Markus Andrews

The Lib Dems have overturned a large Tory majority to win the Chesham and Amersham by-election, claiming a seat that had been a Conservative stronghold for decades.The result sees Lib Dem Sarah Green become the country’s newest MP, taking 56.7 per cent of the vote to secure a majority of 8,028 over the second-placed Tories.The Lib Dem victory “sends a shockwave through British politics”, said the party’s leader Ed Davey, exposing the potential fragility of Boris Johnson’s party in the “Blue Wall” of southern England.The contest was triggered by the death of former minister Dame Cheryl Gillan, who won in Chesham and Amersham with a majority of 16,233 in the last general election in 2019.At the declaration, Ms Green said the result showed “this Conservative Party has taken people across the country for granted for far too long”.In her acceptance speech Ms Green said: “Tonight the voice of Chesham and Amersham is unmistakable. Together we have said, ‘Enough is enough, we will be heard and this Government will listen’.“This campaign has shown that no matter where you live, or how supposedly safe a constituency may appear to be, if you want a Liberal Democrat member of Parliament, you can have a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament.”She added: “We will continue the work of holding this Government to account for letting Covid rip through the care homes. We will speak up for the three million people excluded from financial support throughout the pandemic and we will challenge Boris Johnson to be far more ambitious in tackling climate change, supporting our frontline workers and backing our small businesses.”The Tories sought to downplay the result, saying it was historically difficult for governing parties to win by-elections, but defeated candidate Peter Fleet acknowledged the Conservatives had to rebuild “trust and understanding” with voters.Mr Fleet said: “Clearly this was a very disappointing result, not the result that I was expecting nor my team.”He added: “It’s an absolutely extraordinary result which must take into account the fact that the Liberal Democrat party didn’t just throw the kitchen sink at this constituency, I think it was the microwave, the table, the oven, the dishwasher, the dog, the cat and anything else that was lying around as well.”Additional reporting by agencies More

The silence was deafening when the chief of NHS England was asked if he agreed that health secretary Matt Hancock is “hopeless”.Sir Simon Stevens was asked repeatedly if he has confidence in Mr Hancock’s ability but declined to answer.Pressed by Sky News political editor Beth Rigby on whether the health secretary is “hopeless,” Sir Simon can be seen to smirk and fail to answer.“I mean, that is a political question,” he says.It comes after former aide Dominic Cummings published text messages from Boris Johnson in which the prime minister appeared to describe Mr Hancock as “totally f***ing hopeless”.In a blog post exceeding 7,000 words, Mr Cummings also published another private message about the struggles to procure ventilators for Covid-19 patients.”It’s Hancock. He has been hopeless,” a contact appearing to be Mr Johnson replied on 27 March last year.In another message, on 27 April last year, the prime minister appeared to call the situation around personal protective equipment (PPE) “a disaster” and alluded to diverting some responsibilities to Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove.”I can’t think of anything except taking Hancock off and putting Gove on,” Mr Johnson apparently added.Mr Hancock has denied the Brexit campaigner’s allegations and said last week it was “telling” that he was yet to provide the joint Health and Social Care Committee and Science and Technology Committee with written evidence.When he appeared before the same committee last week, Mr Hancock said he had seen no evidence to suggest any medics died because of a lack of PPE.But Mr Cummings said in his blog post that the health secretary sought to blame Sir Simon, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, and the Cabinet Office for a “PPE disaster” in April last year.Mr Cummings alleged: “The lack of PPE killed NHS and care home staff in March-May.”He said the initial post shows that “No10/Hancock have repeatedly lied about the failures last year” and accused them of now trying to “rewrite history”.Sir Simons is due to step down as head of NHS England at the end of July. More

Democratic Unionist Party leader Edwin Poots has resigned after just 20 days in the job.Mr Poots was forced out by a revolt among his party’s MPs and MLAs over a deal struck in the early hours of Thursday to allow the creation of a new power-sharing executive at Stormont.His nominee for first minister Paul Givan was installed at the head of the new executive, with Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill as deputy, despite an overwhelming vote by DUP representatives against putting forward a candidate.But Mr Poots later went into a meeting of the party’s officers, which ended with a statement announcing the end of his leadership, less than three weeks after he was ratified as leader on 28 May.In his statement, Mr Poots said: “I have asked the party chairman to commence an electoral process within the party to allow for a new leader of the Democratic Unionist Party to be elected.