Rishi Sunak Accused Of Saying ‘Just Let People Die’ During Covid

Posted on 20/11/2023 by Boris Clair

Rishi Sunak has been accused at the Covid inquiry of saying the government should “just let people die” during the pandemic.

The allegation against the prime minister is made in the diary of ex-chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance.

Vallance made private notes every evening during the pandemic and these have been handed to the official inquiry.

In one entry dated October 25, 2020, Vallance recalls a meeting as arguments raged inside government over whether to impose second lockdown in England.

According to Vallance, Dominic Cummings told Boris Johnson in the meeting: “Rishi says just let people die and that’s okay.”

Vallance does not claim to have himself heard Sunak – who was then chancellor – make that comment.

Downing Street said it would not comment on the accusation. “The prime minister is due to give evidence before the inquiry at the time of their choosing. That’s when he’ll set out his position,” No. 10 said.

In his evidence on Monday, Vallance also said Sunak’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme “obviously” increased transmission of the virus.

The programme, which began in August 2020, cut the cost of food in order to encourage people to visit restaurants and other hospitality venues.

Asked if it had increased the number of deaths from Covid, Vallance said: “It is highly likely to have done so.”

He said: “I think it would have been very obvious to anyone that this inevitably would cause an increase in transmission risk, and I think that would have been known by ministers.”

Vallance said he had not been informed about the scheme before it was announced to the public.

The inquiry was shown a section of Sunak’s written evidence to the inquiry in which he denied government scientists warned against the programme.

“I do not. recall any concerns about the scheme being expressed during ministerial discussions, including those attended bye the CMO [chief medical officer Chris Whitty] and the CSA [chief scientific adviser Vallance]

Vallance also told the inquiry that Johnson was often “bamboozled” by Covid science and that Matt Hancock often said things that were not true.

Greg Hands Sacked As Conservative Party Chairman In Rishi Sunak’s Reshuffle

Posted on 13/11/2023 by Boris Clair

Greg Hands has been sacked as chairman of the Conservative Party, as Rishi Sunak conducted a major cabinet reshuffle ahead of next year’s election.

He has finally paid the price for a succession of humiliating by-election defeats.

Richard Holden, who was only elected as an MP in 2019, has been given a big promotion to take over the job of running the Tory party machine.

Less than a month ago, Hands said he would not quit in the wake of two heavy by-election defeats in Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth.

At the time, he said the losses were caused “by legacy issues” that predated Sunak’s time in No.10.

Hands remains in government, but has been demoted to a minister of state job at the department for business and trade.

Richard Holden leaves 10 Downing Street after he was made the new Conservative chairman (Photo by Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images)

Holden snatched the red wall seat of North West Durham for the Tories in 2019, but the constituency is disappearing due to boundary changes and he is now on the lookout for somewhere else to stand at the next election.

Holden was appointed transport minister when Sunak became prime minister last October.

He now has the extremely difficult job of helping the prime minister overhaul a huge Labour poll lead over the next 12 months.

Leaving No.10 on Monday afternoon, Holden gave a thumbs-up when asked if the Tories could win the election.

As part of his reshuffle, Sunak also dramatically brought David Cameron back into government as foreign secretary.

Suella Braverman has been sacked as home secretary, replaced by James Cleverly.

Meanwhile, Therese Coffey has also been sacked as environment secretary, with Steve Barclay replacing her.

He has been replaced as health secretary by Victoria Atkins, with Laura Trott also being appointed chief secretary to the Treasury as the reshuffle continued.

Labour On Course For Landslide Election Victory As Tories Face Wipeout, Mega-Poll Says

Posted on 12/11/2023 by Boris Clair

Keir Starmer is on course to lead Labour to an even bigger victory than Tony Blair’s landslide in 1997, according to a major new poll.

The Survation survey of more than 12,000 people for the UK Spirits Alliance predicts the Tories will return just 156 MPs – around 200 less than they have now.

Labour, on the other hand, would see their number of MPs soar to 431, handing Starmer a 212-seat majority.

In 1997, Blair’s New Labour won a majority of 179 and ended up holding on to power for 13 years.

In recent days he has also been embroiled in a row with home secretary Suella Braverman over her article in The Times accusing the police of having a left-wing bias.

