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Boris Johnson blundered over the government’s quarantine hotel policy, giving parliament the wrong number of affected countries, Downing Street has admitted.The prime minister caused confusion yesterday by saying in a statement to the House of Commons that arrivals from 22 “red list” countries would be required to spend up to 10 days in quarantine at airport hotels.But when the Home Office later released full details of the scheme, there were 30 nations on the list, making up the existing list of states where the UK has imposed special travel restrictions because of concerns over the spread of coronavirus.Asked the reason for the discrepancy today, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “I’ll be completely straight – the 22 was an error.“The new rules will apply to the countries where we’ve imposed international travel bans.“The list currently comprises of 30 countries but obviously that list is kept under review.”The spokesman said more details on the quarantine scheme would be coming next week.Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekday More

Boris Johnson insists vaccine manufacturers will supply UK amid pressure from EU to divert dosesBoris Johnson’s spokesman has repeatedly refused to rule out diverting doses of the coronavirus vaccine to the continent, as the row over EU supplies escalates.Britain and the EU stand on the brink of a vicious vaccine war after Brussels demanded the diversion of jabs produced in the UK. Keir Starmer denied Labour suggested signing up to the EU’s procurement scheme, accusing Mr Johnson of making “false” claims.Meanwhile, farmers have revealed that more than 100,000 surplus pigs are “stranded” on farms across the UK because of Brexit bureaucracy. The National Pig Association (NPA) has demanded an urgent meeting with the government about an export slump caused by red tape complexities.It comes as Boris Johnson’s government has announced it has scrapped its controversial post-Brexit review of employment rights. Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said he did not wish to “water down” workers’ protections. Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayShow latest update
1611845432Jacob Rees-Mogg calls Nicola Sturgeon ‘Moanalot’ by over criticism of PM’s visitNicola Sturgeon branded ‘Moanalot’ by Jacob Rees-Mogg over criticism of PM’s visit northClea Skopeliti28 January 2021 14:501611845249Johnson’s trip to Scotland won’t save the union, but at least he’s tryingNicola Sturgeon can do no wrong in the eyes of Scottish public opinion, and the PM’s unpopularity in Scotland is one of the biggest problems for those of us who want to keep our country together. But would be worse for the unionist cause if Johnson didn’t care, writes John Rentoul:Jane Dalton28 January 2021 14:471611844589‘Prioritise vaccines for teachers’We want to see children back in school as soon as possible, and the half-term break in two weeks’ time provides the ideal opportunity to vaccinate teachers and school support staff, alongside the safety measures the government is putting in place in our classrooms, as well as mass testing, says deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner, writing for The Independent:  Jane Dalton28 January 2021 14:361611843461Government axes ‘sexist’ advertThe government has dropped a coronavirus advert urging the nation to “stay home and save lives” which was accompanied by illustrations of women doing household chores following a major backlash. Maya Oppenheim reports:Jane Dalton28 January 2021 14:171611840114Johnson made mistake on number of quarantine countriesNo 10 has admitted that the Prime Minister made a mistake when saying that 22 countries would be on the “red list” for hotel quarantines.It was later announced on Wednesday by the Home Office that arrivals from 30 nations would be subject to new rules forcing them to stay in hotels near airports for up to 10 days.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “I’ll be completely straight – the 22 was an error. The new rules will apply to the countries where we’ve imposed international travel bans. The list currently comprises of 30 countries but obviously that list is kept under review.”The spokesman said more details on the quarantine scheme would be coming next week.Jane Dalton28 January 2021 13:211611839129The SNP is sending a message about Boris Johnson’s visit to Scotland that could be seen as serious or provocative, depending on your view:Jane Dalton28 January 2021 13:051611838728PM may let UK Covid jabs go to EU Breaking news from Andrew Woodcock: Coronavirus vaccines produced in the UK could be sent to the EU before the domestic immunisation programme is completed, Downing Street has indicated.Boris Johnson’s official spokesman repeatedly refused to rule out diverting doses to the continent when questioned more than half a dozen times at a regular Westminster media briefing.Jane Dalton28 January 2021 12:581611838589EU snubs UK envoy in spat over diplomatic statusA top European Union official has cancelled a meeting with the UK’s new envoy to Brussels amid a row over Britain’s refusal to grant the EU’s envoys full diplomatic status in London after Brexit, an EU official said.Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby, head of the UK Mission to the EU and who took office last week, was told that his meeting with the chief of European Council President Charles Michel’s cabinet had been postponed.The official, who declined to be named, said the postponement was due to a lack of clarity about the diplomatic status of EU representatives in Britain.Britain has refused to grant the same diplomatic credentials and privileges to Brussels’ ambassador to London and his team as it gives to envoys of countries, on the basis that the 27-member EU is not a nation state.
