Selasa, 01 Desember 2020

Coronavirus: Tory MP argues 'not all deaths are equal' - Daily Mail

'Not EVERY death is a tragedy': Tory MP Sir Charles Walker warns that 'you can't compare the death of a baby or teenager with a 90-year-old' as he rages against Boris Johnson's coronavirus restrictions

  • Sir Charles Walker told the House of Commons 'not every death is a tragedy'
  • Tory MP said 'no government can abolish death' and 'not all deaths are equal' 
  • Sir Charles made the comments as MPs voted on Boris Johnson's tier system 

A Tory MP risked fury this afternoon as he argued 'not all deaths are equal' and 'not every death is a tragedy' during a crunch debate on Boris Johnson's new coronavirus rules. 

Sir Charles Walker told the House of Commons that 'no government can abolish death, it's impossible' as he raged against the Prime Minister's latest restrictions. 

The Conservative MP for Broxbourne said 'a tragedy is when a child dies' and when politicians use the same word to describe the death of an elderly person they 'diminish that life so well lived'. 

The backbencher urged ministers to 'change the narrative when we talk about death because not all deaths are equal' and 'to compare the death of someone of 90 with the death of someone of 19 is not right'.

MPs will this evening vote on whether Mr Johnson's new tier system will be rolled out across England from tomorrow. 

The Prime Minister is facing a Tory rebellion on the issue but with Labour due to abstain the measures will sail through the Commons. 

Sir Charles has been one of the leading Tory voices speaking against the Government's coronavirus rules in recent months, blasting ministers for taking away freedoms. 

Today he urged the Government to stop 'patronising' the elderly and to take into account their views on Covid-19 measures. 

He said he had been contacted by numerous elderly people who said they did not want to see their children worrying about losing their jobs or see people losing their liberty, as he argued against the tiers.

He told the House: 'The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster [Michael Gove] asked on Saturday how could we protect every old person. 

'The answer is obvious to everyone in this place: We could not protect every old person. 

'But we could provide them with the information to make informed choices about their own safety because funnily enough you don't get old by being that stupid.'   

Calling on ministers to 'change the narrative', Sir Charles said: 'No government can abolish death, it is impossible – 615,000 people die every year in this country and not every death is a tragedy. 

'It is so distressing when I hear leaders of political parties, leaders of their communities, leaders in this place say every death was a tragedy.

'A tragedy is when a child dies. A tragedy is when some young woman or young man dies, or when you are cut down in your middle years. 

'But when we say it is a tragedy when someone at 80 or 90 has met their mortality, we diminish that life so well-lived.

'We diminish the love, we diminish the way that person was cherished and the way that person was valued. 

'So please, please can we just change the narrative when we talk about death because not all deaths are equal, there is the same outcome, but to compare the death of someone of 90 with the death of someone of 19 is not right, it is not right.'

Sir Charles said there had been 'tragedy attached to the death of elderly people and that tragedy is that in their final days and months, they've been denied the touch of the people that they love'.

'We have kept families apart for the good of an old person that is desperate to see their child, is desperate to be cared for by their daughter in their final months and weeks,' he said. 

'So my plea to this place is please can we involve older people in this discussion because they love their children and grandchildren and want to see them prosper, they want to see them have the same chances and opportunities that they had in their life.'

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2020-12-01 16:53:00Z
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Macron threatens to vote down Brexit deal as French president refuses to budge on fishing - Daily Express

The French President insisted post-Brexit fishing rights in UK waters “is an essential condition” for his support of any future relationship pact. Fuelled by France, demands for widespread access to the UK's fishing waters remain the main stumbling block. Mr Macron said: “The preservation of our fishermen in British waters is an essential condition.

“France will not allow an agreement that does not respect our interests.”

And Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo said the bloc would not accept a deal at “any cost”.

Michel Barnier finds himself under mounting pressure from member states not to offer too many concessions to get the Brexit trade deal over the line.

This morning, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen insisted the bloc would not sign up to terms that are damaging to its single market.

She hinted Boris Johnson would have to sign up to a number of common standards, including state aid rules, before any deal is granted.

The top eurocrat said tariff and quota-free access would depend on Mr Johnson signing up to the bloc’s demand for a “non-regression” clause in areas such as state aid, environmental standards and workers’ rights.

The Prime Minister could one day opt to diverge from the bloc’s rulebook but it would mean the introduction of trade levies if the move is deemed to distort competition between EU and UK firms.

