Babak Belurs

Kamis, 30 Juli 2020

Coronavirus: Home visits banned in parts of northern England - BBC News

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Separate households will not be allowed to meet indoors in Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire from midnight, the government has announced.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said an "increasing rate of transmission" had been identified in those areas.

He said the rise was "largely due" to people not following social distancing.

MPs have called for the government to provide clarity over what the new restrictions will mean.

In Leicester, where a local lockdown has been in place since last month, the same restrictions will also apply, Mr Hancock added.

But pubs, restaurants and some other facilities will be allowed to reopen from Monday, as some of the stricter measures are lifted.

Pubs and restaurants to reopen in Leicester

Millions of people in Greater Manchester, Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Rossendale, Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees will be affected by the tightening of restrictions.

It is unclear whether the rules will also apply to pubs, restaurants, private gardens and places of worship.

It comes nearly four weeks after restrictions were eased and people were allowed to meet indoors.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said there was a "need for urgent clarity and explanation from the government" regarding the restrictions.

He tweeted that announcing measures "affecting potentially millions of people late at night on Twitter is a new low for the government's communications during this crisis".

The government always warned it would slam on the brakes if it had to.

Now it has - on an unprecedented scale, with two-and-a-half hours notice.

Liberties recently returned, almost instantly snatched away.

And snatched with a rebuke from the health secretary for England - Matt Hancock - who repeatedly said this was necessary because some in the areas affected had failed to stick to social distancing rules.

I'm told the change comes without a time limit, but will be reviewed every week.

And don't be surprised if the government, from the prime minister down, make the case that this could happen elsewhere too if people are cavalier about the rules.

And yet, in Leicester, the local, more severe restrictions imposed there are to be eased.

The baby steps back towards normality are going to be hesitant and faltering; messy in their detail and messy in their geography.

The virus has robbed us of many things.

It continues to rob us of any certainty.

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester - a city with a population of about 2.8m - said there had been a "marked change in the picture" with regard to the spread of Covid-19 in the area.

"We have gone from a falling rate of cases in nearly all of our boroughs last week to a rising rate in nine out of 10 affecting communities across a much wider geography," he said. "In Rochdale, the one borough where cases have fallen, they are still too high."

He said all residents "young and old alike" should "protect each other" by observing the requirements, which will be reviewed weekly.

This means "the more we stick to them, the quicker they will be removed", he said.

"This is a place which prides itself on looking out for each other. We now need to be true to that by not acting selfishly and keeping the health of others in mind at all times."

Jonathan Reynolds, shadow secretary for work and pensions and an MP in the Greater Manchester area, said the figures were showing an increase in infections including in Tameside where positive tests per 100,000 population has gone from 4.9 to 16.3.

BBC News correspondent Judith Moritz said the government's announcement was "a shock" but the data had been "pointing this way for some time".

She said residents "will find it hard to deal with" especially those with a significant Muslim population looking to celebrate Eid on Friday.

The restrictions are not as strict as those that were imposed in Leicester, she said, but Thursday's announcement covers a much greater area.

Leicester introduced a strict local lockdown at the beginning of July because the city's seven-day infection rate had risen to 135 cases per 100,000 people. It has since fallen and the lockdown was lifted for some suburbs of the city.

'Impact on Eid'

Labour's MP for Oldham, in Greater Manchester, and shadow transport minister Jim McMahon called for more clarity over what the government was doing to support those in areas affected by new lockdown restrictions.

"On the face of it, for Oldham borough residents this is the same restriction announced already this week, replicated in further areas," he tweeted.

Labour MP for Manchester Central Lucy Powell tweeted: "Trying to get further information about this but it seems two households can no longer meet indoors in GM.

"Particular concerns in certain boroughs but restrictions applying across GM."

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon said the decision to ban households in Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and West Yorkshire from meeting indoors was the "right" one.

She said the UK government was "right to act quickly", adding: "This is a sharp reminder that the threat of this virus is still very real."

Miqdaad Versi, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said the restrictions were likely to have a "large impact" on Muslim families celebrating Eid on Friday.

"Unclear why such short notice provided but important that this message is cascaded as quickly as possible given it goes live within a few hours," he tweeted.

On Thursday, a further 38 people in the UK died, bringing the total number of Covid-19 associated deaths to 45,999.

And 846 cases were reported - the highest number of cases in a day for a month.

