Category Archives: COVID-19

Tony Blair Blasts ‘Idiots’ Who Have No Health Reason Not To Get Covid Vaccine

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Tony Blair has said “you’re an idiot” if you have no health reason not to get vaccinated against Covid but still have not had the jab.

In an interview with Times Radio, the former prime minister said it would now be “incredibly difficult” for the government to introduce another full lockdown.

“One of the reasons I’m not in favour of shutting everything down is I’m not sure with this Omicron thing there’s anything you can do,” he said. “You’ve just got to give people the best protection.”

Blair added: “If you’re not vaccinated at the moment and you’re, you’re eligible and you’ve got no health reason for not being vaccinated, you’re not just irresponsible, I mean, you’re an idiot. I’m sorry, I mean, truthfully you are.”

It came as Boris Johnson was urged to outline his post-Christmas Covid strategy.

The prime minister has ruled out introducing new rules before Christmas, but there is an expectation tighter restrictions will be brought in soon after.

Gillian Keegan, a health minister, warned earlier today there is “uncertainty” around people making new year’s eve plans.

“We can’t predict what the data is going to tell us before we’ve got the data,” she told LBC.

“We are trying to take a balanced and proportionate approach so that people can see their families over Christmas to try and plan some stuff. But of course it is difficult to anticipate.”

But Labour pressed for decisions to be made as soon as possible. Shadow work and pensions secretary Jon Ashworth told Sky News: “People are anticipating that some form of restrictions will come in post-Christmas, and I think we just need to give people certainty.

Elsewhere, it was reported that UK Government scientists are set to conclude that Omicron is causing a milder disease than the Delta strain in most Britons.

Politico’s London Playbook said the UK Health Security Agency is expected to publish early real-world data on the disease’s severity before Christmas, with its findings also suggesting Omicron is not necessarily mild enough to avoid large numbers of hospital admissions.

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Table Service-Only And Social Distancing Returns For Scottish Pubs

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Pubs and restaurants in Scotland will have to become table service-only for three weeks from December 27, Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

Indoor hospitality and leisure venues will also have to ensure a one-metre distance between groups.

The first minister said the series of stricter Covid measures would need to be introduced to tackle to spread of the Omicron variant.

Large-scale Hogmanay celebrations will be cancelled and live sports will be “effectively spectator-free” for three weeks from Boxing Day.

Outdoor public events in will be capped at 500 people. Numbers at indoor public events are to be limited to 100 standing or 200 seated.

Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament: “Difficult though it is, please follow this advice over New Year – minimise Hogmanay socialising as much as you can.

“If we all follow the advice to minimise the contact we have outside our own households, we will help limit the spread of infections. This is the bedrock of our plan for the immediate period ahead.”

In England, Boris Johnson yesterday stopped short of introducing immediate new restrictions.

But the prime minister has dropped heavy hints the tighter rules could be brought in after Christmas day.

Earlier, Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay said the government would be looking “closely” at the data to see if a so-called circuit breaker lockdown was needed.

Transmission of Omicron has been described as “eye-wateringly high” by a leading expert.

Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the global charitable foundation Wellcome, said “we’re in the most difficult, most uncertain time, perhaps of the whole pandemic, certainly since March of 2020.”

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UK Records Daily Covid Cases Above 90,000 Again

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The number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in a day in the UK is back above 90,000.

A further 91,743 lab-confirmed Covid cases have been recorded in the UK as of 9am on Monday, the government said.

A further 44 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19. Infections had fallen below 90,000 over the weekend when testing typically falls off.

It comes as Boris Johnson’s senior ministers met to discuss the rising tide amid warnings the NHS could be overwhelmed without further action to stop the spread of the Omicron variant.

The government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty briefed an unscheduled meeting of the Cabinet on Monday.

Downing Street denied it was an emergency meeting, saying ministers were being updated on a fast-changing situation.

It comes after the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) warned daily hospital admissions could reach 3,000 without further restrictions.

