BORIS IS ASLEEP ON THE JOB
From The Express: Ben Habib has accused Boris Johnson of being asleep on the job in a blistering attack after it was revealed a large number of agricultural exporters are currently unable to get their products into Europe as a result of the post-Brexit trade deal. The former Brexit Party MEP stressed Brussels was treating the UK with contempt as he urged the Prime Minister to pull the plug on the lousy agreement. The UK is currently banned from exporting untreated shellfish to the continent, with the European Commission confirming the rules were permanent, despite previous assurances by Defra they would be phased out after April. Habib told Express the Prime Minister “sold the Trade and Cooperation Agreement as a free trade agreement. In reality what we got was an agreement which allowed the EU to freely sell its goods into our markets but for our goods to be unable to get into the EU”. Moreover, Michael Gove unilaterally waived all import declarations for imports coming in from Europe for the first six months of 2021.
MATT HANCOCK ACTED UNLAWFULLY OVER COVID CONTRACTS
The Guardian reports that Matt Hancock acted unlawfully by failing to publish multi billion-pound Covid-19 government contracts within the 30-day period required by law, a high court judge has ruled. The judge, Mr Justice Chamberlain, ruled the failure to do so breached the “vital public function” of transparency over how vast quantities of taxpayers’ money was spent. The judgment is a victory for the Good Law Project , a crowdfunded not-for-profit organisation that is making a series of legal challenges related to the government’s procurement of protective personal equipment and other services during the pandemic. Research by the procurement consultancy Tussell had found Hancock’s Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) had spent about £15bn buying PPE from different companies by the beginning of October, but that only £2.68bn worth of contracts had been published.
NO BIG BANG SCHOOL REOPENING SAYS CHRIS WHITTY
From The Guardian: A row has apparently broken out over Boris Johnson’s hopes for a big bang reopening of schools, as sources claimed it had run into resistance from Prof Chris Whitty. The chief medical officer forEengland was said to be reluctant to put his name to a public show of support for the policy this week, though the government has insisted he has no reservations. Education sources had told the Guardian that Whitty was very unhappy with the idea of all 10 million children and staff returning to schools in England on 8 March.
GANG OF NINE UNIONS WARN BORIS OVER SCHOOLS REOPENING
The Daily Mail reports: that Boris Johnson has been warned that it would be reckless to send all children back to school in a fortnight’s time amid calls for the reopening of classrooms to be sped up. Nine trade unions ganged up on the PM today to demand a ‘phased return’ only for millions of children who have been out of the classroom since the start of January. In a letter orchestrated by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), education union leaders said they were ‘increasingly concerned’ that the Government could go ahead with a full return of all pupils in England on March 8. The joint statement said: ‘This would seem a reckless course of action. It could trigger another spike in Covid infections, prolong the disruption of education and risk throwing away the hard-won progress made in suppressing the virus over the course of the latest lockdown.’
LOCKDOWN UNTIL SUMMER FEARS
From The Express: fears that lockdown restrictions could remain in place for months intensified this morning after it emerged Rishi Sunak is set to extend the furlough scheme. The news is a huge blow to Tory backbenchers who have been demanding coronavirus restrictions be lifted completely by May. The coronavirus job retention scheme had been due to end on April 30, but the Chancellor is now thought to be preparing to extend furlough until the summer. The latest Treasury announcement is thought to be closely linked to Mr Johnson’s timetable to ending restrictions, with the Chancellor eager to protect jobs until the vaccines have been successfully rolled out and society is back to normal.The Treasury has not commented on reports of an extension to furlough, saying the Chancellor’s plan for the economy will be unveiled in the Budget.
EU EUROCRATS BACK DOWN OVER DATA SHARING
The Express reports that EU chiefs have backed down from threats to block cross-Channel data sharing in a Brexit boost for Britain. The European Commission ruled that the UK’s high data protection standards were adequate to maintain information flows. Eurocrats had threatened to permanently block British data because of fears over No10’s planned post-Brexit regulatory shake-up. The move will unlock billions of pounds for UK business that was previously jeopardised by EU intransigence.
NOW CANADA TAKES ON FACEBOOK
From The Times: Canada vowed to make Facebook pay for its news content as the social media giant faced international condemnation for imposing a blackout on Australia. Facebook has been labelled a schoolyard bully for blocking links to news outlets in Australia in response to a planned law requiring it to pay for news shared on its site. Canada said that it would not be deterred from implementing a law similar to Australia’s, and appealed for international allies to take on Big Tech.
SALMOND TO ATTACK STURGEON
The Telegraph reports: Alex Salmond is expected to launch a series of public attacks on Nicola Sturgeon next week, after Holyrood agreed to publish claims which his allies believe could end the First Minister’s career. The former SNP leader is finally set to appear as a witness in front of a Scottish Parliament committee on Wednesday, which is investigating an unlawful civil service investigation into sexual harassment claims against him.The breakthrough came after he appeared to have won a row over whether his dossier of allegations against his successor would be published. Although already in the public domain MSPs refused to officially release Mr Salmond’s written evidence into the multiple ways in which he believes Ms Sturgeon broke the ministerial code in her handling of complaints against him, citing legal concerns.
