Markus Andrews

Boris Johnson will address the nation on Monday to announce whether the government will lift the vast majority of legal restrictions in England on 19 July amid surging daily cases of Covid and rising hospital admissions.Despite the concerns of some scientists, who have recently called for a delay, the expectation is that the prime minister will rubber-stamp a decision to discard large swathes of the measures that have governed people’s lives since the onset of the pandemic.Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccines minister, said on Sunday he was “confident” the government could press ahead with stage four of the roadmap, allowing venues such as nightclubs to reopen, lifting social distancing measures and removing indoors socialising limits.However, he also conceded it was possible daily hospital admissions could peak in the thousands – just days after Sajid Javid admitted daily cases of new infections could exceed 100,000 later in the summer after restrictions are ditched by the government.At a press conference on Monday, Mr Johnson is expected to confirm the final decision, telling the country “we are tantalisingly close to the final milestone in our roadmap out of lockdown”.Urging caution, he will add: “The plan to restore our freedoms must come with a warning. While the phenomenal vaccine rollout has offered every adult some protection against the virus, and the crucial link between cases, hospitalisations and deaths is weakened, the global pandemic is not yet over.“Cases will rise as we unlock, so as we confirm our plans today, our message will be clear. Caution is absolutely vital, and we must all take responsibility so we don’t undo our progress, ensuring we can protect our NHS.”His remarks come after Mr Zahawi also signalled a stark shift in tone on Sunday, saying that new guidance published tomorrow will be issued, with the public “expected” to wear face coverings in indoor enclosed places, such as public transport.The guidance will not be legally binding, but just last week Mr Johnson suggested people “might choose” to wear face masks in crowded places, while cabinet ministers have also recently claimed there will be lots of people who want to “shed those masks”.Downing Street said the unlocking would be based on four tests – the success of the vaccine rollout, evidence that the vaccine is causing a reduction in hospitalisations and deaths, that infection rates do not risk a surge in hospital admissions, and that no new variants of concern throw progress off track.No 10 added that an analysis from Public Health England (PHE) and the University of Cambridge suggests that vaccines have so far prevented an estimated 8.5 million infections and 30,000 deaths in England alone.According to the latest government statistics, the UK recorded 31,772 positive cases of the virus on Saturday while 26 deaths were also confirmed.Quizzed on hospitalisations on Sunday and whether projections of 3,000 daily admissions were possible, Mr Zahawi told Times Radio: “Clearly all those scenarios are possible, hence why next week what you’ll hear from us is that we proceed to step four with caution, with very clear guidelines on things like the expectation to wear masks in crowded spaces.”He added: “The virus is not over by a long way — we have to be careful. There are no easy decisions.” More

Slovenians voted Sunday in a referendum on changes to the country’s water management law, a ballot seen as a test for the government of right-wing Prime Minister Janez Jansa Jansa’s government approved the amendments in March but ecologists have pushed through the referendum, saying the changes threaten the environment and water quality.The issue has sparked a heated debate in the small European Union nation of 2 million people known for its stunningly beautiful Alpine scenery. The right to water was enshrined in the country’s constitution in 2016.At the center of the dispute is a provision regulating the construction of buildings, including hotels, shops and restaurants, close to the sea, rivers or lakes. While the government insists it has tightened the construction rules and provided more water and flood protection funds, opponents claim the regulations favor the interests of private investors, limit public access to water and jeopardize its quality. The water dispute has reflected heightened political tensions in Slovenia, where Jansa’s government has faced accusations of curbing democratic and media freedoms in the traditionally liberal nation.Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak complained that the referendum is not about “rational voting.” “It’s more or less about emotions, about politics,” he said. “I am sorry that water as a great commodity is being used for these purposes.”Jansa also has faced EU scrutiny over his populist ways as Slovenia took over the European Union’s six-month rotating presidency earlier this month. For the referendum to succeed, a majority of those who voted and at least one-fifth of around 1.7 million eligible voters — around 340,000 — must reject the water law amendments. Early voting in nursing homes and at several polling stations has drawn a record number of more than 84,000 citizens, suggesting high public interest in the topic. Slovenian electoral authorities said Sunday that turnout was almost 30% by mid-afternoon, according to the STA news agency. Anita, a woman in Ljubljana the capital, who didn’t give her last name, said “I’m very interested in this vote.”“I think we have to decide for our own future,” she added. “’ think its good that we hold polls and referendums on important questions.”The referendum came after environmental and civil society groups joined together in a “Movement for Drinkable Water” and collected more than 50,000 signatures demanding it. More