Sunak is now under intense pressure from many within his own party to sack the home secretary, but that could spark an angry backlash from right-wing Tory MPs.

Starmer, on the other hand, will be delighted at the poll’s findings, which come despite his own internal problems.

The Labour leader is facing a major rebellion by dozens of his own MPs – including many frontbenchers – over his refusal to support calls for a ceasefire in the Israel/Hamas war.

Rishi Sunak Condemns ‘Provocative’ Pro-Palestine March On Remembrance Day

Posted on 03/11/2023 by Boris Clair

Rishi Sunak has hit out at “provocative” plans to hold a pro-Palestine march on Remembrance Day.

The prime minister said it was “disrespectful” for the demo to go ahead on November 11 because of the “clear and present risk” of the Cenotaph and other war memorials being “desecrated”.

Sunak said he had asked home secretary Suella Braverman and the Metropolitan Police to “do everything necessary to protect the sanctity of Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday”.

His comments, in a statement released on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) came just hours after security minister Tom Tugenhadt said the march was “inappropriate”.

Sunak said: “The right to remember, in peace and dignity, those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice … must be protected.”

Tugendhat said this morning that he had written to London mayor Sadiq Khan, Westminster Council and the Met asking them to take action.

But he was accused of “posturing” by Khan, who said only government had the power to ban marches.

The calls for the marches to be controlled or cancelled come amid fears they could disrupt the two-minute silence on November 11 commemorating those who lost their lives in the conflict and cause damage to the cenotaph.

The Public Order Act 1986 allows the home secretary to ban protests from certain areas if the Met believes there is a disorder risk.

However, organisers of the march have insisted they will not go past the Cenotaph, where politicians and veterans will lay poppy wreaths for Remembrance Sunday the following day.

The Met Police have also made clear that protest groups do not have any plans to march on Remembrance Sunday.

Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has promised to “ensure” any demonstrations will not interfere with Remembrance weekend events.

Home secretary Suella Braverman has called pro-Palestine protests “hate marches” and has suggested they are the cause in the rise of anti-semtism seen in the UK since the war began.

‘You’re Not Doing Very Well, Are You?’: Robert Jenrick Roasted By Trevor Phillips On Tory Record

Posted on 22/10/2023 by Boris Clair

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick was left squirming on Sky News as he was presented with proof of the government’s failures.

Presenter Trevor Phillips told him “you’re not doing very well” on the five pledges Rishi Sunak made to voters at the start of the year.

The prime minister vowed to halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce national debt, cut NHS waiting lists and stop the small boats carrying asylum seekers across the Channel.

But Jenrick was shown a graphic demonstrating how the government is failing on four of them.

Inflation is still running at 6.7%, debt and waiting lists have gone up and the government is nowhere near stopping the boats.

Phillips said: “That [small boats] pledge does not say stop 10% of small boats, it says stop small boats. You’re not doing very well really, are you?”

Jenrick replied: “I’m not pretending this is job done, I’m saying our plan is beginning to work.

“We’re around a quarter reduction now in small boats compared to last year, and if you compare that to Italy and much of Europe, small boat arrivals are up by 100%.

“If you look at the number of Albanians coming illegally to the UK, down by 90%. If you look at the number of people who are being returned who shouldn’t have come here, up 75%.”

He added: “On this area we are delivering. There is clearly a long way to go.”

Can The Tories Defy The Polls And Hold On In Today’s Crucial By-Elections?

Posted on 19/10/2023 by Boris Clair

The world’s attention has understandably been focused on the Middle East in recent days, and is likely to remain so for some time to come.

But two by-elections on Thursday have the potential to be much more politically significant for Rishi Sunak.

The Tories are defending two nominally safe seats, in Mid Bedforshire and Tamworth.

It is no exaggeration to say that, were the Conservatives to lose both of them, the party could swiftly go into meltdown.

In Mid Beds, the Tories are defending a 25,000 majority, while in Tamworth, the party won the seat in 2019 by 20,000 votes. On paper at least, they should be unassailable.

But given the government’s unpopularity, and the circumstances which led to the by-elections, both Labour and the Lib Dems still hold out hopes of causing an upset.

The contest in Mid Bedfordshire has been caused by the resignation of Nadine Dorries after she was denied the peerage promised to her by Boris Johnson.

