Markus Andrews

The government’s Cobra emergencies committee is to meet today to discuss the response to Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice, Downing Street has announced.The meeting, chaired by Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay, will bring together ministers and senior civil servants from across Whitehall with emergency service chiefs.Thousands of homes have been left without power after Storm Dudley swept through parts of the UK, with winds of more than 80 mph experienced in north Wales and thousands of homes losting power in the north of England.It comes ahead of Storm Eunice, which is predicted to bring winds in excess of 95mph in coastal areas while inland areas could still see gusts to around 80mph.The Cobra committee – named for Cabinet Office Briefing Room A and officially termed Cobr by the government – can be convened at short notice to bring together ministers from affected departments with experts and military, intelligence and civil emergency leaders in response to emergencies ranging from terrorist attacks to natural disasters, military attacks or public health situations.But Liberal Democrats said the government should be prepared to step in more quickly when extreme weather strikes, and called on Cobra to agree an immediate support plan to provide food, accommodation and electricity generators for those affected.“Whenever a storm hits, the government is disgracefully unprepared to support the thousands of people affected,” said the party’s communities spokesperson Tim Farron. “They never learn from their mistakes.“People across the United Kingdom are fed up with being taken for granted and left without proper support when things go wrong. With extreme weather more frequent, the Conservatives cannot ignore the crisis sweeping the nation.”Northern Powergrid said 1,000 properties still had no lights on Thursday morning due to the weather.“Our teams have restored power to some 19,000 homes and businesses impacted by Storm Dudley, and we are working to get the lights back on for around 1,000 properties still affected,” a spokesperson said.National Rail said as of 7am on Thursday, dozens of train companies have been affected in the north of England, the Midlands, Wales and across most of Scotland, including LNER, Transport for Wales and ScotRail.Due to damaged overhead electric wires between Bedford and St Albans, some lines are currently blocked on the East Midlands Railway and Thameslink lines.The Met Office issued yellow weather warnings until 10am on Thursday for Scotland, with wintry showers overnight leading to a risk of ice.National Highways, with the Met Office, have issued a severe weather alert for strong winds covering the East of England, East Midlands, West Midlands, South East and South West, between the hours of 6am and 6pm on Friday.The agency added “there is a particularly high risk that high-sided vehicles and other ‘vulnerable’ vehicles such as caravans and motorbikes could be blown over” in areas including the East of England, Midlands, South East and South West.The Environment Agency had two flood warnings in place as of Thursday morning in northern areas of England.Flood duty manager Katharine Smith said: “Strong winds could bring coastal flooding to parts of the west, south-west and south coast of England, as well as the tidal River Severn, through the early hours of Friday morning and into the early afternoon.“This is due to Storm Eunice resulting in high waves and potential storm surge coinciding with the start of a period of spring tides.” More

Boris Johnson’s government has been urged to start building more lorry parks near Dover or face traffic gridlock around the port, as post-Brexit customs checks continue to cause disruption.Desperate drivers caught in four-hour queues near Dover have been forced to “s*** in the bushes” and throw bottles of urine out of the window, The Independent has been told.Logistics chiefs and local politicians have warned that road congestion in Kent will get worse when further checks come into force in July and September.The government has asked National Highways to identify a new sites for lorries. But ministers have not yet committed to building an extra park – despite a promise by chancellor Rishi Sunak at the Autumn Budget to spend £32.5m on driver facilities.“There are simply not enough lorry parking spaces,” Rod McKenzie, director of policy at the Road Haulage Association (RHA). “The facilities for drivers are inadequate. The government has promised in principle to do more – but we lack specifics.”The RHA official added: “There’s precious little room in Dover itself. So more infrastructure is needed near the port for checks. There’s a real urgency about this problem – it’s not something that can be ignored much longer.”Edwin Atema, from the Dutch FNV union, which works hauliers from across the EU, told The Independent that drivers are increasingly angry about the time spent waiting in queues at Dover since full customs controls came into force in January.“There is a lot of time not working, just waiting,” Mr Atema said. “Drivers are suffering from the lack of proper facilities. They have to s*** in the bushes. I’ve been there. You can see it, you can smell it. It’s 2022 and this should not be happening.”Drivers have said they have been stuck in queues of up to 15km (9 miles) – visible from satellites – along the A20 near Dover since the start of January, when full customs controls came into effect.Chris Precious – an independent councillor on Kent town council – said bottles of urine and plastic bags of “human excrement” are being thrown into people’s gardens and along the A20 roadside by desperate drivers. “It’s left for residents to clear up.”Calling for a new lorry park near Dover and a bypass for freight traffic, the councillor added: “If nothing is done soon it will get much worse. We will have gridlock. It’s impossible for the [A20] road to cope with this.”Conservative MP Huw Merriman, chair of the transport select committee, revealed last month that he accidentally stood in “human excrement” during a stop at a lay-by during a visit to inspect facilities at Dover. Roads minister Baroness Vere said last month that she had asked National Highways to “look at any and all landholdings to see if we can find any new places”.In December ministers hailed the opening of Ashford International Truckstop – almost 25 miles away from Dover – where up to 660 drivers can park and use the new facilities.The site sits next to the government’s “inland border facility”, where hauliers are sent for post-Brexit paperwork checks. Some drivers have been forced to wait for 24 hours for red tape issues to be resolved.A much smaller site, made up of just 96 parking spaces, is being created just outside of Dover to allow officials to inspect trucks when additional agri-food checks come into force in July.However, the RHA fears it will not be enough to ease the congestion around Dover in the months ahead. Mr McKenzie said it would take “the best part of year” to create a major new site.The haulage policy chief added: “The struggle to retain drivers is made more difficult by the shortage of infrastructure, the shortage of spaces to park, spaces to wash and spaces to go to the loo. We’re just asking for decent facilities of the type found in Europe.”Mr McKenzie has said regular delays of three or four hours could be expected on busy days in the months ahead.There is also mounting concern about the number of lorry drivers forced to sleep in lay-bys because of the long delays – with Kent County Council warning of “safety implications” and disruption to residents.Adrian Jones, Unite’s national officer for road transport, said: “If drivers are going to be held up more regularly, there needs to be appropriate infrastructure and facilities available. It isn’t good enough at the moment.”Last month the chief of Dover port Doug Bannister warned that the UK has just months to avoid further disruption when new EU biometric checks come into force in September.As it stands, all car drivers would have to exit their vehicles to undergo biometric checks at the border, which could cause additional delays at the Kent port.A government spokesperson said: “We are spending £32.5m to improve lorry parking facilities across the country, and are working with industry on a detailed plan to help drivers feel rested and recharged to carry out their vital work safely.” More

