Tag Archives: Politics

Too Late To Stop Spread Of Omicron In The UK, Says Top Scientist

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It is “too late” to effectively halt the spread of the Omicron variant in the UK, a government science adviser has warned.

On Saturday, it was announced all travellers arriving in England will be required to take a Covid pre-departure test from Tuesday – while Nigeria is being added to the government’s travel red list.

Ministers said the extra test was intended to be a temporary measure following new data showing an increase in the number of cases of the new strain linked to foreign travel.

But Professor Mark Woolhouse, who is a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M) which advises the government, said the measures would not make a “material difference” as the variant is already “spreading pretty rapidly”.

He told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday: “I think that may be a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

“If Omicron is here in the UK, and it certainly is, if there’s community transmission in the UK, and it certainly looks that way, then it’s that community transmission that will drive a next wave.

“The cases that are being imported are important, we want to detect those and isolate any positive cases we find, as we would for any case anywhere.

“But I think it’s too late to make a material difference to the course of the Omicron wave, if we’re going to have one.”

The travel industry reacted with fury after the latest measures were announced, despite ministers insisting they were only “temporary”.

Dominic Raab told Sky News’s Trevor Phillips On Sunday programme: “I know that is a burden for the travel industry but we have made huge, huge strides in this country.

“We have got to take the measures targeted forensically to stop the new variant seeding in this country to create a bigger problem.

“We have taken a balanced approach but we are always alert to extra risk that takes us back not forward.”

Woolhouse said although the numbers of people with the Omicron variant are “still quite small” and likely remain in the hundreds, they are “growing quite fast”.

However, he insisted that vaccinations will still be “very, very good” at protecting against the new variant.

Statistician David Spiegelhalter told Sky News’s Trevor Phillips On Sunday programme: “It’s a very difficult situation because we haven’t got a lot of data yet at all, almost nothing from this country about what the risks are.

“In South Africa there’s data coming out showing pretty strong evidence that the increased risk of transmission and some evidence about people going to hospital, but it may actually be milder but we haven’t got enough data yet to be able to say.

“It doesn’t look as if it’s really severe if you get it, I think that’s about all we can say at the moment.”

Asked if measures to combat the spread of Omicron have gone far enough, Spiegelhalter added: “It’s best to be precautionary, when there’s so much we don’t know… and when we don’t know it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

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Vaccines Minister Ties Herself In Knots Over No.10’s Alleged Christmas Party And People Are Exasperated

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The vaccines minister Maggie Throup tried to toe the party line on BBC Question Time when she evaded questions about the alleged Christmas party.

The Mirror broke a story that there was a gathering of around 40 or 50 people on December 18 last year in No.10, while the rest of London was in Tier 3 Covid restrictions – meaning people could not socialise outside their households indoors.

Ministers have been trying to address the scrutiny by claiming that all of the Covid rules were followed at the time – but this isn’t quite answering questions over whether the party actually happened.

Throup was in the spotlight on Thursday when Question Time audience member asked for clarity over whether the party had actually taken place.

She repeated the party line and said: “I have been reassured that all guidance was carefully followed.”

The show’s host Fiona Bruce then turned to the audience and asked: “Does that answer your question?”

When the crowd replied with a resounding “no”, Bruce asked Throup: “Do you want another go?”

“My answer is not going to change because the guidance was followed, as the prime minister quite clearly said,” Throup maintained.

While Labour’s shadow minister Thagnam Debbonaire put her head in her hands, the audience groaned.

Bruce butted in and said: ”So clearly there was no Christmas party.”

The rules stated at the time that people could not have parties with anyone outside of their social bubble.

Throup replied: “Whatever the event was, then the guidance was followed.”

“So there was an event,” Bruce said.

Throup then tried to conclude the topic by saying, “this has just been rumour and hearsay,” but judging by Twitter’s reaction, the subject is far from over.

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Furious MP Asks Boris Johnson: ‘When Is He Coming For Me?’

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A furious MP tore into Boris Johnson today in a row over deportations, asking him: “When is he coming for me?”

Labour MP Imran Hussain claimed the nationality and borders bill could see him and other ethnic minorities stripped of citizenship.

