Markus Andrews

The new Brazilian strain of coronavirus is likely to have already entered the UK, before the government’s imposition of travel restrictions on the South American country, a leading epidemiologist has warned.Professor John Edmunds, a member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said he would find it “unusual” if the variant, which has raised concerns around the world because of its increased virulence, was not in the UK.And he said it was possible that the mutated variant is more dangerous to human health because – like a separate strain emerging from South Africa – it may be able to “evade the immune response to some extent”.The Brazilian variant is believed to have originated from the city of Manaus, one of the areas in the world worst hit by the first wave of Covid-19, where a high proportion of the population had been thought to have developed a degree of immunity by being infected and recovering.Eight cases of a separate and less concerning Brazilian variant have already been identified in the UK.But no cases of the Manaus strain have yet been detected in the community, though samples are present for examination under tight security by scientists at Porton Down.The government banned flights from South America, Portugal and Cape Verde on Thursday in response to the emergence of the new variant, having previously banned travel from South Africa because of a new Covid strain.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 weekdayIn addition, all quarantine-free travel into the UK will be suspended on Monday in a bid to keep out other variants.But Prof Edmunds, professor of epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “In terms of the South African one, we had imported cases already by the time we put in additional restrictions for South African travellers.“For the Brazilian one… I don’t think there is evidence that we’ve imported cases of the Manaus strain, as far as I’m aware at least, but it is likely that we probably have quite honestly.“We are one of the most connected countries in the world so I would find it unusual if we hadn’t imported some cases into the UK.”Labour accused the Government of “closing the door after the horse has bolted”, saying the announcement was too late to have stopped the arrival of “worrying” strains.Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds told ministers to get a “comprehensive plan and to act in a proper, strategic way, not in the short-term chaotic way we’ve seen over the past twelve months”.But aviation minister Robert Courts insisted that the new action amounted to “toughening up already tough requirements”.Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said there would be lots of new coronavirus variants this year but the current vaccines should protect against the strains circulating in the UK.He said that new variants were being detected early, and stressed: “If indeed we do need to make new vaccines we will be able to stand those up really quickly.” More

The website of pro-Brexit pressure group Leave.eu has been suspended amid a row over its attempt to switch its registration to Ireland to avoid losing its .eu domain name.The group, founded by businessman Arron Banks and supported by Nigel Farage, moved its registration from the UK to Waterford in the Republic of Ireland shortly before the end of the transition to Brexit on New Year’s Eve, to get round a rule stating that .eu addresses can only be used by individuals and organisations based in the EU.But now the EURid agency which oversees the .eu suffix has said the site is under investigation following a dispute over the move.Visitors to the web page were greeted with the error message “This site can’t be reached.”And EURid’s website stated that the leave.eu domain was registered to the group’s Waterford address, but added that it was “temporarily inactive (i.e. website and email do not function) and under investigation”.Irish businessman Sean Power, who is registered as the legal owner of the domain, has said he has no links with Leave.eu.And Irish member of parliament Neale Richmond wrote to the Republic’s communications regulator ComReg demanding an investigation.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“It is utterly ridiculous to think that Leave.EU could brass-plate an address in Waterford to maintain their domain name,” said Mr Richmond. “They wanted to leave the EU, they have, that means they leave their domain too.“Leave.EU are quite simply not welcome in Ireland, their questionable activities over the past number of years have brought a new level of toxic politics in the UK and beyond.“I welcome the suspension of this domain; I sincerely hope this is the end of this odious website and the related traffic driven to this odious brand. Good riddance.”Leave.eu communications director Andy Wigmore said the site would be back up soon.“Our lawyers will be taking action against those – and they know who they are – who have broken those delicious EU laws they love so much,” he said.Mr Wigmore dismissed Mr Richmond as a “third-rate EU fanatic”, adding: “Any more nonsense from Brussels-lovers like him and we may decide to put the full weight of Leave.eu behind the Irexit campaign.” More

