Senin, 16 November 2020
Live: UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock holds news conference on Covid-19 - The Independent
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiK2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9cFhWYVZwX1pxZ3fSAQA?oc=5
2020-11-16 17:44:21Z
52781192138491
Michel Barnier's PowerPoint shows 'huge misunderstanding about deals available to UK' - Express
This week, the UK and the EU's negotiating teams are in Brussels for a crunch round of talks. The UK’s chief negotiator David Frost has already signalled that he will not be deviating from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “red lines” amid speculation that the departure of Dominic Cummings from Number 10 could herald concessions. He said there has been “some progress in a positive direction” but admitted there were still “significant” differences between the UK and EU on fishing and the level playing field.
His tone was echoed by Simon Coveney, the Irish Foreign Minister, who said a deal was “very doable” but also “very difficult” and could be scuppered by deadlock over fishing, with the EU demanding 50 percent of the catch in British waters and the UK sticking at 20 percent.
As tensions rise, in a recent report, Lee Rotherham, the former director of Special Projects at Vote Leave, argued there are actually several options available to Brexit Britain that haven't been considered.
Mr Rotherham claimed that in 2017, a PowerPoint slide by the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier became an "unexpected icon" of the Brexit talks.
Mr Barnier presented a staircase setting out six different possible arrangements, organised in an implied hierarchy.
The Brexit strategist claimed it was simple and striking but also wrong.
He explained: "The slide no doubt fulfilled its immediate objective, simplifying things for the politicians that Barnier was trying that day to brief.
“But subsequently applied beyond that, the fag-packet design missed the absolutely huge variety of treaty types on offer, and even miscategorised the options cited.
“At its most charitable, it was at best a picture on a box when the contents were left without the assembly instructions."
Mr Barnier has persistently asserted that he would never sign up to mini-deals if the main talks break down.
JUST IN: Macron on brink as ‘Brexit poised to end re-election hopes’
However, according to Mr Rotherham, his actual mandate does not forbid him signing up to unambitious arrangements.
He added in his piece for Global Vision: "At this point it’s perhaps worth revisiting the 'Barnier Stairwell powerpoint' and correcting it.
"Rather than just half a dozen models of cooperation with the EU, we have now identified 65, falling into seven formats.
"That includes being able to identify an entire category of 'enabling deals' precisely designed to act as a peg for grouping together mini deals, though frankly following the Swiss example we would be better off keeping them separate from one another, to keep the Commission honest."
Mr Rotherham concluded that political commentators should stop thinking in terms of Mr Barnier’s absolutes – his deal or a crash deal – but rather in terms of a sliding scale of deliverable results.
In his updated slide, the Brexit strategist broke down all the different trade deals that have been pursued by the bloc with other countries so far.
The first group involves EU membership status, official or otherwise.
DON'T MISS:
Brexiteer details incredible trade deals sitting on Johnson's lap [INSIGHT]
Johnson 'to strike Brexit deal when US election result confirmed' [EXCLUSIVE]
Donald Trump given huge boost as Electoral College 'penalises Biden' [REVEALED]
Next, there is the group that sits in close orbit, constituting regulatory or customs union, or both.
The third category are those examples where the UK has been aiming for under Mr Johnson.
These are what we might call the "developed trade deals", keeping trade firmly intergovernmental via FTAs or FTA+s.
Additionally, there are what might be grouped together as baselines behind bilaterals and multilaterals.
Finally, there are what one might term the long spoon arrangements, involving closed or closed-off societies or economies.
With luck, Mr Rotherham argued, Britain may still end up with a deal in the third group.
It is not the first time the European Commission has been accused of publishing a "misleading" slide.
In February, the EU's negotiating team used a large, red blob to highlight how much of Britain’s trade goes through the EU – but statisticians pointed out that the graphic wildly exaggerated the relative size of Britain’s blob compared to that of other countries and blocs.
The graph showed British trade as vastly greater than that of Canada, for example, with the true disparity much smaller.
The UK’s bubble is 16 times the size of Japan when it should actually be closer to 4.4 times the size.
Cambridge University statistician David Spiegelhalter described the original graphic as “indefensible”.
A European Commission spokesman said: “The chart was generated with an Excel chart tool, based on data from Eurostat.
"The width of each bubble is proportionate to the total trade of each country.”