He was met with shouts of “disgrace” from Tory MPs and the PM hit back, saying his comment was “shameful”.

The MP for Bradford East fumed: “My grandfather along with thousands of others came to this country 70 years ago working seven days a week in squalid conditions to help rebuild this country.

“Yet now the home secretary’s nationality and borders bill means she can revoke our British citizenship and deport us for even the most minor wrongdoings.

“Given the government and the home office’s horrific track record with the treatment of minorities, the hostile environment and the Windrush scandals, let me ask the prime minister the burning question that is now on the lips of everyone from a Bame background right across the country.

“When is he coming for me?”

The prime minister fought back, telling him to look at the Tory frontbench today and asking him to “withdraw what he just said”.

Johnson added: “He should withdraw it, what he said is absolutely shameful and, as he knows full well, the borders bill does nothing of the kind.

“It helps us to fight the evil gangs who are predating on people’s willingness to cross the Channel in un-seaworthy boats.

“And I would have thought a sensible Labour Party would support it.”

However, the Guardian reported that individuals could be stripped of their British citizenship without warning under a proposed rule change quietly added to the bill.

Clause 9 – “Notice of decision to deprive a person of citizenship” – exempts the government from having to give notice if it is not “reasonably practicable” to do so, or in the interests of national security, diplomatic relations or otherwise in the public interest.

The power to strip citizenship already exists and has been used against Shamima Begum but critics say the bill would allow it to happen without notice in some cases – making the home secretary’s powers even more draconian.

Frances Webber, the vice-chair of the Institute of Race Relations, told the paper: “This amendment sends the message that certain citizens, despite being born and brought up in the UK and having no other home, remain migrants in this country. Their citizenship, and therefore all their rights, are precarious and contingent.”

The home office said British citizenship was “a privilege, not a right”.

They added: “The nationality and borders bill will amend the law so citizenship can be deprived where it is not practicable to give notice, for example if there is no way of communicating with the person.”

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Boris Johnson Does Not Deny ‘Boozy Party’ Held In Downing Street In Lockdown

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Boris Johnson has not denied allegations that Christmas parties were held in Downing Street during lockdown last year.

The prime minister faced a grilling after the Mirror reported claims that he and aides attended gatherings in No10, despite imposing new restrictions on the country at the time.

During prime minister’s questions, Keir Starmer asked whether a “boozy party” was held at No10 in run-up to Christmas 2020.

Johnson did not deny it, simply saying that “all guidance was followed completely at No10”.

The report accused the prime minister of attending a leaving do for an aide on November 27 last year while the second lockdown was in force.

His staff are then alleged to have held their own festive party in Downing Street on December 18, which Johnson did not attend.

Starmer asked: “As millions of people were locked down last year, was a Christmas party thrown in Downing Street for dozens of people on December 18?”

Johnson replied: “All guidance was followed completely.”

Starmer pressed him again: “The defence seems to be ‘no rules were broken’. Well, I’ve got the rules that were in place at the time, prime minister, of this party, they are very clear: you must not have a work Christmas lunch or party.

“Does the prime minister really expect the country to believe that whilst people were banned from seeing their loved ones at Christmas this year it was fine for him and his friends to thrown a boozy party in Downing Street?”

The PM replied: “I have said what I said about Number 10 and the events of 12 months ago.”

The Labour leader added: “The prime minister does not deny there was a Downing Street Christmas party last year. He says no rules were broken.

“Both of those things can’t be true, Prime Minister. He is taking the British public for fools”.

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Downing Street Rejects Sturgeon And Drakeford Calls For Self-Isolation Extension

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Downing Street has rejected a call from the first ministers of Scotland and Wales to extend self-isolation for arrivals from two to eight days.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said he believed the government’s approach was “proportionate” and warned of the “detrimental” impact it would have on the travel industry.

It comes after Boris Johnson announced that all travellers, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to take a PCR test two days after arrival in the UK and to self-isolate until they receive a negative result.

However, the two leaders of Scotland and Wales want him to go further in response to concerns about the new omicron covid variant.

The PM’s spokesman told journalists: “We believe that the approach we’ve taken is the proportionate one to the evidence that we currently have available about this variant.

