UK Politics

As few as one in 10 confirmed Covid cases are analysed for the omicron variant, health chiefs have admitted, as “community transmission” of the strain was confirmed.Only half of UK testing facilities are able to carry out genetic sequencing of positive PCR tests, which is needed to identify the variant feared to be more transmissible and, to some extent, vaccine-evasive.It means only 10-20 per cent of positive results are sequenced, although a further 10 per cent are assessed for the absence of the S gene, cases which are likely to be omicron.The health secretary Sajid Javid acknowledged the gap in sequencing and told MPs he is “expanding” other omicron testing methods to all centres, but was unable to say when that will happen.The admission came as Mr Javid said there were 336 confirmed omicron case across the UK – a number which is likely to be a severe underestimation.“This includes cases with no links to international travel. So, we can conclude that there is now community transmission across multiple regions of England,” he told parliament.Some would be “feeling ill” while others have no symptoms, he told MPs, adding: “None of them, as far as I am aware, have been hospitalised.”The update came as No 10 confirmed that laws requiring mask-wearing and costly travel tests will remain in place into the new year without a Commons vote if necessary.Ministers had vowed to lift the restrictions before Christmas if possible, but their own scientific advisers have warned it will take longer to assess the threat from the omicron variant.Mr Javid said the picture is still uncertain, but “the window between infection and infectiousness may be shorter for the omicron variant than for the delta variant”.“We don’t yet have a complete picture of whether omicron causes more severe disease or, indeed, how it interacts with the vaccines,” he said.“We can’t say for certain at this point whether omicron has the potential to knock us off our road to recovery.“We are leaving nothing to chance. Our strategy is to buy ourselves times and to strengthen our defences while our world-leading scientists assess this new variant and what it means for our fight against Covid-19.”The UK Health Security Agency told The Independent that only 10-20 per cent of positive PCR tests undergo genomic analysis because labs lack the capability.Meanwhile, the latest Covid figures revealed 51,459 new coronavirus cases, which means the trend over the past seven days is 9.1 per cent up on the previous seven days.The 811 new hospital admissions and 41 deaths within 28 days of a confirmed lab result mean both are still on a downward trend – but only just.The emergency regulations, announced on 27 November, mean confirmed and “suspected” contacts of omicron cases must isolate for 10 days. However, it can take more than one week to carry out genetic sequencing – and there are thought to be stark regional differences in how likely that is to take place.In his Commons statement, Mr Javid said the government is using “other methods” to detect likely omicron cases, such as the presence or absence of the S gene.“We are expanding that as well so that all testing centres will be able to do it very soon,” MPs were told. More

A Conservative councillor for North Shropshire who was only elected in May has defected to former actor Laurence Fox’s right-wing Reclaim Party, an embarrassment for the Tories ahead of a key by-election in the county.Anthony Allen’s decision to join Mr Fox’s “anti-woke” political outfit comes as the region prepares to vote on Owen Paterson’s successor as local MP after the ex-Northern Ireland secretary resigned over his part in the “Tory sleaze” affair that has dogged the party this autumn.Mr Allen, a 45-year-old cab company owner turned councillor for Market Drayton, said in a statement: “I’ve resigned my membership to the Tory party and joined the Reclaim Party. The Conservatives simply aren’t conservative any more.”He added that the governing party had, in his opinion, “gone soft on illegal immigration, they’ve lost control of taxation and are obsessed with crippling green taxes nobody wants”.His defection was cheered by Mr Fox, scion of the celebrated acting dynasty turned populist provocateur who ran an unsuccessful bid to become London mayor earlier this year.“Anthony is our first councillor, but – watch this space – he won’t be our last” he said, adding: “I’d urge any other dissatisfied councillors out there to get in touch.”As a mayoral candidate, Mr Fox promoted himself as a Covid-19 sceptic, declining to wear a face mask during public appearances and declaring that he would not get vaccinated until 2023 by which point he said he would be satisfied it was safe to do so.His new vehicle is similarly preoccupied with freedom of speech issues as well as more zeitgeisty concerns like defending statues of historic figures such as Edward Colston and Cecil Rhodes against calls for their removal from public places.In an open letter on the Reclaim website, Mr Fox argues that mainstream politicians “have lost touch with the people they represent and govern” and that “our public institutions now work to an agenda beyond their main purpose”.He continues: “The people of the United Kingdom are tired of being told that we represent the very thing we have in history stood together against. We are all privileged to be the custodians of our shared heritage.“We can reclaim a respectful nation where all are included and none are ashamed to have somewhere to call home.”Mr Fox was joined by party deputy leader Martin Daubney on Twitter on Monday as he unveiled Mr Allen in a new video, the trio posing in the Oswestry chill in front of a vintage anti-aircraft gun while a stirring orchestral recording of “Jerusalem” played faintly in the background.Leaping on Mr Allen’s echo of the Brexiteers’ war cry to “take back control of our country”, one commentator joked: “They are taking back the taking back control.”Mr Daubney, a former member of Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party who represented the West Midlands in the European Parliament between 2019 and 2020, is running as Reclaim’s candidate in the North Shropshire by-election.He is up against the Conservatives’ Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst, Labour’s Ben Wood, Helen Morgan of the Liberal Democrats, Kirsty Walmsley of Reform UK and Duncan Kerr of the Green Party in battling to succeed Mr Paterson.The field also includes UKIP’s Andrea Allen, Alan “Howling Laud” Hope of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party and Boris Johnson impersonator Drew Galdron, among others. More