In Tamworth, meanwhile, sitting MP Chris Pincher quit amid allegations of sexual misconduct which saw him suspended from the Commons for eight weeks.

Tory hopes of hanging on in Mid Beds have been boosted by an extraordinary war of words between Labour and the Lib Dems.

Both parties insist they are best placed to win, leading to the very real possibility of the anti-Tory vote being split, thereby allowing Conservative candidate Festus Akinbusoye to get elected.

Tamworth is a straight shoot-out between the Tories and Labour, who are odds-on favourites with the bookies.

Nevertheless, Labour insiders insist the prospect of winning either seat is a “moonshot”.

One shadow cabinet member told HuffPost UK: “They’re two very safe Tory seats and it would take a miracle for Labour to win either. Mid Beds is a genuine three way split, but still a real long shot.”

Shadow science, innovation and technology secretary Peter Kyle, who is Labour’s campaign co-ordinator in the seat, said: “I think objectively anybody looking at all of the campaigns would rather be in our position than the others, but this is unlike anything I’ve experienced and uncertainties are constantly lurking.”

But another Labour MP said: “Mid Beds is the Tories for the keeping – no chance of that turning red.

“And to be quite honest, we don’t need it anyway. It’s not a target seat of ours and this isn’t a general election. If anything, it’s amusing that the Tories will frame it as a big win when all they’ve done is keep a seat that is already theirs.”

Labour sources insist winning in Tamworth – where Pincher received 68% of the vote at the last election – would be an even bigger achievement than the party’s stunning victory in Selby and Ainsty in July.

But a senior Tory MP told HuffPost: “I reckon our chances are poor in Tamworth because of how grim Chris Pincher’s reason for leaving was. I think people will punish the party for what he did and vote against us as a protest for all the sleaze we’ve seen in recent years.”

And a Labour MP said: “We do feel good about Tamworth. We know we have the power to overturn such huge majorities, as we’ve done it before.

“This seat in particular often reflects wider politics. It was Labour under Blair and Brown, Tory after that. And now, reflecting how well Labour are doing in the polls, I think that trend will continue.“

Defeat for the Tories would be as much of a psychological blow as an electoral one.

It’s the constituency of former Conservative prime minister Robert Peel, who in 1834 published the Tamworth Manifesto, which paved the way for the modern-day Tory Party.

One Labour MP dispensed with the usual pre-by-election caution and predicted a glory night for the party.

We’ve got both seats in the bag,” the MP said. “It doesn’t matter where the constituency is, or its history – the public want a change and are fed up of Tory lies.

“Their loyal voters are doubting them too, and we will see that on Thursday.”

Liz Truss Wants To Have Another Go At Delivering A Budget

Posted on 16/10/2023 by Boris Clair

Former prime minister Liz Truss is to challenge Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt with her own alternative Budget.

Her proposal will be pitched as one that rails against “conventional thinking”, and will be presented to the government as an alternative to the chancellor’s plans.

The report outlining Truss’s suggestions will be released one week before Hunt delivers his autumn statement on 22 November.

Called the “Growth Budget”, her suggestions are expected to propose similar ideas to those she announced while in office, including tax cuts and changes to corporation tax, income tax and national insurance.

It is also expected to include ideas about how the “tourism tax” could be dropped by bringing back VAT-free shopping.

At the Conservative Party conference this month, Truss made a speech calling for tax cuts to “make Britain grow again”.

Truss told the conference that she wanted to see the Conservative Party become the “party of business again”, and for the government to stop “taxing and banning things” and instead “build things and make things.”

‘Are You Not Mortified?’: Dermot O’Leary Roasts Sunak Over Braverman’s Immigration Comments

Posted on 06/10/2023 by Boris Clair

Rishi Sunak was asked on live TV if he was “mortified” by Suella Braverman’s controversial comments about immigration.

The home secretary said the west was facing a “hurricane” of migrants in the years to come during her speech to the Tory conference.

Appearing on ITV’s this morning, the prime minister was asked by presenter Dermot O’Leary for his thoughts on Braverman’s rhetoric.

In particular, he expressed concern about her use of the word “hurricane”.

“Are you not embarrassed and ashamed when you hear words like that? Because I’m meeting you for the first time and you seem like a decent guy” O’Leary asked.

