Category Archives: UK news

UK coronavirus live: Sheffield city region mayor says ‘inaction not an option’ as he agrees tier 3 restrictions

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Latest updates: South Yorkshire third region in England to get strictest measures after local leaders agreed a deal with government

This is from Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, this morning.

Our aim in this negotiation was simple: to agree a deal based on what people will actually need to get through this rather than the arbitrary sum being forced on us all one by one.

We hoped to set a template for others to use. Presumably that’s why the Government walked away. https://t.co/DirwF8dvua

Here are some more lines from Robert Jenrick’s interview with the Today programme this morning.

The mayor of Greater Manchester was never willing to draw this to a conclusion. The public health situation was deteriorating. It would have frankly been irresponsible of the government to allow this to continue for many more days without bringing it to a conclusion.

In a meeting with the prime minister, the prime minister offered £55m, Andy Burnham asked for £65m. The prime minister said: ‘Look, let’s just compromise, and get this done for the sake of people in Greater Manchester.’

The money is still there. It’s got Greater Manchester’s name on it.

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Andy Burnham hits out at Tory MPs over Covid negotiations criticism

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Greater Manchester mayor dismisses claims by local MPs that he rejected a good deal

Andy Burnham has lambasted Conservative MPs trying to encourage the government to pick off Greater Manchester councils one by one after the region failed to collectively reach a coronavirus deal with ministers.

The government said the £60m business support offer unanimously rejected by Burnham and Greater Manchester’s 10 leaders was “still on the table”, as it was announced the Sheffield city region would be the latest in England to be put into the tightest tier 3 restrictions.

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London the worst city in Europe for health costs from air pollution

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Study measured financial impact of car emissions on deaths, health and lost working days in 432 urban areas

The health costs of air pollution from roads are higher in London than any other city in Europe, a study has found.

Two other urban areas in the UK, Manchester and the West Midlands, have the 15th and 19th highest costs respectively among the 432 European cities analysed.

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Police officer tells UK court he didn’t intend to kill long-term lover

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PC Timothy Brehmer denies murder of nurse Claire Parry but admits manslaughter

A married police officer accused of murdering his long-term lover broke down in tears in court as he admitted he was responsible for her death.

PC Timothy Brehmer told the jury that their affair had been “a little bubble of niceness”, adding: “I absolutely did not want to kill her or cause serious bodily harm. I didn’t intend to kill her.”

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PM confirms Covid tier 3 restrictions for Greater Manchester as talks fail

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Boris Johnson refuses to specify how much support region will get

Greater Manchester will be moved into the highest tier of coronavirus restrictions from midnight on Thursday, Boris Johnson has confirmed as he refused to say whether a £60m offer of support for the region remains on the table following failed negotiations.

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, the prime minister did not specify how much support the region would get. Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, had sought £90m in support for businesses and staff affected by the measures, dropping the request to £65m, but ministers offered £60m and ended the talks without a deal.

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The loss of family reunion rights will lead to enormous suffering for child refugees | Harriet Grant

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I’ve interviewed those seeking safe passage to the UK: their plight was obvious, their stories shocking

Last night the government voted against attempts to protect the right of unaccompanied child asylum seekers to join family in the UK. Only six Conservative MPs rebelled to support the amendment, put forward by former child refugee Lord Dubs, that would have enshrined the legal right to family reunion for child refugees after the UK leaves the EU at the end of the year.

It’s hard to emphasise the immeasurable loss that this vote will impose on thousands of families in the years to come. Over the past few years I’ve interviewed young people trying to reach their relatives in the UK and families here desperate to get children and young people to safety. The suffering was always enormous, consuming every minute of their day.

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Government urged to sell cocaine and ecstasy in pharmacies

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Campaigners say sale of drugs should be nationalised to undermine organised crime

Cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines should be “nationalised” and sold legally in government-run pharmacies to undermine global drug-related crime, a UK drugs reform charity has recommended.

In a book – with a foreword written by the former prime minister of New Zealand Helen Clark – the drugs liberalisation campaign group Transform has sought to set out practical ways to sell the drugs in state-run special pharmacies as an alternative to what it calls the “unwinnable war against drugs”.

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Greater Manchester given midday Tuesday deadline for tier 3 deal

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Government says it will impose tier 3 restrictions on the region if no agreement reached

The strictest Covid restrictions will be imposed on nearly 3 million people across Greater Manchester if no deal is reached by midday on Tuesday, the government has said in a dramatic ultimatum.

The communities secretary, Robert Jenrick, warned northern leaders late on Monday night that if they fail to agree to pub closures and a ban on household mixing, the tier 3 measures will be brought in unilaterally.

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Russia planned cyber-attack on Tokyo Olympics, says UK

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Foreign secretary condemns ‘cynical and reckless’ bid to disrupt Games, before they were postponed

Russian military intelligence services were planning a cyber-attack on the Japanese-hosted Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo this summer in an attempt to disrupt the world’s premier sporting event, the UK National Cyber Security Centre has revealed, disclosing a joint operation with the US intelligence agencies.

The Russian cyber-reconnaissance work covered the Games organisers, logistics services and sponsors and was under way before the Olympics was postponed due to coronavirus.

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UK refuses to restart Brexit talks despite EU accepting its demands

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No 10 unmoved even after Barnier’s offer prompts Gove to make U-turn at dispatch box

Downing Street has refused to restart Brexit deal negotiations despite Michael Gove performing a U-turn at the dispatch box in which he praised a “constructive move” by the EU minutes after declaring the talks “effectively ended”.