Boris Johnson’s government has unveiled a series of changes to public procurement rules in a bid to avoid a repeat of the controversy over a “VIP lane” set up for Covid contracts.Ministers have faced accusations of cronyism after it emerged that some firms were given access to a high priority lane for lucrative personal protective equipment (PPE) deals during the pandemic.The government is now planning to tighten the rules so emergency public contracts can no longer be given without competition.Suppliers will be blocked from winning government contracts if they have a record of poor delivery, fraud or corruption, according to a Cabinet Office document published on Monday.It would also be possible to ban suppliers which have undertaken unethical practices – such as a lax approach to safety, or where there are national security or environmental concerns.Procurement data will be published in a “standard, open format”, the government claimed, as Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay promised that the changes were aimed at “increasing transparency”.The government also pledged to introduce some form of competition into emergency buying procedures so it “doesn’t need to wholly rely on direct awards” in times of crisis.The government has come under intense pressure over Conservative politicians’ links to firms which won PPE deals. Last month it emerged that at least seven Tory MPs and peers referred companies through the so-called VIP lane.Communities secretary Michael Gove was named as the source of referral for Meller Designs – the firm co-owned by Conservative donor David Meller – to the VIP lane. The company went on to land more than £160m in PPE deals.The government has argued that a VIP lane was a “perfectly reasonable and rational” solution to the large number of offers to supply equipment at the beginning of the pandemic.And on Monday former health secretary Matt Hancock again denied any wrongdoing after a firm run by the ex-manager of a pub in the MP’s constituency was subcontracted to provide tubes for the NHS Test and Trace programme.Mr Hancock told the BBC that “everything has been above board” over deals for PPE and other services, and said he was “absolutely certain” that the Covid inquiry would find government were “working incredibly hard in unprecedented circumstances”.The proposed rule changes – outlined in a green paper public procurement reform on Monday – would give more weight to bids with “social value” and help level up the country.“Under new rules, procurers will be able to give more weight to bids that create jobs for communities, build back better from the Covid-19 pandemic and support the transition to net zero carbon emissions,” the document said.The Cabinet Office claimed the proposed crackdown on rogue firms were part of wide-ranging changes taking advantage of “new powers” after Brexit.The department argued that a set of “simpler, clearer and more flexible” rules could now be introduced. Brexit minister Lord David Frost said the planned reforms “are just one of the many areas where we are taking advantage of our exit from the EU’s rules”.Jolyon Maugham, director of the Good Law Project, responded: “You gotta love David Frost’s attempts to blame the EU for things his government did after leaving the EU and that EU law forbids.” More

The former England footballer Gary Neville has written to his local Conservative MP seeking answers about last year’s Downing Street Christmas party, as the public backlash over the gathering continues.Although sources say the event on 18 December reportedly involved dozens of people eating, drinking and playing games at close quarters when indoor social mixing was not permitted in London, Boris Johnson insists no rules were broken.Mr Neville does not accept this assurance, writing to Bolton MP Mark Logan of his belief that the incident shows the prime minister and some Tory frontbenchers “living by different rules” to the rest of the country.The sports commentator asked Mr Logan to clarify his position on the matter and to confirm or deny whether he was in attendance.The former Manchester United defender also urged the Conservative backbencher to publicly denounce the alleged breach of coronavirus guidance.“We need MPs to stand up and show the courage to do the right thing and speak out against wrongdoing,” he said.The tone of Mr Neville’s letter echoed Keir Starmer’s criticism of Boris Johnson at PMQS on Wednesday.“The prime minister doesn’t deny there was a Downing Street Christmas party last year…He says no rules were broken. Both of those things can’t be true. He’s taking the British public for fools,” the Labour leader said.The government is still fending off enquiries about what happened in Downing Street last December, a week after The Daily Mirror first broke the story.In a potentially worrying development for the government, the issue appears to still be at the forefront of some voters’ minds. Reports suggest the Downing Street party is being regularly mentioned on the doorstep in the constituency in North Shropshire, where a by-election will be held later this month, following the resignation of Tory MP Owen Paterson over lobbying.On Monday, the policing minister Kit Malthouse admitted he knows “nothing about” the alleged Christmas event, saying he took Downing Street’s insistence that no rules were broken at “face value”.He also corrected his cabinet colleague Dominic Raab, who suggested on Sunday that the police “don’t normally look back and investigate things that have taken place a year ago”.”The police should be investigating anything that is a historic crime to them,” Mr Malthouse confirmed.His comment comes as the shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said she would press the Metropolitan Police about the gathering, after the matter was reported to the force as a possible crime. The Labour frontbencher added that she is unsure why Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said on Friday that she was not aware of a complaint, suggesting that fellow MPs had discussed the issue with her directly.”I wanted to find out what’s happened because my understanding is that this has actually been raised with her and she has been sent questions about this by other MPs, by other London MPs. So I will look into what has happened here,” Ms Cooper said.Amid the ongoing scandal, No 10 has confirmed that festive celebrations are likely to go ahead there this year. “I think there is an intention to have a Christmas party this year,” a Downing Street spokesperson said. More

Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio has taken a swipe at Boris Johnson after he appeared in police uniform during a raid in Liverpool. Mercurio, who wrote the hit BBC crime drama, jokingly tweeted his “thanks” to the prime minister for “submitting your audition for the next series of #LineofDuty”, before adding “but we’re looking for a character with at least one redeeming moral principle and a performance that places even just a scintilla of doubt in the audience’s mind that he might not be totally bent”.The leading screenwriter also included a photo of Mr Johnson wearing a police hat and jacket.Mr Johnson had been attending a raid linked to Operation Toxic involving officers from the British Transport Police and Merseyside Police in Liverpool on Monday.One Twitter user described Mercurio’s comments as worthy of winning “Tweet of the year”, while a second said the post was “yet another reason to love Line of Duty and its writer”.Mr Johnson is under growing pressure to explain what happened in Downing Street last year when a Christmas party was said to have been held during coronavirus restrictions.The Metropolitan Police has said it was considering complaints submitted by two Labour MPs.The prime minister was in Liverpool to launch a new 10-year drugs strategy for England and Wales, with government officials likely hoping that a week of announcements on the issue would take the pressure off suggestions the party at No 10 broke Covid rules.The announcements include a pledge to break up 2,000 “county lines” drug gangs in a £300m drive to rid the country’s streets of illegal narcotics. More

Keir Starmer receives Covid booster jabPM Boris Johnson is expected this week to launch a decade-long plan to tackle illegal drug-related crime which will include removing passports and driving licences from offenders, it has been reported.The crackdown will also include travel bans, harsher sentences for drug dealers, and measures to break up county lines drug gangs.It comes as Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has said he will call in police over “deeply concerning” allegations of cocaine use in the Palace of Westminster.His move comes after The Sunday Times reported that an investigation found evidence of cocaine in 11 out of 12 locations tested in the building.Meanwhile, Anthony Allen, a Conservative councillor in North Shropshire, has defected just 10 days before the constituency’s by-election triggered by Owen Paterson’s sleaze scandal.He has said that “the Conservatives simply aren’t conservative any more” and that the party has “gone soft on illegal immigration, they’ve lost control of taxation and are obsessed with crippling green taxes nobody wants.”Show latest update

