LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to ramp up testing for coronavirus after his government faced criticism for being slower than some European peers to roll out mass checks for front-line health workers and the population. People drop off their testing kits at an NHS coronavirus self test site outside the 02

LONDON (Reuters) – Before the parcel from the food bank arrived, Natasha Cartey had just half a bag of rice and a tub of butter. She was wondering when her next meal would be. Cartey lives in social housing in Newham, one of London’s poorest boroughs, and receives government benefits. She is worried there will

LONDON (Reuters) – Around 950,000 people in the United Kingdom have applied for Universal Credit benefits in the two weeks since Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked people to stay home to limit the spread of coronavirus, a government official said on Wednesday. There are normally around 100,000 applicants per two-week period. The government has moved

FILE PHOTO: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson looks on during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street, London, Britain March 19, 2020. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday lamented the latest coronavirus data that showed a record increase of deaths in Britain, saying it was

LONDON (Reuters) – A man who coughed at a police constable and threatened to infect him with the coronavirus has been jailed for six months, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday. Adam Lewis, 55, was convicted of assault over the incident, during which he claimed to have the virus and told the policeman “I am

LONDON (Reuters) – Testing of frontline staff will go from the thousands to hundreds of thousands within the coming weeks, Public Health England’s Medical Director Yvonne Doyle said on Wednesday. “We are very committed to our NHS (National Health Service) frontline staff,” she told a news conference, declining to give more precise information on testing

LONDON (Reuters) – The rise in new coronavirus cases in Britain is concerning, as are the rates of hospital admissions in London and the Midlands, Public Health England’s medical director Yvonne Doyle said on Wednesday. “(The number of new cases) is slightly concerning, it’s still too early to say whether the plateau of hospital admissions

FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Speaker of The House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle speaks during a meeting with new members to the chamber in the House of Commons, in London, Britain January 15, 2020. ©UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS. LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s parliament is investigating how it can operate virtually, to scrutinise the government even

Paramedics and ambulances are seen outside the Excel Centre, London while it is being prepared to become the NHS Nightingale Hospital, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, London, Britain, April 1, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls LONDON (Reuters) – The number of people with coronavirus who have died in Britain rose by 563 to

LONDON (Reuters) – Kamal Foroughi, an 80-year-old man with dual Iranian-British nationality, has returned to Britain nine years after being arrested in Iran on spying charges, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement. Foroughi, who was working as a business consultant when he was arrested, was released from detention in Tehran in

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Prince Charles, who has recovered after testing positive for coronavirus, praised the selfless devotion of healthcare workers on Wednesday and said it was a strange and distressing time for the nation. FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Prince Charles looks on during a visit to the London Transport Museum, in London, Britain March 4,

LONDON (Reuters) – Edinburgh’s summer festivals, which include the International music and arts showcase and renowned “Fringe” comedy event, have been cancelled for the first time in more than 70 years because of coronavirus, organisers said on Wednesday. FILE PHOTO: Performers from the Fourth Monkey Theatre Group sing in the Royal Mile during the Edinburgh

LONDON (Reuters) – Losing your sense of smell and taste may be the best way to tell if you have COVID-19, according to a study of data collected via a symptom tracker app developed by British scientists to help monitor the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus. FILE PHOTO: A poster in the window of a pharmacy is pictured

LONDON (Reuters) – Lockdown and social distancing measures introduced by the British government to slow the spread of COVID-19 may already be working, according to preliminary research findings, and could soon see Britain’s epidemic of infections declining. A woman walks past graffiti on a wall in Brentford, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

General view of an NHS drive through coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing facility in the car park of Chessington World of Adventures, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, Chessington, Britain, March 30, 2020. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls LONDON (Reuters) – Not all of the chemicals needed to produce coronavirus tests have always been available in

FILE PHOTO – A woman wearing her protective face mask is seen during the sunset as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, Oxford, Britain, March 31, 2020. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh LONDON (Reuters) – The number of deaths as a result of coronavirus is likely to get worse before it improves, but measures taken by