Inside Politics: Government accused of ‘wilful negligence’ as plan B Covid restrictions ruled out
Health secretary calls for ‘Blitz spirit’ to tackle virus spread but his colleagues are accused of not setting a good example, writes Matt Mathers
It’s only October but the dreaded winter health experts warned of appears to be already here as Covid cases, hospitalisations and deaths rise. Defying calls from NHS leaders, Sajid Javid has ruled out a move to plan B restrictions – for now at least. Elsewhere, MPs continue to call for a clampdown on social media abuse as the threat against elected officials is raised to substantial. The UK has secured a trade deal with New Zealand.
Inside the bubble
International trade questions at 9.30am before Jacob Rees-Mogg, Leader of the House, makes a statement on next week’s Commons business. Later, there are backbench debates on Cop26 and limiting global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees as well as Women’s Menopause Month. There is also an adjournment for Black History Month.
Coming up:
– Health minister Ed Argar on LBC Radio at 7.50am
– Former PM Tony Blair on Sky News at 9.05am
Daily Briefing
DEJA VU: It all feels eerily familiar. Nearly two years on from when reports of an unknown virus first started coming out of China, Covid makes the front of almost every news outlet and paper this morning after Sajid Javid, the health secretary, gave a government press briefing for the first time in weeks, where he warned of cases reaching 100,000 per day unless the British people “do their bit” to reduce contact with one another. While cases are rising, it is the increasing number of Covid positive people ending up in hospital and subsequent deaths that has Downing Street most concerned. The total of 954 deaths over the past seven days was up 21 per cent on the previous week, while the seven-day total of 6,074 hospital admissions was up 11 per cent. Defying calls from NHS leaders, Javid yesterday ruled out switching to Covid “plan B” as he called for a return to the “Blitz spirit” of the early days of the pandemic. But is the government doing its bit to send out the right message to the public? The health secretary was taken to task over the fact that almost none of his colleagues wore face masks in the Commons chamber during a packed Prime Minister’s Questions.
‘WILFULLY NEGLIGENT’: The row over the government’s decision not to introduce plan B is likely to rumble on today after the British Medical Association, the powerful doctors’ union, released a typically robust statement accusing the ministers of being “wilfully negligent” by not introducing measures to suppress the recent rise in coronavirus cases. Plan B could see the return of mandatory mask wearing in indoor spaces and the need to work from home where possible. “By the health secretary’s own admission we could soon see 100,000 cases a day and we now have the same number of weekly Covid deaths as we had during March, when the country was in lockdown,” Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA chair, said after Javid’s briefing. “It is therefore incredibly concerning that he is not willing to take immediate action to save lives and to protect the NHS.” Dr Nagpaul described the government’s decision not to take further preventative action as “wilfully negligent”, branding the current rate of coronavirus infections and deaths as “unacceptable”. Labour is also not calling for plan B and is urging the government to ramp up the vaccine booster programme. Jon Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said the UK should be doing “500,000 booster jabs a day” and suggested mobilising retired health care workers to help achieve this target.
CLEAN OUT THE SEWER: Removing abuse and hate speech directed at MPs from social media continues to be hotly debated at Westminster following the killing of Sir David Amess. During Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, Labour leader Keir Starmer attacked the weakness in the Online Safety Bill – itself delayed for three years – saying it allowed one site to “cheerlead for terrorists”. Starmer suggested the goverment could stop this “by making it clear that directors of companies are criminally liable for failing to tackle this type of material on their sites. We don’t need to delay.” The PM replied saying “of course we will have criminal sanctions with tough sentences for those who are responsible for allowing this foul content to permeate the internet.” He also appeared to concede the loophole in the Online Safety Bill and agreed to bring forward the legislation before Christmas.
SICK: In truly disturbing scenes, anti-vax protesters erected gallows and a noose outside parliament on Wednesday, just days after Sir David was killed while carrying out work in his constituency. Conservative Michael Fabricant said demonstrators in Parliament Square had “erected a gallows, a gallows to be used against Members of Parliament”.Raising a point of order in the House Commons, the Lichfield MP added: “I’d suggest at the very least, not only is it crass and unthinking but it must also be a breach of public order.” The Metropolitan Police later confirmed a man had been arrested in relation to the incident. Meanwhile, the threat facing MPs has been elevated to “substantial” in the wake of Sir David’s killing. Addressing the Commons on Wednesday evening, Priti Patel said intelligence officers had upgraded the threat facing members of parliament. A review by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre linked to MI5 was launched after the Conservative representative for Southend West was killed on Friday at a surgery for his constituents. While it did not find any “specific or imminent threat” to MPs’ safety, Patel said that the threat level to MPs was “now deemed to be substantial” and counterterror police will ensure the “change is properly reflected in the operational posture”.
TRADE DEAL: The UK has secured a trade agreement with New Zealand, the government has announced. Sealed on a Zoom call between Boris Johnson and his Kiwi counterpart Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday, the so-called agreement-in-principle is a major step towards a full free trade agreement. One of the greatest long-term benefits from the deal, which has limited immediate economic value given New Zealand’s relatively small population, will be making it easier for British businesses to sell services to the country. Bilateral trade was worth £2.3 billion in 2020.
On the record
“We’ve been really clear that we all have a role to play. If not enough people get that booster jab, if not enough people who are eligible for that original offer of a vaccine don’t come forward, if people don’t wear masks when they really should… it’s going to hit us.”
Javid says the government has been “really clear” on role public must play to prevent Covid spread.
From the Twitterati
“Don’t think it’s ever the right week to erect a gallows for MPs outside Parliament. But it is definitely not this week. Revolting.”
Daily Mail deputy political editor John Stevens on protesters outside Commons.
Essential reading
- Gordon Brown, The Independent: Cop26 will fail unless rich nations keep their promises to the vulnerable
- Salma Shah, The Independent: Backbench MPs don’t get enough praise for the hard work they do
- Hannah Fearn, The Independent: Winter is coming – why isn’t the government taking weekly Covid advice from Sage?
- Andy Harris, The Guardian: Britain’s energy supply is in crisis, and I can tell you why
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