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The government will not be outlawing snogging under mistletoe this Christmas, Sajid Javid said in revealing that the kiss is an annual tradition for him and his wife.The health secretary said it is a “Javid family tradition” for the pair to kiss under mistletoe when he said it was none of the government’s business if people choose to kiss strangers.The discussion comes after reports of Christmas parties being cancelled amid concerns over the omicron variant of coronavirus.Some scientists have also warned that the risk of a fourth wave of Covid is too large for people to be attending big Christmas celebrations.The British Medical Association has said people should be encouraged to “avoid large groups” and meet outdoors where possible.As the true threat of the variant has yet to be fully known, work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey said earlier this week that “snogging under the mistletoe” is something that should be avoided with “people you don’t already know”.But Mr Javid said that Ms Coffey’s views were not shared by the rest of the government.He told ITV News: “People can snog who they wish. I’ll certainly be kissing my wife under the mistletoe – it’s a Javid family tradition.“It’s got nothing to do with the government who you kiss or anything like that. But the only thing is just – there’s guidance already out there – just be cautious and enjoy yourselves.”Earlier, business minister George Freeman had let it be known that he hadn’t been kissed under the mistletoe “for years”.Speaking to LBC he said: “We’re trying not to tell everyone who they should kiss or where they should go.“I think Therese Coffey was making the point that we’re all going to have to exercise some common sense and I think the British public know that, in the end, it is up to all of us.“If we can prevent the virus from spreading, we’ll all be able to enjoy more freedoms and that’s why we have taken the steps we have.”Before that, Ms Coffey’s comments had attracted criticism from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who said that the government was confused over their own ministers’ stances on Christmas Covid policy.He said: “I don’t think it’s the role of government to dictate who people can kiss or not kiss, and I was quite surprised to see that suggestion come out of government.“I think it just demonstrates how they’re [at] sixes and nines if that’s what they’re now discussing.”On Thursday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had said it was unnecessary to cancel Christmas events or change their normal behaviour, but that people ought to follow mask-wearing and self-isolation rules.He said “we don’t want people to feel that they need to start cancelling things” and insisted that “Christmas this year will be considerably better than Christmas last year”.On Wednesday, he did not deny – in face of criticism – that government officials held many Christmas events last year in Downing Street at a time when the rest of the country were told to limit the number of people in one indoor space to six. More

The Conservatives have held onto their safe seat of Old Bexley and Sidcup in a closely watched by-election, but with a majority slashed by more than half following a low voter turnout.Conservative councillor Louie French becomes the country’s newest MP, in a victory that was hailed as “almost unheard of” for a sitting government by the Conservatives.Mr French won 11,189 votes, more than 50 per cent of a low turnout that saw only a third of eligible voters taking part in the seat previously held by the former cabinet minister James Brokenshire, who died in October from lung cancer aged 53.The closest challenger was Labour’s Daniel Francis, who secured 6,711 as the Tory majority was slashed from nearly 19,000 to 4,478, the equivalent of a vote share swing of 10 per cent to Labour.Mr French used his acceptance speech to pay tribute to his “good friend” Brokenshire. He said: “This has been a tough contest, which has been fought with dignity and respect.” “My focus will now be delivering on those promises that I made during the campaign – get our fair share of London’s police officers, securing more investment for local schools and hospitals, protecting our precious green spaces,” he added. More

Conservative peer Michelle Mone has denied being racist after she was accused of calling a man of Indian heritage a ‘waste of man’s white skin’ in a Whatsapp exchange. The message was allegedly sent in June 2019 during a disagreement about a fatal yacht crash off the coast of Monaco. It was part of series of messages, seen by The Guardian newspaper, which are reported to be between entrepreneur Michelle Mone and an unidentified man of Indian heritage.The paper reported that the exchanges have been sent to the House of Lords commissioner for standards as part of a formal complaint. In the messages, it is alleged that Michelle Mone describes the man’s partner as a “mental loony” and a “nut case bird” for making claims about being traumatised by the yacht incident. A representative of the Conservative peer responded to the reports by saying: “Baroness Mone is 100 per cent not a racist. Baroness Mone and her husband have built over 15 schools in Africa in the past three years.”Lingerie Tycoon Michelle Mone was elevated to the House of Lords in 2015, a