The former speaker said that despite Johnson’s professed commitment to “levelling up”, he has no interest in those less privileged than himself….reports Asian Lite News.
The former speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Boris Johnson and announced he has left the Conservatives to join the opposition Labour Party.
In an explosive interview with the Observer, Bercow says he termed today’s Conservative party as “reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic”.
Bercow, who stepped down as Speaker in 2019 after 10 years, says he joined the Labour party a few weeks ago because he now shares its values and sees it as the only means to removing the current Tory government from office, reported the Guardian quoting the interview.
“I am motivated by support for equality, social justice and internationalism. That is the Labour brand,” Bercow was quoted as saying.
“The conclusion I have reached is that this government needs to be replaced. The reality is that the Labour party is the only vehicle that can achieve that objective. There is no other credible option.”
The former speaker said that despite Johnson’s professed commitment to “levelling up”, he has no interest in those less privileged than himself. He also describes as “utterly shameful” the government’s decision to cut international aid.
He also said Johnson was a successful campaigner but a lousy governor.
“I don’t think he has any vision of a more equitable society, any thirst for social mobility or any passion to better the lot of people less fortunate than he is. I think increasingly people are sick of lies, sick of empty slogans, sick of a failure to deliver,” the Guardian quoted his words from the interview.
Downing Street says Johnson is tasking the whole of government, working with the new council, to take the success of the UK’s approach to vaccines and apply it to other priorities, reports Asian Lite News
Sir Patrick Vallance is to run a new science and technology office aimed at maximising the UK’s strengths in both sectors, Downing Street has announced.
The Office for Science and Technology Strategy will be based in the Cabinet Office and tasked with driving Whitehall priorities in those areas.
Sir Patrick is taking up the role of national technology adviser alongside his current position as the government’s chief scientific adviser.
“The new Office for Science and Technology Strategy will put science and technology right at the heart of policy-making and strengthen the way we work across government. I look forward to working with the National Science and Technology Council to help identify cutting-edge research and technologies that will deliver strategic advantage for the UK,” Sir Patrick said in a statement.
UK
It forms part of a plan by No 10 to “reinforce the position of the UK as a science superpower”.
A new National Science and Technology Council will also be established and chaired by Boris Johnson.
The prime minister will instruct the council to provide strategic direction on the use of science and technology as tools to tackle society’s challenges and level up across the country.
Downing Street says Johnson is tasking the whole of government, working with the new council and office, to take the success of the UK’s approach to vaccines and apply it to other priorities.
Officials say the first task of the Office for Science and Technology Strategy will be to review the technology bets the UK should back and prioritise for strategic advantage.
The PM said: “From discovery to delivery, our vaccination programme has proven what the UK can achieve at scale and at speed.
“With the right direction, pace and backing, we can breathe life into many more scientific and technological breakthroughs that transform the lives of people across the UK and the world.”
He added: “That’s why I’m establishing a new ministerial council and office at the centre of government, so we can realise the limitless possibilities that research and technology has to offer and cement the UK’s place as a global science superpower.”
Patrick Vallance (Wikipedia)
The development comes even as Britain reported another 9,284 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,630,040, according to official figures released on Sunday.
The country also recorded another six coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 127,976. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
British scientists on Sunday warned of “pretty miserable winter” ahead for the country due to likely emergence of new respiratory viruses, with further lockdowns a possibility.
Calum Semple, member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), a British government advisory body, said that children and elderly people will be especially vulnerable to endemic viruses at the end of the year.
Scientists have warned that a third wave of coronavirus infections is “definitely under way” in England due to the fast spread of the Delta variant first identified in India, even though hospital admissions will hopefully not be on the same scale as in January.
The recent data published by Public Health England showed the AstraZeneca vaccine is 92 per cent effective against hospitalisation from the Delta variant after two doses, and the Pfizer vaccine, 96 per cent effective.
Organisations have warned that making vaccinations compulsory could cause serious difficulties in the care home sector, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
The UK government is expected to make Covid-19 vaccination compulsory for staff in care homes for older people in England, media reported.
Care staff are expected to be given 16 weeks to have the jab – or face being redeployed away from frontline care, or lose their jobs, according to a BBC report.
The government move, first reported in the Guardian, is expected to be announced in the next few days. The move follows a consultation by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Consultations will begin on the same rule for other health and care staff, the BBC quoted the report.
Meanwhile, care organisations have warned that compulsory vaccinations could cause significant difficulties in a sector that already struggles to recruit enough people.
