Markus Andrews

Social media bosses will escape prosecution for failing to stamp out online hate because of a dangerous loophole in proposed laws, Keir Starmer has told Boris Johnson.At prime minister’s questions, the Labour leader attacked the weakness in the Online Safety Bill – itself delayed for three years – saying it allowed one site to “cheerlead for terrorists”.Mr Johnson appeared to concede the loophole should be closed and agreed to finally bring forward the legislation before Christmas, in the wake of the killing of David Amess.Amid widespread criticism that the government has dragged its heels, Sir Keir urged the prime minister to make the promised crackdown on online abuse a priority.“We need to stop online spaces being safe spaces for terrorists.…we need to clean out the cesspit once and for all,” he told the Commons.Sir Keir also attacked the failure – revealed by The Independent – to act on any of the official recommendations for tackling the rise of extremism in Britain.He demanded to know why there was still no “legal framework to tackle hateful extremism”, asking: “Why is the government not responded to this important work?”Mr Johnson attacked Labour for failing to back a ban on early prisoner release, but Sir Keir – a former director of public prosecutions – hit back, saying: “I prosecuted terrorists and I prosecuted extremists.”After the abuse of England footballers at Euro 2020, then-culture secretary Oliver Dowden said the new laws would be introduced this year.But his replacement by Nadine Dorries, in last month’s cabinet reshuffle, has sparked concerns that there will be a further delay.Furthermore, although the law would fine tech companies up to 10 per cent of annual global turnover for failing to remove illegal and harmful content swiftly, there would not be prosecutions.In the Commons, Sir Keir pointed out the three-year delay and told Mr Johnson: “Meanwhile, the damage caused by harmful content online is worse than ever.“Dangerous algorithms on Facebook and Instagram and Hope not Hate have shown me an example of violent Islamism and far-right propaganda on TikTok.”The Labour leader added that it was “frankly beyond belief” that “40 hours of hateful content from Anjem Choudary could be easily accessed online”.“The prime minister and the government could stop this by making it clear that directors of companies are criminally liable for failing to tackle this type of material on their sites. We don’t need to delay,” Sir Keir urged.In response, Mr Johnson agreed that the second reading of the Online Safety Bill would be before Christmas and that he would “look at anything to strengthen the legislation”.“Of course we will have criminal sanctions with tough sentences for those who are responsible for allowing this foul content to permeate the internet,” MPs were told. More

Health secretary Sajid Javid is expected to hold the government’s first coronavirus press conference for several weeks at 5pm today, amid concerns over rising infection rates.Mr Javid is not expected to trigger the goverment’s Plan B, which would involve the return of mandatory face-coverings, vaccine passports in nightclubs and the resumption of guidance to work from home where possible.But it is thought that he will urge people to reduce the danger of restrictions returning by ensuring they take up vaccine boosters when offered.Downing Street was not able immediately to confirm reports of the planned press conference, which would be the first since Boris Johnson announced his winter plan for Covid five weeks ago.The chief executive of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor, today urged the government to activate Plan B “without delay”, warning that “without pre-emptive action, we risk stumbling into a winter crisis”.But business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the government was not intending to bring back curbs, telling Sky News: “We don’t want to go into lockdown or further restrictions.”Alarm has been raised after the government announced on Tuesday that 223 people died after testing positive for Covid – the highest number since early March.There were more than 43,000 lab-confirmed Covid cases reported on the same day – almost eight times more than the rate in March.Despite the rising numbers of cases and deaths, the government’s Sage scientists have abandoned their weekly meetings and are now meeting only once a month for talks. More