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has said Britain’s terror police should “shoot first” and “ask questions second”, as the party sets out its credentials on law and order.The senior figure distanced herself from Jeremy Corbyn’s approach to criminal justice issues, saying she was on a “different page” to the former Labour leader.“On things like law and order I am quite hardline. I am like, shoot your terrorists and ask questions second,” Ms Rayner told Matt Forde’s Political Party podcast.Apparently taken aback by the audience reaction at the live event, the Labour deputy added: “Sorry – is that the most controversial thing I’ve ever said?”Sir Keir Starmer’s party is using this week’s parliamentary recess to set out a tougher approach on crime.Earlier this week the Labour leader has accused the Conservatives of being “soft on crime and soft on the causes of crime” by failing to tackle violence and to provide enough opportunities for young people.Labour has also said it would look at introducing a scheme ‘naming and shaming’ those who are convicted of buying illegal drugs.Steve Reed, the shadow justice secretary, hit out at the “trail of destruction the drugs trade”, and said former Labour PM Tony Blair was right in his “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime” approach.Ms Rayner said she wanted police officers to take a more active role in investigating burglaries, as well as “antagonising” thugs who make life difficult for their neighbours.“On law and order, I think if you are being terrorised by the local thug, I want a copper to come and sort them out,” she said.“You should be hardline on things like that. It’s not just, ‘Oh you’ve been burgled here is a crime number’.”She added: “I want you to beat down the door of the criminals and sort them out and antagonise them. That’s what I say to my local police … three o’clock in the morning and antagonise them.”Ms Rayner said she was “plagued by anti-social behaviour” when she was growing up. “It’s the usual suspects … I want the police to annoy the hell out of them until they realise disrupting lives is not OK. I am quite hardline on that.”A leading charity specialising in drug law criticised the idea that naming and shaming drug offenders could have a deterrent effect, and said both of the main political parties operated in an “evidence free zone” in regards to drug policy.A spokesperson for Release told The Independent: “When it comes to drug policy both the main parties are operating in an evidence free zone, the idea that naming and shaming people will act as a deterrent effect is nonsense.” More