year after she sold 80 per cent of her bra business Ultimo. Originally from the East end of Glasgow, she earned an OBE in 2010 for her contribution to business.Her yacht, Minx, which she owns with her billionaire husband Douglas Barrowman, was involved in a crash in May 2019. The man who has made the complaint against Mone claims that he and his partner were guests on another yacht, Vision, which crashed into the Minx off the coast of Monaco. The messages between the pair were allegedly sent in the weeks after the boat crash in May 2019.Her lawyers said that Michelle Mone has no “detailed memory of them”. They added: “She is not prepared to comment on the messages unless and until their authenticity has been confirmed but Baroness Mone, in any event, very strongly denies that she is a racist, a sexist or that she has a lack of respect for those persons genuinely suffering with mental health difficulties.”They also said that, at the time, Michelle Mone had no knowledge that the complainant “was anything other than white British, as his appearance is 100 per cent white, with a cut-glass English accent.” The statement said that it was “as illogical as it is inconceivable that she could or would have made such a comment or made it with the slightest racist intent.”The complainant, who describes his appearance as brown-skinned, alleged that Michelle Mone had queried whether his partner had genuinely suffered after the yacht accident. Michelle Mone allegedly sent a message saying that the woman had been partying “only a few days after”. The man then reportedly replied to this saying that his partner had been seriously traumatised and told Mone: “I would prefer you back the f*** off”. According to reports, the Conservative peer then replied saying “you and your mental loony of a girlfriend have been parting [sic] like made!”. She continued: “Your [sic] a low life, a waste of mans [sic] white skin so don’t give us your lies.”Representatives of Michelle Mone have been approached for comment. More

Labour has accused Michael Gove of hypocrisy after he criticised a Formula One team for accepting sponsorship from a company linked to the Grenfell tower disaster. The communities secretary said he was “deeply disappointed” in Lewis Hamilton’s F1 team Mercedes for doing a deal with the firm that made combustible insulation used in the tower.But in a letter sent on Thursday Labour Mr Gove’s opposite number Lisa Nandy said the Tories should examine their own financial links to cladding firms and developers.Mr Gove spoke out after Grenfell survivors branded the deal with Kingspan, which made some of the inflation used in the tower refurbishment, “truly shocking”. The tower caught fire on 14 June 2017 killing 72 people.The Cabinet minister said he would be “writing to Mercedes to ask them to reconsider” their decision, adding that “the Grenfell community deserves better”.But in a letter to Mr Gove, Ms Nandy said: “I am writing to ask that you take the same principled stance in relation to the decision by the Conservative Party to take millions of pounds in donations from property developers responsible for flats that have been covered in the same dangerous ACM cladding since the fire in 2017.”This includes European Land and Property which put Grenfell style ACM cladding on the Paddington Walk development in London, and donated 200,000 to your party in 2019. The development was supported by investors the Reuben brothers. “Jamie Reuben, son of David Reuben, personally donated £628,000, as well as another £294,000 via Investors in Private Capital. It also includes personal donations to the Prime Minister, including a donation of nearly £25,000 from a major shareholder in Arconic, the company that made Grenfell Tower’s combustible cladding in 2017 – the year the fire took place.”In a statement announcing the sponsorship deal, the Mercedes F1 team said: “Kingspan’s products, systems and technologies address critical challenges in the built environment, including improving energy efficiency, reducing embodied carbon, driving circularity and conserving water. “They have been used to help create high-performance buildings around the world for the team’s parent company, Mercedes-Benz.”Kingspan said in a staement: “Kingspan played no role in the design of the cladding system on Grenfell Tower, where its K15 product constituted approximately 5 per cent of the insulation and was used as a substitute product without Kingspan’s knowledge in a system that was not compliant with the building regulations. “The new partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team reflects the ambitious sustainability targets of both organisations.” More

