Prime Minister Boris Johnson records a Covid-19 Christmas update statement. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street
The Prime Minister’s apology came after days of outrage after new evidence about the illicit gathering emerged….reports Asian Lite News
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologised for attending a Downing Street garden party during the country’s first lockdown in 2020.
During the weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions at the House of Commons, Johnson on Wednesday admitted that he attended the gathering in the back garden of 10 Downing Street on May 20, 2020, reports Xinhua news agency.
“I believed implicitly that this was a work event,” he told the lawmakers, adding that he went to the garden party with the aim of thanking groups of staff before going back into his office 25 minutes later.
“With hindsight, I should have sent everyone back inside. I should have found some other way to thank them.”
Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party, slammed Johnson’s “ridiculous” apology, saying the Prime Minister’s excuse that he “did not realise he was at a party” was “offensive” to the British public.
Starmer urged Johnson to “do the decent thing and resign”.
In response, Johnson insisted that everyone should wait until the inquiry by Sue Gray, the senior civil servant tasked with investigating the reported party in Downing Street, has concluded before questioning further on the matter.
“I know the rage they (millions of people across Britain) feel with me and with the government I lead when they think in Downing Street itself the rules are not being properly followed by the people who make the rules.
“And though I cannot anticipate the conclusions of the current inquiry, I have learned enough to know there were things we simply did not get right and I must take responsibility,” he added.
The Prime Minister’s comments came after days of outrage after new evidence about the illicit gathering emerged.
On Monday, local media ITV revealed that Johnson’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, had emailed an invitation to more than 100 Downing Street staffers to “socially distanced drinks in the No. 10 garden” and told guests to “bring your own booze” and “make the most of the lovely weather”.
This happened while the country was under strict coronavirus lockdown measures and such gatherings were illegal.
Pressure has been mounting for Johnson to resign following the latest evidence of the garden party.
Two separate polls released on Tuesday showed the majority of British voters think he should step down.
A snap poll from Savanta ComRes found 66 per cent of British adults thought he should step down, marking a 12-point increase.
A poll conducted by YouGov showed that 56 per cent of respondents believe Johnson should step down, rising from 48 per cent seen in a similar survey on November 22 last year.
Support from Johnson’s own Conservative Party is also waning as members have been openly critical, with Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross saying on Tuesday that Johnson must resign if he broke lockdown rules in the garden party.
Boris Johnson. Picture by Andrew Parsons No 10 Downing Street
With the climate change conference due to start on Sunday, the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued his plea while saying “too many countries are still doing too little”, reports Asian Lite News
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned the world leaders that United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP26 – must “mark the beginning of the end of climate change” amid last-minute talks that could help determine the future of the planet.
With the climate change conference due to start in just hours, the UK Prime Minister issued his plea while saying “too many countries are still doing too little”, the Guardian reported.
Johnson flown out to Rome on Friday for the Group of 20 (G20) countries summit hosted by Italy, with the hope of building momentum behind climate summit in Glasgow.
Speaking en route to Italy to meet other prime ministers and presidents from the G20 group of industrialised nations, Johnson said that without action the modern world could suffer the same fate as the Roman empire and go into dramatic decline, the Guardian reported.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson accompanied by his wife Carrie arrive in Italy ahead of the G20. Picture by Andrew Parsons No 10 Downing Street
“Humanity, civilisation, society, can go backwards as well as forwards, and when things start to go wrong they can go wrong at extraordinary speed,” he said.
“You saw that with the decline and fall of the Roman empire, and I’m afraid to say that it’s true today that unless we get this right in tackling climate change, we could see our civilisation, our world also go backwards.”
Earlier, UK Ambassador to the United Nations Barbara Woodward said on Thursday that she felt optimistic about the possible outcomes of the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), organized by her country in Glasgow, Scotland, as the international community still has a chance to reach the goal of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“I’m hopeful and optimistic as we go into Glasgow,” Woodward said in a press briefing. “We have 140 leaders coming to Glasgow in person… And we do have an opportunity to keep 1.5 alive in Glasgow.”
UK’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward (Video grab)
Woodward said the upcoming G20 summit in Italy this weekend provides another reason to be optimistic about the results of the climate conference. According to the diplomat, the gathering in Rome gives an opportunity to push G20 leaders – the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters – to get more commitments to net-zero emissions.
“We are, as we know, at the point of no return. So emitters cannot put their heads in the sand any longer,” Woodward said, referring to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released in August that concluded Earth’s climate warming was slipping past the point of no return.
The COP26 summit will be held from October 31 to November 12, aiming to bring countries together and accelerate action to deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement.
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G20 Leaders’ Summit
Leaders of Group of 20 (G20) nations are set to meet in Rome, Italy on Saturday at the 16th gathering at the level of Heads of State and Government, to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development.
