Boris Johnson says there are real signs the UK is 'passing through the peak' during his first public statement since recovering from coronavirus. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street on Monday, the prime minister says the lockdown should only be eased when the government is confident there will be no second peak
Category Archives: Politics
Boris Johnson returns to face critics amid talk of the ‘new normal’
PM back in No 10 as ministers warn physical distancing is here to stay after lockdown
Boris Johnson returned to Downing Street on Sunday night with his government under pressure over its handling of coronavirus, as ministers warned that physical distancing must become the “new normal” – even when the lockdown is eased.
With the prime minister pressed to explain how schools and businesses can reopen without putting lives at risk, the government has given the clearest signal yet of how it hopes to manage the next phase of the pandemic, including imposing quarantine restrictions on all arrivals at UK airports.
Continue reading...Coronavirus: furloughed staff could pick fruit in June, says UK minister – video
Environment secretary George Eustice said that furloughed staff could help with picking fruit in June when the British soft fruit season is at its peak.
Eustice said that only around a third of the usual workforce is currently available, as the industry relies on migrant workers.
He also said it was too early to talk about easing the lockdown during the UK government briefing, as daily hospital deaths fell to 413, the lowest daily number since March.
Continue reading...The key areas to look at in easing the UK coronavirus lockdown
From schools to shops, with jobs at risk, the government must balance the interests of economy and public safety
As the prime minister, Boris Johnson, heads back to Downing Street, he faces calls from Labour to be clearer about how Britain might start lifting the coronavirus lockdown, now entering its fifth week. On Sunday, the foreign secretary and first secretary of state, Dominic Raab, warned the outbreak remained at a “delicate and dangerous” stage and said it was irresponsible to speculate about steps to modify the rules underpinning government’s “stay home, protect the NHS, save lives” strategy.
More than 20,000 people have died from Covid-19 in NHS hospitals and thousands more in care homes. But there are growing concerns about the economic impact of lockdown. Gerard Lyons, Johnson’s economics adviser when he was London mayor, warned on Sunday the UK could be the hardest-hit western economy if it does not unlock soon. The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, also called on ministers to start talking to teachers, businesses, trade unions and town hall leaders and open “honest conversations with the public about what new arrangements might look like”. Unions insist worker safety must not be compromised by any changes and questions remain about public appetite for risking a new peak of contagion, but plans to modify restrictions are starting to emerge.
Continue reading...No 10 advisers at Sage meetings: key questions that need answering
How and why Ben Warner and Dominic Cummings contributed to Covid-19 meetings is unclear
- Sage attendees worried by Cummings’ presence
- No evidence No 10 advisers attended Sage in previous crises
- See all our coronavirus coverage
The government has not disputed that this is the first time Downing Street political advisers have attended Sage meetings and asked questions at them. No 10 argues that the unprecedented scale of the coronavirus pandemic made it necessary. However, the government’s policies say scientific committees such as Sage should be politically neutral. Sage meetings are chaired by the government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance. However, a government spokesperson said Vallance “would not have to sign off” on observers or representatives from government departments. So who decided they should attend, and why and when was the decision made?
Continue reading...UK will need to extend Brexit transition, Merkel ally warns Britain
UK will need extension to agree Brexit deal as pandemic derails talks
Boris Johnson must extend the UK’s transition out of the EU for up to two years to avoid compounding the economic damage of the coronavirus pandemic with a hugely disruptive and disorderly Brexit, according to a close ally of Angela Merkel.
In an interview with the Observer, Norbert Röttgen, chair of the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, said it was now impossible to see how the UK and other EU countries could agree even a minimal outline free trade agreement this year because the talks were so behind schedule.
Continue reading...Johnson faces lockdown dilemma as scientists warn over grim virus data
Prime minister returns to work on Monday to cabinet at odds over easing social distancing
The number of new cases of Covid-19 being diagnosed is still much too high to allow any easing of the lockdown soon, leading scientists have warned, as the virus death toll in UK hospitals passed 20,000 on Saturday.
The home secretary, Priti Patel, described the figure as a “terrible milestone” and a “deeply tragic and moving moment”. She said it showed the need for the British public to “stay strong” and remain at home for the foreseeable future.
Continue reading...UK increases arms sales to repressive regimes
Campaigners condemn government and defence exporters accused of selling weapons to states with poor human rights records
UK arms sales to repressive regimes increased by £1bn last year compared with 2018.
The increase, of more than 300%, has been condemned by arms control campaigners, who accuse the government of putting profits before human rights.
Continue reading...Why do female leaders seem to be more successful at managing the coronavirus crisis?
Plenty of countries with male leaders have also done well. But few with female leaders have done badly
On 1 April, the prime minister of Sint Maarten addressed her nation’s 41,500 people. Coronavirus cases were rising, and Silveria Jacobs knew the small island country, which welcomes 500,000 tourists a year, was at great risk: it had two ICU beds.
Jacobs did not want to impose a strict lockdown, but she did want physical distancing observed. So she spelled it out: “Simply. Stop. Moving,” she said. “If you don’t have the bread you like in your house, eat crackers. Eat cereal. Eat oats. Eat … sardines.”
Continue reading...Blasphemy to be decriminalised in Scottish hate crime bill
New law will also offer wider protection against race, sex, age and religious discrimination
The Scottish government has published a bill that would decriminalise blasphemy, more than 175 years after the last case was prosecuted.
