Markus Andrews

The Metropolitan Police officer who murdered Sarah Everard worked as a guard at the Houses of Parliament, the force has confirmed.Scotland Yard said Wayne Couzens was deployed to armed static protection duties on the parliamentary estate on five occasions from February to July last year.Previously, the Met refused to go into detail about Couzen’s posting at Westminster, according to The Times. But his role was confirmed following inquiries by Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons speaker.The force said Couzens moved to the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command in February 2020 and his primary role was to patrol diplomatic premises, mainly embassies.A senior parliamentary source told The Times they believed the Met had “deliberately tried to mislead the parliamentary authorities by claiming Couzens did not have a parliamentary pass [issued under his own name]”.Couzens, 48, was nicknamed “the rapist” by colleagues. He was said in court to have been “attracted to brutal sexual pornography” as far back as 2002.The police watchdog previously said he was linked to a flashing incident in 2015 and two more incidents just days before he killed Ms Everard.He used his warrant card to falsely arrest Ms Everard before he abducted, raped and murdered her.A senior parliamentary source told The Times Couzens was granted an access-all-areas pass while working at the Houses of Parliament.The revelation has sparked outrage among MPs. Labour MP Rosie Duffield said: “It’s chilling that someone whose nickname was ‘the rapist’ was guarding MPs when we are told that we are protected by a ring of steel.“Knowing now that we had a murderer in our midst, I’m sure all women working in parliament will want to see a thorough security review.”Mr Hoyle said: “Like everyone, I have been sickened by the depravity of Wayne Couzens – and heartbroken for the family of Sarah Everard.“I have asked the Met to meet me urgently to discuss how this person could have been deemed suitable for deployment here.“Further, I will be seeking reassurance that at no time was anyone on the parliamentary estate put at risk.”Additional reporting by PA More

Priti Patel has announced £25m in funding to projects designed to make public spaces safer for women and girls, as the government struggled to get onto the front foot after a wave of public anger over the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer.But Labour said the move came “nowhere near” meeting the need for systemic change in the way violence against women is dealt with.Boris Johnson was initially supportive of Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick, despite opinion polls suggesting strong support for her resignation in the wake of the whole-life sentence for Wayne Couzens on Thursday.But the prime minister on Friday issued a rebuke to police, saying he found their failure to tackle harassment and other forms of violence against women was “infuriating”.And Ms Patel was also critical, insisting that forces must “raise the bar” by taking flashing and harassment of women more seriously.The home secretary condemned a “postcode lottery” which saw some police forces in England and Wales treat these offences as “low level”.The government’s Safer Streets Fund was originally established to target acquisitive crimes like car theft and burglary.But Ms Patel said that the latest round of funding will be aimed at increasing the safety of public places, with a focus on tackling violence and harassment of women and girls.She said: “We have made good progress in tackling violence against women and girls, but these crimes are still all too prevalent in our society.“That is why earlier this year we launched the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, informed by the largest ever public survey of women and girls on this issue. As part of this, the £25m Safer Streets Fund will invest in crime prevention initiatives across the country where women and girls say they feel most unsafe.“The tragic cases of Sarah Everard, Sabina Nessa, Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman touched us all. As we build back safer from the pandemic, tackling violence against women and girls is my priority.”However, Labour’s shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “An additional £25m comes nowhere near meeting the demand for systemic change to address violence against women and girls.“We need tougher laws on street harassment, misogyny to be made a hate crime, longer sentences for stalkers and rapists and the fast-tracking of rape and sexual assault cases through the courts – all things Labour has proposed but the government has rejected.“With 98 in every 100 reported rapes not even resulting in a charge, the government needs to understand the scale of the change that is needed and show the leadership required to achieve it.”Ms Patel earlier told the Daily Telegraph that it was “corrosive” to society if men felt able to harass women verbally and physically in the streets and urged all women to “have the confidence to call it out”.