Markus Andrews

Tighter restrictions to curb the coronavirus came into force in Britain on Friday, as the government faced new allegations that officials flouted rules they had imposed on the nation with lockdown-breaking parties last Christmas.Face masks are once again compulsory in indoor public spaces in England under the measures British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced this week to slow the spread of the new omicron virus variant. Vaccination passes will be needed for nightclubs and large events starting next week, and residents will be told to work from home, if possible.The emergence of omicron, which is spreading quickly in Britain, has shaken the government’s hopes that vaccinations would be enough to keep the virus in check. British scientists and officials say omicron spreads more quickly than the currently dominant delta variant and likely is more resistant to current vaccines. It is not yet clear whether it causes more severe, or milder, cases off COVID-19.Along with the new restrictions, the British government is offering everyone 18 and up a third, booster dose of vaccine to try to slow the spread of the virus.The return of restrictions is unwelcome for many, and revelations of apparent rule-breaking by government officials during tough lockdowns last winter have heightened opposition to the new measures.The government has asked Britain’s most senior civil servant to investigate several gatherings, including a Dec. 18, 2020, event at the prime minister’s 10 Downing St. offices, where staff reportedly enjoyed wine, food, games and a festive gift exchange at a time when pandemic regulations banned most social gatherings. Multiple media outlets reported Friday that one of Johnson’s most senior advisers, Director of Communications Jack Doyle, attended the Dec. 18 party and gave awards to staff members. At the time, he was the deputy communications director.In his current role, Doyle has directed the government’s public statements about the party allegations. For several days, Johnson’s office denied a party had taken place and insisted rules had been followed at all times.That claim unraveled when a leaked video showed senior staff members joking about the alleged party. The most senior official in the video, Allegra Stratton apologized and resigned on Wednesday.“It’s been a difficult week for the government,” Paul Scully the U.K.;s small business minister, said Friday adding that the investigation needed to “get to the bottom” of the allegations.“We want to see beyond doubt that there were no rules broken, which is what the assurances have been to the prime minister, and that’s what I’ve heard,” Scully told the BBC. “I wasn’t there. I don’t know.” The Christmas party claims are the latest in a string of allegations of rule-breaking and ethics violations by Johnson and government officials. On Thursday, Britain’s electoral watchdog fined the prime minister’s Conservative Party 17,800 pounds ($23,500) for failing to keep a proper record of money from a donor that was used to refurbish Johnson’s official residence.Wes Streeting, health spokesman for the opposition Labour Party said the stream of allegations undermined trust in the government during a public health crisis.Streeting blamed Johnson, saying “it’s his untrustworthy nature, his disorganization, his dishonesty, which is undermining trust in public health measures.” “Boris Johnson’s character and behavior starts to undermine a whole series of things: the system of standards in Parliament, the way the law is applied in the country and crucially, whether the government can get its message across about public health at a critical time,” Streeting said.___Follow AP’s coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic More

Boris Johnson’s most senior communications adviser Jack Doyle reportedly spoke and gave out awards at an alleged No 10 Christmas party last year. Mr Doyle’s current role involves responding to claims that No 10 held numerous parties while the country was in lockdown or Tier 3 restrictions last Christmas. It was reported by ITV News on Thursday that Jack Doyle had made a thank you speech and given out certificates as part of a joke awards ceremony for members of the communication team at a gathering on December 18. According to the BBC, there were food, drinks and games at the event and Mr Doyle made the speech to a group of 20-30 people. Before his career in politics, Jack Doyle was a journalist. He worked at the Daily Mail newspaper for ten years and rose to the position of assistant editor (politics). He was hired from that position to be a press secretary at No 10 by former director of communications Lee Cain. When Lee Cain resigned at the end of last year, a reshuffle began in the Downing Street communications team. James Slack, a former Daily Mail political editor, was brought in to replace Lee Cain and Jack Doyle became his deputy. When Mr Slack announced that he was quitting to be deputy editor-in-chief at The Sun, Jack Doyle stepped in to take his place. The son of a policeman, Mr Doyle is a father-of-two who is reportedly well liked by his colleagues in the Downing Street communications team. He was deputy head of communications at the time that the gathering on December 18 took place. Before