Santander has announced it will close 111 UK branches as the company will shift its focus to mobile and online banking amid increasing numbers of customers visiting bank branches. The decision affects around 840 employees, but Santander promised to offer them different jobs within its company.

Saturday saw a daily record in Covid-19 vaccinations, with 844,285 first and second doses administered in one day on Saturday. The number was later confirmed by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

When asked during Downing Street news conference about the allegations made against the Royal Family by Meghan marble and husband Prince Harry, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson declined to comment.

"I have always had the highest admiration for the Queen and the unifying role that she plays in our country and across the Commonwealth," Johnson said. "As for all other matters to do with the Royal Family, I have spent a long time now not commenting on Royal Family matters and I don't intend to depart from that today.

After two months of home-schooling, millions of pupils in England are returning back to school on Monday as the government eases restrictions. Pupils aged 5-11 will return to schools on Monday, secondary school students aged 11-18 will return to their classrooms the coming week and are asked to take Covid-19 tests in the first two weeks. The Department of Education has recommended face coverings in classrooms.

The UK economy fell by 9.9% over the course of 2020, the biggest slump on record, and the economy is projected to fall even further during the first quarter of 2021 due to the national lockdown and disruption to the EU-UK trade deal.

Dr Susan Hopkins, the Public Health England's leading Covid-19 strategists told Sky News that she thinks "that once we get to a very low level of community [transmission], we will need to have ongoing measures in place until the adult population are vaccinated."

"What those measures are, we will have to watch and see, but I think it is really important that we keep the rates as low as possible for as long as possible this year," Hopkins added.

Google has launched Google News Showcase in the UK and Argentina, offering selected paywall content to users for free. News Showcase is already available in Germany, Brazil and, as of last week, Australia. Sundar Pichai, Google CEO, said the program would help the company pay $1 billion to publishers over the next three years.

PM Boris Johnson is considering tougher restrictions in England as the country sees "a second wave" of COVID-19, among them a ban on households mixing and reducing opening hours for eaters.

Mr Johnson said he did not "want to go into bigger lockdown" but that stricter measures might be necessary to curb infections. "Clearly when you look at what is happening, you have got to wonder whether we need to go further than the rule of six that we brought in on Monday," Johnson added.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock won't rule out a second nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19, telling Sky News that while a "national lockdown is the last line of defence", the government would do "whatever is necessary to keep people safe in a very difficult pandemic."

Pupils of secondary schools in regions of England that are under local lockdown are now required to wear face coverings in schools, a U-turn on previous guidance. In those areas that are no affected by local lockdown restrictions, headteachers can decide whether masks need to be worn.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said the decision was "the most precautionary approach" based on "the latest medical and scientific advice".

Tory MPs voiced criticism, saying mask would send "the wrong message" that "schools are not a safe setting".