Markus Andrews

A Cabinet minister has defended leaked images of Boris Johnson hosting a Christmas Quiz in Downing Street during lockdown– arguing that it was within the rules.Nazhim Zahawi, who was vaccines minister at the time of the event, said the gathering could not have been a party because no alcohol was present.In images reported by the Daily Mirror the prime minister can be seek flanked by colleagues covered in tinsel – but Mr Zahawi claimed the gathering broke no rules because “they work with him”.”What do we see in that picture? We see a prime minister on a virtual quiz night for 10 to 15 minutes, to thank his staff – who by the way had no choice but to come in every single day,” Mr Zahawi told Sky News.”Sitting in his office with the two people who are closest working with him, no alcohol on the table, not drinking – on a zoom call or teams call, virtual call – respecting the lockdown rules. “Many people would have had similar zoom quiz nights around the country. They are in his office, they work with him.”Asked why the colleagues were dressed in Christmas garb, Mr Zahawi told the BBC: “I don’t think there’s a rule against recognising Christmas with tinsel or a hat.” More

Boris Johnson is reportedly facing a revolt within his own cabinet against the possible further tightening of Covid-19 restrictions as a wage of omicron variant infections looms.A report in the Sunday Telegraph claimed a number of senior ministers are planning to “resist” the imposition of potential “plan C” measures due to the lack of comprehensive data surrounding hospitalisation and death rates with regards to omicron.According to the newspaper, at least six cabinet ministers are said to have concerns that the government is looking to introduce harsher measures than those currently in place.It comes as Boris Johnson heads toward what could prove to be the largest rebellion of his leadership, with more than 60 Conservative MPs said to be against the introduction of new coronavirus measures.The PM announced on Wednesday he would be instating his winter plan B protocols in an attempt to ward off the omicron variant of the virus.A number of Conservatives have hit out at the proposals, with dozens of backbenchers vowing to vote against plans for vaccine passports to be made mandatory in large venues.The introduction of Covid passes will mean those who have not been fully vaccinated will not be able to enter indoor venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people and any venue with more than 10,000 people from Wednesday.The plan B measures also include compulsory mask-wearing in most public indoor settings, as well as guidance for employees to work from home where they can in order to stem transmission.Former cabinet ministers David Davis, Esther McVey, Dr Liam Fox and Greg Clark are among those to have raised the alarm around the reintroduction of the latest set of restrictions.Mr Clark, a former business secretary, said the government had “jumped the gun” in choosing to act before more was known about the impact omicron could have on hospital admissions.Former trade secretary Dr Fox, speaking in a debate in the Commons, said it was “difficult to justify these extra measures”.Senior Conservatives, including select committee chairmen Tobias Ellwood and William Wragg, have spoken in opposition to the measures while 2019 intake MPs such as Dehenna Davison and Lee Anderson – who represent so-called former Labour “red wall” constituencies – have announced they will rebel on Tuesday’s vote in the House of Commons.Former defence minister Mr Ellwood, who chairs the Defence Committee, told Sky News on Saturday: “I’d strongly urge the government to drop the vote on vaccination passports next week.“It is not the appropriate tactic to impose on a very weary nation at this time.”When questioned about the prospect of a Tory rebellion, Michael Gove said he was “confident” MPs would examine the proposals “seriously, soberly and thoughtfully” in light of the fast way omicron has been spreading across the UK.Speaking to broadcasters on Friday, he added: “I’m also confident people will conclude that, on balance, it is right to act.”In England, the legal requirement to wear masks was extended to more indoor spaces including museums, galleries and community centres from Friday.There will be a return to working from home guidance from Monday, and mandatory Covid passports for large venues is set to apply from Wednesday.Mr Johnson told a Downing Street press conference this week he would like to lift the plan B measures “no later than early January”.There will be a return to working from home guidance from Monday, and mandatory Covid passports for large venues is set to apply from Wednesday.Mr Johnson told a Downing Street press conference this week he would like to lift the plan B measures “no later than early January”. More