The majority of the British public think Boris Johnson’s controversial bike ride seven miles from home during lockdown has undermined the police’s task of enforcing coronavirus restrictions, according to a poll.The prime minister was spotted exercising in east London’s Olympic Park last week despite rules announced by his government dictating that exercise should only be taken locally.In response to accusations of double standards, a No 10 spokesperson said Mr Johnson had not broken government guidance. The police commissioner Cressida Dick expressed the same belief, telling BBC Radio 4 that his trip was not “against the law”.In her interpretation of the measure, Ms Dick said people could exercise “from your front door and come back to your front door”. But a YouGov survey, commissioned by Crest Advisory, a crime and justice consultancy, found that 63 per cent of people thought the prime minister’s actions had made the police’s job harder. Three-quarters of Labour and Liberal-Democrat supporters took this position, as did 48 per of those who favour the Conservatives.Of the 1,566 adults surveyed in England and Wales, 36 per cent of them said it would make things “much harder” for police, while 27 per cent agreed it would make enforcement “a little harder”. Just under a third of people disagreed, saying the trip would not have any effect on policing.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 weekdayIn separate findings, there was also broad support for the police taking a tougher stance on enforcement, while 48 per cent of respondents were “very comfortable” with the idea of evening curfews to prevent people socialising.On the public’s view of policing during the pandemic, Harvey Redgrave, the head of Crest Advisory, said: “Our polling shows there continues to be broad-based support for how the police are approaching enforcement of the current lockdown.” Mr Johnson’s cycling trip came more than nine months after his former aide Dominic Cummings broke lockdown restrictions to travel from London to Durham, a journey many believe caused lockdown compliance to drop.  More

Andrew Adonis, the Labour peer and passionate anti-Brexiteer, calls Boris Johnson’s agreement with the EU the “trade reduction treaty”, because its unusual feature is that it makes trade harder – and since it came into effect on 1 January, this has seemed to be an accurate description. A live eel exporter who voted to leave the EU was interviewed on TV saying he didn’t realise that it would mean he wouldn’t be able to export his eels any more. Small business owners have said that the extra paperwork means it’s not worth sending orders to the continent. DPD, the parcel courier, suspended deliveries to the EU for five days while it sorted out its admin. Many of these things were known about before the end of the transition period, and yet many businesses were still unprepared for the new rules. Many of the problems of border controls have been that goods have arrived with the wrong paperwork, or because the carrier didn’t realise that they needed any paperwork. Similarly, the music industry warned that the new rules might prevent British bands touring the continent, but that has become the subject of headlines only after the deal was done.   More

Sir Keir Starmer will on Saturday take a further step to draw a line under the Corbyn era by declaring himself “pro-American”.Under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, Labour was regularly the target of accusations of anti-Americanism based on his long history of criticism of Washington foreign policy, with Conservatives questioning whether he could be trusted to preserve the transatlantic special relationship as prime minister.But Sir Keir will use a speech to the Fabian Society to say that he is “pro-American but anti-Trump” and wants to build a Britain which can act as “the bridge between the US and the rest of Europe”.Speaking days ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden as US president, Sir Keir will say he is “incredibly optimistic about the new relationship we can build”.In his first major speech on foreign policy since being elected Labour leader, Sir Keir will say he is committed to a new US-UK relationship, consisting of “a strong future together, on everything from security, climate change, aid and trade”.And he will go on the attack over Boris Johnson’s foreign affairs record, accusing the prime minister of getting too close to Donald Trump, who leaves office on Wednesday as the first president in US history to be impeached twice and with the threat of prosecution hanging over him.Mr Johnson has spent the last few years “cosying up to people who don’t have Britain’s interests at heart and courting the idea that he is Britain’s Trump”, Sir Keir will say.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 will say that he has a vision of Britain as a “moral force for good in the world” and accuse the Conservatives of overseeing “a decade of global retreat”.Looking ahead to Inauguration Day, he will say: “This isn’t a normal transition of power from one president to another. The pictures on our TVs in the last few weeks make that clear. The US is more divided than at any time I can remember. “Amid all that, this is a moment of huge optimism, of hope winning out over hate. And it can also be a turning point. Not just in America but also for Britain’s relationship with the US and for global politics.”Sir Keir will also attempt to draw a clear contrast with Mr Johnson over Europe, stressing his intention to work closely with the EU.The Labour leader has drawn criticism from within his own party ranks for refusing to commit to renegotiating Mr Johnson’s Trade and Cooperation Agreement, despite describing it as “thin”.On the future relationship with the EU, he will say: “I want that to be a close economic relationship, rooted in our values, based on high standards and with protections for businesses, for working people and the environment.“Of course, Boris Johnson will never do that, he wants something completely different from Brexit. And we’re already seeing that workers’ rights are at risk, the 48-hour week and the Working Time Directive could be ripped up.”Sir Keir will call on the government to use Britain’s presidency of the G7 group of major industrialised nations in 2021 to “secure and rebuild our economy and make Britain lead in the world again”.Referencing the work done by Labour prime ministers Gordon Brown and Tony Blair though the G7 and G20 on global poverty and the financial crisis, he will call on Mr Johnson to take a bold approach to rebuilding after the pandemic.“Britain hosts the G7 this year,” he will say. “That’s a huge opportunity to shape the recovery, to bring countries together in order to rebuild our economy and to repair our climate.“We need to seize this chance to lead again, just as Blair and Brown did over global poverty and the financial crisis.” More