The government must appoint a minister for youth employment because the situation for school-leavers is so dire, the head of a major academy chain said today.Steve Chalke, founder of the Oasis chain of schools, said so many young people are struggling to find jobs that it is has reached crisis point.It comes as Sir Daniel Moynihan, head of the Harris Federation of schools, said bright young Londoners from poorer backgrounds are missing out on jobs because they lack confidence, networks and social capital. He said teachers feel “awful” seeing pupils leave school in the pandemic and failing to get jobs, adding that one business said it would not employ an intelligent girl with four A-Levels from Essex because of her accent.This week we reported how youth unemployment in London has soared 55 per cent since the pandemic to more than one in five jobless among 16-24 year-olds. Responding to the data, Mr Chalke said: “We have a crisis. We have huge numbers of young people out of work and a huge number of jobs that need filling. It’s a perfect storm. We desperately need a minister or a task force to tackle youth employment and develop a coherent strategy. We need someone senior in government who gets up every morning to look at this.”His criticism comes in the wake of a new report by the House of Lords committee on youth unemployment calling on the government to create a Young People’s Commissioner to champion the voice of people aged 16 to 24.Sir Daniel said youngsters from ethnic minority backgrounds in London – where the jobless rate rises to a shocking 37 per cent – are finding it even harder to get jobs and often face unconscious bias from employers. He called on firms to do more to solve the problem. He said: “There is an issue around unemployment in general but it is particularly affecting ethnic minorities. The social capital among many students is low, by which I mean the networks and contacts they have. Often a more middle-class family will know people who can give someone a start or an internship. Schools need to step up, of course, but firms also need to step up in terms of social responsibility and promoting diversity and inclusion.”Both Mr Chalke and Sir Daniel know well-qualified students who have been rejected for jobs because of how they came across in interviews. Sir Daniel said: “We had a bright young lady from one of our schools who was a lovely person with great A-Levels. She met all the criteria for a job but the firm said her accent was an issue for them with clients. That is an example of how firms could be more inclusive.”Mr Chalke said he recommended a student for a job with a friend who is an employer, but his friend said the candidate would not make eye contact, gave monosyllabic answers and did not smile. Mr Chalke said: “This young person is highly intelligent but lacks the social skills to engage in an interview.” He said the exam system was at fault because it does not value or teach students about teamwork and collaboration, relationships and working with others, which is what employers need. “The careers service we have is not working. The reality is that many kids have support naturally in the form of parents in the right kind of jobs, but many others are less fortunate.” He also called for a “transition service” for people leaving education and going into work. “Because leaving school is a bit like walking off a cliff.”The Department for Education said: “Young people are our future, which is why we made them a key focus of our Plan for Jobs.” More

Newly elected Tory MP Louie French gives an acceptance speechTory Party chairman Oliver Dowden has claimed he is “really not terribly worried” about the threat posed by the Labour Party, after Boris Johnson’s Conservatives held their safe seat in the closely watched Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election.Councillor Louie French’s party hailed his victory as “almost unheard of” for a mid-term government, after the count showed a 10 per cent swing to Labour amid low voter turnout in the constituency previously held by former minister James Brokenshire, who died in October of lung cancer aged 53.But Labour’s Ellie Reeves also claimed it was a “remarkable result for us in a Tory stronghold” that if replicated at a general election would see Keir Starmer’s party “within reach of forming a majority government”, while Richard Tice of Reform UK – which came third – claimed the result showed his was now the only party “on the upward march”.Show latest update

1638542628Exclusive: NHS leaders left in the dark over government’s booster rollout planNHS leaders have still not been told how the government expects them to manage a huge expansion of the booster vaccine campaign, nearly a week after the government indicated the move to jab tens of millions of people.One senior NHS director in the West Midlands told The Independent: “It’s a bit of an issue really, saying they’re going to ratchet up the programme. There’s quite a lot toing and froing and we don’t know quite where it is going to land really in terms of the vaccination programme and how it’s going to be delivered.“As with every stage of this we’ll find a solution about how to get the vaccine to people, but the way the government has been doing it has been ham fisted.”Our health correspondent Rebecca Thomas and deputy political editor Rob Merrick have the full story here:Andy Gregory3 December 2021 14:431638541596Ofgem removes compensation limit for energy customers left without power for a weekThe energy regulator Ofgem has lifted a £700 cap to allow customers still without power a week after Storm Arwen first struck to be able to claim £70 for each 12-hour period without power.Andy Gregory3 December 2021 14:261638540792Old Bexley and Sidcup was a ‘move on, nothing to see here’ by-election, polling expert suggestsBy-elections are a “rubbish” barometer of wider political sentiment, a polling chief at YouGov has suggested, describing the Old Bexley and Sidcup vote as a “move on, nothing to see here” poll.Anthony Wells suggested that the by-election could