Markus Andrews

Boris Johnson’s Downing Street briefing on the deteriorating Covid situation spawned jokes and internet memes after the branding of the government’s new “Get boosted now” slogan drew comparisons ranging from Hula Hoops to Sonic the Hedgehog. The prime minister fronted a press conference on Wednesday flanked by England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, and Dr Nikki Kanani, director of primary care at NHS England, in which the trio urged the public to take up the offer of coronavirus jabs. Mr Johnson said the government was “throwing everything” at the rollout, “so please get boosted now”.Across each lectern were the same three words, “Get boosted now”, with an oversized “o” in “now” used without explanation. The branding left more than one Twitter user contemplating a Hula Hoops crisps connection.The Wellcome Trust’s Dr Lindsay Broadbent wrote: “The Get Boosted Now campaign is obviously important… but could they have tried to make it look less like a Hula Hoops advert?”BBC reporter Luxmy Gopal concurred: “’Get boosted nOw’ – the new slogan font is making me crave hula hoops for some reason.”Others pondered whether the jumbo golden circle had been inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog’s power rings… …or had even been inspired by the nineties and noughties youth drama series Byker Grove: The Independent would hazard a guess that the “o” stands for omicron, since the UK recorded a record number of Covid cases on Wednesday driven by the new variant. The Downing Street press office was not immediately able to give a definitive answer. More

Britons have been told they should cut back socialising now to preserve their hopes of a proper family Christmas Day, as coronavirus infections hit a record high and scientists warned that a large wave of omicron will put the NHS under strain within weeks.Chief medical officer Chris Whitty told a Downing Street press conference that the new variant of Covid-19 was “moving at an absolutely phenomenal pace” and that substantial numbers of cases needing hospitalisation intensive care were likely in the period following Christmas Day.“Substantial gaps” can be expected in hospital staffing as doctors and nurses go down with omicron, he said, as another member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) scientific advisory panel warned there was a possibility of the NHS becoming “overwhelmed”.The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Covid envoy, Dr David Nabarro said the British health service was in “an emergency situation”, with an “extraordinary acceleration” of cases likely to lead to an extremely serious situation over the last two weeks of December.“I have never been more concerned than I am tonight, not just about the UK but about the world,” said Dr Nabarro.Prime minster Boris Johnson said people should “think carefully” about socialising and said his own plans for his first Christmas with his new baby daughter were “pretty modest at this stage” because of the likely pressure of work.He called on people to get vaccinations and booster jabs in a “great national fightback” against the disease. Boosters hit a daily record of 656,711 on Tuesday but remained well short of the 1 million a day needed to meet Mr Johnson’s pledge of giving them to everyone eligible by the end of the month.Professor Whitty said he expected people would “deprioritise” non-essential gatherings to ensure being able to enjoy the most important events, which for most will be Christmas Day with family.“I really think people should be prioritising those things – and only those things – that really matter to them,” he said. “Because otherwise the risk of someone getting infected at something that doesn’t really matter to them and then not being able to do the things that do matter to them obviously goes up.”Official figures showed 78,610 new Covid infections across the UK in what Professor Whitty said was effectively “two epidemics on top of one another” as a rapidly growing wave of omicron cases is added to the stable but high numbers of people affected by the earlier delta strain.“I’m afraid we have to be realistic that records will be broken a lot over the next few weeks as the rates continue to go up,” said Professor Whitty.“This is a really serious threat at the moment. How big a threat? There are several things we don’t know. But all the things that we do know are bad.”With the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimating that omicron cases are doubling in less than two days, the chief medical officer said it would only be a short time before Britain sees “very, very, very large numbers” of infections.“There will be substantial numbers and that that will begin to become apparent, in my view, fairly soon after Christmas,” he said. “It’ll start before them. But in terms of the big numbers, I think that’s a reasonably nailed-on prospect.”And he made clear this would include substantial numbers of health and care staff.