working at the Daily Mail, Jack Doyle was a home affairs correspondent at the Press Association. He held the same position at the Mail before moving into the politics team. Mr Doyle was also reportedly responsible for vetoing plans for daily televised press briefings, which were going to be fronted by then press secretary Allegra Stratton. A video of a mock press conference emerged this week in which Allegra Stratton joked about a “fictional” No 10 Christmas party. She has since had to resign. Mr Doyle was also caught up last month in a bizarre controversy involving the newspaper The New European. Following the publication of a piece in the newspaper which alleged that Boris Johnson had said he had “buyer’s remorse” about marrying Carrie Johnson, the editor, Matt Kelly, received a call “by a man who identified himself as being from Downing Street Communications office.”The man, whose name he didn’t catch, threatened to sue The New European for defamation. The paper’s editor continued: “After a few minutes, the caller eventually told me: ‘You just crack on then mate’ and put the phone down.“I texted him, asking him to repeat his threat of legal action and to send across the Downing Street denial. I also asked him – twice – to identify himself, which he refused to do….“The next morning, I established that the phone number of the caller belonged to Jack Doyle, the Downing Street Director of Communications”. Downing Street then denied that they had threatened legal action against the paper. More

Labour will vote to approve the government’s Covid “plan B” measures next week, Wes Streeting has confirmed, as Boris Johnson faces a mass revolt from his own MPs.Stressing he had confidence in scientific advisers, Labour’s shadow health secretary said he did not want Sajid Javid, the health secretary, going into the weekend “worried about whether he’s got the votes” to deliver key public health measures.“Despite the trouble the government find themselves in, public health will still come before party politics,” Mr Streeting insisted.His remarks come after a slew of Tory rebels spoke out against the prime minister’s plans for Covid passports — a key tenant of the “plan B” measures — ahead of a Commons vote on the issue next Tuesday and amid wider discontent in the party.Last night rebels were confident of topping the tally of 40 needed to neutralise Mr Johnson’s 79-seat majority — leaving him at the mercy of the support of opposition parties at Westminster in order to put the Covid restrictions into law.“Tempting though it might be for the parliamentary defeat on the government that would not be the right thing to do in terms of public health,” Mr Streeting told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.“Across the country there are people who feel let down, lied to and laughed at by Boris Johnson, by the people around him and the chaotic nature of the prime minister is undermining public health at a critical moment in the pandemic.”He added: “My message to the country is I understand why you’re angry, I understand why you don’t trust Boris Johnson — I don’t trust Boris Johnson — but I do trust the chief medical officer, I do trust the chief scientific adviser, and on that basis I will make sure that Sajid Javid has the votes he needs to get these public health measures through.” Mr Streeting said the measures being voted on next week, including the extension of mandatory face masks and Covid passports, alongside guidance from the government to work from home, “strike the balance between trying to reduce social contact but safeguard social interaction at a time of the year that really means something to family, to friends”.After a week of turmoil for the prime minister, including questions over a Christmas party held at No 10 in December 2020, new Covid restrictions, and whether Mr Johnson misled his standards adviser, the business minister Paul Scully also admitted on BBC Breakfast that key government messages were getting lost.“Look, I feel very comfortable about the prime minister’s integrity,” he said. “Clearly though, I don’t feel comfortable about the face that it’s been a difficult week for the government.”However, when pressed on the No 10 party, the minister reiterated that it was key to “get to the bottom” of the allegations through the cabinet secretary Simon Case’s investigation which was launched earlier this week by the prime minister. He would also not be drawn on whether the No 10 director of communications, Jack Doyle, should still be in his job after allegations he attended last year’s gathering.Labour said that Mr Doyle’s presence, first reported by ITV News, exposed the investigation being carried out by the cabinet secretary as “a sham” and showed that Mr Johnson was “unfit to lead”. The development also raises questions over the information issued to journalists by Downing Street spokespeople, who have previously insisted that no party took place on that date. More

