UK Politics

Boris Johnson is facing the biggest revolt of his premiership from backbench Conservatives as MPs prepare to vote on “plan B” measures, including Covid passes for large venues, the extension of mandatory face masks and changes to self-isolation rules.It comes after the prime minister warned the country it was facing a “tidal wave” of infections from the omicron variant, and pleaded with colleagues that the new rules were “balanced and proportionate”.But dozens of Tory MPs have indicated they will either abstain or vote against the proposals to introduce Covid passes in England, forcing the prime minister to rely on votes from Labour MPs in order to get the measure through the Commons on Tuesday.While the measures are expected to be approved, it would be another blow to Mr Johnson’s authority after a torrid few weeks caused by anger over a Christmas party in Downing Street during the winter of 2020 and just days before a critical by-election in the ultra-safe Tory seat of North Shropshire – a constituency where the Lib Dems are the bookies’ favourites to win.Conservative MP Sir Roger Gale told Times Radio on Monday evening he had considered submitting a letter of no confidence in the prime minister and warned if the voters send a message to No 10 at Thursday’s election “then that could be a tipping point”According to a tally of Conservative MPs by The Spectator magazine, 79 Conservative MPs, including former ministers, members of the 2019 intake and lockdown-sceptic backbenchers, have suggested they will vote against or abstain on the plan B measures when the prime minister puts the issue to a vote on Tuesday.In December last year, 55 Tories voted against proposals to strengthen the tiered system of Covid restrictions – the biggest revolt of Mr Johnson’s premiership so far.Earlier, Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said that England’s proposed Covid pass system will be tightened from the start of 2022 to require evidence of two vaccines and a booster as a means of gaining access to crowded venues like nightclubs.From Wednesday – under the plan B measures – entry to mass-audience events currently requires evidence of two jabs or a recent negative test for Covid-19, unless the individual has an exemption from vaccinations for medical reasons. But Mr Javid told the House of Commons that the pass, carried on the NHS smartphone app, will also require a booster “once all adults have had a reasonable chance to get their booster”.As the government has promised that all those aged 18 or over should have a chance to get their booster jab by New Year’s Eve, the new restriction can be expected to be in place early in 2022. People will still be able to avoid the requirement to show a Covid pass by giving evidence of a recent test, in the form of an email or text message from the NHS confirming that they have reported a negative result in the past 48 hours.From Wednesday this week, Covid passes or negative tests will be required by law for entry not only to nightclubs, but also to indoor events with 500 or more unseated attendees, unseated outdoor events with a capacity of 4,000 or more and any event with more than 10,000 people present. The restriction, announced in response to the arrival in the UK of the highly contagious omicron variant, covers many large sporting and music events, such as Premier League football matches.But there is an exemption for events of communal worship, wedding ceremonies, funerals and other commemorative events, protests and mass participation sporting events.The tightening of conditions for Covid passes reflects scientific advice that two doses of vaccine offers only limited protection against omicron, while a booster increases it to 75 per cent or more.In a sign of the Tory anger at the measure, former cabinet minister Dame Andrea Leadsom told the health secretary on Monday that she had spoken to a constituent who was now “less afraid of Covid than she is of intrusive and incoherent government regulations”.Mr Javid told the Commons: “From Wednesday – subject to this House – you’ll need to show a negative lateral flow test to get into nightclubs and large events, with an exemption for the double vaccinated.“Once all adults have had a reasonable chance to get their booster jab, we intend to change this exemption to require a booster dose. Even with plan B, we still have far fewer restrictions in place than Europe.” More