“Introducing further isolation requirements and testing requirements would have a detrimental affect on the travel industry and indeed those who are planning to go travelling.

“So our response needs to be balanced based on what we know currently about this variant. We’re taking a precautionary approach we believe it’s responsible and proportionate.

“Obviously, we will keep our measures under review as our evidence about this variant increases.”

It comes after Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford wrote to Boris Johnson calling for people coming into the UK from overseas to be required to self isolate for eight days – and then do a second PCR test.

They said: “Public health advice is unequivocal that this is the best and safest way to protect against the importation of this variant to the fullest extent possible.”

They also demanded the PM convened an urgent Cobra meeting to discuss taking a four-nations approach to border restrictions.

But the PM’s official spokesman said: “We would confirm any plans for a cobra meeting in the normal way. Currently, there isn’t one scheduled.

“We obviously speak to our devolved administration counterparts very regularly and we will continue to coordinate our response with them.”

The leaders want the UK government to commit to providing the necessary funding to support businesses if “more interventionist measures are required”.

In her Covid briefing this morning, Sturgeon also said Scots should start working from home immediately to curb the spread of the virus.

Six cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus were identified in Scotland, in addition to three previously identified in England.

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Angela Rayner Says She Doesn’t Know What’s Going On Amid Starmer Reshuffle

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A fresh row between Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner erupted after the Labour leader launched a reshuffle while his deputy was making a major speech on Tory corruption.

The deputy leader told an audience at an Institute for Government (IfG) event that she did not “know the details” of the shadow cabinet reshuffle that was taking place because she was “concentrating on the job at hand”.

Speculation that the reshuffle was underway began on social media after the Times reported that key figures such as shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds, shadow education secretary Kate Green and shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens all faced the sack.

Instead of taking questions on the Labour party’s attempts to clean up politics, Rayner fielded multiple questions on whether she was consulted about the reshuffle and whether she thought it was the right time.

She replied: “I don’t know the details of any reshuffle, I’ve been concentrating on the job at hand.”

In an interview with Times Radio after the event, she said she had not been consulted on the reshuffle and that there was no “focus on that at the moment”.

Asked whether she would have expected to hear about it first, she replied: “I reckon that Keir would tell me first, yeah.”

However, it is understood Rayner met with Starmer after her media round in the morning and before she went to the IfG event.

In response, Rayner’s spokesperson said: “My understanding is that Keir and Angela had a short conversation in between her media round and her speech.

“She was not aware of the details of the reshuffle and she was not consulted on the reshuffle as she said herself.”

The timing and handling of the reshuffle risks reigniting the fury that erupted in the fallout of the Hartlepool by-election, in which Starmer sacked Rayner as party chair before reinstating her to other posts.

While Rayner was still speaking at the IfG event, a tit-for-tat broke out between the leadership’s two teams.

Sources close to Rayner expressed anger at Starmer’s team for its tactics and timing, with one calling it “plain offensive”.

One ally told HuffPost UK: “The incompetence is shocking. Why do this while she’s on her speech giving a planned intervention on a key Labour attack line? It makes absolutely no sense.”

A friend of Rayner said: “Trying to sack Angela and make her the scapegoat for Hartlepool was stupid. But doing a reshuffle when she’s literally on her feet giving a speech attacking the Tories for being corrupt is just plain offensive.”

And a spokesman for Rayner added: “Angela is focusing on attacking the Tories for being corrupt and setting out how she will stamp out corruption. That is her priority.”

But a source close to Starmer said it was “interesting that the wording from this friend of Angela and her spokesman is virtually identical”.

Another Labour source further questioned Rayner’s assertion that she wasn’t consulted on the reshuffle, claiming: “She’s been pushing it for months. She’s desperately trying to confect a row.”

Rayner’s spokesperson said it was was “categorically untrue that Angela was pushing for a reshuffle. She has just given a speech setting out her plans to tackle Tory corruption.”

Labour figures that are tipped for a promotion include Yvette Cooper, chair of the home affairs select committee, Wes Streeting, the shadow secretary of state for child poverty, and shadow schools minister Peter Kyle.

Liz Kendall, shadow minister for social care, and Alison McGoven, shadow minister for cultural industries and sports, may also get a spot on the frontbench.