The government, however, is believed to have considerable concerns about low take-up of the vaccine in some areas, including London.
“These moves would save lives and there is precedent with the Hepatitis B vaccine guidance for doctors,” a Whitehall source told the BBC.
Workers who can prove they are medically exempt from getting the vaccine will not be affected by the new measure, it was reported.
Visiting restrictions eased
Care home residents will be able to spend more time with family and friends, including overnight stays as part of an easing of visiting restrictions.
Currently, residents can only leave the care home for a visit if outdoors or for high-priority reasons, such as a dental or GP appointment, but will now be able to leave the home for more social reasons without having to isolate.
From 21 June, people admitted to a care home from the community will no longer have to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival, so residents will have a less disruptive introduction to their new home.
To ensure this happens safely, residents will undergo an enhanced testing regime – a PCR test before admission, a PCR test on the day of admission and a further PCR test 7 days later.
On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a four-week delay to the lifting of all the remaining Covid restrictions in England beyond June 21, citing the risk of highly transmissible Delta variant.
The confirmed delay means the lifting of restrictions will not take place until July 19, as the new move will allow more time for people to be vaccinated given the dangers of the Delta variant, Xinhua news agency quoted Johnson as saying at a press conference on Monday evening.
“I think it is sensible to wait just a little longer,” Johnson said.
“As things stand, and on the evidence that I can see right now, I’m confident that we will not need more than four weeks.”
He said that his government was “so concerned” by the Delta variant that is “now spreading faster than the third wave predicted in the February roadmap”.
The government will step up its efforts to vaccinate the people in the country, he said.
The over-40s who have had their first jab will only have to wait eight weeks instead of 12 weeks for their second jab, and 23 and 24-year-olds will start to be offered a vaccine from Tuesday, the Prime Minister said.
More than 41.6 million people have received their first dose of a Covid vaccine and more than 29.9 million have received their second dose across Britain, according to the latest official figures.
Meanwhile, weddings can go ahead with more than 30 people from June 21, as long as people stick with social distancing, the Prime Minister confirmed.
The UK GDP is estimated to have grown by 2.3 per cent in April, the fastest monthly growth since July 2020 as the Covid-19 lockdown eased, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
In April, the service sector grew by 3.4 per cent month-on-month, whereas output in the production and construction sector fell by 1.3 per cent and 2.0 per cent respectively, the ONS said on Friday.
Meanwhile, April’s GDP remained 3.7 per cent below the pre-pandemic level seen in February 2020, the ONS said.
“Services have been the main contributor to GDP’s recovery in recent months, following large falls in January because of coronavirus restrictions,” said the ONS.
Meanwhile, analysts have voiced their optimism for the British economy in the coming months due to further easing of restrictions and vaccine roll-outs.
“Putin is bright, he is tough and I have found that he is… a worthy adversary,” he said while hailing Putin…reports Asian Lite News.
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) leaders on Monday declared that China poses a constant security challenge and it presents “systemic challenges”, taking a forceful stance towards Beijing.
The leaders said they are worried about how fast the Chinese are developing nuclear missiles, according to reports.
In a summit statement, the leaders said that China’s goals and “assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security,” according to media reports.
In a show of unity ahead of meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden on Monday (local time) said that NATO treaty is rock solid and unshakable.
He then called Putin a bright, tough and worthy adversary.
“The NATO treaty is rock solid and unshakable. It’s a sacred commitment,” Biden told reporters after meeting with allies at the headquarters of the 30-member military alliance that has long been focused on the threat posed by Russia.
“Putin is bright, he is tough and I have found that he is… a worthy adversary,” he said while hailing Putin.
In a White House statement, the US President said: “There is a growing recognition over the last couple of years that we have new challenges. And we have Russia that is not acting in a way that is consistent with what we had hoped, and — as well as China.”
“And I must say that we had as (inaudible) a number of my colleagues and our colleagues who are in the G7 have stepped up as well, in terms of the need for there to be greater coordination,” he added.
Biden will meet his Russian counterpart in Geneva, Switzerland on June 16. However, NATO allies announced that they will gather in Spain next year.
Biden also met on the sidelines of the summit with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a time of strained relations between the two countries.
The Prime Minister Boris Johnson attend the NATO Summit at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street
The US President has arrived in-person at the NATO summit, where he urged western allies to better align themselves against China and Russia, the chief foreign policy concerns of his administration.