Omicron infections in the UK hit an estimated 200,000 a day on Monday and the super-contagious variant will become the dominant strain of coronavirus in London within days, it has been revealed.The dramatic figures came as the first UK death of a patient infected with the new variant was recorded. With omicron infection numbers believed to double every two or three days, they set the scene – if accurate – for daily infections to reach a record 1 million or more by the start of next week.Doctors’ leaders called for the return of two-metre social distancing indoors and mandatory face-masks in pubs and restaurants, warning that the government’s reliance on vaccines will leave millions at risk from a variant against which two jabs appear to offer relatively little shield while a third gives up to 75 per cent protection.The first day of the government’s drive to deliver booster vaccinations to 20m people by the end of the month was marred by technological glitches, as queues running into thousands of people wanting to book appointments built up on the NHS website. Some 110,000 appointments were booked by 9am despite the delays.Meanwhile, a surge of requests for lateral flow tests led to online orders for the home-testing kits being suspended. Health secretary Sajid Javid said that mailing capacity had reached its limit and called in Amazon and other delivery services to assist the Royal Mail.Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Javid said experts expect cases of omicron to “dramatically increase” in the coming days and weeks, with hospitalisations and deaths lagging by around two weeks.Some 4,713 patients in the UK have been confirmed with omicron infection. But the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimates that 200,000 people were infected with omicron on Monday alone with the new variant making up around one-fifth of all Covid cases.In London, which has become the UK hotspot for the new variant, the proportion of cases involving the new variant has now risen above 44 per cent and it is expected to become the dominant strain in the capital within 48 hours, said Mr Javid.NHS England raised its alert to the highest level of 4, designating a “national incident” and allowing health bosses nationally to take charge of the actions of local trusts.A letter to trusts said that the response could include 24/7 vaccine clinics and the discharge of medically fit patients to hotels to clear spaces inside hospitals.There was confusion over Boris Johnson’s pledge that all eligible Britons will be able to get a vaccine booster by New Year’s Eve, as Mr Javid told MPs that it was “asking a huge amount of our colleagues in the NHS” and that not every person will necessarily receive their jab in December. Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon said the target was a “monumental challenge”, but promised to “bust a gut” to get it done as quickly as possible.Mr Javid’s Labour shadow Wes Streeting accused the government of “rowing back” on the promise made on Sunday, warning: “The prime minister has got to learn to be straight with people because he is undermining public trust and confidence in the government and public health measures at a critical time.”Visiting a vaccination centre in London, Mr Johnson said he wanted the jabs drive to “hit warp speed” over the coming days.The prime minister refused to rule out new restrictions before Christmas, saying it was time to set aside any belief that omicron was “somehow a milder version of virus” and to recognise “the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population”.“The best thing we can do is all get our boosters,” he said.“We’ll have to attain a pace and a number of daily booster doses that will exceed anything that we’ve done before. “But I’ve got no doubt at all that we have the people, we have the enthusiasm, we have the fundamental optimism about what we can do, which we’ve learned from the experience of the last 18 months. And I know that people are going to rise to this.” Downing Street refused to put a daily target on the number of booster jabs, on the grounds that figures are certain to fluctuate wildly depending on the days of the week and bank holidays. Some 750 troops were deployed to help with planning and vaccinations, and a No 10 spokesperson confirmed that appointments will be made available on Christmas Day and Boxing Day to keep momentum up.To hit Mr Johnson’s target, the NHS would have to inoculate more than 1m people a day over the next three weeks, well above the previous single-day record of 840,000. In a TV address, Sir Keir Starmer urged all Britons to get the booster, warning that the NHS is “at risk of being overwhelmed”. The argument that not enough is known about omicron no longer “stacks up”, he said, adding: “We may not be certain how dangerous it is but we do know that lives are at risk.”The Labour leader confirmed his party will back Mr Johnson’s Plan B restrictions in a Commons vote on Tuesday, saying it was “our patriotic duty” to ensure the measures are not defeated by lockdown-sceptic Tory rebels.Issuing an appeal for the return of social distancing, as well as testing before entry to any hospitality venue, British Medical Association (BMA) council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: “It’s estimated that one in four people will not be eligible for a booster by the end of December, because they will either currently be unvaccinated or somewhere in the process of having the first two doses.