In other developments on Thursday:

Passengers arriving in the UK from Luxembourg from Friday will have to isolate for 14 days after the country was taken off the quarantine-free list
People who test positive for coronavirus or show symptoms in the UK must now self-isolate for at least 10 days, rather than seven
Official analysis shows the UK saw some of the biggest rises in deaths rates in Europe in the months until the middle of June

'GUIDED BY SCIENCE': A dangerous gamble with people’s lives or a sound scientific approach?
I MAY DESTROY YOU: The groundbreaking drama making headlines in lockdown

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2020-07-30 21:52:48Z
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Damning testimony is more proof that sex pest Elphicke had been a menace to women for years - Daily Mail

'Are you naughty,' he said, like a panto villain. I wanted to punch him. I wish I had... Damning testimony of ANOTHER victim's fiance - more proof that Tory MP Charlie Elphicke had been a menace to women for years as he is convicted of sex attacks

Former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke wept in court as he listed his regrets
He was found guilty of three charges of sexual assault yesterday, following a trial
His wife, MP Natalie, revealed she had left him immediately after the conviction

By Tom Rawstorne for the Daily Mail

Published: 22:01 BST, 30 July 2020 | Updated: 23:23 BST, 30 July 2020

Giving evidence in court, Charlie Elphicke wept as he listed a number of regrets that he had. And yet as he was last night found guilty of three charges of sexual assault many will conclude that his biggest regret of all was being found out.

Indeed, so frequent were his lapses of judgement that it’s hard to imagine how he could have been considered suitable for public office, let alone the job of a Conservative whip, responsible for party discipline.

An ‘accomplished liar’, now, finally, he must face the consequences – a reputation in ruins, a criminal record, a very probable spell in prison and the end of his marriage. Immediately after the conviction, Elphicke’s wife Natalie announced that she has left him.

Charlie Elphicke was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault on Wednesday. His wife, Dover MP Natalie Elphicke announced they had split immediately after the conviction

A successful finance lawyer who was awarded an OBE in 2015 for her services to the housing industry, she had been at his side every day throughout the three-week trial, arriving hand in hand, putting on a show of stoic support and loyalty.

Behind the scenes, however, a close friend of the couple revealed that the marriage has been in trouble for some time and spoke of furious rows as her patience finally ran out.

The friend said: ‘She gritted her teeth to accompany him to court. She was as steadfast in her support of him as a woman could ever be expected to be. She went to court with him for the sake of her family.’

After her very public humiliation – not only were there sexual assaults on a series of women, but also a two-year affair, all laid bare – few will be surprised that she’s finally had enough. Charlie Elphicke’s dramatic downfall started one evening in 2007 with a woman in her 30s with whom he found himself alone in his Belgravia townhouse.

His wife was away on a business trip and their two young children asleep upstairs.

First he quizzed the woman about her sex life, asking if she was into bondage and whether she liked ‘silk or leather’.

Then he pounced on her, kissed and groped her, before chasing her around the house chanting ‘I’m a naughty Tory’ and slapping her bottom in a scene described as being straight out of a Benny Hill sketch.

Natalie Elphicke was seen leaving Southwark Crown Court alone on Thursday, following the conviction of her husband Charlie on three counts of sexual assault

Elphicke a former Government Whip and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury was MP for Dover from 2010 to 2019, stepping aside before last December's election when his wife Natalie (right) stood instead

While Elphicke denied the comments and the pursuit, he admitted that he shared a consensual kiss prompted, he claimed, by her dropping a number of chocolates into his open mouth.

‘In a moment of extreme stupidity I forgot who I was... I forgot where I was,’ the 49-yearold said.

‘I should not have let this happen – the buck stops with me. It was one of the greatest regrets of my life.’

Until, that is, the next one.

That came in 2015 when he started a two year affair with a second young woman whom he had met through his work.

Naturally, all done behind his wife Natalie’s back.

But even those extra-marital activities didn’t stop Elphicke’s roving eye from latching on to woman No3, a Parliamentary worker in her early 20s.

Whining about his ‘unhappy marriage’, the then Tory MP for Dover plied her with champagne, after which he kissed and groped her. A second assault took place at a later date.

Again Elphicke painted a different picture, claiming that he had merely ‘propositioned her’.

