Tag: Boris Johnson

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-Top News COVID-19 UK News

UK PM asked to apologise for ‘over 80s’ Covid comment

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “Will the prime minister now apologise for using those words?”…reports Asian Lite News.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has faced calls to apologise for saying people dying from Covid were “essentially all over 80”, in a text leaked by his former close aide Dominic Cummings.

At the House of Commons, the prime minister did not deny making the comments, in October last year, as he argued against a second lockdown, the BBC reported.

But he told Prime Minister’s Questions the government was making “incredibly tough balancing decisions” at the time.

Nothing he could say or do would make up for the “loss and suffering” people had endured, Johnson added.

The prime minister said the “median age” for those dying was “above life expectancy”, in a What’sApp message leaked to the BBC by Cummings, adding: “So get Covid and Live longer”, the BBC report said.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “Will the prime minister now apologise for using those words?”

In response to this, Johnson said: “Nothing I can say from this virtual despatch box or nothing I can do, can make up for the loss and suffering people have endured in this pandemic.”

It was earlier this week, Cummings had claimed Johnson was reluctant to tighten Covid restrictions as cases rose last autumn because he thought people dying from it were “essentially all over 80”.

In an interview with BBC, Cummings also said the prime minister had messaged him to say: “I no longer buy all this NHS overwhelmed stuff.”

Johnson had wanted to let Covid “wash through the country” rather than destroy the economy, Cummings claimed. This was the first time Cummings has given a one-on-one TV interview during his career in politics.

In response to the accusation made by Cummings, Downing Street said the prime minister had taken the “necessary action to protect lives and livelihoods, guided by the best scientific advice” throughout the pandemic.

And the government had prevented the NHS “from being overwhelmed through three national lockdowns”, a spokesperson added.

In May, Cummings had launched an all-out attack on the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

He claimed that thousands of people died needlessly as a result of government mistakes in the handling of the pandemic crisis.

Cummings also said Boris Johnson was “unfit for the job”, claiming he had ignored scientific advice and wrongly delayed lockdowns.

ALSO READ-Over 80 lakh registered for 3rd phase of vaccination

READ MORE-PM resisted lockdown as only over-80s dying: Cummings

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-Top News UK News

PM pledges more powers for local leaders

The Prime Minister also pledged to hand more power to local leaders, with the possibility of elected mayors for counties….reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set out a plan to “level up” the country, by spreading power and opportunity more evenly, according to reports.

In a speech in Coventry, the Johnson insisted his flagship policy will not make the “rich parts” of the UK poorer but would be a “win win” for everyone, the BBC reported.

The Prime Minister also pledged to hand more power to local leaders, with the possibility of elected mayors for counties.

He also set out the catalytic role for government and the need to focus on growing the private sector by creating the conditions for long-term growth and productivity; invest in infrastructure and connectivity; ensure that people have access to good public services, and the skills and training needed to get good jobs; and improve the quality of life in communities through cutting crime and regenerating towns and high streets.

Meanwhile, Labour Party described Johnson’s speech as “gibberish nonsense”. The party’s deputy leader Angela Rayner dismissed the PM’s promises as a “PR exercise”, adding that Mr Johnson “does not do detail, he does soundbites”, the BBC reported.

“It is all jam tomorrow and a load of baloney. What he pretends and what he says he is going to do, is not what happens in reality,” Rayner was quoted as saying.

Johnson said the government wanted to “rewrite the rulebook” on local devolution and offer county areas in England “new deals” to give them the same powers as those currently given to major cities.

ALSO READ: MPs Vote For Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Olympics

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-Top News India News UK News

Boris Backs India’s Covishield For EU Green Pass

Boris Johnson(IANS)

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he saw no reason why people who received India-made vaccine – Covishield – should be left out of vaccine passport schemes, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is “very confident” there “will not prove to be a problem” for travellers who have received an Indian-produced Covid-19 vaccine.

It comes after reports the European Union’s passport scheme does not recognise the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India, known as Covishield.

ALSO READ – 7 EU nations clear Covishield amid travel pass row

Johnson on Friday said he saw no reason why people who received India-made vaccine should be left out of vaccine passport schemes.

“I see no reason at all why the MHRA-approved vaccines should not be recognised as part of the vaccine passports and I’m very confident that that will not prove to be a problem,” Johnson said at a joint news conference with Angela Merkel, referring to Britain’s medicines regulator.