“Very large numbers of people in society – and that includes doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers – are going to get Covid at the same time, because this will be a very sharp peak,” he said. “There will be significant problems actually providing staff.”Giving evidence to a parliamentary committee earlier in the day, UKHSA chief executive Jenny Harries warned that omicron presented  “probably the most significant threat we’ve had since the start of the pandemic”, warning that it could place the NHS in “serious peril”.Dr Harries said that “quite staggering” numbers of infections can be expected in the coming days due to the highly contagious nature of the new strain, which “runs the risk of evading our natural and/or vaccine immunity”.And she warned that the speed of spread was accelerating, with infections now doubling in less than two days in most parts of the UK, compared to an estimated four or five days when the threat first emerged.UKHSA previously estimated that as many as 200,000 new infections with omicron took place in the UK on Monday, implying that cases could reach 1 million a day by the end of the week, with millions infected by 25 December.Professor Whitty warned that the scale of the likely outbreak meant that “lots of people” are going to get sick, even if omicron turns out to be milder than earlier strains.The director of Oxford University’s Rosalind Franklin Institute, Professor James Naismith, said that even if widespread immunity meant omicron was four times less likely than delta to cause severe disease, its rate of spread meant that it could cause double the number of daily hospitalisations within seven days.“Unfortunately this is just the start,” said Professor Naismith. “Numbers are going to get much bigger very quickly.”The unofficial independent Sage group of scientists and medics called for an immediate 10-day circuit-breaker lockdown in order to permit “limited” social mixing on 25-28 December.Calling for the closure of indoor hospitality and entertainment venues and a ban on indoor mixing by different households in the run-up to Christmas, the group said in a statement: “Christmas is 10 days away – that’s five doublings at its current growth rate, making the situation potentially 32 times worse by then.“The opportunity for early action has been lost and the time for further delay is over. The situation is so urgent we must take emergency action now and that means it is imperative to reduce contacts. Advice is no longer enough since it does not convey the urgency of the situation.”But Mr Johnson declined to impose any new formal restrictions on pubs, restaurants on Christmas parties.“What we are saying is think carefully before you go, what kind of an event is it, are you likely to meet people who are vulnerable, are you going to meet loads of people you haven’t met before, and get a test, make sure there’s ventilation, wear a mask on transport,” Mr Johnson said.“We’re in a different environment thanks to the boosters from where we were last year but we’ve got to be cautious and think about it while we wait for the benefits of the boosters to really kick in.”His comments sparked fury in the nightlife sector, which has seen mass cancellations of bookings as the threat from omicron became clear.“With the prime minister appearing to lack the political will to impose actual restrictions and instead seeking to induce a pseudo-lockdown through repeated sombre-sounding announcements, our sector is now facing the worst of both worlds – a recent drop in trade and no government support to help us through,” said Michael Kill of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA). And the president of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) called on chancellor Rishi Sunak to step in with financial support for businesses “seeing their vital festive income melt away in front of their eyes”.“Businesses now face the two-punch combination of serious issues with staff absence and plummeting consumer confidence,” said baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith.“Businesses have heard nothing from the Treasury since this new round of Covid interventions arrived over a week ago. Not even a rationale has been provided for why it believes no new support is required. They deserve better.” More

Boris Johnson accused top TV journalist Robert Peston of “completely mischaracterising” events held at Downing Street last Christmas during a feisty exchange at the latest government press conference.The ITV host asked Mr Johnson and his top medical advisers how they felt about reports and photos of festive parties held at No 10 and Conservative HQ, as the prime minister fielded questions on omicron.Mr Peston also challenged Mr Johnson if he would welcome a police investigation into the gatherings held while there were strict bans on households mixing.The prime minister fired back: “I just say to you, Robert – I think you completely mischaracterise the events in this place.”Mr Johnson claimed his staff had “worked blindingly hard for a very long time in cooperation with people around government and across the whole of public services to do our very best to keep people safe”.Referring to the festive gatherings currently being probed by top civil servant Simon Case, the PM added: “We’ll of course hear from the cabinet secretary about what he believes has happened, and if the police think there’s anything to follow up I think they will.”Asked by The Independent if he was confident that the public would listen to his Covid instructions despite polls showing damaged trust, Mr Johnson replied: “I follow the rules. Everybody across politics show follow the rules.”He added: “But what I’ve noticed is the British public in response to what I said on Sunday have really got the point, that this wave is coming in … the numbers [getting boosters] are extraordinary.”Earlier on Wednesday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Johnson had lost the trust of the public and his own MPs after almost 100 Tories voted against his plan B measures.