Happy St George’s Day!
Front pages here.
Emergency alarm
Mail
The public have been assured they can ‘simply swipe away’ when the Government’s emergency alert emits a loud alarm to millions of phones today.
Newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said it should be a case of ‘keep calm and carry on’ when the ten-second trial rings this afternoon.
He added that people do not need to take any action but stressed that in the future it could be ‘the sound that could save your life’.
Mr Dowden said: ‘Keep calm and carry on – that is the British way and it is exactly what the country will do when they receive this test alert at 3pm today.
‘Our number one job is to keep people safe and this is another tool in the toolkit for emergency situations, such as flooding or wildfires, and where there is a genuine risk to life.
‘I would encourage people to remember that today it is just a test. There is no need to take any action and you can simply swipe it away as you would any other message you receive.’
People who do not wish to receive the alerts are able to opt out in their device settings – but officials hope the life-saving potential of the messages means users will keep them on.
The siren-like sound, which the Cabinet Office assures will be no more prominent than a mobile’s loudest ringtone setting, will sound on all 4G and 5G devices unless they have been turned off or are in airplane mode.
ITV News
The government will today trial its emergency text alert system.
For around 10 seconds from 3pm, millions of smartphones and tablets across the UK will emit a loud alarm and vibrate in a trial of a system that aims to warn the public if there is a danger to life nearby.
Sunday’s alert at 3pm will just be a trial and you will not need to take any action, the government says.
The message will be received on 4G and 5G mobile phones, along with sound and vibration even if devices are on silent.
Phone users will be prompted to swipe away the message or clicking “OK” on their home screen before being able to continue using their device.
Sunday’s test is just a trial, but in the future the UK’s alert will be used to warn people about severe weather situations including floods and wildfires in their local area.
The government said on Monday the system could later be used for other forms of emergencies such as terror attacks, nuclear threats and dangerous criminals on the loose.
Telegraph
Thousands of hearing aid users have been advised to disconnect their devices to avoid the Government’s new emergency alert system damaging their ears.
At 3pm on Sunday, mobile phones will play a siren and display a message about the service in a nationwide test designed to ensure it can be activated in a real emergency.
Hearing charities have warned the alert could startle people who have mobile phones connected to their hearing aids, as well as anyone with tinnitus or wearing headphones.
Franki Oliver, an audiology manager at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, said the volume of the alert “may be uncomfortable for people using hearing aids that connect to a phone via Bluetooth” and he advised users to “disconnect your hearing aids from Bluetooth before the emergency alert test”.
The alert, which will start at 3pm and last until the phone user switches it off, could be played directly into the ears of a person wearing Bluetooth hearing aids.
Thousands of deaf people use these devices to hear their mobile phones and computers, and in some areas they are available on the NHS.
Ministers have reassured the public that the alert can be silenced easily, and they played down concerns that it could cause road accidents and identify the secret phones of domestic abuse victims.
In a real emergency the system would be unlikely to be played across the country at the same time and it is designed to be localised to areas surrounding specific phone masts.
Express
A new public alert system will emit a loud alarm on millions of mobile phones at 3pm today (Sunday April 23). The Government says it is designed to warn the public if there is a danger to life nearby and will last for 10 seconds, but you can opt out of hearing it.
A new public emergency alert system will emit a loud alarm on every 4G and 5G mobile phone across the UK today (Sunday April 23).
The Government says the alert is a test of a system designed to warn if there is a danger to life nearby and will last for 10 seconds, but people have been assured they can “simply swipe away” the warning.
Oliver Dowden, the newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister, said no action was needed but in the future it might be the “sound that could save your life”.
The warning will sound at 3pm with the alert being sent to millions of devices across the UK.
Once established, the system is intended to be used in life-threatening situations including flooding and wildfires.
Independent
People living in the UK will soon be subjected to the first-ever nationwide test of the government’s new emergency alert system.
Text messages will be sent to millions of 4G and 5G mobile phones at 3pm on Sunday, prompting an alert message to flash up on the screen and an alarm to sound.
The system is intended to be used to warn citizens of life-threatening situations such as flooding, wildfires, terror attacks or nuclear threats, and is based upon similar schemes in the United States, Canada, Japan and Netherlands.
