Portrait of the week: Twitter takeover, late nights for pubs and a row over leg-crossing

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Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, said Britain assessed that 15,000 Russians had been killed in the war against Ukraine and at least 530 Russian tanks, 530 armoured personnel carriers and 560 infantry fighting vehicles had been lost or captured. Sixty Russian helicopters and fighter jets had also been lost. He told the House of Commons that Britain was sending to Ukraine some Stormer armoured vehicles, with launchers for Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles. Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, called for aircraft to be sent too.

In the seven days up to 23 April, 2,207 people had died with coronavirus, bringing total deaths (within 28 days of testing positive) to 173,693. In the previous week 1,289 had died. Numbers with Covid remaining in hospital in the United Kingdom fell from about 19,000 to about 16,000. In the year to March, Britain borrowed £151.8 billion, the third biggest annual figure since 1947, and paid a record £69.9 billion in debt interest; but tax receipts soared to £619.9 billion, an increase of £94.3 billion over the year before.

The Mail on Sunday reported that some Conservative MPs had claimed that Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, tried to distract Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, in parliament by crossing and uncrossing her legs. Seven black women told the BBC they had had unwanted sexual attentions from Tim Westwood, the DJ, between 1992 and 2017. The legal age of marriage in England and Wales was raised to 18. Four people were stabbed to death at a house in Bermondsey in London. Pubs will be able to stay open until one in the morning from 2 to 4 June for the Platinum Jubilee of the Queen, now 96.

Abroad

Russia cut off gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland. The UN refugee agency said 5.2