Markus Andrews

The government has been accused of trying to “scupper” its own Covid plan by leaking the economic cost to the press.Documents reported on Tuesday morning suggest the Treasury believes the so-called “Plan B” approach would cause up to £18 billion of economic damage.But opposition politicians accused the government of trying to delay “meaningful action” by distributing the private analysis – amid warnings of a difficult winter ahead.”Throughout this pandemic, the government has made countless errors that have cost lives. They’ve failed to listen to the experts, and now they’re trying to scupper their own Plan B by leaking memos,” Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrats’ health spokesperson told The Independent.”The public will not forgive this government if this delay to meaningful action results in harsher measures down the line. We need leadership now. The government must treat the public like adults and publish the expert advice they have received now.”Chief secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke declined to comment on the leak when asked about them in the Commons on Tuesday Afternoon.The analysis, first reported by the Politico website, says the Treasury’s main concern with Plan B is that encouraging people to work from home could reduce their daily costs and deprive businesses of income.Meanwhile a Cabinet Office document says requiring Covid passports for mass events would have a limited impact because only a small proportion of overall community transmission happened in them.Such vaccines passports would have a “high impact” on the economy and could cause “wider impacts”, the analysis says. The plans to not appear to compare these costs with the cost of the pandemic getting out of control.Asked about the leak, business minister Paul Scully told LBC: “We don’t want to be stifling the recovery, so no sense that there’s anything at the moment that’s suggesting plan B is needed.”A Government spokesperson said: “We knew the coming months would be challenging, which is why we set out our Autumn and Winter plan last month. Plan B ensures we are ready, should we need to act, to avoid an unsustainable rise in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS.“The presumptions put forward do not reflect government policy. The data does not currently show that Plan B is necessary – and there is no planned five month timeline.” More

A compromise to end the bitter parliamentary row over the dumping of raw sewage into rivers has been rejected by No 10, triggering a fresh clash.Peers will vote tonight on a watered-down amendment by the Duke of Wellington that would give ministers more time to meet the huge cost of forcing water companies to act.But Boris Johnson’s spokesman rejected the move, insisting it still amounted to “a blank cheque” the government could not afford – even though action would only be necessary “as soon as reasonable”.Ministers have put the bill at more than £150bn, but are facing rising public anger after Tory MPs were ordered to vote down a previous attempt to ensure “all reasonable steps” are taken to stop sewage spills.“The amendment remains uncosted,” the prime minister’s spokesman said, adding “that would mean that every one of us taxpayers is paying, potentially, thousands of pounds each as a result.“It’s not right to sign up a blank cheque on behalf of customers without understanding the trade-offs and the bills that would be involved.”The rejection paves the way for peers to back the amendment later, sending it back to the Commons where the government will be under huge pressure to compromise.It would also mean the flagship Environment Bill – first promised in 2018 – would not pass before this weekend’s crucial Cop26 summit, in a further embarrassment.Sewage was released into rivers and streams more than 400,000 times last year – as key 84 per cent of English rivers and lakes failed to meet the government ecological targets.There was fury when Southern Water dumped 7,400 swimming pools-worth of human waste from 17 sites in between 2010 and 2015, in what the Environment Agency called the biggest pollution case in 25 years.The Lords backed the Duke’s previous amendment by 182 votes to 147 – but it was removed by the Commons last week by 268 votes to 204, despite 22 rebel Tories voting against their government.A huge social media backlash since has seen many thousands of people write to their MP, which could increase the size of a future backbench revolt.The No 10 spokesman claimed the “intentions of the amendment” were “already being delivered” through the Environment Bill – despite protests that sewage spills would continue.But one senior Tory, Huw Merriman, a Sussex MP, vowed to rebel again, telling BBC News: “Our seas are unclean and unhealthy to swim in and people’s lives are blighted.“Ultimately, my constituents have to live with this as a coastal community. I have to put them before what the government is telling me I should do.”Labour’s shadow environment secretary, Luke Pollard, said: “The government is to blame for allowing water companies to vent raw sewage into our rivers and sea seemingly at will.”And Hugo Tagholm, chief executive of Surfers Against Sewage, called for water companies to cut dividend payments in order to “restore our rivers and our coastlines.“They haven’t got a right to destroy these spaces and need to take the ambitious steps to restore them – and we need to make sure the industry is not putting their profits ahead of making our spaces safe,” he said. More