have had political significance if there had been a larger shift to Labour, or if Reform UK had performed better – but neither of these things happened to a sufficient extent to represent a threat to Boris Johnson or his party.Andy Gregory3 December 2021 14:131638540357A Labour MP has suggested that Tory MPs appear determined to “filibuster” or “talk out” Kevin Brennan’s private members bill on music streaming to stop it from progressing through Parliament.Andy Gregory3 December 2021 14:051638539859‘I have waited 20 years to get a bill like this’: MP hails music streaming proposalsMPs have been discussing a new bill from Labour’s Kevin Brennan aimed at making streaming more equitable for musicians.Pete Wishart, a former keyboard player in Runrig and Big Country and now the SNP MP for Perth and North Perthshire, said he had “waited 20 years to get a bill like this”.“I have been in the music industry, I have seen exactly what it is. It is a field of dreams. If you make it big, you can escape your background, you can go on to have huge success and huge riches. It is an amazing industry. It is great to be part of,” Mr Wishart told MPs.He added: “We have an opportunity to resolve a really serious situation here today and I really hope the government take advantage of that.”Andy Gregory3 December 2021 13:571638538554‘No plans’ to make jabs mandatory, says No 10Downing Street has said the government has “no plans” to make vaccinations mandatory, my colleague Adam Forrest reports. Asked if jabs could ever be made compulsory – or curbs enforced on the unvaccinated, as Germany is now doing – Boris Johnson’s spokesman told reporters: “It’s not something that we would look to introduce.“You’re aware of the changes we made in terms of social care settings and for NHS workers, given the importance of protecting the most vulnerable in our society. But there’s no plans above and beyond that in that regard.”Tory chair Oliver Dowden had earlier appeared unable to explicitly rule out the prospect of such a move when asked by TalkRadio, saying: “It’s not something that we want to do or plan to do in the United Kingdom. And the reason why we don’t want to and hopefully won’t have to do any of that is because of the booster – people are taking that booster, that is building up the wall again.”Andy Gregory3 December 2021 13:351638537454No 10 refuses to give details of any planned ‘private’ Christmas partiesAny staff parties held at Downing Street over Christmas would be “private events” that would not be publicly announced, No 10 has said.Speaking amid allegations that Downing Street breached its own Covid rules with a party last Christmas, Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said: “The prime minister has said that there will continue to be festive events in the run-up to Christmas. You’ll have seen earlier this week the prime minister do the switching on of the No 10 Christmas tree lights.”Asked if he would therefore inform reporters if there were plans for a No 10 Christmas party for staff, he clarified: “Obviously, events that happen in No 10 that are private events, we wouldn’t inform you … We obviously wouldn’t set out details of private functions in No 10.”Andy Gregory3 December 2021 13:171638536977Civil servant ‘tried to take own life after racial bullying at work’A civil servant tried to take their own life after “prolonged racial bullying” in a government department, it has been alleged.The Cabinet Office has launched a review of “respect and inclusion” amid accusations of racism as well as unfairness towards disabled staff.And the PA news agency reports that concerns have been raised over a number of years around how black members of staff are treated, with examples given of one black worker being called “boy” in a meeting and the use of the N-word.A spokesman for Boris Johnson said the Prime Minister felt “racism has no role whatsoever in our society”.The PCS union, which represents civil servants, called the accusations “utterly shocking”.PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka wrote to Mr Chisholm last December raising concerns about bullying following the Civil Service People Survey.At that time, he said that “large numbers” of black and ethnic minority staff had complained to the union about prejudice.The union earlier this year said it was considering taking the issue to the Equality and Human Rights Commission after more than 80 staff members had complained about being racially bullied.The Cabinet Office said improvements had been made, and this was reflected in the most recent staff survey.A spokesperson said: “The Cabinet Office does not tolerate bullying, harassment or discrimination in any form. We sought out these experiences precisely to help make our workspace more inclusive.“This is a vital part of our commitment to set a new standard for diversity and inclusion, as set out in the Declaration on Government Reform. While our latest data shows a decline in reported incidents of discrimination, there is always more we can do.”Jane Dalton3 December 2021 13:091638536677PM’s jokes aren’t funny any more for Tory voters, says StarmerKeir Starmer has hailed the by-election result in Old Bexley and Sidcup, saying: “Even for Tory heartland voters, Boris Johnson’s jokes aren’t funny any more.”Jane Dalton3 December 2021 13:041638536055’Vaccine inequality should be a higher priority than the snogging debate’Ministers would be better off addressing global vaccine inequality and nationalism than tying themselves up in knots with mixed messages on what we should and should not be doing this Christmas – such as whether to snog others, argues Andrew Grice:Jane Dalton3 December 2021 12:54 More