Labour has widened its lead over the Conservatives as Boris Johnson is hit by Christmas party scandals, a backbench revolt and more sleaze, new polls have shown.A Survation poll for The Mirror on 1 Dec following the news of Downing Street’s alleged rule-breaking Christmas party, showed Labour had soared to 40 per cent (+1 per cent) while the Conservatives dropped to 34 per cent. The slump which is the Conservative Party’s lowest in almost a year heaps more pressure on the Prime Minister who is already facing rebellion from up to 50 of his own MPs over new coronavirus restrictions, which could leave Boris Johnson reliant on votes from Labour MPs to push the laws through.As Tory rebellion mounted and the new polls surfaced, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer took suggested the PM was not up to the job.A tweet from his official account on Thursday night said: “Boris Johnson is unfit to lead our country.”Sir Starmer also told The Telegraph: “I’m confident we’re going to win the next general election, whether that’s in 2023 or 2024.The last time backing for Labour reached 40 per cent, with the same pollster, was 2 January, 2019 when Theresa May was Prime Minister and Jeremy Corbyn was Labour leader.Ed Davey’s Lib Dems polled at 10 per cent (+1 per cent), while right-wing party Reform UK, headed by Brexiteer Richard Tice, took 3 per cent (+3 per cent). Backing for the Green Party was also up at 4 per cent (+1 per cent).A YouGov poll for The Times also has Labour stretching ahead of The Conservative Party increasing to a four-point lead (37 per cent) – its biggest since January when the nation was under lockdown restrictions. The YouGov poll also highlights the Tories dropping points around 1-2 December when the Covid Christmas party news was first released.Fewer than one in 10 people believe Number 10’s claim that no party took place in Downing Street last December during lockdown, according to an Opinium poll for Sky News this week. It found that 64 per cent think a party did take place while 9 per cent said it did not take place and 27 per cent did not know.It suggests the public are losing trust in Boris Johnson assurances, an attitude backed by a recent poll by the Institute for Public Policy Research, which found that 63 per cent of the British public do not trust UK politicians and believe they are merely “out for themselves” with just 5 per cent saying they believe politicians are motivated primarily by the good of the country. More

Boris Johnson’s government is failing to protect private renters for unsafe housing and bad practice by rogue landlords, according to a damning report by a top watchdog.The National Audit Office (NAO) said regulation was still not effective enough to make sure private tenants across England are treated fairly and their housing is safe and secure.The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities “does not yet have a detailed plan to address the problems that renters face,” the NAO stated.Michael Gove’s department has taken only a piecemeal approach to regulation – including a ban on charging letting fees and a temporary ban on evictions during the pandemic, the watchdog said.But the government still does not have a clear strategy for regulation of the sector as a whole, and is failing to gather enough data on harassment, evictions and disrepair, the NAO warned.Labour MP Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said the scathing reports showed that tenants face a “postcode lottery” over the standard of their homes and treatment by landlorrds.The influential backbencher said: “It’s often society’s most vulnerable who suffer the most. The department’s approach to regulation has been piecemeal and it’s been hamstrung by a worrying lack of data.”She said Mr Gove’s department must now “bring some order to the chaos and set out a clear vision for the private rental market” so tenants are better protected.The current system relies heavily on tenants enforcing their own rights and negotiating with landlords directly or going to court over poor-quality housing or financial issues, the NAO argued.The watchdog said privately rented properties are less likely to comply with safety requirements than other types of housing, and are more likely to be classified as non-decent.An estimated 23 per cent of private rented homes in England are classified as “non-decent” – meaning they are a potential threat to a person’s health, they are not in reasonable state of repair or they are not effectively insulated or heated.Mr Gove’s department is planning to introduce reforms to the private rented sector and has committed to produce a white paper in 2022, but Labour accused the government of “dragging its feet” on the issue.Responding to the NAO report, the Local Government Association (LGA) called on the government to give councils across England more power to set up landlord licensing schemes.“With more powers such as the freedom to establish landlord licensing schemes, councils would be better placed to support a good quality local private rented offer in their communities,” said councillor David Renard, LGA’s housing spokesperson.Alicia Kennedy, director of Generation Rent, urged the government to insist all landlords in England are required to register their properties. “This would help the government and councils gather better data about the sector, improve enforcement of the law and give renters better access to redress,” said the campaigner.Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) said the body supports the NAO’s call for a more “strategic approach”.The chief executive of the landlords’ group also said there was a “pressing need for a better evidence base to ensure the system focuses on rooting out criminal and rogue landlords who bring the sector into disrepute”. More