Boris Johnson’s government is ruling out another Covid lockdown or any “further restrictions” this winter, despite NHS leaders’ call for ministers to enforce “Plan B” curbs.Amid another surge in Covid cases, the NHS Confederation has urged ministers to implement the back-up strategy – including mandatory face coverings and asking people to work from home.But business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the government was not interested in bringing back curbs. “We don’t want to go into lockdown or further restrictions,” he told Sky News on Wednesday.Follow Covid news – live: NHS chiefs urge government to implement winter ‘plan B’The cabinet minister said discussions of more lockdowns or restrictions on holidays were “completely unhelpful” – but conceded the government would have to do better on the rollout of booster jabs.The slow uptake of coronavirus booster jabs is “something that we really need to address”, Kwarteng said, urging those eligible to take up the offer of a third dose of the vaccine.Kwarteng has admitted that the vaccine rollout to 12 to 15-year-olds also needs to pick up speed. “It is working, but we just need a faster rollout.”Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, has urged the government to implement the Plan B back-up strategy – including making face coverings compulsory in some settings, asking people to work from home, and bringing in vaccine passports.“It is time for the government to enact Plan B of its strategy without delay because without pre-emptive action, we risk stumbling into a winter crisis,” said the leader of the membership organisation for NHS authorities and trusts.Taylor added: “We are right on the edge – and it is the middle of October. It would require an incredible amount of luck for us not to find ourselves in the midst of a profound crisis over the next three months.”Professor Stephen Reicher – a member of the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours, which feeds into the Sage advisory body – has said the prospect of further lockdowns could not be discounted.“No, I would rule that out,” said Kwarteng when asked about the possibility of more lockdowns, before claiming the government’s current approach to curbs was “working … we’re confident we can manage this outbreak well”.Kwarteng also said it was “absolutely” worth it to pay a deposit on a Christmas party amid concerns fresh coronavirus restrictions could be introduced.Asked on Times Radio whether it was wise to pay money towards a party, he said: “Absolutely. I think I already have, we’ve got some arrangements in place and I look forward to having a Christmas party as usual.”Alarm has been raised after the government announced on Tuesday that a further 223 people died after testing positive for Covid – the highest number since early March.There was just over 43,000 more lab-confirmed Covid cases in the UK – almost eight times more than the new daily cases recorded in early March.Despite the rising numbers of cases and deaths, the government’s Sage scientists have abandoned their weekly meetings are only meeting once a month for talks, according to the i newspaper.Downing Street has said it is keeping a “very close eye” on increasing numbers of cases, and acknowledged there are signs that the number of hospital admissions and deaths are also rising.But the prime minister has told his cabinet that he believes the government’s current plan is keeping the virus under control.Labour called on the government to spell out what levels of hospitalisations, infections or deaths would trigger the activation of Plan B.“What we’ve seen consistently is mixed messaging from the government,” said a senior Labour spokesperson. “What the public wants is the certainty of knowing what the situation is that will trigger Plan B. The government hasn’t been clear on that, and it’s for them to set out what they regard as the conditions that would make that necessary.”The spokesperson said ministers had failed to “get a grip” on the flagging vaccination programme and called for more use of pop-up clinics and community pharmacies to deliver jabs.“With the booster programme clearly stalling, ministers need to get a grip and also accelerate the vaccine rollout for children,” he said. “Neither of these programmes are going at the speed that is required at the moment.“And there is also concern that the flu vaccination programme is also slower than government targets in terms of rollout. This is important because the flu vaccination is a vital tool in bringing down hospital admissions to ensure that the NHS can cope this winter.”A Downing Street spokesperson said that the government had been clear in its winter plan that it would not be setting out numerical thresholds for moving from Plan A to Plan B.He added: “We are sticking to the autumn and winter plan that we’ve set out. You’ve got the contents of Plan A and Plan B and there’s no mention in them of any further lockdowns and there are no plans (for one).”The spokesperson denied that the rollout of jabs for 12-15 year-olds was struggling, and said that anyone in this age group wanting a vaccination was able to get one. More

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has described inflation in the UK as “real cause of some concern”, but said he was confident it could be contained in the months ahead.The latest Consumer Prices Index figures show the rise in the cost of living fell to 3.1 per cent in the year to September – down slightly from 3.2 per cent in August.However, the inflation figure remains far above the Bank of England’s target rate of 2 per cent, as fuel, food and transport costs remain a struggle for many people across the country.“I think it’s a real cause of some concern because, clearly, we want inflation rates to be lower,” Kwarteng told BBC on Wednesday.The business secretary added: “There’s a debate at the moment as to how long this inflation will last – I’m confident that it’ll be contained. We’ll have to wait and see.”Kwarteng pointed to growth sparked by the reopening of the economy after the Covid pandemic as a cause for price hikes.“One of the causes for inflation is the fact that the economy is rebounding … it’s a fast rebound.” he said. “When you see quite strong economic growth there’s always the danger you’re have inflation.”Average petrol prices stood at 134.9 pence per litre in September 2021, compared with 113.3 pence per litre a year earlier, as fuel continue to prove an upward pressure on inflation.Food and drink firms told MPs on Tuesday that they are facing a “terrifying” rises in costs amid worker shortages and ongoing supply chain woes.Ian Wright, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, told a parliamentary committee that the government must “think seriously about inflation”.He added: “In hospitality, inflation is running between 14 per cent and 18 per cent, which is terrifying. If the prime minister is, as I know he is, serious about levelling up, inflation is a bigger scourge than almost anything because it discriminates against the poor.”Mike Hardie, head of prices at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), said: “Annual inflation fell back a little in September due to the unwinding effect of last year’s Eat Out to Help Out, which was a factor in pushing up the rate in August.“However, this was partially offset by most other categories, including price rises for furniture and household goods, and food prices falling more slowly than this time last year.The statistician added: “The costs of goods produced by factories rose again, with metals and machinery showing a notable price rise. Road freight costs for UK businesses also continued to rise across the summer.”It comes as the business secretary conceded that making the transition to net-zero carbon emissions could be “very costly” for consumers.It follows the Treasury’s report on the cost of net zero – which warned that the transition from fossil fuels will require new sources of taxation to replace the £37bn lost from petrol taxes and could curb household disposable incomes.Asked about the Treasury report and the possibility of tax hikes on LBC, Kwarteng claimed: “I don’t think that tax rises are inevitable,” before saying chancellor Rishi Sunak’s department had “various assumptions that model those figures”.But the minister also insisted that some of the cost to consumers transitioning to net zero will be driven down by private investment.Kwarteng said the government was “trying to actually attract huge amounts of private investment into the UK, and what happens with private investment is that the unit costs of the energy actually is driven down, it’s lowered, it’s cheaper”.He told Sky News: “It’s a fine line you have to tread between making the transition and essentially forcing people and imposing costs on people to make the transition, and what we want to do is to keep people with us on the transition, on the journey.” More