“The party has asked me to remain in post until my successor is elected.“This has been a difficult period for the party and the country and I have conveyed to the chairman my determination to do everything I can to ensure both unionism and Northern Ireland is able to move forward to a stronger place.”A Sinn Fein spokesperson said: “Sinn Fein has worked for weeks to bring stability to the executive. We have monumental challenges ahead that will require unity of purpose and urgency. They include tackling the totally unacceptable hospital waiting lists that have left people crucified, in pain and without hope. That is our focus and should remain the focus of all ministers in the executive.”The resignation of Mr Poots will raise question marks over Mr Givan’s position, with senior DUP MP Sammy Wilson saying: “If Edwin is no longer leader, then whoever did become leader would have the choice of the first minister.”And it throws the power-sharing arrangements into crisis, with doubts over whether a new executive can be formed.Mr Wilson and fellow-MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson – who was beaten by just two votes by Mr Poots in the race to replace Arlene Foster in May – were being tipped in Belfast as possible successors.During his time as leader, the former agriculture minister won headlines outside Northern Ireland largely for his creationist view that the world is just 6,000 years old.The dramatic sequence of events which led to Mr Poots’ ousting began with an announcement by Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis around 1am on Thursday that the UK government would put legislation protecting the Irish language through the Westminster parliament if Stormont failed to make it law by September.The language issue had threatened to block the restoration of power-sharing, with Sinn Féin making clear it would not renominate Ms O’Neill to her former position unless the DUP agreed to press ahead with legislation which was promised in an earlier agreement but has not yet been delivered.But by the morning, a revolt was brewing, with a letter from all but one of the unionist party’s MPs and all of its representatives in the House of Lords voicing disquiet and demanding an urgent meeting with the leader.Mr Poots and Mr Givan attended a meeting of DUP MLAs and MPs, but are understood to have left before a vote in which those present are believed to have voted 24-4 against the decision to nominate a first minister.The atmosphere at the meeting was described by party sources as “dreadful, utterly dreadful” and “bedlam”. Another said: “The meeting was in total disarray.”And following Mr Givan’s installation, rumours began to spread of proposals for a vote of no confidence in Mr Poots.Amid the turmoil, former leader Ms Foster seemingly took delight in trolling the man who forced her out of power, tweeting about her “lovely lunch” at a Belfast restaurant and adding: “Hope everyone is having a great day this lovely sunny afternoon.”The new leader – who beat Sir Jeffrey by 19 votes to 17 in the race to replace Ms Foster on 14 May and took office as first minister on 28 May – later arrived at DUP headquarters for a meeting with party officers.Arriving at the meeting, DUP MP Sammy Wilson said that any leader who does not have the support of party officers will “find it very difficult” to stay in their position.“You cannot lead people who are not following you. If you have no followers, you can’t be a leader, can you?” he said.Explaining the reasons for the rebellion, Mr Wilson said: “The one thing I can tell you is that there is no appetite for a situation where we have an Assembly which can have its powers stripped from it by the secretary of state at a whim simply because Sinn Féin demand that they get something that they can’t persuade others in the assembly to deliver for them.”Sinn Féin MLA Chris Hazzard tweeted following Mr Poots’ resignation: “Important to remember that the DUP are imploding due to very reasonable language rights being secured 15years after they were first promised by a British government and 15 months after the DUP themselves agreed to legislate.” More

Human rights campaigners have accused Boris Johnson of “fuelling repression” by meeting with Bahrain’s crown prince and prime minister amid the Gulf state’s “systematic” use of torture to suppress dissent.The UN high commissioner for human rights said earlier this year that the country was in “violation of international law” over its treatment of prisoners.There have also been allegations of other human rights breaches, including evidence that detained children as young as 13 are beaten and threatened with rape.Jeed Basyouni, from the organisation Reprieve, said: “The UK government often says how proud it is of its partnership with Bahrain. So why is it slipping the Bahraini crown prince in through the back door without announcing the visit? “The truth is, British government officials know that the Bahraini authorities systematically use torture and death sentences to suppress dissent, and in spite of this the UK provides generous support to the very bodies implicated in these abuses. This support is out of step with British values, and should be withdrawn until the Bahraini government stops using torture confessions to sentence political prisoners to death.”Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s visit follows a meeting between Priti Patel, the home secretary, and General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s interior minister, last month. The interior minister is blamed for the recent torture of political prisoners.Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, director of the human rights group Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, called for human rights issues to be central to the UK’s negotiations of any future trade deal.Mr Alwadaei said: “The last time I protested against a visit to 10 Downing Street by Bahraini royals, members of my family were thrown in prison, so I understand why Boris Johnson held this meeting in secret. “If Britain is truly seeking a free trade deal with a regime that holds political prisoners as hostages, tortures children and throws even mild critics in jail, it is imperative that human rights issues are at the core of any future trade relationship.”Additionally, the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) underlined the UK’s sale of weapons to Bahrain: the UK has licensed £120m worth of arms to the regime since the 2011 uprising, including £49m worth of aircraft equipment and almost £40m worth of small arms and ammunition.Andrew Smith, spokesperson for the CAAT, said: “The Bahraini regime has a long and shameful history of atrocities and abuses. The images of Boris Johnson welcoming one of its most senior members into Downing Street is sickening. It will be regarded as a clear and unambiguous sign of support by the dictatorship, while undermining the work of human rights defenders.“Pro-democracy campaigners have endured many years of abuse at the hands of the Bahraini authorities. Regardless of the torture and violence that has been inflicted, Johnson and his predecessors have provided an uncritical political and military support for the Bahraini royal family. Cozy meetings and photoshoots on the steps of Downing Street are a key part of that support.”He added that the prime minister’s vision of “global Britain” appears to entail “talking about the importance of democracy while fuelling repression and empowering abusers”.A Downing Street spokesperson said the two leaders had “reflected on the close and historic partnership between the UK and Bahrain” and agreed to further strengthen “economic, security and diplomatic cooperation” between the countries.“The leaders discussed the global effort against Covid-19 and support for international initiatives to combat the pandemic, including Covax. They also spoke about regional security issues and defence collaboration, and the prime minister commended the Bahraini government’s steps to normalise relations with Israel,” the statement said.The spokesperson added that Mr Johnson looked forward “to deepening cooperation on green technology and the transition to renewable energy” with Bahrain. More

Boris Johnson’s Brexit minister David Frost has formally requested a three-month extension to the “grace period” before a ban on chilled meat exports to Northern Ireland, from 30 June to 30 September.The request, in a letter to European Commission vice-president Maros Sevcovic, is designed to provide time to resolve the so-called “sausage war” with Brussels, after talks ran into the sand with the end-of-month deadline approaching.Brussels said in response that it would “assess” the proposal and that Mr Sefcovic was ready to meet Lord Frost “as soon as possible” to discuss it.But in a statement, the commission said that the UK must “fully implement” the Northern Ireland protocol agreed by Mr Johnson in 2019, which includes measures to protect the EU single market including an end to movements of chilled meats from the British mainland.“There is no alternative to the protocol,” said the commission.“When looking for solutions, providing stability and predictability for the people of Northern Ireland will be of paramount importance.”The sausage ban was required by Brussels in order to avoid Northern Ireland becoming a backdoor to the single market for food products which do not meet European standards. A six-month grace period was permitted in the agreement in order to give retailers time to adapt.Mr Johnson’s decision to tear up Theresa May’s “backstop” and instead draw a customs border down the Irish Sea has effectively left Northern Ireland within the single market area, forcing complicated checks on goods arriving from the rest of the UK.The prime minister has previously suggested he is willing to order a unilateral extension to the grace period, or even to suspend the protocol, in order to prevent a situation where consumers in Northern Ireland are unable to buy chilled meat products from elsewhere in the UK.At last weekend’s G7 summit in Cornwall, Mr Johnson was confronted by a series of EU leaders – including commission president Ursula von der Leyen, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel – telling him to implement the arrangements which he signed up to.London argues that the EU is taking an unnecessarily “purist” approach to implementing the agreement, but acknowledges that there has been no breach by Brussels.The UK is resisting EU proposals to resolve the situation by aligning with European standards on animal welfare and hygiene, which it fears could stand in the way of future trade deals with countries like the US.But Brussels has rejected Lord Frost’s call for it to simply accept that standards in the UK are broadly equivalent and that British sausages do not pose any safety risk. More

