Drug barons are bankrolling DJs to organise illegal festival-sized raves - Daily Mail

Drug barons are bankrolling DJs to organise illegal festival-sized raves across UK this summer, police say

• Gangsters in northwest want raves because they can sell drugs to partygoers 
• Several of 13 illegal raves stopped by police last weekend funded by criminals
• The gangsters pay for music equipment and around six or seven DJs per party
• They still make a profit by selling drugs such as cocaine, cannabis and MDMA 

By Jemma Carr For Mailonline

Published: 11:42 BST, 28 June 2020 | Updated: 12:43 BST, 28 June 2020

Drug barons are paying DJs to organise illegal 'festival-sized' raves in various locations across the UK, police fear.

Gangsters in the northwest want the large, drug-fuelled parties to go ahead because they create a crowded market of ravers who want to buy their class-A substances, a Greater Manchester Police source said. 

Several of the 13 illegal raves stopped by police in Greater Manchester last weekend were funded by criminals. 

And police fear the trend will continue with a series of 'giant raves' bringing partygoers flocking to the area for a 'crazy summer' after festivals were cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis. 

Gangs pay for music equipment and around six or seven DJs per party and still stand to make massive profit by selling various pills, cocaine, cannabis, MDMA, ketamine and highly-popular laughing gas canisters. 

On Thursday, violence flared as Metropolitan Police officers had objects thrown at them while attempting to disperse a crowd at an illegal music gathering near Notting Hill (pictured)

Earlier this month, two illegal lockdown-defying raves in Greater Manchester (footage pictured) ended in tragedy

Clips from Snapchat - which were tagged as being taken in Oldham - showed party goers with a huge sign reading 'quarantine rave' earlier this month

On Wednesday night in Brixton, 22 officers were injured during clashes with ravers (pictured) which Downing Street condemned as an 'appalling' scene and Home Secretary Patel dubbed 'utterly vile'

A police source told The Sunday Times: 'The clubs and bars in Manchester are currently shut due to lockdown. 

'Criminals are adapting by using these illegal raves to supply pills, cocaine, cannabis, MDMA and ketamine.'

They added: 'A gang that controls the drug supply of a 4,000-person rave event stands to make an enormous amount of money.' 

Earlier this month, two illegal lockdown-defying raves in Greater Manchester ended in tragedy. It is not known if these raves, pictured, were organised by gangsters.

In Carrington, there were reports of three separate stabbings at a 2,000-strong party, including one which left an 18-year-old man with life-threatening injuries. Two other men, aged 25 and 26, were also injured.

Police are investigating the rape of an 18-year-old woman who attended the Carrington event. 

A massive block party in Maida Vale took place on Friday afternoon as riot police battled hundreds of revellers with shields and truncheons while dodging missiles thrown at them

In Oldham, a 20-year-old died of a drug overdose during a party of 4,000.   

On Wednesday night in Brixton, 22 officers were injured during clashes with ravers which Downing Street condemned as an 'appalling' scene and Home Secretary Patel dubbed 'utterly vile'. 

On Thursday, violence flared yet again as Metropolitan Police officers had objects thrown at them while attempting to disperse a crowd at an illegal music gathering near Notting Hill.

Two men set about vandalising a police car after a party in Brixton erupted into violence

A massive block party took place in West Kilburn on Friday afternoon before moving to Maida Vale where riot police with shields and truncheons battled hundreds of revellers who threw missiles at them.  

Home Secretary Priti Patel has warned the rise of mass gatherings witnessed in recent days was 'unacceptable' and that it risked a second deadly spike of coronavirus.

Ms Patel, speaking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, said: 'What we've seen with mass gatherings and protests is unacceptable.

'The violence we've seen against our officers is also unacceptable.

'My message is the same - I would urge people not to participate in gatherings of that nature or protests, but I would also add if people do assault police officers, they will feel the full force of the law.

'It is simply unacceptable to have people gathering in these awful ways that we have been seeing.'

Met Police chief Cressida Dick said 'consequences will follow' for those who attack officers and damage property. 

And last night, police struggled to disperse thousands at 'unlicensed' raves on Clapham Common and Tooting Bec Common. 

Video footage shows ravers dancing to loud music in Tooting Bec and hundreds of people earlier flouting social distancing in Clapham.

Lambeth Police tweeted: 'Officers are at the scene of a large unlicensed music event in Clapham Common. They are dispersing those in attendance. 

'We understand the impact this is having on the local community, officers will remain at the scene until the event is cleared.' 

Police were called to handle an illegal rave at Tooting Bec Common, London last night

Police officers storm Tooting Bec Common last night as revellers dance at an illegal mass party

Police officers storm Clapham Common last night as revellers dance at an illegal mass party

Police were called to handle an illegal rave at Tooting Bec Common, London last night

Wandsworth Police released a similar statement, while the Metropolitan Police tweeted: 'An enhanced policing operation remains in place across London tonight following a number of violent incidents in recent days. 

'We are aware of a number of unlicensed events taking place tonight - specially trained officers have been deployed to ensure crowds are dispersed.'

Jeremy Deller said the conditions for another hedonistic summer were ripe, The Guardian reported. 

The artist, who has explored rave culture in his work, said: 'There is a clear demand for something that is currently illicit again and the impulse is the same: congregation, community, enjoyment – now with the added frisson of lockdown.'  

Video footage shows ravers dancing to loud music on Tooting Bec Common last night

Police struggled to disperse thousands of ravers at two events in London last night (pictured, Tooting Bec Common)

Illegal ravers attended a mass party in Tooting Bec, London, following a week of disorder

Police put dispersal zones in place 'due to significant disruption caused by two ongoing unlicensed music events' in Clapham Common and Tooting Bec Common 

Hundreds of people attended an illegal mass party on Clapham Common, London, yesterday

Hundreds of people attended an illegal mass party on Clapham Common, London, yesterday

Hundreds of people attended an illegal mass party on Clapham Common, London

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dick wrote in The Sun that it has been a 'very difficult week' in the capital, with officers coming under attack as they tried to break up crowds.