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMicGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmV4cHJlc3MuY28udWsvbmV3cy91ay8xMzYwODA5L21pY2hlbC1iYXJuaWVyLW5ld3MtYnJleGl0LWV1LXVrLXRyYWRlLXRhbGtzLXBvd2VycG9pbnQtbWluaS1kZWFscy1zcHTSAXRodHRwczovL3d3dy5leHByZXNzLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWsvMTM2MDgwOS9taWNoZWwtYmFybmllci1uZXdzLWJyZXhpdC1ldS11ay10cmFkZS10YWxrcy1wb3dlcnBvaW50LW1pbmktZGVhbHMtc3B0L2FtcA?oc=5
2020-11-16 16:50:00Z
CAIiEHllZw5sWSetld1vsD8B6YsqGQgEKhAIACoHCAow9935CjCe0eYCMLXxzAU
COVID-19: Eight other Conservative MPs join Boris Johnson by self-isolating - Sky News
Eight other Conservative MPs are self-isolating along with the prime minister after one of them tested positive for coronavirus.
Lee Anderson, the Ashfield MP, began to experience coronavirus symptoms on Friday and both he and his wife, who is in the shielded group, tested positive on Sunday morning.
On Thursday morning, Mr Anderson had attended a meeting with Boris Johnson in 10 Downing Street along with five other Tory MPs who are also now self-isolating.
They were Warrington South MP Andy Carter, Ribble South MP Katherine Fletcher, Bassetlaw MP Brendan Clarke-Smith, Heywood and Middleton MP Chris Clarkson, and Great Grimsby MP Lia Nici.
Live updates on coronavirus from UK and around world
All five, along with Mr Anderson, were among those Tory MPs elected to parliament for the first time at last year's general election.
Two of the prime minister's political aides were also in attendance and are self-isolating too.
Jacob Young, the Redcar and Cleveland MP, and Basingstoke MP Maria Miller, are also self-isolating after being told on Sunday that they had recently been in contact with someone who tested positive.
On Wednesday afternoon, Mrs Miller was seated next to Mr Anderson in a House of Commons debate on Armistice Day.
Downing Street has insisted that social distancing measures were observed at the 35-minute meeting between the prime minister and the Tory MPs.
"We take every possible step to ensure that hand sanitiser is made available to people as soon as they arrive at the building and it is available throughout the building as you travel through it," Mr Johnson's official spokesman said on Monday.
"But as I say, factors such as the length of the meeting meant that it was the advice of Test and Trace that the prime minister should self-isolate, and he of course will follow that instruction."
Asked about a photograph that appeared to show Mr Johnson and Mr Anderson standing less than two metres apart at the meeting, the spokesman said: "They are stood side by side, rather than face to face."
The spokesman also defended the prime minister's decision to hold the meeting in person rather than virtually, saying such meetings are allowed under the current coronavirus restrictions.
Mr Johnson, in a video posted to his Twitter account earlier on Monday, said he had been "pinged" by the NHS Test and Trace system.
"It doesn't matter that we were all doing social distancing, it doesn't matter that I'm fit as a butcher's dog, feel great - so many people do in my circumstances - and actually it doesn't matter that I've had the disease and I'm bursting with antibodies," he added.
"We've got to interrupt the spread of the disease and one of the ways we can do that now is by self-isolating for 14 days when you get contacted by NHS Test and Trace."
The prime minister's self-isolation has disturbed plans for a "reset" of his premiership, following the departure of his controversial chief adviser Dominic Cummings - as well as his director of communications Lee Cain - last week.
Mr Johnson had hoped to use the next couple of weeks to make a series of announcements - including on coronavirus, education, the economy and climate issues - that Number 10 said would be a clear signal of his ongoing ambitions for the country.
Number 10 stressed the prime minister intended to continue to speak to the country.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2NvdmlkLTE5LWVpZ2h0LW90aGVyLWNvbnNlcnZhdGl2ZS1tcHMtam9pbi1ib3Jpcy1qb2huc29uLWJ5LXNlbGYtaXNvbGF0aW5nLTEyMTM0MDc20gFyaHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnNreS5jb20vc3RvcnkvYW1wL2NvdmlkLTE5LWVpZ2h0LW90aGVyLWNvbnNlcnZhdGl2ZS1tcHMtam9pbi1ib3Jpcy1qb2huc29uLWJ5LXNlbGYtaXNvbGF0aW5nLTEyMTM0MDc2?oc=5
2020-11-16 16:05:59Z
52781191263945
Motoring groups warn Rishi Sunak not to adopt pay as you drive scheme - Daily Mail
'Poll tax on wheels': Motoring groups warn Rishi Sunak against adopting a pay as you drive scheme to fill £40 BILLION fuel tax hole left by switch to electric cars
- Rishi Sunak said to be 'very interested' in idea of a national road pricing scheme
- It would see motorists in the UK charged a fee for every mile of road they use
- Similar scheme was dropped by Labour in 2007 after plans sparked a backlash
- Currently road charges limited to areas such as M6 Toll and Dartford Crossing
- The AA warned many drivers still see such schemes as a 'poll tax on wheels'
Rishi Sunak was today warned against adopting a pay as you drive scheme to fill a £40 billion tax hole caused by the switch to electric vehicles as motoring campaigners said it would be viewed as a 'poll tax on wheels' .