“We can’t go on with a prime minister who is too weak to lead,” said Sir Keir at PMQs – challenging Mr Johnson to “take time this Christmas to look in the mirror and ask himself whether he has the trust and authority to lead this country”.Mr Johnson declined to impose any new formal restrictions on Wednesday, but he use his press conference to urge people to cut back on Christmas partying, telling them to “think carefully” before going out during the festive season.England’s chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty went further, saying: “Don’t mix with people you don’t have to for either work or family things that really matter to you.”The chief medical officer also told the Downing Street briefing said omicron was “moving at an absolutely phenomenal pace”, adding that a large rise in hospitalisation could be seen after Christmas.As the UK recorded 78,610 new Covid cases – the highest seen during the pandemic – Prof Whitty said: “I’m afraid we have to be realistic that records will be broken a lot over the next few weeks.” More

Boris Johnson has appointed crossbench peer Baroness Hallett to chair the long-awaited public inquiry into the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.The inquiry – to be launched in spring 2022 – will be given powers to summon witnesses, including ministers and advisers, under oath, and to compel the release of documents related to the crisis.Lady Hallett – a former high-court judge – previously acted in the inquests of the 52 victims of the 7/7 bombings, and is currently acting as coroner in the inquest into the death of Dawn Sturgess, who died in July 2018 following exposure to the nerve agent novichok.While welcoming her appointment, the organisation Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, which has been pushing for an independent inquiry, said: “Whilst this news is very welcome, unfortunately it comes too late.“We’ve been calling for an inquiry since the end of the first wave, and we will never know how many lives could have been saved had the government had a rapid review phase in summer 2020. With the omicron variant upon us, the inquiry really cannot come soon enough.”The group also urged the prime minister to consult them on the terms of reference, adding: “The inquiry could and should be a historic and positive process from which the terrible suffering and loss of the past 18 months are learned from, to ensure these tragedies are not repeated in the future. Today is finally a positive step in making that happen.“This is a one-off, historic opportunity to learn lessons to protect lives across the country. We cannot afford to get it wrong and we look forward to working closely with Baroness Hallett to make it a success.”Mr Johnson, who resisted previous calls for a rapid inquiry into his administration’s handling of the Covid pandemic, has told MPs the public inquiry, which will place the “state’s actions under the microscope”, will be launched in spring 2022.In a statement on Wednesday, the prime minister said: “I want to thank Baroness Hallett for agreeing to take on the position of chair of the Covid-19 inquiry.“She brings a wealth of experience to the role and I know shares my determination that the inquiry examines in a forensic and thoroughgoing way the government’s response to the pandemic.”Lady Hallett said: “I am honoured to be appointed to chair the Covid-19 inquiry. The pandemic has affected us all, some much worse than others. I am acutely conscious of the suffering it has caused to so many.“In the new year I shall be seeking views from those who have lost loved ones and all other affected groups about the inquiry’s terms of reference.“I want to assure the British public that, once the terms of reference are finalised, I shall do my utmost to ensure the inquiry answers as many questions as possible about the UK’s response to the pandemic so that we can all learn lessons for the future.” More

Boris Johnson’s “plan B” social restrictions to address the surging omicron variant in England were yesterday approved in the Commons, with the prime minister surviving a major rebellion by his own Tory backbenchers to see them confirmed.Many Conservatives and Liberal Democrats were opposed to the new rules, particularly the NHS Covid Pass, considering it an infringement of civil liberties, while others seized on the vote as an opportunity to express their disdain for Mr Johnson’s increasingly troubled and discredited leadership.But, with the support of the Labour Party, who agreed that the new measures were in the national interest, the new Covid rules passed, with vaccine passports approved by 369 votes to 126 – meaning 97 Tories voted against their own leader in the biggest revolt so far of Mr Johnson’s premiership.The first new restrictions imposed on England since “Freedom Day” on 19 July make it mandatory to wear face masks in shops, cinemas, theatres and places of worship and on public transport (but not bars and restaurants), working from home is advised and the NHS Covid Pass, displayed via the NHS app on smartphones, is now required for entry to unseated indoor venues with more than 500 people in attendance and in unseated outdoor spaces with more than 4,000 people present – and in any venue with more than 10,000 such as sports stadia.