IS IT ALL OVER NOW?
The Sun reports that health Secretary Matt Hancock has been having a secret affair with his closest aide, The Sun can reveal today. He cheated on his wife with Gina Coladangelo, 43, who he hired last year with taxpayers’ money, as Covid gripped Britain. Whistleblowers revealed the Health Secretary had been spotted cheating on his wife of 15 years with married Ms Coladangelo. He was seen kissing her at the Department of Health’s London HQ during office hours last month as the mutant strain began spreading. A Whitehall whistleblower told The Sun it was “shocking that Mr Hancock was having an affair in the middle of a pandemic with an adviser and friend he used public money to hire”. Last night, a friend of the Health Secretary said: “He has no comment on personal matters. No rules have been broken.” Mr Hancock was pictured embracing his aide. The image was from just after 3pm on May 6 — as the rest of Westminster was engrossed by the local elections.
DAMNING REPORT SLATES TEST AND TRACE
The Mirror reports that NHS Test and Trace is still falling short when it comes to contacting Covid-19 cases quick enough, a damning report has found. The National Audit Office said that during infection surges the rates of people tested at centres who received PCR results within 24 hours plummeted. This stood at 38% in October and fell to 17% in December before rising to 90% when Covid rates were low again in April. The 24-hour target is crucial to giving call handlers the chance to reach close contacts quick enough to control outbreaks. At-home PCR tests saw turnaround times much lower than 24 hours. The part-privatised £37 billion programme saw call handlers spend as little as 11% of their time working during the winter surge. It aims for a 50% “average utilisation rate” – the percentage of paid time they spend working – but this fell to 11% in February. The latest NAO report covered November 2020 to April 2021 and included the rollout of free lateral flow tests. It found most are not being registered so cannot be used for contact tracing. Just 96 million (14%) of the 691 million tests distributed in England had been registered and the service has no idea how many of the unregistered tests have been used.
BRITAIN CONTINUES TO DEFY GLOOMY EU FORECASTS
The Express reports that Brexit Britainhas continued to defy the European Union’s gloomy forecasts after a new report revealed London is still the most active city in the world for fintech outside of the US – streaking clear of the likes of Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris. The newly-published Index, which first came out in 2019, ranks the fintech ecosystems of more than 264 cities across 83 countries, using Findexable’s data from its own records. Data has also been collated and verified by the industry’s Global Partnership Network, which includes more than 60 fintech associations around the world. London remains second behind San Francisco, and despite making a number of substantial gains since last year’s Index, EU countries have been unable to unseat the capital in the rankings. The latest Index also shows massive progress for a number of UK cities outside of London as the country continues to defy gloomy post-Brexit forecasts. The latest rankings show two UK cities have made it into the top 50. Manchester has climbed 19 places to 34th position, while Cambridge surged into the top 40 by jumping a massive 55 places to 38th position.
EUROPE’S CATCH UP MOMENT COMING SOON SAYS ECONOMIST
The Telegraph reports that the UK’s vaccine advantage in reviving the economy is being squandered by a refusal to unlock, analysts argue Germany and England may not resume their football rivalry until next week, but the economic crowing has already begun in Frankfurt. The Bundesbank’s latest monthly assessment boasts that Europe’s biggest economy is expected to recover the ground lost to Covid “as early as this summer” after a “strong upswing”, months ahead of the UK’s own economy. Confidence among German companies, based on the Ifo Institute’s monthly index of 9,000 firms, is flying at the fastest pace since 2018 as firms “shake off” the crisis. French business confidence has soared further still, hitting its highest level since 2007. Across the Eurozone, activity is bubbling up at the fastest pace in 15 years, according to financial data firm IHS Markit’s latest activity gauges. The flood of positive data from the Continent comes amid lifting restrictions, in contrast to mounting frustrations on this side of the Channel. The UK’s four-week delay to “freedom day” has forced long-suffering sectors like hospitality to wait longer still, despite the success of the UK’s faster vaccine roll-out. The signs look ripe for a summer boom on the Continent according to Andrew Kenningham, chief European economist at Capital Economics, who calls it “Europe’s catch-up moment”.