In a serious blow to Boris Johnson’s hopes of getting global agreement to a significant climate change deal, Russian president Vladimir Putin has announced he will not attend next month’s United Nations Cop26 summit hosted by the prime minister in Glasgow.Confirmation from the Kremlin of Mr Putin’s snub comes amid widespread expectation that Chinese president Xi Jinping will also not travel to Glasgow for the crucial gathering, at which Mr Johnson hopes to seal an ambitious deal to keep global warming below 1.5C above pre-industrial levels and to provide $100bn a year to help less-developed countries prepare.There are fears in London that the absence of key power players from the two-week summit, beginning in 11 days’ time, will make it more difficult to get agreement on thorny issues like stepping up reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and switching from polluting fossil fuels to greener sources of energy.Russia is among a number of crucial major polluters which are yet to provide enhanced climate pledges – known as “nationally defined contributions” or NDCs – to improve on promises made in the Paris accord of 2015.“Unfortunately, Putin will not fly to Glasgow,” a spokesperson for the Kremlin told reporters on Wednesday, according to the AFP agency, but added that climate change was “one of our foreign policy’s most important priorities”. The Russian president is also due to announce new nationwide restrictions and is expected to decide whether to introduce a week-long holiday at the end of October.Attempting to set the stage for the conference, the UK government published long-delayed documents on Tuesday setting out the strategy for reaching the net zero target 2050, but Mr Johnson was urged to go “further and faster” by climate campaigners.While proposals to replace polluting gas boilers, support the switch to electric cars and plant millions of trees were welcomed, critics warned the package was over-cautious, with one expert saying it was more in tune with limiting global warming to 2.5-3C, rather than the 1.5C maximum which is the goal of next month’s crucial UN Cop26 summit in Glasgow.Asked if Mr Johnson was disappointed that Mr Putin will not attend in person, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister has said before that we would obviously strongly encourage leaders to attend, given this is a very critical moment in terms of tackling climate change. “The prime minister is looking forward to meeting all leaders who have confirmed their attendance, which I believe is over 120 so far. And we obviously expect all countries to be represented at a senior level, given that we’re asking for meaningful pledges towards tackling this issue.”The spokesperson was unable to say who No 10 was expecting to represent Russia in president Putin’s absence. More

Boris Johnson’s government has been urged to change course over its support for new oil drilling in Surrey or risk “hypocrisy” at the crucial Cop26 climate conference.The government is set to defend in court a decision by Surrey council to grant planning permission for six oil wells only a few days after the crucial international summit in Glasgow end next month.Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has written to climate minister Alok Sharma – president of the Cop26 summit – urging him to push for the drilling application to be called in and refused.In a letter shared with The Independent, Davey wrote: “This new oil field is the equivalent to ministerial colleagues breaking your cricket bat just as you walk out to the crease at Cop26.”The Lib Dem leader added: “Your job is to hold China to account for their new oil infrastructure – how can you do that when your government is building its own?”Davey also told Sharma: “As the minister responsible for Cop26, you must put party allegiances aside, and call for the government to oppose this new oil field and immediately call in the planning application.”In 2019 Surrey County Council approved an application from Horse Hill Developments – a subsidiary of UK Oil and Gas – to drill for an estimated three million tonnes of oil outside the town of Horley, near Gatwick airport.Although the High Court has upheld the decision after a challenged by resident and campaigner Sarah Finch, a further appeal case will be heard at the Court of Appeal on 16 November.Both the Lib Dems and Friends of the Earth are urging the government not to support the local authority’s case next month, and instead call in the original application.Dave Timms, head of political affairs at Friends of the Earth, said: “It’s the height of hypocrisy for the government to claim to be a climate leader on the global stage while piling into court to defend a decision to allow millions of barrels of oil to be drilled out of the Surrey countryside.”The climate campaigner added: “They need to withdraw from this case now.”The communities department, now headed up by Michael Gove, remains involved in the case since the drilling application relates to national planning policy.On Tuesday the government published its long-awaited net zero strategy document, detailing plans for Britain to be entirely powered entirely by clean electricity by 2035.But Greenpeace said the plan was only “half hearted” and condemned the failure to make a firm commitment to ending new oil and gas licences.Kate Blagojevic, head of climate at Greenpeace UK, told The Independent: “Oil drilling, a new coal mine, airport expansions – all are completely incompatible with our plans to slash emissions, yet these projects are being signed off and the government seems reluctant to intervene.”The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: “This decision by Surrey council is subject to a legal challenge, we do not comment about ongoing cases.” More