British property worth £1.5bn has been bought by Russians accused of corruption or with Kremlin links, according to new figures fuelling criticism of so-called “Londongrad”.Anti-corruption campaigners unveiled research showing 28 per cent of that property is on the doorstep of the government and parliament in Westminster, with Kensington and Chelsea another hotspot.There are 2,189 companies registered in the UK and its offshore tax havens involved in Russian money-laundering and corruption cases – involving funds worth £82bn – Transparency International said.The figures come hard on the heels of the government shelving long-promised ‘McMafia’ legislation, to target the unexplained wealth of kleptocrats – before criticism forced a U-turn.US experts close to the White House have warned the power of kleptocrats with investments in London – and their “close ties” to the Tory party – will thwart the UK’s pledges to act tough against Russia.Transparency International said its research underlined how the UK is a global hub for international money-laundering, after years of inaction, often through its offshore havens.“They are used by those seeking to hide their ownership of assets because UK law currently allows companies incorporated there to own the property without the need to disclose the names of the individuals who own the companies,” it said.Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, has rushed through legislation which she says will target Russian oligarchs in London, if Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine goes ahead.But she has refused to say what sanctions will be imposed – and campaigners say the tactic is no substitute for effective legislation against corruption.Ministers have stalled on promised action to reveal the true owners of property and to give proper teeth to Companies House to crack down on rogue companies.That failure has provoked cross-Channel tensions after Boris Johnson told Germany and other countries to cut their reliance on Russian gas.Radek Sikorksi, a Polish Member of the European Parliament, tweeted: “It would be even better if Germany got tough on Russia and energy dependence and Britain on stolen Russian money. Not the other way around.”The UK is poised to axe “golden visas” for wealthy foreign investors, because of evidence they are exploited by Russian oligarchs – but only as ministers face a Lords defeat over them.Launched in 2008, the tier one visas grant fast-track residency to foreigners with at least £2m in investment funds and a UK bank account, but background checks have been criticised as lax.As tensions over Ukraine continue, the US has accused Russia of sending up to 7,000 further troops, while Ms Truss warned Moscow could drag out the crisis for months to undermine Western unity.James Heappey, the armed forces minister, said he remains “worried” about the prospect of Russian troops moving into Ukraine, with the prospect that “tens of thousands of people could die”. More

A right-wing Bulgarian MEP has sparked outrage by giving a Nazi salute during a debate in the European Parliament.Angel Dzhambazki, from the Bulgarian National Movement party, made the gesture after speaking during a debate on the rule of law in Poland and Hungary.The European Commission and Parliament have made moves to crack down on the countries’ apparent drift towards authoritarian under populist right-wing leaders.“We will never allow you to tell us what to say and do. Long live Bulgaria, Hungary, Orbán, Fidesz and the Europe of nation states,” Mr Dzhambazki had earlier told parliament.He faces a possible sanction over the gesture and reportedly later told colleagues it was not a fascist salute and that it was subject to “a small misunderstanding”.Mr Dzhambazki’s party sits in the European Conservatives and Reformists group, which was founded by the UK’s Conservatives and includes an array of right-wing, eurosceptic, and far-right parties. David Cameron pulled the Tories out of the mainstream centre-right group in 2009 to create the alternative group.Roberta Metsola, the Maltese president of the European Parliament, who sits in the centre-right EPP group said: “A fascist salute in the European Parliament is unacceptable to me – always and everywhere.”It offends me and everyone else in Europe. We stand for the opposite. We are the House of democracy. That gesture is from the darkest chapter of our history and must be left there.”Mr Dzhambazki’s office did not respond to a request for comment. More

We’re living through another extraordinary period for British politics. Boris Johnson continues to fight for his job over the partygate scandal, as he attempts to manage the Covid recovery and get a positive result for his party at the local elections in May.North of the border, Nicola Sturgeon and her SNP team continue to ramp up calls for a second referendum on Scottish independence. There are also key local elections coming up in Northern Ireland in May, where the Brexit protocol will be a crucial issue for many voters.Our free, daily Inside Politics newsletter is there to guide you through the turmoil – keeping you up to date on all the key developments and providing short, sharp analysis of what’s really going on at Westminster and beyond.The morning briefing also offers you a wry look at the latest spats and wild statements, the best of the commentary happening on Twitter, as well as pointing you towards some of the finest long-reads and opinion pieces at The Independent and elsewhere.It’s the best way to stay one step ahead of the game, setting you up for the day ahead in British politics. The email will land in your inbox every weekday morning after 8am.To sign up for the free email, fill in your email in the box above, or click here to sign up from our wide range of newsletters. Got a question? Contact me on Twitter.Signing up is easy, it takes just one click. Should you ever change your mind, each email comes with a link to unsubscribe. More