Tory chairman Oliver Dowden has attempted to insist Boris Johnson hasn’t “lost any of his star quality” after the party won a by-election in a safe suburban seat, but suffered a dented majority and a 10-point swing towards Labour.Results from the Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election — triggered after the death of the former Conservative cabinet minister, James Brokenshire — showed the party’s candidate, Louie French, won more than half the votes.But with a low turnout, the Tories’ majority was cut from almost 19,000 that Mr Brokenshire won at the 2019 general election, to 4,478.More significantly, the party’s vote share was also reduced from 64 to 51 per cent — down 13 per cent — while Labour’s candidate, Daniel Francis, increased his party’s vote share by around seven per cent.However, welcoming the Tories’ victory, Mr Dowden told Sky News he was “really not terribly worried about Labour”, insisting the vote was a “good result for a governing party mid-term”.He added: “The idea that Labour have made some surge ahead is really for the birds. They’ve actually got about the same vote share as they secured under Jeremy Corbyn in 2017. Keir Starmer couldn’t even be bothered to turn up to the by-election, so I am really not terribly worried about Labour”.Mr Dowden’s remarks come after weeks of divisions within the Conservative Party and Mr Johnson’s leadership over the botched attempt to prevent Owen Paterson’s suspension, scaled back reforms for social care, allegations of betrayal over transport infrastructure, and a shambolic speech to business leaders just last week.Quizzed during a separate interview on Times Radio whether the shine was coming off Mr Johnson, the Tory chairman replied: “When I was up there with Boris he still had the same traffic stopping ability — literally.“He tried to enter the campaign HQ at which point a load of teenage boys on the top of a red bus started shouting and screaming out of the window, people charged out from everywhere. I don’t think Boris has lost any of his star quality. But of course the government has to continue to improve its game.”The winning candidate, a local councillor who wore Mr Brokenshire’s rosette on election night as a mark of respect for his predecessor, said the people of Old Bexley and Sidcup had sent “a clear message: they want an MP who will work with the government to deliver on their priorities”.He added: “My focus will now be delivering on those promises that I made during the campaign – get our fair share of London’s police officers, securing more investment for local schools and hospitals, protecting our precious green spaces.”Offering Labour’s verdict on the vote in the south-east London constituency, the shadow solicitor general Ellie Reeves, who helped coordinate the party’s campaign, suggested she was “pleased” with the result.“This is a Conservative stronghold, somewhere that had a 19,000 majority at the last general election and what we’ve seen tonight is that majority being slashed,” she said.“There’s been a 10 per cent swing over to Labour this evening. We’ve been knocking on doors for weeks here and finding many, many Conservative voters that have said actually I’m not going to vote for them this time, I’m going to vote for Labour. More

In the latest iteration of cabinet ministers offering contradictory and unofficial Covid guidance to the public this Christmas, Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has let it be known he is passionate advocate of kissing under the mistletoe. The bizarre comments came after No 10 dismissed the freelance suggestion from Therese Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, that there “should not be much snogging under the mistletoe” this festive period. Mr Javid, however, insisted last night: “People can snog who they wish. I’ll certainly be kissing my wife under the mistletoe — it’s a Javid family tradition”. Luckily, parliamentary recess is just around the corner and everyone can, hopefully, take a short break.Inside the bubbleAlongside the inevitable political reaction from the by-election in Old Bexley and Sidcup, Parliament’s Friday sitting is (as it stands) dedicated to private members’ bills, with the Labour MP Kevin Brennan putting forward proposals to update legislation for streaming music. He’s written a piece for The Independent outlining his plans.Daily BriefingTRUE BLUE:  The Conservatives have held on to the safe seat of Old Bexley and Sidcup in last night’s by-election — triggered after the death of the 53-year-old former minister James Brokenshire. The party’s candidate, Louie French, paid tribute to his “good friend” Mr Brokenshire as he was elected MP. But on a cold December day, turnout was low in the safe Tory seat in south-east London and the party’s majority was slashed from almost 19,000 that Mr Brokenshire had in 2019 to 4,478. Perhaps more importantly, the vote share for the Conservatives was also cut from 64 per cent to 51 — down 13 per cent — while Labour’s candidate, Daniel Francis, increased the party’s vote share by