Terrorists who make plans to kill at least two people will face longer in prison under new sentencing guidelines published today.Justice secretary Dominic Raab has argued that the new advice for judges to hand down sentences of a minimum of 14 years would send a stronger message to those who plot to “kill and maim in the name of warped and fanatical ideologies”.The Ministry of Justice’s move comes as police continue to question Ali Harbi Ali, 25, over the murder of Tory MP Sir David Amess last week. The suspect has been detained under the Terrorism Act.The Sentencing Council has confirmed it will advise judges that the starting point for sentencing those who plot to kill with terror motives should be a minimum of 14 years, according to The Times.The Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Act, which took effect in April, could also lead to 14-year minimum sentences for British people who travel to future war zones, in the same way as for those who joined Islamic State.The guidelines, which will apply in England and Wales, will also stipulate stricter monitoring of offenders once they are released from jail with licence terms of between seven and 25 years.Despite the apparent move to get tougher on terror plotters, a number of extremists have already received life sentences in recent years.Last year, Mohiussunnath Chowdhury – who plotted an al-Qaeda inspired terror attack at the Pride parade in London – was jailed for at least 25 years in prison.Also in 2020, Safiyya Shaikh, formerly known as Michelle Ramsden, was given a life sentence with a minimum of 14 years for planning an Isis-inspired Easter suicide bomb attack in St Paul’s Cathedral.In 2019, Jack Renshaw – a far-right extremist who planned to murder West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper with a sword – was sentenced to life. More

A ring of policemen had to protect Michael Gove from a mob of anti-vaxxer protesters on Tuesday after they started screaming abuse at him.The minister for levelling up, housing and communities was walking through Westminster at lunch time when he was collared by a number of angry protesters. The incident comes as politicians call for greater protection after Sir David Amess MP was stabbed to death at his constituency surgery. One protester was able to get close to Mr Gove and shove a camera in his face before a number of police officers rushed to encircle the minister. The protesters were part of a march organised by groups Official Voice and GB Resistance who are campaigning against lockdowns and the vaccine. Police created a protective shield around Mr Gove and escorted him to a Home Office building, while trying to push angry anti-vaxxers away. The mob yelled “arrest Michael Gove” as they tried to jostle closer to him. Other insults were yelled at him by the chasing protesters and at one point a piece of paper thrown at Mr Gove appeared to briefly hit his face. The Metropolitan Police tweeted about the incident, saying: “We’re aware of a protest in Westminster today which is marching to a number of locations. “During this protest, a group attempted to surround a Member of Parliament on Horseferry Road. “Our officers were immediately on scene where they safely escorted him to a nearby building. There were no arrests. “We know there is footage circulating online of this incident, we will review this and our officers’ body-worn video to see if any offences occurred.”Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds responded to the events by saying: “These scenes would be unacceptable at any time – but seeing them this week is utterly appalling. “I trust Michael Gove is OK – and thank the police for their swift action.”Brendan Cox, widower of murdered MP Jo Cox, tweeted: “These aren’t ‘freedom protesters’ they are trying to intimidate him for likes on social media. “They chant ‘do your job’, while stopping him from getting back to work. This isn’t protest it’s pathetic.”The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “The harassment and intimidation of anyone going about their daily business is completely unacceptable. We would expect the police to take this kind of behaviour seriously.“While peaceful protest remains an important cornerstone of our democracy, threatening, intimidating or abusive language cannot be tolerated.” The spokesperson declined to comment on security arrangements for ministers. He added: “The approach we have taken, particularly on issues such as vaccination, is to provide clarity and information to provide reassurance to those that have legitimate questions. “What is completely unacceptable is for those who disagree with our approach to try and target individuals, be they ministers or indeed schools or parents and children, that sort of behaviour is abhorrent and will never be tolerated in a democratic society.” This week home secretary Priti Patel launched a review into MPs’ safety following the killing of Sir David Amess while he was carrying out routine work in his constituency. She told Sky Newsthat the government was considering multiple measures to safeguard MPs, including asking constituents to pre-book appointments with their elected representatives. More