Allegations of Christmas parties in the heart of government while millions abided by coronavirus restrictions have sparked fury across the country – and have prompted bookkeepers to increase their odds on whether Boris Johnson could be forced out of Downing Street in the new year.The first hints of a potential scandal arrived at the advent of December, on the front page of the Daily Mirror, with reports of two parties in No 10 in the run up to Christmas last year.After a week of fresh allegations and government denials of rule-breaking, the prime minister eventually announced an investigation into the parties – his hand forced and his credibility bruised by the publication of a leaked recording showing Downing Street officials appearing to joke about one of the events days after it took place.So what will cabinet secretary Simon Case be investigating, why has Labour declared the probe a “sham”, and what other allegations are not included in its scope? While an embattled Mr Johnson initially said the investigation would focus only on the event on 18 December, it was announced the following day – after he faced questions from journalists on the matter while announcing fresh coronavirus restrictions – that the review would also look into two additional allegations. Here are the allegations relating to those three dates:27 NovemberReports have claimed that a leaving do was held on this date, during the second lockdown, for Cleo Watson, a senior Downing Street aide and ally of former chief adviser Dominic Cummings.The prime minister gave a leaving speech to the packed, medium-sized room in No 10, where around “40 or 50” people were said to have been crammed “cheek by jowl”, according to Daily Mirror’s initial report.But Mr Cummings, who had left No 10 a fortnight prior, claimed this event to be a “red herring”, saying that a staff member left their job, walked to the press office to say goodbye, at which point Mr Johnson “bumbled in and started babbling”, prompting an “embarrassed” crowd to disperse. More from Mr Cummings in a moment.10 DecemberThe Department for Education (DfE) has admitted to holding a Christmas “gathering” for colleagues “already present” at its office in London while the capital was under Tier 2 restrictions banning people from meeting indoors in groups of more than six.Following a report that Gavin Williamson had given a short speech, the department released a statement in the hours after the leaked footage from Downing Street, saying: “The gathering was used to thank those staff for their efforts during the pandemic. “Drinks and snacks were brought by those attending and no outside guests or supporting staff were invited or present. While this was work-related, looking back we accept it would have been better not to have gathered in this way at that particular time.”December 18Of all the alleged events, it is the response to this one in particular that has so far created the biggest headache for the prime minister, and which was the sole initial focus of Mr Case’s investigation.According to the report splashed on the Mirror’s first front page on the scandal, between 40 and 50 attendees – not including the PM – drank wine and shared secret Santa gifts in No 10 on the day before Mr Johnson effectively cancelled Christmas for millions, as London toiled under Tier 3 restrictions.In a mock televised briefing four days later, then Downing Street press secretary Allegra Stratton joked with No 10 staff about the prospect of media questions on the gathering alleged to have taken place yards from Mr Johnson’s office, telling colleagues: “This fictional party was a business meeting and it was not socially distanced.”Leaked recording shows Downing Street staff joking about Christmas party in No.10The publication of leaked footage of this exchange by ITV News nearly a year later would serve to infuriate the public – and many in Mr Johnson’s own party – and to act as the catalyst for Mr Case’s investigation.But while journalists had initially pointed out that the probe was far from an independent process, with Mr Case taking direction from Mr Johnson, a fresh allegation the following day served to further cast doubt over the investigation.What other claims are there?As ITV reported that Mr Johnson’s top communications adviser Jack Doyle had given out prizes at the party on 18 December last year, Labour decried the investigation as “a sham” and labelled Mr Johnson “unfit to lead”.And there are other allegations not yet covered by the probe – including claims reported by The Times of a Christmas quiz for Downing Street officials in the Cabinet Office, which No 10 insists was “entirely virtual”.Less specifically, both The Mirror and The Guardian have carried claims from sources that there were “loads of leaving parties” in No 10 during both the second and third lockdown, with the former quoting allegations from a source that there were “always parties” in the flat Mr Johnson shares with his wife Carrie. But no specific allegations have been made – save for one.Mr Cummings, now a vocal critic of