Yahoo News The Londoner: Dominic Cummings’s corona claims don’t stack up
At his show-stopping press conference yesterday, Dominic Cummings claimed that “last year I wrote about the possible threat of coronaviruses”. But it seems such a reference was added to Cummings’s personal blog only this year.
In 2019 Cummings wrote a post entitled “the most secure bio-labs routinely make errors that could cause a global pandemic”. It featured a discussion on UK preparedness for a pandemic that emerged from a bio-lab. However, data scientist Jens Wiechers used archiving website Wayback Machine to show the blog had no reference to coronavirus when first published. The key coronavirus paragraph was added later, in April or May this year.
Cummings also claimed he drove to Barnard Castle to test his eyesight. The former MP and local resident Helen Goodman told us: “On behalf of people here, we don’t want a lot of blind drivers on our roads.” Comic Nick Doody points out: “He might have got away with it if his optician was called Bernard Castle.”
The popular tourist destination drew such a flurry of wry fake reviews that Tripadvisor suspended publishing any until things calm down. They may be waiting a while.
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Some good news for Dominic Cummings. Scram, the anti-Brexit, anti-Right wing populist, progressive news site — which Will Straw, who led the doomed Remain campaign, helped set up — is to close after one year due to the pandemic. A Scram source said: “We hope to be back soon. Our ‘campaigning journalism’ is needed now more than ever.”
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Historian Greg Jenner says David Bowie’s death in 2016 changed his book Dead Famous, “I was going to write a snarky book about celebrity culture being vapid and meaningless”, he tells the Fortunately podcast. Then Bowie “died 20 minutes into me writing it”. “Weighty and powerful” eulogies from the public made him realise the significance of celebrity. The power of Bowie.
SW1A
SIR Bernard Jenkin, new chairman of the liaison committee which quizzes the PM, says even though he was nominated by the chief whip, he won’t be a “stooge”. He can prove it on Wednesday, when Boris Johnson appears.
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Labour is set to name David Evans as its new general secretary today. Insiders describe him as level-headed, experienced, capable and moderate. The only evidence of any fanaticism appears to be an obsession with Chester City FC.
Balanced Cara banks on yoga in the sun
A post shared by Cara Delevingne (@caradelevingne) on May 25, 2020 at 1:13pm PDT
Cara Delevingne made the most of the bank holiday sun as she indulged in some exercise. “Love my weekly yoga sesh,” the model told her Instagram followers, adding: “Keeps me balanced and focus and sane — and I love that you all can join in too”. Through the keyhole (via Zoom). Meanwhile, David Walliams celebrated a different kind of love — kissing the head of “my little Ern”. Actor Thandie Newton read Love After Love by Derek Walcott for the Poetry Pharmacy. A welcome prescription.