“Plan A”, encouraging the takeup of vaccine booster jabs, is still in effect and has been expanded to gradually make a third shot available to all over-18s by the end of December as early testing indicates it could be crucial to preserving immunity against the latest strain of the virus.Instilling a new sense of urgency in that strategy has already seen the NHS website crash to cope with the heightened demand for appointments and queues forming around the block at walk-in vaccination centres and at pharmacies offering the jab.As it stands, abiding by these rules and getting the booster are the only requirements in England as we enter the final working days before Christmas.However, that could all change, with Mr Johnson and health secretary Sajid Javid repeatedly declining opportunities to rule out further restrictions or even a fourth national lockdown as the extent of the threat represented by omicron becomes clearer.Transport secretary Grant Shapps has meanwhile said that Parliament will be recalled over the festive season should tighter rules become necessary while expressing the hope that the present arrangements will “see us through to the New Year”.“We want people to be able to enjoy Christmas this year. We are certainly in a better position than we were this time last year. We want people to be sensible but to enjoy their Christmas,” he told Sky News.While it is true that the vaccines have kept coronavirus deaths and hospitalisations low, the UK’s daily infection rate is actually more than twice as high as it was in December 2020 when Mr Johnson was forced to abandon a Christmas amnesty and impose tough “tier 4” measures on much of the south east, with almost 60,000 cases recorded on Tuesday just prior to the Commons vote.Should those numbers begin to translate into hospitalisations and threaten to overwhelm the NHS, the rules could change again.A “Plan C” has reportedly already been drawn up behind the scenes at Whitehall in the event of a further downturn in fortunes of the sort the UK suffered in January and February this year, although it is still considered, at this juncture, a last resort. More

A minister has been accused of “begging” for a US trade deal, after a speech in which she urged Washington to wake up to Brexit and “make a choice”.Penny Mordaunt raised eyebrows by telling an event in Atlanta that she wanted to “awaken you to an opportunity”, calling for a “response that recognises this moment”.Joe Biden has slammed the brakes on trade talks, embarrassing Brexit supporters who argued an agreement would be easy and the biggest win from leaving the European Union.But speaking in the state capital of Georgia, Ms Mordaunt hailed the two countries’ “shared cultural DNA”, pointing to “wealth creation, open trading systems, protection of property rights”.“The most critical partner for us is the US. For the US to wait to seize this opportunity would be to all our detriment, but also to its own,” the trade minister said. “You need to increase opportunities for business and attract investment. Want the prospect of a best-in-class deal on agriculture? Think you will get that from the EU?”Arguing Brexit has allowed the UK to “plug ourselves back into the global economy”, Ms Mordaunt told the World Affairs Council: “That is our choice. Now America has a choice to make. How will you respond?”The head of the Best for Britain group, which campaigns for a better Brexit deal called the speech “embarrassing”, when firms were struggling to cope with the “failed deal with the EU”.“It’s embarrassing for the government who said the US would be clamouring for a deal to now be begging for one,” Naomi Smith said. “And, given their track record of ditching standards to get other trade deals over the line, this level of desperation should ring alarm bells for anyone who cares about the health service, farming and food standards in the UK.”Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour’s shadow trade secretary, said: “The 2019 Conservative Party manifesto promised a UK-US trade deal within three years.“As the clock ticks down to this deadline, it is a sorry indication of the lack of progress that a government trade minister is having to go to the United States to remind American politicians of an ‘opportunity’ to reach an agreement.”Tony Spisak, head of policy at the Tony Blair Institute, called it: “A solid candidate for the most embarrassing speech delivered by a government minister in 2021.”The Atlanta speech came after the US blocked a deal to remove tariffs on UK steel and aluminium, because of anger over threats to the Northern Ireland Protocol.Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the trade secretary, also speaking in the US, admitted that Brussels, which did get tariffs lifted, enjoyed – as the larger trading partner – greater muscle in Washington. More