He had, he said, ‘lost his head’ after becoming besotted by the ‘amazing’ younger woman’s ‘vitality and smile’. When she complained about what had happened to party whips, Elphicke lied and lied again – first to senior party members then to police and his wife, calling the claims ‘appalling and untrue’.

‘I should not have lied to the police, I should have just fronted it up,’ he said in court.

‘I should have told the whole truth rather than half of the truth. It was a terrible mistake. I’m sorry.’

Given last night’s guilty verdicts, it’s safe to assume the apology cut little ice with the jury. It certainly didn’t with his wife.

The Mail can reveal how Charlie Elphicke already had a reputation for making unwanted approaches to young women, long before his accusers went to the police.

Last night a Tory activist told the Mail how Elphicke had used the same ‘naughty’ catchphrase after ‘leching after’ his fiancée at the Tory Party annual conference in Manchester in 2009.

Attending a private dinner, the activist said Elphicke, accompanied by wife Natalie, spotted that the woman, some years his junior, was wearing a diamond engagement ring.

‘He asked to have a look at her ring saying he was an expert in diamonds,’ he said.

‘Then he started stroking her hand and said “you can do better than that”. Basically he was humiliating me and leching over her.

‘I felt like punching him – and with hindsight I wished I had done. But I was young, my boss was there and I did not want to make a scene. The way he spoke he sounded like a pantomime villain.

Boris Johnson met with Elphicke (left) in Dover last July, several months before he decided not stand at the December General Election

‘His wife could see what was going on and acted as though it was normal. He was looking at my fiancée in a very predatory way. I think he enjoyed belittling me.’

The activist said a second incident occurred involving his fiancée and Elphicke at a function at a London restaurant.

‘He started playing footsie with her under the table and kept asking her “are you naughty? Are you naughty?”,’ he said.

‘When we heard the evidence from the court case and the “naughty Tory” line we knew [the complainant] wasn’t lying.’

Elphicke’s predatory behaviour finally caught up with him in the autumn of 2017 as ripples from the #MeToo movement, inspired by revelations about Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, were spreading into every corner of society.

They soon reached the British political establishment as details of what was to be dubbed the ‘Pestminster Scandal’ emerged.

As a number of MPs were publicly accused of inappropriate behaviour, revelations came to light about the existence of a ‘dirty dossier’ compiled by Westminster researchers containing the names of almost 40 Conservative MPs.

Following a trial at Southwark Crown Court, Elphicke was found guilty on three counts of sexual assault

Those named in the dossier were accused of a range of misdemeanours including cheating on their spouses and being ‘handsy at parties’.

A redacted version of the list with the MPs’ names blanked out was published on the Guido Fawkes political gossip website.

Following its publication, newspapers received an email from libel lawyers Carter Ruck acting on behalf of Elphicke.

It warned ‘any allegation relating to Mr Elphicke appearing on the list of MPs (as published by Guido Fawkes) is false and any publication of the allegation made against him, or even the fact that his name appears on the list, is defamatory’.

The Mail can now reveal that the entry in question alleged that Elphicke had been ‘inappropriate’ with members of the opposite sex.

It was against this fevered background that on November 4, 2017, news broke that he had been suspended from the Conservative Party and that ‘serious allegations’ had been referred to the police.

He and Natalie came out fighting: the MP expressing his surprise, shock and anger and stating that he had no idea at all what it was he had been accused of, and his wife saying she and her family had been ‘hung out to dry’ by the Tory Party.

After a lengthy police investigation, charges of sexual assault involving two women were brought in July 2019.

Elphicke stood down from his seat, with his wife duly picked by his constituency party to replace him.

In her victory speech she praised her husband as the best MP the area had had, adding that she was delighted to be given the opportunity to build on ‘his legacy’.

The united front shown by the couple would be maintained as she helped Elphicke prepare to face trial.

Given her background, that is perhaps hardly surprising – both she and her husband are lawyers.

Grammar-school educated Mrs Elphicke studied law at the University of Kent before going on to specialise in the field of housing finance.

Elphicke, meanwhile, took his law degree at Nottingham University having attended fee-paying Felsted School in Essex.

His father Geoffrey was a company director while his mother Mary-Jo dabbled in local politics before herself unsuccessfully standing as a Parliamentary candidate for the Tories in the 1979 election.