The Chancellor is said to be 'very interested' in the idea of a national road pricing system, which would see motorists charged for every mile they drive, and he is currently considering its merits.
A similar type of scheme was dramatically shelved by Labour in 2007 amid uproar that drivers could be charged up to £1.50 a mile.
The reemergence of the policy has sparked a swift backlash, with The AA warning of a driver revolt and urging ministers to come up with a 'more imaginative solution'.
Road pricing in England is currently limited to schemes such as the M6 Toll in the Midlands, the Dartford crossing on the M25, London's Congestion Zone and a handful of small tunnels and bridges.
But a national policy is now being considered amid fears the switch to electric vehicles will leave a massive tax shortfall because of the hit to key Treasury revenue raisers such as Fuel Duty and Vehicle Excise Duty, according to the Times.
However, any move to impose such a scheme would likely spark accusations of the Government undermining its drive for more people to buy electric vehicles because one of their main benefits is the fact they are cheaper to run than traditional alternatives.
It came amid reports Boris Johnson wants to accelerate his green plans - including bringing forward a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to 2030 - as critics claim the PM's fiancee, Carrie Symonds, an environmental campaigner, is driving the push.
Rishi Sunak is considering plans to charge motorists for every mile they drive on Britain's roads, according to reports
A so-called national road pricing scheme is being looked at as the Government tries to figure out how to replace £40 billion in lost tax revenue caused by the switch to electric vehicles
A similar type of scheme, involving the use of satellite tracked tags or roadside beacons, was dramatically shelved by Labour in 2007 amid uproar that drivers could be charged up to £1.50 a mile. Pictured: A sign for the M6 Toll in the midlands
A ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will have a massive impact on the Government's coffers, with VAT on fuel currently generating almost £6billion a year.
Fuel Duty, currently charged at 57.95p per litre on petrol and diesel vehicles, is on course to raise £27.5billion this financial year and is forecast to bring in even more in the coming years.
Meanwhile, Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) - which is charged on the purchase of cars based on their emission levels - is expected to raise £7.1billion.
A Government source told The Times that the Treasury had analysed potential options for a national road pricing scheme as officials try to figure out how to replace lost tax revenues.
However, the source said such a scheme was not 'imminent'.
Edmund King, AA president, urged the Government not to adopt a road pricing scheme as he warned it would be incredibly unpopular with motorists.
'While the push toward electric vehicles is good for the environment, it is not good for the Exchequer,' he said.
'The Government can't afford to lose £40bn from fuel duty and car tax when the electric revolution arrives.
'It is always assumed that road pricing would be the solution but that has been raised every five years since 1964 and is still perceived by most as a "poll tax on wheels".
'We need a more imaginative solution and have proposed "Road Miles" whereby every driver gets 3000 free miles, with one third more for those in rural areas, and then a small charge thereafter.
'Combined with commercialising the roads with an adopt-a-highway scheme with naming rights such as the Minecraft M1, Manchester Utd M6 or Adidas A1, this should be prove a more popular solution.'
A similar road pricing plan was shelved by the Labour government in 2007 amid fears drivers would be billed up to £1.50 a mile.
The proposals sparked a massive backlash with almost two million motorists signing a petition against the move.
The Department for Transport at the time said it was 'rubbish' to suggest the government had ever planned a national road pricing scheme, insisting it had only put in place plans for local tolls.
Under the plans, which involved letting local areas set up 'pay-as-you-go' networks, drivers would have paid to install a black box in their cars so they could be monitored by electronic tracking via satellite or roadside beacons.
They would then be charged between 2p and £1.50 per mile depending on the time of day and levels of congestion, in a move that was slammed as 'stealth tax' by campaigners.