CYCLING ROAD DEATHS RISE
The Guardian reports: The number of cyclists killed on British roads increased by 40% in 2020, official statistics show, with cycling groups saying an increase in dangerous driving could have cancelled out the safety dividend from fewer cars on the roads amid lockdown. In total, 140 cyclists were killed on the roads over the 12 months, up from 100 the year before, an increase the AA called “staggering”. Fatalities fell for all other road user types, ranging from a drop of 15% for people in cars to a 71% fall for those in buses and coaches. The Department for Transport (DfT), which released the figures as part of its provisional road casualties for Britain in 2020, said the cycling figures had to be seen in the context of both the relatively small size of the dataset and an increase in cycling. Edmund King, president of the AA, said: “It is staggering that with car traffic down to as little as 22% of pre-lockdown levels and the big increase in protected pop-up routes, the level of cyclist casualties was so high. This points strongly to the need for better engineering, more education and more cops in cars to help eliminate road deaths.”
MET POLICE SEIZE 500 E-SCOOTERS DURING STREET USE CRACKDOWN
The Evening Standard reports that more than 500 e-scooters were seized by police in London over the past week as part of a crackdown on the increased use of uninsured e-scooters. As many as 507 e-scooters were removed from the roads across the capital’s boroughs following a number of citywide patrols. It was described as a “week of action” by the Metropolitan Police, concluding on Sunday June 20. A Met spokesperson said the action was prompted by an increased use of uninsured e-scooters on London roads. “Riders using e-scooters on the road risk fines, points on their licence, and e-scooter seizures if they continue to use them on public road networks.” A Met spokesperson added: “E-scooters are illegal when driven on public roads and pavements, cycle lanes and publicly accessible land, including parks and car parks.” Incidents occurring on e-scooters can be reported like any other traffic offence.
BANK OF ENGLAND SHRUGS OFF INFLATION FEARS
The Evening Standard reports that the Bank of England on Thursday moved to again shrug off fears that inflation is in danger of running out of control as it kept interest rates at record lows of 0.1%. Some in the City are increasingly of the view that the Bank is running behind the curve, with prices rising for consumer goods and business commodities such as timber and copper. The Bank said today: “Financial market measures of inflation expectations suggest that the near-term strength in inflation is expected to be transitory.” Inflation jumped from 1.5% to 2.1% at the last reading.
EE – NO LONGER FREE TO ROAM
The Independent reports that BT-owned EE is to bring back roaming charges for new UK customers who use their phones in Europe from January. It is the first mobile operator to make changes to how UK consumers are charged on the continent since the EU trade deal was struck last year. The move comes despite EE insisting – along with other networks in January this year – that they had no plans to change terms after Brexit. Mobile networks in EU countries cannot charge customers extra to use their phones in other parts of the bloc – an agreement that was reached in 2017. Customers who join or upgrade with EE from 7 July will be charged £2 a day to use their allowances in 47 European countries. The charges will not apply in the Republic of Ireland.
MORE UNION FLAGS WON’T STOP SCOTLAND’S INDEPENDENCE SAYS BROWN
The Telegraph reports that Gordon Brown the Former Prime Minister warns Scottish independence will not be prevented simply by putting more British flags up in Scotland. Gordon Brown has said the Union has never been at a more perilous moment in his lifetime as he urged Boris Johnson to change his approach to Scotland to keep the UK whole. In an interview with The Telegraph, Mr Brown, the former prime minister, warned that Scottish independence would not be prevented simply by putting more British flags up in Scotland. He called for the House of Lords to be replaced with a Senate of the UK’s nations and regions, noting that currently peers overwhelmingly come from south-east England, and criticised Boris Johnson for not doing more in his press conferences to address people in Scotland and Wales. The former Labour leader said the UK Government should “get round a table” with the Scottish government for a “discussion” about a second independence referendum.
UK BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD FOR INNOVATIVE BUSINESS
The Times reports that Rishi Sunak has described the UK as the best place in the world for innovative businesses and pledged to invest more around the country. Rishi Sunak, speaking at The Times CEO Summit, said that his “passion” was fast-growing sectors that have the power to help to transform the economy. The government has introduced a string of measures to boost entrepreneurs and small businesses, including plans to shake up the listing rules to allow founders to keep more control. The Help to Grow scheme, announced in March, offering “mini MBAs” to people running small firms and vouchers and online advice to improve businesses’ technology will also have a significant impact, Sunak told the audience of business leaders gathered virtually for the conference.