The sound and vibration will last for up to 10 seconds even if devices are set to silent, with newly-announced deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden saying: “It could be the sound that saves your life.”
Star
FOOTIE fans will be told to turn off phones moments before today’s 3pm emergency alert system test — to avoid putting off players.
The siren is timed around the second-half kick-offs at Newcastle v Spurs and Bournemouth v West Ham.
Three Women’s Super League games will be in progress and the World Snooker Championship will stop temporarily.
And with the alert going out to more than 85million phones on 4G or 5G networks, the Society of London Theatre is advising audiences to turn off handsets to minimise disruption to Sunday matinees.
Ministers want to remind people that the alert is just a test and to ignore the sound.
It will not sound if emergency alerts are turned off or on phones in flight mode.
Civil service
Observer
Radical plans to bring in more “politicisation” of Whitehall by allowing ministers greater powers to appoint their own civil servants – including some with overt political affiliations – are being considered by the government’s own adviser on the civil service.
Writing in today’s Observer, the Conservative peer and former Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude, who is expected to report shortly to Rishi Sunak, says that in order for ministers to get the best advice possible, we need “to be more robust and less mealy mouthed about ‘politicisation’”.
Maude’s ideas, which also include external auditing of advice given by civil servants to reward those who perform best, will cause deep alarm across Whitehall following the resignation of former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab on Friday after accusations were upheld that he had bullied officials whom he believed had underperformed.
Raab was forced to quit the Cabinet after an official inquiry found that he had engaged in “abuse or misuse of power” by undermining and humiliating staff – and was also “intimidating and insulting” – during his time at the Ministry of Justice.
The Raab case has highlighted tensions between the need for Conservative ministers to drive policies forward to deliver on their political objectives, and the independence of the civil servants who serve them.
Express
Conservative peer Francis Maude, the government adviser on the civil service, is due to report to Rishi Sunak following Dominic Raab’s dramatic resignation. He argues that for ministers to get the best advice possible, government needs ‘to be more robust and less mealy mouthed about ‘politicisation’.
Radical plans for the “politicisation” of Whitehall are being considered by the government’s adviser on the civil service.
Conservative peer and former Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude is discussing moves to give ministers greater powers to appoint their own civil servants – including some with overt political affiliations.
Writing in today’s Observer, Maude says that in order for ministers to get the best advice possible, we need “to be more robust and less mealy-mouthed about ‘politicisation’”.
BBC News
A Tory peer who is leading a government review of how the civil service operates has called for a more “robust culture” in Whitehall.
It comes after the resignation of the former Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab over bullying claims.
Mr Raab stood down on Friday after an inquiry found he was “intimidating” and “aggressive” towards officials.
Mr Raab said the findings had set “a very dangerous precedent”.
Writing in the Observer, Lord Francis Maude, a former Cabinet Office minister, raised the prospect of civil servants being able to have more open political affiliations.
Star
DOMINIC Raab believes some Whitehall mandarins “smelt blood” and colluded to force him out as Deputy PM.
In an exclusive interview, he also accused some civil servants of trying to obstruct his bid to reform human rights laws to make it easier to deport foreign criminals.
And he warns his treatment will have a chilling effect on ministers who will be too scared to drive through change in case they are branded a bully.
Mr Raab quit as Rishi Sunak’s No 2 after a report by top lawyer Adam Tolley found he had intimidated some staff he worked with.
But speaking to The Sun on Sunday hours after he resigned, Mr Raab said the findings would “stop ministers driving change, driving reform and safeguarding taxpayers money”.
He added: “This is very dangerous. It is dangerous for Sun on Sunday readers.
“It is dangerous for the taxpayer. It is dangerous for the public.
“It is about our democracy and ministers being able to exercise responsibility.”
Mr Raab described most of the civil servants he worked with as “brilliant”.
But he said some tried to hobble his attempts to push through desperately needed reforms — such as a Bill of Rights.
Illegal migrants
Telegraph
Suella Braverman has signalled that she is prepared to ignore European judges to start deportation flights to Rwanda, as she readies to face down her critics this week.