The prime minister responded: “I think that this debate gets charged a lot where people focus on one thing. So, if you just take a step back, what do I think we all agree on? We all agree that Britain is incredibly welcoming place. We haven’t failed in any way.”

O’Leary said: “Are you not mortified? That’s evil. It’s not a good word.“

Sunak replied: “They are being exploited by criminal gangs. And that’s why I’ve said it’s got to be … the British people who decide who comes to our country and not criminal gangs. They are exploiting vulnerable people.”

O’Leary did not let Sunak off the hook, adding, “It’s this weaponising of the word that worries me. It’s demonising the people that come here in the first place.

“It’s an issue, of course it is. It’s the incendiary use of that word, that I think most people find unhelpful and harmful because it’s not the people who are coming here’s fault.”

Failing to answer the question, Sunak replied, “I think your viewers probably feel that there is an enormous sense of frustration that there are tens of thousands of people who have come here illegally over the past few years, and that’s not right.

“And I think most people in their local community may now have a hotel that’s been put over to house illegal migrants that’s costing taxpayers.”

Meanwhile, the PM also sent well-wishes to This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby after a man was charged over an alleged plot to kidnap the presenter.

On Friday morning, it was reported that the daytime star was “under police guard at her home” after “sinister” messages were found on a man’s phone reportedly threatening to “seriously harm” the daytime TV presenter.

Sunak said he was “so sorry to hear about everything that is going on with Holly”.

“I wanted to send my best to her and her family and to all of you,” the PM added.

Rishi Sunak Announces Plan To Gradually Ban Smoking

Posted on 04/10/2023 by Boris Clair

Rishi Sunak has announced plans to eventually ban smoking by raising the legal age people can buy cigarettes by one year, every year.

It would mean someone who is currently 14 years old will never be legally be sold a cigarette.

The prime minister said the change would “save more lives than any other decision we could take”.

Sunak told the Conservative Party conference in Manchester on Wednesday that his MPs would be given a free vote on the new law.

It means Tory MPs will not be ordered to back his plan if they do not want to.

The proposal mirrors the law in New Zealand, where tobacco cannot ever be sold to anybody born on or after January 1, 2009.

HS2 U-Turn: Rishi Sunak Confirms Manchester Line Is Scrapped

Posted on 04/10/2023 by Boris Clair

Rishi Sunak has confirmed that he is scrapping HS2 to Manchester.

The prime minister made the long-awaited announcement at the Tory conference being held in the city.

He also revealed that phase one of the multi-billion pound line will start at Euston station in central London.

And he said the £36 billion saved on scrapping the Birmingham to Manchester stretch would be used to fund major new transport projects in the north of England.

The decision is likely to spark a furious backlash from opposition politicians, business leaders and senior Tories including West Midlands mayor Andy Street, who this week appealed to the PM not to axe to next phase of the HS2 project.

Sunak said: “I say to those who backed the project in the first place, the facts have changed and the right thing to do when the facts change is to have the courage to change direction.

“And so I am ending this long-running saga. I am cancelling the rest of the HS2 project and in its place we will re-invest every single penny – £36bn in hundreds of new transport projects in the north and the Midlands across the country.”

The PM said a new “network north” project would boost transport links and slash travel times to towns and cities across the country.

He said: “You will be able to get from Manchester to the new station in Bradford in 30 minutes, Sheffield in 42 minutes and to Hull in 84 minutes on a fully, electrified line.

“We’ll protect the £12bn pounds to link up Manchester and Liverpool as planned and we will engage with local leaders on how best to deliver the scheme.

“We’ll build the Midlands Rail Hub, connecting 50 stations. We’ll help Andy Street extend the West Midlands Metro, build the Leeds tram, electrify the North Wales main line, upgrade the A1, the A2, the A5, the M6 and we’ll connect our Union with the A75 boosting links between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“We’ll fund the Shipley bypass, the Blyth relief road and deliver 70 other road schemes. We’ll resurface roads across the country. We’ll bring back the Don Valley line. We’ll upgrade the energy coast line between Carlisle, Workington and Barrow, build hundreds of other schemes and keep the £2 bus fare across the whole country.”

WellnessMaster

Get The Latest News on Holistic Wellness

Tag Archives: Rishi Sunak