THE WORLD IS AWASH WITH MONEY SAYS LEGAL AND GENERAL CEO
The Times reports that the chief executive of Legal & General has predicted a “massive investment boom” across UK regional cities and high streets and a slower recovery in London. Nigel Wilson told The Times CEO Summit: “People have been moaning and groaning about the high street for about 20 or 30 years. We need to move into the ‘doing’ phase. The world is awash with money. We look after £1.4 trillion. We’ve got 3,000 pension funds, crying out for us to invest in growth opportunities, and those growth opportunities are here in the UK. We’ve just got to step up and execute on them.
EURO 2020 MATCH TICKETS CHANGE HANDS FOR THOUSANDS OF POUNDS
The Sun reports that touts are selling tickets to England’s showdown with Germany for thousands of pounds. Fans have been warned to avoid buying Euro 2020 tickets for inflated prices through reselling platforms. The Sun found tickets for next week’s match being resold for as much as £3,000 for one seat, despite UEFA’s ban on tickets being sold on at above face value. England will face Germany at Wembley on Tuesday, June 29. It comes after the team beat the Czech Republic to come top in its group and progress into the next round of the tournament. The match will be The Three Lions’ biggest international fixture at the stadium since they were beaten by Germany in the Euro 96 semi-finals. Wembley’s capacity is 90,000 but just 40,000 fans will be allowed into the stadium due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.
AND FINALLY
From the Mail: A woman discovered a ‘message in a bottle’ written almost a century ago while scuba diving – and was able to track down the author’s daughter over social media. Jennifer Dowker, 45, from Cheboygan, Michigan, was swimming in the Cheboygan River when she came across the small green bottle on the riverbed. She unfurled the note, which read: ‘Will the person who finds this bottle return this paper to George Morrow, Cheboygan, Michigan and tell where it was found? November 1926.’ After sharing her discovery on Facebook, Jennifer was contacted by Mr Morrow’s daughter, Michele Primeau, 74, of Detroit. Michele had recognized her late father’s handwriting and said he had a habit of leaving letters for people to find. She explained her father had died in 1995 and that the date on the letter suggests he put it in the water just before his 18th birthday.
Hancock won’t resign and Johnson won’t sack him.
The job is not finished yet.
The Great Reset implementation still has some way to go before it’s embedded beyond reversal.
Johnson needs Hancock to continue to work with SAGE to produce more lies for him to continue restrictions and probably reintroduce more lockdowns this winter.
The lunatic that is Bill Gates has said publicly that summer 2022 is most likely the time that lockdowns and restrictions can end (thankfully most American states have seen through this Plan- Demic and stopped all the restrictions already). So we should note his predictions, he doubtless has a personal copy of the script and timetable.
So I expect Johnson, Hancock, Gove (and Tony Blair) are now soldiering on until the World Economic Forum issue their next set of orders.
Hancock can’t go yet.
The World Economic Forum and the Great Reset fanatics still need the little ……. in post.
All those who so eagerly voted Tory over the years didn’t realise they were voting for this, did they.
Many are still blissfully unaware as attested by the “locals” results this year. I despair.
I would be interested to know, do you think there is ANY chance of us escaping this fate?
Mary, there must always be hope. Today a million+ people will demonstrate against this Covid madness in London. If the Tory rebels keep their nerve and force Johnson to sack Hancock, that would be a chink in the the globalist armour. Then it would be who Johnson would try to replace Hancock with. The likes of Gove or Hunt would only be a like for like replacement for the poison dwarf. No change at all in effect.
I believe and hope that some Tories are aware of what is going on and they might just be able to carry enough of the Tory sheep with them to bring the Johnson cabal down. (Johnson, Gove & Hancock). Any Tory MP who gives public messages of an anti covid nature should be supported. Such as “I’m going to ditch my mask” Etc.
In the meantime I think we can all play our part.
Be sceptical about everything the Government tell us.
Oppose all of the Government rules and do not comply wherever possible.
When you get the chance, vote against any of the main political parties (Cons., Labour, LibDems., Greens).
handcock…Well played the Sun and Katie Hop for the bleeding obvious.
Sacking him would be a masterstroke of hypocrisy from his holiness St Boris the last .
If Germany and other EU countries decide to just bury any news of new outbreaks, and just work through.
