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      Tighter Covid rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – but not England

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      New restrictions to fight the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus come into effect in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on Boxing Day.But England remains under the government’s less stringent Plan B curbs, after Boris Johnson put off any decision on tighter controls until after Christmas.The prime minister has said he will not hesitate to impose new rules if necessary, but he is coming under intense pressure from his own MPs not to impose harsher measures, which would inflict financial damage on pubs, restaurants and shops hoping to recoup some of the losses of a disrupted Christmas period during the New Year festivities.No meeting of the government’s Covid-O committee to discuss the latest data has yet been announced, though Downing Street has not ruled out talks on Monday in order to allow time for parliament to be recalled to approve new restrictions before New Year’s Eve.The UK’s tightest rules are in force from 6am today in Wales, where a maximum of six people are permitted to meet in pubs, cinemas and restaurants.A total of 30 people are allowed to attend indoor events, while the maximum is 50 for outdoor events.Two-metre social distancing is being required in public premises and offices, and nightclubs will close.In Scotland, large events will have one-metre physical distancing from today and will be limited to 100 people standing indoors, 200 people sitting indoors and 500 people outdoors.From 27 December, up to three households can meet with a one metre distancing between groups at indoor and outdoor venues like bars, restaurants, theatres, cinemas and gyms.Table service is also needed at places where alcohol is served.Northern Ireland is also bringing in restrictions on Boxing Day and December 27, with indoor standing events no longer permitted and nightclubs closing.Socialising will be reduced to three households while up to six people can meet in pubs, bars and restaurants. Ten people will be allowed if they are from the same household. Only table service will be available.A two-metre social distancing rule will be in place in public premises and offices.The Plan B rules in force in England require face-coverings in a range of public places and Covid passes to enter mass-audience events, and include advice to work from home if possible.Mr Johnson’s ability to tighten restrictions further is constrained by opposition within his own party, after a rebellion of 99 MPs against Plan B and the refusal of cabinet to approve new restrictions recommended by chief medical officer Chris Whitty before Christmas. The PM could avoid the need to recall parliament for a risky vote by issuing new guidance rather than regulations backed by law.Opponents of new measures in England believe their case has been bolstered by figures from the UK Health Safety Agency suggesting that those infected with Omicron are between 50 and 70 per cent less likely to need admission to hospital than sufferers of the earlier Delta variant.However, the government’s Sage scientific advisory committee has released modelling suggesting that halting indoor gatherings and permitting bars and restaurants only to serve outdoors could reduce deaths by 18 per cent if kept in place until mid-January or 39 per cent if retained until the end of March.It is understood school closures are not being considered for January.A source close to Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: “The PM and Nadhim are fully committed to keeping schools open, and there’s a shared commitment across Government to do so.“Education is a top priority and school closures are not something being considered.”Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the powerful 1922 Committee of Tory MPs, told The Observer it was “time to move on from the lazy assumption that government has the right to control our lives”, adding that Britons should “take responsibility for our own lives once again”.Charles Walker, a former vice-chairman of the committee, told the newspaper he hoped emerging data would support maintaining the current course of action.“I think the PM has done extremely well to weigh up the information, hold his nerve and get us to this point,” he added.Tory peer Baroness Stroud, a former special adviser to Sir Iain Duncan Smith when he introduced Universal Credit as work and pensions secretary, warned the Government against stricter restrictions which risk putting people “into poverty”.She wrote in the Sunday Telegraph: “Many of these measures cause social and health damage, and have a huge, negative impact on people’s livelihoods. And they put people into poverty.“I ask the Government to ensure that as they contemplate further restrictions, they are open about the active choice they would be making to damage the lives of our most vulnerable – who are doing all they can to work their way out of poverty.” More

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      Tory leadership hopefuls ‘told backing further Covid restrictions would damage chances’