“This is a very clear message to police to raise the bar: treat everybody in the right way,” she said. “Make sure that when these crimes or concerns are reported, people are treated with respect, dignity and seriously.”Speaking to The Times, Mr Johnson said: “Are the police taking this issue seriously enough? It’s infuriating. I think the public feel that they aren’t and they’re not wrong.”He added: “Do I fundamentally believe the police are on our side? Yes, absolutely they are. Can you trust the police? Yes you can. But there is an issue about how we handle sexual violence, domestic violence – the sensitivity, the diligence, the time, the delay, the confusion about your mobile phone. That’s the thing we need to fix.”The PM said police were realising that when they made arrests in such cases “they’re not getting through the system fast enough” and that this “may well be one of the reasons why they’re not doing enough to help the victims that report”.Health secretary Sajid Javid said that there “definitely needs to be reform to rebuild confidence” in the police.“At this stage I couldn’t jump to what is the best way to do that reform,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. I think it is right to take a bit of time rather than some kind of kneejerk reaction and call for an inquiry because that’s what people do.“I do think there needs to be reform and that clearly needs to be the police themselves but there is also a role for government.”The chair of the Working Group on Misogyny and Criminal Justice in Scotland, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, said officers must not treat incidents of harassment or flashing as trivial.Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Lady Kennedy said: “We have to be looking at male behaviour more generally, but the police certainly have to be taking women’s complaints more seriously than they have done.“This has been going on for many, many years and I’m rather tired of hearing police forces saying we’re going to learn lessons from some tragedy.“The lessons don’t seem to be learned, and the lessons are that women’s suffering of this kind of stuff has to stop, and women up and down the country are saying that. And you have to listen, and police forces are not doing that.”The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has previously said that Couzens was linked to a flashing incident in 2015 and two more just days before he killed Ms Everard. Lady Kennedy urged police forces to act more quickly following reports of predatory behaviour.“None of it’s acceptable,” she added. “What we know is that institutions often will put their own reputations first. They also have come together to protect each other. That’s got to end.”It comes as a new YouGov survey found 38 per cent of adults in the UK think Dame Cressida should quit as Met chief, while 27 per cent said she should stay and 35 per cent did not know. More

Boris Johnson is facing demands for a last-minute U-turn on his plans to slash £20 a week from the main welfare benefit for low-income families, after a new poll found an overwhelming majority of voters oppose the cut.The removal of the Universal Credit “uplift” – introduced last year to help poorer households cope with the Covid pandemic – is due to take effect from Wednesday next week.Anger over the £1,040-a-year hit to the incomes of 6 million unemployed people and low-paid workers threatens to overshadow Mr Johnson’s high-profile speech to the Conservative conference in Manchester that day.Labour today said it was “not too late” for the PM to give in to pressure to cancel the cut. And leaders of the three devolved nations – representing four different political parties – joined forces in a letter appealing for a change of heart to avoid an “unprecedented squeeze” on household finances.Charities have warned that as many as 3.5m children will lose out from the cut, with around 300,000 pushed below the poverty line. And many of those taking a hit to their incomes will be key workers who were previously applauded for their contribution to the fight against Covid-19.Chancellor Rishi Sunak last week announced a £500m hardship fund to help the poorest pay for food, clothes and bills, in a tacit admission that the welfare cut will cause difficulties for many families in accessing the basic necessities of life. But the chancellor and prime minister insist it is not possible to find the £6bn needed to keep the uplift.The Savanta ComRes poll for The Independent shows that the £20-a-week cut is supported by just 19 per cent of voters – fewer than one in five.Even among Conservative voters, just 34 per cent think it is right to remove the uplift altogether, against 43 per cent who said it should be maintained or increased and 13 per cent who said it should be kept at a reduced rate.Overall, 35 per cent of voters said the £20 uplift should stay at the same level and 24 per cent said it should be made more generous – a total of 59 per cent. Another 10 per cent said the uplift should remain but at a lower level.Labour’s shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the poll made clear the degree of public opposition to Mr Johnson’s plans.