MOTORISTS SET TO GET POST LOCKDOWN PRICE SHOCK SAYS AA
The Daily Star reports: Drivers are set to be in for a shock once lockdown eases and they can travel again. This is because the price of petrol and diesel has soared recently – creating a money nightmare for some. Analysis of national prices show that unleaded petrol now costs almost 122p-a-litre on average in the UK. This is the highest it has been since the start of March last year. Meanwhile, unleaded has risen from around 114.5p per litre in December, with the 7.5p rise meaning the average petrol car’s fuel tank is now £4.13 more expensive to fill up than it was at the end of 2020. February’s AA Fuel Price Report reveals that average fuel prices on Tuesday this week (February 16) were 121.84p-a-litre for petrol and 124.91p for diesel.
HINT OF TAX RISES TO PAY FOR CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
The Daily Mail writes: Rishi Sunak has delivered a fresh hint that taxes will be increased in the future to pay for the coronavirus crisis after it emerged public sector debt surged by more than £300billion since the start of April last year. Office for National Statistics data released this morning showed that some £316.4billion has been added to the UK’s debt mountain since the onset of the pandemic. It means overall state debt has now hit another record high, as it continues to climb above £2.1trillion. Mr Sunak said the nation’s strong public finances had allowed the Government to ‘respond comprehensively and generously through this crisis’. But in a clear sign that taxes could soon be increased, he said “it’s right that once our economy begins to recover, we should look to return the public finances to a more sustainable footing.” The figures were published amid reports that Mr Sunak will use the Budget on March 3 to extend the furlough scheme and other financial support to the summer as the Government props up firms as Lockdown is eased.
TRUST IN THE LAW AT RISK OVER RUSHED RULES AND LEGISLATION
The Guardian reports that public trust in the law is at risk if ministers continue to rush through hundreds of new rules and legislation, bypassing parliament and leaving citizens, businesses and police in the dark, the former head government legal department, Sir Jonathan Jones has said. Other legal figures have highlighted how the changes have seen fundamental liberties such as the right to protest curtailed, and grouse shooting permitted amid lobbying from Tory MPs. Sir Jonathon Jones has highlighted how police forces were still applying varying standards to Covid restrictions and said that the government’s approach to legislating for Covid, although it may be justifiable for the most pressing of emergencies, should not become a template for policymaking or law-making more generally.
AND FINALLY
The Express writes: Ringo Starr is one of the last remaining Beatles and has had worldwide fame since the 1960s, but now he is fighting to stop his name being used for sex toys. Sir Ringo Starr, real name of Richard Starkey, is known and renowned as the drummer of The Beatles. His name is fairly unique and has become one of his trademarks. However, he is now fighting to oppose the name being used for a brand of sexual aids. Sir Ringo Starr, it has been uncovered, is currently opposing the trademark of the name Ring O for a sexual aid. Pacific Coast Holdings IP, LLC, the parent company of Screaming O, have put forward their desire to trademark the name Ring O for a vibrating penis ring, which they have marketed under that name since 2008. They accused Sir Ringo of being a trademark squatter as he attempted to oppose their trademark, as well as suggesting their customers would not be of the generation to connect the item with the Beatle.
Matt Hancock acted illegally
To give the devil his due, if I had the handling of a pandemic or other crisis, the first thing would be the rule book flying out of the window.
I would think there is every chance a plea that “time is of the essence” must supervenes all else.
Alright he’s a naughty boy, but only worth a gating or being kept in after work
Not gaol or resignation
This article was in today’s Mailonline and has had a lot of comments but where’s the uproar against the government for LYING. I have also looked at the figures on the ONS website which bear no relation to what we are being told. Present company excepted, are people that stupid? Don’t answer that one. I have been playing catch-up with the last couple of days of ID as have been helping people who have been really struggling with everyday things. Not everyone has someone to take care of them or are able to deal with everything themselves and there must be thousands more like them around the country. This scamdemic should definitely be filed under “population control”. Very relieved to here Debbie is recovering at home. Also there have been some excellent articles which I have put into my “evidence” files. https://mol.im/a/9279767
Salmon to attack Sturgeon – hmm interesting! Sounds fishy to me!
Boris Johnson sleeping on the job. No never, that is the understatement of the year…
Errr . . . Was Hoover an American President or just a vacuum cleaner?
(Ring-O.)
Seriously now, I’m glad to see another attack on Call me Matt.
Also that forces are gathering against the Covid Dictatorship bypassing Parliament.
The price of oil at this time of year for cold weather and seasonal flu ‘will cause soaring fuel prices’. Really?
In the past few months oil has gone from 50 to 55 uS dollars a bbl to around 65 uS dollars a bbl now. Say 25 percent. Of the ~£ 1.15 / ltr (£ 5.22 / gallon) in article, over 80 new pence per ltr is tax (fuel duty and TVA). 25 percent of (1.15 – 80) * 0.25 = 9 new pence. £ 1.15 plus 9 new pence = £ 1.24. Fuel already gone from 1.15 to 1.22 means there is a *possible soaring* 2 (two) new pence per litre still to come.
I don’t have a swankmobile, and with a five mile activity limit, who is using cars now anyway?
BTW my two nearest supermarkets are 8 miles in one direction and 11 in the opposite direction. Enforcement by the ”ihre papiere bitte ubermenchen” is somewhat lax in these parts.
Following the weather, costs of fuel and flu cases numbers always go up at this time of year. And?