A new first minister for Northern Ireland was installed today amid open dissent among his own DUP party over concessions made to Sinn Fein in order to restore power-sharing.There were threats of a vote of no confidence in DUP leader Edwin Poots, which could bring an abrupt end to Paul Givan’s tenure as the Stormont executive’s youngest ever leader at just 39.All but one of the unionist party’s MPs and all of its representatives in the House of Lords signed a letter this morning voicing disquiet about a deal brokered late last night to permit the establishment of a new administration in the wake of Arlene Foster’s resignation.Under the terms of the deal, Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis said the UK government would put legislation protecting the Irish language through Westminster if Stormont fails to make it law by September.The move cleared the way for Mr Givan to take up the position of first minister, with Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill as deputy first minister, later in the day.The language issue had threatened to block the restoration of power-sharing, with Sinn Fein making clear it would not nominate Ms O’Neill to her former position unless the DUP agreed to press ahead with legislation which was promised in an earlier agreement but has not yet been delivered.Mr Lewis hailed the breakthrough as “an important milestone in the delivery of our shared commitments”.But DUP MPs and peers responded with an email to Mr Poots warning they were “very concerned about this development” and requesting an urgent meeting.Mr Poots and Mr Givan attended a fractious meeting of DUP MLAs and MPs, but are understood to have left before a vote in which those present voted 24-4 against the decision to nominate a first minister.The atmosphere at the meeting was described by party sources as “dreadful, utterly dreadful” and “bedlam”. Another said: “The meeting was in total disarray.”And following Mr Givan’s installation, rumours began to spread of proposals for a vote of no confidence in Mr Poots.Amid the turmoil, former leader Ms Foster seemingly took delight in trolling the man who forced her out of power, tweeting about her “lovely lunch” at a Belfast restaurant and adding: “Hope everyone is having a great day this lovely sunny afternoon.”The new leader, who took office less than a month ago after Ms Foster’s 28 May resignation, later arrived at DUP headquarters for a meeting with party officers.Arriving at the meeting, DUP MP Sammy Wilson did not rule out the possibility of a confidence vote. And asked if Mr Poots would survive it, he replied: “It wouldn’t be a final decision, it would be decision by the executive.“I think that any leader who doesn’t have the confidence of party officers and didn’t have the confidence of their assembly group and their MPs will find it very difficult to stay in their position.“You cannot lead people who are not following you. If you have no followers, you can’t be a leader, can you?”Mr Wilson made it clear that Mr Givan’s position would be in doubt if Mr Poots was toppled.“If Edwin is no longer leader, then whoever did become leader would have the choice of the first minister,” said Mr Wilson. “These are all decisions we have got to make.”And he added: “The one thing I can tell you is that there is no appetite for a situation where we have an assembly which can have its powers stripped from it by the secretary of state at a whim simply because Sinn Fein demand that they get something that they can’t persuade others in the assembly to deliver for them.”Party chair Lord Morrow told reporters they would have to “wait and see” whether there would be a vote of no confidence in Mr Poots. More

Today’s daily politics briefingA fall in the number of EU workers in the UK after Brexit is hitting the meat sector hard with industry leaders warning of a 10 per cent fall in output.The British Poultry Council has sounded the alarm over a shortage of staff in both farming and processing since Easter.“One or two have said to me that they are only one or two weeks away from failing to deliver to retail customers and saying to farmers that they can no longer take animals off the farm,” Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association, told the FT. Meanwhile, the UK government is said to be considering unilaterally extending elements of the Brexit grace period in order to allow the movement of chilled meats such as sausages into Northern Ireland, if the EU does not agree to an extension.The Belfast Telegraph quoted a senior government source as saying that Brussels will this week be asked to extend the grace period, with London said to be set on pushing ahead with the measure even if the EU refuses.Show latest update

