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One thing the prime minister and his scientific advisers clearly agree upon is that when it comes to this winter, nothing should be ruled out.

Boris Johnson made a point of explaining the “toolbox” of measures available were varied, and outlined the coronavirus restrictions that could be reintroduced if a “plan B” were needed.

This is perhaps a prime minister who has learned the lessons of last winter and all those COVID-19 U-turns: promises are made to be broken, and plans can always change, but sometimes it’s better not to make them.

Sir chris whitty covid press conference
14/9/21
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Chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, addresses the news conference

The prime minister was certainly hedging his bets.

But even in a more circumspect mode, the prime minister expressed confidence: that “plan B” could be avoided, and that wider lockdowns could be avoided too – so long as the number of people getting double-jabbed continues to go up.

The chief scientific adviser and chief medical officer backed Mr Johnson on the pressing importance of vaccinations, but when it came to his confidence on the ability to avoid reimposing restrictions there was no ringing endorsement.

Instead, Professor Chris Whitty warned against being presumptuous, saying we have not faced a winter with the Delta variant before and those who say they know how it could pan out have not understood the situation.

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There was also what appeared to be a veiled warning from Sir Patrick Vallance.

The chief scientific adviser said when it comes to responding to a pandemic, the question for politicians is not just what measures you are willing to take, but when you are willing to take them.

Sir Patrick Vallance, Professor Chris Whitty and other scientists painted a more sombre picture
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Chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, goes through the latest data at the briefing

Was that reference to what happened last autumn, when the government chose not to follow the advice of scientific advisers to opt for a two-week “circuit breaker” as a response to a spike in cases?

What followed was waves of regional lockdowns, Christmas restrictions and three months of national lockdown in the new year.

The three men may have stood at the podium side by side, but as we’ve seen before in this pandemic, there appear to be gaps between what Mr Johnson hopes will happen, and what the scientists think will happen.

The difference this time is that the prime minister has given himself more room to manoeuvre.

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The ‘eco-populist’ Green Party leader who wants to be the Farage of the Left

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The 'eco-populist' Green Party leader who wants to be the Farage of the Left

Zack Polanski, the new leader of the Green Party, has been studying one politician closely this summer – Nigel Farage.

The 42-year-old, who stormed his party’s leadership contest by a large margin, calls himself an “eco-populist” (he used to be involved in Extinction Rebellion), and thinks the Greens could learn a lot from the media-savvy tactics of Reform which have seen them surge ahead of Labour in the polls.

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Can the former actor and hypnotherapist, who rails against corporations and wants to tax the rich, take his party into the big leagues?

Zack Polanski. Pic: PA
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Zack Polanski. Pic: PA

Speaking to him after his win was announced, Mr Polanski told me: “I despise Nigel Farage’s politics and I’d never copy what he does, but it’s undeniable that he cuts through; everyone knows who he is and that bold messaging – but for the truth, not the lies and misinformation he spins – that’s what you’ll hear more of from the Green Party.”

Mr Polanski is not an MP – he’s been on the London Assembly since 2021 and served as the party’s deputy leader. His two rivals in the leadership contest Adrian Ramsay, one of the party’s current leaders, and Ellie Chowns, were elected last year, but are not well-known to the public.

His more aggressive style and punchy social media clips appealed to party members impatient for results. His videos target “corporations who are destroying our democracy”; warn that “fascism is at our doorstep” and “call bullshit” – as he puts it – on the debate about asylum.

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As one of the members at the event summed it up: “People don’t know what we stand for, we need to be loud and clear about what we’re for and what we’re against, and Zac will do that.”

He’s put some noses out of joint within the party, and the tabloid press has called him the “boob whisperer” after The Sun reported in 2013 that, while working as a hypnotherapist, he told a woman who wanted bigger breasts that she could do so with the power of her mind. Mr Polanski apologised and says he is focused on the future.

Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

His ambitions are high for the fifth party in British politics – currently polling at around 10%.

“Thirty to forty MPs at the next election”, he says. Enough to deny Labour a majority if it’s close, or to be kingmakers. As politics fractures, he hopes they could have a big impact for the first time in decades.

The Green Party in the UK – unlike its counterparts in other European countries – has struggled electorally until very recently. It was formed in a pub in Coventry in 1972 by activists inspired by the US environmentalist Paul Ehrlich, who warned that the world was overpopulated, spelling disaster for nature.

Its biggest success was in the 1989 European elections, gaining 15% of the vote, but representation in parliament was not achieved until 2010 when Caroline Lucas took Brighton Pavilion from Labour. She became an influential campaigner on the climate, fracking and animal rights, also warning against economic growth at any cost.

After she stood down, the party struggled to find its voice, with Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party pursuing a radical left-wing agenda. Now, after winning four MPs last year, Mr Polanski believes that with Labour in government and Reform at its coat tails, their moment has come.

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He told members: “We can, and we will lower your bills. We will nationalise the water companies. We will hold this Labour government to account.

“Because when we look at Keir Starmer and what this government have been doing; whether it’s the two-child benefit cap, the disability cuts, the genocide in Gaza, my message to Labour is very clear: we are not here to be disappointed by you. We are not here to be concerned by you. We’re here to replace you.”

Mr Polanski is unashamedly pro-migration and trans rights. He’s also suggested Britain should leave NATO. He’d consider working with the incipient party being set up by Mr Corbyn and former Labour MP Zarah Sultana, with the support of some of the pro-Gaza independents.

All of that may not endear him to all the Green Party’s potential supporters. The party now has 860 councillors, but some are in rural areas where they’ve won seats from the Tories.

There is a political opportunity on the left. Mr Polanski says he knows what will get his party into the spotlight. But it’s a far bigger task to deliver seats in parliament – including one he’ll need for himself.

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Сrypto can’t scale without AI-native compliance

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Сrypto can’t scale without AI-native compliance

Сrypto can’t scale without AI-native compliance

Traditional compliance can’t keep up with 24/7 crypto markets — AI-native systems embedded at the core offer real-time risk detection and scalable solutions.

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Andrew Tate’s WLFI bet fails, opens new long despite $67K loss

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Andrew Tate’s WLFI bet fails, opens new long despite K loss

Andrew Tate’s WLFI bet fails, opens new long despite K loss

Tate is back in the Hyperliquid trenches, betting on the WLFI token despite his account nearing $700,000 in total losses.

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