More than half a million people with conditions compromising their immune systems risk becoming “the pandemic’s forgotten victims” as Boris Johnson lifts the final remaining Covid-19 restrictions, charities have warned.A group of 18 charities has combined behind a set of demands to ensure that Mr Johnson’s upcoming plan for England to “live with Covid” does not discriminate against people with conditions like cancer, multiple sclerosis, kidney disease or asthma which make them particularly vulnerable to the virus.The prime minister has also been accused of “throwing vulnerable people to the wolves” with plans to scrap free Covid tests and end mandatory isolation for infectious people.Mr Johnson has said the plan – due for publication on Monday – will lift the legal requirement to self-isolate after a positive test from next week, a month earlier than previously scheduled.But the government has yet to explain the scientific basis for this decision or how immune-compromised people will be supported to remain safe. The plan is expected also to include a timetable to wind down universal free testing for coronavirus as well as the £500 support payment for people forced to stay home while isolating.Mr Johnson’s announcement has sparked fears of significantly more infectious people circulating in shops, workplaces and public transport, many of them experiencing no symptoms themselves but presenting a contagion risk to those they encounter. Ms Cooper said: “Vulnerable people are once again being thrown to the wolves by the Conservatives as their big push to abandon all precautions is leaving many to live in fear and isolation. “The government’s own advice to vulnerable people says they should have people test before they meet and avoid crowded spaces to avoid infection. This means many continue to shield, but don’t get any additional support to do so. “Ending access to free Covid testing will further isolate these people and cut off a key way they can protect themselves. Covid testing must remain available to everyone for free and ministers need to engage with the millions of people who are still at increased risk to offer greater support.”Mother-of-two Sarah Hemmings, a 34-year-old teacher from Norwich living with MS, said it seemed that the government had decided to make the most vulnerable “learn to live with the real ramifications of coronavirus”.Previous Covid restrictions – including isolation for those testing positive – allowed her to maintain some social interaction, said Ms Hemmings.But she added: “Now I feel I am the most restricted and least free I have been in my adult life. Instead of returning to the career I love in teaching, I find myself cautious in hugging my own child as she returns from a school where case rates have exploded.“It makes me feel angry and ignored. There is no end in sight. The risks must seem low to those who don’t have to take them.”Charities including the MS Society, Blood Cancer UK and Kidney Care UK set out five key tests the PM’s plan must pass to ensure it supports those most at risk from Covid-19.These include better communication with the most vulnerable; easy and timely access to Covid treatments; improved employment protection and support; a plan for the use of preventative treatments; and continued access for all to testing kits free of charge.As well as being more likely than the general population to suffer serious illness if they catch Covid, severely immunocompromised people do not get as much protection from vaccines, they said.The director of research at Blood Cancer UK, Helen Rowntree, said: “Throughout the pandemic, the huge anxiety our community has faced has been made worse by the poor government communications.“The government needs to set out how it will make sure the immune-compromised are not left behind as the pandemic’s forgotten victims as the country returns to normal.”Kidney Care UK policy director Fiona Loud said that Mr Johnson’s plan risked making life harder and increasing anxiety for some of those who have already suffered most during two years of pandemic.While the Omicron variant has turned out to be milder than previous versions of the virus, there remains considerable uncertainty about the threat from future strains, she said.“Abandoning all measures without preventative treatments, free lateral flow tests, and a duty not to expose immune-suppressed people to Covid unnecessarily risks making us into second-class citizens,” warned Ms Loud.MS Society policy manager Fredi Cavander-Attwood said: “We’re urging the government to stop ignoring the reality of our communities.“The prime minister must directly and immediately address their concerns as we move to this new phase of the pandemic.“It is not our goal for blanket restrictions to be reinstated – we simply want all 500,000 immunocompromised people, including some with MS, to be protected and supported to manage their risk so they can live normal lives.“We must all be able to live alongside Covid-19 – and that can’t happen if the government continues to leave the most vulnerable behind.”A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We have issued public health advice for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk of serious outcomes from Covid-19. This advice remains in place.“Those previously considered clinically extremely vulnerable are advised to follow the same guidance as the general public, but to consider taking extra precautions to reduce the risk of catching Covid-19.“Vaccines are the best way we can protect ourselves from the virus and we encourage all those eligible to get their jab as soon as they can.” More

Foreign secretary Liz Truss will visit the Ukrainian capital Kiev this week to deliver a speech warning Russia of international “pariah status” if president Vladimir Putin decides on an invasion.The Foreign Office said Ms Truss will visit Ukraine, Poland and Germany as western diplomatic efforts continue in a bid to deter Russian “aggression” and prevent war in the region.In her upcoming Kiev speech, the foreign secretary is expected to say: “I urge Russia to take the path of diplomacy. We are ready to talk.”Ms Truss will add: “But we are very clear – if they decide to continue down the path of aggression, there will be massive consequences bringing Russia severe economic costs and pariah status.”In a message to Mr Putin, the foreign minister will also say the UK wants Russia to “respect the sovereignty of others, and live up to their commitments”.On the trip, Ms Truss will meet her Ukraine counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and Polish foreign minister Zbigniew Rau in a demonstration of unified support for Ukrainian sovereignty.On Saturday, she will then attend the Munich Security Conference where the Foreign Office said she will strengthen security ties with some of the UK’s key strategic allies.The visit comes after Mr Putin claimed that Russia was ready for further talks, but emphasised the need for the west to heed his main demands. More