“Most are younger people, who are often the most socially mobile and most likely to inadvertently spread Covid. That is why we need additional protections over and above the vaccination programme.”But the Confederation of British Industry warned ministers against “instilling a lockdown mentality” and said the economy “should remain as open as is feasibly safe to do so in the coming weeks”.Director-general Tony Danker said guidance on working from home should be lifted “as soon as it is safe to do so” and “the bar should be set high” for any new restrictions to economic activity that go beyond the government’s Plan B.With travel restrictions expected to be eased within days in recognition that omicron has become endemic in the UK, there were calls for assistance for businesses hit by the new wave.Downing Street indicated schools would be kept open unless there was an “absolute public health emergency” and warned local authorities against deciding to close early for Christmas as a precautionary measure.“We do not think anyone should be closing schools early unless they have received advice from the local director of public health that it’s necessary on public health grounds,” said the PM’s official spokesperson.“We wouldn’t want to see that happening routinely, just as a precaution. It’s very important that we maintain schooling as much as possible.” More

Boris Johnson claims he ‘certainly broke no rules’ with Christmas quizThe prime minister is set to face his biggest rebellion yet on Tuesday over plan B restrictions – specifically plans to bring in Covid certificates, with the list of Tory MPs threatening to vote against them reported to be at around 76.In another tense week at Westminster, Boris Johnson also has a by-election to deal with on Thursday for the formerly safe Conservative seat of North Shropshire. It follows Owen Paterson’s resignation in a row over his second job and breaches of lobbying rules. The Lib Dems now look set to take the constituency, early polling suggests. Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer has demanded Mr Johnson come to parliament and answer questions about whether he misled MPs over alleged Christmas lockdown rule-breaking. Speaking to Sky News this morning, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said the PM’s “credibility is in tatters” and echoed Sir Keir’s call for him to take questions in parliament. Asked if the Tory leader should resign following the controversy, the Labour MP said “that is a matter for the prime minister and his conscience”.Show latest update

1639405887Patel faces legal action over Windrush compensation failuresPriti Patel is facing legal action for the Windrush Compensation Scheme’s failure to pay out to victims – with just 5 per cent receiving money in the four years since the scandal came to light.Windrush Lives and Good Law Project are asking for control of the Home Office-run scheme to be given to an independent organisation to ensure victims receive long-awaited justice, as recommended by the Home Affairs Committee, to increase trust and encourage more applications, reports our race correspondent Nadine White. “Together with Windrush Lives, we are asking Priti Patel to listen to Windrush victims and set up an independent scheme. If she really wanted to make things right, she’d do so voluntarily,” Jo Maugham, director of Good Law Project, said. “But we think any failure would be unlawful and amenable to judicial review.”Sam Hancock13 December 2021 14:311639404563Watch: PM claims he ‘broke no rules’ with Christmas quiz Boris Johnson claims he ‘certainly broke no rules’ with Christmas quizSam Hancock13 December 2021 14:091639403596Nigel Farage: Johnson using omicron emergency to ‘save his own political skin’Nigel Farage has claimed Boris Johnson is using the omicron variant to distract attention away from a series of scandals engulfing his administration.The former Brexit party leader, who now hosts a show on GB News, said he “doesn’t believe” the UK’s Covid situation is an emergency.Despite rising cases, hospitalisations and incomplete data on the severity of the strain, Mr Farage said “all the evidence from South Africa suggests the variant is manageable.”“This is a cynical ploy to save his own political skin — don’t buy it!” he added in a tweet.His comments came less than 24 hours after the PM said the country was facing a “tidal wave” of infections and announced a huge extension to the booster programme to slow omicron’s spread.Matt Mathers13 December 2021 13:531639402347’That’s the Christmas present I think he deserves’Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran says her party has a “real chance” of winning Thursday’s North Shropshire by-election.She said some Conservative “sources” believe around just 500 votes could decide the contest, which is being billed in some Conservative circles as a referendum on Boris Johnson’s leadership of his party.Ms Moran added that if the Lib Dem candidate, Helen Morgan wins on Thursday it would be “the Christmas present he [the PM] deserves” amid several allegations of misconduct.Matt Mathers13 December 2021 13:321639401064Government not listening to people in Northern Ireland, new shadow secretary of state warnsBoris Johnson’s government has been accused of “continually imposing regulations and laws” over the heads of people in Northern Ireland, by