‘Absolutely nothing to indicate’ new lockdown is needed, says Boris Johnson

Published

2 years ago

October 22, 2021

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Boris Johnson has said there is “absolutely nothing to indicate” the country will enter a new lockdown this winter, although he added the government would “do whatever we have to do to protect the public”.

On a visit to a vaccination centre in west London on Friday, the prime minister repeated his call for those who are eligible to come forward to get the “fantastic” COVID-19 booster jabs.

Mr Johnson admitted there were currently “high levels” of infection in the UK, with more than 52,000 new coronavirus cases recorded on Thursday.

But the prime minister maintained he was not yet ready to reintroduce COVID measures in England – under the government’s “Plan B” – in an attempt to dampen the rising number of infections.

He insisted the current rate of infections was “fully in line” with predictions made earlier this year.

Asked whether he was ignoring the advice of scientists by not yet reintroducing the command for people to work from home where they can, Mr Johnson said: “We keep all measures under constant review – we’ll do whatever we have to do to protect the public.

“But the numbers that we’re seeing at the moment are fully in line with what we expected in the autumn and winter plan.

“What we want people to do is to come forward and get their jabs.

“We also want young people, we want kids at school to be getting their jabs with complete confidence and there will be booking systems opening from tomorrow in addition to the vaccination programme in schools.

“The message is that the boosters are fantastic, the levels of protection are really very high.”

Pressed on whether a full national lockdown was out of the question, Mr Johnson replied: “I’ve got to tell you at the moment that we see absolutely nothing to indicate that that is on the cards at all.”

The prime minister also confirmed that “a lot of people are looking at” whether the time between a second vaccine dose and a third booster jab should be shortened from six months to five months for most people, as has been suggested by former health secretary Jeremy Hunt.

“That’s a very good question and it’s an important question. I think a lot of people are looking at that issue,” Mr Johnson said.

“I heard with great interest what Anthony Harnden of the JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation)… had to say this morning about that.

“I think that people should be coming forward with the same spirit of determination to get their boosters as we saw earlier on this year. It’s a very good thing to do, it gives you a huge amount of protection.

“We always expected that we would see numbers rise right about now – that is happening. And you’ve also got into account the waning effectiveness of the first two jabs, so get your booster now.”

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Earlier on Friday, Prof Harnden, the deputy chair of the JCVI, said the independent committee would look at cutting the timeframe between second doses and boosters.

He said six months had been shown to be the “sweet spot” for having a booster, adding the main issues in the programme were accessibility to the vaccine and persuading people to have one.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid on Friday hailed how five million booster vaccines and third doses have now been administered across the UK.

“Hitting over five million booster jabs across the UK is a fantastic achievement as we keep ahead in the race between the vaccine and the virus,” he said.

PM refuses to say whether he’ll ‘lead by example’ by wearing mask in Commons

By Greg Heffer, political reporter

Boris Johnson has refused to say whether he will wear a mask in parliament in future despite government guidance being for people to wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces.

Amid rising COVID infection levels across the UK, some have questioned why many MPs have not been donning masks in the House of Commons – or at their political party conferences over the past month.

Cabinet ministers are also at odds on the issue of mask-wearing, with Health Secretary Sajid Javid urging his fellow Conservative MPs to wear masks in the crowded Commons chamber.

But Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, has suggested Tory MPs do not need to wear masks in parliament because they “know each other”.

Asked on a visit to a vaccination centre in west London on Friday whether MPs should be leading by example on the issue – and whether he himself would wear a mask in parliament – the prime minister refused to say whether he would don a face covering in the Commons in future.

“I think there are lots of steps that we need to take to continue to follow the guidance,” he replied.

“So commonsensical things like washing your hands, wearing a mask in confined spaces… where you’re meeting people that you don’t normally meet. That’s sensible.

“But the key message for today is for all people over 50 to think about getting your booster jabs. When you get the call, get the jab.”

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Mr Johnson – like many Conservative MPs – was see entering the Commons chamber without wearing a mask.

Dr Kit Yates, a senior lecturer in mathematical biology at Bath University and a member of the Independent SAGE group of scientists on COVID matters, claimed the prime minister’s stance on mask-wearing was “absolute nonsense”.

“This idea that you should only wear a mask when you’re meeting people you don’t know is absolute nonsense,” he told Sky News.

“Because the vast majority of people get infected by people they do know.

“The public health messaging surrounding the government at the moment is absolutely appalling.

“And the irony is we could do really small things like wearing masks, like working from home… that would help us bring down the high levels of cases that we’re seeing at the moment.”

UK

Dozens arrested and thousands contacted after scammer site taken offline

Published

4 hours ago

April 18, 2024

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Dozens arrested and thousands contacted after scammer site taken offline

Dozens of people around the world have been arrested after police disrupted a UK-founded website scamming victims on an industrial scale.

LabHost, a site set up in 2021, tricked as many as 70,000 UK victims, obtaining 480,000 card numbers and 64,000 PINs worldwide, the Metropolitan Police said.

It was created by a criminal network and enabled more than 2,000 users to set up phishing websites designed to steal personal information such as email addresses, passwords and bank details.

Criminal subscribers could log on and choose from existing sites or request bespoke pages replicating those of trusted brands such as banks, healthcare agencies and postal services.