“The public, charities and the government’s own assessment all agree this cut will be catastrophic,” Mr Reynolds told The Independent.“Working families are facing a Tory cost-of-living crisis this winter because of this government’s tax hikes, energy crisis and cuts to Universal Credit. It’s not too late for the government to change course and cancel their cut to Universal Credit.”And the heads of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland administrations warned in their letter that there was no justification for making the cut at a time when the country is facing a cost-of-living crisis due to soaring prices for energy and food.Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford and the first and deputy first minister of Northern Ireland, Paul Givan and Michelle O’Neill, said there was still time for a change of heart.“Your government is withdrawing this lifeline just as the country is facing a significant cost-of-living crisis,” they told the PM.“This winter millions of people are facing an untenable combination of increases to the cost of food and energy, rising inflation, the end of the furlough scheme, and an imminent hike to National Insurance contributions.“There is no rationale for cutting such crucial support at a point when people across the UK are facing an unprecedented squeeze on their household budgets.”Mr Sunak’s £500m for discretionary payments to the most vulnerable was a “wholly inadequate” replacement for the UC uplift, they said.And they warned: “This cut threatens to undermine the recovery by diminishing the capacity of 6 million people to make ends meet.“It is not too late for you to reverse the decision to take money out of the pockets of the poorest in society at a time when they are facing a serious cost-of-living crisis.” More

UK aid to the Commonwealth has been slashed by almost half in a deep blow to the government’s Global Britain agenda, according to new analysis obtained by The Independent.Analysis of official figures by Liberal Democrats, released on the day of Liz Truss’s first speech to Conservative annual conference as foreign secretary, shows a precipitous £500m fall in support for countries including Bangladesh, Nigeria and Tanzania.The reduction comes despite ministers’ claims that Brexit would allow the UK to strengthen ties with the other 53 members of the global organisation, and Ms Truss’s claim on her first day at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) that she was committed to a “strong and prosperous future” for the Commonwealth.Total bilateral overseas aid committed by the FCDO to programmes in Commonwealth countries is projected to be cut by 46 per cent, from around £1.1bn in 2020/21 to £600m in 2021/22.While some of the UK’s aid spending is directed via other departments, the bulk goes through the FCDO, meaning sharp overall reductions in a number of countries.Deepest cuts include Bangladesh (down from £190m to £73m, a reduction of £117m) Nigeria (down by £114m from £209m to £95m) and Tanzania (down by £61m from £89m to £28m). Other countries losing out include Pakistan, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia and several Caribbean island states.The reduced spending comes after chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a cut in UK spending on overseas aid from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent of GDP, in response to the economic difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.The figures suggest that Commonwealth countries have been hit harder than some other recipients of UK assistance.Ms Truss said in 2019 that Brexit would present an opportunity to forge “new partnerships with some of our oldest allies across the Commonwealth”, while the then international development secretary Alok Sharma said that UK aid was “vital in reducing barriers to trade and investment across the Commonwealth”.The cuts are taking place at a time when Boris Johnson is serving a two-year stint as chair-in-office of the organisation, made up mostly of countries with historic and colonial ties to the UK.Lib Dem foreign affairs and development spokesperson Layla Moran called for the reversal of the cuts, which she said “show the Conservatives’ ‘Global Britain’ agenda is nothing more than empty words”.“Liz Truss may talk a good game on the Commonwealth, but no amount of rhetoric will be able to mitigate the impact of this £500m cut,” said Ms Moran.“Our Commonwealth partners and friends will be reeling as a result of these staggering cuts, which will have a huge impact on people on the ground.