1623941322How Brexit complicates the post-pandemic recoveryAs when blood returns to frozen limbs there is bound to be some stiffness, pain and difficulty; so there is when the economy returns to normal after a shock, writes John Rentoul.Most of the figures suggest that Britain is bouncing back quickly from the coronavirus recession, but there are increasing signs that labour shortages are starting to be a problem.This is where leaving the EU could complicate the recovery, because – unlike other countries that shut down during the virus – the UK made fundamental changes to its labour market at the same time.Leonie Chao-Fong17 June 2021 15:481623940302Dido Harding ‘applies to be NHS England chief’ – reportsDido Harding has applied to become the next head of NHS England, Health Service Journal reports. The baroness left her role leading the government’s widely criticised test and trace programme in April and last week said she was “thinking about” applying to succeed Sir Simon Stevens in the role of chief executive of the health service when he steps down later this year.Her appointment to the head of NHS England would be highly controversial, given the heavy criticism she has faced over the test and trace system – set to cost £37bn over two years.Leonie Chao-Fong17 June 2021 15:311623939222What does the storm in Stormont mean for Northern Irish voters?“Crisis” is a term that’s never far away in Northern Ireland, but the current storm in Stormont is building up more quickly and more ominously than usual. If the situation continues to deterioriate then the province will, in effect, be governed by civil servants and ministers in the Northern Ireland Office. Sean O’Grady explains why the ultimate losers will be the Northern Irish voters:Leonie Chao-Fong17 June 2021 15:131623938562The Independent to host free virtual panel event on the EU referendum’s fifth anniversaryFive years on from the UK referendum that would see us leave the EU and what have we learned?The Independent’s political commentators John Rentoul and Andrew Grice will be joined by two guest speakers, David Gauke and the Rt Hon Lord Adonis, to discuss this and many other Brexit related issues.The event will be held on June 23 at 6.30pm. To sign up for free to the Zoom panel discussion, and submit a question to the panel ahead of the event, click here.Leonie Chao-Fong17 June 2021 15:021623937563Holyrood should have vote on Australia trade deal, says SturgeonThe UK’s new trade deal with Australia should be subject to a vote in the House of Commons and Holyrood, Nicola Sturgeon has said.Scotland’s First Minister has repeatedly raised concerns over the deal, which she says will hurt Scottish farmers and food producers as cheaper imports undercut them. Speaking during First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood today, Ms Sturgeon said the final deal should be voted on by elected representatives.“The detail of this should be published in full, it should be put to a vote,” she said. “I would suggest it should be put to a vote not just in the House of Commons, but a vote in this Parliament as well, so that we can represent the interests of the farming community across Scotland.“I am deeply concerned about the implications of this trade deal and future trade deals on our farming sector in Scotland.”Leonie Chao-Fong17 June 2021 14:461623936543Covid vaccines open to all over-18s from tomorrow, Hancock announcesAll over-18s are to be invited to receive coronavirus jabs from Friday, health secretary Matt Hancock has announced.Mr Hancock said that the move came as the UK passed the milestone of giving a first dose of vaccine to four out of five adults, writes Andrew Woodcock. He told the annual conference of the NHS Confederation that the speed and scale of protection offered to people across the country was “an incredible achievement”.Leonie Chao-Fong17 June 2021 14:291623935684Manchester Arena attack inquiry: ‘Missed opportunities’ by police and security to prevent bombing or save livesPolice, security staff and the operators of Manchester Arena missed numerous opportunities to prevent the 2017 bombing or significantly reduce the death toll, a public inquiry has found.A report published on Thursday listed numerous failings, including the “inadequate” actions by security guards after a man raised concerns about Abedi because he feared he was a terrorist.Sir John Saunders, chair of the inquiry, said that despite the 2015 attack at the Bataclan in Paris and “severe” national terror threat level at the time, no-one responsible for security at the arena “believed it could happen to them”.He added: “I am satisfied that there were a number of missed opportunities to alter the course of what happened that night. More should have been done.”Leonie Chao-Fong17 June 2021 14:141623934743More than one in five pupils in England now eligible for free school mealsMore than one in five pupils in England are now eligible for free school meals following a surge during the pandemic, according to new government figures.Data released by the Department for Education (DfE) shows an additional 300,000 children became eligible for free school meals over a year, making up 20.8% of pupils in England. This is an increase from 17.3% in January 2020.In total, 1.74 million children in England are now eligible. The north east saw the highest rates but the DfE said all regions saw some increase from the previous year. Leonie Chao-Fong17 June 2021 13:591623933663Ryanair and Manchester Airports group take legal action over ‘amber list’Ryanair and Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which also owns London Stansted and East Midlands airports, are to launch a legal challenge against the government to reveal the basis for decisions on the “traffic light” allocation of nations.The aim is to increase pressure on reopening many more countries to international travel over the next few weeks.Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, said: “The UK’s traffic light system has been a complete shambles from the beginning. “This go-stop-go-stop policy is causing untold damage to the aviation industry and frustrating and upsetting millions of British families when they see their holiday plans and family visits disrupted by the Government’s mismanagement of international travel.“We call on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to explain the scientific basis behind this system that the Government seem to make up as they go along, and to establish a data-driven transparent model that could restore confidence in air travel ahead of the very crucial peak summer months.”Leonie Chao-Fong17 June 2021 13:411623932763No plans to give workers a right to stay away from the office, says No 10The government has no plans to introduce legislation that would bar many bosses from forcing employees into the workplace , No 10 has insisted.At a Downing Street briefing today, the PM’s spokesman said: “There are no plans to make working from home permanent or introduce a legal right to work from home.” But he did confirm that the government is consulting on making flexible working easier that would cover “a range of working arrangements around the time, place, hours of work, and includes part-time working and flexitime, compressed hours”.A report in The Daily Mail on Thursday claimed ministers were considering proposals that would mean millions of UK workers could be given the right to work from home permanently.Leonie Chao-Fong17 June 2021 13:26 More

England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty has warned he is expecting a “further winter surge” of Covid, but suggested the scale was still “uncertain”.In a keynote speech, professor Whitty stressed the autumn and winter months favour respiratory diseases, adding: “I do think that there will be further problems over the winter”.But he said it would be “surprising” if it was on the scale of the winter just gone, which resulted in England’s third national lockdown, telling the NHS Confederation conference on Thursday it “was the worst any of us could remember”.On the current situation, he said it was “likely to be a third surge and possibly a significant wave” — just days after Boris Johnson delayed the easing of all Covid restrictions amid rising infections linked to the Delta variant first detected in India.Praised the efforts of the NHS during the pandemic, however, professor Whitty said the vaccination rollout was increasing protection for individuals, particularly after a second jab, by substantially reducing transmission of the virus and hospitalisations.“The immediate forward view is all over the newspapers,” he said. “I believe there is a range of possible scenarios, but we are definitely in a situation where there is a further surge and I think the height of that surge is still uncertain,” he said. “We’ll have to see how this goes over the next several weeks.“But that will definitely translate into further hospitalisations and unfortunately will definitely translate to further deaths.”In the medium term, he added: “My expectation is that we will get a further winter surge — late autumn-winter surge. “And that’s because we know that winter/autumn favour respiratory viruses and therefore it would be very surprising if this particularly highly transmissible virus was not also favoured. So we’ll get the current wave — an exit wave — then I do think most people think that there will be further problems over the winter.“How big they will be I think is uncertain — that partly depends on do we get any variants that can evade vaccines better and depends on how the current wave passes through the UK.”He later said: “In terms of the next winter the other thing we need to bear in mind is that we had a minimal flu winter last winter… we will get all of those back this coming winter unless the Covid situation is so bad that everyone is starting to get back to essentially minimising their social contacts again.“Either we will have a very significant Covid surge, people minimise their contacts, and we will have less respiratory viruses, or people we will back to the more normal life, there will be some Covid but on top of that we will go back to having a flu surge, an RSV surge in children and so on.“So I think we need to be aware of and brace the fact the coming winter may well be quite a difficult one, not probably on the scale of the last one, it would be very surprising if it’s on the scale of the last winter, which was really was the worst I think any of us could remember. “But still quite a significant one and we as the NHS have to brace ourselves for that.”Over the next two to three years, professor Whitty suggested new variant may mean will have to receive booster vaccinations, saying: “We have to just be aware that Covid has not thrown its last surprise at us and there will be several more over the next period”. More