Aunt of woman whose body was 'sawn in half' and put in suitcase shares her horror at the death - Daily Mail

'I can't believe she died like that': Aunt of woman whose body was 'sawn in half' and put in suitcase shares her horror at the grisly death and pays tribute to 'lovely, sweet-natured girl'

• Phoenix Netts, 28, was found in suitcases dumped in the Forest of Dean
• Her aunt tonight shared her horror at the nature of the 28-year-old's death 
• Ms Netts had been living at a women's refuge in Birmingham when she died
• Police have charged Jamaican national Gareeca Gordon with Ms Netts' murder 
• The 27-year-old suspect lived in the same seven-bed HMO as the victim 
• Father-of-two Mahesh Sorithaya, 38, is charged with assisting an offender 
• ***Did you know Phoenix Netts? Let us know: tips@dailymail.com ***

By James Fielding For Mailonline

Published: 23:09 BST, 19 May 2020 | Updated: 00:13 BST, 20 May 2020

The aunt of a woman whose charred and dismembered body was found in suitcases dumped in a forest has shared her horror at the nature of her death.  

Phoenix Netts, 28, was killed at a women's refuge in Lozells, Birmingham where she had been living for a number of months.

Her body was found in two suitcases in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire.

Now, her aunt, Ana-Liliana Netts, 55, has told MailOnline of her horror at hearing of her niece's death. 

She said: 'I'm shocked that she has died in such a horrific way.

'I hadn't seen her since she was little, but she was a lovely, sweet-natured girl. Her father used to tell me proudly how clever she was.

'She used to live in Croydon, she was from a very nice family. They must be heartbroken.

Phoenix Netts, 28 (left), was killed at a women's refuge in Lozells, Birmingham before being dismembered and dumped in suitcases. Her aunt Ana-Liliana Netts, 55 (right), has told MailOnline of her horror at hearing of her niece's death

Ms Netts described her niece as being 'clever' and 'sweet-natured' as she shared her horror at her grisly death

'I haven't spoken to them since 2005 when my husband Gary died. We sort of drifted apart.

'I didn't know that Phoenix had been living in Birmingham. She did have another aunt up there, Gary's sister.

'I always remember her as a nice little girl. I'm so sorry she died like this.'

Suspect, Gareeca Gordon, 27, who was charged with Phoenix's murder last week, also lived at the seven-bed HMO in the Lozells area of the city, neighbours say. 

Father of two Mahesh Sorathiya, 38, from Wolverhampton was charged with assisting an offender. He was today granted bail

Police fear the victim had been 'sawed in half' before being burned.

Handyman Mahesh Sorithaya, 38, has been charged with assisting an offender.

It is understood that Ms Netts last-known whereabouts date back to mid-April. Her phone, which had gone unanswered, was said to have disconnected last Tuesday.

Her family yesterday said they were 'devastated' by the death.

They said in a statement released by West Midlands Police: 'As a family we are devastated with what has happened to Phoenix.

'We ask most humbly that our family's privacy is respected whilst we grieve and come to terms with the loss of Phoenix in such tragic circumstances.

'Whilst we understand this is a news story, we hope everyone can understand why we need to be left alone at this very difficult time.'We have family and good friends supporting us and our thanks go out to all of them.

'We would also like to thank all the police officers involved in the investigation for their hard work and sensitivity.'

Phoenix Netts, 28, was murdered her dismembered body was found in some suitcases in the Forest of Dean. Her body had also been burned

Police searched the area in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, after discovering a man and a woman carrying suitcases containing body parts

Police, pictured in woodland next to Stowfield Quarry in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, searched the area for several days looking for evidence

Jamaican national Gordon, from Birmingham, was remanded in custody charged with murder on or before May 12, 2020.

Father of two Mahesh Sorathiya, 38, from Wolverhampton was charged with assisting an offender. He was today granted bail.

The council-licensed property - said by neighbours to be occupied by four vulnerable women - is understood to be where Ms Netts was killed and dismembered.