She re-married and over the next 20 years wrote 45 books for Mills & Boon under the pen-name of Mary Lyons.

Coincidentally, Elphichke’s older sister is also married to a former Tory MP – Mark Field – who left the Commons last year.

Having spent his 20s and 30s as a tax lawyer, in 2010 Elphicke successfully stood in the safe Conservative seat of Dover.

The couple’s work commitments were juggled with raising their two children, a girl and boy.

It was just months after their son was born in 2007 that the first of the offences took place.

With his wife away on business for the first time since the birth and the children in bed in their Belgravia townhouse, Elphicke invited the woman to share a £40 bottle of wine with him.

‘I think he talked about me and my boyfriend,’ she told the court.

‘He started talking about what we liked in a sexual way... I just remember saying “that’s not really what we should be talking about”.

Moments after the former MP's conviction, Natalie Elphicke sent a tweet out to followers announcing they would be getting to divorced

He was saying “Do you like silk and leather” or something and about a bondage-type thing.’ It was, she said, ‘embarrassing’ and ‘excruciating’. But what followed, she added, was much worse.

‘He just basically jumped on me,’ she said. ‘He pushed me down by my shoulders and he had his knee between my legs and he was groping my breast. He was trying to put his mouth on my mouth. It wasn’t what I’d describe as a peck. It was like an opened mouth smush on my face. He was all over me.’

The court heard how Elphicke subsequently paid her a sum of money – some £5,000 in increments of £100 and £500.

When interviewed by police Elphicke claimed the woman had demanded to be paid ‘compensation’.

Asked if he had ever told his wife about the payments, Elphicke told police: ‘No.’

The second victim told how in 2016, she found herself in Elphicke’s company sharing a bottle of champagne in Westminster.

They were discussing their mutual liking for Abba when he told her ‘I really do like you’ and assaulted her.

She described feeling threatened by Elphicke whom she said had a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ personality, telling police she had heard him say: ‘People in my good books go a long way. People in my bad books don’t.’

She said: ‘The message I was getting was, “Don’t p**s me off”.’

Elphicke told the court he believed that she was equally attracted to him and invited her to meet him at his flat, where he waited for several hours but she never came.

‘I felt like a complete idiot,’ he told the court.

His victim said she decided to come forward about the allegations in November 2017 when government whips contacted her over a probe they had started into Elphicke.

As the police investigation progressed, rumours spread in his constituency that he had been having an affair.

He eventually admitted this to his wife, but failed to tell her or the police about his attraction to the other woman he was accused of assaulting in 2016.

Elphicke said he feared if he also owned up to this it would have proved ‘too much’ for his wife, only admitting his true feelings in March this year as they prepared for the trial.

‘It was very, very difficult,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a lot of work to do. She’s most upset that I didn’t tell her at the outset.’

Yet another regret – to add to the list of others.

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2020-07-30 21:01:00Z
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Coronavirus: Home visits banned in parts of northern England - BBC News

Separate households will not be allowed to meet indoors in Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire from midnight, the government has announced.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said an "increasing rate of transmission" had been identified in those areas.

"The spread is largely due to households meeting and not abiding to social distancing," he said.

He also said the same restrictions will apply to the city of Leicester.

But pubs, restaurants and some other facilities are to be allowed to reopen from Monday in Leicester - where a local lockdown has been in place since last month - sources have told the BBC.

Millions of people in Greater Manchester, Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Rossendale, Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees will be affected by the tightening of restrictions.

It is unclear whether the rules will also apply to pubs, restaurants, private gardens and places of worship.

"We take this action with a heavy heart, but we can see increasing rates of Covid across Europe and are determined to do whatever is necessary to keep people safe," Mr Hancock.

It comes nearly four weeks after restrictions were eased and people were allowed to meet indoors.

On Thursday, a further 38 people in the UK died, bringing the total number of Covid-19 associated deaths to 45,999.

And 846 cases were reported - the highest number of cases in a day for a month.

In other developments on Thursday:

Passengers arriving in the UK from Luxembourg from Friday will have to isolate for 14 days after the country was taken off the quarantine-free list
People who test positive for coronavirus or show symptoms in the UK must now self-isolate for at least 10 days, rather than seven
Official analysis shows the UK saw some of the biggest rises in deaths rates in Europe in the months until the middle of June

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester - a city with a population of about 2.8m - said there had been a "marked change in the picture" with regard to the spread of Covid-19 in the area.