“I think that there is a growing recognition over the last couple years that we have new challenges, and we have Russia that is not acting in a way that is consistent with what we had hoped, as well as China,” Biden said at the start of the summit, reported CNN.
The summit comes as Biden looks to reassert US leadership on the world stage and strengthen global partnerships. He arrived in Brussels on the heels of several meetings with US allies and the annual Group of Seven summit in Cornwall, UK. (with inputs from ANI)
Dowden said the tweets were “offensive and wrong” but “also a decade old and written by a teenager”…reports Asian Lite News.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has backed comments made by the Culture Secretary that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) went “over the top” in suspending bowler England pace bowler Ollie Robinson for historical racist and sexist tweets.
Robinson, 27, has been dropped for the second Test, which begins at Edgbaston on Thursday, pending an investigation, the BBC reported.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden asked the ECB to “think again”, it was reported.
Dowden said the tweets were “offensive and wrong” but “also a decade old and written by a teenager”.
Ollie Robinson’s tweets were offensive and wrong.
They are also a decade old and written by a teenager. The teenager is now a man and has rightly apologised. The ECB has gone over the top by suspending him and should think again.
Prime Minister’s spokesperson said the Johnson was “supportive” of Oliver Dowden’s comments. “As Dowden set out, these were comments made more than a decade ago written by someone as a teenager and for which they’ve rightly apologised.”
A statement from the ECB reads: “England and Sussex bowler Ollie Robinson has been suspended from all international cricket pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation following historic tweets he posted in 2012 and 2013.”
“He will not be available for selection for the LV= Insurance second Test against New Zealand starting at Edgbaston on Thursday 10 June. Robinson will leave the England camp immediately and return to his county,” added the statement.
Robinson, who plays for Sussex, took seven wickets against New Zealand at Lord’s in the first Test that ended in a draw on Sunday. Robinson also scored 42.
England skipper Joe Root said after the match, “From a performance point of view, on the field, he has had an exceptional debut. With regards to the stuff that has happened off the field, it is not acceptable within our game — we all know that.
Root added, “He has dealt with a huge array of emotions over this last week and he has got to learn some hard lessons.”
Robinson had last week apologised for his tweets between 2012 and 2014 that led to controversy.
“On the biggest day of my career so far, I am embarrassed by the racist and sexist tweets that I posted over eight years ago, which have today become public. I want to make it clear that I’m not racist and I’m not sexist,” he had said in a statement.
Ollie Robinson Statement: On the biggest day of my career so far, I am embarrassed by the racist and sexist tweets that I posted over eight years ago, which have today become public. I want to make it clear that I'm not racist and I'm not sexist.https://t.co/kKPJnCgv0G #ENGvNZpic.twitter.com/NgkmfJsEm5
“I deeply regret my actions, and I am ashamed of making such remarks. I was thoughtless and irresponsible, and regardless of my state of mind at the time, my actions were inexcusable. Since that period, I have matured as a person and fully regret the tweets,” added the right-arm bowler Robinson in the statement.
The British government is facing increasing pressure to delay the final step of unlocking restrictions in England due to concerns over the spread of the Delta variant first detected in India…reports Asian Lite News.
The UK government is looking at options to strategically end the nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19 on June 21.
Britain on Sunday reported another 5,341 Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours as the government continues to consider whether or not to go ahead with the final step of easing restrictions on June 21.
The total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 4,516,892, according to reports.
The country also recorded another 4 coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain to 127,840. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
The British government is facing increasing pressure to delay the final step of unlocking restrictions in England due to concerns over the spread of the Delta variant first detected in India.
“No decision” has been made on whether to ease all coronavirus restrictions on June 21, a Downing Street spokeswoman said Saturday.
“As the prime minister has set out, we can see nothing in the data at the moment to suggest that we need to deviate from the roadmap,” she said, adding that the government would continue to review the latest data.
Public Health England (PHE) said on Thursday that the variant of coronavirus first identified in India, known as Delta, is now the “dominant” strain in Britain.
The number of cases of the Delta variant has risen by more than 5,000 since last week to 12,431, according to the data from PHE released on Thursday.
From May 17, pubs, bars and restaurants in England were permitted to open indoors, while indoor entertainment resumed, including cinemas, museums and children’s play areas.
People were also allowed to travel abroad to a number of “green-list” countries without having to quarantine upon return as the ban on foreign travel has also been lifted.
The British government’s roadmap is expected to see all legal limits on social contact to be removed on June 21. It is understood that a final decision on the planned easing of lockdown will not be made until June 14.