The Home Secretary said proposed new powers for ministers to disregard temporary injunctions by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) were “crucial” to delivering Rishi Sunak’s pledge to stop migrant boats from crossing the Channel.
A so-called Rule 39 order – dubbed “pyjama injunctions” by Tory MPs – was used by a single ECHR judge late at night to block the first deportation flight to Rwanda at the eleventh hour last June.
Mrs Braverman’s remarks come ahead of a showdown in the Commons this week as the Illegal Migration Bill returns for its final report stage, with Tory rebels expected to pressure her to make concessions on modern slavery laws. She has also pledged to establish “safe and legal routes” for refugees within six months, in a concession to Tory rebels.
In an article for the Telegraph, the Home Secretary writes: “Last year we saw the European Court in Strasbourg issue Rule 39 interim measures, which blocked a removal flight to Rwanda.
“Our Bill will now give ministers broad discretion whether to comply with interim measures in individual cases. This is a crucial power.”
The controversial powers were only introduced last week by the Government as an amendment to its Illegal Migration Bill after about 60 Eurosceptic Tory MPs demanded a tougher approach against the ECHR.
Express
The Home Secretary’s Illegal Migration Bill returns to the Commons for its final report stage this week with Suella Braverman insisting that she is willing to ignore European judges and begin deportation flights to Rwanda. She argues that the move is ‘crucial’ to stop migrant boats from crossing the Channel.
Suella Braverman has insisted that she is willing to ignore European judges and begin deportation flights to Rwanda.
The Home Secretary said proposed new powers for ministers to disregard temporary injunctions by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) were “crucial” to stop migrant boats from crossing the Channel.
In an article for the Telegraph ahead of her Illegal Migration Bill returning to the Commons for its final report stage, she also pledged to establish “safe and legal routes” for refugees within six months in a peace offering to Tory rebels demanding concessions on modern slavery laws.
In her article – headlined ‘We must stop the boats – it is the express wish of the British people’ – Mrs Braverman writes: “Last year we saw the European Court in Strasbourg issue Rule 39 interim measures, which blocked a removal flight to Rwanda.
“Our Bill will now give ministers broad discretion whether to comply with interim measures in individual cases. This is a crucial power.”
Metro
The Home Secretary has described her plans to stand in the way of European judges being able to block the deportations of those arriving via small boats as a ‘crucial power’.
Suella Braverman on Friday laid amendments to the Illegal Migration Bill designed to make it more difficult for domestic and international courts to have a say in how the UK Government controls the country’s borders.
With the controversial legislation due to return to Parliament next week, she urged MPs to bring the Bill ‘into force as soon as possible so we can stop the boats’.
Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, the Cabinet minister said that for Britain to be ‘truly sovereign’ it needed to be able to ‘decide who enters our territory and on what terms’.
Strikes
Express
The planned nurse strikes to take place on April 30 until May 2 could fall outside the legal mandate for industrial action.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay has “regrettably” decided to pursue legal action to halt the second day of nurses strikes next month. He firmly believes in the right to strike but believes the planned walkout on May 2 falls outside the legal mandate for industrial action.
Mr Barclay, who sent a pre-action letter to the courts yesterday (FRI), warned nurses involved in unlawful action could be in breach of their code of conduct.
Health and Social Care Steve Barclay said: “Following a request from NHS Employers I have regretfully provided notice of my intent to pursue legal action to ask the courts to declare the Royal College of Nursing’s upcoming strike action planned for 30 April to 2 May to be unlawful.
“The government firmly believes in the right to strike, but it is vital that any industrial action is lawful and I have no choice but to take action.
“Strike action with no national exemptions agreed, including for emergency and cancer care, will also put patient safety at risk.
“This legal action also seeks to protect nurses who could otherwise be asked to take part in unlawful activity that could in turn put their professional registration at risk and would breach the requirements set out in the nursing code of conduct.”
Observer
The leader of the Royal College of Nursing has said a legal attempt by the health secretary to block next weekend’s strike in England is “frightening for democracy and very frightening for trade unionism”.
Pat Cullen, general secretary of the RCN, said it was “disgraceful” that Steve Barclay was attempting to thwart the strike via the courts, and said nurses would “not be bullied into silence”.