Photos posted on social media show a park in Tottenham mostly covered in trash after a mass rave, with one person furiously commenting: 'So they've just undone all the healing the environment had during lockdown.'

Another person suggested the issue was nothing compared to scenes outside Anfield football stadium, where thousands of Liverpool fans had gathered to celebrate to club's Premier League win.  

In Cardiff, piles of hippy crack canisters and empty beer bottles were left behind at late-night parties in the bay area to the south of the city

Police formed a barricade and raised their shields as various missiles were thrown at them during a stand off with ravers in Kilburn, north London

Visit Cardiff Bay added on Twitter: 'Please don't treat it (Cardiff Bay) like a rubbish tip and ruin it for others – put your litter in the bins provided, or if they're full, take it home with you'

Riot police were seen breaking up a street party in Maida Vale, London, on Friday

Police speaking with revellers wearing face masks as illegal raves break out across the UK 

Following unrest in Exmouth this week - including a mass brawl involving up to 200 people - Devon and Cornwall Police have put together a dispersal notice to ensure that those likely to cause trouble can be moved along. 

In Cheshire, police have vowed to crack down on a planned rave in Knutsford while in Staffordshire, officers warned potential revellers to 'pause and think'. 

Superintendent of Local Policing in Exeter, East and Mid-Devon, Antony Hart said: 'Over the past two days there have been a number of incidents of disorder and anti-social behaviour in the area of Exmouth sea front and Orcombe Point. 

Huge crowds were seen gathered in Cardiff yesterday. Groups were sent home by police

'These reports have included large groups of young people and adults fighting, a serious assault and officers being verbally abused and spat at. Needless to say, this is absolutely unacceptable behaviour and it will not be tolerated.

'As a result of these matters we will be putting out an increased high visibility police presence in the area over the coming days and those arriving can expect to be greeted by officers. Those who are involved in anti-social behaviour will be robustly dealt with, and we will seek out those who have committed offences.   

'A Section 35 dispersal order has been put in place between 12pm on Friday 26 and 12pm on Sunday 28 June to cover the sea front area. 

'Anyone who is formally given notice to disperse from the area must not return within the notice period and anyone who does is liable for arrest and prosecution.' 

Riot police with shields broke up an illegal party at Maida Vale, west London on Friday

A Cheshire Police spokesman said: 'There is information to suggest that a rave will be taking place within the Knutsford area this weekend. Numerous officers are out on patrol across the area checking in on hotspots.

'If you have any information as to where this is taking place please call us on 101.'

Staffordshire Police Chief Constable Gareth Morgan said: 'When you're planning to go out, breach Covid guidance to 'party' and put yourself and everyone else at risk, can you pause and think about someone else other than yourself?'

Cardiff City Council said: 'With the recent warm weather and the lockdown starting to ease, we appreciate that residents want to spend more time outside. 

'What isn't acceptable is for residents to leave their litter in parks and open spaces, ruining them for everyone else, and expecting someone else to clear up the mess'.

Visit Cardiff Bay said: 'Please don't treat (Cardiff Bay) like a rubbish tip and ruin it for others - put your litter in the bins provided, or if they're full, take it home with you.' 

One officer was injured and five police vehicles trashed at an illegal party attended by 150 people in Longsight, Manchester this week. 

Police broke up 39 gatherings in Greater Manchester on Thursday alone.

Dame Cressida said the force had a 'duty' to stop unlawful music events during the Covid-19 pandemic and vowed: 'We will be prepared this weekend.' 

Other footage taken on Friday night shows revellers dancing on top of a van during the rave in London 

Police speaking with revellers in Maida Vale as illegal raves break out across the UK this week

Following unrest in Exmouth this week - including a mass brawl involving up to 200 people - Devon and Cornwall police have put together a dispersal notice

She said police were on the lookout for illegal parties after officers were injured in violent scenes in Brixton on Wednesday evening and in Notting Hill on Thursday. 

The commissioner said: 'We have seen some large numbers of people completely flouting the health regulations, seeming not to care at all about their own or their families' health and wanting to have large parties.

'It is hot. Some people have drunk far too much. Some people are just angry and aggressive and some people are plain violent.

'We will be prepared this weekend. We have officers all over London working hard again to try to keep the peace and to protect our public from violence and disorder.'

Home Secretary Priti Patel told the Daily Express that those who attack police officers 'will be taken off our streets'. 

Neighbours overlooking the popular square in Cardiff Bay say the area has seen a string of late night parties. Pictured: Hippy-crack canisters left over by party goers

Home Secretary Priti Patel described the scenes in Brixton as 'utterly vile' this week

An unlicensed block party can be seen in full swing on Thursday night with minimal to no police presence after a party in nearby Brixton ended in violent scenes the night before

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2020-06-28 12:39:32Z
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Britain is 'on a knife edge' in coronavirus crisis, SAGE scientist warns - Daily Mail

Britain is 'on a knife edge' in coronavirus crisis and could face a severe second wave in winter when people won’t be able to tell Covid-19 from a cold, SAGE scientist warns

• Sir Jeremy Farrar said he is 'worried' that cases will start to rise in early July
• He said lockdown rules have loosened already so a rise could come soon
• The SAGE scientist said England is in a 'very precarious situation' 
• Department of Health data shows weekly average new cases are at 3-month low

By Sam Blanchard Senior Health Reporter For Mailonline

Published: 11:37 BST, 28 June 2020 | Updated: 12:56 BST, 28 June 2020

The UK is 'on a knife edge' in its coronavirus crisis and faces a very real threat of a second surge in the winter, one of the Government's top advisers has warned.

Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the London-based research charity the Wellcome Trust, and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said he was 'worried' about the prospect of the virus returning.

He said he expects the number of people getting diagnosed with the virus to rise in the next couple of weeks and into July.

Next Saturday, July 4, is expected to see the biggest loosening of lockdown rules since March in England as pubs reopen and people are allowed to mix with other households. 

Sir Jeremy said the country faces a 'very precarious situation' and examples are already emerging of people flouting social distancing rules.

Crowds were pictured packed onto Bournemouth beach last week, the police have broken up raves and parties in London and Liverpool FC fans celebrating the team's Premier League win have been partying in the streets against official advice.

The Wellcome Trust chief said it will be even harder to control a second spike in the winter when people struggle to distinguish Covid-19 from a cold or flu.

He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that people would have to think more carefully about going into work when they were sick because of the risk it could be coronavirus.

Sir Jeremy Farrar, a member of the Government's SAGE committee of scientists, said England is in a 'very precarious situation'

Sir Jeremy said: 'In truth, the restrictions started to to be lifted towards the end of May, the beginning of June, around that bank holiday.

'I would predict, I would guess, that we will start to see a few increases in cases towards the end of June or the first week of July.

'We're on a knife edge - it's very precarious, the situation - particularly in England at the moment, and I would anticipate we would see an increase in new cases over the coming weeks.'

The Department of Health has diagnosed an average of 1,018 cases of Covid-19 per day over the last week, the lowest weekly average since the end of March.

But there are still believed to be tens thousands of people infected with the virus - the Office for National Statistics estimates around 51,000 at any given time.

The ONS this week warned that the decline in the number of people getting infected - which had been rapid since May - has now 'levelled off'.

This means that the outbreak is not shrinking as fast as it was before and there's a risk it could start to rise again.

This is likely because lockdown rules have loosened so significantly in the past six weeks, but it could be a sign of danger if numbers start to rise again. 

MILLIONS MORE PEOPLE COULD DIE IN GLOBAL SECOND WAVE OF COVID-19, WHO WARNS AS CASES HIT 10MILLION

More than 10million people have now been infected with the coronavirus and millions across the world could die if there is a second wave of infections in Europe and Asia, the World Health Organisation has warned.

North and South America are still in the grip of raging Covid-19 outbreaks but much of Asia and Europe have emerged from the worst of the pandemic, data shows.

But Dr Ranieri Guerra, an assistant director-general for strategic initiatives at the WHO, said Covid-19 could follow a similar pattern to Spanish Flu and return with devastating consequences. 

Mr Guerra said the 1918/19 pandemic 'fiercely resumed' in September and October - when temperatures were cooler - after a dip in the summer.

He told Italy's Rai TV: 'The comparison is with the Spanish Flu, which behaved exactly like Covid: it went down in the summer and fiercely resumed in September and October, creating 50 million deaths during the second wave.'

His warning was echoed by European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde, who said on Friday that 'of course there could a severe second wave if we learn anything from the Spanish Flu of 1918-19.' 

The Spanish Flu outbreak ravaged numerous countries around the world, including Britain, where there were more than 220,000 deaths and the US, where 675,000 died.

The virus first appeared in the spring of 1918 but appears to have mutated when it surged again in the fall, making for a deadlier second wave.

It was made worse by the fact it struck as the First World War was coming to an end.

'It came back roaring and was much worse,' epidemiologist Dr. William Hanage of Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health said.

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The ONS, which based its estimate on only 14 positive tests from a sample of 24,256 people, said: 'Modelling of the trend over time suggests that the decline in the number of people in England testing positive has levelled off in recent weeks.

'These estimates suggest the percentage testing positive has clearly decreased over time since our first measurement on 26 April, and this downward trend has now flattened.'

Although the speed at which England's outbreak is shrinking has slowed down - which would be expected as lockdown is lifted - Sir Jeremy agreed that it is 'reasonable' to continue loosening rules.

Doing so a month ago would have been too early, he said, and he still urged people to be 'really cautious'.

He was particularly concerned about people being near others while indoors, admitting that being outside was lower risk.      

He added: 'There is no zero risk in any of this. We're not at the stage where the virus has disappeared... It remains the same virus.'

Learning how to contain outbreaks at local levels could avoid a second national disaster like the one which hit the whole UK in March, he said. 

The autumn and winter is likely to be when a real second wave emerged, Sir Jeremy said - he predicted it could start in October and November.

Accelerating this risk would be the fact that normal colds and flu will be circulating by then, and people will struggle to tell the difference between those and Covid-19.

The main symptoms of Covid-19 are a new cough or a fever (high temperature), according to the UK Government's definition. The third is a changed or lost sense of smell or taste.

All three of these symptoms can be caused by flu and colds and people may end up self-isolating with colds or going into work with Covid-19 amid the confusion.

He said: 'The really difficult thing for all us in September, October, is when we all get normal coughs and colds and children are back going to school and they get respiratory infections that are normal at that time of year: have we got the capacity to distinguish normal respiratory infections - influenza and others - from Covid-19?

'Can we interrupt the chains of transmission immediately, within 48 hours, of new cases starting?

'And there will be some disruption of that as people with coughs and colds come into work, come into school places, and people need to think through the consequences of that.  

'Through July and August, if we do things sensibly, we can prevent the national catastrophe that happened in March and April. 

'If we don't - if we don't have those core national infrastructures in place - then we will see a very nasty rebound in the winter.'

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2020-06-28 12:27:53Z
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Coronavirus: Leicester 'could be locked down' says home secretary - BBC News

The city of Leicester may be facing a localised lockdown after a rise in coronavirus cases, Home Secretary Priti Patel has confirmed.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, she said it was "correct" that the government was considering the move, reported in The Sunday Times.

