement by Boris Johnson shows Rishi Sunak has won out over Sajid Javid in cabinet battle over funding

Covid laws and free mass testing are to be swept away across England after Rishi Sunak won a cabinet battle on cutting the cost of the pandemic, prompting fears that the poor and vulnerable will pay the price.

Boris Johnson announced plans to end free testing for the general public from 1 April, saying it was time for people to “get our confidence back”.

Contact tracing will end from Thursday and contacts of people testing positive will no longer have to test or isolate.

Schools and other education settings will no longer be advised to test twice-weekly, with immediate effect.

NHS and social care staff will no longer get asymptomatic testing but this is expected to continue for patients and care home residents.

Covid passports will be scrapped from 1 April, with venues no longer recommended to use them. They will still be available for international travel.

The Office for National Statistics survey of Covid in the community will be maintained but in a slimmed-down version.

The Vivaldi study on care homes and Panoramic study on antivirals will continue, the government insisted, although it was not clear how they will be funded and whether enough testing is being done to support them.

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Johnson to say ending Covid rules in England is a ‘moment of pride’

PM to unveil long-term strategy for living with the virus but health experts say measures are premature

Boris Johnson will proclaim that the lifting of all remaining Covid restrictions in England this week marks a “moment of pride” when he unveils the government’s long-term strategy for living with the virus, despite concerns from scientists, health experts and Labour that the move is premature.

The legal requirement for anyone with Covid to isolate will be ditched a month earlier than planned, while free PCR and lateral flow tests for everyone will be axed to rein in public spending and attempt to restore people’s confidence that life can return to normality. The tests will reportedly be kept for the over-80s.

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‘We’re in a different world’: PM defends end of Covid rules in England

Boris Johnson indicates last restrictions could be eased from next week and free testing will end soon

The country is “in a different world” from when the Covid pandemic started, Boris Johnson has said, meaning the last remaining restrictions can begin to be lifted from next week.

Ahead of an announcement on Monday about the government’s “living with Covid” strategy, the prime minister signalled free mass testing would end imminently and told people to return to the office and “get their confidence back”.

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UK ‘weakening threat to Kremlin by failing to close property loophole’

EU capitals concerned UK is not ensuring identity of real estate owners known in event of sanctions

Britain has frustrated its EU allies and weakened the west’s financial threat to the Kremlin by failing to close a loophole that will ensure London real estate remains a safe haven for Russian money, according to diplomatic sources in Brussels.

New legislation, described as the “toughest ever” by the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, gives the UK government powers to freeze the assets of individuals linked to the Russian state in the event of an invasion of Ukraine but fails to “capture” property owned via anonymous offshore structures.

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Johnson to end forced self-isolation after positive Covid test in England

PM to announce end to legal duty to quarantine next week as part of ‘living with Covid’ measures

The prime minister is to announce the end of the legal duty to self-isolate after testing positive for Covid-19 next week.

Downing Street said Boris Johnson will lay out his intentions to repeal all pandemic regulations that restrict public freedoms in England as part of his “living with Covid” plan on Monday.

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Living with Covid: what are risks of England’s plan to lift restrictions?

As the new plan is set to be announced, here’s what might change, from testing to shielding

As Britain emerges from the Omicron wave, ministers are thrashing out a “living safely with Covid” plan for England expected to be announced next week. The strategy should see freedoms expanded back towards pre-pandemic norms in an attempt to readjust people’s attitudes towards coronavirus.

The decisions taken this weekend in Whitehall will have major repercussions for public health across the country. While vaccines have drastically blunted Covid hospitalisations and deaths, and restrictions came with significant downsides, lifting further measures is unlikely to come without a cost – particularly for those in vulnerable groups.

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Ukraine crisis brings British intelligence out of the shadows

Analysis: warnings of Russian invasion issued in bid to shape the narrative and win information war with Kremlin

British intelligence, so used to operating in the shadows, has been thrust into the spotlight during the Ukraine crisis, cited by Boris Johnson on Wednesday to warn that Russian troop numbers were still increasing or by the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, last month to warn of a possible coup in Kyiv.

As the crisis has intensified, the warnings have, if anything, become even less subtle. An extraordinary video released on Thursday by the Ministry of Defence, billed in capital letters as an “intelligence update”, included a Dad’s Army-style map showing a possible Russian invasion plan and other assessments aimed at the general public.

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Ending all Covid restrictions ‘premature and not based on evidence’, says BMA

Council chair says decision not guided by data or made in consultation with health profession

Ending all Covid restrictions is premature and “not based on current evidence”, the British Medical Association has said, as experts warned dropping testing and self-isolation could lead to a surge in cases.

Boris Johnson told MPs last week that he was preparing to lift the legal requirement in England to self-isolate on 24 February, a month earlier than originally planned, with a formal announcement expected on Monday.

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No 10 staff facing police over Partygate can see notes on their evidence

Staff allowed ‘limited access’ before Sue Gray inquiry evidence passed to police

Downing Street staff being questioned by police about alleged lockdown breaches will be allowed to view notes on the evidence they gave to the Sue Gray inquiry.

Those spoken to as part of the Cabinet Office probe were told they could see the notes with a member of Gray’s team present but would not be allowed to bring a phone into the room, to be accompanied by a lawyer, or to request any changes.

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Boris Johnson says kindergarten attack in Donbas was ‘false-flag operation’ – video

The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, has said that an attack on a kindergarten in Ukraine was a 'false-flag operation' by Russia designed to discredit the Ukrainians.

'The picture is continuing to be very grim,' Johnson told reporters during a visit to RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, when asked about the latest intelligence on Ukraine.

'A kindergarten was shelled in what we are taking to be, what we know was, a false-flag operation designed to discredit the Ukrainians, designed to create a pretext, a spurious provocation for Russian action.

'We fear very much that that is a thing we will see more of over the next few days,' Johnson added

Russia and Ukraine crisis latest news: live updates as US warns of Russian invasion

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‘The pleasure of a chancer unmasked’: why we are living in the age of schadenfreude

Watching the misfortunes of Boris Johnson or Novak Djokovic is deliciously satisfying – and unmistakably human. But is it wrong to submit to our basest instincts?

No one is especially shy about the anger they feel about the partygate shambles in Downing Street, nor should they be. We are all a bit more discreet, though, about how enjoyable it is to watch the prime minister’s downfall. It hits every base of funny, from the slapstick to the surreal; a comedy home run. But there is something delicious here that is richer than humour. To see a chancer unmasked is a very particular pleasure.

Likewise, I would happily give you my thoughts on the international tennis elite and their stance on vaccination. But why it was so droll to see Novak Djokovic detained in and then deported from Australia I would struggle to say; I never had anything against the man.

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