Starmer urges politicians to 'pull together' over new lockdown

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer reacts to the latest national lockdown announced for England by Boris Johnson, and says politicians need to 'pull together' to make the restrictions work.

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  • Alexei Navalny calls for sanctions against 'enablers' of Putin regime including Roman Abramovich

    Top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who has been jailed for at least a month after returning to Russia over the weekend, has urged Western governments to impose sanctions on key tycoons and allies of President Vladimir Putin including Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and tycoon Alisher Usmanov. Mr Navalny, who nearly died from a nerve agent poisoning last summer, was detained at a Moscow airport on Sunday and ordered to be kept behind bars at least until mid-February. His close associate Vladimir Ashurkov said in a statement on Facebook on Monday that the Russian opposition leader drew up the list a few days before he came back to Russia from Germany where he was convalescing from the poisoning. “We agreed on a list of people he felt should be sanctioned if the West wanted to get serious about encouraging Russia to cease attacking human rights and to rein in corruption,” Mr Ashurkov said. Mr Ashurkov, who fled to the UK in 2014 following criminal prosecution in Russia, quoted Mr Navalny as saying that “sanctions aren’t working because the West has refrained from sanctioning the people with the money.” “It is not enough to sanction the operatives who just follow orders in arresting and assassinating dissidents,” he said. “The West must sanction the decision-makers and the people who hold their money. Nothing less will make an impact on the behavior of the Russian authorities.” Mr Navalny has suggested targeting some of Russia’s richest men who have enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle in the West while remaining loyal to Mr Putin. The list of eight people put forward by Mr Navalny includes Mr Abramovich, described as “one of the key enablers and beneficiaries of Russian kleptocracy,” banker Andrey Kostin and billionaire and former FC Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov. Mr Ashurkov urged Western government to sanction people on the list unless “Alexei is immediately released.” The West, responding to the 2014 annexation of Crimea, Russia’s involvement in the war in eastern Ukraine and other events, have sanctioned various Russian government officials and a few businessmen believed to be close to President Putin but never anyone with the international stature of Mr Abramovich or Mr Usmanov.

  • Interactive map shows how many people have had COVID in your area

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  • Two Airline Agents Injured in Bag Dispute Brawl at Detroit Airport

    Two Spirit Airlines agents were reported injured in a bag dispute at Detroit Metro Airport on January 17.The airline told local media that three passengers attacked its agents as Flight 646 from Detroit to Atlanta was boarding on Sunday evening.The scuffle broke out after a dispute between staff and the passengers about the size of their carry-on bags.Spirit Airlines told local media two passengers had been arrested and a third had been cited. Credit: @kaymiami1 via Storyful

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  • One in eight people in England has had Covid, ONS survey estimates

    An estimated one in eight people in England had had Covid-19 by December last year, according to antibody data from the Office for National Statistic’s Covid-19 Infection Survey. Once those vaccines have taken effect, around two to three weeks later ministers will consider whether lockdown measures can be eased in England. Aside from England, antibody data on infection in private households suggests that one in 10 in Wales had also been infected by December, alongside one in 13 in Northern Ireland and one in 11 in Scotland.

  • Boris Johnson unveils £23 million compensation fund for fishing industry losses over Brexit red tape

    Boris Johnson has unveiled a £23 million fund to compensate the fishing industry for losses caused by Brexit red tape as Scottish seafood hauliers descended on Downing Street to protest. The Prime Minister confirmed that any business experiencing difficulty exporting to the EU "through no fault of their own" would be compensated. However, he insisted the pandemic was responsible for some of the losses, citing reduced demand for Scottish seafood from restaurants on the Continent that have been forced to shut. His announcement came as more than 20 lorries drove up Whitehall, the majority from seafood exporters in Scotland, complaining they were being "tied in knots with paperwork" by the Brexit fishing deal. The Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) warned last week the industry was facing "mounting financial losses" and the only way to ensure a fair price was a 72-hour round trip to land catch in Denmark. Exporters said they faced possible bankruptcy following a suspension of road deliveries last week due to border delays.