About 25% of Leicester's 2,494 confirmed Covid-19 cases were reported in the two weeks before 16 June.

Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said there was "no immediate prospect" of a lockdown.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast before Ms Patel was interviewed, he said data from testing was still being analysed.

Asked about restrictions, he said: "I don't think that is an immediate prospect.

• Coronavirus: What could local lockdowns look like in England?

"After many weeks of asking, we now have that data and we are analysing it over this weekend, and hopefully early next week we will know whether we have a problem and if we have, where it is."

Sir Peter said he had been in constant contact with chief medical officer, and said it would have been "far better" if the level of testing in the city had been greater.

He said: "Leicester is a large urban area, a total of nearly 600,000 people, with many neighbourhoods and communities within it...

"It's only really if we know whether there is an issue, and where it might be, we can decide what if anything we need to do".

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Ms Patel said she had spoken to Health Secretary Matt Hancock about a possible local lockdown, and said "extra support" would be going into the area.

"With local flare-ups, it is right we have a local solution", she said.

'Perfect storm'

Leicester City Council's public health director said on 16 June the new cases - 658 - were "relatively small" but of concern.

Local health experts confirmed they were involved in planning next steps in tackling the virus, with attention focussed on the North Evington area.

Leicester East MP Claudia Webbe has called for a lockdown due to a "perfect storm" of poverty, positive tests and higher ethnic diversity.

She said: "I don't know why they're not enforcing a lockdown - the evidence suggests there should be one."

Analysis: Tony Roe, BBC East Midlands political correspondent

Just over a week ago, Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed what he called an "outbreak" of Covid-19 In Leicester. In the first fortnight of June, 658 people had tested positive. With 2,500 cases in the city since March it's certainly a worrying statistical spike.

North Evington was identified as an area of the city with a surge in cases. It's a community of tightly-packed terraces mixed in with old industrial buildings and places of worship for many faiths. It's a good representation of Leicester's as a multicultural city.

A mobile centre has this week been up and running in Spinney Hill Park so people can now walk to get a test. But the council says it needs the data from positive tests quickly if it is to react.

It says it didn't get the data from the first fortnight of June until Thursday, so only this weekend has it been able to plot where the Covid-19 cases are.

The data also doesn't give an ethnicity breakdown which the city mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, says would be vital in helping understand which parts of the community are being affected by the virus. He's asked the Health Secretary to give them that data.

It will know soon if it needs a localised lockdown to isolate the virus. It's all about the data... who has the coronavirus and who has been at risk of catching it.

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.

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2020-06-28 09:51:15Z
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Boris pledges billions to get Britain booming after coronavirus crisis with huge revival plan - Daily Mail

Boris pledges billions to get Britain booming: PM says we'll 'bounce forward' with massive revival plan after coronavirus crisis... and proves he's 'full of beans' by doing press-ups on the No 10 carpet (and he's helping Carrie with the nappies)

• The PM has promised to build hospitals, schools and housing developments
• He says he will be 'doubling down' on his pledge to 'level up' wealth distribution    
• The Prime Minister will announce details of his plan in a set-piece on Tuesday 
• Carrie Symonds and son Wilfred are 'doing very well' and are 'healthy and happy'

By Glen Owen Political Editor For The Mail On Sunday

Published: 22:00 BST, 27 June 2020 | Updated: 11:27 BST, 28 June 2020

Boris Johnson today pledges to spend tens of billions of pounds to save the British economy from disaster in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic.

In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, the Prime Minister promises a building blitz of hospitals, schools, housing developments and 'shovel-ready' road and rail infrastructure projects, while an 'opportunity guarantee' will aim to save the jobs of workers who have lost out in the employment market.

Signalling a clear break with the policy of austerity imposed by David Cameron in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, Mr Johnson says that he will be 'doubling down' on his pledge to 'level up' the distribution of wealth across the country.

He says: 'This has been a huge, huge shock to the country but we're going to bounce back very well. We want to build our way back to health. 

'If Covid was a lightning flash, we're about to have the thunderclap of the economic consequences. We're going to be ready.

Signalling a clear break with the policy of austerity imposed by David Cameron in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, Mr Johnson says that he will be 'doubling down' on his pledge to 'level up' the distribution of wealth across the country

Labour demands furlough scheme is extended past October amid unemployment surge

The Treasury's furlough scheme that pays wages to stave off mass unemployment should be extended past October, Labour said today. 

The multi-billion-pound scheme  is due to begin tapering from the start of July, with employers paying a share of salaries until October.

But Jonathan Reynolds, Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary, said it was 'possible already that unemployment is the highest it has ever been'.

He called for for the Chancellor to be more flexible with the furlough scheme and continue to provide financial support to certain sectors. 

'We need a jobs Budget - the focus should be jobs, jobs, jobs and jobs again,' Mr Reynolds told Sky's Ridge on Sunday.

'Crucially, things like the furlough scheme cannot be a one-size-fits-all scheme.

'If you look around the world a lot of countries are acting flexibly - we need to see that in this country for sectors that are still very much affected by the crisis.' 

Meanwhile Ed Miliband said he 'fears Thatcher levels of unemployment' if the hospitality sector and others which cannot fully reopen do not receive continued help from the Government.

The shadow business secretary told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'You've got to have a bridge between the end of the furlough and a proper job creation programme.' 

Mr Miliband said a VAT cut should be one option considered but is not at the top of his list, instead focusing on how different sectors have been affected by the lockdown and virus.

On reports that Boris Johnson wants to help areas previously affected by austerity, Mr Miliband replied: 'There's a grand canyon between his rhetoric and the reality.'

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'The lesson is to act fast and we're going to make sure that we have plans to help people whose old jobs are not there any more to get the opportunities they need. We are absolutely not going back to the austerity of ten years ago.'  