“We need to restore our reputation as a dependable ally, particularly ahead of the crucial COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow next month. Instead this Government seems to want to burn as many of our bridges as possible.”“If Liz Truss cares about our standing on the world stage, she will reverse these cruel cuts straight away.”A government spokesperson said: “The UK is a world leader on international development. “In 2020 we spent £14.5bn in aid fighting poverty and helping those in need, despite the seismic impact of the pandemic on the UK and global economy. This included £1.7bn supporting the effort to fight coronavirus and £1.5bn in humanitarian assistance. We gave more than half of our regional bilateral aid to countries in Africa.“We remain committed to leading the global fight against poverty.  As the third largest international donor, the UK will ensure aid is spent even more effectively in 2021 to fight global challenges while working in the UK’s national interest.” More

More than half of Britons think Boris Johnson has done a bad job of ensuring supplies of essentials like petrol and keeping the cost of living down in the wake of Brexit, according to a new poll.The survey, which also found the public giving a thumbs-down to the prime minister’s performance on Brexit and on “levelling up”, comes on the eve of a crucial Conservative conference at which Mr Johnson will attempt to recast the central purpose of his government after two years of crisis management with an optimistic “building back better” slogan.Speaking on the eve of the conference, the PM vowed the government would not let the UK go back to how it was pre-Covid, but wants “things to change and improve as we recover”.He promised “decisive action on more jobs, more police and supporting health and social care” as well as on levelling up disadvantaged areas of the country.But with lengthy queues remaining at many petrol stations, and the army set to be deployed to drive tankers from Monday, many Tories fear he will struggle to turn around an increasingly gloomy mood as the Covid “vaccine bounce” fades and voters face the new reality of labour shortages, empty supermarket shelves, cuts to benefits and looming tax rises.Notably, neither Mr Johnson nor chancellor Rishi Sunak was willing in pre-conference interviews to promise that Christmas would not be disrupted for the second year in succession.Senior Conservative backbencher Tobias Ellwood told The Independent that the PM should be doing more to reassure the public in order to ensure that the crisis does not overshadow the positive message about domestic investment and growth that he wants to deliver at the conference, which is to take place in Manchester.“This has not gone away as a live issue,” said Mr Ellwood, who has been calling for a £30 limit on petrol purchases to ease pressure at the pumps. “What I would like to see more of is the prime minister grasping this and giving a clear direction of travel. There is no simple solution, but it does require calming nerves and the nation believing the government is in control.”Veteran backbencher Sir Roger Gale warned that fury over petrol queues would certainly have an impact on the conference, citing letters he had received from undertakers in his Thanet North constituency who are unable to conduct funerals because there isn’t enough fuel for hearses, as well as a lifelong Tory voter who was left stranded with an empty tank after following official advice not to panic-buy, who said the “utter shambles” had left him “seriously questioning the government’s ability to govern”.Sir Roger said there was anger among Tory voters at the “tardy” response of Downing Street to the predictable problem of labour shortages after Brexit, which was not only affecting the haulage industry but also sectors like care work and farm work, meaning that crops had been left rotting in the fields.“There is no doubt that there is no shortage of fuel in the refineries, so this is a crisis of demand rather than supply,” he told The Independent. “But a synthetic crisis has been turned into a real crisis by a lack of initiative on the part of No 10 in getting to grips with the issue. The knock-on effect on the image of HM government is not going to be beneficial for the party.” However, another long-serving Tory MP said he believed voters would not punish the party, as the situation was beginning to resolve itself. “Nobody is going to say the government’s handled it wonderfully,” he said. “But it’s not been the kind of toxic issue it could have been. I’ve not heard a dicky bird in my emails from constituents, and the people I speak to seem to be blaming panic-buying and the media rather than the government.