Markus Andrews

Care home leaders have rejected Matt Hancock’s claims the government threw a ‘protective ring’ around them in the early stages of coronavirus crisis. Mike Padgham, the chairman of the Independent Care Group, which represents providers in York and North Yorkshire, said care homes were “forgotten” at the start of the pandemic. The health secretary is facing increasing pressure over his treatment of care home residents. Some were discharged from hospital and sent back to their care homes without being tested for Covid-19 in the early parts of last year. Former Downing Street adviser Dominic Cummings accused Mr Hancock of lying to the prime minister over this issue when he gave evidence to MPs last week, adding that the suggestion care homes were shielded were “complete nonsense”.Mr Padgham told Sky News his experience. “We had someone who was transferred to us from hospital on 19 March,” he said. “At that time, we thought testing was happening, in fact we found it wasn’t and we actually had to go and get the test ourselves from the hospital to make sure that they weren’t positive. By the time we got the test, they were readmitted back and unfortunately passed away.”He described the situation as “dreadful”. “We were worried because we saw the NHS was dealing with a very difficult issue, they had PPE, we didn’t and we were reassuring our staff and our residents that we knew what was happening and doing the best we possibly could but it was frightening. And if it weren’t for the hard work of social care staff, and in fact the local authorities in our area, those figures (of deaths in care homes) I am confident would have been much, much worse.”He added: “I don’t believe myself there was a ring of protection thrown round us.” Mr Hancock told a Downing Street press conference that “right from the start we have tried to throw a protective ring around our care homes”. Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi defended Mr Hancock, telling the BBC’s Andrew Marr show “absolutely the government threw a protective ring around care homes.” The Sunday Times reports that social care leaders wrote to Mr Hancock on 26 March last year to warning him care homes were being “pressured” into taking patients who had not been tested and who had symptoms of coronavirus.The email, sent by Lisa Lenton, the then chairwoman of the Care Provider Alliance, which represents thousands of care homes, told the health secretary managers were “terrified” a lack of testing was causing outbreaks in homes.The Sunday Telegraph also reported that guidance from Mr Hancock’s department ordered hospitals to discharge patients without any mention of a need to test them first. More

Coronavirus jabs could become compulsory for NHS staff, the vaccines minister has confirmed. Nadhim Zahawi said there was already a precedent that meant surgeons had to be inoculated against certain diseases. Asked if Covid jabs could become mandatory for health service workers, he told Trevor Phillips On Sunday on Sky News: “We have recently consulted on social care frontline staff in terms of duty of care to those who are most vulnerable…. I think it is only right that we look at the healthcare system as well… (it) would be incumbent on any responsible government.”He added it was “something we are absolutely thinking about”. But the idea was criticised by Labour. Thangam Debbonaire, the shadow leader of the Commons, likened the move to “threatening” staff. She added: “Given we’ve got a recruitment crisis in parts of the NHS I think it’s far more important we try and work with staff rather than against them.”Mr Zahawi also pointed to the fact that surgeons are vaccinated against hepatitis B. He also said British regulators were still considering whether to offer Covid jabs to children, warning that vaccines had to be “incredibly safe” before they are given to young people. But the infrastructure is in place in the UK if required, he added.The Pfizer jab has already been approved for use in 12-year-olds by regulators in the European Union, the US and Canada. Mr Zahawi also announced that ministers want all over 50s to have been offered a second coronavirus jab before a further easing of lockdown restrictions planned for 21 June. The new target comes amid as fears grow over the impact of a highly transmissible strain of the disease first identified in India. Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, today described the date as “too early” and said it could lead to deaths that were otherwise preventable. Ministers announced on May 14 that the gap between vaccines would be cut from 12 weeks to just eight for the over 50s and the clinically vulnerable, as the government tries to control the new strain. Mr Zahawi has now said that the government “hope to get two doses… (delivered to) all over 50s before the 21st of June”.All legal limits on social contact are due to be lifted in England on 21 June. Last week the prime minister himself appeared to admit those plans could now be in jeopardy. He said he “didn’t see anything currently in the data” to derail the June reopening, but added “but we may need to wait.”Prof Bauld told Sky News: “I really think that it is too early to be charging ahead. I would like to see several more weeks’ data.”The planned date is “very ambitious”, she said, adding: “The 21st of June is very soon and I think to avoid more preventable deaths… we really need to be cautious at the current time.” More