Such a scheme appeared again two years later when The Climate Change Committee, led by former CBI chief Lord Turner, said it wanted ministers to introduce compulsory road pricing to prevent global warming.
Speaking at the time, Mr King had said such a move would be 'political suicide for any party'.
A Treasury source told the Times: 'The Treasury regularly explores lots of different policy options.
'This is no different.'
It came as it was revealed a crackdown on new petrol and diesel cars could come earlier than expected, with Mr Johnson due to outline plans to accelerate his green agenda in the coming days.
Mr Johnson stepped up calls for more action last week as he said there is 'no time to waste' and called on world leaders to put forward ambitious commitments to tackle the climate change crisis.
There is now a growing expectation that the PM will soon announce the Government's planned ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be brought forward from 2040.
Treasury forecasts released at the Budget in March showed the Government expects fuel duty receipts to increase from £28billion in 2018/19 to almost £32billion in 2024/25
The amount of money raised for Treasury coffers by fuel duty has been steadily increasing over the past two decades
It comes as it was revealed a crackdown on petrol and diesel cars could come earlier than expected after Boris Johnson stepped up calls for action on climate change last week
The sale of electric vehicles in the UK have rocketed by nearly 170 per cent in the UK this year (file photo)
Mr Johnson has already said he would like this to happen by 2035 but insiders believe he will pledge to bring forward the deadline to 2030.
Car manufacturers are already preparing for the changes with the latest Department for Transport figures showing that sales of electric vehicles have rocketed by nearly 170 per cent in the UK in this year alone.
Mr Johnson last week promised to set out a ten-point action plan to tackle climate change as he marked one year until Britain hosts the UN COP26 climate summit.
The Prime Minister's plan will outline proposed action in areas such as cutting emissions from transport, electricity and buildings, and using hydrogen and other new technology.
The UK – which has a legal target to cut greenhouse gases to 'net zero' by 2050 – is co-hosting a climate action summit for world leaders next month to bring forward more ambitious plans and set net zero targets ahead of next year's COP26 meeting.
Young in wealthy urban areas are fuelling decline in car ownership across Britain as they turn to bicycles and electric scooters instead
By Sharri Miller for MailOnline
Young people have fuelled a decline in car ownership among nearly a third of England's population, as they turn instead to electric scooters and bicycles, new figures reveal.
The number of private cars owned by individuals fell in areas that account for 31.5% of the population of England - or 16 million people - according to figures released by the DVLA after a freedom of information request, The Sunday Times reports.
It is a trend seen largely in wealthy urban areas among adults aged 18 and over.
Car ownership among nearly a third of England's population declined in the last decade
Scott Urban, director of Oxfordshire Liveable Streets, which campaigns for greener transportation, said: 'These 16 million people are showing the way forward for a society with less pollution, noise and lower carbon emissions.'
More than 2.3 million people now live in areas where there is one car per five adults, as opposed to the start of the decade when the same statistic stood at 1.1 million.
Car ownership was also affected by financial status. Areas with the largest decline in car ownership have an average house price of £325,000, compared with £215,000 in areas where ownership increased.
London - which commands some of the highest property prices in the country - saw the biggest dip in car ownership.
Environmental campaigners hailed the 16 million people 'showing the way' for less pollution
Other areas that saw a decline include Newcastle, Nottingham, Brighton and Hove, Oxford, Birmingham and Exeter.
By contrast, less affluent areas of Liverpool accounted for nine of the 100 neighbourhoods where car ownership increased most rapidly in the last 10 years.
Wealthy home counties and more rural areas also saw an upward trend.
In a district near Camberley, Surrey Heath, there are 99 cars for every 100 adults, a rise of seven per cent n the past decade, while in Woolpit, Mid Suffolk, there is a car for every adult, up 29% in the past decade.
Rise or fall, there are now an estimated 40 million cars on Britain's roads, a milestone reached in April of this year.
Young people from wealthy urban areas are increasingly turning to bicycles and e-scooters
The figures were revealed just days before Boris Johnson is expected to announce a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, five years earlier than previously planned.
Britain had originally planned to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered cars from 2040 as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Earlier this week environmentalists predicted such a move would create more than 30,000 new jobs and provide a £4.2billion boost to the economy.
The Financial Times reported the new timetable was not expected to apply to some hybrid cars which use a mixture of electric and fossil fuel propulsion and could still be sold until 2035.