, Their economies will jump ahead and bury any advice from our ‘More Civil Service Than Scientists’.attempting to re-introduce Rationing. And since 2016 nota single finger has been raised to cure us of the sicknesses of the Justice System, Subpoor Education, Bad Fishing Deals, Despicable Border Controls, An anti British Home Office,.A Staggering Taxation Burden greater than anything in any country’s history, Collapse of Law and Order, The Barefaced Corruption of our institutions such as MPs ans Civil Service employees Deals, Big Business Stifling Innovation, stifling competition, destroying the intellectual property systems, Removal of copied American Mores such as Consumerism, The Almighty Dollar { The sooner the Chinese take over, the better fo us all ), The more rapacious Unions are stirring again and nor a single voice has been heard.. Grossly over bloated Banks. And many many many other thefts of our country by the Entitled, The Better. !
Look at that incomplete list and wonder about UKIP and their people and wonder at how they have benefited.. We’ve lost our guts to the NHS and a destroyed £.
Our country is just a huge gold diggers pit.
UKIP campaigning in Batley & Spen tomorrow! (Also Dewsbury,Heckmondwyke and Cleckheaton)
https://www.ukip.org/jack-thomson-for-batley-spen
If anyone can come along meeting up in Batley’s library square – marketplace, where the TV cameras will be .
Or contact Harvey 0748 4627 379 if you can help in the campaign
UKIP will have a free run at the Batley and Spen by election if I am not mistaken, as worse than useless Reform UK decided not to put up a candidate. Until they get a decent leader in place no further progress will be forthcoming. In the circumstances good luck to UKIP…….
Reform UK may be fearful of splitting the Tory vote and we can’t have that can we!
So far the performance for Reform UK in parliamentary by elections has been 1.4% share of the vote in Hartlepool and 1.1% share of the vote in Chesham and Amersham, which is nothing short of abysmal. Not surprising when one considers it has no policies and no grassroot activist base to promote its candidates, to do the donkey work of delivering leaflets and canvassing at the doorstep This so called party is a right old dogs dinner led by people who don’t believe in democracy within their own party, and who think everything can be run from the centre, and without the need for an activist base. As someone said to me during the local elections who thought me and a colleague were still standing for Reform UK it should be renamed the ‘Nonsense Party’ (we stood down and stood as Independents instead). I am fast coming round to the idea of rejoining UKIP again as Reform UK are going nowhere and never will.
It is great that cyclist are the last bastion of freedom and non regulation with virtually no legal liability whatsoever – Although one did go down for several years for ‘Furious Driving’ under old law to curtail racing horses through settlements rather like the specific offence of ‘riotously destroying a hovel’ – The cyclist did nothing to reduce his punishment by pointedly showing no remorse for the elderly lady he killed on impact – And his arrogance is a turbo charged explanation of what is really going on – It is the vehicles that crush the bicycles but it is the cyclists not the motorists inadequacy for the circumstance that cause the carnage – (Are all those cycle outlines at junctions the crime scene evidence of recent crushings and those signs with a camera on it advising of scenic views worth a pic?) – Cyclists will have to be dealt with the same way as the e-scooters eventually – In fact the e-scooters which logically should be encouraged are the unexpected precedent that could be used to justify bringing the cyclists to heel and humble compliance with Big Brother like the rest us instigating snuffing out one of the last bits of freedom – After all if you are not allowed to die of Covid why should you be allowed to die of anything else you anarchist!
“E-scooters are illegal when driven on public roads and pavements, cycle lanes and publicly accessible land, including parks and car parks.”
Unless they are owned and rented to the public by the local council.
Well last I heard it is legal to drive a mobility scooter on the road if it has lights and mirrors the same as a car. If mobility scooters are the same as e-scooters I can only think this is a typical bureaucratic cock up of some sort.
When I was a probationary police constable in London it was drilled into us that first thing in the morning before any serious crime or incidents was committed, we should concentrate upon reporting motorists, motorcyclists and cyclists for Construction and Use offences, and ascertaining whether they were Insured, vehicles registered in their name, and were taxed, and woe betide any cyclist without lights displayed at the front and rear, who failed to heed red traffic signals and cycled over footpaths. Policing has changed so much over the years, and I feel that the police recruits these days are not adequately trained and do not fully know their powers, and have no interest in doing the things we had to do in addition to talking to the public and finding out who was up to no good in their local neighbourhoods. Plus of course it was a Conservative government which set the ball rolling to downgrade the role of Constable and reduce our ability to police the streets. The situation we have today with regard to lawlessness on the roads and upon the streets is a result of pandering to minority interests. This is what happens when politicians meddle in things which they don’t understand. Everything goes pear shaped, simple as……..
Lindsay, I see your point about the last bastion of freedom but I’m afraid my feelings about cyclists are different.