Mrs von der Leyen said: “At the moment being, we’re discussing who we replicate the control of the level playing field. Be it state aid, be it norms, environmental norms or labour norms…

“How we replicate that on both sides so that we can be clear there is no regression on what we have achieved and there is fairness over time so that, indeed, access can be without quota and tariffs and all companies play by the same rules in the single market.

“We want an agreement but not at any price. We are well prepared for both scenarios so we will see in the next days how things turn out.”

MUST READ: Listen up Angela! UK's German envoy issues fisheries warning

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said: "The EU still wants to take the lion's share of the fishing in our waters - which is just not fair given that we are leaving the EU.

"The EU still want us to be tied to their way of doing things. 

"The EU are at the moment reserving the right, if there is any sort of dispute, not quite to rip everything up but to impose some really penal and tough restrictions on us, and we don't think that's fair."

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2020-12-01 14:37:00Z
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COVID-19: Boris Johnson says case for tier system is 'compelling' and promises £1,000 payment for 'wet pubs' - Sky News

Boris Johnson has said there is a "compelling case" for further coronavirus restrictions - as he promised pubs which do not serve food a one-off payment of £1,000 in December.

Pubs which only sell drinks, or "wet pubs", will be unable to open if they are in Tier 2 or Tier 3 areas under the new system of restrictions from tomorrow.

The prime minister made the announcement after saying the hospitality sector has been hit disproportionately hard in the pandemic.

Mr Johnson has spoken in the House of Commons ahead of a showdown with rebel Tory MPs over his post-lockdown plan.

Around 50 of Mr Johnson's own MPs are predicted to come out against the government in a vote to approve the tier system of coronavirus restrictions, in which 99% of the population face the toughest measure of Tier 2 and Tier 3.

Pubs will only be allowed to open in Tier 2 if they can act as a restaurant, while those in Tier 3 will only be permitted to serve takeaway.

Mr Johnson told MPs on Tuesday: "We will do everything in our power to support our hospitality sector throughout this crisis.

More from Covid-19

"We've already extended the furlough scheme for all businesses until the end of March... we've allocated £1.1bn for local authorities to support businesses at particular risk, and today we're going further with a one-off payment of £1,000, in December, to wet pubs - that's pubs that do not serve food."

The prime minister is assured of victory in the Commons vote this evening after Sir Keir Starmer said Labour will abstain.

Sir Keir said that while his party has "serious misgivings" about restrictions, it would not be in the national interest to vote them down when the virus still poses a "serious risk".

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PM slips over date of tier 'sunset' clause

Labour's move will likely shine a spotlight on the size of the Tory rebellion, with many backbenchers furious that their constituencies face stricter controls than before the latest lockdown.

Only the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have been designated for the lightest Tier 1 restrictions.

Mr Johnson told MPs: "With the spread of the epidemic varying across the country there remains a compelling case for regional tiers in England and indeed a compelling necessity for regional tiers."

England's second lockdown is coming to an end after a series of breakthroughs in the race for a vaccine.

Two US treatments have been found to be more than 90% effective.

The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has been found to be up to 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 when half a dose is given first.

However, no treatment has been approved.

The prime minister told the Commons: "All we need to do now is to hold our nerve until these vaccines are indeed in our grasp and indeed being injected into our arms.

"So I say to the House again, let us follow the guidance, let us roll out mass testing. Let's work to deliver mass testing to the people of our country.

"Let's work together to control the virus, and it is in that spirit that I commend these regulations."

Keir Starmer has accused the prime minister of not "levelling with the public
Image: Keir Starmer has accused the prime minister of not "levelling with the public

Sir Keir told MPs the government's plan to control the virus so far has not worked.

He said: "We've been here before. On 10 June the prime minister told us, for the first time, of his whack-a-mole strategy to control local infections - 10 June.

"He told us it would be so effective that restrictions would only be for a few weeks or even a few days. That was far from reality.

"Leicester, for example, has just gone into the 154th day of restrictions. And by the time these regulations run out on 2 February, Leicester will have been in restrictions for 217 days. So that didn't work, that 10 June proposal."

Sir Keir added that both the government's rule of six and initial three-tiered system also "didn't work".

He said that the prime minister hasn't been "levelling with the British public", adding: "He's been fuelling a promise that within two weeks or so local areas have a real prospect of dropping to a tier below the one they're in.