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      Cabinet ministers seeking to succeed Boris Johnson have been warned by fellow Tory MPs not to back new coronavirus restrictions in the new year or face damaging their chances in a future leadership race. Tory MPs are calling for New Year’s Eve restrictions to be ruled out, with ministers set to meet as early as Monday to discuss whether further rules will be needed as the new Omicron variant continues to push daily cases to record levels. The UK saw 122,186 new Covid cases on Friday – the highest toll of the pandemic so far – while the Office for National Statistics estimated that 1.7 million Britons had the virus in the week ending 19 December, also a record.But large numbers of Tory MPs continue to oppose further Covid restrictions after 99 rebelled against the government’s plan B measures earlier this month – such as the introduction of Covid passes – with some labelling them “draconian” and “impractical”.“If No 10 proposes tighter restrictions straight after Christmas, those cabinet ministers with freedom-loving instincts – who gave us all so much hope last week – must speak out,” the Observer quoted one member of the Covid Recovery Group of Tory MPs as saying. “In any future leadership contest, we will all remember how they acted this week. We need real, gutsy, freedom-loving Conservatives to rescue us from this madness.”Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, and chancellor Rishi Sunak are seen as the frontrunners if the Tory leadership becomes available, highlighting the growing instability of Mr Johnson’s position following the sleaze row and rule-breaking Christmas party allegations.Data suggesting Omicron is less severe than the Delta variant that it has displaced has given hope to MPs opposing new restrictions.Graham Brady, chair of the powerful 1922 Committee of Tory MPs, said: “As we look forward to the new year, it is time to move on from the lazy assumption that government has the right to control our lives; we should take responsibility for our own lives once again.”The news comes as it has emerged that the government’s scientific advisers had modelled the impact of implementing new “step 2” restrictions from Tuesday. The measures would see the end of indoor gatherings and bars and restaurants only able to serve outdoors again.The modelling suggested that restrictions could reduce deaths by 18 per cent if kept in place until mid-January or 39 per cent if retained until the end of March.Such measures have already been introduced in Scotland where Hogmanay celebrations have been cancelled as new restrictions come into effect from 26 December. For three weeks from Boxing Day there will be a limit on large public places, which will also see sporting matches impacted significantly.Further restrictions will also be introduced for pubs, restaurants and other indoor public places for three weeks from 27 December. Indoor hospitality and leisure venues will have to ensure there is a 1m distance between different groups of people, and table service will be required where alcohol is served. More

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      Huge rise in first Covid jabs as vaccine refuseniks come forward

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      The number of people getting their first jabs of the Covid vaccine soared in the run-up to Christmas, the latest government figures show.Just over 221,000 first doses were administered in England in the week ending 21 December – a 46 per cent rise from the previous week, the Department for Health and Social Care said.The largest increase was seen among young people – one of the groups that the vaccine programme has found hardest to reach – with an 85 per cent increase in first doses for those aged 18 and 24, and a 71 per cent rise in first jabs for those aged 25 to 30.The latest data also showed progress in reaching older Britons who had not heeded the call for the Covid vaccine during 2021. In the week up to December 21, more over 60s had a first dose than during any seven-day period since early June.Just over 279,000 second doses of the vaccine were also administered in the expanded programme, a 39 per cent jump on the previous week, the figures showed.More than 30 million people have already had their third dose and all of those eligible will be offered a booster by the end of the year as part of the ‘Get Boosted Now’ campaign.Queues formed at pharmacies on Christmas Day as people were seen waiting for their “jingle jabs” as the vaccination booster programme continued over the festive period in England.NHS England has thanked health service staff who are working or volunteering on Christmas Day, while health secretary Sajid Javid urged people to “make the booster a part of your Christmas this year”.Dr Emily Lawson, head of the NHS Covid vaccination programme, said it was “fantastic” to see people coming forward at Christmas. In a message to vaccine refuseniks – as well as those still to get their boosters – she said: “It is never too late to get your first, second or booster dose.”Although millions of people have received a booster dose in the last few weeks, around 10 per cent of appointments have been missed nationwide. Hundreds of thousands of people have also been forced to delay their jab after testing positive for Covid.More than seven in 10 people aged 18 and over have now received their booster, with 27,127,951 people who are three months on from their second dose already boosted in England, as of 24 December.Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie have been pictured on a sofa at Chequers, his official country residence, speaking to NHS vaccination “heroes” on Christmas Day. The prime minister spoke to senior health staff in virtual calls.Mr Johnson is expected to examine the latest Covid data on Monday. He may have to decide whether to impose new restrictions by Tuesday at the latest if he wants to recall parliament and allow MPs to have their say on any curbs needed over New Year.Data suggesting that the Omicron variant might cause less severe illness than the Delta strain raised hopes that further restrictions may not be necessary after Christmas.The UK Health Security Agency estimated that someone with Omicron is 50 per cent to 70 per cent less likely to be admitted to hospital than an individual with Delta – something agency chief Jenny Harries referred to as a “glimmer of Christmas hope”.However, in a gloomy assessment published late on Christmas Eve, the government’s top advisers warned that a large wave of Covid hospitalisations should be expected “soon” and could be worse than last winter.The minutes from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) meeting on 23 December also warned that the peak in admissions this winter “may be comparable to or higher than previous peaks”. More