Ministers want all over 50s to have received a second coronavirus jab before a further easing of lockdown restrictions on 21 June. The new target comes amid growing fears over the highly transmissible strain of the disease first identified in India. The government is coming under increasing pressure from experts to consider a delay to its 21 June deadline. Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, today described the date as “too early” and warned it could lead to deaths that were otherwise preventable. Ministers announced on May 14 that the gap between vaccines would be slashed from 12 weeks to just eight for the over 50s and the clinically vulnerable, as fears over the impact of the Indian strain grew. Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has now said that the government “hope to get two doses… (delivered to) all over 50s before the 21st of June”.All legal limits on social contact are due to be lifted in England on 21 June, a step Boris Johnson has described as “irreversible” once taken .But ministers are now engaged in a race with the new strain, with almost half of all new cases thought to be the Indian variant. One bright spot on the horizon is that data suggests that two vaccinations are effective against the new strain. Public Health England statistics show the majority of those who have been infected have not been vaccinated.Last week the prime minister himself appeared to admit his 21 June plans now hang in the balance. While he said he “didn’t see anything currently in the data” to derail the June reopening, he added “but we may need to wait.”Prof Bauld told Sky News: “I really think that it is too early to be charging ahead. I would like to see several more weeks’ data.”The planned date is “very ambitious”, she said, adding: “The 21st of June is very soon and I think to avoid more preventable deaths… we really need to be cautious at the current time.”Dr Mike Tildesley, from the University of Warwick and a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M) Government advisory panel, said “an awful lot of uncertainty” surrounded the plans. He told LBC: “I think there’s still an awful lot of uncertainty… that needs to be resolved over the next couple of weeks before the government make that decision.”Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers which represents NHS trusts, said a “much better quality of debate” was needed on the implications of easing restrictions. He warned the situation had changed dramatically since earlier points in the pandemic with hospitals currently “going full pelt” to tackle waiting lists built up during the crisis They did not have the space for a significant increase in Covid patients, he said.Writing in The Observer, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said “weak, slow decisions” by the government on border policy had allowed the Indian variant to spread.He added that the “single biggest threat” to England’s full reopening was “the government’s incompetence”. More

Prime MinisterBoris Johnson is facing accusations of trying to “bury this week’s bad news” by turning the spotlight to his “secret” wedding to Carrie Symonds. The prime minister and Ms Symonds tied the knot on Saturday in a secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral, with only a handful of church officials aware of the affair, No 10 confirmed on Sunday. While the wedding may come as a surprise to many, The Sun reported that it had been planned as far back as six months ago.While Labour leader Keir Starmer offered warm wishes to the newlyweds, saying he wished them a “happy life together”, other members of his party were not so welcoming of the news. Former frontbencher Jon Trickett took aim at the wedding news, suggesting it was ploy to “bury this week’s bad news” after explosive testimony from Dominic Cummings this week on the government’s Covid response, and on findings that the PM had acted “unwisely” by failing to question who had funded refurbishment work on his Downing Street flat.Shadow Justice Minister Karl Turner said that weddings were meant to be “happy events,” but instead people were asking “who paid” because they suspected that the prime minister was up to “some sort of fiddle”.Meanwhile, Labour MP Barry Sheerman took a jab at Mr Johnson’s past relationship history, tweeting: “Where did the Prime Minister’s previous marriages take place should there be blue plaques?”He later tweeted, “so sorry no spite & hatred, just a sense of humour from a Christian who takes marriage vows seriously”.Saturday’s ceremony marks Mr Johnson’s third marriage, with the prime minister having finalised his divorce from second wife Marina Wheeler in 2020. He and Ms Symonds were engaged in 2019, before the divorce was finalised, and their song Wilfred was born in April 2020 during the first Covid-19 lockdown. While some Labour members were critical of the nuptials, the prime minister received congratulations from leaders and members across parties. In a tweet, Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster offered a “huge congratulations to Boris Johnson & Carrie Symonds on your wedding”. More