the new shadow secretary of state.Peter Kyle visited Stormont for the first time since his appointment as shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland, and expressed concerns over Government policies on Brexit and proposals to deal with the legacy of the Troubles.Mr Kyle, who replaced Louse Haigh in the role, is meeting political parties as well as business, victims and cultural groups this week and said he wanted to use the trip to “listen and learn”.He told the PA news agency: “I was disappointed in recent days I couldn’t get over here fast enough.”It is my absolute conviction to be a voice for the whole of Northern Ireland in Westminster, and in order to do that I need to meet as many people as I can, I need to listen as much as I can and I need to build as many relationships as possible.”Matt Mathers13 December 2021 13:111639399711PM refuses to confirm no more restrictions before ChristmasAsked three times today if he could rule out further restrictions being imposed in the UK before Christmas, Boris Johnson declined the opportunity to give such assurances.Instead, he said the current combination of plan B rules and an extended booster vaccine rollout was “the right approach” for now.Sam Hancock13 December 2021 12:481639398648PM insists he ‘certainly broke no rules’ at Christmas partiesBoris Johnson has again assured reporters he “broke no rules” when asked about parties and gatherings in Downing Street last year, during lockdown. Speaking on a visit to a vaccination clinic in west London, the PM told broadcasters: “All that is being looked into. But if I may respectfully say to you… of course, all that must be properly gone into – you’ll be hearing from the cabinet secretary about it all.”He continued, saying Simon Case would report back “as soon as we reasonably can” and that the investigation could include a virtual quiz he himself was pictured at on 15 December.“But frankly, when I look at what we’re trying to do now, the crucial thing is that people understand the challenge that is posed by omicron. But also understand that this is a challenge that collectively we can meet,” Mr Johnson added. “What I’m focused on, frankly, is the vaccine rollout.”Sam Hancock13 December 2021 12:301639397748PM refers himself to Simon Case over quiz last yearSky News’ Beth Rigby reports the following:Sam Hancock13 December 2021 12:151639396848At least one patient dead after getting omicron, PM saysAt least one Covid patient in hospital has been confirmed to have died after contracting the omicron variant, Boris Johnson has said.Speaking during a visit to a vaccination clinic near Paddington, in west London, the prime minister said: “Sadly, yes, omicron is producing hospitalisations and sadly at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with omicron.“So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus, I think that’s something we need to set on one side and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population. So the best thing we can do is all get our boosters.”Adam Forrest has this breaking report:Sam Hancock13 December 2021 12:001639396192Watch: All the times Ant and Dec mocked Boris Johnson on ‘I’m a Celebrity’All the times Ant and Dec mocked Boris Johnson for party scandal on I’m a CelebritySam Hancock13 December 2021 11:49 More

Tory MPs have likened Covid restrictions to “Nazi Germany” and a Soviet “gulag” ahead of a huge revolt against Boris Johnson’s Plan B curbs.Anger at the new rules – Covid passes to enter crowded venues and mask-wearing in cinemas and theatres – will force the prime minister to rely on Labour votes to get them through the Commons on Tuesday.In extraordinary language, one rebel vowed to defy the prime minister by claiming the vote is the “thin end of an authoritarian” wedge threatening “a free society in this country”.“We are not a ‘papers please’ society. This is not Nazi Germany,” Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh told BBC Radio 5 Live.He lashed out at a presenter pointing out that many people feel unsafe in crowded venues as “not worthy of working for the BBC”, saying to such people: “Don’t go then”.The comments come after Graham Brady, the chair of the powerful 1922 committee of Conservative backbenchers, accused his own government of “a disastrous assault on liberty”.“Months when people were banned by law from seeing their children or grandchildren,” he wrote in a newspaper article.“Businesses forced to close; the state not just telling people not to go to work but paying them not to. And yes, nearly half a year in which we went full Eastern Bloc and no one was allowed out.”Sir Graham also condemned the Plan B measures ahead of Tuesday’s vote, saying: “There seems no let up to this kind of self-defeating, dystopian logic.”