Coronavirus 1) National lockdown “under consideration” “Boris Johnson is considering the imposition of new national lockdown restrictions from next week amid concerns that hospitals across the country are being overwhelmed. The prime minister met Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, and Matt Hancock, the health secretary, to discuss “alarming” new NHS […]
‘Battle for Labour’s soul’ as Corbyn is suspended… “Sir Keir Starmer has been warned that he faces a battle for the soul of the Labour Party after Jeremy Corbyn was suspended over a report on antisemitism. The Equality and Human Rights Commission investigation found that the party had unlawfully discriminated against its Jewish members and Sir […]
Johnson urged to host four-way summit to save Christmas “Boris Johnson is under pressure to host a four-way crunch summit to save Christmas amid fears that people will break the rules anyway to see their family. Leaders have demanded the PM bring the four nations of the UK together to come up with a new […]
The new Tory rift over the North-South divide “With Brexit all but done and the biggest Tory majority since the days of Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson should be the master of all he surveys… But nature abhors a vacuum, and the void that has been left by the civil war over Europe is rapidly being […]
Red Wall MPs stage lockdown revolt “Boris Johnson has been warned by 54 Conservative MPs in northern seats that their constituencies risk being left behind unless there is a clear strategy for exiting lockdown restrictions. The MPs said in a letter to the prime minister that his pledge to “level up” the nation was being […]
Free school meals 1) Partial climbdown expected from the Government… “Boris Johnson will increase funding for the poorest families during the Christmas holidays as he seeks to close down the damaging row over free school meals, allies have said. Downing Street figures said that work was under way on additional support for eligible pupils outside […]
ConHome’s campaign for Government lockdown assessments begins to pay off. Sunak tasks Treasury civil servants with publishing economic dossier. “Treasury officials have been tasked with publishing the economic cost of lockdown alongside daily Covid data, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Rishi Sunak has asked civil servants to find ways to illustrate the ‘other trade-offs’ […]
Downing Street and SAGE clash over Christmas… “People may be able to celebrate Christmas “as a family” this year, Downing Street has insisted, as a Sage scientist claimed this was “wishful thinking”. There are growing warning that the festive season could be at risk unless there is some form of mini-lockdown, whether it be a circuit […]
Sunak reveals tier two rescue package… “It was only on Tuesday afternoon that Boris Johnson refused to meet Andy Burnham’s demands for an extra £5 million to help Manchester through weeks of punishing tier three restrictions. So it was hardly surprising that the Labour mayor was on Thursday struggling to contain his disbelief, as the […]
Sunak ‘bows to Tory critics’ with jobs bailout for Covid-hit firms “Rishi Sunak will pledge today to pick up a greater share of the wages of people forced to work part-time by Covid-19. The chancellor will move to calm a revolt by Tory MPs and councillors by bolstering the replacement to the furlough scheme, which ends […]
Coronavirus 1) Manchester forced into highest level of Covid lockdown… “Boris Johnson imposed tougher coronavirus restrictions on Greater Manchester last night and attempted to use a £60 million rescue package to make its mayor fall into line. Mr Johnson pulled the plug on talks with Andy Burnham over the scale of the funding despite the […]
The Daily Mail publishes a four page audit of “lockdown’s lethal toll” on home deaths, treatment backlogs, organ transplants – and more “A devastating picture of the impact of the lockdown on the nation’s health and wellbeing is today revealed in an exclusive analysis that brings together more than 130 studies. The Daily Mail audit […]
Prime Minister to offer Manchester’s leaders £100m to accept Tier 3 and break deadlock… “Prime Minister Boris Johnson will offer Manchester’s leaders up to £100 million on Monday to accept Tier-3 coronavirus restrictions or risk having them imposed against their will. Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, described talks with Downing Street on Sunday […]
Johnson ‘puts faith in vaccine and ‘swab in the gob’ tests to wash away Tory rebellion’… “Of all Boris Johnson’s statements on Covid-19 last week, it was one not broadcast to the public that was most revealing. Addressing 1,400 Treasury officials in a Microsoft Teams chat on Thursday, Johnson praised civil servants for their response. “If […]
Brexit 1) UK breaks off trade talks with the EU “Boris Johnson on Friday broke off trade talks with the EU, bringing to a crisis point months of negotiations and throwing down the gauntlet to Brussels to adopt “a fundamental change of approach”. Downing Street told Michel Barnier, EU trade negotiator, not to come to […]