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1. Rebel MPs plot to oust Boris Johnson as Covid ‘plan B’ restrictions are lifted

Boris Johnson is set to announce the lifting of Covid ‘plan B’ restrictions on Wednesday as a plot to oust him by Tory MPs first elected in 2019 emerged.

Cabinet is expected to approve the scrapping of work-from-home guidelines and Covid passports at a meeting on Wednesday morning, although some face mask rules may remain. Read the full story.

2. ‘Hugely incorrect’ Covid modeling caused Boris Johnson to bounce into a second lockdown, MPs have said

Boris Johnson was sacked during the second coronavirus lockdown after a ‘terrifying’ and ‘grossly incorrect’ model warning of 4,000 deaths a day was leaked to the press, MPs have heard.

Speaking during a debate in Westminster Hall on the use of models in the pandemic, Steve Baker, vice-chairman of the Covid recovery group, described how the Prime Minister contacted him shortly before announcing new restrictions on October 31, 2020 to ask his opinion. Read the full story.

3. UK goes into ‘crisis mode’ as weapons arrive in Ukraine to defend against Russian invasion

The Foreign Office has been told to prepare for “crisis mode” as weapons are flown from Britain to Ukraine to defend it against a Russian invasion.

It comes as the White House examines evidence from US intelligence suggesting Russia is planning to try to take Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and overthrow the government. Read the full story.

4. MI5 is under intense scrutiny in the US after Texas Synagogue terrorist deemed not to be a threat

Washington’s powerful security committee has demanded to know how a British jihadist on MI5’s radar was able to travel to the United States and attack a synagogue.

MI5 revealed on Tuesday that Malik Faisal Akram had been investigated a year before he took a Jewish congregation hostage in Texas, but the investigation was closed after intelligence agencies believed he was not posed no threat. Read the full story.

5. Thousands of children went unnoticed during lockdown, warns Dame Rachel De Souza

Thousands of children have ‘fallen off the radar’, a government czar has warned as she launches an investigation to find young people who are not in class.

School attendance has plummeted as a result of the lockdown and is a major ‘red flag’, according to Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England. Read the full story.

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