Forensics teams continued to analyse the scene for a sixth day, concentrating on a bedroom on the first floor of the property where Ms Netts lived.

The crime scene investigators were also seen checking wheelie-bins, a bicycle and the back garden of the house.

It has been reported that the victim's body was 'sawed in half' and found charred.

Jamaican national Gareeca Conita Gordon, 27, was remanded on Saturday over the murder.

Let us know 

Did you know Phoenix Netts? Email: tips@dailymail.com 

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She had previously been living in north London and went under an assumed name, a source said.

A neighbour said five women had been living at the property - but only four in recent weeks.

He said: 'There was a white British woman living in the front bedroom on the first floor but I haven't seen her in weeks.

'Definitely not in the last month.

A map, pictured, shows where Sorathiya and Gordon were arrested by police following the grim discovery last week

'I saw Gareeca - she would keep her bike locked up outside the house. She was a mixed race Caribbean woman. She wasn't fat, she wore glasses - just normal sized. She lived on the first floor as well.

'We didn't have a clue about what had gone on until the forensics and police turned up on the 13th.

'They've been bringing out bags and bags of evidence since.

'The strange thing is the walls are paper thin.

'If there was a fight, I'm just I would have heard it.

'That's what is baffling me.'

Forensic tents, pictured. The quarry is on Staunton Road and the closed section also contains a fishery, a former sawmill which now contains storage units, several houses and a campsite

Police launched a major operation after discovering the suitcases containing body parts

Another neighbour added: 'There's a lot of women who come and go from that house. It's a women's refuge - so they are all running from something.

'There are no men allowed. You hardly ever see men going in there.

'I've been told that the victim lived in the house - I thought it was the girl who lived on the ground floor because I hadn't seen her for a while.

'Thankfully, I saw her the other day.

'One of the middle bedrooms is where the police have been concentrating. There has been a lot of activity in there.

'The forensics were taking photos outside of the wheelie bins and going in and out of the alley that leads to the back garden.

'There are seven bedrooms but only four were occupied. The remaining women have been moved out.'

Police also searched a women's refuge in Birmingham where they believe Ms Netts was murdered 

Police and forensic teams were searched Gordon's house in Birmingham looking for clues

Officers also searched  Sorathiya's home in Wolverhampton looking for evidence 

It is believed Ms Netts was murdered inside the women's refuge in Birmingham last week 

Ms Netts was reportedly dismembered with a circular saw before being packed into cases.

Police detained two people in Coleford, Gloucestershire - 75 miles from Birmingham - last Tuesday night after they were seen acting erratically.

One was found near Stowford Quarry and the other was seen further along the road.

Sorathiya was described as a 'jack-of-all-trades' handyman by friends who stored tools in two transit vans usually seen outside his five-bed home in Wolverhampton, West Midlands.

A white Range Rover - bought as a Valentine's present to his wife, Redha - was also not longer at the home. A Mercedes with a personalised registration was packed in the drive.

Sorathiya, who had been living in Southall, Middlesex, until around three years ago, also lived at the home with his elderly mother and teenage children. 

Police closed roads in near the Forest of Dean while they continued their searches  

Other groups of officers searched the house in Birmingham and canvassed neighbours  

Neighbour Wahidur Rahman, 50, said he was shocked by Ms Netts' death.

He said: 'Phoenix was a really nice young girl. She was lovely.

'We didn't know her well - all the women in the refuge kept themselves to themselves. They were all vulnerable in a way.

'But she would always say hello and ask 'how are you?'.

'It's so shocking that she's been killed and then cut up.

'I thought something might have happened to her because I hadn't seen her in a while.

'The forensics have been in her bedroom for a few days now and today they blacked out the windows.

'They've been taking away bags of belongings.

'I'm just in shock, really. She was a pretty young girl.

'I'm just devastated for her family.'

*** Did you know Phoenix Netts? Email: tips@dailymail.com *** 

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2020-05-19 23:30:05Z
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Brexit trade talks have turned sour, as UK attacks 'low-quality' deal on offer - Sky News

Post-Brexit talks with the EU have turned sour, after the UK escalated tensions by accusing Brussels of only offering a "low-quality" trade deal.