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      Labour takes eight-point lead over Tories after PM hit by Christmas party allegations

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      Labour has taken an eight-point lead over the Tories after the party faced criticism over the past few weeks over allegations of Christmas parties held during Covid restrictions, a new poll has revealed. Commissioned by The Sunday Times and completed by almost 25,000 people, the poll suggests the Tories’ popularity has taken a hit since the claims of lockdown-busting parties held last December emerged earlier this month. The results of a constituency-by-constituency poll, conducted in December, suggested that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer would have won a general election with a 26-seat majority. It also found Mr Johnson would have lost his seat in Uxbridge & South Ruislip.Cabinet ministers including Alok Sharma and George Eustice would also have lost their seats, the newspaper reported. During the three weeks that the poll was conducted, the Tory party faced a number of allegations of Christmas parties held in Downing Street and elsewhere – including a Christmas quiz and drinks held by London mayor candidate Shaun Bailey in the Tory HQ. Mr Johnson also faced a backbench rebellion over the rollout of new restrictions to curb the spread of Omicron – including Covid passes as part of his “plan B” measures – and a by-election defeat in the once Tory stronghold of North Shropshire. The poll suggests Labour would win a 40 per cent share of the vote and the Tory Party on 32 per cent, with 338 seats and 237 seats won respectively. According to the poll, Labour would have also seen a surge in support in the capital, claiming another 10 seats from the Tories.It comes after Sir Keir branded Mr Johnson “dishonest” as he said the prime minister was now being seen for “what he really is” by voters. Sir Keir said “I don’t think many people believe him, I certainly don’t” over his response to the allegations about lockdown-busting Christmas parties in Downing Street.In a Times Radio interview, the Labour leader signalled that he would not enter into formal pacts with rival parties to defeat the Conservatives, but indicated he would target resources at seats most likely to vote Labour.The Liberal Democrats picked up by-election wins from the Tories in North Shropshire and Chesham and Amersham in 2021, and are more likely to present a threat to Mr Johnson’s party in some of its southern heartlands than Labour.Sir Keir said: “I do think we should have a Labour candidate that people can vote for wherever they live. And depriving them of that is not the right thing to do.”But “given the size of the task that we face, given my utter determination that we are going to get this over the line at the next general election, I am very clear as to what our target seats are”.He said the likes of North Shropshire and Chesham and Amersham were “not on my list of target seats” and “I have to sort of take an approach, given the situation we’re in, which is very clearly focused on the route for the Labour Party to win power at the next general election”.Winning back seats in Scotland is also a key challenge for Labour if it wants to win the next election. More

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      Boris Johnson has followed Covid rules ‘in his personal life’, says sister Rachel