Conservative MP Owen Paterson faces suspension from the House of Commons after a watchdog found he broke lobbying rules in an “egregious case of paid advocacy”.The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone said the Tory backbencher had breached the code of conduct after investigating his lobbying efforts on behalf of two UK companies.The committee for standards said Mr Paterson had “brought the House into disrepute” by using his “privileged position to benefit two companies” – recommending he now be suspended for 30 days.But in an angry statement, Mr Paterson rejected the commissioner’s findings – accusing her of making up her mind before she had even spoken to him. “This is a biased process and not fair,” he said.The Tory MP also partly blamed the investigation for his wife Rose’s suicide last year – saying the manner the probe was carried out was a “major contributory factor”.He said: “Last summer, in the midst of the investigation, my wife of 40 years, Rose, took her own life. We will never know definitively what drove her to suicide, but the manner in which this investigation was conducted undoubtedly played a major role.”The Tory MP for North Shropshire added: “It offends against the basic standard of procedural fairness that no-one should be found guilty until they have had a chance to be heard and to present their evidence including their witnesses.”The inquiry report stated: “The committee found that Mr Paterson’s actions were an egregious case of paid advocacy, that he repeatedly used his privileged position to benefit two companies for whom he was a paid consultant, and that this has brought the House into disrepute.”The parliamentary watchdog opened the investigation in October 2019 following allegations that Mr Paterson – a former environment minister – had improperly lobbied for clinical diagnostics company Randox and meat processor Lynn’s Country Foods.The commissioner found Mr Paterson had breached a rule prohibiting paid advocacy in the MPs’ code of conduct by making three approaches to the Food Standards Agency relating to Randox and the testing of antibiotics in milk in November 2016 and 2017.The Tory was also found to have broken the rule over making seven approaches to the same agency for Lynn’s Country Foods between November 2017 and July 2018 – and four approaches to ministers in the international development department relating to Randox and blood testing technology in 2016 and 2017.Mr Paterson argued that most of his approaches to officials fell within the ‘serious wrong’ exemption in the lobbying rules, which permit an MP to approach a responsible minister or official with evidence of a “serious wrong or substantial injustice”.But with the exception of one meeting regarding milk testing, the committee did not accept that Mr Paterson’s approaches fell within the exemption.The MP was also found to have breached the rules over declarations of interest by failing to declare his role as a paid consultant to Lynn’s in four emails to the Food Standards Agency.And he breached the code of conduct over facilities by using his parliamentary office for business meetings on 25 occasions, and by sending two letters relating to business interests on Commons notepaper.The Committee on Standards acknowledged there were mitigating factors around the investigation into Mr Paterson – including the death of his wife Rose in June 2020.The report said: “Mr Paterson’s wife took her own life in June 2020. The committee consider it very possible that grief and distress caused by this event has affected the way in which Mr Paterson approached the commissioner’s investigation thereafter.”Relating to the breach of use of his office, the committee also acknowledged Mr Paterson had been suffering from ill health which “made him less able easily to leave the parliamentary estate”.The committee also praised Mr Paterson’s “passion and expertise” in food and farming matters, saying his work was “admirable, as long as it is channelled within the rules of the House”.However, the committee noted that the allegations against Mr Paterson related to his conduct between October 2016 and February 2020 – before his wife’s death.Although the Tory MP claimed he had not been given a proper chance to respond, the committee said it had “striven to ensure that Mr Paterson has had every opportunity to represent himself as fully as possible” – saying deadlines had been extended for him.The concluding report stated that “it is these allegations on which we are required to adjudicate, impartially, without fear or favour, and with a sole eye to the rules of the House and the requirements of natural justice”.Downing Street has declined to say whether Boris Johnson backs the recommended 30-day suspension of Mr Paterson. The PM’s official spokesman said: “The standards regime is a matter for the House of Commons.”The No 10 spokesperson added: “The prime minister is mindful of the pain faced by the Paterson family. The suicide of Mrs Paterson was sad and tragic and the prime minister’s sympathies remain with his family following this loss.” More

