Boris Johnson news – live: Tory polls dive as police watchdog to decide on No 10 party probe before Christmas

Vulnerable children and families are still being seen by social workers over video call rather than in-person long after the end of lockdown – raising fears that abuse could be slipping through the net.

During the first Covid wave, use of WhatsApp and other digital platforms for visits was widespread, though face-to-face encounters continued for high-risk cases.

Now, though it is understood the majority of visits are in-person, video calls are still taking place, with one London borough’s children and family social workers conducting one in six visits virtually this month, report our social affairs correspondent May Bulman and chief reporter Simon Murphy.

People who are medically allowed to get a Covid vaccine but refuse to do so are “idiots”, Tony Blair has said as he backed Boris Johnson‘s “gamble” to continue with plan B restrictions in the run-up to Christmas Day amid the spread of the Omicron variant.

“If you’re not vaccinated and you’re eligible, you’re not just irresponsible, you’re an idiot,” the former PM said in an interview about Covid broadcast on Wednesday morning.

Mr Blair has made repeated interventions during the pandemic and his Institue for Global Change thinktank has been credited with devising policy proposals later adopted by government, writes Matt Mathers.

The proportion of people who see the Conservative Party as untrustworthy has risen by eight percentage points in two months, a new poll has found.

Some 64 per cent of UK voters, when asked whether they would use the term for the party, agreed, up from 56 per cent in mid-October, according to YouGov.

The percentage who considered the party trustworthy was down from 16 to 10.

The UK and the EU have agreed catch limits for next year for around 70 fish species, after ending annual negotiations, the government says.

The deal involves around 140,000 tonnes of “fishing opportunities” for the UK fleet, estimated to be worth around £313m, based on historic landing prices, officials say.

The agreement also commits the UK and the EU to “rapidly develop multi-year strategies for non-quota species”.

But environmental law charity Client Earth accused the government of “ignoring the warning bells scientists have been sounding for years” for vulnerable stocks on the verge of collapse – like West of Scotland and Celtic Sea cod, and Irish Sea whiting.

The organisation said: “These stocks of cod and other species that are often taken as bycatch have been in a dire state for decades and the recurring scientific advice for zero catches has never been followed.

“Less than 3,000 tonnes of adult cod are left in the Celtic Sea and less than 3,500 tonnes in the West of Scotland, according to the latest scientific advice – compared to over 20,000 and 30,000 tonnes respectively at their peak in the 1980s.”

Wales will introduce new Covid restrictions from Boxing Day, including the “rule of six” for hospitality venues, first minister Mark Drakeford has announced.

Effective from 6am on 26 December, there will be a “general requirement of 2 metre social distancing in all premises open to the public and workplaces, where reasonable”.

All licences premises will also be required to re-introduce table service and mandatory face coverings apart from when customers are seated, reports our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn.

A junk food tax to prevent the obesity crisis overwhelming the NHS budget is back on the government’s agenda, the author of a landmark report says.

Boris Johnson dismayed health campaigners by appearing to rule out the £3bn levy earlier this year, saying he is not “attracted to the idea of extra taxes on hardworking people”.

But Henry Dimbleby suggested the PM had misunderstood his recommendation – and said he believed the health secretary Sajid Javid is now ready to act. “I think Sajid Javid understands now that we need to intervene,” he added.

Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick reports:

Over 50 cross-party MPs and peers have demanded Rishi Sunak urgently increase statutory sick pay, warning the current level forces workers to choose between “putting food on the table and self-isolating”.

In a letter to the chancellor — seen by The Independent — the parliamentarians accused the government of repeatedly failing to “properly” support workers, as the country faces a new wave of Covid.

They stressed that since the onset of the pandemic in 2020 it has been “clear” increasing sick pay levels would “significantly increase” the number of people who can afford to self-isolate after testing positive, reports our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn.

An update on the Met Police complaint story. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is expected to decide before Christmas whether or not to investigate a complaint over the force’s handling of an alleged Downing Street party.

Scotland Yard referred itself to the watchdog after concerns were raised over its response to the event, thought to have been held on 18 December last year, and the lack of an investigation into it.

It is understood the IOPC will make a decision before the end of the week, according to the PA news agency.

Acting detective chief superintendent Tony O’Sullivan, directorate of professional standards, told Lady Jones this has been referred to the IOPC given “you effectively allege misconduct in public office by MPS police officers”. He added: “The IOPC will now make a determination as to whether the complaint needs to be investigated and, if so, how.”

On the second part, a Met inspector said it relates to Lady Jones’s complaint that Met commissioner Dame Cressida Dick has “refused to investigate allegations of an unlawful gathering on 18 December 2020”.

This has been referred to the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (Mopac), which sets the direction and budget for the Met. Both the IOPC and Mopac have confirmed they are assessing the complaints to decide if further action is required.