All too often they ride 2 or 3 abreast on narrow bendy roads, forcing drivers to crawl for miles behind them.
When I was young and fit enough to cycle many miles, youth hosteling, I used common sense and courtesy as well as having first learned the highway code.
Bicycles were more sensibly designed in those days too. Also the clothes we wore to cycle in. Still, that’s another story.
A bit more Katie Hopkins for you.
“Katie Hopkins: Matt Hancock appears to have been putting his hands and cock where he shouldn’t.”
https://youtu.be/v1lrz0uNvfk
flyer. Oh, I do hope Hand Cock is pulled down. Don’t care how.
Oh yes Pauline…..me too!!!! Bring it on!
Are you talking about those cyclists four abreast on main arterial roads at 12 mph, cyclists who never (ever) look behind them before any, and all manoeuvring, cyclists who travel down one way streets the wrong way, cyclists who . .red lights . . . and on and on
As a one time Cycling Road Racer and Time Trialist, I often think it is the two wheel subset of the ”Darwin Awards”. These punters are just taking themselves out of the gene pool.
.
It’s the same but different in rural areas. Big companies encourage their aging workforce to cycle to work. There’s a bonus and ‘prizes’ for employees waiting for cataract ops, hip replacement, heart problems and so on to bike to work.
Many have (just) seen these bikers in Winter. Total darkness, pouring rain, 07.15 hrs when drivers are still 50%+ asleep, wobbling at 10 mph nowhere near the curb, peanut light-bulb lights. And the traffic at normal speeds of 60 mph plus on roads designed for a horse and cart to just pass each other, plus potholes, and . . . what was the result again remind us? ONLY 140.
It’s good healthy exercise to keep the workforce fitter. But how are you going to tax it? Special expensive training regimes, renewable expensive licences (post training), luxury taxes on bike and bike parts, showroom tax on cycles . . .
Just think ”Darwin Awards” without the balloons and airgun.
Biscotte, I agree with your comment with regard to cyclists, and the situation is especially bad at weekends. One assumes that the majority of cyclists are motorists as well and comply with the majority of road traffic regulations when they are behind the driving wheel, but when they get into the saddle they think the rules of the road applies to everyone bar themselves. In this day and age cyclists do not belong on the roads without there being in place some sort of test, and cycles should be registered and insured just like any other road user. Of course this wont happen because we are presently ruled over by a first class clown who has jumped aboard the green bandwagon lock stock and barrel, and is apparently a cyclist himself. I wonder what his other advisor Jemima Puddleduck has to say about this in his audiences with her in St. James’ Park.
I think that anyone who still believes that the Bank of England is operating ‘independently’ is due for a very big surprise just now! Ever since George Osborne ‘placed’ Mark Carney in the BOE I have believed that the Bank is operating at government behest rather than making up their own minds on regulation according to the run of the economy!
I learned from UKColumn that the seat of all the recent mischief , along with Cabinet Office , is in the City of London. Not only for UK but the rest of the world who are suffering the same. Really I think the UK Govt is the main extension of the USA Deep State. Who are “in bed with” the CCP.
By mischief I mean the Covid garbage and colossal fraud and betrayal bringing in the Great Reset and Chinese Communist style surveillance and control.
I also watched them 23 June re how to fight no jab no job. The unions were mentioned and I learned that one of the union chiefs, cant remember which union, was a ex -Bank of England man. Which means employees won’t get any support from him if they want to fight no jab no job.
Where’s Viv today?
Thats very interesting Mary. I must get into the way of checking out UK Column regularly.
I wondered where Viv is myself! Hope she is OK
I was interested to see this video posted on a comment in The Conservative Woman today
He also has a follow on one about no jab no job
https://youtu.be/baBrzN7d3qw
Ah yes Daniel Barnett. I also watched his no jab no job one. in which he said if your job was with NHS or healthcare, the employer might have a stronger case for forcing you because, he said, you need to be safer around patients. But surely the reasoning here is flawed since I understand the jab does not stop transmission of the virus. So why force hospital staff to have an armful of poison which doesn’t protect patients anyway. So we need a court case to strike down this assumption. that it protects patients.
CYCLING ROAD DEATHS RISE:
No surprise to us other road users who regularly witness the mad cyclists performing dangerous manoeuvrers as routine. Until they lose the chip on their shoulders, realise their vulnerability, and show due respect for other road users nothing will change.