Related video: Sunak declines to say cutting Sure Start was a mistake Rishi Sunak’s 2021 Budget will include an end to the year-long public sector wage freeze imposed during the coronavirus pandemic, the Treasury has said.The chancellor said in a statement ahead of his Commons speech on Wednesday that “with the economy firmly back on track, it’s right that nurses, teachers and all the other public sector workers who played their part during the pandemic see their wages rise”.However, unions warned any pay rises must be above the rate of inflation, which is soaring. On Tuesday morning Paul Scully, the business minister, was unable to confirm this would be the case, saying any rises would be based on the recommendations of pay review bodies.Meanwhile, the government has also announced a rise in the minimum wage for workers aged 23 or older. Some 2 million people on the so-called “national living wage” will see their pay increase from £8.91 an hour to £9.50 from 1 April.The minimum pay for 21- and 22-year-olds is also set to rise, as well as for apprentices.Show latest update

1635231076Public sector pay freeze imposed on millions during pandemic to be liftedThe government is set to lift the public sector pay freeze it imposed on millions of workers last year, Rishi Sunak will announce on Wednesday.The partial pay freeze was imposed by the chancellor in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and was described by unions as “kick in the teeth” for key workers who it hit, writes Jon Stone.Critics accused the chancellor of economic mismanagement for taking demand out of the economy during a downturn, but Mr Sunak said he wanted public sector wages to match “the context of the wider economic climate” in which wages were falling.Jon Sharman26 October 2021 07:511635231415Minimum and living wages to riseSome 2 million workers will get a pay rise next year when the national living wage is increased from £8.91 an hour to £9.50.The change will take effect on 1 April, the Treasury said ahead of Rishi Sunak’s Budget address.The 59p hourly boost will mean a full-time worker on the living wage will get a pay rise of more than £1,000 per year, according to the government.But critics questioned how much better off workers will be considering the chancellor has already hiked National Insurance and cut universal credit as inflation rises. Many universal credit claimants are in work.Nonetheless, the 6.6 per cent hike is more than twice the current consumer price inflation rate of 3.1 per cent.While the national minimum wage applies to everyone of school-leaving age, the living wage is for the over-23s.For those aged 21 and 22, the minimum wage will rise from £8.36 an hour to £9.18, while the figure for apprentices will go from £4.30 to £4.81 per hour.Jon Sharman26 October 2021 07:561635232096Minister can’t say if public sector pay will keep pace with inflationPaul Scully, the business minister, has refused to say whether public sector workers will get an above-inflation pay rise next year.The Treasury has announced an end to the coronavirus-driven public sector pay freeze ahead of Rishi Sunak’s Budget speech tomorrow.However, Mr Scully said the level of any increase would depend on the recommendations of the pay review bodies when they report in the spring.Speaking on Sky News, he declined to say whether they would be above the rate of inflation at the time.”That will be determined by the pay review bodies. The chancellor is keen to give people a rise,” he said.”They will then take that into account as they look to what should be an appropriate rise for the public sector, given the public finances.”I can’t pre-empt what they are going to do. We will see where we are come next April when the review bodies have reported.”Jon Sharman26 October 2021 08:081635233236Living wage hike will cause small firms to struggle, lobby group claimsThe UK’s smallest companies could struggle to fill jobs because of the impending living wage rise, a lobby group has claimed.Mike Cherry, the chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, told LBC he was worried about Rishi Sunak’s Budget.He said: “For the smallest employers they will struggle to maintain jobs they need because of the increase of the national living wage, and employees will have to face the increase of NI contributions next April so it is problems all around.“As we look at consumers we should look at businesses and tradesman, the cost of diesel and the cost of materials. That’s alongside debts and coming out of the pandemic.” He added: “The smallest businesses will really struggle to keep people employed with the living wage going up higher than expected. The government should increase the employment allowance to allow businesses to employ people on their books.”Jon Sharman26 October 2021 08:271635233836‘Go slow’ strategy for customs checks ‘planned by France in fishing row’A “go-slow” strategy for customs checks coming in and out of the UK before Christmas is reportedly being prepared by France as the row over fishing rights after Brexit escalates.France will finalise a set of potential sanctions on Tuesday which could be rolled out if its fishermen are not given greater access to UK waters, writes Emily Atkinson.Fury was sparked after the government in London announced last month that it had approved just 12 of the 47 applications it had received from French small boats. Paris called the move “unacceptable”.Jon Sharman26 October 2021 08:371635234436MPs should wear masks in Commons, WHO envoy suggestsMPs should wear masks in the Commons to mitigate the risks of “unstoppable” Covid-19, a senior World Health Organisation (WHO) official has said.Dr David Nabarro, the WHO’s Covid-19 special envoy, told Sky News: “This virus, it is absolutely unstoppable, it gets everywhere, and so we have to do everything we possibly can to stop it.