Downing Street's chief negotiator, David Frost, said the agreement on offer amounts to "unprecedented oversight" of laws and institutions from 1 January 2021.

A litany of problems with the EU's demands were fleshed out in a strongly worded letter to his opposite number Michel Barnier and published by Number 10 on Tuesday.

Image: The UK is part of the single market and customs union until 1 January 2021

The intervention, which comes days after Mr Frost said "very little progress" had been made in talks since March, will rattle those fearful of a no-deal end to the transition period.

The UK left the EU on 31 January but is still following its rules and remains in the single market and customs union until the end of the year.

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Negotiators have until then to strike a trade deal to replace those ties or the UK will fall on to base-level World Trade Organisation terms with one of its biggest trading partners.

The clock is now running down to the end of June - the latest point both sides can agree to extend the transition period, although that is something Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed never to do.

More from Brexit

Mr Frost said it was "perplexing" the EU would not settle a "high-quality set of agreements" on policy areas where thinking is "very similar", such as aviation and nuclear, and is instead pushing for "additional, unbalanced, and unprecedented provisions".

He wrote: "We find it hard to see what makes the UK, uniquely among your trading partners, so unworthy of being offered the kind of well-precedented arrangements commonplace in modern FTAs [free trade agreements]...

Image: David Frost (left) wrote the letter to Michel Barnier (right)

From February: 'No race to the bottom' after Brexit - Johnson

"At this moment in negotiations, what is on offer is not a fair free trade relationship between close economic partners, but a relatively low-quality trade agreement coming with unprecedented EU oversight of our laws and institutions.

"It does not have to be like this. I remain convinced that it would be very straightforward for us to agree a modern and high-quality FTA and other separate agreements, like those you have agreed with other close partners around the world, and that we could do so quickly."

Three rounds of negotiations have happened so far, with the next due to take place next month.

Brussels has previously accused the UK side of trying to run down the clock in an attempt to force them to accept an agreement on its terms rather than suffer the widely anticipated disruption to trade if there is no deal.

Labour's shadow Cabinet Office minister, Rachel Reeves, has urged the government to "act in the national interest to get a deal that is good for jobs, workers' rights and also for scientific cooperation".

On Sunday she said the transition period should be extended to avoid no-deal, telling Sky News: "We're saying they mustn't rush this and if they are not going to a secure deal, we mustn't crash out without a deal, so that means taking the time that is necessary...

"If they are not in a position to do that then they need to come back and expand the timetable."

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2020-05-19 21:42:28Z
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Chancellor Rishi Sunak warns of economic 'scarring' from coronavirus - Daily Mail

Chancellor Rishi Sunak raises spectre of recession 'the likes of which we have not seen' as he warns over long-term economic 'scarring' from coronavirus - and hints self-employed bailout will end in June

• Chancellor highlighted the threat of 'scarring' as he said it would 'take time' for people to get 'back to normal' 
• Mr Sunak pointed to predictions unemployment will be in 'double digit' percentages by the end of the year
• GDP is expected to tumble by a third in this quarter as draconian restrictions strangles economic activity 
• Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

By James Tapsfield, Political Editor For Mailonline

Published: 16:00 BST, 19 May 2020 | Updated: 21:37 BST, 19 May 2020

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Rishi Sunak today gave a grim warning that there might be no 'immediate bounceback' from economic meltdown caused by coronavirus.

The Chancellor highlighted the threat of 'scarring' as he said it would 'take time' for people to get 'back to normal' even after the lockdown ends. 

He pointed to predictions that unemployment will be in 'double digit' percentages by the end of the year.  

The gloomy note, as Mr Sunak gave evidence to the Lords Economic Affairs Committee, came after the OBR watchdog and Bank of England warned UK plc faces the worst recession in 300 years.

GDP is expected to tumble by a third in this quarter as draconian restrictions to stop the spread of the disease strangles activity.