Earlier, deputy prime minister Dominic Raab refused to rule out the possibility that additional measures could be required before Christmas – now less than a week away.

“I just can’t make hard, fast guarantees,” he told Sky News.

The government has said that it will if necessary recall Parliament to allow MPs to vote on any new regulations it proposes for England.

However, that could prove politically problematic for Johnson, with not only senior ministers objecting to any further controls.

Last week Johnson suffered the biggest backbench rebellion of his premiership with 100 Tory MPs voting against rules requiring Covid passports for entry into nightclubs and other venues.

Any additional proposals could spark another revolt at a time when the Prime Minister is politically weakened by the ongoing row over parties in Downing Street last Christmas and the Tories’ crushing defeat in the North Shropshire by-election.

Johnson has reportedly been presented with a series of options to tackle the spread of the virus, ranging from guidance asking people to limit indoor contacts, to rules on household mixing, social distancing and a curfew on pubs and restaurants, to full lockdown.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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Ministers Are ‘Not Nazis’ Says Labour’s Wes Streeting In Extraordinary Take Down

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Labour’s Wes Streeting took down rebellious Tory backbenchers today, telling them government ministers are “not Nazis”.

The shadow health secretary opened his speech in the Commons with an unusual defence of Conservative ministers who have come under fire from their own backbenchers.

Streeting highlighted comments by Tory MP Marcus Fysh who compared Covid health passes – aimed at limiting the spread of Omicron – to atrocities in Nazi Germany.

Streeting told the Commons: “It should not be for me as the shadow secretary of state to point out that we’re not living in the 1930s and the secretary of state and his team are not Nazis.

“On their shoulders rests the health of our nation and the responsibility to protect our NHS. Indeed, it’s a responsibility we all share.

“They need our support and they are owed better treatment than they’ve received from some on their own side in recent days and even this afternoon.”

Mr Streeting said Labour will “act in the national interest” by supporting the motions under consideration in the Commons.

He made the comments on Tuesday before MPs vote on Boris Johnson’s new Covid-19 restrictions to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.

They include working from home when you can, face masks in certain settings and what is being dubbed “vaccine passports” for large gatherings.

However, Tory MPs have been in open revolt with some touring the airwaves and writing columns on why they will be voting against the measures.

Fysh argued that the passes, which include being fully vaccinated or receiving a negative lateral flow test, would be “segregating society based on an unacceptable thing”.

“We are not a ‘papers please’ society. This is not Nazi Germany,” the MP told BBC Radio 5 Live.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews called his remarks “completely unacceptable” and he was criticised by a fellow Conservative rebel.

Tory MP Christian Wakeford, who plans to vote against the government alongside Fysh, responded: “Whilst I will be in the same lobby as Marcus, these types of comments are untrue, unhelpful, and truly deeply offensive to the Jewish community.

“Covid restrictions should never be compared to the darkest period in human history.”

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Covid Jabs To Be Available On Christmas Day Amid Booster Chaos

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Covid jabs will be made available on Christmas Day, Downing Street said today amid chaotic scenes as Brits rush to get their boosters.

The booster programme will run right through the festive period in a bid to meet the government’s new deadline of jabbing everyone over 18 by the new year.

It comes as Downing Street revealed that 110,000 people booked a booster jab before 9am on Monday.

Boris Johnson announced the speed-up in an address to the nation last night, citing fears of a “tidal wave of Omicron” that could cause “very many deaths”.

He said every adult over 18 in England who has had a second dose of a vaccine at least three months ago would be able to have their booster from Monday morning.

However, the announcement sparked a rush on vaccine centres with some people saying they have had to queue for more than three hours to get jabbed.

Asked if vaccines were going to be offered on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “Vaccinations will continue to be offered throughout the Christmas period.

“If there is demand on Christmas Day, then we’re confident the NHS will find a way to match it.”

Pressed on whether people would be able to book slots on the website for Christmas Day, he replied: “My understanding is that there will be appointments available on Christmas Day and obviously the NHS will monitor what the demand is.”