Covishield
Boris Johnson visits Covid-19 Vaccine Centre (No 10 Flickr)

About 5 million people in Britain are thought to have had the vaccine made by Serum Institute in India, according to reports.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands became the latest EU country to approve the SII-manufactured Covishield vaccine for travellers, days after India pushed for the approval of its COVID-19 vaccines in Europe.

According to the website of the government of the Netherlands, Covishield has been included in the list of approved vaccines along with the doses from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

ALSO READ – Poonawalla hopes to resolve Covishield, EU travel issues soon

People who have been fully vaccinated can be exempted from the EU entry ban unless they are travelling from a country that has been designated as a very high-risk area due to the presence of a variant of concern.

Earlier, Switzerland, Iceland and seven EU countries on Thursday allowed the SII-manufactured Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine, a day after external affairs minister S Jaishankar said he had taken up with the European bloc to accept COVID-19 vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin.

Jaishankar highlights need for vaccine equity, fair travel regime

According to sources, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Estonia and Spain have confirmed accepting Covishield for travel entry. Switzerland has also allowed Covishield for the Schengen state.

Estonia has confirmed that it will recognize all the vaccines authorized by the Government of India for the travel of Indians to Estonia, said sources.

India had requested EU member states to individually consider extending exemption to those persons who have taken Covishield and Covaxin and said it will institute a reciprocal policy for recognition of the EU Digital COVID Certificate, according to sources.

ALSO READ – Jaishankar highlights need for vaccine equity, fair travel regime

“We have requested EU member states to individually consider extending similar exemption to those persons who have taken COVID-19 vaccines in India i.e. Covishield and Covaxin, and accept the vaccination certificate issued through the CoWIN portal. The genuineness of such vaccination certification can be authenticated on the CoWIN portal,” a source said.

The 27-member European bloc has introduced the EU Digital COVID Certificate framework to facilitate safe free movement during the COVID pandemic and it came into effect on July 1.

COVISHIELD

Under this framework, persons vaccinated with vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will be exempted from travel restrictions within the EU, sources said adding that individual member states have the flexibility to also accept vaccines that have been authorized at the national level or by the World Health Organization.

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at the weekly media briefing that India expects that CoWIN vaccination certificate would be recognized by the EU on a reciprocal basis.

“We understand European Union instituted EU digital COVID certificate for exempting restrictions on the movement of vaccinated people. Our expectation is that Indians vaccinated through our domestic vaccination programme would be treated at par with those vaccinated in the EU and CoWIN vaccination certificate would be recognized by EU on a reciprocal basis,” he said.

“As you are aware such CoWIN vaccine certificates can be authenticated on the CoWIN website itself. We are in touch with EU member states in this regard for reciprocal acceptance. I understand the number of EU countries have already taken positive steps in this direction,” he added.

A large number of countries in the Caribbean and Africa are also using made in India vaccines.

India has ruled out the export of vaccines at the moment, MEA said. The country is right now purposing its domestic vaccination programme that is moving very rapidly.

Many European nations are awaiting approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for Covishield. (with inputs from ANI)

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-Top News EU News UK News

Merkel hints at quarantine relaxations for Britons

Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a press conference with the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel. Picture by Andrew Parsons No 10 Downing Street

German Chancellor Angela Merkel signalled a relaxation of quarantine rules for fully-vaccinated Britons after a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, reports Asian Lite News

Angela Merkel, during her final visit to UK as German Chancellor, said that double-jabbed people should be able to travel from the UK to Germany without quarantining “in the foreseeable future”, media reported.

After her meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Merkel said her country was “continuously reviewing” its Covid travel restrictions, according to BBC report.

The two leaders have agreed on a number of steps to further enhance the bilateral relationship, including holding annual joint Cabinet meetings, reinforcing cultural links and expanding youth exchanges.

Merkel
Boris Johnson walks with Angela Merkel at the Prime Ministers country residence Chequers. Picture by Andrew Parsons No 10 Downing Street

In a press conference following their talks at Chequers, the prime minister’s Buckinghamshire residence, the two leaders spoke about trade and post-Brexit relations.

Answering to a question whether Britons who have had two doses of a coronavirus vaccine should expect to be able to travel to Germany, Merkel said Germany had adopted restrictions in response to the Delta variant, which she said was now spreading “very rapidly” in her country.