A British government source said the diplomatic status issue remained subject to negotiation.The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, said its 143 delegations around the world had all been granted a status equivalent to that of diplomatic missions of states, and Britain was well aware of the fact.Jane Dalton28 January 2021 12:561611838150Mass badger culls to end, ministers signal – for the second timeMass badger culling will end after next year, the government has signalled, after years of controversy about the practice.But wildlife campaigners expressed caution, and questioned the timing of the announcement, which came on the day new figures showed 38,642 badgers were killed last year. It’s the second time in 12 months that the government has announced an end to the cull. Jane Dalton reports:Jane Dalton28 January 2021 12:491611837631PM ‘misled’ MPs over date of shadow minister’s quarantine remarksBoris Johnson has been accused of “misleading” MPs by claiming a Labour frontbencher’s 200-day-old comments on quarantine measures were recent.The Prime Minister told the Commons during Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday that shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon had “only recently” said quarantine measures should be eased.But Mr McMahon said today: “Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing me to raise a point of order in relation to what I believe was a misleading statement made by the Prime Minister yesterday.”Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle intervened to advise Mr McMahon he could not accuse another MP of “misleading” the House deliberately, adding the word “inadvertently” would be a “nicer way of dealing with it”.
Mr McMahon replied: “I’m more than happy to take that advice, Mr Speaker.”
Referring to the Prime Minister, the Labour MP added: “He said it was only recently that the shadow transport secretary was saying that quarantine measures should be relaxed, he went on to repeat a similar comment.
“Firstly, it relates to a statement made over 200 days ago in July last year, nothing at all to do with current regulations or our current Covid rate.
“And it was in response to the Government themselves lifting quarantine restrictions for a list of countries where we were critical of the Government for failing to have a proper track-and-trace system, failing to do pre-screening and testing on arrival.”So far from calling for relaxation, we were actually criticising the Government for its own failings and I think the record should be put straight.”
Jane Dalton28 January 2021 12:40 More

Coronavirus vaccines produced in the UK could be sent to the EU before the domestic immunisation programme is completed, Downing Street has indicated.Boris Johnson’s official spokesman repeatedly refused to rule out diverting doses to the continent when questioned more than half a dozen times at a regular Westminster media briefing.The development came after cabinet minister Michael Gove said that the UK wants to engage in “dialogue” with EU nations to ensure that as many of their populations as possible get a jab.The European Commission is pushing AstraZeneca to reroute supplies from its plants in Oxford and Keele, after the pharmaceutical giant announced its deliveries to the EU will be cut from 80m to 31m doses because of production problems in a factory in Belgium.But the company insists that its contract with the UK gives Britain first claim on any vaccines produced in the country.Mr Gove insisted this morning that there must be no interruption to the 2m weekly doses promised to Britain by AZ.But he signalled that the government was ready to talk to Brussels about the shortfall in supplies which has left the 27-nation bloc lagging behind the UK in vaccinating its 450m people.Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekday”We must make sure that we continue with the effective acceleration of our vaccination programme,” chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (CDL) Mr Gove told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “That relies on the supply schedule that has been agreed to be honoured. That’s the first and most important thing.”But he added: “But secondarily I’m sure we all want to do everything possible to make sure that as many people in countries which are our friends and neighbours are vaccinated and I think we best achieve that through dialogue and co-operation and friendship.”Asked whether there was any possibility of some UK-produced vaccines sent to the EU, Mr Johnson’s spokesman said: “The CDL also said it remains our priority to vaccinate the most vulnerable people across the UK to ensure we can give those who are at clinical risk protection against the virus.”Pushed on whether that left the door open to sending vaccines to Europe once the most vulnerable had been jabbed, he added: “Phase one includes those who are most vulnerable to the virus – that remains our priority to make sure we get vaccines to all those as quickly as possible.“Phase one is groups one to nine (on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation suggested priority list). The mid-February target is the first four groups within that.”The question of whether the UK government could rule out sending vaccines to the EU before its programme to offer jabs to all residents was completed was put to the spokesman nine times in different forms. On each occasion, he replied by detailing the plans to vaccinate the most vulnerable by mid-February and offer protection to all residents by September.Put to him that after the first nine cohorts had been vaccinated, vaccines could then be shared, the spokesman added: “I didn’t say that.” More