Boris Johnson has been pictured hosting a Christmas quiz in Downing Steet last December in “a clear breach” of his own government’s Covid rules.An image obtained by the Sunday Mirror shows the prime minister sitting with two colleagues underneath a portrait of Margaret Thatcher as he reportedly read out questions to staff over video.Sources told the newspaper the quiz was held on 15 December, while London was under tier 2 restrictions which banned social mixing. Staff were invited to take part online but dozens reportedly chose to do so from No 10 instead.One insider told the Sunday Mirror that in one office four teams made up of six people attended the quiz while huddled round computer screens.Under Covid regulations in place in London and most other parts of the country at the time, gatherings of two or more people indoors were banned unless “reasonably necessary for work”.Official guidance stated: “You must not have a work Christmas lunch or party, where that is a primarily social activity and is not otherwise permitted by the rules in your tier.” Adam Wagner, a lawyer, tweeted that the details reported suggested “a clear breach of the govt’s guidance and a potential breach of the law, including by the PM”.He added: “The image of the PM is of him together with two other people taking part (in fact, hosting) a social quiz at a time when gatherings of more than 1 person indoors were banned unless ‘reasonably necessary for work’ or some other exception and I can’t see any other that could apply. This appears to have been organised as a Christmas party.”A source told the Sunday Mirror the quiz finished at 9pm but staff stayed on for two hours drinking and talking, some of them mingling in each other’s offices.The source said: “Nobody ever questioned whether this was against the rules or if we shouldn’t be doing this.“We all just went ahead and did it. At the time we didn’t even click that what we were doing was so severely wrong. I’ve realised now that it was actually pretty outrageous.”The event is said to have taken place only three days before an alleged rule-breaking Christmas party in No 10, which is currently being investigated by cabinet secretary Simon Case.The Labour deputy party leader Angela Rayner said: “While the rules said that people shouldn’t have Christmas parties at work and Britons across the country were doing the right thing, Boris Johnson was instead happy to preside over a culture of disregard for the rules at the heart of government.“Despite repeated denials of parties in No 10, it now transpires that there were numerous parties, gatherings and the prime minister even took part in a festive quiz.“Boris Johnson really believes it’s one rule for him, another for everyone else. He is a man unfit to lead this country.”A No 10 spokesperson said: “This was a virtual quiz. Downing Street staff were often required to be in the office to work on the pandemic response so those who were in the office for work may have attended virtually from their desks.“The prime minister briefly took part virtually in a quiz to thank staff for their hard work throughout the year.”It was also reported that minister Therese Coffey’s staff made a habit of drinking alcohol late into the night in her office at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) while the rest of the country stayed at home under Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.According to the Sunday Mirror, DWP staff and officials would also order takeaway food to her office and, on one occasion, Ms Coffey, secretary of state for work and pensions, handed round Christmas presents.The DWP said that, although the drinking was happening after work hours, the staff were still working at the time.But one source said: “Even during lockdown, there were parties all the time.” Another added: “There is a constant flow of booze in the office.”A DWP spokesperson told The Independent: “Throughout the pandemic, DWP officials have followed government guidance while continuing to deliver vital services for millions of people. “Staff worked from home where possible but a core team working directly to the secretary of state regularly worked from the office, in accordance with the Covid-19 rules as they evolved. “The team regularly worked late into the evening and on a number of occasions they ate takeaway food and drank some alcohol. “On one occasion close to Christmas, the secretary of state gave gifts to her core team, as she does every year.” More

Labour has taken a nine-point lead over Conservatives, their largest since February 2014, according to a poll.The Opinium survey put Sir Keir Starmer’s party on 41 per cent of the vote and the Tories on 32 per cent as Boris Johnson’s government is plagued by scandals.The poll put the PM’s approval rating at an all-time low, with only 24 per cent approving of the job he is doing running the country, while 59 per cent disapprove. The net approval rating of -35 is by far the worst of his time in No 10. A third of voters approve of the job Sir Keir is doing, compared to 35 per cent who do not, found the survey, commissioned by The Observer.Sir Keir was also the favoured candidate to be PM for the first time since January.The poll found 29 per cent believe the Labour leader would be the best leader of the country, compared to 22 per cent, who said Mr Johnson. The results come at the end of a damaging week for the PM, who has come under increasing pressure over alleged parties held in his flat during lockdown and been accused of lying over the refurbishment of his Downing Street residence.Some 51 per cent of people surveyed said they were shocked by reports of Christmas parties at No 10 during lockdown last year, and 48 per cent said they disapproved of the way the government was handling the Covid pandemic – the lowest since January.It also comes as Mr Johnson faces potentially the largest rebellion of his time as PM, with more than 60 Conservative MPs said to be against the introduction of extra coronavirus measures announced this week.He announced on Wednesday that he would be triggering his winter plan B protocols in a bid to fend off the surge of the omicron variant.Plan B measures include compulsory mask-wearing in most public indoor settings, guidance for employees to work from home, as well as vaccine passports for large venues – the latter being a point of great contention among Tory ministers.Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the Defence Committee, told Sky News: “I’d strongly urge the government to drop the vote on vaccination passports next week.“It is not the appropriate tactic to impose on a very weary nation at this time.” More