He said all residents "young and old alike" should "protect each other" by observing the requirements, which will be reviewed weekly.

This means "the more we stick to them, the quicker they will be removed", he said.

"This is a place which prides itself on looking out for each other. We now need to be true to that by not acting selfishly and keeping the health of others in mind at all times."

BBC News correspondent Judith Moritz said the government's announcement was "a shock" but the data had been "pointing this way for some time".

She said residents "will find it hard to deal with" especially those with a significant Muslim population looking to celebrate Eid on Friday.

The restrictions are not as strict as those that were imposed in Leicester, she said, but Thursday's announcement covers a much greater area.

'Impact on Eid'

"On the face of it, for Oldham borough residents this is the same restriction announced already this week, replicated in further areas," he tweeted.

Labour MP for Manchester Central Lucy Powell tweeted: "Trying to get further information about this but it seems two households can no longer meet indoors in GM.

"Particular concerns in certain boroughs but restrictions applying across GM."

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon said the decision to ban households in Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and West Yorkshire from meeting indoors was the "right" one.

She said the UK government was "right to act quickly", adding: "This is a sharp reminder that the threat of this virus is still very real."

Miqdaad Versi, spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said the restrictions were likely to have a "large impact" on Muslim families celebrating Eid on Friday.

"Unclear why such short notice provided but important that this message is cascaded as quickly as possible given it goes live within a few hours," he tweeted.

'GUIDED BY SCIENCE': A dangerous gamble with people’s lives or a sound scientific approach?
I MAY DESTROY YOU: The groundbreaking drama making headlines in lockdown

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BREAKING: Local restrictions announced in Manchester, East Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire - Sky News

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2020-07-30 20:22:30Z
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Black NHS worker was nearly killed in racist hit-and-run - Daily Mail

'I'll be scarred for life': Black NHS worker, 21, reveals he was nearly killed in racist hit-and-run by thugs who yelled 'f*ing n***' at him as they fled

Doctors refused to show the hospital worker the extent of the injuries to his face
Medics said he would have 'died at the scene,' if he 'wasn't such a fit person'
The 21-year-old says: 'I'm traumatised. I don't even know if it might happen again'

By Luke May For Mailonline

Published: 18:01 BST, 30 July 2020 | Updated: 19:03 BST, 30 July 2020

A traumatised NHS worker says he'll be 'scarred for life' after racist thugs hit him with their car and ran off yelling 'f***ing n*****'.

Less than two weeks after the attack, the 21-year-old has revealed how doctors refused to show them the extent of the injuries to his face, and warned him he would have died at the scene had not been in such good shape beforehand.

The victim, who is being named as K or Kdogg, faces months of recovery and has revealed the attack has left him 'traumatised,' as he fears it could happen again.

NHS worker K, or Kdogg, 21, with his sister, is recovering at home after racist thugs hit him with a car in Bristol last Wednesday before running away yelling 'f***ing n*****'

K was walking to a bus stop after finishing a shift at Southmead Hospital in Bristol at around 4.20pm last Wednesday.

Witnesses told police that a dark blue Honda Accord was deliberately driven at K before two men shouted racial abuse at him and then ran from the car.

K was unable to walk after the incident and was bleeding profusely from his head.

When he arrived at nearby Southmead Hospital, he was recognised by NHS colleagues and treated by them.

He underwent plastic surgery to his face that evening and was found to have suffered a broken leg, nose and cheekbone.

Doctors would not show him the extent of injuries to his face in the hospital so he saw them for the first time when he went home.

The 21-year-old revealed doctors would not show the extent of injuries to his face, leaving him to find out when he got home

K was discharged from hospital the day after the attack due to Covid-19, but has been back for treatment repeatedly since.

'When I got home I looked in the mirror and that's when I saw it,' he said.

'I was like 'Wow'. The doctor obviously said it's going to heal but I'm going to have this for the rest of my life - marks on my face for the rest of my life.

'So just to know that this is literally going to be me for the rest of my life is obviously not nice.'

K was walking to a bus stop after finishing a shift at Southmead Hospital in Bristol when he was hit by a car

The man, who has been affected both mentally and physically by the assault, said he wanted people to 'be aware' of what had happened

There is grit and glass in his face that doctors are unable to remove.