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  • HMS Queen Elizabeth to be joined on maiden deployment by US Destroyer as Navy faces 'biggest test for a generation'

    Britain's aircraft carrier is to be joined on her maiden deployment by a US ship as the navy faces its "biggest test for a generation". The MoD says HMS Queen Elizabeth will be joined by USS The Sullivans, a Destroyer, and a detachment of US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft. The deployment to the Asia-Pacific region is expected to include port visits in Oman, Singapore, South Korea and Japan. Military chiefs hope the mission will cement international ties and demonstrate Britain’s readiness to conduct global operations alongside allies. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “I am delighted that the UK now possesses a 21st century Carrier Strike capability, which has been greatly assisted by the unswerving support and cooperation of the United States at all levels over the past decade. “This deployment embodies the strength of our bilateral ties and reflects the depth and breadth of this vital defence and security partnership.”

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  • COVID infection rates falling in nearly all areas of England

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  • Don't hug your grandchildren yet, scientists warn amid fears vaccinated will abandon rules

    Grandparents who have received the Covid vaccine should not yet hug their families, a professor has warned, amid fears that those who have had the jab will abandon the lockdown rules. Professor Janet Lord, director of the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing at the University of Birmingham, urged ongoing caution even as numbers of those vaccinated increased. Asked whether people who had received the jab could hug their children, she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I would certainly advise not to do that at the moment because as you probably know with the vaccines they take several weeks before they are maximally effective. "It's really important that people stay on their guard even if they've had that first vaccination. "If people do relax what they're doing then it reduces the benefits of the vaccination." Responding to a survey about public compliance with coronavirus regulations after having received a vaccination, Prof Lord continued: "That's the worrying thing about the idea of a (coronavirus immunity) passport. "People might think (it is a) passport to freedom and even those who haven't been vaccinated will see those changing their behaviours and think, 'Well why should I bother if no one else is either?' "That's the real worry we've got at the moment." It comes as ministers were warned that millions of people are likely to begin ignoring Covid restrictions once they have been vaccinated. Government scientists are concerned that those who receive jabs are likely to relax their attitude towards social distancing and lockdown rules, according to papers seen by The Telegraph. Minutes of meetings held by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) cite a survey which says that 29 per cent of people will adhere to restrictions less strictly once they have had a vaccine, while 11 per cent will "probably no longer follow the rules". Papers released by Sage reveal concerns that changes in the behaviour of those who get the jab could more than "offset" the benefits of the vaccination programme over the next few months. Professor Janet Lord told the Today programme that she would be "happier" with so-called "vaccine passports" if more was known about the effects of the vaccination on virus transmission, but warned there may be other "practical issues". "What about the practicalities, do you have some sort of large badge on your jacket that says 'I'm vaccinated?"' she said. "It's people observing you, so if you're going around, you're no longer wearing a mask, you're hugging anyone you feel like hugging then it's the message that it gives psychologically and motivationally that could be the risk."

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  • People unable to work from home could be moved up vaccine priority list, minister suggests

    Britons who cannot work from home should be considered for prioritisation in the queue for coronavirus jabs as the rollout is extended, the vaccines minister has said. Nadhim Zahawi proposed that public-facing employees more likely to come into contact with the virus, including shop workers, should be allowed to receive a dose earlier than those who can work remotely once the second phase of the vaccine programme begins. Phase one is targeted at nine priority groups which collectively include all adults over 50, the clinically extremely vulnerable and people with underlying health issues that put them at increased risk of serious disease and death. Deaths from coronavirus are forecast to drop by 99 per cent once this phase is complete.

  • 330,000+ vaccine doses pulled in California after allergic reactions

    California has removed over 330,000 doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine from circulation after six healthcare workers experienced severe allergic reactions after being vaccinated.