Experts have warned that coronavirus may continue to evolve for years to come, and eventually it is likely current vaccines will fail to protect against transmission, infection, or even against disease caused by newer variants.
To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the US as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.
The summit, starting on Friday, is the first between G7 leaders since the pandemic and the UK as president…reports Asian Lite News.
With four days left for in-person G7 Leaders’ Summit to be held in Cornwall, the Downing Street announced that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will call on fellow leaders to make concrete commitments to vaccinate the entire world against Covid-19 by the end of 2022.
“Next week the leaders of the world’s greatest democracies will gather at an historic moment for our countries and for the planet. The world is looking to us to rise to the greatest challenge of the post-war era: defeating Covid and leading a global recovery driven by our shared values,” Johnson said in a statement on Saturday.
The central themes of the meeting are vaccine supply and support for equitable access, tackling climate change and getting more children into school.
The summit, starting on Friday, is the first between G7 leaders since the pandemic and the UK as president.
India has been invited as a guest country, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to participate virtually.
On Friday, the G7 agreed to speed up cooperation on vaccine and therapeutic trials to tackle COVID-19 and future pandemics, the UK government announced after hosting a two-day meeting of the bloc’s health ministers at the University of Oxford.
According to the official statement, a Therapeutics and Vaccines Clinical Trials Charter will soon be implemented to help deliver “high-quality, reliable and comparable evidence from international clinical trials” and avoid unnecessary duplication of efforts.
“It (the agreement) contains a series of measures to make us all safer by improving clinical trials, quicker and wider access to safe vaccines, better use of data, more accurate health surveillance tools and greater collaboration between countries,” the UK health minister was quoted as saying.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson chairs the Cabinet Meeting and uses a G7 mug. (Pic – Pippa Fowles No 10)
The G7, made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, also agreed to work together on the mutual recognition of testing and vaccination certificates.
The meeting, which served as a preparatory event for the group’s summit to be held in Cornwall next week, fell short, however, of expectations that the seven richest countries would commit to donate more COVID-19 vaccine doses to developing countries.
Vaccine (ANI)
Despite highlighting the World Health Organisation’s central role in responding to health emergencies, the G7 announced that vaccines doses will only be shared once their domestic situations are solved.
According to non-governmental organizations, at least 90 percent of people in 67 low-income countries stand little chance of getting vaccinated against the disease in 2021 because rich nations have bought more jabs than they need. (ANI/Sputnik)
The seven-month global deployment will extend through the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean and on to the Indo-Pacific, interacting with more than one-fifth of the world’s nations…reports Asian Lite News.
The UK’s carrier strike group, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, has left for the Indo-Pacific region on a world tour that will last about seven months, carrying the strength of nine ships, 32 aircraft, and 3,700 personnel.
The dispatch of the ship, on Saturday on its maiden operational deployment, is a representation of the ‘Indo-Pacific tilt’ in the UK’s foreign policy. The carrier group is also believed to boost Britain’s involvement in the region and to deter China which is asserting its influence in Indo-Pacific, NHK world reported.
This follows the Boris Johnson government’s calls for increased focus on the region in a new policy paper on diplomacy and security for the coming 10 years which was released in March.
The seven-month global deployment will extend through the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean and on to the Indo-Pacific, interacting with more than one-fifth of the world’s nations.
Johnson was also among those to visit HMS Queen Elizabeth on Saturday ahead of her departure, joined on Friday by UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, First Sea Lord, Admiral Tony Radakin and Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston on the flight deck.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson-HMS Queen Elizabeth II Aircraft (Number 10 Flickr)
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had said: The UK’s Carrier Strike Group sets sail to write Britain’s name in the next chapter of history – a truly global Britain that steps forward to tackle the challenges of tomorrow, working hand-in-hand with our friends to defend our shared values and uphold the rules-based international order.”
In a projection of the UK’s global reach and influence, the carrier strike group will interact with over 40 nations during its 26,000-nautical-mile global tour, undertaking over 70 engagements, exercises and operations with allies and partners.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson-HMS Queen Elizabeth II Aircraft (Number 10 Flickr)
In the Indo-Pacific, the carrier strike group will visit India, Japan, South Korea and Singapore to strengthen Britain’s security relationships, reinforce political ties and support our UK exports and international trade agenda.
HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest and most powerful surface vessel in the Royal Navy’s history. (ANI)
Almost 3,000 cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in India have been reported in Britain, Hancock said…reports Asian Lite News.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers earlier Wednesday that there is “increasing confidence” that the current vaccines will be effective against all variants of the virus, including the double-mutant strain first detected in India.
