NATIONAL NEWS

Neil Watt and his partner Kris Reid spent most of 2020 alone in Castle Ward as the National Trust mansion was closed during the pandemic.

Record numbers of people crossed to the UK in 2020, despite the perilous waters separating Britain and France.

Army bomb experts were called out 229 times in 2018/19, the highest number since 246 in 2015/16.

Over the course of 2020, the PA news agency sought to give voice to people who have crossed the English Channel in small boats or aboard lorries.

Arlene Foster pledged to mitigate the worst effects of the protocol requiring checks on some goods coming from Great Britain.

The Prime Minister said that ‘referendums in my experience in this country are not particularly jolly events’.

The First Minister expressed concern about the life chances of young people during the pandemic.

Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said children’s lives cannot be ‘put on hold’ waiting for vaccination programmes to take effect.

The pandemic drove a 163% jump in job cuts, according to new figures.

Tower Hamlets Council has been asked to consider issuing a fine to the owner of the restaurant.

She said her ideal birthday present would be for people to do more to help the planet.

The coronavirus pandemic took the world by surprise but it wasn’t the only thing occupying British politicians in this most tumultuous of years.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is insisting the summer national exams must still go ahead.

A judge will decide whether he should be extradited from the UK on Monday.

WikiLeaks co-founder Assange came to the fore in 2010 with the publication of damaging classified US documents.

Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said children’s lives cannot be ‘put on hold’ waiting for vaccination programmes to take effect.

School closures and developments on the rollout of coronavirus vaccinations dominate the national newspapers.

School closures and developments on the rollout of coronavirus vaccinations dominate the national newspapers.

British regulators have adopted the phrase ‘safety is our watchword’.

The PA news agency looks at the science behind the jab.