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The UN’s child protection wing will for the first time intervene to support those at risk of hunger in the UK following the “unprecedented” impact of Covid-19 on vulnerable communities.Unicef has put its funding behind a scheme designed to provide breakfast boxes to 1,800 families over the course of the Christmas holidays – marking the first emergency response in the UK by the organisation since it was founded in 1946.It comes as charitable groups and appeals including The Independent’s Help the Hungry campaign work to tackle surging rates of food poverty across the UK brought on by the impact of the pandemic.Unicef’s £25,000 grant will see food distributed through schools to vulnerable children in Southwark, south London, across the winter break by charitable group School Food Matters.The programme will also provide 6,750 breakfasts to families over the February half-term breakThe UN agency warned that the pandemic is the most urgent crisis affecting children since the Second World War.Anna Kettley, director of programmes at Unicef UK, said: “This is Unicef’s first ever emergency response within the UK, introduced to tackle the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus crisis and reach the families most in need.“The grant for School Food Matters will address the gap in current provision for children, providing approximately 1,800 children with breakfast bags during the Christmas holidays and February half-term.“This funding will help build stronger communities as the impact of the pandemic worsens, but ultimately a longer-term solution is needed to tackle the root causes of food poverty, so no child is left to go hungry.”Unicef’s intervention serves as a stark reminder of the growing levels of food poverty in the UK – a crisis that The Independent’s Help The Hungry campaign has worked to tackle since the beginnings of the outbreak, with more than 100,000 meals given out to vulnerable people by our appeal partners.Our campaign has partnered up with The Felix Project, one of the UK’s largest food redistribution charities, which uses an army of volunteers to save high-quality food destined for the dustbin and get it to those in need.Nutritious ingredients from the charity are then handed over to the team at With Compassion, who cook up 1,000 free meals a day to offer people across London the sustenance and the comfort that comes with healthy, delicious food.The Labour Party’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, said: “The fact that Unicef is having to step in to feed our country’s hungry children is a disgrace and Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak should be ashamed.“We are one of the richest countries in the world. Our children should not have to rely on humanitarian charities that are used to operating in war zones and in response to natural disasters.“Charities and businesses across the country have done a brilliant job stepping in where the government has failed, but it should have never come to this.”A spokesperson for the prime minister said the government had taken “substantial action” to “ensure that children don’t go hungry through the pandemic” as well as pledging £16m “not too long ago” to food distribution charities.This November and December we will be delivering food directly to 1,000 people a day through our partner With Compassion. Please donate here to help us do all we can to ensure no one goes hungry this Christmas.  More

A leading panel of tax experts, academics and policymakers have recommended a “one-off wealth tax” as a way for the UK to repair the damage wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy and public finances.The Wealth Tax Commission, a panel of experts from LSE and the University of Warwick, found that such a measure would raise about a quarter of a trillion pounds over five years, and said it should be considered rather than levying increased income tax or VAT.A wealth tax would see individuals taxed only once based on the net wealth they owned at the time of reckoning, the commission said, and could raise up to £260bn if levied at 5 per cent on those with assets worth £500,000 or more. The commission’s report found that an alternative threshold such as £2m or above would raise a third of that, about £80bn in total.At thresholds of £500,000 and £2m per person, a wealth tax would respectively cover 16 per cent and 1 per cent of the adult population in the UK.The tax would apply to a person’s total wealth including their home and any other properties, pension pots, business holdings and bank accounts.The commission proposed that the one-off wealth tax should be levied with a provision allowing individuals to pay the tax in instalments over a number of subsequent years at a rate of 1 per cent.“This would reduce the cost in a single year, but the amount of tax they pay would be based on their wealth on the initial assessment date,” said the experts in their report.  