Before the incident, K kept himself fit by going to the gym and exercising.reveals he was nearly killed

'The doctor also said, because I like exercising and stuff like that, if I wasn't such a fit person, I would have died at the scene,' he said.

Doctors have said it will take a minimum of six months before K is able to do 'most things' but it will take longer for him to be back to full fitness.

'But the scars on my face are going to be there for life so I'm not really going to be recovered from this,' he said.

'Obviously mentally as well, I'm traumatised. I don't even know if it might happen again.

K had been returning home from a shift at Southmead Hospital in Bristol when he was run down by two racist thugs

Speaking about the attack, K, who is being supported by the charity Sari (Stand Against Racism & Inequality), said: 'People came to help me off the wall I was on and I just remember bleeding.

'As I was helped off, I got laid on the floor and bandaged up.

'I want to thank the people who helped me because of how quickly they responded and how they rang the emergency services because, obviously, if it wasn't for them I'm not sure if I would be here.'

His injuries are so severe that he is unable to go upstairs in his home and can only sleep in a chair at a 45-degree angle.

'Any small movements, anything I try and do right now is just proper painful, which is not pleasant at all,' he said.

'No-one has been arrested yet so the suspects are still at large.

K faces months of recovery following last week's attack. His injuries are so severe that he is unable to go upstairs in his home and can only sleep in a chair at a 45-degree angle.

'For my family, for them going to the shop and so on, they probably have started to feel like it's not safe for them.

'Even some of my mates now, they're kind of watching themselves every time they are on the road. They're always looking around.

'In your life, it shouldn't be having to look over your shoulder all the time and just not feel safe.

'Even let's say I recover, I don't feel like I'm safe anymore to do anything.'

Asked if he was scared, K replied: 'I definitely am. They could come to my house right now and anything could happen.'

He said he has no idea who carried out the attack.

K's stepfather, Edward, described those responsible as 'cowards'.

'It is inhumane, totally inhumane,' he said.

'We are shattered. His mother is devastated, like any mother would be. He is a beautiful young man who has been attacked - it is terrible.'

The attack is being investigated by a dedicated team at Avon and Somerset Police, who are being supported by officers from the force's Major Crime Investigation Team.

Yesterday Neighbourhood Inspector Lorna Dallimore said they were 'making good progress to identify those responsible'.

'I'd like to reiterate that a full investigation is being carried out and, at this time, there is no intelligence or information to indicate there's a further risk to the public,' she said.'

Anyone with information about the attack is asked to contact the force online or by phoning 101, quoting reference number 5220163308.

They can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Friends of K have set up a GoFundMe page to support him and his family .

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2020-07-30 17:01:19Z
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Jackson Carlaw quits as Scottish Conservative leader - BBC News

Jackson Carlaw has resigned as the leader of the Scottish Conservatives after only six months in the job.

Mr Carlaw said he had come to the "painful conclusion" that he was not the best person to lead the case for Scotland remaining in the UK ahead of next year's Holyrood election.

He said he had therefore decided to stand down with immediate effect.

Mr Carlaw succeeded Ruth Davidson as the party's leader in February after previously acting as her deputy.

He had also served as acting leader while Ms Davidson was on maternity leave following the birth of her son, and again after her resignation in August of last year.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Mr Carlaw had been a "tremendous servant" to the party for more than four decades.

Jackson Carlaw: From car salesman to party leader

Mr Johnson added: "As an activist, deputy chairman, deputy leader and leader, he has given his all and deserves our thanks for his efforts.

"It is a mark of his commitment to the cause that he chooses to stand aside at this time and I offer my best wishes to him, Wynne and the family."

The BBC understands that former Scotland Office minister Douglas Ross - who quit his ministerial post earlier this year over Dominic Cumming's trip to Durham - is being urged to stand for the leadership.

A senior party source said: "Douglas is the stand out talent in the party".

It is also understood that some Scottish Conservatives have discussed the possibility that Ms Davidson - who is still an MSP - could stand in for Mr Ross at First Minister's Questions until the Scottish Parliament election in May, when Mr Ross would hope to win a seat.

Mr Carlaw said he been "thinking hard" about his role as party leader over the summer months, and had come to the conclusion that a "younger and fresher voice" was needed.

He added: "Nothing is more important to me than making the case for Scotland's place in the United Kingdom," he said.