The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, seemingly agreed to all the government’s demands for the resumption of Brexit talks in pursuit of a deal – sending a tweet just as Gove was making a statement in the Commons castigating the bloc.

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Anti-lockdown advocate appears on radio show that has featured Holocaust deniers

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Dr Martin Kulldorff discussed ‘Great Barrington declaration’ letter on Richie Allen Show

One of the three co-authors of a letter that calls for lockdowns to be abandoned in favour of herd immunity has appeared on a radio broadcast that previously featured multiple Holocaust deniers and antisemites.

Dr Martin Kulldorff of Harvard medical school appeared on the Richie Allen Show on 6 October to discuss the letter, described as the Great Barrington declaration, after the Massachusetts town where it was drawn up.

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Global shares rise on US stimulus and vaccine hopes, China data – business live

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Shoppers numbers across the UK fell 3.1% last week from the week before, as the new Covid-19 restrictions took their toll. The latest numbers from retail consultants Springboard show larger cities continue to be hit hardest, with footfall in regional cities down 5.7% compared with declines of 2.1% in market towns and 1.2% in coastal towns.

The 10pm curfew meant that high street footfall post 6pm fell 4.5% – nearly double the drop seen during the day, between 9am and 6pm, of 2.4%.

The additional Covid tiered restrictions had an immediate impact on footfall in retail destinations last week with an across the board week on week decline; the fourth consecutive drop and also greater than that in previous weeks.

US stock futures are pointing to a higher open on Wall Street later, with the Dow Jones seen opening 0.8% higher, the Nasdaq up 1.2% and the S&P 500 0.9% ahead.

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Coronavirus live news: global cases pass 40m; US cases rise in 48 states

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Johns Hopkins figures show new landmark tally; Italy introduces new restrictions; Dr Fauci not surprised that Trump caught coronavirus

Malaysian health authorities reported 865 new coronavirus cases on Monday, raising the country’s total to 21,363. The Southeast Asian country, which imposed targeted lockdowns this month as infections surged, also recorded three new deaths, bringing its total number of fatalities to 190

In the UK, the government is still facing resistance over its attempt to move Greater Manchester into a tier 3 lockdown.

The mayor, Andy Burnham, has said he is willing to resolve the impasse but won’t “just roll over” at the sight of a cheque.

Related: UK coronavirus live: Burnham says Greater Manchester resisting tier 3 as he won't 'roll over' for money

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‘If it wasn’t for lockdown’: lives that changed for the better

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From a new couple buying a house to a diagnosis that helped a family reunite, five people share their positive life changes

For Rose de la Font and Aagash Vadera from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, lockdown has been a “really good acid test” for their 11-month relationship. “We figured out how to live together and resolve all the things you encounter when two lives become one,” said Vadera, 28.

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Brexit negotiations expected to resume despite UK’s tough rhetoric

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Michael Gove confirms British government’s door to re-engagement with Brussels is ‘ajar’

Brussels expects the Brexit negotiations to resume within days, as Michael Gove confirmed that despite Downing Street’s tough rhetoric the door remained “ajar” on re-engagement.

The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, will hold a video conference call with his British counterpart, David Frost, on Monday afternoon to discuss the structure of future talks.

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Body thought to be asylum seeker found on beach near Calais

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French authorities believe the man may have been trying to get to the Kent coast

The body of a suspected asylum seeker who may have been attempting to reach the Kent coast has been discovered on a beach just outside Calais, according to French authorities.

A dead man, aged between 20 and 40, was reportedly wearing an orange life jacket when he was found on the shores of Sangatte, in northern France, on Sunday morning.

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Covid: Greater Manchester running out of hospital beds, leak reveals

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NHS document shows no spare beds for patients in Salford, Stockport and Bolton

Greater Manchester is set to run out of beds to treat people left seriously ill by Covid-19, and some of the region’s 12 hospitals are already full, a leaked NHS document has revealed.

It showed that by last Friday the resurgence of the disease had left hospitals in Salford, Stockport and Bolton at maximum capacity, with no spare beds to help with the growing influx. The picture it paints ratchets up the pressure on ministers to reach a deal with local leaders over the region’s planned move to the top level of coronavirus restrictions.

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Man arrested over leak of Kim Darroch cables criticising Trump

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Suspect believed to be civil servant at UK’s Department for International Trade

A man has been arrested in connection with the leak of highly sensitive cables sent to London by the UK ambassador to Washington savaging Donald Trump’s character and leadership skills.

The man, believed to be a civil servant at the Department for International Trade, was arrested on Tuesday after a 15-month inquiry appeared to have gone cold.

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Michael Gove accuses Andy Burnham of risking lives in Covid lockdown row – video

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The dispute between the UK government and Greater Manchester continued on Sunday after the Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove, said its mayor, Andy Burnham, was risking lives by opting for 'press conferences and posturing' rather than agreeing to new coronavirus rules. Burnham has accused Boris Johnson of exaggerating the severity of the Covid-19 situation in Greater Manchester 

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Revealed: Sheikh Khalifa’s £5bn London property empire

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Documents reveal UAE president owns multibillion-pound property portfolio spanning London’s most expensive neighbourhoods

The row of 1960s-built houses with untidy gardens on a quiet cul-de-sac near Richmond upon Thames appears to have little in common with Ecuador’s red-brick embassy in Knightsbridge, where Julian Assange spent seven years in hiding, just across the road from Harrods.

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