The commission believes that it would be economically efficient, when compared to increased income tax for example, because it would be based on wealth at one point in time. Greater income tax on employment can reduce the incentives to work, the report argues, while capital taxes can staunch investment.  To address concerns that a new wealth tax could hurt people who are “asset rich but cash poor” and would be forced to sell their home to pay the tax bill, the commission said the one-off levy could be spread out over five years and people could appeal for more time to pay.The idea of wealth tax was first suggested by Cambridge economist Nicholas Kaldor in the aftermath of the Second World War, but it was first imposed in 1981 when then-chancellor Geoffrey Howe applied a one-off tax of 2.5 per cent of the banks’ non-interest-bearing current account deposits. Prime minister Margaret Thatcher later justified the tax on the basis that the “banks had made their large profits as a result of our policy of high-interest rates rather than because of increased efficiency or better service to the customer.”One-off taxes have been used after major crises in other countries, including France, Germany and Japan after the Second World War. More recently, Ireland levied a one-time wealth tax after the 2008 financial crisis.  In fact, the Labour Party’s top leader Keir Starmer in July said that the government should “look at the idea of a wealth tax”. The party has since backtracked on the idea, arguing that there should not be an increase in taxes while the economy is weak.  However, a YouGov poll in May found that 61 per cent of people would approve of a wealth tax on those with assets of more than £750,000.   More

England’s lockdown came to an end on 2 December and was replaced with a new tiered system of coronavirus restrictions.The new rules mean that more than 32 million people will be placed in tier 2 — allowing pubs and restaurants to sell alcohol inside their premises, but only if a “substantial meal” is purchased by customers.The lockdown regulations have reignited a debate about what exactly constitutes a “substantial meal”. Is it as simple a buying a few bags of crisps? A pasty? Or a more filling meal, such as fish and chips?Some publicans are scrambling to put together a food offering to lure customers back in a key month of trade, while people on social media once again debated what a substantial meal actually consists of and how it could prevent Covid-19 infections.The online bafflement is not cleared up by government guidance, which is frustratingly vague on what sort of meal you need to order.However, the housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, previously broached the topic in October and ruled out a packet of crisps. He said that a cornish pasty could be considered a “normal meal” if it was ordered with a side salad and chips.Mr Jenrick clarified on LBC in October: “It would be like a main course, rather than, say, a packet of crisps or a plate of chips.”As England prepared to re-enter the tier system following the second lockdown, the pasty gave way to Scotch eggs as a flashpoint in the debate around what constitutes a substantial meal.Environment secretary George Eustice suggested the sausage and egg combination “probably would count as a substantial meal if there were table service”. However, by the next morning Michael Gove told ITV’s Good Morning Britain the breadcrumb-coated egg was “probably a starter”.He went on to tell LBC “a couple of scotch eggs is a starter, as far as I’m concerned”.However, by the next morning Michael Gove told ITV’s Good Morning Britain the breadcrumb-coated egg was “probably a starter”.He went on to tell LBC “a couple of scotch eggs is a starter, as far as I’m concerned”.He added: “I myself would definitely scoff a couple of Scotch eggs if I had the chance, but I do recognise that it is a substantial meal.”The health minister, Matt Hancock, continued the debate on Wednesday, arguing a substantial meal is a “well-established concept in hospitality”.Mr Hancock told Sky News: “A substantial meal is a well-established concept in hospitality. Of course, a Scotch egg that is served as a substantial meal – that is a substantial meal.”What we need to do is not try to push the boundaries, we all need to take responsibility for our own actions.” He added: “The rules are the two different types of hospitality – those that obviously serve meals and those that don’t.”So, a starter can be a substantial meal, you can have a Scotch egg as a starter.” He added: “The rules are the two different types of hospitality – those that obviously serve meals and those that don’t.So, a starter can be a substantial meal, you can have a Scotch egg as a starter.”Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg also raised the scotch egg in parliament as the once-humble pork product grew increasingly notorious.“We better finish on Scotch eggs because I know it is a matter of great interest,” he told MPs. “I’ve been looking up the elephant bird. Did you know the elephant bird’s egg – it is now extinct – could weigh up to 22lbs, which is quite a big egg. And if you turned that into a Scotch egg, I think that would unquestionably be a substantial meal.”If, on the other hand, you were to take a quail egg and make that into a Scotch egg, I think that would be a mere snack.”And, in between, the great British people will make their mind up along with publicans up and down the country as to whether it is a snack or a substantial meal.”The Local Government Association (LGA) has said the rule is “open to interpretation”.It added: “It would be difficult to argue that a single sausage roll or a snack pork pie constitutes a main meal, whereas if it was served plated with accompaniments such as vegetables, salad, potatoes it could be considered substantial.” The guidance also does not state how many alcoholic drinks you are allowed to order with your food.However the term ends up being defined, the PM’s spokesman did say how long people could stay in the pub after purchasing a meal.They said:  “We’ve been clear that, in tier 2 I believe, that you need to have a substantial meal if ordering any alcohol and it remains the case that the guidance says that once the meal is finished, it is at that point.” More

Drinkers in England could get around the government’s limitations on ordering in a round under tier two coronavirus restrictions by purchasing a scotch egg, a government minister has suggested.New coronavirus rules to come into effect on 2 December rule out the sale of alcohol without a ‘substantial meal’ alongside it – leading to confusion from punters and publicans alike on what constitutes a large enough food offering.Environment secretary George Eustice has suggested the British pub stable snack made up of an egg, sausage meat and breadcrumbs could be sufficient to qualify as a meal.“I think a Scotch egg probably would count as a substantial meal if there were table service”, he told LBC.“Often that might be as a starter but yes I think it would, but this is a term that’s understood in licensing since it is, you can have the concept of a table licence for alcohol that also requires you to serve a substantial meal.“That is the model that is being followed.”It comes after housing secretary Robert Jenrick fuelled debate last month by suggesting the same logic could be applied to pasties.“If you would expect to go into that restaurant normally, or pub, and order a plated meal at the table of a Cornish pasty with chips or side salad or whatever it comes with, then that’s a normal meal,” he explained in October.Mr Eustice added that the idea of a substantial meal was “understood very much by the restaurant trade,”  despite reports to the contrary.Tim Foster of the Yummy Pub company wrote on Twitter: “I’ve been in this game for 22 years – I have never used the term ‘substantial meal’ until I saw it in Covid government guidelines”.