Nadhim Zahawi says people will be expected to wear masks in indoors enclosed spacesBoris Johnson will share the government’s latest coronavirus data with the nation tomorrow, and is expected to confirm the next phase of easing restrictions on 19 July, according to vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi.Appearing on Sky News’ Trevor Phillips on Sunday, Mr Zahawi revealed guidance will include being “expected to wear masks in indoor enclosed places” – even though the legal requirement to do so would be dropped. Meanwhile, the government’s Test and Trace service is “panicking” as it rushes to fill thousands of vacant contact tracing positions – just months after making thousands of clinical staff redundant – amid fears a summer wave of coronavirus will see a 100,000 infections a day.Under the plans, the new recruits will have no clinical training and be paid at substantially cheaper rates compared to the nurses and other clinical staff who were made redundant en masse in May, as test and trace bosses said demand on the service had reduced.Show latest update

1626015302Olympic torch relay moved due to spike in Covid casesThe mayors of two Tokyo islands have asked the metropolitan government to take the planned Olympic torch relay off public roads, according to reports in Japan’s Kyodo News agency.It comes amid a surge in coronavirus cases, the leaders of Oshima and Hachijo said. Yoshihide Suga, the country’s PM, on Thursday declared a state of emergency in Tokyo.Olympic officials last week barred all fans from venues in Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures. More

People should continue to work from home for the next four to six weeks if they are able to do so amid surging cases of coronavirus, a key figure at Public Health England has urged.As Boris Johnson prepares to drop the work-from-home guidance on 19 July, alongside vast swathes of legal restrictions, Dr Susan Hopkins warned the country was “approximately three doubling times away from the peak” of the third wave.She added if the R rate of transmission exceeded 2, it would be “high likely” the country would see “very high numbers of hospital admissions”. On 6 July, 563 patients were admitted to hospital in the UK.Speaking to Times Radio, the PHE adviser, who has made regular appearances at the No 10 Covid briefings, said she recognised the government was “very keen” to get people back to the office.“But I think over the next four to six weeks that needs to be very cautiously implemented by businesses to keep transmission down,” she insisted.Dr Hopkins added: “There are advantages to being in workplaces and many people have to go into workplaces.“If you are able to do your business effectively from home then I think over the next four to six weeks, with a rise in cases, we should try our best to do that. Then we should continue to look and see and have a cautious return to the office over the coming weeks once we start to see a decline in the number of cases.”Earlier this week, chancellor Rishi Sunak said he was looking forward to people returning to offices and stressed the benefits to workers from being with their colleagues, particularly for the young, while the prime minister also told a press conference last week: “It will no longer be necessary for the government to instruct people to work from home, so employers will be able to start planning a safe return to the workplace.”Dr Hopkins’ comments came after the vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi, said the government would be issuing guidance on Monday stating that people will be “expected” to continue wearing face masks in enclosed public spaces when restrictions are dropped.Dr Hopkins said she would “strongly advise” people to continue to wear face coverings, “in crowded spaces, especially amongst people you don’t know personally and aren’t part of your household, or your close contacts”.She added: “I would also advise them on public transport. Because that is often the private space where you don’t have any idea who you’re in contact with. They prevent the infection that you may have unknowingly spread to others.” More

Boris Johnson is facing mounting resistance over plans to cut the £20-per-week universal credit uplift, as a group of northern Conservative MPs warned the government it would “hamper” the economic recovery.Describing the emergency payments as a “life-saver” for people during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Northern Research Group (NRG), representing around 50 MPs, again called on ministers to keep the increase in place.It comes amid growing Tory unease over the reluctance in No 10 and the Treasury to extend the measure – first introduced at the onset of the pandemic – beyond September, despite the impact of the crisis continuing to reverberate.One former cabinet minister told The Independent the move would hurt “many, many families” and risks “resurrecting old ghosts” over perceptions of the Conservatives’ attitude towards poverty.Seeking to capitalise on disquiet within the Conservative ranks and prevent the cut from going ahead, Labour also said it would “use every parliamentary mechanism available” to force a vote in the Commons when MPs return from the summer recess.Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, announced a six-month extension to the uplift at the Budget in March after facing intense pressure from campaigners and MPs across the political divide, including the NRG.But with the government confirming this week that the increased payment would be “phased out” from September, a spokesperson for the NRG told The Independent: “This uplift has been a life-saver for many people during the pandemic.“Keeping the uplift is not a zero-sum game for the government. Many people on universal credit are in work or want to be in work and we shouldn’t pull the rug from under their feet”.Speaking earlier this week, the work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey confirmed the uplift would be “phased out” from September and said a collective decision was made to “shift the focus strongly into getting people into work” as restrictions ease.The prime minister also echoed the comment, adding: “If you’re going to make a choice between more welfare or better, higher-paid jobs, I’m going to go for better, higher-paid jobs.”The NRG spokesperson added: “The effects of coronavirus restrictions have been disproportionately felt by the North. We have been in lockdown longer than any other area of the country. That is why we have seen such a rapid growth rate in new universal credit claims.“This uplift goes hand-in-hand with the government’s jobs-led recovery by supporting people in the right way. To end it now would only hamper the economic recovery ahead”.The call from the group representing northern Tory MPs comes after six former Conservative work and pensions secretaries, including Iain Duncan Smith, wrote to the government urging the uplift, introduced by ministers as a temporary measure, to be put on a “permanent footing”.Speaking to The Independent, Stephen Crabb, one of the former ministers who signed the letter to the chancellor, said the “evidence is pretty clear and overwhelming is that this is a measure that will hurt many, many families”.“The government need to recognise that it will be a consequence for us removing this £20 uplift will be we will be adding to the poverty figures of this country,” he added.Asked what message removing the uplift would send to the country, Mr Crabb replied: “We’ve been through a year when the country seems to have really valued togetherness and valued and recognised the importance of collective spending to defend society, whether that’s public health, or protecting people’s incomes.“I don’t think just because we’re vaccinated now and the seriousness of the pandemic seems to be receding, I don’t think those sentiments in society will disappear.“I don’t think this is 2014-15, I think the government has got to be very careful that we are not resurrecting old ghosts about when it comes to perceptions of the Conservative Party and our attitudes to poverty and poor people.”