Earlier, Health Secretary Matt Hancock had also said that UK is confident that existing vaccines will provide protection from the new variants.
Almost 3,000 cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in India have been reported in Britain, Hancock said.
In a statement on Wednesday at the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament, Hancock said 2,967 cases of the variant have now been recorded, 28 per cent up from more than 2,300 on Monday.
UK health Secy Matt Hancock
Surge testing and vaccinations will be deployed in the affected areas including Bedford, Burnley, Hounslow, Kirklees, Leicester and North Tyneside, according to the Health Secretary.
The Scottish government is also taking similar steps in Glasgow and Moray, he added.
“What this means in practice is we are putting in place more testing and more testing sites. We are making more vaccinations available to everyone who is eligible.”
The spread of the Indian variant has raised concerns that England’s final step of the roadmap out of Covid-19 restrictions scheduled for June 21 might be delayed.
From Monday, pubs, bars and restaurants in England were permitted to open indoors, while indoor entertainment resumed, including cinemas, museums and children’s play areas.
Millions in England were allowed to meet outdoors in groups of up to 30 people, and meet indoors in groups of up to six or as two households.
Meanwhile, all remaining accommodation including hotels, hostels and B&Bs can reopen from May 24.
People were also allowed to travel abroad to a number of green-list countries without having to quarantine upon return as the ban on foreign travel has also been lifted.
The UK has so far reported 4,468,355 Covid-19 cases and 127,956 deaths.
As per government roadmap, the remaining curbs on social contact will end on 21 June, but there is a growing fear about the spread of new virus variant that could delay the reopening process, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that there is “nothing conclusive to say we need to deviate” from plans to end coronavirus restrictions next month.
As per government roadmap, the remaining curbs on social contact will be ended on 21 June, but there is increasing concern about the spread of virus variant first detected in India.
“We are looking very carefully at the data…what’s happening…the epidemiology…the extent to which the new variant may be more transmissible,” he said.
Meanwhile, another 2,412 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,450,392, according to official figures released Tuesday.
The country also reported another seven coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 127,691. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
Speaking at a vaccination centre at north London, Johnson stressed it underlined the need for people to get vaccinated, if they are eligible.
More than 36.8 million people in Britain have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the latest official figures.
A total of 2,323 cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in India have been recorded in Britain, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Monday.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock holds a COVID-19 press conference alongside Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England and Dr Nikki Kanani, Medical Director of Primary Care for NHS England in the Briefing Room in 9 Downing Street. Picture by Tim Hammond/ No 10 Downing Street
Hancock has said there is a “high degree of confidence” that the current Covid vaccines will be effective against the India-related variant, but the virus could “spread like wildfire” among those who have not had a jab.
From Monday, pubs, bars and restaurants in England were permitted to open indoors, while indoor entertainment resumed, including cinemas, museums and children’s play areas.
Millions in England were allowed to meet outdoors in groups of up to 30 people, and meet indoors in groups of up to six or as two households.
Meanwhile, all remaining accommodation including hotels, hostels and B&Bs can reopen from Monday.
People were also allowed to travel abroad to a number of green-list countries without having to quarantine upon return as the ban on foreign travel has also been lifted.
UK starts surge testing
The British government’s roadmap is expected to see all legal limits on social contact to be removed on June 21.
Experts have warned that despite progress in vaccine rollout, Britain is “still not out of the woods” amid concerns over new variants, particularly those first emerged in South Africa, Brazil and India, and the third wave of the pandemic on the European continent.
To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. (inpts from ANI/Xinhua)
‘Don’t holiday in amber list countries’
Prime Minister Johnson also warned people should not be holidaying in amber list countries, after Environment Secretary George Eustice said people could go and visit friends, the BBC reported.
Eustice said people could go to those countries if they quarantined when they returned. However, it is now legal to travel to countries on the amber list.
Johnson said it is very important that people should be aware of what an amber list country is.
“It is not somewhere where you should be going on holiday, let me be very clear about that,” BBC quoted Johnson as saying. “And if people do go to an amber list country, they absolutely have to for some pressing family or urgent business reason, then please bear in mind that you will have to self-isolate, you’ll have to take tests and do your passenger locator form and all the rest of it.”
The warning came amid reports that thousands had headed for destinations such as France, Greece, Spain and the US, with more than 150 flights reported to have departed on Monday, it was reported.
