Inside Politics: New Covid variant ‘worst one yet’ and France scraps Channel talks in response to PM’s letter

Travel to UK from six southern African countries scrapped amid fears new variant could have double the number found in Delta strain, as France says Johnson’s letter on Channel crisis is ‘unacceptable’, writes Matt Mathers

Friday 26 November 2021 03:33 EST
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Today may be Friday but the news is certainly not winding down and much of it – like the weekend weather forecast – looks pretty stormy, with alarm bells being sounded over a new Covid variant containing a concerning amount of mutations and described as the “worst one we’ve seen so far”. As French fishers prepare to blockade the Channel tunnel, British-Franco relations have taken a further hit this morning after Paris cancelled talks with London following a letter by Boris Johnson to Emmanuel Macron demanding France “take back” people who complete the treacherous journey into the UK, in the aftermath of Wednesday’s drowning tragedy. Elsewhere, Tony Blair has called on Keir Starmer to reject “wokeism” if he wants to win the next election.

Inside the bubble

A series of private members’ bills are to be heard from 9.30am. Lords is not sitting.

Coming up:

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds on Sky News at 8.05am

Tory MP Tim Loughton on Sky News at 8.20am

Daily Briefing

NU ALARM: Ministers last night rushed to put six southern African countries on the UK’s travel red list over concerns about a new coronavirus variant, B.1.1.529. All flights to Botswana, where the variant was first detected, as well as South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Eswatini are being suspended from this afternoon. Described as the “worst one we’ve seen so far”, scientists are concerned about the number of mutations the variant has, which is significantly higher than those that went before, meaning that it could have the potential to spread more quickly and evade vaccines. At present, there have been few cases of the new variant, to be named “Nu” by the World Health Organisation next week, found in the real world, which means scientists are mostly limited to theoretical analysis. But what they are seeing on paper does not look good. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said experts are “deeply concerned” about B.1.1.529 but need to learn more about it. It has “perhaps double the number of mutations that we have seen in the Delta variant”, he added. “And that would suggest that it may well be more transmissible and the current vaccines that we have may well be less effective.”

BUCKLE UP: It all feels very winter 2020. Most of Europe is now seeing a surge in infections, with several countries tightening restrictions or going into full lockdown in a few cases, although experts believe the rise in cases on the continent could be due to countries there coming out of summer restrictions much later than the UK. We’ll be bringing you live updates on the pandemic throughout the day.

TAKE BACK CONTROL: The PM has written to Emmanuel Macron calling on the French president to “take back” people who make the treacherous journey across the Channel and into the UK in search of a better life following Wednesday’s sea tragedy. In a series of tweets sent out last night, the PM said he had written to the president “offering to move further and faster to prevent Channel crossings and avoid a repeat of yesterday’s appalling tragedy which claimed the lives of at least 27 people.” The five-point package included joint patrols on French beaches, more advanced technology, reciprocal maritime and aerial surveillance, intelligence-sharing and a bilateral returns agreement.

NON: The letter appears to have gone down like a lead balloon in Paris: officials there have this morning cancelled high-level talks between the two countries, with French interior minister Gerald Darmanin describing the PM’s demands as “unacceptable”. It comes after campaigners accused the government of being “complicit” with people smugglers after it rejected pleas to provide safe routes for refugees to reach Britain from continental Europe. Home secretary Priti Patel told the House of Commons that “in terms of toughness… I have not ruled anything out” in her efforts to stem the growing flow of people crossing the Channel in small boats, which has surged to 25,776 so far in 2021, three times its level last year and more than ten times the 1,835 recorded in 2019. Labour is calling on Patel to reopen the Dubs Scheme for resettling unaccompanied child migrants, which was closed in 2017 after helping only 480 of the promised 3,000 children.

ELSEWHERE IN UK/FRANCE RELATIONS: French fishermen have said they plan to blockade the channel tunnel in protest at Britain’s refusal to issue them with work licences. The running dispute over the post-Brexit fishing rights is expected to boil over on Friday and cause even more disruption to UK supply chains. The channel tunnel is a vital artery and carried vast volumes of freight and passenger traffic between the continent and the UK. Announcing the measure at a press conference on Thursday, Gerard Romiti, President of National Maritime Fisheries Committee, said: “This is our demonstration of the quality and ability of professional fishermen to mobilise in response to the UK’s provocative, contemptuous and humiliating attitude towards them.”

‘REJECT WOKEISM’: Tony Blair has urged Keir Starmer to “reject wokeism” if he wants to win the next general election. In a commentary published on Friday, the former prime minister said Labour should adopt a “commonsensical position on the ‘culture issues’”. Without elaborating on which issues he was referring, Blair likened Labour’s situation to 1983 – when the party was attacked over support for LGBT rights. He argued that “large numbers of Labour voters in 1983 felt our economic policy was not credible and our attitudes across a range of cultural questions profoundly alienating”. Suggesting the way forward at the next election, he said: “We should openly embrace liberal, tolerant but commonsensical positions on the ‘culture’ issues, and emphatically reject the ‘wokeism’ of a small though vocal minority.”

On the record

“The deaths of 27 men, women and children trying to cross the English Channel are a tragic reminder that harsh migration policies do not work. Measures in this Bill are harmful, cruel and discriminatory. It will further push people into the hands of smugglers and could have irreversible and fatal consequences for people fleeing persecution and violence, as well as undermining basic human rights and contravening the UK’s legal obligations.”

Sophie McCann of Medecins Sans Frontieres on government’s borders bill.

From the Twitterati

“You can tell how seriously Whitehall is taking the new Covid variant by the speed at which the six countries are being added to the red list. Typically it’s been a few days before travel restrictions come in. This is immediate.”

Financial Times Whitehall editor Sebastian Payne on government move to put several southern African countries to UK’s travel red list.

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