Boris Johnson and his ministers are too busy “covering their own backs” to properly counter the threat posed by the Indian coronavirus variant, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said.Following Dominic Cummings’ explosive evidence about the prime minister’s handling of the pandemic, Sir Keir said “mistakes are being repeated” as the government considers whether to further ease restrictions.”Weak, slow decisions on border policy let the Indian variant take hold,” he said.”Lack of self-isolation support and confused local guidance failed to contain it. We all want to unlock on June 21 but the single biggest threat to that is the government’s incompetence.”Writing in The Observer, Sir Keir said Mr Johnson’s reluctance to impose a second lockdown in autumn last year meant “avoidable and unforgivable” deaths in the second wave of the virus.”The first wave we faced an unprecedented crisis. Decision making was undoubtedly difficult. Mistakes were inevitable. And the British public understand that. But by the summer, we knew much more about the virus.”The prime minister was warned to prepare for a second wave. He did not do so. And over twice as many people died in the second wave than in the first.”Mr Cummings, the prime minister’s former chief adviser, told MPs on Wednesday that “tens of thousands” had died unnecessarily because of the government’s handling of the pandemic and accused health secretary Matt Hancock of lying about testing for care home residents discharged from hospital – a claim he denied.Sir Keir said the situation in care homes had been a “betrayal”, adding: “We may never know whether Boris Johnson said Covid ‘was only killing 80-year olds’ when he delayed a second lockdown.”What we do know is that the man charged with keeping them safe showed callous disregard for our elderly, as he overlooked the incompetence of his health secretary.”PA More

Boris Johnson has married his partner Carrie Symonds in a secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral, according to reports.The prime minister and Ms Symonds, 33, tied the knot on Saturday with only a handful of church officials aware of the preparations, according to The Sun. The wedding had been planned six months ago.About 30 guests, including close friends and family, were reportedly invited to the event at the cathedral, according to the Mail on Sunday.When asked by The Independent, No 10 declined to comment on the story. A No 10 aide told the PA news agency: “I have been strictly told not to comment.”Mr Johnson, 56, and Ms Symonds were engaged in late 2019 and their son Wilfred was born in April 2020 during the first coronavirus lockdown.It is the prime minister’s third marriage, having finalised his divorce from his second wife Marina Wheeler in 2020.On Saturday, a witness told The Sun that the cathedral was forced to go into lockdown for the wedding service.“It was closed for about half an hour and they all came out after,” they said. “It’s not very often we have weddings here, and when they came out they were all bungled into a car.”Following reports of the ceremony, Northern Ireland’s first minister Arlene Foster congratulated the couple.Therese Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, tweeted: “Congratulations @BorisJohnson and @carriesymonds on your marriage.”Weddings in England are currently subject to coronavirus restrictions, meaning ceremonies are limited to up to 30 guests in Covid-secure venues.The reports of the marriage come just days after the couple were said to have sent save-the-date cards to family and friends for an event on 30 July 2022.It had been reported that the couple were preparing to celebrate their wedding next year with a “lavish bash” – although Downing Street declined to comment on the “personal matter” when asked about the reports earlier this week.Additional reporting by PA More