The Prime Minister will announce details of his plan – which he describes as 'a very big moment' – in a set-piece speech on Tuesday, which will be followed-up by an economic statement from Chancellor Rishi Sunak next month.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the Prime Minister's post-Covid investment plan would see money for broadband connections and new roads.

She told Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme today: 'As we move out of this awful period of coronavirus, this dreadful disease, we want to get Britain moving again.

'We're building now very much a road to recovery, a road map focusing on infrastructure right now, levelling up across the country, focusing on roads, broadband - the type of things that effectively help to create jobs but also provide services and economic growth and opportunity across the country.'

Mr Johnson's vow came as:

• He responded to Westminster rumours of poor health by doing press-ups in Downing Street during the interview, and saying that he feels 'as fit as a butcher's dog'.

• Travel companies reported their biggest ever Saturday sales ahead of next week's launch of the traffic light system that will allow Britons go on holiday to the safest destinations without having to be quarantined for 14 days.

• The UK recorded 100 more coronavirus deaths, the lowest Saturday figure since the start of lockdown and nearly a quarter down on the figure from seven days earlier.

• It is to become compulsory for pupils to return to schools in September, with Tory MPs expressing concern about the 'feral' behaviour of children no longer required to go to school.

• Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick came under fresh pressure over his handling of a Tory donor's £1billion property development after a whistleblower accused Mr Jenrick of playing 'fast and loose' with the case.

The Prime Minister will use his speech on Tuesday to announce a taskforce – dubbed 'Project Speed', and led by Mr Sunak – to cut down the time it takes to deliver 'high quality infrastructure'.

Projects in the pipeline include plans for 40 new hospitals, 10,000 extra prison places and a school rebuilding programme.

'I'm as fit as a butcher's dog now,' Boris declares. 'The country is going to bounce forward, and I certainly feel full of beans. Never felt better'. Above, Boris does his press-ups in the Den

Mr Johnson told this newspaper: 'We're going to need a very committed, dynamic plan: not just for infrastructure, not just for investment but making sure that young people have the confidence they need that we are going to help them get into a place of work, to keep their skills up, to keep learning on the job and get a highly paid, highly skilled job that will stand them in good stead for a long time to come.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the Prime Minister's post-Covid investment plan would see money for broadband connections and new roads

'We are going to have plans for work placements, supporting young people in jobs, apprenticeships, getting people into the workplace, making sure that their skills don't just fall into disuse and we're going to give an opportunity guarantee for all young people.'

But he also called on the British people to exercise restraint when pubs, restaurants and hotels open on July 4, and warned that if the crowded scenes on beaches during last week's heatwave were repeated he would not hesitate to order the micro-lockdown of individual towns.

Describing the coronavirus crisis as 'one of the biggest challenges this country has had to face in 75 years', Mr Johnson said: 'The Government has done some things right, but the biggest thing of all was the public doing it right.

'I say to those people who are going out in large groups – you may think that you are immortal, that you won't be a sufferer, but the bug you carry can kill your family and friends.

Is he able to help Carrie with nappy changes and night feeds? Choosing his words carefully, he says: 'I am both present and involved in a detailed way. All are doing very well, all are healthy and happy'.

'We want to get to a world where we are as close to normal as possible as fast as possible. I don't want a second lockdown.

'Wherever there is a local outbreak, whether in Ashfield or Angelsea, we will empower the local authorities to quarantine everyone who has got it, test back to the moment of infection and make the necessary closures.'

During his interview, when asked if he was helping to look after Wilfred, his two-month-old son with fiance Carrie Symonds, by changing nappies and giving him night feeds, Mr Johnson said that he was 'both present and involved in a detailed way' adding that 'all are doing very well, all are healthy and happy'.

And referring to his improving health, Mr Johnson said that the security officers who accompanied him on his morning run had 'detected in the last few days a notable turn of speed and... are starting to break into a mild trot themselves'.

He declared: 'I'm as fit as a butcher's dog now.

'The country is going to bounce forward, and I certainly feel full of beans. Never felt better.'

I'm 'full of beans' after virus scare, I'm 'present and involved' with the nappies and I'm 'more Woking than woke': Boris Johnson speaks to The Mail on Sunday at Number 10 

Interview by Glen Owen

'Do you want me to do some press-ups to show you how fit I am?' With those words, the Prime Minister hurls himself to the floor of his Downing Street office with an exuberance which has appeared to be absent in recent months.

It is hard to picture Churchill or Gladstone doing anything similar – and completely impossible to imagine it of Theresa May – but Boris Johnson is keen to put paid to Westminster rumours about the state of his health since he was struck down by Covid-19 earlier this year.

'Fit as a butcher's dog… never felt better,' is how the 56-year-old puts it, after months of debilitating political drama, a brush with death and the arrival of a new child.

Now Boris hopes to re-energise his frazzled-looking Government by injecting billions of pounds into the British economy to 'build our way back to health'.

He will use a major speech on Tuesday to set out his plan for a post-Covid economic recovery, and in the process start to define the nebulous political credo of 'Johnsonism'.

'If you want to see what gets me out of bed in the morning, I look at the basic injustice – there are all sorts of people who don't get the opportunities and the chances that they need in this country and there is huge, huge talent, untapped, undreamt of, across the whole of the UK.' (Pictured above, the Prime Minister and Carrie Symonds participate in a round of Clap for Carers)

The austerity of the David Cameron-George Osborne era is being shunned in favour of a splurge on new hospitals, schools and housing developments, along with the acceleration of 'shovel-ready' infrastructure projects such as HS2.

Downing Street strategists fear that unless they take swift action, the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus will hit the Conservatives in the former 'Red Wall' seats in the North which switched from Labour to the Tories at the last Election.