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England’s lockdown will be ending on Wednesday and replaced with a new tiered system of coronavirus restrictions.The new rules mean that more than 32 million people will be placed in tier 2 — allowing pubs and restaurants to sell alcohol inside their premises, but only if a “substantial meal” is purchased by customers.The lockdown regulations have reignited a debate about what exactly constitutes a “substantial meal”. Is it as simple a buying a few bags of crisps? A pasty? Or a more filling meal, such as fish and chips?Some publicans are scrambling to put together a food offering to lure customers back in a key month of trade.And social media once again debated what a substantial meal actually consists of and displayed confusion at the new tier rules and how they prevent Covid-19 infections.The online bafflement is not cleared up by government guidance, which is frustratingly vague on what sort of meal you need to order.However, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick did previously broach the topic in October and ruled out a packet of crisps.He said that a cornish pasty could be considered a “normal meal” if it was ordered with a side salad and chips.Mr Jenrick clarified on LBC in October: “It would be like a main course, rather than, say, a packet of crisps or a plate of chips.”Since then, there has been no further clarification and the Local Government Association (LGA) said  the rule is “open to interpretation”.It added: “It would be difficult to argue that a single sausage roll or a snack pork pie constitutes a main meal, whereas if it was served plated with accompaniments such as vegetables, salad, potatoes it could be considered substantial.” The guidance also does not state how many alcoholic drinks you are allowed to order with your food.And George Eustice, the environment secretary, has suggested alongside his ministerial colleague’s suggestion of a pasty, another picnic staple could be considered substantial enough to merit a pint.“I think a Scotch egg probably would count as a substantial meal if there were table service”, he told LBC radio.“Often that might be as a starter but yes I think it would, but this is a term that’s understood in licensing since it is, you can have the concept of a table licence for alcohol that also requires you to serve a substantial meal.“That is the model that is being followed.”However the term ends up being defined, the PM’s spokesman did say how long people could stay in the pub after purchasing a meal.They said:  “We’ve been clear that, in tier 2 I believe, that you need to have a substantial meal if ordering any alcohol and it remains the case that the guidance says that once the meal is finished, it is at that point.” More

Boris Johnson will outline a new tougher version of the regional tiered approach to control the pandemic, when England’s lockdown restrictions are lifted in just under a fortnight.The prime minister will make a statement to the Commons at 3.30pm and is then giving  a televised address this evening at 7pm. Mr Johnson will be accompanied by Chris Whitty and Andrew Pollard, who is the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group.England’s lockdown is due to end on 2 December and which parts of the country are to go into which tier will be decided on Thursday. MPs will have to vote on proposals before they come into force.The new system is also expected to do away with the 10pm curfew on bars, pubs and restaurants and customers will be given an extra hour to drink up until 11pm.It has also been suggested that families will be able to spend Christmas together with a new proposal allowing three or four households to mix for five days over the Christmas period, from 23- 28 December.Families must decide on their festive bubbles in advance and mixing with anyone else outside that bubble will not be allowed.The cabinet office were keen to emphasise that “the public will be advised to remain cautious, and that wherever possible people should avoid travelling and minimise social contact”.Today’s announcement is expected to include an explanation of the “end of lockdown package.” This could involve more information on how the government plans to carry out mass testing and an update on the vaccination schedule.Mr Johnson may also talk about how the vaccine will be administered, when exactly this might happen and which groups would receive it first.Mr Johnson could also address “freedom passes,” a scheme which would allow people to forgo certain restrictions if they had two negative coronavirus tests in the space of a week. More

Labour has demanded “urgent assurances” over Britain’s ability to combat crime and terrorism after the end of the Brexit transition period.In a letter seen exclusively by The Independent, Conor McGinn, Labour’s shadow security minister, demanded a response to a warning from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) that “even with contingencies in place, fallback systems will be slower, provide less visibility of information/intelligence and make joined-up working with European partners more cumbersome”.He said the security minister, James Brokenshire, had “declined to directly answer” whether he agreed with the assessment three times at a committee hearing on Wednesday.“These are clearly very serious concerns to be raised by one of the country’s most senior police officers,” the letter added.