The government must be careful not to penalise the poorest in societyDan Poulter, Conservative MPDan Poulter, the Conservative MP for Central Suffolk and Ipswich North said that a number of his colleagues had concerns about the cut, saying: “The government must be careful not to penalise the poorest in society when taking the necessary steps to balance the books and pay for the cost of the pandemic. We will see what the full proposals are and I hope we get the chance to have a vote on them.”Another Tory MP insisted: “The government shouldn’t be removing the £20 uplift. The need remains.”For Labour, the shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Reynolds, described the decision to remove the measure in the autumn as “economically and morally wrong”, claiming it would reduce social security benefits in the UK to the lowest real terms level for 30 years.“I’d say to the government if they are absolutely sure this is the right thing to do, put it to a vote,” he told The Independent. “Put it to a vote in parliament and make the case that they are trying to make.”But in the absence of the government agreeing to a vote, Mr Reynolds added: “We are going to do everything in our power to obtain a vote in parliament.”The party hopes it will be granted an Opposition Day Debate when MPs return from the summer recess in September in order to highlight the issue just weeks before the uplift is set to be cut.While the tactic would be non-binding, it would create a political headache for the government, with Tory MPs forced to vote in the Commons on whether to extend or end the payments, worth over £1,000 per year, for some of the lowest earning families in Britain.Speaking at the Commons Liaison Committee on Wednesday, and pressed on whether the government would review the cut before September, Mr Johnson replied: “Of course I keep everything under constant review, but I’ve given you a pretty clear steer about what my instincts are”. More

Nadhim Zahawi has refused to say whether Boris Johnson was “wrong” to claim the link between Covid cases, severe disease and deaths had been “severed” by the vaccination programme.Under repeated questioning, the vaccines minister did not repeat the remark, but also attempted to insist the prime minister had not misled MPs – despite the chief scientific adviser stating the link had not been “broken”.It comes after the newly appointed health secretary, Sajid Javid, conceded daily cases could exceed 100,000 in the summer, but the government is expected to stick to the plan of easing remaining Covid restrictions on 19 July.Speaking at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, Mr Johnson told MP it was “certainly true” there was a “wave of cases” due to the impact of the Delta variant first identified in India.Attempting to defend the government’s position, he added: “Scientists are also absolutely clear that we have severed the link between infection and serious disease and death. Currently there are only a 30th of the deaths that we were seeing at an equivalent position in previous waves of this pandemic”.However, just two days before he made the remark, chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance told a No 10 press conference the vaccines had “weakened” the link between cases and hospitalisations, but stressed it was a “not a completely broken link, and we will still see increases in hospitalisations”.Challenged multiple times on whether Mr Johnson was “wrong” to make the remark in the House of Commons, Mr Zahawi told the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme: “The prime minister agrees with his chief scientific adviser and his chief medical adviser that we have severely weakened the link through the vaccination programme”.He also replied “no” when quizzed on whether the prime minister had then misled MPs by suggesting the link had been “severed”, adding: “We’re dancing on the head of a pin here.“What the PM was saying is he looks at the data on a daily basis and if you look at where we are in terms of case numbers today and what is happening in hospitals, it’s a very different look [than earlier in year].”Mr Zahawi went on: “Ultimately the prime minister agrees with his chief scientific adviser that we have severely weakened that link and you see it in the numbers — we have to be cautious.The minister also revealed Mr Johnson would front a No 10 press conference on Monday, where a final decision on the easing of the vast majority of Covid restrictions in England is expected to be announced.He said guidelines would also be published, “on things like mask-wearing, there’s an expectation on people to wear masks indoors, in crowded places, on public transport. There’s both a personal responsibility and a corporate responsibility”. More