“And one of the best ways to stop it is a well-fitting surgical mask properly over your face, pushed in over your nose, covering everything, and that reduces the risk to others and the risk to you.“If it works, why on earth don’t people use it? It’s not a party political issue – this virus doesn’t vote.“And indeed, there’s no difference in how you deal with the virus when you vote for this party or that party.“So everybody, wear masks when you are in close confinement, it’s the right sensible proper thing to do, and everybody should be doing it, including our leaders.”Though not as fraught an issue as in the US, mask-wearing by MPs has become a talking point in recent days. Last week Sajid Javid, the health secretary, urged his colleagues to cover their faces while in the Commons, though at the weekend Rishi Sunak would not be drawn on whether he thought they should as a matter of course.Read more about all that here:Jon Sharman26 October 2021 08:471635235036Speaker says ministers should resign for pre-Budget briefings on spendingSir Lindsay Hoyle has suggested ministers should resign for pre-briefing details of the Budget, as he said it was unacceptable for the government to “try to run roughshod” over parliament.Expressing his anger at the move, the Commons speaker hit out at the decision of the Treasury to announce a multi-billion pound funding boost for the NHS — three days before the Budget, writes Ashley Cowburn.The £5.9bn package unveiled on Sunday evening is aimed at tackling waiting lists, with the number of people waiting routine hospital treatment in England at the highest levels since records began in 2007.Jon Sharman26 October 2021 08:571635235636Cop26 on brink as Boris Johnson reveals he’s ‘very worried’ and climate fund deadline is missedHopes for a breakthrough on tackling the climate crisis at Cop26 are fading after Boris Johnson admitted he is “very worried” the summit will fail and it was revealed poor nations will not receive the $100bn of help they were promised until 2023 – three years late.With just six days until the crucial Glasgow gathering, the United Nations also released fresh alarming evidence that the world is “way off track” in curbing greenhouse gas emissions.Speaking to children in Downing Street, the prime minister dropped his previous optimism about the chances of reaching an agreement to deliver net zero emissions by 2050, writes Rob Merrick.Jon Sharman26 October 2021 09:071635236713Sunak ‘rules out VAT cut on household energy bills’Rishi Sunak has ruled out cutting VAT on household energy bills to help families struggling through the winter, according to a report.Treasury insiders told the Mail that the chancellor believes slashing VAT would subsidise the rich while providing little benefit to poorer households.Labour has been calling on the government to bring in the measure, promised by Michael Gove and Boris Johnson during the Brexit campaign.Earlier this week Labour produced research which it said showed poorer households pay a far bigger proportion of their income in fuel bills.Matt Mathers26 October 2021 09:251635237313Government cannot guarantee public sector pay rise will be above inflationSunak is scrapping the public sector pay freeze – but will any rise be above inflation?Paul Scully, a business minister sent out on the broadcast round this morning, said he couldn’t be sure.“It could be anything,” he told Sky News. “We will see where we are come next April when the review bodies have reported.”My colleague Adam Forrest has more below: Matt Mathers26 October 2021 09:35 More

Boris Johnson’s strategy for cutting emissions to net zero is a major step forward – but will fail to reduce demand for flying, the government’s climate advisers have said.The Climate Change Committee (CCC) said the strategy set out by Mr Johnson’s government last week had left some big gaps, including measures to reduce the number of flights.The independent committee which advises UK ministers said the new strategy had “nothing to say” on limit the growth in aviation sector or encouraging diet changes away from meat – insisting these steps are crucial in cutting emissions.