"We need to level - in my view, that is highly unlikely and we might as well face that now. It's obvious that the new Tier 1 may slow but won't prevent a rise in infections, it's far from certain that the new Tier 2 can hold the rate of infection.

"I hear the mutterings, but let's just see where we are in two weeks - I look across to members in the House who think that perhaps in two weeks their area will have dropped down a tier just before Christmas. Let's see."

One Conservative MP muttered Sir Keir was demonstrating "hindsight", to which the Labour leader replied: "This isn't hindsight. I'm telling you what's going to happen in two weeks.

"We know where we'll be in two weeks, and I've no doubt there will be (Conservative MPs) getting up and saying 'I thought my area was going to drop a tier just before Christmas'. That's not levelling, that's not being straight, because that's not going to happen."

He added: "I hope I stand here and I'm wrong about this, and I think all members hope I'm wrong."

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2020-12-01 13:52:30Z
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COVID-19: Boris Johnson says case for tier system is 'compelling' and promises £1,000 payment for 'wet pubs' - Sky News

Boris Johnson has said there is a "compelling case" for further coronavirus restrictions - as he promised pubs which do not serve food a one-off payment of £1,000 in December.

Pubs which only sell drinks, or "wet pubs", will be unable to open if they are in Tier 2 or Tier 3 areas under the new system of restrictions from tomorrow.

The prime minister made the announcement after saying the hospitality sector has been hit disproportionately hard in the pandemic.

Mr Johnson has spoken in the House of Commons ahead of a showdown with rebel Tory MPs over his post-lockdown plan.

Around 50 of Mr Johnson's own MPs are predicted to come out against the government in a vote to approve the tier system of coronavirus restrictions, in which 99% of the population face the toughest measure of Tier 2 and Tier 3.

Pubs will only be allowed to open in Tier 2 if they can act as a restaurant, while those in Tier 3 will only be permitted to serve takeaway.

Mr Johnson told MPs on Tuesday: "We will do everything in our power to support our hospitality sector throughout this crisis.

More from Covid-19

"We've already extended the furlough scheme for all businesses until the end of March... we've allocated £1.1bn for local authorities to support businesses at particular risk, and today we're going further with a one-off payment of £1,000, in December, to wet pubs - that's pubs that do not serve food."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

PM slips over date of tier 'sunset' clause

The prime minister is assured of victory in the Commons vote this evening after Sir Keir Starmer said Labour will abstain.

Sir Keir said that while his party has "serious misgivings" about restrictions, it would not be in the national interest to vote them down when the virus still poses a "serious risk".

Labour's move will likely shine a spotlight on the size of the Tory rebellion, with many backbenchers furious that their constituencies face stricter controls than before the latest lockdown.

Only the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have been designated for the lightest Tier 1 restrictions.

Mr Johnson told MPs: "With the spread of the epidemic varying across the country there remains a compelling case for regional tiers in England and indeed a compelling necessity for regional tiers."

The prime minister also told the Commons: "All we need to do now is to hold our nerve until these vaccines are indeed in our grasp and indeed being injected into our arms.

"So I say to the House again, let us follow the guidance, let us roll out mass testing. Let's work to deliver mass testing to the people of our country.

"Let's work together to control the virus, and it is in that spirit that I commend these regulations."

Keir Starmer has accused the prime minister of not "levelling with the public
Image: Keir Starmer has accused the prime minister of not "levelling with the public

Sir Keir told MPs the government's plan to control the virus so far has not worked.

He said: "We've been here before. On 10 June the prime minister told us, for the first time, of his whack-a-mole strategy to control local infections - 10 June.

"He told us it would be so effective that restrictions would only be for a few weeks or even a few days. That was far from reality.

"Leicester, for example, has just gone into the 154th day of restrictions. And by the time these regulations run out on 2 February, Leicester will have been in restrictions for 217 days. So that didn't work, that 10 June proposal."

Sir Keir added that both the government's rule of six and initial three-tiered system also "didn't work".

He also said that the prime minister hasn't been "levelling with the British public", adding: "He's been fuelling a promise that within two weeks or so local areas have a real prospect of dropping to a tier below the one they're in.

"We need to level - in my view, that is highly unlikely and we might as well face that now. It's obvious that the new Tier 1 may slow but won't prevent a rise in infections, it's far from certain that the new Tier 2 can hold the rate of infection.

"I hear the mutterings, but let's just see where we are in two weeks - I look across to members in the House who think that perhaps in two weeks their area will have dropped down a tier just before Christmas. Let's see."