People aged 30 and over will be able to book a Covid-19 booster jab from Monday as the government and NHS scramble to respond to the new omicron variant.The added urgency to the booster programme comes as a new study from scientists advising the UK government has warned that the variant could cause a wave of infections and hospitalisations bigger than last winter’s.Although the scientists say there is still “a lot of uncertainty” about omicron, the worst-case scenario outlined in their paper warns of between 25,000 and 75,000 deaths before April if new restrictions are not introduced.Concerns were voiced this week that the booster rollout was going too slowly, after the number of jabs administered last weekend actually fell compared to the weekend before.But a source at the Department of Health and Social Care said the programme was being speeded up, while health secretary Sajid Javid said the vaccine programme was “accelerating rapidly”.As of Saturday night, anyone over 30 who had their second vaccine dose more than two months ago could make an online booking for a booster, despite the NHS website continuing to say only over-40s were eligible.An NHS spokesperson said its IT system had “started a little earlier in the day to get ready” for Monday’s launch.Omicron is expected to become the dominant variant in England by the end of December, and scientists are desperately trying to establish whether it is more infectious – and if so, by how much – than the delta variant currently in circulation; and separately, whether it can outwit vaccines and antibodies. At a briefing of journalists on Saturday, Dr Nick Davies, who co-led the latest study, told reporters that there was “pretty good evidence of exponential growth” of omicron in the data the scientists had analysed.He said the latest numbers had shown “a very fast rate of increase” and had painted a picture that was “quite concerning”.Dr Rosanna Barnard, from the Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), who also co-led the work, said: “In our most optimistic scenario, the impact of omicron in the early part of 2022 would be reduced with mild control measures such as working from home. “However, our most pessimistic scenario suggests that we may have to endure more stringent restrictions to ensure the NHS is not overwhelmed. Mask-wearing, social distancing and booster jabs are vital, but may not be enough.”She added: “Nobody wants to endure another lockdown, but last-resort measures may be required to protect health services if omicron has a significant level of immune escape or otherwise increased transmissibility compared to delta. It is crucial for decision makers to consider the wider societal impact of these measures, not just the epidemiology.”New data from the UK Health Security Agency suggests that booster shots give good protection against the new variant, a finding corroborated by the LSHTM’s study.The changes to vaccine-booking eligibility mean that of 7.5 million people aged 30 to 39, 3.5 million will be eligible from Monday.Dr Emily Lawson, head of the NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme, said: “Following the updated guidance from the JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation), which shortened the interval between second and booster doses, NHS staff are redoubling their efforts to protect the public from the virus.” But she said the health service needed volunteers to help deliver the rollout, and urged more people to come forward.The health and social care secretary, Sajid Javid, said: “The Covid-19 booster programme is accelerating rapidly and more than 22 million people in the UK have already received their top-up, securing vital protection ahead of Christmas.“This is our national mission – the most recent data shows boosters are the essential defence against omicron, and we are doing everything in our power to get jabs into arms as quickly as possible.“We are now expanding the offer to over-30s – so please come forward as quickly as possible to get boosted and help our country get ahead in this race with the variant.”The scientists from the LSHTM who carried out the latest study are participants in the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M) or the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage). They used experimental data to look at how omicron may transmit as the country heads into 2022.The team of researchers estimated that omicron was evading vaccines “by a substantial degree”, and was likely to be anywhere between 10 per cent less transmissible and up to 35 per cent more transmissible than than the currently prevalent delta variant.The scientists said they had taken into account the additional protection afforded by booster doses, but that the picture could be improved if “a very high uptake of booster vaccines is achieved”.The researchers’ findings agree with other studies showing that boosters, and the scale and speed of the booster programme, will have a “large impact” on the outcome.Reacting to the study’s findings, Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Daisy Cooper said the new modelling called on the government to take urgent action to prevent health services from being overwhelmed.