Johnny Mercer's extraordinary attack also extended to the 'cesspit' of Westminster, which he said is populated by 'children' who are 'frankly unemployable elsewhere'.
India’s shocking surge in Covid cases follows baffling declineAnalysis: Rapid spread of cases across country comes after long spell in which virus seemed almost to vanish Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage Relatives wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) mourn a man who died from the coronavirus. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Jeanette Whittle, 44, and Rhianne Halton, 19, from Torquay, died within weeks of one another and were laid to rest at a joint funeral.
Sushila Phillips was ‘eternally compassionate in the face of unspeakable suffering’, her sister says
The United States is considering sending missiles and other weapons to Ukraine, amid a buildup of more than 100,000 Russian troops along its eastern border and fears of an impending invasion. Shipments of military aid have been discussed by Joe Biden’s administration, and could include anti-tank, anti-ship and anti-aircraft systems according to the Wall Street Journal. Officials in Kyiv have asked for help after Russia’s increasingly bullish behaviour, which has included the largest troop buildup in the region for nearly a decade, intruding into European airspace and restricting the movement of foreign ships in the area. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns told Congress last week: “That buildup has reached the point where it could also provide the basis for a limited military incursion. “It’s something not only the United States, but also our allies have to take very seriously.”
Up to 30 countries including Spain’s Canary Islands, Portugal’s Azores and Malta could make the UK’s green list for summer holidays from May 17. The destinations, which are dominated by islands, have high vaccination rates and low prevalence of Covid putting them in a strong position for inclusion on the “green list,” according to Government and industry sources. Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, signalled earlier this week that the Government’s new traffic light ratings of countries will treat a nation’s islands independently of any higher Covid rate or lower vaccination rate on the mainland. This would place the Canary Islands (with 91.7 of the adult population vaccinated), Malta (44.1 per cent), Azores (36.1 per cent), Madeira (33.7 per cent) and even the Balearic islands ( 25.4 per cent) on the green list by May 17. Greece is also running a campaign to vaccinate all the population of at least 85 of its islands, which would put Zakynthos and Santinori in the frame for early Summer holidays. It follows The Telegraph’s disclosure this morning that the Government is racing to ensure Covid passports are available to prove people have been vaccinated as early as next month, in time for summer holidays. Greece has said it will be ready to welcome vaccinated British tourists immediately when its resorts open up on May 15, while Spain and Portugal say they will throw open their borders from June along with much of the EU. Responding to The Telegraph’s disclosure, Spanish Tourism Secretary, Fernando Valdés, said on Thursday he wanted UK holidaymakers to “restart holidays” in six weeks, adding: “We are desperate to welcome you this summer. We've been having constant conversations with UK authorities.” Mr Valdes said a travel corridor between the two countries, allowing quarantine-free breaks, is firmly on the table but only with Covid passports 'easing' the return of 'safe' travel.
Britons' prospects of booking a foreign holiday this summer have been given a boost, with the government saying coronavirus passports will be available "as soon as possible". Many tourist hotspots will require visitors to have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or provide proof of a recent negative test before entering the country. Coronavirus passports, also known as health certificates, would allow holidaymakers to meet this requirement.
Lockdown roadmap could have to be adjusted, says member of Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation
Banning smart motorways would "kill drivers" by forcing them onto unsafe roads, a government minister has said. Baroness Vere, the roads minister, told MPs that the stretches of motorways that used the hard shoulder as an extra lane were safer than conventional roads and motorways as they eased congestion. She also defended the Government’s decision to keep the system in place despite recent warnings from coroners over the deaths of drivers left stranded on smart motorways, saying a number of safety improvements have been made to them. Her comments come after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced recently that no new smart motorways will be created unless they have the technology in place to spot when a broken-down motorists is unable to reach the sporadic safety bays that replace the hard shoulder. A number of smart motorways were previously launched by Highways England without the monitoring system in place and the Government has given the organisation until March 2023 to ensure all have coverage. Highways England has previously insisted smart motorways are the “safest roads in the country”. However, figures show there were 15 deaths on them in 2019, up from 11 in 2018. Appearing in front of the transport select committee, Baroness Vere said she was “astonished” and “disappointed” by the way Highways England had handled the rollout of smart motorways. However, she said smart motorways were safer than conventional roads as they gave drivers more space. Baroness Vere said: “One of the things that makes all drivers more safe is to provide more capacity on our safest roads and that is what all-lane running motorways do. “If you increase capacity on those roads they are our safest roads in terms of fatalities, as you take traffic off less safe roads.”
Few tears likely to be shed as plan for No 10 TV press briefings droppedAnalysis: Insiders say plan had been ‘kicked down the road for so long’ it was inevitable it would be dropped Allegra Stratton has been handed a new role as spokeswoman for this autumn’s Cop26 – the global climate change conference. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA
The Russian president has called for citizens to get vaccinated so the country can hit the target.
The former cage fighter admitted contempt of court after he falsely claimed not to know a man it was said had witnessed the crash.
‘You gotta let the jury speak, it’s the American way’
Lateral flow tests for pregnant women and their partners are among measures ‘urgently’ recommended by NHS England.
Transparency International UK said those with political access appeared to be favoured.
Security forces broke up a protest in Myanmar’s southern city of Dawei, arresting four demonstrators and a reporter according to Dawei Watch media outlet, which also said live rounds were used.
Tens of thousands turn out in support of imprisoned Kremlin critic, who is currently on hunger strike
Mike and Zara Tindall were able to attend the funeral of her grandfather Philip at the weekend.
The Church of England should stop “unconditionally celebrating” slave traders with statues, a landmark anti-racism report has concluded. The Archbishops’ Anti-Racism Taskforce was set up last October following the murder of George Floyd – a black man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis which sparked protests around the world – with the aim of bringing greater racial justice and equality in the Church of England. The report, published on Thursday to coincide with Stephen Lawrence Day, warns that a failure to act could be a “last straw” for many people of UK Minority Ethnic (UKME) backgrounds, with “devastating effects” on the future of the Church. It comes days after a Panorama investigation reported claims that UKME church staff subjected to racist abuse are "forced to sign NDAs to buy their silence”. The report sets out almost 50 actions for the Church to implement. These include establishing new, salaried “racial justice officers'' in all 42 dioceses, and introducing a “racial justice Sunday'' once a year. It calls for at least one black and UKME candidate on every job shortlist and an aim of 15 per cent of General Synod, the Church’s legislative body, and all local church councils to have black and UKME representatives by 2030. On slavery, the taskforce drew a line on where the Church should stand regarding potentially offensive monuments and criticised it for taking “little action” so far. It said: “The protests following the killing of George Floyd, and in particular the tearing down of the Colston statue in Bristol, highlighted issues surrounding the Church of England’s consideration of its own contested heritage. “The Church of England has taken little action in addressing the historic slave trade and its legacy since it made an apology at General Synod in 2006 for its involvement in the trade. “Regarding monuments and the built environment, deciding what to do with contested heritage is not easy. “While history should not be hidden, we also do not want to unconditionally celebrate or commemorate people who contributed to or benefitted from the tragedy that was the slave trade.”
‘This is the country we serve and defend. These are the people we fight for’
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