In more evidence of the problems, official figures earlier showed unemployment claims rose by more than 800,000 last month. 

The dire economic situation was laid bare as:

• Britain announced a further 545 people died with coronavirus, 13 per cent down on last week's figure;
• The government's plan to ease pupils back to school on June 1 came under a pincer movement by teachers and unions, who fear it is unsafe;
• A study found coronavirus kills 1.04 per cent of all cases - confirming claims it is 10 times deadlier than flu;
• The Environment Secretary said the government is already drawing up plans to reopen pubs from July with social distancing measures in place;
• Greece offered to waive quarantine rules for British summer holidaymakers if the gesture was reciprocated;
• Pizza Express became the latest eatery to tentatively open for business after announcing 13 branches across London will be reopned.  

Rishi Sunak sounded a gloomy note as he gave evidence to the Lords Economic Affairs Committee today

The NIESR forecast and Bank of England scenario both show easily the biggest dip in quarterly GDP since figures started being recorded in their modern form

The OBR's scenario from this week suggests debt will be equivalent to around 110 per cent of GDP this year

Government faces backlash over plans to reopen schools 

Boris Johnson's ambition to reopen primary schools on June 1 could be scrapped amid mass dissension from teachers, unions and growing numbers of Labour councils, it was revealed today.

The Prime Minister's spokesman said the Government would 'listen to their concerns' about safety and insisted opening schools in 12 days was not a 'hard deadline' only part of a 'roadmap' out of lockdown.

A poll from teachers' union NASUWT suggested that only 5% of teachers think it will be safe for more pupils to return to school next month. 

In a letter to the Education Secretary, Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT, said the union remains 'unconvinced' that wider reopening of schools from June 1 is 'appropriate or practicable'.

The survey, of nearly 29,000 NASUWT members across England, found that around nine in 10 teachers believe that social distancing will be impossible, or will present major issues and a similar proportion are not confident that the proposed measures will protect their health or the health of pupils.

It also found that 87 per cent of teachers believe that PPE is essential to protect staff against the virus. 

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Mr Sunak told the peers that the costs of the government bailouts so far was estimated at £100billion.

But he hinted that the scheme covering up to 80 per cent of usual monthly income for the self-employed might not be continued past June.

He said he 'looked at it differently' to furlough for employees, which will stay in place until October, although businesses will have to pick up some of the tab from August. 

The OBR and the Bank have suggested there will be a fairly rapid recovery once lockdown is eased.

But Mr Sunak said it was not clear how long the effects on the economy would last. 'The longer the recession, the likelihood the degree of scarring is higher,' he said.

Mr Sunak said the UK was facing 'a severe recession the likes of which we haven't seen'. 

On the recovery, he said: 'We all would hope that it is as swift and strong as it can be. We are getting data from around Europe and around the world as countries are progressively easing and lifting restrictions.

'It is not obvious that there will be an immediate bounce back. It takes time to get back to the habits that they had. 

'There are still restrictions in place. Even if we can re-open retail - which I would very much like to be able to do on June 1 - there will still be restrictions on how people can shop, which will have an impact likely on how much they spend. 

'Those things will all take time. So I think, in all cases, it will take a little bit of time for things to get back to normal, even once we've re-opened currently closed sectors.'  

Shops and many other businesses across the country have closed, sending home eight million employees to pick up 80 per cent of their pay cheque from the Government's furlough programme.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Treasury revealed that more than £11.1 billion had been claimed so far through the coronavirus job retention scheme.

The OBR watchdog and Bank of England warned UK plc faces the worst recession in 300 years

Hundreds of thousands of businesses have received more than £22 billion in three Government-backed loans from their banks to help them through the crisis.

The schemes cover 90 per cent or more of UK turnover and profit, the Chancellor said. 'We have the coverage that we want across all our loan schemes, so there isn't any need for any more changes,' Mr Sunak said.

He said the best way to support some of the hardest-hit businesses - such as restaurants - will be to help them reopen.