“With both Ambulance and A&E services already stretched to breaking point, we cannot afford another huge surge in hospitalisations,” she said. “The Government must act quickly and set out its emergency plans to parliament in the next 72 hours. It must urgently ramp up the booster programme, give frontline NHS staff the additional resources they need, guarantee financial protections for small businesses, particularly in hospitality, and ensure that everyone who needs it can access mental health support during these difficult times.”Labour overnight urged ministers to set up pop-up vaccination centres in supermarkets and shopping centres so that people could get jabbed while doing their Christmas shopping.Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting called for retired doctors to be mobilised with a target of delivering 500,000 boosters a day, and for the immediate opening up of booster appointments to adults across all age groups. “Our best defence against omicron is urgently ramping up the booster programme, but the government is not currently on track to get everyone boosted by the end of January,” Mr Streeting said, adding: “We need to pull out all the stops on this.”A government spokesperson said ministers “continue to look closely at all of the emerging data”.“We’ve been clear throughout that vital vaccines and boosters are our best line of defence against this virus, and that is why we are urging people to come forward as quickly as possible as they become eligible,” the spokesperson said.“Plan B remains a proportionate response based upon what we know, so we encourage everyone to follow the rules by wearing a face-covering, working from home if you can, testing regularly and coming forward for your booster when called.”Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said the LHSTM study was “well-designed and clearly presented”, but should be treated with caution because of the preliminary nature of the data.“I suspect these models overstate the risk of hospitalisation and deaths, and the ‘worst case’ scenarios are unlikely to be seen,” he said. “As better data becomes available in coming weeks we can expect these models to be refined.”Meanwhile, Dr Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, said that “as things stand right now, the numbers highlighted by the LSHTM modelling group are alarming”.Dr Head said it had been a mistake to lift all Covid restrictions before the vaccine rollout had been completed. He also blamed a global failure not to share enough vaccines with poorer countries.“We don’t know how often this coronavirus can change its clothes and emerge with a new look. Vaccinating the world is a huge demand, and we’ve seen that the world is not up to the task. That is a mistake – increasing equity in the global rollout is in everybody’s interests,” he said. “The coronavirus has not finished with us. A tactic of ‘turning the lights off and pretending we are not in’ is a failed policy.” More

Russia will face “serious consequences” if it invades Ukraine, the foreign secretary has warned, following the build-up of tens of thousands of troops at the Ukrainian border.Liz Truss discussed the threat of a Russian incursion into Ukraine during talks on Saturday with her US and German counterparts before a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Liverpool.With US secretary of state Antony Blinken, Ms Truss agreed there would be “serious consequences” for Moscow if troops were sent across the border.According to US intelligence, Russia has stationed about 70,000 troops near its border with Ukraine and has begun planning for a possible invasion as early as next year.US president Joe Biden has spoken to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the leaders of Germany, Italy and France – dubbed the Nato “quint” – twice this week as they discuss how to deal with the threat.A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), said Ms Truss and Mr Blinken “both agreed their support for Ukraine” and “expressed deep concern about the build-up of Russian troops on Ukraine’s border”.“In addition, they said that any incursion by Russia would be a strategic mistake for which there would be serious consequences,” he said.“The foreign secretary and secretary Blinken both agreed on the importance of defending and promoting freedom and democracy, and the need for a unity of purpose from the G7 to achieve this.” More

The Tory candidate for the upcoming by-election in North Shropshire has responded to the Prime Minister getting his name wrong.In an interview with The Daily Mail, Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst, a former British Army medical officer and NHS consultant who now works as a barrister, said he “laughed it off”, explaining “I’ve had much worse”.Boris Johnson visited the constituency to encourage support for Dr Shastri-Hurst’s campaign, and misnamed him, calling him “Shastri-Hughes”.Mr Johnson said: “I think we’ve got a fantastic candidate, Dr Neil Shastri-Hughes, who I’ve just been seen contributing already to the life of the community by vaccinating people, he’s a doctor amongst his many other talents and what he’s also going to do is work very, very hard for the people of North Shropshire.“I used to live in this constituency, I used to come shopping in Oswestry, so I know it a bit.“And he’s got all the issues, he understands what needs to be done, to support the NHS to get investment into our hospitals here but also make sure we do things like, dualling the A5, looking at the Oswestry to Gobowen railway line, other projects like that, I think he’s a fantastic candidate.”During the visit, Mr Johnson later referred to the candidate as “Dr Neil” after watching him give vaccinations to members of the public at a pharmacy in Oswestry.The by-election was triggered to replace Owen Paterson after it was recommended by the Standards Committee that he should be suspended from Parliament after 30 days over an “egregious” breach of a ban on paid lobbying by MPs.Later, Mr Paterson announced his resignation as MP for the constituency after a botched attempt by the government to delay his suspension and overhaul the standards system.North Shropshire is generally considered to be an ultra-safe Tory seat, with Mr Paterson having won almost 63 per cent of the vote at the 2019 general election. But in the wake of a series of crisis in government, from the sleaze scandal to the Christmas party furore, bookmakers are now saying the Liberal Democrats are now favourite to win on Thursday. More