The G20 is the international forum that brings together the world’s major economies. Its members account for more than 80 per cent of world GDP, 75 per cent of global trade and 60 per cent of the population of the planet.
This year, the issues concerning climate change and the ongoing situation in Afghanistan is likely to feature heavily during the Summit.
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has made clear that climate action must be led by G20 nations, which collectively account for around 90 per cent of gross world product, 75-80 per cent of international trade and two thirds or the world’s population. Their commitment during COP26 is crucial for curbing greenhouse gases and stopping fuelling climate change.
“The time has passed for diplomatic niceties. If all governments — especially G20 governments — do not stand up and lead efforts against the climate crisis, we are headed for terrible human suffering. Bold #ClimateAction is the only path forward,” Guterres tweeted on Thursday.
This comes as a new UN agency report revealed that the abundance of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere once again reached a new record last year, with the annual rate of increase above the 2011-2020 average.
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report, the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most important greenhouse gas, reached 413.2 parts per million in 2020 and is 149 per cent of the pre-industrial level. Methane (CH4) is 262 per cent and nitrous oxide (N2O) is 123 per cent of the levels in 1750 when human activities started disrupting Earth’s natural equilibrium.
“The Greenhouse Gas Bulletin contains a stark, scientific message for climate change negotiators at COP26. At the current rate of increase in greenhouse gas concentrations, we will see a temperature increase by the end of this century far in excess of the Paris Agreement targets,” said WMO Secretary-General Prof Petteri Taalas. “We are way off track.”
The G20 Finance and Health Ministers gathered today in Rome for a joint meeting. (Photo_Twitter@g20org)
Aside from Climate change, another issue that is likely to dominate the conversation at the summit is the way forward for Afghanistan.
Under Italy’s Presidency of the G20 and at the initiative of President of the Council of Ministers Mario Draghi, an extraordinary meeting of G20 leaders on Afghanistan was held on October 12.
The leaders of the G20 countries earlier this month had called for a permanent United Nations presence in Afghanistan, insisting on safety for the organization’s personnel. They expressed their support for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, including its role in the coordination of international aid.
“The UN plays an essential role to address the crisis in Afghanistan. Its continued presence in the country must be preserved,” the meeting’s chair had said in a summary statement.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Rome on Friday. He will join other G20 Leaders during the 16th summit in discussions on global economic and health recovery from the pandemic, sustainable development, and climate change.
In a bid to reduce the crime, more burglars, robbers and thieves will be tracked using electronic tags 24 hours a day after leaving prison, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has toughened the government action to cut crime by tackling drug misuse and using electronic tagging on more burglars after release, under the Beating Crime Plan.
The government is also proposing that every neighbourhood in England and Wales should have a named police officer for residents to contact, the BBC reported.
The PM said his efforts to make society safer would be “unstinting”. But the Police Federation, representing rank-and-file officers, said fighting crime needed greater investment.
Meanwhile, the opposition Labour Party accused the government of being “all talk and no action” on law and order.
In a bid to reduce the crime, more burglars, robbers and thieves would have their location monitored with electronic tags 24 hours a day after leaving prison, the BBC said.
Alcohol tags – which are intended to detect from sweat if the wearer has been drinking – are to be trialled on prison leavers in Wales in an effort to reduce alcohol-related crime, it said.
The document also says Project Adder – which targets drugs gangs, offers help to addicts and increases the use of drugs testing when arrests are made – will be expanded from five areas of England to 13, according to the report.
The plan also includes permanently relaxing the rules on section 60 stop and search powers – which allow officers to search people without reasonable suspicion in places where serious violence may occur
The government is also planning to deploy more officers to deal with children truanting from school. Also £17 million programme will also be launched to persuade young people who attend hospital with a stab wound or come into contact with police to stay away from violence
“When I first stood on the steps of Downing Street as prime minister, I promised to back the police and make people safer, because we cannot level up the country when crime hits the poorest hardest and draws the most vulnerable into violence,” BBC quoted Johnson as saying.
“That is why my government has remained unstinting in its efforts to protect the British public and this plan delivers a fresh commitment, as we emerge from the impacts of the pandemic, to have less crime, fewer victims and a safer society,” he added.
Last week, London Mayor Sadiq Khan met with the Policing Minister, the Met Police Commissioner, cross-party London MPs and council leaders from across the city to ensure all partners are working as closely as possible together to tackle violence and provide positive opportunities for young Londoners this summer.
The issue of violence won't be fixed overnight—it needs collaboration from all corners of society. Today, I met with national and London leaders to discuss how enforcement, early intervention and prevention can help tackle crime and support young people at risk.
Sadiq has convened a summit on violence affecting young people to co-ordinate and share information about what efforts are being made nationally and across the capital to reduce violence after an increase in teenage homicides this year.