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New Covid Variant Poses ‘Substantial Risk’ To Public Health, Says Sajid Javid

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Sajid Javid has said the new Covid variant “may pose substantial risk to public health”.

Speaking in the Commons on Friday, the health secretary said there were “very live” discussions in government over adding further countries to the red list.

Javid said there were currently no UK cases of the variant, known as B.1.1.529, found in South Africa, Botswana, Hong Kong and Israel.

But he said it was “of huge international concern” and early indications showed the current vaccines “may be less effective against it”.

The UK has already added South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia to its travel red list.

Passengers arriving into the UK from these countries from 4am on Sunday will be required to book and pay for a government-approved hotel quarantine for 10 days.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said ministers were taking a “safety-first approach”.

Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the variant was the “most worrying” seen by scientists but much was as yet unknown.

South African scientists sounded the alarm over the variant, which they fear is behind a spike in cases in some regions, including the Gauteng province, which includes the cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg.

Experts from the World Health Organisation are meeting with South African officials on Friday to assess the evolving situation in the country.

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Sajid Javid Says England “Not At That Point” To Bring In Plan B Covid Restrictions

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The government has warned it will be prepared to activate Plan B measures if it needs to, which would involve reintroducing compulsory mask-wearing and working from home guidance as well as bringing in vaccine passports.

“If we needed to take further measures with Plan B then we would do so, but we’re not at that point,” Javid said.

Asked whether the UK should be “dusting off Plan B just in case”, Javid replied: “Well the first thing I’d say if I may is we made a tough decision back in the start of the summer.

“Other countries didn’t follow our course and we decided that of course we want to start opening up, and if you are going to do that, it is best to do it into summer — it is far safer to do it in summer.

“Sadly, other countries in Europe did not do that. But looking ahead, as we look down towards winter, we need to make sure that we remain cautious, we are not complacent in any way.”

He added: “I have mentioned the importance of the booster programme, but in terms of any other potential measures, we have said all along we have got Plan A and that is where we firmly are at the moment.”

Protests have been erupting across Europe this week after several countries decided to reimpose lockdown rules as another wave hits the continent.

There has been unrest in the Netherlands after its government imposed a three-week shutdown last weekend, meaning bars and restaurants must close at 8pm and crowds are banned at sports events.

Meanwhile, in Austria, an initial lockdown for the unvaccinated has been superseded by a full national lockdown that will kick in on Monday.

As part of the lockdown, there will be a legal requirement for people to get vaccinated 1 February 2022.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, Javid said compulsory vaccines for the general population was not “something we would ever look at”.

“It is up to Austria, other countries, to decide what they need to do,” he said.

“We are fortunate that in this country, although we have vaccine hesitancy, it is a lot lower than we are seeing in other places.”

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Keir Starmer Forced To Withdraw ‘Coward’ Insult At Boris Johnson During Testy PMQs

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Labour leader Keir Starmer has been forced to withdraw comments in which he called Boris Johnson a “coward not a leader” following a rebuke from the Speaker.

During a fiery and ill-tempered session of prime minister’s questions, Starmer called on Johnson to apologise for his handling of the Owen Paterson scandal, in which the government sought to overturn punishment for the former Cabinet minister and paid lobbyist.

The Labour leader pointed out that while the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, and the leader of the House, Jacob Rees-Mogg, had both apologised for their role in the affair, Johnson was yet to do the same.

“Across the country and belatedly across this house, there is now agreement that Owen Paterson broke the rules and that the government should not have tried to let him off the hook,” Starmer said.

“Many members opposite have apologised. The business secretary has apologised for his part. The leader of the House has apologised for his part, but they were following the prime minister’s lead.

“So will he do the decent thing and just say sorry for trying to give the green light to corruption?”

Johnson replied that it was “certainly a mistake” to conflate reform of the standards system with Paterson’s case before moving on to challenge Starmer’s former paid work at the law firm Mishcon de Reya.

Starmer hit back: “That’s not an apology. Everybody else has apologised for him, but he won’t apologise for himself.”

He continued: “A coward not a leader. Weeks defending corruption. Yesterday a screeching last-minute U-turn to avoid defeat on Labour’s plan to ban MPs from dodgy second contracts.