ALSO READ – Merkel defends patent protection for vaccines

“But as you know we are reviewing continuously our travel restrictions and we think that in the foreseeable future those who have received double jabs will then, according to our classification – and now Britain obviously is a high incidence area – will be able to travel again without having to go into quarantine,” BBC quoted Merkel as saying.

The Queen receives Chancellor Merkel (Source twitter@RoyalFamily)

“At the beginning we didn’t have much experience with this variant but we’re dealing with it,” she added. “And that is a continuous learning process… we have to adjust time and again to the most recent developments.”

The two leaders also discussed the need for countries to take ambitious steps towards cutting carbon emissions ahead of the UK-hosted COP26 Summit and for richer countries to help developing nations boost economic growth in a clean way.

Meanwhile, Johnson reiterated the need for a permanent arrangement on the Northern Ireland Protocol that protects the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and safeguards Northern Ireland’s place in the UK.

She also virtually addressed a meeting of the UK cabinet – the first foreign leader to do so since President Clinton in 1997.

Meanwhile, Germany has lifted its Covid-19 travel warnings for high risk areas with an infection rate above 50 cases per 100,000 people.

The Federal Foreign Office confirmed on Wednesday that travel warnings for countries with a particularly high incidence rate, above 200, as well as for Covid-19 variant areas will however remain in force. Non-essential tourist travel to countries classified as risk areas is still discouraged.

Affecting more than 80 countries worldwide, the “improvement of the epidemiological situation in Germany and large parts of Europe, the advancing vaccinations and the introduction of the Digital COVID Certificate (DCC)” made the lifting possible, the Foreign Office noted.

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-Top News Politics UK News

Advantage Boris As Labour Withers

Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer, for whom this election was a major test after assuming the top party position, said he was taking “full responsibility” for the defeat, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

With more English election results are set to be announced today, the ruling Conservative Party has already made significant gains, with Labour losing control of several local authorities, according to reports.

Prime Minister ad Conservative Leader Boris Johnson called the results so far “encouraging”, while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer promised to lead a fightback and set out a “bold vision”, the BBC reported.

On Thursday, people in England voted in elections for 143 councils, 13 mayors and 35 police and crime commissioners. The results are set to continue coming in over the weekend, with pandemic restrictions causing delays and counting centres working according to different timetables.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives have already snatched a historically left-wing seat from the opposition Labour in a tense by-election in England.

Conservative party candidate Jill Mortimer won the north-east England seat of Hartlepool with a large majority, beating opposition Labour party candidate Paul Williams, reports dpa news agency.

She described it as a “truly historic” result. It is the first time since its creation in 1974 that the seat has been won by a Conservative politician. Previously it had only been held by Labour, at one point, a candidate who ran as an independent.

Also Read – Labour Suffers Big Blow As Tories Win Hartlepool

Labour leader Keir Starmer said he was “bitterly disappointed” with the result, adding: “I take full responsibility for the results. And I will take full responsibility for fixing things.”

Conservatives also picked up control of several councils, including Maidstone, Cornwall, Nottinghamshire and Basildon, while Labour lost some, including Sheffield and Plymouth, to no overall control.

Labour
Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer speaks at the House of Commons. (UK Parliament_Jessica Taylor)

They have managed to keep the Tees Valley mayoralty – in an area once considered a Labour stronghold – with Ben Houchen increasing his share of the vote to 73%, according to BBC report.

The party also gained new police and crime commissioners, for Cleveland, Avon and Somerset and Dorset.

The result is a boost for Prime Minister Boris Johnson despite a rocky few months for the premier, with the country’s successful vaccine campaign appearing to be a key factor.

It is equally a blow for Labour party leader Keir Starmer, who has only been chief for a year.

The win will make no difference to Johnson’s influence in the British parliament, however, as his party already holds a majority.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Photo: No 10, Downing Street)

On Friday, the prime minister had travelled to Hartlepool to celebrate his party’s win, hailing the backing of “the fantastic people of the north-east” and saying it gave his government a renewed mandate, the Guardian reported.

The by-election was held on Thursday, the same day as local and mayoral elections across England, and votes for the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments.

The London mayoral result will be announced today, although if it is close it could take longer, it was reported.

SNP majority on knife edge

Though the Scottish National Party has won three key seats but the hopes of securing an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament election remain on a knife edge, the BBC reported.