“We were told these measures might be lifted before Santa took to his sleigh, and certainly before half the country was pinged into the gulag,” the Altrincham and Sale West wrote.Around 70 Tory MPs have signalled they will vote against Covid passes for crowded venues – wrongly labelled “vaccine passports” by many, although a negative test result will also be allowed.There are likely to be separate votes on that key controversy, on the extension of face covering rules and on requiring a daily negative test result to avoid isolation as the contact of a household member with Covid.Mr Johnson’s spokesman, asked for his message to Tory rebels, said: “We are facing a tidal wave of omicron and these Plan B measures are a vital part of enabling us to buy time, so that we can get more of these booster doses in arms and provide the protection that will protect both lives and livelihoods.On certification for crowded venues, he said: “It allows us to keep some of these settings open which is vital for hospitality, where otherwise we would have had no choice but to close them, which no one wants to see.” More

The poorest half of families are worse off since Boris Johnson came to power while the richest have seen their incomes boom, says a damning report on his “levelling up” pledge.Half of UK households have lost £110 since his December 2019 election win, it finds, yet the top 5 per cent have enjoyed gains of more than £3,300 – sending poverty soaring by 300,000.The New Economics Foundation blames government policy for that gulf, because the failure to lock down when Covid struck meant the UK economy suffered a bigger hit than other major countries.The mistakes were fuelled by a lack of support for self-employed workers and those on insecure fixed-term contracts, who were allowed to “fall through the cracks”.“Far from ​‘levelling up’, on this prime minister’s watch the families and places that were already poorest have fallen even further behind the rest of the country,” the left-of-centre think-tank concludes.“The poorest families are even poorer now in real terms than the month of Johnson’s election victory,” it says, adding: “Worse still, the immediate outlook looks certain to deteriorate further.“With prices expected to continue increasing, combined with the threat of a rise in interest rates and the continued effects of Brexit, things may well be about to get a lot tougher for those families that have already suffered most.”The analysis – based on government data and forecasts from the Bank of England and the Office for Budget Responsibility – comes after the flagship levelling up hit fresh trouble.A long-promised strategy document was delayed until the New Year, as it has hastily rewritten, and amid a likely Treasury refusal to stump up more cash.Worryingly, for the government, the report highlights how the past two years have hit the wallets and purses of people in so-called ‘Red Wall’ areas the Tories won and must defend.Disposable real incomes have risen by only £20 in the north-east at all since December 2019 and by small amounts in the north-west (£80) and Yorkshire (£90).But, in London, they have gone up by more than £600 per year and by more than £550 in the south-east, the New Economic Foundations found.Overall, the number of families living in poverty – defined as those with income below 60 per cent of the UK median before housing costs – has risen by 300,000 in two years. Low-earners in sectors forced to shut down, such as hospitality, were hit hard – while white-collar high-earners in London and the south east were able to work from home, and save money on commuting.The Office for Budget Responsibility, the independent forecaster, has warned the cost of living could rise at its fastest rate in 30 years, in 2022. More

The government’s Test and Trace service, introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic, could run until at least 2025, recently published consultancy contracts suggest.Four new government contracts with Deloitte and Accenture, potentially worth up to £111.1m in total, see the two multinational firms contracted to carry out work relating to the contact-tracing service, initially for 18 months from 29 October.But if extended to their full length, each of the four contracts with the government’s new UK Health Security Agency – which took control of Test and Trace in October – could run until 29 April 2025.The new agreements come despite pledges by the Department of Health and Social Care to reduce the use of external consultants in the Test and Trace system, amid criticism from MPs who recently warned the service had failed “to achieve its main objective” despite being handed roughly a fifth of the NHS annual budget in two years.By the end of October, Test and Trace reportedly employed 1,230 consultants, potentially costing some £1.35m each day – although this would mark a significant reduction from the 2,239 consultants said to have been employed in April, then accounting for nearly half of the service’s central staff.One of the new contracts also suggests that officials believe travel curbs may be needed for years to come, with Accenture asked to work on systems that “provide the capability to track and monitor compliance against international travel regulations associated with arrivals from red, amber and green countries”.As part of a second contract with Accenture, the firm has also agreed to work on developing