“Clearly there are shortages of some goods in the shops, but so far it has not affected necessities other than petrol. If it starts hitting necessities, or if it disrupts Christmas, that’s when it will be a problem.”Today’s poll by Savanta ComRes for The Independent found that 54 per cent of voters thought Mr Johnson had done a bad job of keeping supplies of goods flowing and the cost of living down, compared to little more than one-third (36 per cent) who thought he had done well.On his flagship policy of “levelling up” disadvantaged areas of the UK, just 32 per cent thought he had delivered, compared to 53 per cent who said he had done badly.Crucially, voters in wealthy London and members of more affluent social classes were most likely to say Mr Johnson had succeeded in “levelling up”, while some of his lowest ratings on this issue were recorded in areas like the northeast, Yorkshire and the west Midlands, where Tories won red-wall seats from Labour in 2019 on a promise of spreading prosperity.Just 41 per cent across the UK said Mr Johnson had got a good Brexit deal for the UK, against 49 per cent who said he had done the job badly – including 30 per cent of Tory supporters and 34 per cent of those who had voted Leave in the 2016 referendum.More voters said Mr Johnson had done a bad job than a good one on fighting climate change (46-38 per cent), preserving the union (47-41), uniting the nation culturally (49-37), and overseeing the withdrawal from Afghanistan (49-38). But his performance on Covid was rated positively, with 53 per cent saying the PM had done a good job in the pandemic, against 40 per cent who said his response had been poor.After a run of polls showing the Tory lead over Labour narrowing from the double figures recorded during the vaccine rollout at the start of 2021, today’s survey found signs that some of the controversies surrounding Mr Johnson were beginning to cut through with voters.Some 23 per cent of people who had voted Conservative in 2019 said that the row over the funding of Mr Johnson’s expensive renovation of his 10 Downing Street flat had made them less likely to back the Tories the next time round, while 22 per cent said the same over doubts about his personal honesty, 20 per cent over reports he had delayed the official response to Covid, and 19 per cent over controversies surrounding his family life.Mr Johnson was rated stronger, more inspiring and more patriotic than Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, and was the preferred choice to share a drink with. But Starmer came out on top for being honest, decisive and statesmanlike, and for understanding the needs of ordinary people.The PM’s reported desire to remain at No 10 for a decade was shared by few voters, with just 18 per cent saying they would like him to remain in the job until 2029 or beyond, compared to 45 per cent who want him gone by the time of the next election, which is expected to take place in 2023 or 2024. Even among Tory supporters, more than a quarter (27 per cent) did not want him to lead the party into the next election, and 27 per cent said he should step down after it, against 29 per cent who wanted him in place for 10 years or more.However, he remained the clear choice of both Conservative supporters and voters in general to lead the party now, with 41 per cent of Tories rating him the best option, against 17 per cent for Mr Sunak, 6 per cent for health secretary Sajid Javid, and 4 per cent for defeated leadership rival Jeremy Hunt. Among voters in general, Johnson scooped 22 per cent as best leader, against 14 per cent for Mr Sunak and 5 per cent for Mr Javid. More

The petrol crisis is a “good lesson” on the need to end our dependence on fossil fuels and accelerate the switch to electric vehicles, environment minister Zac Goldsmith has said.As drivers queue to fill up and many garages run dry, Lord Goldsmith said the shortages had helped underline how Britain and the world must “unhook ourselves” from our reliance on such fuels.In an interview with The Independent, Lord Goldsmith dismissed fears that the situation could make it harder to get political and public backing for agreement to tackle the climate emergency at the looming Cop26 summit.He acknowledged that the situation represents “a crisis, and has real-world implications for lots and lots of businesses and people”, but added: “I don’t think it damages the momentum we’re seeing in relation to climate.“It’s a pretty good lesson on the need to unhook ourselves from dependence on fossil fuels. You’re not seeing the same problems with people who have electric vehicles.”The international environment minister also hit out at sceptics – including those “in the Conservative party” – organising a “fightback” against the drive for net-zero carbon emissions ahead of the Glasgow gathering.In the run-up to Cop26, Conservative infighting has appeared to slam the brakes on CO2-cutting plans to replace gas boilers and insulate homes – which are yet to appear, with just four weeks to go until the summit.Former ministers Steve Baker and Esther McVey are among a group of rebel Tory MPs, led by Craig Mackinlay, opposing the costly measures, while ex-chancellor Nigel Lawson called them “implausible”.Lord Goldsmith did not criticise any individuals, but said: “There are people in society, there are people in the Conservative Party, people in politics, who are sceptical, and who are not supportive of government efforts to secure this transition.