Nicola Sturgeon says Boris Johnson visit to Scotland not essential in pandemic.mp4Boris Johnson’s visit to Scotland to extoll the benefits of the union have been labelled “futile” by the SNP, as opinion polls continue to indicate sustained support for independence. It comes as Jacob Rees-Mogg called Nicola Sturgeon “Moanalot” after she said the prime minister’s trip was not an essential journey.Mr Johnson is to highlight the vaccine campaign and coronavirus support measures as he insists the benefits of “mutual cooperation” have never been clearer than since the start of the pandemic, having reportedly been warned by ministers not to seek to portray Scotland as “just a recipient of UK largesse”.But SNP depute leader Keith Brown suggested Mr Johnson was merely in a “panic” at the prospect of IndyRef2, which Holyrood has threatened to hold without Downing Street’s permission. And Michael Gove was forced to defend the trip as “essential” during a pandemic, after Nicola Sturgeon urged the PM to “lead by example”.Read more: Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayShow latest update
1611845432Scottish taxpayers to pay less this yearAll Scottish taxpayers will pay slightly less this year than last year, finance secretary Kate Forbes has said.Scotland’s tax band system will remain unchanged, according to Ms Forbes’ budget announcement to the Scottish Parliament.The starter, basic and higher bands of tax will all rise by inflation, with the top rate frozen at £150,000.”This will see all Scottish taxpayers pay slightly less income tax next year than they will this year based on their current income,” she said.”In addition to this, a majority will continue to pay less income tax than if they lived in other parts of the UK.”Samuel Osborne28 January 2021 14:501611843566Scotland extends coronavirus business supportScotland’s finance secretary has announced an extension to business support to cope with coronavirus.Kate Forbes said the strategic framework business fund, which provides grants based on restrictions put on businesses, will continue beyond this financial year, provided funding is forthcoming from the UK government.Grants being paid to businesses in February will also be paid at the maximum level, regardless of the level of restrictions on firms.Councils will also see an increase in funding, with discretionary funding doubling to £60m, and a further £200m to compensate councils for a loss of income due to the pandemic.Samuel Osborne28 January 2021 14:191611841986Johnson meets army troops setting up vaccination centreBoris Johnson met Army troops setting up a vaccination centre on his visit to Scotland.The prime minister bumped elbows to greet soldiers at the site in Castlemilk, Glasgow.He later spoke to members of the military as he was shown around the centre. More

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced accusations Thursday that he is not abiding by the country’s lockdown rules as he visited Scotland to laud the rapid rollout of coronavirus vaccines across the United Kingdom.With a raft of polling showing increased support for Scottish independence from the U.K. Johnson’s visit to promote the benefits of the union stands to be overshadowed by the lockdown dispute. Although Scotland has its own government in Edinburgh that has an array powers from public health through to education, it remains part of the U.K. under which London still has huge influence. “Mutual co-operation across the U.K. throughout this pandemic is exactly what the people of Scotland expect and it is what I have been focused on,” Johnson said.The U.K. has endured Europe’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak with more than 102,000 virus-linked deaths but it has been among the world’s leaders in rolling out a virus vaccination program. Johnson, who has already visited a laboratory at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow as part of his trip, is arguing that Scotland is benefiting from his Conservative government’s approach to getting vaccine shots out quickly.Critics say the prime minister is politicking at a time when the U.K. is in a strict lockdown as a result of a huge resurgence of the virus that Johnson has largely blamed on a new variant first identified around London and southeast England. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has described Johnson’s visit as “not essential,” in the same way that a visit by herself to another part of Scotland would not be deemed essential under current lockdown rules. Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdaySturgeon, whose Scottish National Party wants to hold another referendum on Scotland’s independence, is way ahead in polls ahead of a general election in May, with some showing support at over 50%.Should the SNP win a clear majority, Sturgeon has said she will look to hold another vote on Scotland’s future. Johnson, who under the law would have to back a referendum to make it legal, has indicated that he won’t do so, arguing that as recently as 2014 Scotland voted to stay part of the U.K. by a clear majority. Sturgeon argues the situation has changed dramatically since then because Britain has left the European Union, even though voters in Scotland overwhelmingly backed remaining part of the bloc. That break became a harsh business reality on Jan. 1.In Scotland, Sturgeon’s government has been widely seen as handling the pandemic well. At key moments, she is seen as having taken a more cautious approach than Johnson.Ahead of the visit, Michael Gove, a close ally of Johnson’s, insisted the prime minister’s visit was “absolutely essential” because Johnson has to ensure that the country’s vaccine rollout is working properly.“It’s critically important that the Scottish government and the U.K. government are working together to do everything we can to support the rollout and see what we can do to improve it,” he told BBC radio.Even Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party, came to Johnson’s support. “I’m with the prime minister on this one,” he said on radio station LBC. “It’s important that he travels to see what is going on, on the ground.”Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic,https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreakFollow all AP stories about Brexit and British politics at https://apnews.com/Brexit More