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      Boris Johnson’s sister has claimed he followed all Covid rules “in his personal life” since the beginning of the pandemic.The prime minister has been under huge pressure following claims of social gatherings held at Downing Street, Conservative HQ and government departments while strict curbs were in place last year.Defending her brother, columnist and commentator Rachel Johnson said he had “dotted every ‘i’ and he crossed every ‘t’” when it came to restrictions with his own family.“Because he is my brother I have had to see him over the course of lockdown and I have to say every time I’ve seen him … if it was rule of six, he said, ‘We can only be six whenever we are’,” she told LBC.The prime minister’s sister added: “He dotted every ‘i’ and he crossed every ‘t’ – I promise he did.”Ms Johnson added that she did not think rule breaking was “going on in his personal life”, adding: “What was going on under his watch looked really bad.”Earlier this week the prime minister defended a photo of himself and staff with cheese and wine in the No 10 garden at a time of strict curbs on social gatherings last May. “Those were people at work, talking about work,” he said.The scale of damage done to the PM’s credibility on Covid by a series of revelations about gatherings and after-work drinks at No 10 last year was laid bare by Savanta’s latest survey for The Independent.Almost three in 10 (28 per cent) also said that they are less likely to follow Covid rules as a result of reports of Christmas parties at Downing Street.Meanwhile, the latest Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll found that majority of Tory voters at the last general election want Mr Johnson replaced as party leader and prime minister next year.Some 53 per cent of Tory voters from the 2019 election victory want him ousted, according to the poll for the MailOnline. It found that 27 per cent in favour of a change at No 10, and another 26 per cent “strongly” in favour of the idea.The PM has seen his personal ratings plummet and his party have lost their poll lead to Labour following the Owen Paterson scandal, claims of government gatherings held last year’s Covid curbs, and remaining questions over the funding of Mr Johnson’s flat.It emerged earlier this week that the Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the police watchdog over a complaint suggesting its handling of allegations of a party at Downing Street last Christmas could amount to “aiding and abetting a criminal offence”. More

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      Crisps, PS5s and petrol: The year the UK ran out of everything