“The government does not include an explicit ambition on diet change, or reductions in the growth of aviation, and policies for managing travel demand have not been developed to match the funding that has been committed,” said the CCC.The committee added: “These remain valuable options with major co-benefits and can help manage delivery risks around a techno-centric approach. They must be explored further with a view to early action.”The committee has released an assessment of the strategy published by the government last week on meeting the UK’s legal goal to cut emissions to net zero by 2050 – which included action on home heating, clean cars and power, and planting more trees.The CCC said the strategy was an achievable and affordable plan that would bring jobs and wider benefits. The strategy’s ambitions also align to the UK’s legal targets of net zero by 2050 and a 78 per cent reduction in emissions by 2035, the advisers said.But the committee said there were still some gaps, arguing that more had to be done to tackle emissions from agriculture and improve home energy efficiency, as well as encouraging some big behavioural changes.The experts said it government should do more to reduce the demand for high-carbon activities such as flying.It follows the deletion a document which recommended strong “interventions” to tackle aviation emissions, including curbs on airport expansion and subsidies, from the government’s website last week.A research document commissioned by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) – taken down hours after the net zero was published – had urged ministers to consider a series of “interventions”.In a report released on Tuesday, the CCC also said further plans were needed to improve home energy efficiency in the 60 per cent of UK households that are owner-occupied but not in fuel poverty.And while there is more focus across government on net zero, that does not constitute a full “net zero” test on all decisions – raising the risk of policy or planning decisions that are not compatible with climate efforts, the CCC said.The assessment has been published just days before the UK hosts the crucial Cop26 summit in Glasgow, where world leaders will gather to drive forward efforts to combat global warming.Committee chairman Lord Deben said: “The net zero strategy is a genuine step forward. The UK was the first major industrialised nation to set net zero into law – now we have policy plans to get us there.”He said ministers had made the “big decisions” to cut carbon out of the power sector by 2035, phase out diesel and petrol vehicles, and back heat pumps for homes. “I applaud their ambition. Now they must deliver these goals and fill in the remaining gaps.”He said the committee will continues to “hold their feet to the fire” as it was required to under legislation mandating for emissions cuts and to advise UK and devolved governments.A government spokeswoman said: “We value the Climate Change Committee’s expert advice as we work to implement our comprehensive plan to finish the job and eradicate the UK’s contribution to climate change by 2050.“As the committee rightly highlights, our world-leading net zero strategy builds on the UK’s proven track record of having decarbonised faster than any other G7 country in recent decades.” More

European Union ministers met Tuesday for emergency talks focusing on energy amid deep divergences between the 27 member countries on how to tackle a crunch that has seen consumers’ bills skyrocket this year.The wave of price hikes is not set to abate before next spring, and ministers discussed a set of short-term measures that have been put forward by the European Commission to help consumers and businesses weather the shock. The main reason behind the sharp spike is increased global demand for energy, and gas in particular. According to EU officials, gas prices in Europe have increased by more than 170% since the start of the year.Although most member states agree tax cuts, state aid and other measures put forward by the EU’s executive arm to help households and businesses are beneficial to bring immediate relief, they diverge on the long-term approach.“We have received different messages from different member states,” said Kadri Simson, EU commissioner for energy. “I do hope to hear clear messages from ministers — what are their expectations? If we are talking about medium-term measures, this also means that we have to start acting right now, despite the fact that the results of those actions will be foreseen in years to come, not the next two weeks.”A line has been drawn between the countries calling for a thorough and structural reform of the bloc’s energy market — among them France and Spain — and those who believe the crisis is only temporary and does not require radical market changes.Nine European Union countries, including heavyweight Germany have joined forces to say they will not support an overhaul of the electricity market ahead of the ministers’ meeting. Luxembourg, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia and the Netherlands said transparent and competitive markets are what guarantee better prices for users. They called for the deployment of renewable energy sources and “further interconnection.” Meanwhile, Spain is pushing for changing the way wholesale electricity prices are calculated, while France — which derives about 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy — has called for decoupling electricity and gas prices. The French argue that the influence of gas in setting wholesale electricity prices is disproportionate. Spain also has proposed setting up a joint program for obtaining gas reserves, but the idea has not gained much support so far. Europe depends heavily on imported gas, mainly from Russia. EU countries have asked the commission to look into the bloc’s emissions trading program, which has companies pay for carbon dioxide they emit. The aim is to check whether manipulation