The Chancellor pointed out that some of the worst-hit businesses are those that employ lower earners and young people

'It is critical, both for economic and social justice reasons, that we get those people back to work,' he said.

The government today suggested that furloughed employees could plug the gap left by thousands of overseas fruit-pickers to provide seasonal labour in the UK each year.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said that they could take a second job harvesting crops after eastern Europeans have been unable to fly because of travel restrictions.

Fronting the Downing Street press briefing, he said:  'Every year large numbers of people come from countries such as Romania or Bulgaria to take part in the harvest, harvesting crops such as strawberries and salads and vegetable.

'We estimate that probably only about a third of the people that would normally come are already here, and small numbers may continue to travel.

'But one thing is clear and that is that this year we will need to rely on British workers to lend a hand to help bring that harvest home.'

Mr Eustice said that furloughed workers 'may be getting to the point that they want to lend a hand and play their part, they may be wanting to get out and they may be wanting to supplement their income'. 

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2020-05-19 20:45:42Z
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Britain’s vision for EU trade deal prompts claims of cherry picking - Financial Times

Boris Johnson on Tuesday set out full legal details of the “Canada-style” free trade agreement he wants to strike with the EU, but experts said the texts only proved that his demands went well beyond any deal previously agreed by Brussels.

Mr Johnson is not expected to launch a diplomatic effort to unblock the stalled EU trade talks until after the next round of negotiations, starting on June 1, but in the meantime he tried to create some momentum by setting out in legal detail exactly what Britain wants.

The legal texts elaborate on the broad objectives for the future UK/EU relationship set out by Mr Johnson in February, which is supposed to be in place before the end of this year. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the UK has repeatedly said it will not take up the option to extend the transition period beyond 2020.

Global trade analysts said the details published by the UK confirmed what Brussels has been saying for weeks: that the deal sought by Britain includes attempts to “cherry pick” parts of the EU single market, which the UK formally exits on December 31.

Michel Barnier © Francois Lenoir/EPA

Michael Gove, cabinet office minister, said the talks with Brussels were stalled because Michel Barnier, chief EU negotiator, was taking an “ideological approach”, including demanding “level playing field” provisions to stop the UK undercutting European social, tax and environmental standards as well as rules on state aid.

Mr Gove and Mr Johnson have repeatedly claimed that Britain wants nothing more than the kind of free trade agreement the EU has already negotiated with countries such as Canada, Japan or South Korea.

In a letter to Mr Barnier, dated May 19 and released by the UK on Tuesday, Mr Frost insisted that Britain’s proposed trade deal “approximates very closely those the EU has agreed with Canada or Japan”.

Mr Frost accused Brussels of having an incoherent stance in the negotiations, saying its position was “perplexing”.

“We find it surprising that the EU not only insists on additional provisions, but is also not willing even to replicate provisions in previous FTAs,” he wrote.

[The UK is] looking for more than Canada, Korea or Japan in exchange for the same — or probably even less — in terms of level playing field provisions

“Overall, we find it hard to see what makes the UK, uniquely among your trading partners, so unworthy of being offered the kind of well-precedented arrangements commonplace in modern FTAs.”

He reiterated Britain’s firm opposition to the EU’s level playing field demands, saying a “particularly egregious example” was Brussels’ requirement that Britain continue to adhere to EU state-aid rules.

But trade experts poring over the 12 separate negotiating texts produced by the UK — and formally shared with EU capitals for the first time — said the British demands were “ambitious” and outside the scope of a traditional FTA.

David Henig, director of the UK trade policy project and a former trade negotiator, said: “[The UK is] looking for more than Canada, Korea or Japan in exchange for the same — or probably even less — in terms of level playing field provisions.”

The decision to publish the documents came after weeks in which the UK had ordered Mr Barnier not to share draft texts with EU member states, causing growing frustration in EU capitals. 

Talks between the two sides are deadlocked on the question of the level playing field, with Brussels insisting that if Britain wants privileged access to the single market after Brexit it must be prevented from undercutting the EU social and environmental model.