The devolved administration in Edinburgh said the continued criminalisation of blasphemy, which falls under hate crime laws, “no longer reflects the kind of society in which we live”.
Continue reading...UK government told not to use Zoom because of China fears
Security services said last week that videoconferencing tool was vulnerable to surveillance
Government and parliament were told by the intelligence agencies last week not to use the videoconferencing service Zoom for confidential business, due to fears it could be vulnerable to Chinese surveillance.
The quiet warnings to limit the technology came after the cabinet had used Zoom to hold a well-publicised meeting at the end of March, a decision that was defended at the time as necessary in “unprecedented circumstances”.
Continue reading...Matt Hancock can count on powerful support if not 100,000 tests a day
NHS chiefs and No 10 endorse the health secretary as flaws emerge in the structure he leads
Matt Hancock sounded tetchy and exhausted on Friday morning as he took to the airwaves once again to explain the latest swerve in the government’s strategy for tackling coronavirus: recruiting an army of contact-tracers in an attempt to track its spread.
Asked whether his self-imposed target of testing 100,000 people a day by the end of next week would be met, he let out a self-deprecating laugh. The health secretary knows there’s a lot in the balance: the health of millions, his standing among the public and colleagues, perhaps even his career.
Continue reading...Britain running down the clock in Brexit talks, says Michel Barnier
EU negotiator expresses frustrations at UK refusal to discuss key issues of transition
Michel Barnier has suggested the UK is running down the clock in talks over the future trade and security relationship with the EU.
The claim by the bloc’s chief negotiator during a virtual press conference at the end of a difficult week of videoconference talks was swiftly denied by the government.
Continue reading...What does the leaked report tell us about the UK’s pandemic preparations?
Leaked National Security Risk Assessment describes threats posed by flu- and non-flu-type infectious diseases
- Revealed: UK ministers were warned last year of risks
- Leaked briefing on UK pandemic threat – key points
- See all our coronavirus coverage
Careful analysis of the National Security Risk Assessment document illustrates how the Covid-19 pandemic represents a hybrid of two of the major threats to the UK anticipated by the British government.
The first, an influenza-type disease pandemic, predicts waves of a novel flu virus striking several months apart. This type of threat represents the basis of the UK government’s blueprint for how it would respond to a pandemic.
Continue reading...Parliament must keep grip on restoration costs, says watchdog
MPs and peers told to come up with a clear plan after previous business case was rejected
MPs and peers in charge of parliament’s restoration have been told by Whitehall’s spending watchdog that they must ensure that costs do not slip amid deepening concerns about public finances in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
The National Audit Office (NAO) has called on the group tasked with the Palace of Westminster’s multibillion-pound overhaul to take a firm grip on the process. The budget for Big Ben’s construction works alone rose by 176%, auditors said.
Continue reading...New Zealand nurse: I treated Boris Johnson like any other patient
Jenny McGee says British PM ‘absolutely’ needed to be in intensive care and tells of surreal experience of swapping emojis with Jacinda Ardern
The New Zealand intensive care nurse thanked by British prime minister Boris Johnson has revealed he was treated like “any other patient” – and originally thought his praise was a prank.
Jenny McGee said she had not been told of the public praise in advance. “My first reaction was that it was a joke. I thought my friends were playing a joke on me … it was totally out of the blue,” she told TVNZ.
Continue reading...Welsh first minister to set out plans for lifting country’s lockdown
Mark Drakeford will announce proposals to ease restrictions as number of new cases stabilises
The Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, is due to set out plans on how the nation will aim to lift its coronavirus lockdown.
The Labour politician will announce on Friday a new framework for easing restrictions and seven questions that need to be addressed to help lead Wales out of the pandemic.
Continue reading...Why the UK is finding it so hard to reach 100,000 Covid-19 tests a day
A slow start, a top-down approach and long-term cuts to local services meant target was always going to be ambitious
On 2 April, the day he emerged from quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19, Matt Hancock stood at the Downing Street podium for the daily coronavirus press conference and made an announcement that was greeted in some quarters by a sharp intake of breath.
“I’m now setting the goal of 100,000 tests per day by the end of this month. That is the goal and I’m determined we’ll get there,” said the health secretary, who had tested positive around a week earlier.
Continue reading...UK making ‘impossible demands’ over Europol database in EU talks
Leaked German government report shows Britain has been requesting special access
The British government is making impossible demands over access to Europol databases in the negotiations over the future relationship with the EU, according to a leaked assessment of the UK’s position drawn up by the German government.
As talks between the two sides resumed via video calls this week, Britain’s negotiators not only refused to extend the transition period because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also stated the UK side’s eagerness to continue taking part in EU-wide data-sharing arrangements and even expanding their reach.
Continue reading...UK will need social distancing until at least end of year, says Whitty
Government’s chief medical officer says return to normal in short term is ‘wholly unrealistic’
Social distancing will be needed until at least the end of the year to prevent fresh outbreaks of coronavirus even though the UK has reached the peak of the current epidemic, the government’s chief medical officer has said.
Prof Chris Whitty, the UK’s most senior medic, said it was important to be realistic that “highly disruptive” social distancing would need to be in place for “really quite a long period of time”.
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