The Home Office has been accused by a Tory MP of “trying to railroad through” an “unacceptable and unworkable” plan to hold asylum seekers on another military site in Kent.The department announced on Tuesday that a former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Manston, Kent, would be used as a processing site for people who have crossed the Channel in small boats by January 2022.Sir Roger Gale, MP for North Thanet, where the facility is located, told the House of Commons on Wednesday that there had been “no consultation” with him as MP, the local authority or local health services about the plan.“All we were told by the civil servant leading the project, who was I understand working from home and has not visited the site, is that the Home Office is establishing a processing centre before Christmas,” he said.Accusing ministers of a “lack of foresight and preparation”, he added: “Trying to railroad a bad idea through the shelter of Christmas recess can only have unfortunate and undesirable consequences for the communities, and the people affected and the government.”The Home Office has not yet indicated how many asylum seekers will be held at the site, but it has said that it “anticipates” men, women and children will be held there for “a maximum of five days”.Critics have questioned why ministers are going ahead with the plans when the use of Napier Barracks, another military site in Folkestone, as asylum accommodation, has been fiercely criticised by the immigration watchdog, the prison watchdog and others.Sir Roger said the Manston site would be “largely unsuitable” to hold asylum seekers, adding: “They will be accommodation in mid-Winter in marquees, and detained securely while being processed.“There’s no indication of how the site will accommodate these human beings, will be made secure, or what facilities will be made available, other than statutory on-site medical services. These are real people who have been subjected to great misery.”He called on ministers to “put this unacceptable and unworkable proposal on hold” and instead examine the viable alternatives, suggesting that “clean, comfortable and secure operational vessels” could be used.Responding, immigration minister Tom Pursglove claimed that consultation with the council and Sir Roger was “ongoing” and said the move had “directly come about because of those very high number of crossings that we’ve seen”.Announcing the plan on Tuesday evening, he said: “This new site will provide safe and secure accommodation for illegal migrants whilst the government carries out necessary checks.” More

Boris Johnson has urged people to cut back on Christmas partying and “think carefully” before going out during the festive season, as omicron cases hit record levelsSpeaking at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon the prime minister urged people to get booster jabs but suggested they might want to avoid unnecessary social gatherings.But he declined to impose any new formal restrictions, despite a record number of new cases and warnings of a spike in hospitalisations to come.“What we are saying is think carefully before you go, what kind of an event is it, are you likely to meet people who are vulnerable, are you going to meet loads of people you haven’t met before, and get a test, make sure there’s ventilation, wear a mask on transport,” Mr Johnson said.“We’re in a different environment thanks to the boosters from where we were last year but we’ve got to be cautious and think about it while we wait for the benefits of the boosters to really kick in.”Speaking alongside the prime minister, Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical officer, warned that “lots of people” were going to get sick.He said people would have to make their own decisions about what to do over the festive season, but that he would be scaling back his Christmas plans. “Realistically, I think there’s a high chance that my original Christmas plans with my family are going to be interrupted,” Professor Whitty said, adding that people should prioritise only attending gatherings that mattered to them.Responding to the same question, Mr Johnson added: “I think the way things are looking I expect a lot of us are going to be working during the period. My own plans, as you can imagine, are pretty modest at this stage.”Professor Whitty had said earlier in the press conference that records would be broken in terms of infections.It was “reasonably nailed on” to suggest that many people would be hospitalised after Christmas after contracting the virus, he said – adding that any suggestion the new omicron variant was milder should be treated with extreme caution.The prime minister’s reticence to impose new restrictions despite spiking cases comes after a bruising rebellion at the hands of his own MPs over vaccine passports.Speaking after the press conference, Dr David Nabarro, the World Health Organisation’s special envoy on Covid-19, told Sky News: “This is a very serious situation indeed. The rise that you’re seeing in the UK today is just the beginning of an extraordinary acceleration.”There are two epidemics going on delta and omicron, and it is an emergency situation for the British health service. It will get extremely serious within the next two weeks, perhaps quicker.”He added: “I have never been more concerned than I am tonight, not just about the UK but about the world.” More