In a video clip obtained by Sky News, Sir Desmond Swayne is reported to have commented on the threat of Covid-19, by saying during an interview with anti-lockdown group in November: “It seems to be a manageable risk, particularly as figures have been manipulated”.”We’re told there is a deathly, deadly pandemic proceeding at the moment. That is difficult to reconcile with ICUs [intensive care units] actually operating at typical occupation levels for the time of year and us bouncing round at the typical level of deaths for the time of year.”However, data from the Office for National Statistics showed deaths were 14 per cent above the five-year average at the time of his comments.On Tuesday, the government’s official data also showed the number of deaths of people who had died within 28 days of a positive Covid test passed the grim milestone of 100,000. More than 37,000 people are also being treated in hospital.Mr Gove refused to be drawn on whether the party would remove the whip from Sir Desmond, but stressed: “I would hope that he issues a full and complete retraction and apology for what he said — it’s unacceptable”.Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekday“Sir Desmond is wrong. I work with Sir Desmond, I have great affection for him but I’m afraid here is completely out of order.”A spokesperson for the Conservative Whips’ Office said they “completely condemn these comments” and The Independent understands the MP will be asked by the party’s chief whip to attend a meeting with scientific advisers.However, Sir Desmond doubled down on the comments on Thursday, repeatedly refusing to apologise, saying: “I certainly regret the fuss they’ve caused and being at the centre of a media storm.”“I accept entirely the situation has changed and changed dramatically as a consequence of the new variant. But I think those were perfectly legitimate and widely held views at the time.”Asked directly whether he would apologise — as Mr Gove asked — he replied: “No. The complaint was legitimate at the time.”Pressed on whether he feared he would be suspended from the party, Sir Desmond went on: “Well, that would be thought crime.”Following the interview, Labour called on Boris Johnson to intervene and take against against the MP  — a frequent critic of the government’s Covid restrictions — for his comments during the interview with the anti-lockdown group Save Our Rights UK in November.In a letter to the Conservative Party, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner described the MP’s reported comments as “extremely concerning” and warned they could undermine the UK’s fight against the pandemic.Ms Rayner accused  Sir Desmond of spreading “dangerous misinformation” about Covid-19. “During this interview, the MP for New Forest West endorsed conspiracy theories about the veracity of the disease,” Ms Rayner said in her letter to Conservative chair Amanda Milling.“He also suggested the official figures have been manipulated – a deeply dangerous claim for which there is absolutely no evidence.”She added: “Following Desmond Swayne’s shocking refusal to apologise for his behaviour, I urge you to make clear what action you will take. It is the duty of all of us to support the national effort to vaccinate Britain.” More

Belgian health authorities have inspected the pharmaceutical factory at the heart of a “vaccine war” row between the UK and the European Union.Glitches in production at the Novasep plant in the Belgian town of Seneffe have been blamed for a dramatic cut in pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca’s planned supply of coronavirus vaccine to the EU.Brussels demanded on Wednesday that doses produced by AZ in the UK should be diverted to the EU to make up for the shortfall.Amid fury from the European Commission over the reduction from 80m to 31m in AZ’s projected delivery over the coming weeks, the company’s chief executive Pascal Soriot said that the Novasep plant had experienced low yields in a “glitch” which was to be expected as worldwide production was scaled up to billions of doses over a short period.Novasep said today that its teams had “worked hard to meet its obligations to AstraZeneca with unprecedented speed and commitment”. The company added: “Manufacturing the Covid-19 vaccine is a pioneering process in terms of scale, complexity and quantity. We have worked closely with AstraZeneca and conducted regular and coordinated reviews of the production processes to ensure the active drug substance was delivered on time and met the highest standards for quality and stability.”France Dammel, a spokesperson for Belgium’s health minister, said experts from the federal medicine agency inspected the Novasep site at the request of the European Commission. They will now work with Dutch, Italian and Spanish experts before delivering a report in the coming days.Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayMichael Gove today insisted that the UK must receive the coronavirus vaccines it has ordered, as the government continued to resist EU pressure to allow doses to be rerouted to Europe.An emergency meeting between AZ and the EU’s vaccine steering board – which includes representatives from the Commission and member states – concluded last night without agreement, but with both sides promising to be “constructive”.The Anglo-Swedish giant insists that its contract with the UK gives Britain first claim on doses produced at plants in Oxford and Keele.But EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said on Wednesday that the UK factories were included in an advance purchase agreement with AZ for 300m doses.“We reject the logic of first come, first served,” she said. “That may work at the neighbourhood butchers but not in contracts.”And German MEP Peter Liese warned of a “trade war”, saying that the company and the UK had “better think twice”.Today, Mr Gove hit back by insisting that the UK’s contract for 2m weekly doses of the vaccine must be met in full.”I think we need to make sure that the vaccine supply that has been bought and paid for, procured for those in the UK, is delivered,” the Cabinet Office minister told LBC radio.Asked repeatedly by the BBC Radio 4 Today programme if the government would prevent supplies going from Britain to the EU, Gove said the crucial issue was that Britain received its orders as planned and on time.”It is the case that the supplies which have been planned, paid for and scheduled should continue,” Gove told the BBC. “Absolutely, there will be no interruption to that.”But again, I think that the right approach to take with our friends in Europe is to make sure that we foster cooperative dialogue to see how we can do everything we can to help.”Pressure on EU politicians to speed up supplies has been intense as the 27-nation bloc lags badly in its vaccination programme, with just 2 per cent of its population protected compared to 10 per cent in the UK.Following Wednesday evening’s meeting, Ms Kyriakides said that the EU remained “united and firm” in its belief that “contractual obligations must be met, vaccines must be delivered to EU citizens”. She characterised the tone of the meeting as “constructive”, but added: “We regret the continued lack of clarity on the delivery schedule and request a clear plan from AstraZeneca for the fast delivery of the quantity of vaccines that we reserved for Q1 (the first quarter of 2021).“We will work with the company to find solutions and deliver vaccines rapidly for EU citizens.” AstraZeneca said: “We had a constructive and open conversation about the complexities of scaling up production of our vaccine, and the challenges we have encountered,” the company said.“We have committed to even closer co-ordination to jointly chart a path for the delivery of our vaccine over the coming months as we continue our efforts to bring this vaccine to millions of Europeans at no profit during the pandemic.”Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the issue should be resolved through increased production rather than UK doses being diverted to the EU.“I don’t want to interrupt the supply of vaccines into the United Kingdom,” he told LBC Radio.“But we do need to resolve this, it is a war of words, it has got to be resolved and there is no interest in other countries not getting the vaccine because unless this is dealt with globally, we will simply reintroduce variants across the world.”The AZ vaccine has not yet been cleared for use in the EU, with approval expected from the European Medicines Agency on Friday.Germany’s health minister Jens Spahn said he expects the current shortage to continue well into April, tweeting: “We will still have at least 10 tough weeks with a shortage of vaccine.” More

Sir Keir Starmer has revealed Labour will force a vote in the Commons over dangerous cladding, aiming to protect leaseholders from “intolerable” costs and unsellable properties.Three and half years after the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the Labour leader said millions are still living in “unsafe accommodation” and urged Boris Johnson not to vote against the party’s proposals on Monday.Some residents are also paying thousands — on top of costs for cladding removal — for “walking watch” services from private firms who patrol buildings and checking for signs of fire and sounding the alarm if a fire is detected.Asked on LBC Radio what he was doing to protect leaseholders, Sir Keir said: “This is completely unacceptable. Three and a half years after Grenfell we’ve still got people living in accommodation which has got cladding that needs to be removed.“So they are stuck in unsafe accommodation then they’ve got the additional issue which is if they want to move and sell — they run into real problems. Huge injustice. “We’ve raised it with the government. On Monday we’re going to force a vote on this. Every now and again the Opposiiton get a chance to make an argument, put a motion that can be voted on.Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayThe Labour leader added: “It’s an intolerable situation. I hope the government doesn’t vote against this.”The non-binding motion calls on the government to urgent establish the extent of dangerous cladding, provide upfront funding to ensure cladding remediation can start immediately, and protect leaseholders and taxpayers “from the cost of pursuing those responsible for the cladding crisis”.Labour’s shadow housing minister Thangam Debbonaire said: “Millions of innocent leaseholders are seeing their dream of home ownership become a nightmare, forced to spend lockdown trapped in unsafe and unsellable flats, with bill mounting. The number of bankruptcies is growing. “Conservative MPs will have a chance to vote to ensure that the government keeps its promise and leaseholders are not burdened with the cost of fixing problems they did not cause.” More