Boris Johnson’s “desperately poor” Brexit deal has left Scottish fishermen with losses mounting by the day and many businesses fearing for their survival, the industry’s trade body has said in a scathing letter to the prime minister.Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) chief executive Elspeth MacDonald accused Mr Johnson of misleading the public about the agreement and giving the industry “the worst of both worlds”.”You and your government have spun a line about a 25 per cent uplift in quota for the UK, but you know this is not true, and your deal does not deliver that,” Ms MacDonald wrote.The prime minister’s stated approach, known as “zonal attachment”, would have secured British boats up to 90 per cent of the catch in  UK waters for important stocks such as herring. Instead the deal actually means the UK share of the herring catch is just 32.2 per cent and for other fish is even lower, while EU boats have “unfettered” access to British waters.”This can hardly be claimed as a resounding success,” Ms MacDonald wrote.
“Of major concern, however, is the outcome for many key whitefish species. Your deal actually leaves the Scottish industry in a worse position on more than half of the key stocks and now facing acute problems with North Sea cod and saithe in particular.“This industry now finds itself in the worst of both worlds. Your deal leaves us with shares that not only fall very far short of zonal attachment, but in many cases fail to ‘bridge the gap’ compared to historic catches, and with no ability to leverage more fish from the EU, as they have full access to our waters. “This, coupled with the chaos experienced since 1 January in getting fish to market means that many in our industry now fear for their future, rather than look forward to it with optimism and ambition.”The stinging rebuke came as Scottish fishermen saw orders cancelled by EU customers after delays at the border meant perishable shellfish was failing to arrive at its destination on time.
The SFF reported fish prices plunging at wholesale markets earlier this week and one fish processor threatened to dump unsold catch outside Downing Street in protest.SNP shadow environment secretary Deidre Brock said the SFF’s verdict on Brexit was “utterly devastating”, particularly given that fishing was one of the industry’s that the government had specifically highlighted as seeing tangible benefits from leaving the EU.Ms Brock added: “Scotland’s fishing industry is right to be angry about all the Tory lies and broken promises on Brexit, and the devastating reality of Boris Johnson’s deal, which is costing Scotland’s fishing communities millions of pounds in lost revenue, mounting costs, red tape and barriers to trade.
“The prime minister must urgently deliver a multi-billion pound package of Brexit compensation for Scotland – to mitigate the damage his Tory deal has done to our economy. This must include major compensation for fishing businesses and communities who have been hit hard.” More

The 50-strong Northern Research Group (NRG) of MPs is calling for the continuation “until lockdown is lifted” of the emergency increase that was brought in to help poorer families cope during the Covid-19 pandemic.The support for maintaining the payments beyond March comes just days before Labour stages a Commons vote – putting pressure on the prime minister to rethink the cut.Stephen Crabb, a Conservative former cabinet minister, hailed the revolt, tweeting: “Good to see colleagues in the Northern Research Group of MPs join call to extend universal credit uplift.“UC has been especially important in red wall seats supporting low wage workers and those losing jobs.”The law allows the current lockdown in England to stay in place until the end of March – but some scientists are warning that harsh restrictions will be needed for much longer.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 weekdayMinisters from the prime minister down have repeatedly refused to extend the benefits uplift, with the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, eager to start plugging the huge holes in his finances. The call by the “red wall” Tories comes in its submission to the Treasury, ahead of the Budget on 3 March. The submission also proposes:* Higher government borrowing to fund “an infrastructure revolution across the north;* The speeding up of promised movement of parts of Whitehall departments out of London;* A business rate “holiday” and a reduction of VAT to 5 per cent for tourism and leisure businesses;* The abolition of stamp duty on properties under £500,000 – and an extension of the mortgage payments “holiday” for workers on furlough.Jake Berry, the leader of the NRG – and a former minister for the “northern powerhouse” – said that by March, much of the north of England would have endured tough restrictions for almost a year.“Lockdowns – although necessary while we wait for the vaccine to be rolled out – only entrench and compound disadvantage already felt by those communities this government has promised to level up.“Now is the time for the Treasury to provide stability, not uncertainty, to people across the country, by confirming it will stick to task and continue supporting families and businesses.”
Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said: “Rishi Sunak must end the uncertainty for millions of families and secure our economy by cancelling the cut.“If he refuses to act, we urge Conservative MPs to vote with Labour on Monday to protect families’ incomes.” More

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