The website even provided a tutorial to cater for wannabe fraudsters with limited IT knowledge, with a robotic voice saying at the end: “Stay safe and good spamming”.

Those subscribing to worldwide membership – meaning they could target victims all around the world – paid between £200 and £300 a month.

Since it began, the site has received just under £1m in payments from criminal users.

But just after it was seized and disrupted, its 800 customers got a message telling them that police knew who they were and what they were doing.

Thirty-seven people were arrested around the world, including some at Manchester and Luton airports, as well as in Essex and London.

Detectives have also contacted up to 25,000 UK-based victims to tell them their data has been compromised.

Police began investigating LabHost in June 2022 after they were tipped off by the Cyber Defence Alliance – a group of British-based banks and law enforcement agencies which share intelligence.

Dame Lynne Owens, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, said: “Online fraudsters think they can act with impunity. They believe they can hide behind digital identities and platforms such as LabHost and have absolute confidence these sites are impenetrable by policing.

“But this operation and others over the last year show how law enforcement worldwide can, and will, come together with one another and private sector partners to dismantle international fraud networks at source.”

Adrian Searle, director of the National Economic Crime Centre in the NCA, said: “This operation again demonstrates that UK law enforcement has the capability and intent to identify, disrupt and completely compromise criminal services that are targeting the UK on an industrial scale.”

UK

Modern slavery helpline receives record number of calls in 2023, report finds

Published

4 hours ago

April 18, 2024

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Modern slavery helpline receives record number of calls in 2023, report finds

Calls made to an anti-slavery helpline have reached a record high, with the number of potential victims in the care sector rising by almost a third.

According to anti-slavery charity Unseen, the number of calls to the Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline in 2023 increased by more than 19%, up from 9,779 in 2022 to 11,700 last year.

Labour abuse remained the main form of exploitation up by 11% from 464 cases in 2022 to 516 in 2023.

Potential victims indicated in the care sector went up by 30% from 708 in 2022 to 918.

There was also a 21% increase in potential victims of criminal exploitation to 385 in 2023.

Justine Carter, director of Unseen and co-author of the report, said: “Modern slavery and exploitation are heinous crimes that have no place in a modern, progressive UK that cares about human rights.

“It is encouraging that we are continuing to see rising numbers of calls and contacts to the Helpline, indicating that we are succeeding in raising awareness of the issue and mobilising more people to act.”

Forced surrogacy was reported for the first time last year, with three potential victims indicated.

Following a case in 2022, four cases of organ harvesting were also reported.

The figures are part of the Helpline’s Annual Assessment, which covers potential victims from 106 different countries, up from 99 in 2022.

Nationals of India, Albania, Romania, Vietnam and China were the most commonly reported.

The number of potential victims was 5,876, down 10% on 2022 (6,516), while the number of modern slavery cases raised was 2,185, down 16% on 2022.

Ms Carter added: “We remain concerned that the ever-increasing hostile environment in the UK towards migrants and foreign workers means that fewer people feel able to raise concerns and seek the help and support that they desperately need.

“More needs to be done to encourage victims to come forward and to properly resource efforts to stamp out modern slavery and exploitation for good.”

A Government spokesperson said: “Modern slavery is a barbaric crime and we are committed to ensuring that needs-based support is available to victims to help them rebuild their lives, and to working with first responders to ensure victims understand the support and protection available.”

UK

Mark Menzies MP gives up Tory whip amid investigation into claims he misused campaign funds

Published

10 hours ago

April 18, 2024

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Mark Menzies MP gives up Tory whip amid investigation into claims he misused campaign funds

An MP has lost the Conservative Party whip while newspaper claims about alleged misuse of campaign funds are investigated.

Mark Menzies, the MP for Fylde, disputes the allegations reported by The Times but the Conservative Party is looking into the claims.

A spokesperson for Chief Whip Simon Hart said: “Following a call with the Chief Whip, Mark Menzies has agreed to relinquish the Conservative whip, pending the outcome of an investigation.”

Losing the whip means Mr Menzies is no longer a member of the Conservative parliamentary party and will sit as an independent MP, rather than a Tory MP, in the House of Commons chamber.

In a statement to The Times, Mr Menzies said: “I strongly dispute the allegations put to me. I have fully complied with all the rules for declarations. As there is an investigation ongoing I will not be commenting further.”

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “The Conservative Party is investigating allegations made regarding a Member of Parliament. This process is rightfully confidential.

“The party takes all allegations seriously and will always investigate any matters put to them.”

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said earlier on Wednesday that it was “frankly appalling” that the Conservative Party had allegedly been aware of the allegations for more than three months.

“Rishi Sunak must suspend the whip for Mark Menzies immediately, while all the relevant authorities investigate the matter,” she said.

Mr Menzies has served as the MP for Fylde in Lancashire since May 2010.

Last week William Wragg, MP for Hazel Grove, Greater Manchester, also gave up the whip after he admitted to The Times that he had given his colleagues’ phone numbers to someone he met on a dating app.

Scotland Yard said it is investigating reports of the so-called “honeytrap” scam after it was suggested at least 12 men in political circles received unsolicited messages, raising security concerns.

Mr Wragg also resigned as vice-chairman of the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers and stepped down from his role heading the Commons’ public administration and constitutional affairs committee.