A separate dispute concerns EU demands for continued access to British fishing waters on similar terms to now, while London objects to any role for the European Court of Justice in enforcing any eventual deal.

Recommended

Mr Barnier said last week: “To make progress in this negotiation — if it is still the UK’s intention to strike a deal with the EU — the UK will have to be more realistic.” He added: “It will have to change strategy. You cannot have the best of both worlds.”

EU officials also say British attempts to agree mutual recognition deals for professional qualifications — for lawyers in particular — and for industrial products reflected London’s attempt to keep the same access to the single market.

“The British request to have British qualifications recognised by default, subject to terms and conditions, goes far beyond the EU-Japan deal, or the Ceta deal with Canada,” said Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform.

“This is not necessarily impossible but it is not the kind of things the EU hands readily in its free trade agreements.”

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2020-05-19 20:48:29Z
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Coronavirus: The number of 'excess deaths' in care homes and hospitals compared with normal times is revealed - Sky News

Twice as many people have died in care homes in England, Wales and Scotland during the coronavirus pandemic than would be expected in normal times, Sky News analysis has found.

Between 13 March and 8 May, 39,404 people died in care homes in England and Wales.

The five-year average number of people who die in care homes during that same period is 17,591, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This means an extra 21,813 deaths occurred during what the ONS record as week 12 and week 19, a rise of 124%.

Figures from the ONS and National Records of Scotland (NRS) show there have been 11,414 deaths involving COVID-19 recorded in care homes.

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This includes when coronavirus is suspected, as well as when the patient has tested positive for the virus.

But only looking at the people who have COVID-19 listed on their death certificate does not show the true picture of what is happening in care homes.

More from Covid-19

A better measure is "excess of mortality", a term used to describe when more people die than would be expected under normal conditions.

Some of the people who died from coronavirus may have died anyway from another health problem. However, by looking at the excess of mortality figures we can get a better understanding of the impact of the pandemic.

The excess of mortality figure also takes in deaths of people who have died as an indirect result of the pandemic, such as if a diversion of resources led to the person passing away.

Although there are no figures available for Northern Ireland, overall deaths in Scottish care homes are also double the five-year average.

There have been 2,054 additional deaths in care homes there, with 4,070 people dying compared to the 2,016 previous average, according to the NRS.

These figures cover the deaths registered in care homes during almost the same time period as the England and Wales figures, with the Scottish figures going from week 12 (16-22 March) to week 19 (4-10 May).

Chairwoman of the National Care Association, Nadra Ahmed, believes there are many reasons why there has been such a big rise in the number of excess deaths.

She told Sky News: "We are in a pandemic [and] there has been some fairly chaotic guidance and very little clinical support."

She says that when residents feel unwell in normal times, a GP would be called and health support would be provided to ensure the patient has a good chance of recovery.

But this has become difficult, with Ms Ahmed highlighting a case where a consultation from a GP had to be done via an iPad, which meant a physical examination couldn't take place.

Additionally, she has concerns that some residents may have fears about going into hospital because of the virus, so might try to hide that they feel unwell - something that is compounded by a stretched staff team who don't have as much time to notice such signals.

"People may not be addressing those issues [of feeling unwell]. Those who are compos mentis might think, 'I don't want to get involved in all this, I'll just keep quiet, I can manage this.'

"I don't want to play a blame game here but this is about not having the normal levels of primary care support that [care homes] would normally have," she says.

She continues: "I think staff will have been crisis managing.

"Here we have a situation where the staff are trying to not only be the coalface of delivering personal care but also the social and the mental health care that they can."

Ms Ahmed says there are "multiple factors of this virus being so dangerous for older people", highlighting the example of the difficulties of getting a person with dementia to self-isolate or remember to wash their hands regularly.

She also raises that, especially for older people, stress and fear can have a big impact on people's minds and bodies.

Excess deaths are happening in both care homes and in hospitals, but the number of excess deaths is higher in care homes.

The total number of deaths registered between weeks 12 and 19 in hospitals in England and Wales is 40% higher than expected.

