Baroness Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman have accused the Covid inquiry of an “establishment cover-up” after their second attempt to be given an official role in the inquiry was rejected. The couple claimed they were the targets of a “politically motivated witch hunt” after the inquiry’s chairwoman, Baroness Hallett, refused their application to be […]

BBC In the next 24 hours and then over the following fortnight up until the Spring Statement, the government is going to talk a lot about a broken welfare system that is failing the people who use it, the economy and taxpayers. Taking a tough call on fixing it goes against the instincts of much

Matt Hancock has defended government deals to buy personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic, saying the country was in a “desperate situation” at the time. In a bad-tempered session at the Covid inquiry, the former health secretary repeatedly criticised the line of questioning describing it as “naive”, “hostile” and “inappropriate”. He said he was

BBC Listen to this article on BBC Sounds Ministers, health staff and the public gathered in London last week for a summit to discuss the 10-year NHS plan in England. It was the final roadshow in a nationwide tour to help set out the strategy the government says will rescue the “broken” NHS, which has

PA Media Lord Patrick Vallance, former government chief scientific adviser, gave evidence to the inquiry in west London Boris Johnson pushed for a more “ruthless, authoritarian approach” towards people who refused to self-isolate during the pandemic, according to documents seen by the Covid inquiry. The instinct of policy makers was to favour “punitive measures” over

Covid inquiry Dido Harding said she had repeatedly urged greater financial support payments during the pandemic If the UK had spent more money helping people to self-isolate during the pandemic then fewer people would have been infected or died, the former head of NHS Test and Trace has said. Baroness Dido Harding, who was in

Peter Dazeley/ Getty Creative Disposable vapes have been found to damage the environment From Sunday, it will be illegal for businesses to sell or supply disposable vapes. The government hopes the ban will reduce environmental damage caused by the devices and help cut the number of children and young people vaping. How are the rules

Family photo Matthew’s father, pictured as a baby in the late 1940s Matthew’s dad had brown eyes and black hair. His grandparents had piercing blue eyes. There was a running joke in his family that “dad looked nothing like his parents”, the teacher from southern England says. It turned out there was a very good

Shutterstock “We just wanted a relaxing conversation with our dad and we weren’t able to have one,” says Jack Blumenthal. “It was horrible. And it was constant.” Raw pain is etched on Jack’s father’s face as he finally realises how his undiagnosed mental illness – and erratic manic behaviour – hurt the ones he loves

NHS Confederation A senior NHS leader has criticised the health service, saying his mother received a “black service, not an NHS service” as she died. Lord Victor Adebowale, chair of the NHS Confederation, which represents health managers, described his mother Grace’s death as “undignified”. The 92-year-old died in January of suspected lung cancer, although it