An end to the sale of new petrol and diesel cars would mark a huge shift in Britain's automotive market.
Car firms are already preparing for the changes as Department for Transport figures show sales of electric vehicles have rocketed by nearly 170 per cent in the UK this year.
Mr Johnson has promised to set out a ten-point action plan in comments marking a year until Britain hosts the UN 'Cop26' climate summit.
It is set to outline action in areas such as cutting emissions from transport, electricity and buildings, and using hydrogen and other new technology.
Advertisement
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMicWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmRhaWx5bWFpbC5jby51ay9uZXdzL2FydGljbGUtODk1MzcyNy9Nb3RvcmluZy1ncm91cHMtd2Fybi1SaXNoaS1TdW5hay1ub3QtYWRvcHQtcGF5LWRyaXZlLXNjaGVtZS5odG1s0gF1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGFpbHltYWlsLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvYXJ0aWNsZS04OTUzNzI3L2FtcC9Nb3RvcmluZy1ncm91cHMtd2Fybi1SaXNoaS1TdW5hay1ub3QtYWRvcHQtcGF5LWRyaXZlLXNjaGVtZS5odG1s?oc=5
2020-11-16 13:14:00Z
52781189179640
Covid: Visitor tests in all care homes in England 'by Christmas' - BBC News
The government aims to have coronavirus testing available to allow visits in all care homes in England by Christmas, according to the health secretary.
Matt Hancock said it was "working closely with the social care sector" to try to make it happen.
It comes as a screening pilot across 20 care homes in Hampshire, Devon and Cornwall was launched on Monday.
It is hoped the trial could end restrictions on visits, when used with other measures such as face coverings.
Many people have seen strict restrictions placed on visits to care homes over the last eight months, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Hancock said he understood how important it was for people to be able to visit loved ones in care homes.
"Our goal is to ensure that we have the testing available in every care home by Christmas, to make sure that people can take a test and therefore see their loved ones safely," he told BBC Breakfast.
The government issued updated guidance on visits to care homes on 5 November when England went into its second national lockdown.
This includes care homes ensuring PPE is used during visits, there are screens between the resident and any visitor and social distancing must be maintained "at all times".
Michael Blakstad said the guidelines at his wife Trisha's care home was making her situation a "nightmare".
He told Radio 4's Today programme she had been isolated in her room for the last three weeks due to an outbreak of the virus.
"She's basically got this form of dementia which means she doesn't like sitting down," Mr Blakstad said. "That makes it a nightmare being in a single room - it is like being stuck in a hotel room for three weeks without being able to go out. It's just awful."
He said the only visitors she is allowed are care home staff dressed in personal protective equipment, which makes it difficult to "form a relationship".
The health secretary said he had personal experience of how tough the coronavirus restrictions were for families with loved ones in care homes.
But he told the Today programme that people in care homes are "particularly vulnerable" to the virus and when it gets into the facilities it "runs rife".
"So we both need to protect people from the virus but also do that in as a humane a way as possible, and we know the impact on people's health, let alone everything else, on not being able to see visitors."
Mr Hancock said "protocols" were being written alongside the current trial in care homes to allow the scheme be widened to all care homes in England.
"Describing how this can be done well with the availability of the testing, which of course is now much more widely available than it was at the start of the crisis, means that we'll be able to roll that out right across the country."
Separately to the new screening pilot, care home staff in Liverpool are being trained by soldiers in how to carry out coronavirus tests.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: this would allow staff to take the test to the care homes and delivering them to residents and their relatives "so that people can try and at least have some visits or indeed get back to normal".
A mass testing trial is currently taking place in Liverpool.
Do you work or live in a care home? Or do have a loved one in a care home? How will you be affected by the issues in this story? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
- WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803
- Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
- Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiJmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLTU0OTU5MDEy0gEqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvYW1wL3VrLTU0OTU5MDEy?oc=5
2020-11-16 14:24:00Z
52781191355852
Boris Johnson reveals he is self-isolating after MP tests positive for Covid - The Independent
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiK2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9cF9YNGphMjVrUGfSAQA?oc=5
2020-11-16 10:20:52Z
52781191263945
Following Dominic Cummings' Departure, Piers Reveals his Hopes for Government | Good Morning Britain - Good Morning Britain
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiK2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9QTB0UDlNTnFSd2PSAQA?oc=5
2020-11-16 09:55:02Z
52781188071180
Langganan:
Komentar (Atom)