There were 15,787 additional deaths: 54,862 deaths compared to the 39,075 five-year average.

Almost half of these hospital deaths had COVID-19 on the death certificates.

Meanwhile in Scotland, there were 548 additional deaths in hospitals between the weeks 12 and 19. This is 13% higher than the expected numbers.

Of the 4,871 people who died during that period in Scottish hospitals, a third of them were recorded as COVID-19-related.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Every death from this virus is a tragedy and our deepest sympathies go out to the families who have sadly lost relatives.

"Supporting the social care sector throughout this pandemic is a priority. We are working around the clock to give the social care sector the equipment and support they need.

"We are ensuring millions of items of PPE are available to care workers, using our increased testing capacity to test care home residents and staff regardless of symptoms, and introducing our new £600m infection control fund to help prevent the spread in care homes."

Analysis: Equivalent of at least one in 10 of the care home population have died during the pandemic

By Ed Conway, Sky News economics editor

The number of care home residents who have died during the COVID-19 outbreak is now equivalent to at least one in 10 of the entire care home population, according to Sky News analysis.

Between early March and the first week of May, nearly 54,000 care home residents have died in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Where is UK on COVID curve?

The number includes deaths from all causes, and while only a fraction are formally attributed to COVID-19, the cumulative total is now well over double the historical average for deaths at this point in the year.

Since the total number of beds in the care sector across the UK is 532,000, it means that more than 10% of the care home population has died since March.

This calculation is a cautious one, since at any point the care sector typically has a below 100% occupancy rate.

COVID-19: Killer in our care homes

Plus, while the 54,000 deaths include just under 6,000 care home residents who died in hospitals, they also under-count the total number of care home deaths in Northern Ireland, since those statistics aren't provided by its statistical office.

The figures are the latest evidence of how severely the epidemic and lockdown have hit the care sector, where the number of excess deaths are higher than in hospitals or any other setting.

The word "decimate" is often misused. Strictly speaking, it means to eliminate one in 10 of a given figure.

It is perhaps one of the most depressing outcomes of the epidemic that during this outbreak, Britain's care home population has literally been decimated.

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2020-05-19 19:57:07Z
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Rishi Sunak issues stern response amid fears Nicola Sturgeon could break ranks again - Express

The different policies being taken by the devolved Governments in terms of unlocking their economies could create a "potential disparity", according to Lord Christopher Fox. The Liberal Democrat peer grilled Chancellor Rishi Sunak during an Economic Affairs Committee session over the impact of the UK's individual approaches. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already diverted from the British Government on a number of measures during the coronavirus crisis.

Lord Fox asked the Chancellor: "There's potentially a fiscal impact, in Scotland, for example, they could take a different view in how they unwind the furlough scheme.

"That would have a financial effect, which, at the moment, is coming out of Her Majesty's Treasury.

"What's the Treasury's view if Scotland takes a divergent view on furlough?"

The furlough scheme was implemented to protect jobs during the pandemic by having the Government pay employees' wages up to 80 percent.

READ MORE: Sturgeon shamed as Scottish care homes forced to accept PPE donations

Mr Sunak replied: "Just to be clear, the furlough is a UK scheme and will apply nationwide to all sectors, all devolved authorities, all regions equally.

"I've set out a very generous timetable all the way through to the end of October.

"This provides considerable runway for companies to start back up and for people to get back to work whilst making sure the scheme is overall affordable as well.

"So it is not differentiated, and I've made the decision for the United Kingdom because it is a United Kingdom policy."

Mr Sunak told the committee: "It will be for devolved authorities to make their own decisions in their areas on things that they have competence on.

"I'm sure they'll be making their own estimates on all of those things.

"I wouldn't disagree that children being back at school is not just good primarily and most importantly for children themselves in terms of their educational and social development.

"It also has a beneficial impact on freeing up working parents to work.

"We know from the survey data that that has been an issue for many parents. So yes I agree that that may have an impact."

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2020-05-19 19:20:58Z
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