The spectre of the return of the mass unemployment of the 1980s lies behind the Government's new promise of an 'opportunity guarantee' to boost the employability of those workers who have been hit hardest by the crisis. 

It is all part of what Boris calls 'levelling up', to bridge the gap with the wealthy – many of whom have survived, or even flourished, during lockdown.

'This has been a huge, huge shock to the country but we're going to bounce back very well. 

'We want to build our way back to health,' says Boris, who hopes the speech will start to draw a line under relentless criticism of his Government's handling of the epidemic.

Time for an office refurb? 

It is meant to be Boris Johnson's equivalent of the Oval Office – the small 'den' by the Cabinet Room which has served as the Prime Minister's office since Tony Blair's time in No10. 

But in stark contrast to Donald Trump's palatial surroundings the den is cramped, with threadbare carpets, trailing wires and books stuffed carelessly on to shelves next to family pictures – including, since Boris moved in, one of him with Carrie and baby Wilfred.

A table in the middle of the room serves as a meeting area, with a small sofa stuffed in the corner used as 'spillover'. 

The only clue to the status of the occupant is the securely-encrypted 'red phone' used to talk to fellow world leaders which sits by the window overlooking the No 10 garden.

Mr Blair used the room to meet aides in the relaxed, laid-back style later described pejoratively as 'sofa government'. 

Gordon Brown preferred an office at No12, but when David Cameron became PM in 2010 he resumed operations from the den. 

Theresa May, characteristically, ditched a sofa and replaced it with the table to lend the room a more 'serious' air.

'We are going to be doubling down on levelling up. If Covid was a lightning flash, we're about to have the thunderclap of the economic consequences.

'We're going to be ready. The lesson is to act fast and we're going to make sure that we have plans to help people whose old jobs are not there any more to get the opportunities they need.

'We are absolutely not going back to the austerity of ten years ago.'

The speech will be followed up next month by an economic statement from Chancellor Rishi Sunak, in an attempt to demonstrate that the occupants of No 10 and No 11 are in step on the strategy.

Whispers about the Prime Minister's health have been circulating since he returned to Downing Street following his dramatic fight for life in intensive care.

There have been claims that he was sleeping during the day and struggling to juggle the demands of fighting the epidemic with the needs of his two-month-old son, Wilfred. 

All nonsense, says Boris. He has returned to his pre-Covid routine of running at 6.30 every morning with Dilyn, the dog he shares with fiance Carrie Symonds, although he admits that until a few days ago his jog was barely walking pace.

'I would turn around and see my detectives just walking. But I want you to know that I am picking up speed now. They have detected in the last few days a notable turn of speed and they are starting to break into a mild trot themselves.'

Is he able to help Carrie with nappy changes and night feeds?

Choosing his words carefully, he says: 'I am both present and involved in a detailed way. All are doing very well, all are healthy and happy'.

What about paternity leave? 

'Who's?' he says, looking baffled. 

'Yours.' 

'Ahh, err... it hasn't seemed to crop up so far.'

Boris's life-or-death struggle in intensive care, shortly before Wilfred's birth, deepened his 'already profound admiration for the NHS', he says – but also gave him 'a sense of urgency'.

'I'm as fit as a butcher's dog now,' he declares. 'The country is going to bounce forward, and I certainly feel full of beans. Never felt better'.

There is a growing body of evidence that many Covid victims – particularly those, like the PM, who ended up in intensive care – suffer long-term effects, including lung scarring and cognitive problems. But Boris counts himself as one of the fortunate ones.

'We are still learning new things about the disease,' he says. 'Many, many people have made a very full and healthy recovery and I seem to be one of them.'

The Prime Minister became engaged to Ms Symonds at the end of last year, but he is conspicuously reluctant to discuss wedding and honeymoon plans.

'You and your readers will be among the very first to know if there is any change in that situation,' he promises.

What's on PM's reading list? 

The Prime Minister's book Seventy-Two Virgins, is about the efforts of a hapless, bicycle-riding, tousled-haired MP to foil a terror attack

Foreign policy appears to be at the forefront of Boris Johnson's mind as more tough Brexit talks loom – if his reading list is anything to go by. 

Books piled on a trolley in his office include Modern Diplomacy, by international relations expert Professor Ronald Barston, and Charles Moore's acclaimed biography of Margaret Thatcher.

And maybe he's seeking some Brexit inspiration in motivational tomes that include Be The Lion, which offers advice on 'how to overcome big challenges and make it happen'.

The Good State by ardent Remainer AC Grayling and Why Europe Should Become a Republic by German thinker Ulrike Guérot are perhaps more surprising additions.

Unfair Game by Lord Ashcroft, exposing South Africa's captive-bred lion industry, and an autobiography by Kurdish fighter Diana Nammi also await the PM's attention.

Mr Johnson is a successful author himself. 

His four books include The Churchill Factor, about the war-time leader, and 2004's Seventy-Two Virgins, about the efforts of a hapless, bicycle-riding, tousled-haired MP to foil a terror attack…

Throughout his twin careers in journalism and politics, Boris has flirted with the limits of free speech and deliberately courted controversy – such as when he told The Mail on Sunday that Mrs May had placed a 'suicide vest' around the British constitution with her Brexit deal. 

So the recent outbreak of 'woke' political correctness, including the removal of statues of historically controversial figures, and police officers 'taking the knee' in solidarity with the Black Lives Matters movement, must place him in a quandary.

As he does so often when he is in such a position, he swerves a question about 'taking the knee' with a joke: 'I am more Woking than Woke!' he says, before adding quickly: 'I prefer to talk about what we are doing positively.

'The Black Lives Matter campaign is extremely important because I do think a lot of people feel that they don't have a chance to express their talents. 

'A lot of people feel that there are barriers in their lives, and that goes for black and ethnic minority people across this country.'