“The government has had a significant amount of time to put in place vital reciprocal security arrangements. So it is deeply concerning that as deadlines fast approach senior police officers are concerned about such critical tools.”Mr McGinn asked what assessment had been made of the scenario British law enforcement will find themselves in on 1 January, and what additional planning was being undertaken in light of “serious warnings regarding the efficacy of contingency plans”.He said the government must answer the questions urgently and provide “assurances that our law enforcement agencies and security services will not be undermined in undertaking their vital work”.In a letter to parliament’s Home Affairs Committee that was published on Tuesday, NPCC chair Martin Hewitt said police leaders had been “quite clear” on the need to retain EU tools since the 2016 EU referendum.“In both a negotiated outcome and non-negotiated scenario, the alternative measures are less automated and more unwieldy to use,” he added, warning of a “major operational impact” in January.Theresa May appears shocked at Michael Gove’s response to her Brexit questionThe National Crime Agency (NCA) said that even if a security deal is struck in the coming weeks, access will still be lost to vital databases and legal mechanisms.During a terse exchange on post-Brexit security with Theresa May in the House of Commons last month, the Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove claimed that the government “can intensify the security that we give to the British people”.But the NCA appeared to dismiss that claim, writing: “Whilst new powers at the border, such as the provision of advance data on EU goods, will have a positive impact on Border Force’s targeting ability, this may not fully offset the overall operational deficit.”The NPCC and NCA said British authorities would no longer be able to use the Schengen Information System (SIS II), which contains 4.6 million UK alerts relating to people and objects and is integrated with Britain’s Police National Computer.Its replacement will be Interpol notices and diffusions, which must be searched manually and currently contain far less information relevant to the UK.The NCA said the UK would also be cut out of the European Arrest Warrant system because it was “not seeking to participate as part of the future relationship” but seeking fast-track extradition agreements instead.Britain also faces losing access to the Prüm database for DNA, fingerprints and vehicle registration data, and the European Criminal Records Information System, on which the UK is the most active member state. More

Prince Charles is set to urge the UK and Germany to “reaffirm our bond for the years ahead” in a speech the day after spending his 72nd birthday in Berlin.The countries are embarking on a “new chapter in our long history”, the Prince of Wales is expected to say during a ceremony for Germany’s National Day of Mourning.The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall flew to Berlin on Saturday as the heir to the throne marked his 72nd birthday, receiving a cake on the flight.The couple have gone to Germany to mark its National Day of Mourning, which Clarence House said will focus on British-German relations this year, as it remembers “all victims of war and tyranny”.  Charles and Camilla are to attend a wreath-laying ceremony, as well as the main remembrance ceremony at the German parliament, where Prince Charles is expected to make a speech urging the UK and Germany to “stand alongside eachother” to protect the future for the next generations.He is expected to say: “The challenges to that future are manifest – whether from this dreadful pandemic which threatens not just our public health but our prosperity and security; or from the existential threat to our planet, and our way of life, from climate change and catastrophic biodiversity loss.”These crises demand that we act together, and the partnership between the United Kingdom and Germany offers such a vital opportunity in this regard. We are heavily invested in each other’s futures, such that our national interests, whilst distinct, will always be entwined.The Prince of Wales will add: “As our countries begin this new chapter in our long history, let us reaffirm our bond for the years ahead.”“Let us remember all victims of war, tyranny and persecution; those who laid down their lives for the freedoms we cherish, and those who struggle for these freedoms to this day,” Prince Charles is expected to tell the Bundestag. “They inspire us to strive for a better tomorrow – let us make this our common cause.”Clarence House announced the trip to Germany earlier in the week, saying the couple had been invited by the German president.Charles and Camilla will travel to the president’s official residence in Berlin on Sunday, for talks with Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Budenbender.They will then attend a wreath-laying ceremony at Neue Wache, which is the home to the Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Victims of War and Tyranny, before the Central Remembrance Ceremony at the Bundestag – where they will make history as the first members of the British monarch to attend this event.Announcing the couple’s visit, Clarence House said: “The National Day of Mourning will this year focus on the German-British friendship, which has grown in the 75 years since the end of the Second World War.”The event pays tribute to the Allied commitment to the liberation from Nazi occupation and to the reconstruction, re-democratisation and subsequent reunification of Germany. It remembers all victims of war and tyranny.”Additional reporting by Press Association More