1638801914Masks and travel tests could be kept into New Year without voteLaws requiring mask-wearing and tests for travel will remain in place in early 2022 without a Commons vote if necessary, No 10 has said.The government’s scientific advisers have warned that it would take longer than a few weeks’ time to assess the threat of the omicron variant.It came after ministers had vowed to lift the Covid restrictions before Christmas if possible.But now PM Boris Johnson’s spokesman has said that a decision can be taken to extend or strengthen the restrictions in England after the New Year.More here from deputy political editor Rob MerrickLamiat Sabin6 December 2021 14:451638799964Crime show creator mocks Boris Johnson for playing policemanThe creator of the police drama Line of Duty mocked Boris Johnson by saying that he would not give him a part in the hit show after pictures emerged of the PM roleplaying as a policeman.Jed Mercurio wrote: “Thank you for submitting your audition for the next series of #LineofDuty but we’re looking for a character with at least one redeeming moral principle and a performance that places even just a scintilla of doubt in the audience’s mind that he might not be totally bent”.This morning, Mr Johnson observed a dawn drugs raid on a house in Liverpool by Merseyside Police.He donned the police uniform to watch on as a number of officers bust down the door of the property.The photo opportunity took place at the same time the PM announced his government’s 10-year plan to tackle drugs gangs.Lamiat Sabin6 December 2021 14:121638798034Suppliers with poor history to be blocked from public contractsThe government is planning to block suppliers from winning public contracts if they have a record of poor delivery, fraud or corruption.The Cabinet Office said the proposals were part of “wide ranging changes” taking advantage of “new powers” facilitated by Brexit.It said that under current rules, suppliers can only be excluded if there has been a “significant breach of contract”.But it said a set of “simpler, clearer and more flexible” rules, to be introduced now the country has left the EU, would give the government “more discretion” to block those that have under-performed.It would also be possible to ban suppliers which have undertaken unethical practices, such as a lax approach to safety, or where there are national security or environmental concerns, the Cabinet Office said.Meanwhile, the Government is planning to introduce competition into emergency buying, meaning it “doesn’t need to wholly rely on direct awards in times of crisis”.New measures on transparency would also be implemented, with procurement data published in a “standard, open format” which would be “accessible to anyone”, the Cabinet Office said.It added that a “simplified bidding process” would make it easier for small and medium-size businesses to win government contracts.And it said “more weight” would be given to bids with “social value”, to help level up the country.Lamiat Sabin6 December 2021 13:401638797036Christmas party time at Downing StreetDowning Street has said it intends to hold a Christmas party for staff this year.The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We haven’t confirmed any dates at the moment.“I think there is an intention to have a Christmas party this year.”Alastair Jamieson6 December 2021 13:231638795634Boris Johnson turns ‘policeman’ to join force on dawn drugs raidThe Prime Minister has been snapped dressed as a policeman as he joined Merseyside Police on an early-morning drugs raid. More

Plans to give the government power to ignore court decisions it doesn’t like would amount to “tyranny” and spell the end of democracy, a former Conservative attorney general has said. Dominic Grieve, who was the cabinet minister in charge of the judiciary under David Cameron, said proposals reported on Monday were “worrying” and would see the UK “no longer living in a parliamentary democracy”.It comes after an ally of Boris Johnson told The Times newspaper that the prime minister was considering a mechanism that would allow the government to regularly strike out a list of judicial rulings it did not agree with.The plans, which would see an annual bill passed to overrule select decisions, are said to have been drawn up by the lord chancellor, Dominic Raab, and the attorney general, Suella Braverman.Mr Johnson is said to believe that the existing courts bill – which has already been criticised by rights campaigners – does not go far enough. That bill will place new restrictions on use of judicial reviews, including in immigration cases.The government has faced repeated defeats in the courts over its unlawful policies, including over Brexit and its decision to prorogue parliament in a bid to block MPs amending its plans.The prime minister’s spokesperson downplayed the report on Monday, telling journalists that he was not aware of plans to introduce the change, though he stopped short of saying such a policy would never be introduced.But Mr Grieve said the plans were “another example of the government’s failure to understand how the United Kingdom’s constitution actually works”. “If you’re saying that simply because you have a parliamentary majority you can overturn judicial decisions at will – well yes, technically I suppose you can, but at that point you’re no longer living in a parliamentary democracy, you’re actually living in a parliamentary tyranny,” he said.The former attorney general said the change would strip out checks and balances that were necessary for a function democracy.”On that basis, you’re not going to live in a democracy anymore, it will be something significantly different: and it worries me that the government doesn’t seem to be able to see that and seems to be fixated on seeing judges as an obstacle to its aims when actually they’re very important in shaping good government,” he said.Mr Grieve added: “The interplay between between judicial decisions and government decisions is one from which the government should learn and might occasionally should wish to pass a new law as a consequence. But the idea that once a year you pass a law overturning those judicial decisions of review which you don’t like is deeply unacceptable and rather worrying.”Steve Reed, Labour’s shadow justice secretary and Emily Thornberry, Labour’s shadow attorney general, said in a joint statement that the plans were “nothing to do with teh sovereignty of parliament”.“After a week when No10 has behaved as though they are above the law when it comes to Covid regulations, we are now told they want to grant themselves the right to ignore the courts altogether,” they said. “From the bedroom tax to the bombing of Yemen, the judicial review process exists so the public can challenge the Government and other public bodies when it suspects they have broken the law.”They added: “Incredibly, the Government plans to subvert that process by taking on even more arbitrary powers, and in future change the law to comply with their decisions, rather than change their decisions to comply with the law. “This is nothing to do with the sovereignty of Parliament, but all about the Henry VIII fantasies of a Prime Minister who thinks none of the rules the rest of us have to live by should ever be applied to him.”Boris Johnson’s spokesman downplayed the report, saying he was “not aware” of any plans to introduce the measure.The changes in current legislation before parliament were “striking the right balance”, he said, insisting: “We fully respect the constitutional position of judges and the judiciary.”“The prime minister is not looking to take that approach,” the spokesman said – although he stopped short of a full denial that such a crackdown could ever be introduced. More