He pointed out that the NHS was available for vaccinations last Christmas, but added: “We didn’t see a huge demand on Christmas Day, I think it’s fair to say, NHS can confirm that.

“Should individuals wish come forward we will make sure there is capacity.”

Meanwhile, stocks of lateral flow tests ran out today, with a message on the government website saying there were “no more home test kits available right now” and people should “try again later”.

From tomorrow, vaccinated people who are close contacts of a Covid case will be asked to swab themselves once a day and from Wednesday those attending nightclubs and large events will have to show a negative result if they are not double-jabbed.

Vaccine centres are already warning they are low on doses and at one point the NHS booking system crashed as thousands tried to secure their boosters.

The army and thousands of volunteers are being drafted in to achieve the target of dishing out a million doses a day.

Downing Street insisted there would be enough supplies of the vaccines to speed up the booster jab delivery.

The prime minister’s spokesman also clarified that if those eligible booked in time, it was the actual jab – not just an appointment – that would be met by the end of December.

He added: “We absolutely aim to meet this commitment. It is vitally important. I think we can see the strong response from the public.”

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Emergency Cobra Meeting On Covid-19 This Afternoon

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An emergency Cobra meeting will take place this afternoon to discuss the pandemic and spread of the Omicron variant.

Michael Gove, minister for intergovernmental relations, will chair the meeting alongside the first ministers and deputy first ministers of the devolved administrations.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “Cobra will discuss Covid-19 data and ongoing coordination work.”

It is expected to take place mid-afternoon and comes amid warnings from the government’s scientific advisers that Omicron could trigger the biggest wave yet.

The UK Health Security Agency identified a further 249 Omicron cases on Thursday, almost twice the number announced the day before, bringing the UK total to 817.

Asked why Gove was holding a Cobra now after initially rejecting Nicola Sturgeon’s request for a meeting last week, the spokesman said they thought it was a “sensible time” given the ongoing situation with Omicron.

He said the variant had some “significantly concerning characteristics” and added: “We are confident that it spreads much faster than Delta and there is growing evidence of vaccine escape, which is of concern and potentially means that we are going to see increasing hospitalisation rates and sadly deaths.

“We are taking action early to slow the growth of this variant.”

It comes as the government’s fresh covid measures came into force in England today, with masks mandatory in cinemas, theatres, museums and churches.

Health secretary Sajid Javid has warned that the number of UK Omicron infections could hit one million by the end of the month and insisted the new measures are necessary to “build our collective defences”.

Friday’s measures come ahead of a return to working from home on Monday and mandatory Covid passports for large venues from Wednesday as part of the government’s “Plan B”.

However, the tougher measures have sparked anger from Conservative MPs and fuelled allegations that the restrictions were introduced as an attempt to distract from the prime minister’s troubles over an alleged staff party in Downing Street during last December’s lockdown.

Meanwhile, some reports suggest that care homes could be slapped with fresh restrictions in the run up to Christmas and masks made compulsory in pubs and restaurants under a tougher ‘Plan C’ being considered by ministers.

The Daily Telegraph cited an anonymous government source saying it was “very likely” social care visitors will be limited to only three designated people.

Separately, Public Health Scotland urged people to cancel their Christmas parties, in a bid to slow the spread of the latest coronavirus variant.

However, the message contradicts Boris Johnson’s suggestion that parties in England should still go ahead despite a call for to work from home.

Sturgeon also warned today of a potential “tsunami” of infections as the Omicron cases rise rapidly north of the border.

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Downing Street Christmas Party: What We Know Now

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Downing Street is facing a scandal that even Conservative MPs are describing as another “Barnard Castle moment”.

Reminiscent of Dominic Cummings’ infamous lockdown trip to County Durham, senior aides are once again accused of flouting lockdown rules.

The row surrounds an alleged Christmas party in No10 in December 2020 – when social mixing indoors was banned in London under Tier 3 restrictions.