"I believe the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party is the most important voice in Scotland for setting out that positive argument. I am clear that nothing must get in the way of doing so.

"In the last few weeks, I have reached a simple if painful conclusion - that I am not, in the present circumstances, the person best placed to lead that case over these next vital months in Scottish politics prior to the Holyrood elections."

His resignation was announced just hours after he faced First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in her weekly question session in the Scottish Parliament.

Jackson Carlaw's resignation comes completely out of the blue and has taken many in Scottish politics by surprise.

The Eastwood MSP took over as interim leader 11 months ago, when Ruth Davidson resigned, but thanks to Brexit and December's general election the formal leadership contest did not conclude until February.

This means as recently as six months ago, Mr Carlaw was arguing in his typically energetic style that he was the best person to lead the Scottish Tories.

Now, somewhat abruptly, he has decided he wasn't after all. Yes, our world has changed enormously in the intervening time, but it might be fair to wonder what has happened to inspire such speedy self-reflection.

With the Holyrood elections now months away and the SNP riding high in the polls, this comes at an acutely difficult moment for Mr Carlaw's party.

They will have to move quickly if the next leader is to have their feet properly under the table by the time they have to face the electorate as a whole.

The Scottish Conservatives are currently the second largest party at Holyrood, but are facing a battle to prevent the pro-independence SNP winning a majority in next year's election.

Mr Carlaw said he was confident that he was leaving the party "in good heart and, crucially, with time to elect a new leader so he or she can prepare for the elections next year".

He said the party would continue to "unequivocally speak up for all those Scots who do not want to go back to more division, but instead want our country to move on, as part of the United Kingdom, able to rise to the challenges of the future".

And he pledged: "I will fight that cause hard for these next few vital months as a loyal member of my party."

Mr Carlaw also said he intended to stand again for his Eastwood seat in the election next May.

Ms Sturgeon tweeted her best wishes to Mr Carlaw, saying that "leadership is a tough business and I'm sure his decision wasn't easy".

She added: "We've crossed swords politically on many occasions, but worked constructively on some issues too - he has, eg, been a strong voice for women suffering mesh complications."

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2020-07-30 16:06:08Z
52780964619521

Coronavirus: Schools to return in Scotland but country remains in phase three of lockdown - Sky News

Schools in Scotland will reopen from 11 August, Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed.

All pupils are expected to return to the classroom full-time by 18 August.

Announcing changes to Scotland's coronavirus lockdown restrictions, Ms Sturgeon said people who have been asked to shield will no longer be required to from 1 August.

But the first minister said the country will not be moving out of phase three of its lockdown, warning that "the virus has not gone away".

Ms Sturgeon said the virus is now at "very low levels" in Scotland, with estimates last week suggesting just 300 people were still infectious and the R number remaining below the crucial number of one.

She also confirmed no coronavirus patients have died in the country for the past fortnight.

Despite the "substantial" progress, the first minister said the time was not right to move to the fourth and final phase of easing lockdown restrictions.

"A move to phase four would require us to be satisfied that the virus is no longer considered a significant threat to public health," she said, "Unfortunately that is far from the case."

In phase four of the lockdown easing, all workplaces would reopen, mass gatherings could resume and public transport could run a full service.

Hygiene and some social distancing measures would still need to remain in place.

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Ms Sturgeon said it is a "moral and educational imperative" for children to return to school as soon as possible, as students have now been away from the classroom for almost five months.

She acknowledged that some schools may opt for a "phased return", but said all pupils should be at school full-time by 18 August "at the latest".

Previously, the Scottish government had proposed a blended model where students would be taught in school part-time and also learn at home on return after the summer break.

Announcing there will be a pause on shielding advice for extremely vulnerable people, Ms Sturgeon said she was "deeply grateful" for the "patience and sacrifice" of shielders.

She said the guidance would likely be an "enormous relief to many" but suspected some would feel "anxious" about the changes.

The first minister insisted the advice would change if there was a resurgence in coronavirus cases.

She also gave indicative dates for the return of some activities.

Live outdoor events with physical distancing and organised outdoor contact sports could resume from 24 August.

On the same date, driving lessons could resume and some indoor facilities such as bingo halls could reopen.

Non-essential offices are expected to remain closed until at least 14 September.

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2020-07-30 12:22:30Z
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Kamis, 30 Juli 2020

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