former ally Mr Johnson and his spouse, has insisted the focus of investigations should be on an alleged “actual party” in the couple’s grace-and-favour flat on 13 November, the day he himself walked out of Downing Street.While Mr Johnson has denied a party took place, Mr Cummings – who sparked public fury with his own actions in Durham during the first national lockdown – alleged there had been “other flat parties” and suggested investigating the pair’s “bubble” policy.Hours earlier, Mr Johnson is alleged to have given a leaving speech for Lee Cain, his departing director of communications.Elsewhere, The Times reported that a “raucous” party allegedly attended by London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey took place on 14 December at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ). The Tory Party admitted that an “unauthorised social gathering” had been uncovered and said “formal disciplinary action” had been taken against four CCHQ staff as a result.For his part, Mr Case is expected to pass on any findings of potential breaches of the law to the Metropolitan Police, which had said in response to the footage of Ms Stratton that it did not have enough evidence to launch an investigation. More

An ex-standards chief is leading demands to reopen investigations into the funding of Boris Johnson’s lavish flat refurbishment, after evidence that he “misled” an inquiry that cleared him of wrongdoing.Opposition parties joined Sir Alistair Graham in hitting out at the prime minister’s conduct – as the Electoral Commission also ruled the Conservatives broke electoral law over the controversy.The spotlight fell on Mr Johnson when its report revealed he personally asked for more funds for the redecorations, despite claiming – three months later – that he knew nothing about any payments by donors.Sir Alistair, a former chair of the committee on standards in public life, said he had clearly “misled” his own ethics adviser, Christopher Geidt, by making the later claim.He called for Lord Geidt to reopen his probe – which found, in May, there had been no breach of the ministerial code – and “reconsider his conclusions”.On Thursday evening, The Daily Telegraph reported that Lord Geidt was considering resigning if Mr Johnson failed to adequately explain why evidence relating to the refubishment of the Downing Street flat was not shared with him – piling further pressure on the prime minister.Labour said Mr Johnson had “lied”, urging the parliamentary commissioner for standards to step in, while the Scottish National Party (SNP) called for Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, and Lord Geidt to investigate jointly.Sir Alistair went further, telling The Independent: “The prime minister is in breach of both the ministerial code and the seven principles of public life. He therefore has to resign, or the Tory Party has to sack him.”The commission’s report put allegations of sleaze back centre-stage – as Mr Johnson is also facing allegations of misleading the public over last year’s Christmas parties in No 10.That controversy also deepened, as it was revealed the cabinet secretary will investigate two more gatherings – one hosted in No 10 in November and one at the Department for Education (DfE).For months, after the revelation of the costly refit of the flat – above No 11 Downing Street – emerged, Mr Johnson refused to confirm that the Tory party, and then a major donor, originally funded it.In other developments in the controversy:* No 10 refused to release WhatsApp messages sent by the prime minister, requesting further works on the flat – which the Cabinet Office denied existed, after a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.* The commission said the total refurbishment bill, eventually met by Mr Johnson, was £112,549.12 – far higher than thought – but his payments were “outside the scope of our investigation”.* It fined the Conservatives a total of £17,800 for failing to report donations properly. However, it is limited to £20,000 for a single offence – after the government rejected a recommendation of £500,000.* The report said the Tory treasurer rejected an “opportunity to discuss matters in person”. The party said, nevertheless, it is considering an appeal.* The Independent understands the WhatsApp messages will be released to parliament’s standards commissioner, should she start an investigation and request them.In May, Lord Geidt reported there was “no evidence” that Mr Johnson had been told by Tory donor Lord Brownlow that he had paid a bill for the refurbishment.The conclusion was based on the prime minister’s testimony that “he knew nothing about such payments until immediately prior to media reports in February 2021”.But the Electoral Commission report revealed that – in November 2020 – he “messaged Lord Brownlow via WhatsApp” to ask him to “authorise” further redecorations.Furthermore, in early December, “Lord Brownlow confirmed to the prime minister that he had approved further works”, the watchdog stated.Mr Johnson’s spokesman, asked if he had lied to Lord Geidt, replied: “No” – arguing he had known only that Lord Brownlow was handling the funding, not that he was the source of the money.He had contacted him, in November 2020, because he was the administrator of a blind trust to fund the works – despite the commission report stating “the trust had not been formed”.The spokesman said the prime minister was “not aware” that Lord Brownlow was “the underlying donor” until “immediately prior to media reports in February 2021”.