“I think they’re very much in the minority and I think the science is proving them wrong. Extraordinary events, day to day, are proving them wrong.”Asked if there was a concerted campaign to undermine Cop26, or even a conspiracy with right-wing newspapers, he replied: “I’m not sure I know what the definition is of conspiracies.“But, undoubtedly, there are people who meet in order to discuss how to fight back against this commitment, that the government has, and all parties share in one way or another.”In the interview, ahead of the Conservative conference in Manchester, which starts today, Lord Goldsmith also:* Admitted the government had yet to find ways to avoid people being “out of pocket” in meeting the upfront costs of the transition, after the failure of the Green Homes grant scheme;* Revealed that the government does not allow the phrase “climate emergency” to appear in legislation – while insisting this has no impact on its determination to fight the crisis;* Praised Boris Johnson’s “authority and passion” in preparing for Cop26 – arguing that key initiatives “would not have happened without the prime minister”;* Demanded the same radicalism as was seen in the response to Covid – which saw world leaders agree extraordinary changes to everyday life – saying the climate crisis was in “a different cosmos” to the pandemic;* Called for the World Bank and similar institutions to pump billions into cutting CO2 by protecting nature, such as the Amazon and Congo basin – as well as by changing the way we live – otherwise “they’re part of the problem”.Mr Johnson has admitted to his own dramatic conversion from climate scepticism, prompting cynicism about how committed he is to the issue beyond the headline-grabbing opportunities offered by the forthcoming summit.But Lord Goldsmith said the prime minister had stepped in after his own “rows” with (unnamed) cabinet ministers, and that progress had been secured “because of his intervention”.“He is up on what we’re doing, calls regularly for updates, and pushes for more ambition in certain areas. He speaks with authority on this, and real passion,” said Lord Goldsmith, who has been minister for Pacific and the environment since 2019.In recent weeks, Tory critics of the dramatic plans to get the UK finally on a path to net zero have become more vocal, warning that the party’s new red-wall voters will not accept higher household costs.Ms McVey, a former cabinet minister, claimed the measures could “bankrupt the country”, while Mr Baker has become a trustee of the climate-sceptic Global Warming Policy Foundation.Lord Goldsmith is a close friend of Carrie Johnson, the prime minister’s wife, who is credited with convincing Mr Johnson to take the climate crisis seriously.At Cop26, which starts on 1 November, the world’s leaders will be attempting to “keep alive” the ambition, laid out in 2015’s Paris Agreement, to keep the global temperature rise to 1.5C in an effort to avoid runaway climate change.That requires almost halving carbon emissions by 2030 – yet a United Nations report last month said that the planet was on track for a 16 per cent increase.Nevertheless, Lord Goldsmith is upbeat, pointing to China’s decision to end funding for coal-fired power stations overseas, a growing climate finance fund, and efforts to stop “highly destructive land-use” by food producers.Nature-based solutions are each country’s own area of responsibility – leading to the UK’s world-first legally binding target to halt species decline by 2030.To underline the importance of the challenge, Lord Goldsmith said “30 football pitches’ worth of forest” would have been lost during the 20-minute interview alone.“It’s just staggering how quickly we’re destroying this planet,” he said, adding: “If that’s not an emergency, and if that doesn’t merit full government and societal attention, it’s very hard to imagine what does.“This is a massive transition, this is the Industrial Revolution times 20. Everything is going to be affected by the need to reconcile our relationship with the natural world.“It’s either that, or we render this planet increasingly uninhabitable, and lose things … which means we will never regain the magic of the natural world, which has been plundered.”The minister acknowledged the “huge chasm between where we are, what we’re doing, and where we know we need to be” on curbing global heating.“We’re not going to close it completely, obviously, by Cop26 – I wish we would, but we’re not going to – but I think we are going to take some really big steps forward,” he insisted. More