Scotland First Minister and and Leader of the Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon

The party has taken both Edinburgh Central – where former MP Angus Robertson was standing for the SNP – and Ayr from the Conservatives, according to the report.

The party also won the East Lothian seat from Labour.

No other constituencies have changed hands so far, with the SNP currently on 39 seats, the Liberal Democrats four, Tories two and Labour one.

Labour retains Wales

There is nothing much to worry for Labour in Wales as the party is set to stay in power after matching its best-ever Senedd election result, with exactly half of the 60 seats in the Welsh Parliament, the BBC reported.

However, the Conservatives took the Vale of Clwyd from Labour, and Brecon and Radnorshire from the Liberal Democrats. And Labour took Rhondda back from Plaid Cymru.

So far 52 of the 60 seats are declared, and Labour has won 30; Conservatives 12, Plaid Cymru 9 and the Liberal Democrats one, it was reported.

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-Top News London News UK News

LONDON MAYORAL POLL: Tories Pin hope on Shaun

Prime Minister Boris Johnson supports Shaun Bailey campaign

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has joined Shaun Bailey during his tour of London to back Shaun’s plan for London. Boris joined Shaun Bailey at Romford market and wholeheartedly endorsed Shaun’s plan to kickstart London’s recovery from the pandemic. Shaun Bailey is on a tour to see all 32 of London’s boroughs in just 32 hours, to show how his plan will bring London stronger than ever out of the pandemic … A special report

The show is nearing its end. As Mayor Sadiq Khan leading with 20 points against his nearest rival, the most popular Tory in the country came to the rescue. Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined Tory candidate Shaun Bailey’s campaign.

Shaun Bailey (From Wikipedia)

Mr Bailey and Johnson have criticised Sadiq Khan’s 5 years of failure as mayor of London. During this time Sadiq Khan has focused on virtue-signalling rather than working with the government and now is hiking taxes on Londoners to pay for his financial mismanagement.

Bailey’s journey across London demonstrated how his plan for a fresh start will change Londoners’ lives.

“The pandemic has caused more job losses in London than any other region of the UK. So to build back better, we need a mayor who works with the government to secure investment,” the Tory candidate said. “ That’s why we can’t afford three more years of a mayor who attacks ministers from the sidelines while planning to introduce four new taxes — a £4.68 billion tax grab that will hit every Londoner.

“As mayor, I’ll deliver the fresh start London needs. And I’ll deliver it by working with the Prime Minister to kickstart our recovery and build a safer, fairer, more affordable city. So on 6 May, Londoners should vote for the candidate who will work with the government to secure a better deal for London.”

The prime minister supports Shaun’s claims.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, our task is to build back better. And Shaun Bailey has the experience, skills and determination to do this for London,” the former mayor said. “That’s why I’m backing Shaun to be the next Mayor of London. He has a plan to cut crime, fix London’s transport network, get people on the housing ladder, and lower the cost of living.

Shaun talking to Police during his campaign

“I ask Londoners to join me in voting for Shaun Bailey on 6 May. And I look forward to working with him as he delivers the fresh start London needs.”

During the meetings, Bailey’s revealed his crime strategy. He promised to tackle rising knife crime with a visible and immediate police response.

Within 100 days, Mr Bailey will have begun hiring 8,000 new police officers and made the decisions necessary for the 38 police front counters to begin opening across London.

Shaun will also direct the Met Police Commissioner to implement Operation Blunt Three within 100 days of becoming mayor. This operation will be a highly visible police surge throughout the summer, to crack down on the violence on London’s streets. This will be complemented by rolling out Stop and Search and Scan and Search policies across London within 100 days. Using targeted Stop and Search at crime hotspots, and non-invasive Scan and Search in public places, Shaun Bailey will turn up the pressure on criminals and get weapons off the streets to take the pressure off London’s communities.

As well as being tough on crime, Shaun Bailey will tackle the root causes of crime.  As a former youth worker of 20 years, Shaun knows the value of youth work, and the tangible impact that meaningful interventions can have in vulnerable young people’s lives.  In the first 100 days of his mayoralty, he will identify the 32 sites for new youth centres, and begin the process of hiring 4,000 new youth workers.

The first 100 days will also see the creation of Shaun’s Second Chances Fund. This City Hall fund will provide training and skills to ex-offenders and help them turn their lives around.