The first legal action against Priti Patel’s plans to force migrant boats back to France has been launched. Campaigners said they wanted judges to declare the operations unlawful and “force the government to recognise the sanctity of life”.A claim lodged at the Administrative Court by the Freedom from Torture group says there is “no legal basis” for the policy and that it would increase the risk of drownings in the English Channel.Documents seen by The Independent argue for a full judicial review of the plans, after the Home Office allegedly “refused to provide a substantive response to the grounds of the legal challenge”.The Home Office has previously refused to say whether any pushbacks have taken place, or to make public the details of the assessments behind ministers’ repeated assertions that the procedure is “safe and legal”.Sonya Sceats, the chief executive of Freedom from Torture, said: “This cruel pushback policy is Boris Johnson’s latest attempt to rip up the rule book that keeps all of us safe. We should not need to launch a legal challenge to force this government to recognise the sanctity of life.“We know from our work with torture survivors that people seeking safety usually have no choice but to travel without obtaining prior permission, whether it’s because they come from a country where they cannot apply for a passport or because the UK will not grant visas for people claiming asylum.”Tessa Gregory, a partner at Leigh Day, said there was “no basis in domestic law” for pushbacks.“The policy places the UK in breach of its obligations under the Refugee Convention and Human Rights Act,” she added. “In light of the risk to life arising from any use of the policy – and given that more than 25,000 people crossed the Channel to the UK so far this year – we have filed judicial review proceedings against the home secretary, which ask the court to declare the pushback policy unlawful.”Freedom from Torture alleges that pushbacks amount to the government authorising unlawful conduct by Border Force officers and contravene the 1951 Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.Tragedy emphasises dangers of Channel crossings, says immigration ministerThe group says that existing enforcement powers, under the 1971 Immigration Act, do not allow boats to be forced out of British waters, and that there is no basis for pushbacks in domestic law.The legal challenge is one of several being mounted by charities and campaign groups.Care4Calais, Channel Rescue, and the PCS Union, which represents Border Force staff, have also announced action but not yet lodged claims in court.PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said the policy was “unlawful, unworkable and above all morally reprehensible”.“Our Border Force members are aghast at the thought they will be forced to implement such a cruel and inhumane policy,” he added. “If the government does not abandon this appalling approach, we will pursue all legal avenues including a judicial review.”The legal challenge comes after a House of Lords committee wrote to the home secretary saying it was “not convinced” that the plans were safe or lawful.“We are not aware that the government have published any arguments to substantiate the claim that a legal basis currently exists,” said a letter published on Wednesday.The previous day, MPs voted against an amendment to the Nationality and Borders Bill that would have prevented the powers from being “used in a manner or in circumstances that could endanger life at sea”.The proposal, brought by the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) chair Harriet Harman, was defeated by 313 votes to 235, while a series of other amendments to strengthen protections around pushbacks did not go to a vote.In a report on the borders bill, the JCHR found that planning to push migrant boats back to France was unlawful and would put lives at risk.It said that the new laws, which would grant Border Force staff partial immunity from prosecution if migrants drowned during pushbacks, contained several unlawful clauses. It also raised questions over how effective the laws were likely to be.The committee said the proposals must be scrapped or changed, but the bill passed through the House of Commons with the most controversial provisions unchanged on Wednesday.The Independent understands that complex rules imposed by the Home Office to prevent the operations violating international law mean that pushbacks can only happen in a certain area of the Channel, and if numerous conditions are met.A Home Office spokesperson said: “As part of our ongoing operational response and to prevent further loss of life at sea, we continue to evaluate and test a range of safe and legal options to find ways of stopping small boats making this dangerous and unnecessary journey. These all comply and are delivered in accordance with both domestic and international law.” More