The sketchy outlines of 'Johnsonism' are starting to appear, with Boris describing it as 'the basic symmetry between creating a fantastic public sector platform of infrastructure, schools and technology, through which private enterprise and private genius can flourish. It's about the balance.' 

Warming to his theme, he goes on: 'What's happening is we've put our arms around literally millions of people.

'Things moved fast [during the peak of the Covid crisis], protecting the NHS, getting the ventilators in the beginning, rolling out the support, so I'm a believer in government working now to help get the country through this in very, very good shape. 

'We are going to have plans for work placements, supporting young people in jobs, apprenticeships, getting people into the workplace, making sure that their skills don't just fall into disuse and we're going to give an opportunity guarantee for all young people.'

Boris describes his speech in the Midlands on Tuesday as 'a very big moment', saying: 'We're going to need a very committed, dynamic plan: not just for infrastructure, not just for investment but making sure that young people have the confidence they need that we are going to help them get into a place of work, to keep their skills up, to keep learning on the job and get a highly paid, highly skilled job that will stand them in good stead for a long time to come.

'If you want to see what gets me out of bed in the morning, I look at the basic injustice – there are all sorts of people who don't get the opportunities and the chances that they need in this country and there is huge, huge talent, untapped, undreamt of, across the whole of the UK. 

'They don't have somebody who takes them on one side and says you've got talent and you're the future.

'There is a massive difference in opportunity around the country.'

Boris Johnson is keen to put paid to Westminster rumours about the state of his health since he was struck down by Covid-19 earlier this year (pictured above with Glen Owen)

It is the sort of political riff which could have been spoken by new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, whose election has helped to close the gap in the opinion polls to just a few points.

But Boris refuses to acknowledge the greater threat posed by Starmer, compared to Jeremy Corbyn, or whether Starmer was right to sack Rebecca Long-Bailey from the Labour front-bench for forwarding a tweet about Israel.

'I think the best thing in politics is to concentrate on what you are doing – your own agenda and vision for the country,' he says.

When pubs and restaurants re-open on July 4, Boris will celebrate with a pint – but he won't say where. 'I won't be blighting any hostelry with my impending presence'. 

He dreads the prospect of having to lockdown the economy again if there is a second wave of the virus, and makes clear that, if scenes such as the crowds packed on to Bournemouth beach are repeated, he will shut down the towns affected.

'The Government has done some things right, but the biggest thing of all was the public doing it right.

'I say to those people who are going out in large groups – you may think that you are immortal, that you won't be a sufferer, but the bug you carry can kill your family and friends. 

'I don't want a second lockdown but wherever there is a local outbreak, whether in Ashfield or Angelsea, we will empower the local authorities to quarantine everyone who has got it, test back to the moment of infection and make the necessary closures.'

The Prime Minister, a keen student of history, expects posterity to record the crisis as 'one of the biggest challenges this country has had to face in 75 years… I think the judgment on the British people will be that they showed outstanding patience, good humour and resolve.'

The judgment on Boris's performance will have to wait for the official inquiry, expected after the crisis has finally passed.

Until the impromptu gym session, Boris had, by his standards, seemed subdued – energy slightly dimmed, the distinctive turns of phrase perhaps less baroque than before – perhaps not surprising given the enormity of recent events.

He needs a summer holiday and he will be taking it in the UK.

'This is the most beautiful place in the world. We have a fantastic tourist industry, fantastic places to stay around the whole of the UK,' he says.

'If I think back to my happiest holidays they have often been the ones in this country, in Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Devon.

'Why go anywhere else?'

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2020-06-28 10:40:41Z
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Mr Motivator! Boris Johnson wants the nation to get fit to beat coronavirus in new obesity drive - Daily Mail

Mr Motivator! Boris Johnson wants the nation to get fit to beat coronavirus in new anti-obesity drive that could include more gastric bands - as he says he is ‘as fit as a butcher's dog’ and does PRESS-UPS in his office

• The Prime Minister is drawing up plans to speed up the battle against obesity 
• Includes greater use of bariatric surgery plus diet advice and exercise plans
• Studies show obesity may double the risk of being hospitalised by coronavirus 

By David Wilcock, Whitehall Correspondent For Mailonline

Published: 08:50 BST, 28 June 2020 | Updated: 09:21 BST, 28 June 2020

Boris Johnson is planning to put the nation on a diet to help people become fighting fit to beat coronavirus.

The Prime Minister is drawing up plans to speed up the battle against obesity after it emerged that fat people are more at risk of death and serious ill health from the disease.

Ministers are drawing up plans that include greater use of bariatric surgery - including gastric bands - as part of a wider fitness programme that includes diet advice and family exercise plans.

Other measures being mooted include bans on buy-one-get-one-free deals, free drinks refills in restaurants and mandatory calorie counts on food menus.

It came as Mr Johnson insisted he was back to 100 per cent after his own hospitalisation with coronavirus in the spring.  

He has been spotted in recent weeks running in London - including at Buckingham Palace, and in an interview with the Mail on Sunday he declared he was 'as fit as a butcher's dog' before doing press-ups in his office.

“All the focus and energy is going to be on getting the nation fitter because, as the coronavirus has shown us, it will save lives,” said a Department of Health source told the Sunday Times.

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday he declared he was 'as fit as a butcher's dog' before doing press-ups in his office.

He has been spotted in recent weeks running in London (above) - including at Buckingham Palace (below)

Studies have shown that being obese may double the risk of needing hospital treatment for the coronavirus.

British scientists trawled through data for more than 428,000 people who were part of the UK Biobank in May.

Some 340 of those tested positive for COVID-19 in hospital - one of the only places to access a test in the UK - amid the pandemic.

Being overweight or obese increased the risk of ending up in hospital with the killer infection by 1.6-fold and 2.3-fold, respectively.

