Follow below for the latest updates from Westminster and elsewhere

The requirement for people arriving in the UK to take a pre-departure coronavirus test is likely to be axed.

The First Minister will address the Scottish Parliament virtually on Wednesday afternoon.

Health minister hints that ‘you may be able to expect some news’ on testing rule changes

Dr Mike Tildesley said London was starting to turn around but places like the Midlands were still seeing rising hospital admissions.

Tribute features a large white marble halo and a Hawthorne tree which will bloom every year around anniversary of atrocity

Former Israeli ambassador to UN calls Harry Potter actress an ‘antisemite’

New Kantar supermarket data shows sales hit £11.7 billion – close to record levels of December 2020 when strict Covid-19 restrictions were in place.

PM says no further social restrictions for now as Omicron infections hit record high

Labour’s shadow health secretary said the incident ‘should be taken seriously’ by the police.

New Covid variant is highly transmissible and remains serious cause for concern this winter

The carrier said the number of passengers dropped to 9.5 million last month – the lowest since July and down from 10.2 million in November.

A change so that millions who test positive in lateral flow tests will not need a confirmatory PCR could reportedly come on Wednesday.

Journalist says astonishing question and answer session on flagship BBC show now feels ‘deadly serious’

Those who saw anything suspicious in the Christchurch area since Sunday are asked to contact investigators.

The sector’s leaders said the rules did not sufficiently impact case numbers and were harmful to the economy.

Women are 32% more likely to die when their surgery is conducted by a male surgeon rather than a female, researchers said.

The health service’s struggles amid the ongoing spread of the Omicron variant are splashed across the front pages.

Supporters are set to gather outside Belmarsh Prison where he is being held

The Duchess of Cornwall will edit a commemorative edition of the magazine to mark its 125th anniversary.

Ryan O’Connor, from Newport, south Wales, was found unconscious last June

Mike Padgham of ICG has called for retired nurses, doctors, and carers to come forward to help struggling social care services.

England has the most relaxed rules in the UK.

Mr Johnson said now is the time for the ‘utmost caution’ but argued the booster rollout has given substantial protection to the nation.

Health leaders warn of threat to patient care after daily infections top 200,000 as Omicron surges across the UK

Traffic Scotland has warned that snow and ice is affecting northern roads, particularly the A9 and A96.

Secondary pupils have been urged to keep testing at home after their first test on-site at school.

Broadcaster, 95, was filming new BBC series when he was left with ‘painful’ hand injury

‘Breast pests can now be stopped,’ says Stella Creasy

Ferries serving Scotland’s islands are running on a reduced timetable due to Covid-related staff absences.

The decision to honour the former PM is supported by just 14 per cent of the public, with 63 per cent against

Exclusive: Equalities campaigner Lord Woolley says controversial legislation has echoes of Windrush scandal

The PM said removing VAT is not the most effective way to help those under the greatest pressure from soaring energy prices.

Voluntary scheme saw 15 people searched and led to one arrest

‘Lovable’ Eritrean national Alexander Tekle found dead in his accommodation a year after arriving in UK

Campaigners welcome move but say it should be expanded to cover other hunts

The Prime Minister said food processing, transport and Border Force firms will be sent kits every working day from January 10.

Chief medical officer says he is ‘saddened’ by numbers of unvaccinated people becoming seriously ill

The Duke of York’s lawyers are trying to end the civil sex case brought by Virginia Giuffre.

A mother and three children – aged 11 to 13 – were found dead by police officers at a house in Killamarsh

Defendant, 51, accused of sexually touching women without their consent

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was ‘absolutely crazy’ that people remained unvaccinated.

Some schools are reporting that around one in five staff members could be absent at the start of term.

The annual technology show is taking place in Las Vegas this week.

But experts warn that the effect of festive socialising and return to schools has yet to fully show

Police discover deaths after concern expressed over a woman’s welfare

There are also plans to change the law to give domestic abuse victims more time to report assaults to police.

Spencer Elden was four months old when he was pictured in a pool at a swimming centre in Pasadena, California.

Robin Swann said getting boosted is the “single most important step you can take” after an Omicron surge over the New Year period.

Professor Ian Young said with a limit on the number of available PCR tests means figures will not pick up all cases in the community.

Leaving EU would leave Britain worse off, foreign secretary said in 2016 as she campaigned for Remain

Around 64% of adults in the UK have received an extra dose.

The society temporarily queued some payments following high volumes of transactions on the first working day of the year.

The prime minister said the government wanted to ‘fortify’ key services

Evergrande Group has been ordered to demolish a 39-building resort complex in a further blow to the finances of the debt-ridden property developer.

The Government has stuck with its Plan B measures for England while other parts of the UK have imposed tougher restrictions.

Police Scotland have launched an investigation after a man was injured in an attempted robbery at a Glasgow petrol station.

Jonathan Chew is accused of assaulting England’s chief medical officer as he walked through St James’s Park in Westminster in June last year.

The 55-year-old was taken to hospital for treatment.

Father of 20-year-old says he wants son to be ‘remembered forever for what he did’

The 43-year-old man is due to appear in court on Wednesday.

The mayor plans to launch a counselling scheme for 18-24-year-olds found with the Class B drug

England has to ‘keep assessing’ if it can ‘afford to protect different parts of the landscape’, top official says

Labour leader cites former PM alongside Attlee and Wilson but makes no mention of predecessor Jeremy Corbyn

Dr Jane Townson, chief executive of the Homecare Association, has called for staff to be prioritised when PCR tests are processed.

Civil service asked to look at how to cope with ‘large-scale absences’, says No 10

A 16-year-old boy appeared at Ealing Youth Court after being charged with murder.

The Royal College of Nursing said the Government needs to be ‘honest’ with the public about the pressure being put on the health service.

The centenary of adventurer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s death has been marked by Edinburgh-based luthier Steve Burnett.

The victim’s grandfather questioned the decision to drop murder charges.

There were 17,259 new cases of Covid-19 recorded on Tuesday, the Scottish Government announced.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said the Scottish Government is considering the change.

Boris Johnson will lead a Downing Street press conference to address concerns about the impact of the Omicron-driven wave of cases.

The judge is to decide whether a settlement between the accuser and Jeffrey Epstein shields the royal

The latest figures released on Tuesday cover the period from midnight on December 30 to midnight on January 3.

The Justice Minister said holding the country’s administration to ransom over the Northern Ireland Protocol was ‘completely unacceptable’.

Fourth vaccine should not be rolled out in UK without more evidence, says JCVI chair

Three out of four of around 1,000 workers surveyed said they intended to return to the office by the end of the week

The Prime Minister said in 2016 that leaving the EU would make ministers ‘able to scrap this unfair and damaging tax’.

PM will update the country on Omicron after reviewing latest data

The peer quit as Brexit minister in December

Education Minister Michelle McIlveen approved the move which will apply from next September.

A tiger cub, a lion and a sloth are among the new animals to join the 400 species at the zoo, each of which has to be tallied by staff.

A spokesman for the London Mayor said a trial is being considered to divert young people found with a small amount of cannabis away from the courts.

What are the main themes outlined in the Labour leader’s speech made in Birmingham?

‘It comes with the territory,’ says Hilary McGrady

A man in his 30s is being questioned by the PSNI over the incident.

The Labour leader also defended Sir Tony Blair’s knighthood.

The youngster arrived in Dover aboard an RNLI lifeboat on a chilly Tuesday morning along with others fresh from the dangerous sea journey.

The Las Vegas show will open on Wednesday.