“Several dozen” members of staff are said have played party games and had food and drink at the event that apparently went on past midnight on December 18.

The controversy reached new heights last night when bombshell footage emerged of senior aides joking about a “fictional” party just four days after the gathering.

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The video was revealed by ITV following an exposé in the Mirror last week that claimed there was a party in Downing Street on December 18.

In the footage, the prime minister’s then press secretary is seen answering questions at a mock press conference on December 22.

Allegra Stratton is asked by colleagues about reports of a party the previous Friday and in jokey exchanges, she says: “This fictional party was a business meeting and it was not socially distanced.”

Although it has all the hallmarks of another Barnard Castle moment, this time Boris Johnson is facing serious questions over his own comments about the incident.

He has also been forced to order an investigation into the leaked video as well as issue an apology to the public.

Here, HuffPost UK runs you through what we know so far.

Allegations

The government has been under severe pressure about a Christmas party since it was first revealed in the Mirror last week.

The newspaper said last year’s official Downing Street Christmas party had been cancelled due to restrictions, but staff held an unofficial gathering on December 18.

Sources have told the Guardian, Mirror, BBC and other outlets that several dozen people were packed tightly at the party, and that there was food and drink served, with party games and “secret Santa” presents.

Boris Johnson

The prime minister has insisted that Covid rules were followed “at all times” in No10. However, he has repeatedly dodged questions about whether or not a party took place.

Last week at prime minister’s questions, Labour leader Keir Starmer pressed him on 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”.

Yesterday, on a visit to a prison, Johnson again did not deny a party had taken place but added: “I am satisfied myself that the guidelines were followed at all times.”

On Wednesday, during prime minister’s questions, he apologised for the video in which aides appeared to joke about a Christmas party during lockdown.

Announcing an investigation into the incident, the prime minister told the Commons he was “furious” to see the footage of his former press secretary.

However, he insisted he had been “repeatedly assured” since the allegations emerged that there was “no party and that no Covid rules were broken”.

Ministers

Government ministers have been repeatedly grilled on the morning media rounds over their stance on the party.

Vaccines minister Maggie Throup was ridiculed for her answer when she told BBC Question Time on Thursday: “I have been reassured that all guidance was carefully followed as it continually is…Whatever the event was, the guidance was followed…this has been just rumour and hearsay.”

Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab said on Sunday that having a party would have been wrong, but described the reports as “unsubstantiated”.

He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show: “The PM’s very clear no rules were broken. I wasn’t there by the way.”

However, he was also ridiculed when he said the police “don’t normally look back and investigate things that have taken place a year ago”.

Policing minister Kit Malthouse told Sky News on Monday: “We are assured, I’ve been assured, that everything was done to comply with Covid regulations at the time…my general view is that when crime is reported it should be investigated”.

The Spin

No10 initially did not say the reports were inaccurate and insisted that all rules had been followed.

However, they ramped up their rebuttal on Monday, eventually saying that there was “not” a party held on the premises.

The prime minister’s official spokesman told journalists: “As the press secretary set out at a number of occasions, when questioned about this originally, there was not a party and the covid rules were followed at all times.”

Pressed on how they established that rules were not broken, the spokesman added: “I don’t need to get into the positions we’ve taken, it’s simply just a statement of fact.”

Asked how it was a statement of fact if they had not investigated, he replied: “I’m not going to get into internal matters. As I said, guidance has been followed at all times.”

Police

At the time of the supposed Downing Street party police were actively looking for Covid rule breakers.

London’s Metropolitan Police Service shut down a wedding attended by “nearly 40 people” on December 17 – just a day before the alleged party.

The Met said they do not routinely investigate “retrospective breaches” of Covid regulations but confirmed they would look at the Stratton footage.

The Met Police said in a statement to ITV News: “We are aware of footage obtained by ITV News relating to alleged breaches of the health protection regulations at a government building in December 2020.

“It is our policy not to routinely investigate retrospective breaches of the Covid 19 regulations, however the footage will form part of our considerations.”

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