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      Boris Johnson hailed 19 July 2021 as “Freedom Day”, easing the last of the social restrictions imposed on the British public since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic 16 months earlier and drawing a line under some of the darkest days in our recent history.The vaccine rollout had been a triumph, Covid-19 appeared to be on the ropes, Gareth Southgate’s boys had done us proud at Euro 2020 and a summer heatwave had descended. What could go wrong?That question was answered just three days later, when eerie photographs of barren supermarket shelves began to appear on social media, forcing both the stores themselves and government ministers to urge shoppers not to engage in panic-buying in response to the apparent shortage of everyday goods.The phenomenon felt like a return to the bad old days of March 2020 and the very beginning of the pandemic, when frantic consumers raced to gather up as many six-packs of toilet rolls and bottles of hand sanitiser as they could carry to ensure plentiful supplies at home should society indeed collapse in the manner of a Netflix zombie movie.This fresh instalment of hysteria was blamed initially on a “pingdemic”, an explosion of notifications from the NHS Test and Trace app advising employees to self-isolate for 10 days after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus and therein causing chaos at workplaces across the country.With no exceptions made and official policy still one of “contact isolation” rather than “contact testing”, the UK economy was apparently being hard-hit by staff absences in response to the smartphone-issued quarantine orders, a problem affecting every sector, from retail and hospitality to transport, tourism and manufacturing, causing shifts to be rescheduled and services to run late or be cancelled altogether.But supermarket aisles left empty for the want of stackers or stock would prove to be merely the most immediately visible symptom of a range of issues that had been festering and were beginning to surface.Given the highly intricate and interconnected nature of the global supply chain, in which outsourcing is common and a single product is seldom manufactured, assembled, packaged and shipped by one outfit alone, the chaos being wrought by Covid was not simply confined to Britain but playing out across the map, with sickness absences at factories anywhere potentially leading to bottlenecks and delays everywhere.The NHS app was retooled to be less sensitive on 2 August, meaning fewer employees were unable to work at home, but still the problems persisted, prompting the pundits to look a little deeper for the root cause.An underlying shortage of HGV drivers was also clearly playing a part, a long-term headache already exacerbated by Brexit and worsened by the complications associated with the pandemic.The UK haulage industry estimated that Britain had lost 25,000 European lorry drivers in the wake of the EU membership referendum as they were forced to return to their countries of origin by tighter visa rules and the loss of free movement of labour principles.The three successive national lockdowns imposed in response to the Covid outbreak meanwhile meant that as many as 40,000 applicants to the DVLA in Swansea hoping to take a lorry driver’s test had been unable to do so, their forms piled high and gathering dust.Throw in an ageing workforce and British hauliers were facing a shortfall of as many as 100,000 drivers.Iceland’s managing director Richard Walker told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in late August that the lack of drivers had to be addressed by the government and was “impacting the food supply chain on a daily basis”.“We’ve had deliveries cancelled for the first time since the pandemic began, about 30-40 deliveries a day,” he said. “Things like bread, fast-moving lines, are being cancelled in about 100 stores a day.”Asked whether he blamed Brexit for the situation, Mr Walker did not hesitate to say yes, branding Britain’s decision to leave the EU “a self-inflicted wound”.His sentiments were echoed by other supermarket bosses, members of the Shadow Cabinet and, eventually, even by transport secretary Grant Shapps and the Office of Budget Responsibility, the latter pointing to a 15 per cent fall in British trade with Europe as a contributor to the shortages.For Trades Union Congress general-secretary Frances O’Grady, the rapid growth of zero hours contracts and the “casualisation” of work through the gig economy was another key factor.“It’s not just about pay and conditions,” she said. “It’s about the business models that we have seen mushroom over the past 10 or 20 years.“Supply chains are in peril. That should be a wake-up call for all of us. The solutions are quite simple. It’s about evening up that collective bargaining power and about treating people with dignity and decency at work.”When the problems began to manifest anew in the shape of the flash fuel crisis of late September and early October, prompting drivers across the country to queue around the block for access to desolate service station forecourts, Mr Johnson’s Cabinet was forced to act.It drafted in Army drivers to ferry petrol deliveries from distribution terminals to the pumps under Operation Escalin (a Brexit emergency backup plan hurriedly retrieved from a drawer), begged retirees to get back in their cabs and offered temporary visas to European hauliers, who were, understandably, not particularly inclined to help out.That episode – propelled to an extent by some unhelpfully alarmist media coverage, centred around the inevitable shots of snaking lines of traffic – did eventually ease, but not before post-Brexit Britain had been likened to “boycotted Cuba” by Europe’s newspapers.From the disastrous disappearance of Haribo to the nightmarish prospect of a world with no Irn-Bru, Walkers Crisps or Weetabix, here is a reminder of some of the key products we ran dry of in 2021, the year we went without.HariboOne of the first victims of the HGV driver crisis was the German confectioner, who first reported supply issues on 2 July before the extent of the problem became frontpage news – a dire turn of events for Tangfastics loyalists.Trade magazine The Grocer reported that Haribo had told its wholesale and retail customers that it was “faced with several challenges throughout our supply chain including a shortage of drivers” but was “working flat out to manage the situation”. 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      Social care workers will access fast-track visas for a year, government says