“We have instructed our legal counsel and we will stand up for nursing. This is about standing up not just for nursing but for trade unionism and for democracy,” she told the Observer.
BBC News
The leader of Royal College of Nursing has said the health secretary’s legal action against the nursing union’s strike is “cruel” and “unacceptable”.
Pat Cullen told the BBC members believe the government is punishing nurses for rejecting the government’s pay offer.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay is to challenge whether the RCN has a mandate for its 48-hour walkout on 30 April.
Ms Cullen said that if the court found against the union, it would “never do anything illegal”.
Mr Barclay’s decision to take legal action follows a request from hospital bosses.
The RCN argues the strike falls within the required six-month period from when votes were cast in its ballot for industrial action.
But NHS Employers says it has legal advice that the action would be unlawful.
If the court agrees, then the RCN would not be protected by trade union laws and the strike may need to be called off.
NHS Employers says it believes ballots closed at midday on 2 November 2022, meaning action on 2 May – the last day of the planned strike – would not be covered by the strike mandate.
Face masks
Mail
Face masks may raise the risk of stillbirths, testicular dysfunction and cognitive decline in children, ‘explosive’ new research suggests.
A review of dozens of studies on face coverings suggested they can cause mild carbon dioxide poisoning when worn over long periods.
The German academics who carried out the research believe masks create a pocket of dead space between the mouth and mask, which traps the toxic gas.
They say the build-up of CO2 in pregnant women’s bodies could cause complications for the unborn fetus. They point out that CO2 also contributes to oxidative stress, which can affect cognition and cause testicular issues in men.
But independent doctors have questioned the conclusions of the study — which never directly looked at health complications and mask use, describing the link as ‘unlikely’.
Alluding to the surge in stillbirths during the pandemic, the German researchers said: ‘Circumstantial evidence exists that popular mask use may be related to current observations of a significant rise of 28 percent to 33 percent in stillbirths worldwide.’
‘[And] reduced verbal, motor, and overall cognitive performance of two full standard deviations in scores in children born during the pandemic,’ the researchers wrote in the paper, published in the journal Heliyon.
But the study could not conclusively prove that the masks were directly responsible for any of these complications.
WOW,. Neither my ‘Dumb Phone’ nor my antiquated Linux computer reacted in any way to the worse than stupid emergency alarm thingy at 3.pm.
Err . . . well, someone somewhere did not approve. I had to do a system reset shortly after.
Emergency alarm:
Not intended to be of any benefit to us; just another control mechanism.
There is no evidence that face masks worked. There is some evidence of negative effects from prolonged mask wearing but under reported long before the latest story. Mrs Y and I never wore one. “This is something dreamt up by the face mask rebels.” is an example of what psychologists call hypothesis saving, a form of rationalisation.
Politicisation of the civil service sounds attractive but may backfire. I prefer the idea of audits, the case for which was made by Eric Kaufmann some time ago.
Will the Government be using the emergency alert system to warn about unsafe vaccines? Chid grooming in cities and towns? Not being able to get access to see our local doctors ? No ambulances available. 6 hour long A & E waiting times?
We are being told though that the system will be used to warn us of floods, storms and curiously bush and scrub fires??
I am reminded of that Michael Fish moment .
Michael Fish and Bill Giles both blamed the met computer not themselves – sound familiar.
Switch off you Emergency Alerts today as a snub to the Tory surveillance state.
Iphone Settings > Notifications > Scroll right down to the bottom of the page > switch off Extreme Alerts and Severe Alerts.
I can’t imagine what perils a smartphone alarm is going to save me from. (Not that I actually possess one).
So how many jumbo jets would be needed to transport the migrants we already have to Rwanda? The whole business seems very impractical, costly, unlikely and fishy to me.
Striking nurses and doctors should be whipped for their complete disregard for patients lives. Or is whipping too good for them?
I don’t believe the face mask story. This is something dreamt up by the face mask rebels. You probably get a bigger dose of CO2 if you sit in your front room with the windows closed.
No jumbo jets necessary; just a few slow boats. Surely there must be some redundant cruise ships available?