New guidance will be issued by the government telling the public they are “expected” to wear face coverings in indoor enclosed places, the vaccines minister has said.Nadhim Zahawi also said he was “confident” the government would ease almost all legal restrictions on 19 July — despite surging cases of the virus and concerns expressed by scientists.Speaking on Sky News, he said: “It’s important we remain cautious and careful. The guidelines that we’ll set out tomorrow will demonstrate that, including guidelines that people are expected to wear a mask in indoor enclosed spaces, and of course remain vigilant.”While the guidance will not be legally binding, his remarks appear to be a shift in stance from Boris Johnson’s comments just last week, who said people “might choose” to follow the guidance in areas where cases are on the rise and in enclosed spaces, such as public transport at peak hours.Asked whether the government was seeing anything in the data that might prevent the prime minister giving the green light to lift legal restrictions in just over a week, Mr Zahawi added Mr Johnson will on Monday “share with the country the latest data”.He added: “The really good news is that 86 per cent now of all adults have got the protection of one dose and 65 per cent are now protected with two doses. The target is that get to 66 per cent double-jabbed by the 19 July — we will meet that target.“So I’m confident that we can proceed with Step 4, but cautiously. We will setting out tomorrow guidelines — everything from mask wearing.“The transition from mandating, or government by diktat to taking personal responsibility.. about proceeding cautiously.“This pandemic is not over, we’re seeing a rise in infection rates in this country, but also in Europe and elsewhere. The difference for us is that the vaccination programme has been so successful”.In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, health secretary Sajid Javid also also suggested it would “irresponsible” for people not to wear face coverings in crowded enclosed spaces, adding: “They’re not play their role as a responsible citizen”.His opposite number, Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth, however, said: “Given Sajid Javid now considers it irresponsible to not wear masks then it would be equally irresponsible for his government to carry on with the plan to lift mask requirements while infections are heading to 100,000 a day.“Reopening the economy must be done in a safe and sustainable way. That means continued mask wearing, support for increased ventilation standards in premises, decent sick pay, allowing people to continue working from home and ensuring all can access testing rather than introducing charges for lateral flow tests as Sajid Javid now proposes.”The vaccines minister Mr Zahawi also dismissed a report in The Sunday Times, which suggested the gap between people receiving the two doses of a Covid-19 jab could be cut from eight to four weeks.He said he was “slightly puzzled where the story has come from”, adding: “The real-world data, the clinical data suggest that actually the eight-week interval offers the additional fortification in terms of protection with the two doses, at much better than having the interval shortened any further.” More

The government is under increasing pressure to reverse its multibillion-pound cut to foreign aid, as a group of charities and philanthropists pledge to help plug the gap with emergency funds.Criticism of the government’s cut, which equates to a shortfall of £4 billion a year, came from Labour and the Archbishop of Canterbury.It comes after a report revealed that the consortium of charities, which includes the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will pledge more than £100 million to a one-year plan to partially replace the cuts.The donation by charities – including the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the ELMA Foundation and Open Society Foundations – will target projects working on preventable diseases and family planning, according to The Sunday Times.The UN’s family planning agency (UNFPA) is set to lose about 85 per cent of its funding from the UK, a cut of approximately £130m.Prime minister Boris Johnson’s government had announced a reduction in foreign aid from 0.7 per cent of national income – which is enshrined in law – to 0.5 per cent in November last year. The government said the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic had forced ministers to take “tough but necessary decisions”.A group of about 50 Tory MPs, including Mr Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May, are demanding a parliamentary vote on the government’s decision to slash the foreign aid budget.The emergency funding from the charities was welcomed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who said it was “desperately needed”, but he called on the government to restore its commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on foreign aid.Labour’s shadow international development secretary Preet Kaur Gill said the philanthropists’ decision to step in has embarrassed the UK.“This is a shameful moment for this Conservative government,” Ms Gill said in a statement.“As low-income countries continue to battle against the pandemic, this contribution to try and plug some of the gap left by the government’s slashing of life-saving paid programmes is welcome, but it will only be able to prevent the very worst of the damage caused.“The government’s decision to cut the aid budget, against the wishes of parliament, has already cost lives and they must reverse it or put to a vote as soon as possible.”A government spokesperson has said that the UK will “return to spending 0.7 per cent of gross national income on international development as soon as the fiscal situation allows.” More