United Kingdom

LONDON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not be distracted from focusing on tensions between Ukraine and Russia by receipt of a police questionnaire about lockdown parties at his Downing Street office, a government minister said on Saturday.

The Metropolitan Police are contacting more than 50 people believed to have attended the parties to explain their involvement. On Friday, Johnson's spokesperson confirmed he had received a questionnaire and would respond as required.

LONDON, February 10./TASS/: UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss invited Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to visit the UK in the coming months, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said in a press release on Thursday.

"The Foreign Secretary noted that our differences were with the aggressive policy of the Russian government towards Ukraine, not with the Russian people. She highlighted the cultural and educational links between Russia and the UK and invited Foreign Minister Lavrov to visit the UK in the coming months," it said.

LONDON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Former British Prime Minister John Major accused hisfellow Conservative Boris Johnson on Thursday of breaking COVID-19 lockdown laws and said he should resign if he is found to have deliberately misled parliament with his "brazen excuses".

Johnson is facing his gravest crisis since becoming prime minister in 2019 over a steady drip of reports of boozy events in his Downing Street office and residence while Britain was under strict coronavirus restrictions.

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson couldn’t escape his domestic woes during a trip to Belgium and Poland on Thursday aimed at increasing pressure on Russia over its military buildup near Ukraine.

Johnson was trying to show NATO’s resolve in response to Russia massing troops near its neighbor’s borders. But he faced questions about a police investigation into lockdown-breaching government parties that has shaken his grip on power.

LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Britain wants to see enough progress in talks with the European Union over the Northern Irish protocol in the next 10 days to demonstrate to unionists in the province that things are moving in the right direction after they pulled out of government.

Northern Ireland's first minister Paul Givan last week resigned in protest at the post-Brexit trade rules, potentially complicating talks between the EU and Britain to rework a politically divisive protocol that was agreed by London as part of its exit from the EU. 

08 Feb 2022; MEMO: The UK Labour Party has dropped an investigation into 82-year-Jewish woman, Diana Neslen, for alleged anti-Semitism after she threatened to sue the party for unlawfully discriminating against her based on her belief in anti-Zionism.

LONDON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed disappointment on Tuesday with what he cast as China's coercive trading practices against Lithuania.

China has downgraded diplomatic ties with Lithuania and pressured multinationals to sever links with the Baltic state after it allowed Taiwan to open a de-facto embassy in Vilnius.

LONDON, February 7. /TASS/: London is willing to cooperate with Moscow and provides its assurances that NATO poses no threat to Russia, Spokesman of British Prime Minister told journalists on Monday.

LONDON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Charles led tributes to his mother, Queen Elizabeth, on the 70-year anniversary of her accession to the throne on Sunday, saying it was an opportunity for the country to unite and celebrate her service to the nation.

Charles also thanked the queen for her statement on Saturday that she hoped the heir to the throne's wife, Camilla, would become Queen Consort when he becomes king. 

LONDON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Two senior members of Boris Johnson's Conservative Party urged challengers to the British prime minister to temper their ambitions on Sunday and focus instead on helping the poorest through the biggest plunge in living standards in a generation.

Johnson is fighting for his political career after his government became engulfed in a three-month state of crisis, with an increasing number of lawmakers calling publicly for a change in leadership to rebuild trust with the electorate.