services “to support the increasing use of the private market for the provision of testing”. The two contracts could together see the firm handed up to £43.9m if they are extended in full.Deloitte, meanwhile, stands to earn up to £67.2m from its two new contracts for work relating to contact-tracing and customer feedback operations, among other areas. The firm was also handed a £56.5m contract with NHS Digital last month to keep providing IT systems for the Covid-19 National Test Service until 31 March, which according to the Financial Times brings the the total value of Deloitte’s pandemic-related public sector contracts beyond £500m.In response to the paper’s report on the most recent consultancy deals, Labour MP Meg Hillier, who chairs the public accounts committee, said: “They need to wean themselves off this approach, especially if it’s going to run until 2025, potentially.”Referring to Test and Trace’s £37bn budget in its first two years, Ms Hillier added: “With that amount of money, they have repeatedly said they want a legacy, and that legacy should not be paying consultants on a regular basis. This should be bread and butter stuff for the UKHSA.”A UKHSA spokesperson said: “Drawing on the expertise of private sector partners to provide specialist technology and services is often vital to our work to respond quickly and at scale to health threats.“We continue to build a strong team of expert and generalist civil servants and always recruit to the civil service wherever we can.”The Independent has also approached Deloitte and Accenture for comment. More

Boris Johnson has once more been forced to introduce social restrictions to combat the coronavirus, with the recent emergence of the omicron variant in southern Africa providing fresh cause for concern.As we head into the festive season, the prime minister has brought back mandatory mask-wearing on public transport and in shops, cinemas, theatres and places of worship, asked citizens to work from home where possible and made an NHS Covid pass or negative lateral flow test a necessary requirement for entry to crowded venues and events involving mass gatherings.More countries have also been added to the travel “red list” in the interest of stopping the global spread of the new variant, the precise characteristics of which are not clear at this early stage in its development, although it is feared it could have the potential to usurp the delta variant as the dominant strain of Covid-19 in a matter of weeks given its high transmissibility.In his latest televised address on the pandemic, Mr Johnson warned of a “tidal wave” of infections breaking on these shores unless the public adhere to the new measures and get their vaccine booster jab as a matter of urgency.The rollout of third shots is being greatly expanded to address the omicron threat, with the aim of offering one to all over-18s by the end of December, bringing forward that deadline by a month and placing further pressure on medical professionals across the country in the process.That decision came in response to findings by the UK Health Security Agency indicating that two jabs do not offer strong protection against symptomatic infection from omicron, with the current suite of vaccines less effective against it than they were against delta.However, that same analysis also concluded that those who had received a booster remained up to 70 per cent protected, underlining the importance of getting a third shot as soon as possible.As of Monday morning, the UK had recorded 3,137 cases of the omicron variant and its first 10 patients in hospital plus at least one death, according to the PM.In all, a total of 48,854 new Covid cases were recorded on Sunday evening, with the number of infections over the past seven days up 11.9 per cent to 360,480.Fifty-two more deaths were also recorded, making 834 in total over the course of the last seven days.Meanwhile, just 40.2 per cent of British adults have had their booster injection so far, although demand is high so that figure should continue to climb rapidly as more people make an appointment and roll up their sleeves.Speaking during a visit to a west London vaccination clinic on Monday, Mr Johnson sought to strike a reassuring note, saying: “Throughout the pandemic I’ve been at great pains to stress to the public that we have to watch where the pandemic is going and we take whatever steps are necessary to protect public health.“We think the steps that we are taking – so Plan B, combined with a hugely ambitious acceleration of the booster campaign, bringing it forward by a month so we offer a booster to every adult by the end of the year – we think that’s the right approach.”He is not currently planning to make a formal address on 13 December but the usual statistical update will take place this evening and we can expect a further announcements from the prime minister in the coming days as the omicron situation develops. More