around 7 per cent. Labour will today strike an upbeat note, despite the loss, highlighting the party’s highest share in the seat for 20 years. The Conservatives, meanwhile, will be on the airwaves trumpeting the fact they won over 50 per cent of the vote in a parliamentary by-election despite the party being in government for the last 11 years. Something for everyone. Attention will soon focus, however, on the upcoming by-election in North Shropshire, which was announced after the resignation of the Conservative MP Owen Paterson amid a row over sleaze. With Tories appearing more nervous over this vote, it’s certainly one to watch.NON: After the death of 27 people attempting to cross the English Channel last week, the UK government reiterated its offer for British police and border officials to conduct joint patrol on the beaches around Calais to deter migrants making the treacherous crossing. But in a letter to Boris Johnson last night, the French prime minister Jean Castex said we “cannot accept” the presence of UK forces because it would compromise the nation’s sovereignty. Instead, he has urged the Home Office to open legal immigration paths to those who have legitimate reasons to enter the country and promised France would examine other proposals in “good faith” to resolve the crisis. It comes amid the backdrop of an increasingly bitter relationship between London and Paris over the issue of Channel crossings and post-Brexit fishing rights. Just earlier this week, the French magazine Le Canard Enchaîné reported that Mr Macron had referred to the prime minister in private as “un clown” and his administration as a “circus”. There was no immediate response from the Elysée Palace.COVID: How dangerous is the new Omicron variant? Well, according to government advisers, the true threat posed by the variant is unlikely to be determined until the turn of the new year. Experts from the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M) believe “the worse the problem is going to be, the earlier we will know” – but it’s expected to take a month before data indicates whether omicron will drive a surge in hospitalisations among the vaccinated. It comes after more than 40 cases have been identified in the UK while the country recorded a total of 53,945 positive cases of Covid on Wednesday, according to government data. In more positive news, The Times reported that booster jabs “massively” strengthen the body’s defences against Covid as the government seeks to ramp up the programme in the coming weeks.FURLOUGH 2.0: Amid the uncertainty over the Omicron variant, debate has inevitably turned to whether more restrictions are needed (a la Christmas parties, snogging under the mistletoe), ministers are also being told they must rapidly restart the furlough economic support programme if further measures are imposed. TUC general secretary, who helped negotiate the original furlough scheme with the chancellor, said that ministers must be ready to step in to provide “immediate financial support” for jobs at “a worrying and uncertain time for workers and businesses”. After enduring three lockdowns, it is perhaps not surprising the public appears to have little appetite for further draconian restrictions, according to a new YouGov poll. It shows 68 per cent are opposed to the closure of pubs, 61 per cent against banning people from meeting outside their household indoors and 56 per cent also opposed to brining back the “rule of six” rule for outside gatherings.ON THE CONTINENT: In a significant ramping up of measures in Germany, the outgoing chancellor Angela Merkel announced that people who are not vaccinated will be excluded from non-essential stores, culture and recreational venues in an effort to curb Covid infection rates. After Austria announced it was planning compulsory vaccinations for all a fortnight ago, the German chancellor also spoke in favour of the measure, telling reporters on Thursday: “Given the situation, I think it is appropriate to adopt compulsory vaccination”. Asked about the issue on the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme recently, however, Sajid Javid, the health secretary, stressed it was not something Britain “would ever look at” — despite mandating jabs for social care workers and NHS staff from the spring.On the record“We don’t want people to cancel such events and there is no government guidance to that end.”PM’s official spokesperson when questioned on Christmas partiesFrom the Twitterati“Watch the full interview folks … Don’t kiss with people you don’t know… government working exceptionally hard with NHS and the Jabs Army to get boosters in arms so we can all enjoy a proper Christmas knees up.”Work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey doubles down on her advice not to kiss strangers as Covid cases riseEssential readingAndrew Grice, The Independent:Therese Coffey gets her tongue in a twist over snogging guidelinesCathy Newman, The Independent: Domestic abuse will now be treated like knife crime. Quite right, too.Anoosh Chakelian, The New Statesman:My dad fled Lebanon for a new life. He found dry land, but others aren’t so luckyBel Trew, May Bulman, The Independent: Britain promised to take in these Syrian families. Instead, they’re scavenging through bins to surviveSign up here to receive this free daily briefing in your email inbox every morning More