of the market could have influenced carbon price increases.Longer term, the commission wants the EU to prepare for a repeat of such price shocks by accelerating investment in renewable energy sources and developing energy storage capacity.The energy squeeze has reignited a debate about whether the EU should promote nuclear power projects as a way of becoming more energy independent. The bloc has yet to decide whether nuclear can be included in the so-called taxonomy, a classification system attempting to define what economic activities can qualify for sustainable investment while avoiding “greenwashing.”France recently asked for the inclusion of nuclear power in the framework by the end of the year, leading the charge with nine other EU countries. The group faces strong opposition from Germany and other countries that want nuclear power to be ineligible for green financing. More

Britain’s spy agencies have struck a deal with Amazon that would see the company’s cloud computing host classified material, it has been reported. The agreement aims to improve the use of data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) in espionage, according to the Financial Times. The deal was reportedly spearheaded by GCHQ, the UK’s intelligence, cyber and security agency.The high-security cloud system is also planned to be used by M15, M16 and government departments taking part in joint operations, according to the Financial Times. Data will reportedly be held in the UK as part of the deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon.com Inc’s cloud service arm. Ciaran Martin, the former head of the National Cyber Security Centre, told the newspaper the deal would allow spy agencies “to get information from huge amounts of data in minutes, rather than in weeks and months”. But privacy campaigners raised concerns over the agreement, with Gus Hosein from Privacy International calling it “another worrying public-private partnership”. In February, GCHQ said it had fully embraced artificial intelligence to uncover patterns in vast amounts of global data to counter hostile disinformation and snare child abusers.GCHQ has been using basic forms of AI such as translation technology for years but is now stepping up its use, partly in response to the use of AI by hostile states and partly due to the data explosion that makes it effective.In a report on AI, the head of GCHQ said the agency believes AI capabilities “will be at the heart of our future ability to protect the UK”. “They will enable analysts to manage the ever-increasing volume and complexity of data, improving the quality and speed of their decision-making,” Sir Jeremy Fleming wrote. “Keeping the UK’s citizens safe and prosperous in a digital age will increasingly depend on the success of these systems.”Amazon and MI5 have been approached for comment. Additional reporting by Reuters More

MPs from all parties have been urged to wear masks during chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget speech by the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s Covid expert.Dr David Nabarro, the WHO’s special envoy for Covid-19, said that “everybody” should be wearing masks in close confinement with other people, “including our leaders”.Conservative MPs have come in for heavy criticism over the refusal to wear masks in the chamber, having largely ditched them in recent months.Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg last week insisted that Tories do not need to wear masks in parliament because with they have “a more convivial, fraternal spirit” than other parties.And business minister Paul Scully said Tory MPs were sending a message that it was good to “make decisions for yourself”. He told Sky News on Tuesday: “It’s message you can use your own initiative and make your own decisions.”But the WHO’s Covid chief made clear that face coverings remained “one of the best ways” to restrict the spread of the virus as well as protecting yourself and others.Asked whether MPs should wear masks in the Commons, Dr Nabarro told Sky News: “This virus, it is absolutely unstoppable, it gets everywhere, and so we have to do everything we possibly can to stop it.He added: “If it works, why on earth don’t people use it? It’s not a party political issue – this virus doesn’t vote. And indeed, there’s no difference in how you deal with the virus when you vote for this party or that party.“So everybody, wear masks when you are in close confinement, it’s the right, sensible, proper thing to do, and everybody should be doing it – including our leaders.”Health secretary Sajid Javid has already committed to wearing a mask in the Commons when it is packed on Budget day, but he said wearing a mask in the crowded chamber is still a “personal decision” for ministers and backbenchers.Faced with accusations of hypocrisy after urging the public to wear masks in crowded spaces, Mr Javid conceded: “I think that’s a very fair point.”The Conservatives’ vice chairman Andrew Bowie also said MPs had “a responsibility to set the tone and set an example”, saying that he was “encouraged” to see more of his colleagues wearing face coverings in the Commons.Labour’s shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire has said MPs should wear face coverings in the chamber to set the “best example to the public”. More