Booster jabs will be on offer on Christmas Day and Boxing Day as the NHS ramps up its vaccination drive in a bid to meet Boris Johnson’s target of protecting everyone eligible in England by the end of the month.Downing Street declined to set a figure for daily jabs to hit the “challenging” goal, which will require around 1m boosters a day for the remainder of the month – almost double the current rate and well above the maximum of 752,000 achieved in March.Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson confirmed that the aim was to deliver jabs to those eligible by the end of the month, amid confusion over reports that the Department of Health was guaranteeing only to offer an appointment which could take place later. He accepted that in individual cases – such as people who are currently suffering from Covid or those who leave booking to the last minute – it may not be possible to fit in a jab before New Year’s Eve.Some 750 troops were drafted in to help speed up the effort which must be dramatically accelerated in order to come close to the 20m vaccinations needed to meet Mr Johnson’s goal.Servicemen and women will be deployed as vaccinators as well as assisting the NHS with planning on a national and regional level, said Downing Street.People aged over 30 in England became eligible to book a booster vaccination from Monday morning, while those aged 18 or over were able to attend walk-in clinics to get their jabs.Those trying to book jabs this morning were frustrated by lengthy queues on the website, though 110,000 managed to secure appointments by 9am.In a tweet, the health service said: “The Covid vaccine booking service is currently facing extremely high demand so is operating a queuing system.“For users aged 18-29, please be aware that booking opens on Wednesday 15 Dec.“For all others experiencing waits, we would advise trying again later today or tomorrow.”Meanwhile, orders for lateral flow tests were temporarily suspended due to what the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) described as “exceptionally high demand”.No 10 said there was ample supply of the test kits themselves, but there were not enough mailing slots available to send them all out.Downing Street said that there had been “some challenges” with the surge of traffic on the booking website and efforts were under way to increase capacity.“Our booster programme has been increasing at speed,” said the PM’s spokesperson. “Vaccinations will continue to be offered throughout the Christmas period – if there is demand, on Christmas Day and Boxing Day – and we are confident the NHS will be able to match it.”Capacity in terms of numbers of vaccinators and numbers of doses is being increased at all sites with the aim of significantly boosting vaccination rates, said the spokesperson.But he said the authorities were not setting a daily target because of the awareness that numbers will fluctuate widely depending on factors such as the day of the week and bank holidays.Some 600 personnel from across the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force have been made available to NHS England, delivering jabs in small teams across the country, and another 51 will help with planning, while more than 100 are assisting in Scotland, the Ministry of Defence said.Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “We have rapidly mobilised service personnel to work alongside our dedicated health services to accelerate the vaccine booster programme.“Our armed forces will help to get vaccines into arms as quickly as possible as we continue our efforts to support the UK’s response to the pandemic.”It comes as St John Ambulance made an urgent appeal for volunteers to help the vaccination effort.The charity’s head of community response, Adam Williams, said: “St John Ambulance recruited and trained almost 30,000 vaccination volunteers – including 20,000 vaccinators – between November and March.“If everyone who trained to vaccinate with St John steps forward now, even for just two six-hour shifts, we will have more than enough people to do everything that’s required of us over the next few weeks and help the nation get ahead of the Omicron variant.”Vaccination volunteers have been contacted over the last few days, with more details of how to book shifts and a message from England’s deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam.He wrote: “The vaccination programme has succeeded in achieving levels of protection previously unimaginable. It’s going to require a Herculean effort and I am asking you personally to be a part of it by undertaking vaccinator shifts as soon as you possibly can.”The NHS in England said that the opening hours for vaccine centres will be extended with more “pop-up” sites expected.Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of the NHS in England, said: “The NHS has already stepped up to the mark and delivered the fastest and most successful vaccination programme in health service history and staff are once again doing everything possible to increase the number of appointments available every day.“The best way to get your vaccine is by booking online or by calling 119 – please do keep checking availability as we load more appointments onto the system every day.” More