Shaun will also create the Mayor’s office for community policing. This office will be in charge of facilitating a return to community policing strategies and driving recruitment of ethnic minority police officers, so the met police can look like the people it protects.

Bailey also promised to tackle violence against women and girls and finally give this issue the urgency it demands. Shaun will commence the rollout of CCTV on the Tube and bus stations on day one.

On Shaun’s first day in office, he will also make the Rail to Refuge scheme a permanent fixture of TfL.

Rail to Refuge gives women fleeing domestic violence, free travel. This vital scheme protects women who are suffering abuse and gives them a way out to a refuge. This successful scheme has been appointed as a temporary measure. Shaun Bailey will take action to make this scheme permanent and give vulnerable women security.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson supports Shaun Bailey campaign
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Biden to visit UK, Belgium in June

US President Joe Biden

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden ’s trip will highlight his commitment to restoring alliances, revitalising the transatlantic relationship, and working with allies and multilateral partners to address global challenges, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

In his first overseas trip as since taking office in January, US President Joe Biden will visit the United Kingdom in June.

The president will travel to Cornwall for the G7 summit, which takes place between 11 and 13 June. From there, he will travel to Brussels, in Belgium, to participate in the Nato Summit on 14 June.

President Biden’s trip will focus on “restoring our alliances” and “revitalising the Transatlantic relationship”, the BBC quoted the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki as saying.

During his time in the UK, Biden is due to hold bilateral meetings with fellow G7 leaders, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson chairs the Cabinet Meeting and uses a G7 mug. (Pic – Pippa Fowles No 10)

“This trip will highlight his commitment to restoring our alliances, revitalising the transatlantic relationship, and working in close cooperation with our allies and multilateral partners to address global challenges and better secure America’s interests,” Je Psaki said.

At G7 summit, Biden will “reinforce our commitment to multilateralism, work to advance key US policy priorities on public health, economic recovery, and climate change, and demonstrate solidarity and shared values among major democracies,” she said. It will be held in Carbis Bay, near St Ives, the BBC reported.

Also Read – Biden to halve carbon emissions by 2030

Biden will then travel to Brussels, where he will participate in the NATO Summit on June 14.

“President Biden will affirm the United States’ commitment to NATO, Transatlantic security, and collective defense. NATO leaders will discuss how to orient the Alliance to future threats and ensure effective burden sharing. The President will also hold bilateral meetings with fellow NATO leaders,” the press secretary added.

US President Joe Biden (Credit Instagram)

While in Brussels President Biden will participate in a US-EU Summit, which will underscore “our commitment to a strong Transatlantic partnership based on shared interests and values.”

The leaders will discuss a common agenda to ensure global health security, stimulate global economic recovery, tackle climate change, enhance digital and trade cooperation, strengthen democracy, and address mutual foreign policy concerns, she added.

The US president’s trip to the UK will be his first to any nation since defeating Donald Trump in November’s election. Following his victory, Mr Biden also chose to call the UK prime minister before any other European leader.

Also Read – UK invites India for G7 Foreign Ministers’ meet

During that call, the two leaders talked about “the benefits of a potential free trade deal” between the UK and the US, with Mr Johnson reiterating his intention “to resolve existing trade issues as soon as possible”, Downing Street said at the time.

Both Johnson and Biden have been taking part in a climate action summit – hosted by the US – this week.

Biden administration had pledged to cut carbon emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by the year 2030. The pledge doubles the promise made by former President Barack Obama, but gives the current administration five more years to meet its goal.

President Joe Biden , Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry at the Leaders’ Summit on Climate hosted by the United States. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres can be seen on the screen speaking during the Summit. (Photo: @POTUS/Twitter)

Meanwhile, the UK government announced to set the world’s most ambitious climate change target into law to reduce emissions by 78 per cent by 2035 compared to 1990 levels.

For the first time, UK’s sixth Carbon Budget will incorporate the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping emissions, bringing more than three-quarters of the way to net zero by 2050.

Also Read – India, US join hands on climate

In line with the recommendation from the independent Climate Change Committee, this sixth Carbon Budget limits the volume of greenhouse gases emitted over a five-year period from 2033 to 2037.

According to the UK government, the Carbon Budget will ensure Britain remains on track to end its contribution to climate change while remaining consistent with the Paris Agreement temperature goal to limit global warming to well below 2oC and pursue efforts towards 1.5oC.