“Lord Brownlow was appointed by the PM as chair of the trust on 23 June and Lord Geidt’s report notes that Lord Brownlow behaved in a confidential manner, consistent with his own experience of blind trusts,” he said.But Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, in a letter to the standards commissioner, Kathryn Stone, called for “an immediate investigation into the conduct of the prime minister in this scandal”.She has powers to suspend an MP – which can lead to a recall petition and a potential by-election – but said she would not investigate until the commission had finished its probe.Ms Rayner wrote: “Today’s report demonstrates that the prime minister has failed to declare donations which appears to put him in clear breach of the members’ code of conduct, as well as the Conservative Party having breached its own legal obligations.” More

MPs and conservationists are pressuring the government to fast-track a ban on imports from trophy-hunting of endangered species, fearing a backlog of legislation caused by Covid-19 could delay the move for years.Backing a private member’s bill introducing the ban would save hundreds of animals from being shot by UK hunters, the campaigners say.They worry that although the government has drafted a new law on imports, which they welcome, it could end up like the “world-leading” 2018 Ivory Act, which still has not been implemented nearly four years on, despite passing through parliament.The hold-up allows elephant parts to still be bought and sold in the UK, “fuelling” the trade.The government is proposing to outlaw trophy-hunt imports, but no time has been allocated for legislation to go to MPs, saying only that it will happen “as soon as parliamentary time allows”.Boris Johnson told MPs at prime minister’s questions two weeks ago that the government would introduce legislation to ban trophies.MPs from both main parties who are co-sponsoring a bill by John Spellar have written to the prime minister asking the government to adopt it, sparing the government from having to find time in a crowded parliamentary schedule.The Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting says that despite the Covid pandemic, British trophy-hunters last year killed some of the world’s most threatened animals, including lions, elephants, hippos, giraffes, leopards, bears and zebras.They have also shot polar bears, rhinos, wolves and wild cats.Many travel with British trophy-hunting companies that promote “holidays” taking travellers abroad to shoot lions bred in captivity, elephants, cheetahs and monkeys.Data from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species shows that British hunters shoot on average 200 endangered animals a year.Conservationists say the practice has contributed to a drop in species numbers of 68 per cent in the past 50 years.Eduardo Goncalves, founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, said: “It has been two years since the ban was promised in the 2019 Queen’s Speech. Another 300 animals at risk of extinction have been killed by British trophy-hunters since then.“The government should be moving as swiftly as possible to stop this terrible trade.“The government recently adopted Liam Fox MP’s bill on providing lifelong care for people with Down’s syndrome, to bring the law into effect. It should do the same with John Spellar’s bill.”In a 2019 government consultation on a ban, 86 per cent of the 44,000 responses backed a crackdown on trophy-hunting.Sir Roger Gale MP, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on banning trophy hunting and patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, said: “The promise to ban trophies was in our election manifesto and in those of all the main parties. The ban has been promised by the prime minister himself at the despatch box.“Every week that goes by without this ban means more animals are needlessly and often cruelly killed just for entertainment.”A campaign billboard will tour the UK drawing attention to the delay.Labour backbencher John Spellar said: “Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the house, has told MPs that legislation is likely to come forward ‘in the fullness of time’. The ‘fullness of time’ is government-speak for ‘This year, next year, sometime, never’. The public will be rightly outraged by dither and delay.”The letter to Mr Johnson said: “The government would rightly be given the credit for not only having shown leadership in putting this issue on the political map, but also ensuring that the ban became a reality and potentially saving the lives of a great many animals.“We invite the government to seize this historic opportunity and show its leadership in helping to bring this barbaric trade to a long-overdue end.”The government says progress on implementation of the Ivory Act was delayed because of a prolonged but ultimately unsuccessful legal challenge but that the ban should come into force in spring. Have you got a story you would like us to report on? Contact us by clicking here. More