The summit heard from Kit Malthouse MP, the Crime and Policing Minister, Dame Cressida Dick, the Met Police Commissioner and Cllr Jas Athwal of London Councils, about how enforcement, early intervention and prevention is being used to drive down violence and support young people at risk.
The Mayor and the Met have raised concerns about a potential surge in violence impacting young people, as restrictions are lifted across the city and schools break up for the summer holidays.
Other global cities, such as New York, have experienced a rise in violence as restrictions have lifted and Sadiq is determined to do all he can to tackle violence and ensure young Londoners continue to be supported with a range of positive opportunities so they can gain confidence, have fun and stay safe.
“As we go into the summer, London and national partners, including the Met Police, the Probation Service, local authorities, City Hall and communities, are working closely together on a comprehensive plan to tackle violence and ensure young Londoners have positive activities to get involved in during the holidays,” the Mayor said.
“We are putting aside any political differences as it’s vital all relevant authorities and leaders work together to make sure we’re doing everything we can to reduce violence and keep our city safe,” he added.
Commissioner Cressida Dick said Met Police have strong operational plans over the summer to suppress violence.
“We are devoting huge resources into doing everything within our power to minimise violence, protect young people and to bring offenders to justice,” the Commissioner said. “The public can expect to see more officers in their local communities and on the streets.”
Under the UK government’s road map, restrictions could be lifted with countries categorised as green, amber or red under a new traffic light system, reports Asian Lite News
Boris Johnson on Monday indicated that Britons will be able to resume “some” international travel from May 17, as the European Commission announced plans to reopen the bloc to tourists who have been fully vaccinated.
Speaking on a campaigning visit to Hartlepool, in the north of England, ahead of Thursday’s by-election, the prime minister warned that the UK government would continue to take a “cautious” approach to lifting coronavirus travel restrictions. But he said: “I think there will be some openings-up on the 17th.”
Johnson’s comments came as Brussels said on Monday that foreign travellers who had had both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and were arriving from countries with a “good epidemiological situation” should be allowed to travel across Europe without any restrictions.
“In addition, the Commission proposes to raise, in line with the evolution of the epidemiological situation in the EU, the threshold related to the number of new Covid-19 cases used to determine a list of countries from which all travel should be permitted”, the commission said in a statement.
EU President Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula von der Leyen, the commission’s president, welcomed the recommendations but argued that an “EU emergency brake mechanism” may be needed in case new coronavirus variants begin to emerge.
Johnson said the British government remained concerned about variants from abroad, stating: “I don’t think that the people of this country want to see an influx of disease from anywhere else. I certainly don’t and we have got to be very, very tough.”
Under the UK government’s road map, restrictions on international travel could be lifted from May 17 at the earliest, with countries categorised as green, amber or red under a new traffic light system.
All holidays are banned at present, with only essential travel permitted. Individuals returning to the UK are expected to fill in a passenger locator form, take a coronavirus test up to three days before arriving into the country and quarantine for 10 days.
Under the new traffic light system, expected to be confirmed later this week, travellers returning to the UK from “green” countries will not need to isolate or quarantine but will need to take a coronavirus test before departing and carry a passenger locator form.
UK residents returning from “red countries” will be subject to extensive coronavirus testing and be required to quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 10 days following their arrival.
Alan French, chief executive of holiday operator Thomas Cook, told the BBC that by June, he expected that “most of the countries that the UK goes on holiday to” would be open to international visitors.
“We are expecting Portugal, Spain, Greece, Croatia and so forth to be open, it would be nice if Turkey was open”, he said, adding: “When we look at what is going on in those countries, both in terms of infection rates and how they are preparing for holidaymakers, I think there is great progress being made.”
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However, a cross-party group of more than 60 MPs and peers on the All-Party Parliamentary Group on coronavirus have urged the government to “discourage all international leisure travel” this year, in order to avoid the spread of variants.
“We wouldn’t want . . . for the sake of one summer holiday us [to] go backwards and have a further wave and a further lockdown”, Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrat chair of the group, said on Monday.
Labour party leader Sir Keir Starmer also called for a more “careful” approach and criticised the government’s approach to international travel thus far.
“What we can’t have is a repeat of last summer, where the lists were chopping and changing on a daily or even weekly basis.”
The Downing Street further confirmed that the two leaders would meet later this year, without specifying any further details….reports Asian Lite News
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cancelled his trip to India in the wake of the severity of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, a Downing Street spokesperson confirmed on Monday.
The spokesperson said Johnson and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi would speak later this month to “agree and launch their ambitious plans for the future partnership”, the BBC reported.
The visit was to take place on April 26.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson
The Downing Street further confirmed that the two leaders would meet later this year, without specifying any further details.
Johnson’s trip to India was initially scheduled to take place in January but was cancelled when the UK entered a national lockdown, the third of its kind since the onset of the pandemic last years.