Nobody to blame for fuel crisis, says ministerMilitary drivers will be deployed to deliver fuel to forecourts from Monday as long queues for petrol continued to cause gridlock this week in parts of the country.Almost 200 military personnel – including 100 drivers – have been undertaking training at haulier sites and will start deliveries to help relieve the situation at petrol stations, which the government insists is stabilising.It came as ministers announced that a temporary visa scheme for nearly 5,000 foreign food haulage drivers that was due to expire on 24 December will now be extended to the end of February.Meanwhile, chancellor Rishi Sunak has told the Daily Mail that shortages of goods could continue until Christmas as the problems in supply chains are global.“These shortages are very real. We’re seeing real disruptions in supply chains in different sectors, not just here but around the world,” Mr Sunak warned.Show latest update

1633157750Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the UK’s supply crisis today.Conrad Duncan2 October 2021 07:551633158168Army to deliver petrol to pumps from Monday in bid to tackle shortagesThe military will start delivering fuel to petrol stations from next week in a bid to tackle the ongoing supply crisis caused by a shortage of HGV drivers and panic buying.Ministers have said that the mobilisation of troops will help to “fill in any critical vacancies and help keep the country on the move” ahead of Christmas.Our reporter, Lamiat Sabin, has the full story below:Conrad Duncan2 October 2021 08:021633159018Sunak warns shortages could continue until Christmas ahead of ‘challenging’ winterChancellor Rishi Sunak has warned that shortages could continue until Christmas as supply chain issues are a global problem.In an interview with the Daily Mail, Mr Sunak also admitted that millions of families were facing a “challenging” winter amid a combination of rising energy prices, shortages and the end of the furlough scheme.“These shortages are very real. We’re seeing real disruptions in supply chains in different sectors, not just here but around the world,” the Cabinet minister said.“We are determined to do what we can to try to mitigate as much of this as we can.”However, the chancellor added that he believed the UK could think about its future with “a renewed sense of confidence and optimism”, despite the multiple crises causing disruption to people’s lives. More

Boris Johnson has weighed in on the big debate over who might replace Daniel Craig as the next James Bond.The prime minister did not offer any suggestions on which star should get the sought-after role – but insisted it has “got to be” a man.“I think it will be up to whoever is the next James Bond is to identify him or herself,” he told The Times – before adding: “I think it’s got to be a man, frankly. That’s my view.”Cabinet minister Michael Gove has also said the next Bond should be a man, ridiculing Sir Keir Starmer’s suggestion that a woman takes over as 007.The Labour leader said last week: “I don’t have a favourite Bond, but I do think it is time for a female Bond.”Gove picked out Line of Duty actor Stephen Graham as his tip to take over as 007. “James Bond’s a man,” the minister told The Sun. “We don’t need a female Bond – it’s time for a Scouse Bond, though.”Speculation over Craig’s replacement has been rife ever since the star confirmed he would bow out of the spy franchise after his fifth film, No Time to Die, which has been released to critical acclaim.Tom Hardy has been named bookmaker William Hill’s favourite to play the British spy. Suranne Jones is one of the favourites to star as the first female Bond, with the same bookmaker offering up odds of 9/1.Producer Barbara Broccoli has repeatedly nixed the idea of a female Bond, saying she believes women should be offered interesting and diverse roles of their own, and that Bond will “always be male”.Meanwhile, Mr Johnson refused to say whether he thinks use of the grace-and-favour country house of Chevening should go to his new foreign secretary Liz Truss or justice secretary Dominic Raab.Reports have claimed that Mr Raab is refusing to hand it over access to the mansion in Kent – arguing that his new title of deputy prime minister entitles him to hold on to it.“The people’s government does not deal with fripperies,” the prime minister told The Times when asked about the row.Speaking on the eve of the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Mr Johnson managed to spark outrage by saying “never mind” about cancer death rates and the recent fall in life expectancy.Grilled about his plans for Britain’s recovery from the Covid crisis, Mr Johnson chose to emphasis economic growth over health measures.Pointing to the recent growth in wages, he told the BBC: “I’ve given you the most important metric – never mind life expectancy, never mind cancer outcomes – look at wage growth.”Labour pounced on the remarks – accusing the PM of showing an “outrageous” disregard for the health of British citizens. More