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      Health secretary Sajid Javid has announced social care workers will be given access to fast-track visas as the government added the sector to the shortage occupation list in an effort to fill “vital gaps”.The relaxation of immigration rules for the sector for a 12-month period comes after government advisers warned it was facing “severe and increasing difficulties” over staff shortages.In its annual report published last week, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), which briefs the government on immigration, advised immigration rules on care worker jobs should be relaxed “immediately”.The recommendation was sparked by preliminary findings from an independent review by the MAC on the effect the end of freedom of movement after Brexit is having on both the adult social care sector and its workers.Earlier this year, the government also announced it would be mandatory for social care workers to receive two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine despite warnings this could result in many leaving the sector.The MAC said the occupation should be on the government’s shortage occupation list, which details sectors where employers “face a shortage of suitable labour and where it is sensible to fill those shortages with migrant workers”.The advisers added that “Given the severe and increasing difficulties the sector is facing in terms of both recruitment and retention, we are recommending that care worker jobs immediately be made eligible for the health and care visa.” The committee said that while it did not believe immigration policy could solve all – or even most – of the sector’s workforce problems, it could “potentially help to alleviate the difficulties” in the short term.Announcing the change on Christmas Eve, the Department of Health and Social Care said the sector will now be placed on the shortage occupation list. It will stipulate an annual salary minimum of £20,480 in order for carers to qualify.The department added the change will allow “applicants and their dependents to benefit from fast-track processing, dedicated resources in processing applications and reduced visa fees” for a temporary period of 12 months.Mr Javid said: “It is vital we continue to do all we can to protect the social care sector during the pandemic and beyond.“These measures, together with the series of support packages announced since September, will help us ensure short-term sustainability and success for our long-term vision to build social care back better.”The home secretary, Priti Patel, added: “The care sector is experiencing unprecedented challenges prompted by the pandemic, and the changes we’ve made to the health and care visa will bolster the workforce and help alleviate some of the pressures currently being experienced.”Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrat health and social care spokesperson, said: “This measure is too little, too late for everyone who has had their visits to a loved one in a care home cancelled this Christmas. Staff shortages in care homes have been at crisis point for months. “When Boris Johnson delivered Brexit he pulled the rug from under the care sector’s workforce. Now, the paltry offer of a one-year visa will likely fail to attract the numbers of care workers we so desperately need. “We cannot afford another humiliating and damaging repeat of when a pitiful 27 EU lorry drivers applied for HGV visas in response to the driver shortage. The government needs to think again and offer three-year visas to carers with immediate effect.” More

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      Keir Starmer hints at informal pact with Liberal Democrats at next general election

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      Keir Starmer has signalled he could be open to informal pacts with the Liberal Democrats and smaller parties at the next general election in order to remove Boris Johnson from No 10 and deprive the Tories of a majority.The Labour leader’s comments come a week after the Lib Dems overturned a 23,000 majority in the ultra-safe Conservative seat of North Shropshire, dealing a significant blow to the prime minister’s authority.Earlier in the summer, Ed Davey’s party also stormed to victory in Chesham and Amersham, despite the Tories winning a majority of over 16,000 votes in the constituency in the 2019 general election.Admitting the sheer scale of the challenge his party faces at the next general election following its 2019 routing, Sir Keir hinted that he may refrain from piling resources into seats being heavily targeted by the Lib Dems.However, he dismissed the idea of a formal pact or “progressive alliance” – where parties would agree to stand down candidates in certain constituencies in order to give one anti-Tory candidate a better chance of claiming victory.“I do think we should have a Labour candidate that people can vote for wherever they live,” he told Times Radio. “And depriving them of that is not the right thing to do. There are also issues in relation to our rules.”But the Labour leader went on: “Given the size of the task we face, given my utter determination that we are going to get this over the line at the next general election, I am very clear as to what our target seats are.“I know where we have to win across the whole of the United Kingdom. And therefore, I will focus my party on those target seats in the places where we can win and we know we have to win.”Referring to recent by-elections where the Liberal Democrats won surprise victories in Tory strongholds, the Labour leader added: “If you take North Shropshire for example, that isn’t on my list of target seats.“That is not one of the seats that I ever thought we could realistically win. Chesham and Amersham, North Shropshire, are not on my list of target seats.“Am I pleased to see the Tories upended there? Yes, I am. But I have to take an approach, given the situation we’re in, which is very clearly focused on the route for the Labour Party to win power at the next election.”Sir Keir also stressed that he had to show Scottish voters that there was a “realistic prospect” of a Labour government, suggesting that many were motivated more by opposition to the Tories than by deep-rooted support for the SNP and independence.“The idea that, as you cross the border into Scotland, the only thing that people are concerned about is the constitutional question just isn’t my experience,” he said. “People are talking about the cost of living, they are talking about health.”Taking aim at the prime minister, whom he described as “dishonest”, the Labour leader also suggested that voters were now beginning to see Mr Johnson for “what he really is”.Talking about Mr Johnson’s response to the allegations about lockdown-busting Christmas parties in Downing Street during the winter of 2020, Sir Keir said: “I don’t think many people believe him. I certainly don’t.” More