Boris Johnson no longer enjoys the approval of the public and the Conservatives’ lead fell by seven points in the wake of Dominic Cummings’s testimony this week, new polling suggests.The prime minister’s net approval rating plunged 12 points to -6 per cent in an Opinium survey conducted after his former special adviser told MPs Mr Johnson was not fit to lead the country.The same poll put the Tories on 42 per cent, down two points, and Labour on 36 per cent, up five points from the 12-month low of the last survey, which was taken after the latter’s defeat in the Hartlepool by-election.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s net approval rating remains negative at -9 per cent, the same as a fortnight ago.Matt Hancock, who Mr Cummings said should have been sacked as health secretary over allegedly criminal behaviour and “repeated lying”, was seen to be untrustworthy by the public, with 58 per cent saying they had little to no trust in him.And 44 per cent said he should resign as health secretary, compared to 30 per cent who said he should stay.Despite just one-fifth of those surveyed saying they trusted Mr Cummings to tell the truth, many of the claims he made during his seven-hour testimony on Wednesday were believed.Some 66 per cent said they believed the government had pursued a herd immunity strategy in the early days of the pandemic, with 20 per cent thinking that was false.Mr Cummings’s claim that the prime minister regarded coronavirus as a scare story and described it as “the new Swine Flu” was believed by 60 per cent, with 26 per cent saying it was false.Some 56 per cent believed Mr Johnson went on holiday in February 2020 without paying attention to the impending crisis, with 26 per cent saying that was false.And the claim that Mr Hancock lied about whether people would be tested before being discharged from hospital to care homes was believed by 49 per cent, with 28 per cent saying it was false.Although a high proportion of the public believed his claims made in front of parliamentary committees, Mr Cummings was thought to be the least trustworthy among big political figures, followed by Mr Hancock, then Mr Johnson. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, enjoyed the most faith with just under half (48 per cent) saying they trusted him.The poll also found there had been a dip in public approval of the government’s handling of coronavirus, dropping from a net positive 14 per cent earlier this month, to net 0 per cent. Two-thirds thought the government has acted too slowly in responding to the pandemic.When it came to the scheduled lifting of restrictions on 21 June, support was at around one-third (34 per cent), with 43 per cent now thinking easing should be postponed. Adam Drummond, Opinium’s head of political polling, said: “Whilst Dominic Cummings is seen as one of the least trustworthy men in Britain, the public do see some truth in the allegations he made against Boris Johnson’s government, puncturing the Conservatives’ post-Hartlepool bounce and reversing a recent spike in the prime minister’s approval rating.”However, there are strong reasons to believe that this won’t last though as the underlying approval figures for the vaccine rollout, which has driven voting intention since the beginning of 2021, are unchanged and remain very strong.”Opinium Research carried out an online survey of 2,004 UK adults from 27-28 May More

Ministers are facing calls to stop automatic evictions of those in rent arrears amid fears thousands could find themselves on the streets despite a pledge no one would lose their home as a result of the coronavirus crisis. Experts have predicted that about 150,000 households will be at risk when an emergency ban on evictions ends on Monday. Labour said Robert Jenrick, the housing secretary, had promised that no one would lose their home as a result of the global pandemic and “must make good on that pledge”. The opposition also warned that a rise in homelessness could cost the taxpayer more than £2bn.The government is due to lift a ban on evictions, which has been in place since the start of the crisis, at the end of this month, despite increasing fears a new strain of the virus first identified in India will mean cases continue to rise. The government has already indicated that plans to further ease lockdown restrictions next month hang in the balance and could now be delayed. Debt charity StepChange estimates half a million renters have built up arrears as a result of the pandemic, with 150,000 at risk of eviction when the ban ends. Rehousing these families could cost the taxpayer an estimated £1.1bn if families were in temporary accommodation for six months and £2.2bn if they were homeless for a year. Labour’s shadow housing secretary Lucy Powell said ministers had to act as she called on the government to extend the evictions ban and bring in emergency legislation to halt automatic evictions for rent arrears through the courts. Ms Powell accused ministers of “wilfully walking into an evictions crisis”. “The housing secretary promised that no one would lose their home as a result of the crisis and he must make good on that pledge,” she said. “He must step up, he cannot in good conscience stand by and see people kicked out of their homes through no fault of their own.” Jon Sparkes, the chief executive of the charity Crisis, said there was no doubt that the protections put in place over the last year had prevented many people from facing homelessness during the pandemic.But, he added: “We know that many renters have been battling with mounting financial pressures and arrears as a result of the pandemic. With the eviction ban ending on Monday, we risk seeing many people in the most vulnerable circumstances being pushed into homelessness.”“We cannot forget renters at risk of homelessness right now though, which is why we urgently need to see commitments addressing the financial pressure many are currently facing. These include a financial package of support for renters in arrears and continuing the uplift of local housing allowance rates so they meet the cheapest third of rents.”A government spokesperson said: “Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have taken unprecedented action to support renters and help keep them in their homes including introducing a comprehensive £352bn support package, which has prevented widespread build-up of rent arrears.“Thanks to the success of the vaccine programme, national restrictions are gradually being eased and it’s now the right time to start to lift the emergency measures we put in place. “Tenants will continue to be supported with longer notice periods and financial help is still available such as the furlough scheme, which has been extended until the end of September. Evictions will not be carried out if a member of the home has Covid-19 symptoms or is self-isolating.” More