And for every BMI increase of four-and-a-half units, the risk of dying from COVID-19 rose by about 25 per cent, Glasgow University experts said.

Obesity leads to conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, both of which are known to make patients more vulnerable to COVID-19.

But extra fat may also lead to inflammation within the body, heavily linked to grave complications. An overproduction of inflammatory markers results in what has been described as a 'cytokine storm', which can be deadly for coronavirus patients.

Other scientists have suggested fat cells harbour vital immune cells needed to fight the infection, or make large amounts of a protein used by the virus to latch on to human cells.

The findings uncovered several other risk factors for hospitalisation with COVID-19, including smoking, being of BAME background and sleep apnoea.

Mr Johnson has been spotted running in and aroudn Downing Street in recent weeks, with the Queen opening up the grounds of her London home to help his recovery from coronavirus and improve his fitness. 

Referring to his improving health today, Mr Johnson said that the security officers who accompanied him on his morning run had ‘detected in the last few days a notable turn of speed and... are starting to break into a mild trot themselves’.

He declared: ‘I’m as fit as a butcher’s dog now.

‘The country is going to bounce forward, and I certainly feel full of beans. Never felt better.’

Read more:

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2020-06-28 09:07:08Z
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Coronavirus map LIVE: Boris releases post-lockdown plan – promises no more austerity - Express

Laying out his plans to get things moving again, the Prime Minister said a task force led by Chancellor Rishi Sunak would concentrate on getting hospitals, schools and roads built at pace. His admission comes as travel companies have been inundated with holiday bookings from Britons desperate to enjoy an overseas break over the coming weeks and months.

The Government is expected to announce a July 6 date for the return of non-essential trips to some European countries. 

Speaking to The Daily Mail, Mr Johnson said: "The lesson is to act fast and we're going to make sure that we have plans to help people whose old jobs are not there anymore to get the opportunities they need.

"We are absolutely not going back to the austerity of 10 years ago."

He is expected to discuss his plan more in-depth during a speech on Tuesday.

In April the economy shrank by a record 20.4 percent.

The contraction was three times greater than the decline seen during the whole of the 2008 - 2009 economic downturn.

Mr Johnson added: "We are going to be doubling down on levelling up.

"If COVID was a lightning flash, we're about to have the thunderclap of the economic consequences.

"We're going to be ready."

SEE BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES:

9.57am update: Priti Patel says falling transmission rates pave way for reopening of borders

The Home Secretary said UK borders could be reopened now that coronavirus transmission rates were continuing to fall.

Priti Patel told Sophy Ridge on Sky News: "With regard to the public health measures at the border, when those measures were brought in it was to prevent a second wave of the virus being imported in.

"As we see rates of the virus drop with other countries in the world, and also as we see domestic transmission fall, it is right we look at how we facilitate travel and the air corridors, or the travel corridors, that I and my colleagues have spoken about.

"In terms of the countries where this will be possible, there will be an announcement in the next few days ahead."

Ms Patel confirmed negotiations with countries deemed safe for travel were continuing, adding: "These measures won't come in overnight.

"They will take time because some of this will be down to negotiation, discussion with certain countries but the principle around sharing data, travel data, the locator form that the Home Office has created, to capture a lot of this information, will absolutely still remain.

"We have to keep on top of this disease."

9.09am update: UK will 'build its way back to health,' pledges Johnson

The Prime Minister has taken to Twitter this morning to reassure Britons amid economic and job uncertainty.

He tweeted: "We want to build our way back to health.

"If Covid was a lightning flash, we’re about to have the thunderclap of the economic consequences. We’re going to be ready."

8.45am update: Unemployment may already be at record high, warns shadow cabinet minister

Jonathan Reynolds, Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary, said it was "possible already that unemployment is the highest it has ever been".

As a result of the impact on the jobs market, Labour is calling for the Chancellor to be more flexible with the furlough scheme and continue to provide financial support to certain sectors.

Speaking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, Mr Reynolds said: "We need a jobs Budget - the focus should be jobs, jobs, jobs and jobs again.

"Crucially, things like the furlough scheme cannot be a one-size-fits-all scheme.

"If you look around the world a lot of countries are acting flexibly - we need to see that in this country for sectors that are still very much affected by the crisis."

The Government should guarantee jobs to those out of work for a "significant period of time", emulating the Future Jobs Fund which was created after the 2008 global crash, said Mr Reynolds.

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2020-06-28 08:59:36Z
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Two illegal street parties in London closed down by police - BBC News

Two illegal street parties have been broken up by police during another night of unlawful gatherings in London.

Dispersal zones were put in place in Clapham Common and Tooting Bec Common to clear crowds causing "significant disruptions" on Saturday night.

The zones allow uniformed officers extra powers to order people to leave the area and not return.

The Met said the unlicensed music events are "unlawful", "unregulated" and officers will close them down.

It said police are "building relationships" with communities as illegal street parties continue to be held.

On Friday unlicensed events were held in Newham and another in Kensal Town which then moved on to Maida Vale.

On Wednesday, more than 20 police officers were injured during clashes at an illegal street party in Brixton and on Thursday night, officers were pelted with objects while trying to disperse a party in Notting Hill.

Police attended the latest unlawful events and remained at Clapham Common and Tooting Bec Common until people had left.

The Met said: "We understand the impact these are having on the local community, officers will remain at both scenes until the events are cleared."

It said unlicensed music events are organised gatherings which are covered by different legislation to people not socially distancing in parks.

Met Commander Bas Javid said: "We're maintaining a significant policing presence in London tonight.

"That's because throughout the last week we've seen a series of unlicensed music events take place across London, some of which have descended into disorder.

"These events are unlawful, they are unregulated and we will take a very firm position against them."

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2020-06-28 08:06:57Z
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