“But waving one white flag won’t be enough to restore trust.”

Starmer’s uncharacteristically strong language was seized on by Tory MP Michael Fabricant, who used a point of order to urge the Labour leader to withdraw his comment.

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle noted: “Coward is not what is used in this House.”

Starmer replied: “I withdraw it, but he’s no leader.”

During the session the Speaker repeatedly made clear his anger at the mood and rough language used in the House, especially in the aftermath of the death of Tory MP David Amess and the conversation it sparked about language in politics.

Hoyle also clashed with Johnson over his attempts to question Starmer’s links to Mishcon de Reya. Starmer turned down a second job with the law firm in the summer of 2017 following accusations it conflicted with his role as shadow Brexit secretary.

Hoyle told the PM: “I don’t want to fall out about it, I’ve made it very clear – it is prime minister’s questions, it’s not for the Opposition to answer your questions.

“Whether we like it or not those are the rules of the game that we’re all into and we play by the rules, don’t we? And we respect this House, so let’s respect the House.”

Despite the reprimand, Johnson attempted to ask again about the issue in a later exchange, to which the Speaker said: “Prime minister, sit down!

“I’m not going to be challenged, you may be the prime minister of this country but in this House I’m in charge.”

Johnson later accused Starmer of “Mish-conduct”, a play on words that prompted outcry from the Labour benches.

At the end of the session, Hoyle lamented the conduct of MPs and said the House had not done “any good” today.

“I’ll be quite honest, I think it’s been ill-tempered, I think it shows the public that this House has not learnt from the other week, I need this House to gain respect but it starts by individuals showing respect for each other,” he said.

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Boris Johnson Firmly Put In His Place By The Commons’ Speaker: ‘Sit Down Prime Minister!’

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Boris Johnson was told off by the speaker of the House of Commons during prime minister’s questions on Wednesday during a rather embarrassing exchange.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle spoke over the prime minister when he was tried to dodge a question from Sir Keir Starmer and reminded Johnson: “I’m not going to be challenged.

“You may be the prime minister of this country – but in this house, I’m in charge!”

The leader of the opposition – Labour’s leader, Starmer – was pressing the prime minister over former Tory MP Owen Paterson, who was a paid lobbyist for health company Randox and briefly defended by the government before a dramatic U-turn.

This firm won government contracts worth almost £600 million without competition, triggering concerns about how Downing Street spent taxpayer’s money.

Starmer asked: “There’s only one way to get to the bottom of this – if he [the prime minister] votes for Labour’s motion this afternoon, that [Randox] investigation can start. Will he vote for it or will he vote for another coverup?”

Johnson replied: “I’m very happy to publish all the details of the Randox contract, which is being investigated by the National Audit Office already.

“Talking of coverups – I’m sorry Mr Speaker, but we still have not heard why the honourable gentleman will not –”

Hoyle interrupted the attempts to talk about Starmer’s own work outside of Parliament when he was a backbencher, urged the prime minister to “sit down” and told him “that’s the end of that” to the cheers of the opposition benches.

Johnson tried to quiz Sir Keir Starmer on his own second job outside parliament
Johnson tried to quiz Sir Keir Starmer on his own second job outside parliament

BBC Parliament

Hoyle had already called for order repeatedly in the Commons just 10 minutes into the weekly prime minister’s questions.

He also reminded Johnson “although I don’t want to fall out”, this time of the week is for prime minister’s questions, not questions to the opposition about their conduct.

“Whether you like it or not, those are the rules of the game that we are into, and and we play by the rules don’t we? And we respect the house so let’s respect the house,” Hoyle said pointedly.

When MPs continued to shout across the house at each other, Hoyle told them: “Look, we’ve already lost a dear friend – I want to show that this house has learnt from it.”

He was referring Paterson, who resigned in November after his breach of parliamentary lobbying rules triggered a sleaze scandal.

The government briefly tried to get Paterson off the hook for breaching lobbying rules but it has since turned into a national row about MPs’ standards and has centred on behaviour in the Tory Party.

Hoyle continued: “I don’t want each other to be shouted down. I want questions to be respected, I want the public to actually be able to hear the answers – because I’m struggling in this chair. I need no more.”

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