One Conservative MP muttered Sir Keir was demonstrating "hindsight", to which the Labour leader replied: "This isn't hindsight. I'm telling you what's going to happen in two weeks.

"We know where we'll be in two weeks, and I've no doubt there will be (Conservative MPs) getting up and saying 'I thought my area was going to drop a tier just before Christmas'. That's not levelling, that's not being straight, because that's not going to happen."

He added: "I hope I stand here and I'm wrong about this, and I think all members hope I'm wrong."

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2020-12-01 13:18:45Z
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COVID-19: Michael Gove rules out 'vaccine passports' for pub, theatre and sport stadium visits - Sky News

Britons will not need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to go to the pub, theatre or sport stadium in the future, a senior minister has promised.

Michael Gove ruled out the suggestion, insisting there was no plan to introduce any form of special identification for those who get the jab.

"I certainly am not planning to introduce any vaccine passports, and I don't know anyone else in government who is," he told Sky News.

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND - AUGUST 05: A waitress wears a mask as she works in the pub The Grill in Union Street on August 5, 2020 in Aberdeen, Scotland. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon acted swiftly and put Aberdeen back into lockdown after cases of Coronavirus in the city doubled in a day to 54. She ordered all indoor and outdoor hospitality venues to close by 5pm. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Image: The minister said passports to restrict who can go to the pub were not planned

Live coronavirus updates on last day of England's lockdown

The possibility was mooted by the new vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi on Monday.

He revealed the government was looking at issuing "immunity passports" and suggested firms like bars and cinemas "will probably also use that system".

But the move sparked some anger - with Tory MP Marcus Fysh branding it "ignorant authoritarianism" and civil liberties group Big Brother Watch warning against "health apartheid".

More from Covid-19

In a bid to dampen concerns, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove insisted there was no plan to force people to get the vaccine if they wanted to visit some venues.

EDINBURGH - NOVEMBER 11: Members of the public walk past a window display at Harvey Nichols on November 11, 2020 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Retailers have warned of a retail and hospitality Christmas trade catastrophe, due to the Coronavirus restrictions which are jeopardising hundreds of jobs. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Image: Scientists are concerned COVID-19 cases will rise over Christmas

Asked if it was a possibility, he told Kay Burley: "No. I think the most important thing to do is make sure we vaccinate as many people as possible.

"There are three vaccines that are going through appropriate testing now to make sure that they're absolutely safe and the most important thing is to make sure we get as many people as possible - starting with the most vulnerable, and then those who work on the front-line of the NHS - vaccinated effectively."

He said there were a significant number of conspiracy theorists and admitted "that's a big challenge because we've got to persuade people who are opposed to taking a vaccine that it's in all of our collective interest".

It is estimated that for herd immunity to be achieved between 50-80% of the population need to get a jab, dependent on how effective the vaccine is.

Shoppers in Nottingham ahead of the region being moved into Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions on Thursday. The very high level of restrictions includes a ban on social mixing both indoors and in private gardens, pubs and bars closing unless they can operate as a restaurant, and residents are advised against overnight stays in other parts of the UK and they should avoid travel where possible in and out of the area, unless it is for work, education or caring responsibilities.
Image: A Tory MP hit out 'ignorant authoritarianism'

"I think we can take on some of the arguments from the anti-vax brigade, they're not really based in science," Mr Gove added.

"There's a very rigorous process we undergo to make sure vaccines are safe."

Mr Gove also played down the chance of another national lockdown in 2021, following concerns from scientists the Christmas rules relaxation will lead to a growth in coronavirus cases.

“I’m as confident as confident can be that we won’t need one," he said.

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2020-12-01 09:34:28Z
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Boris caves: UK gives in on Brexit red line, Barnier tells MEPs - 'British have accepted' - Daily Express

Michel Barnier claimed the Prime Minister has accepted that future police and judicial co-operation must be underpinned by the European Convention of Human Rights. The Brussels diplomat said this has paved the way to finalising terms on a deal that will make it easier for Britain to extradite terrorists and share criminal data with the bloc. An agreement has been on the verge of completion for longer than a month since Lord Frost first signalled the UK would soften its stance.

Mr Barnier told MEPS last Friday: “We are almost in agreement on judicial and police co-operation.”

“The British have accepted the prerequisites that we put down on the European Convention on Human Rights,” he added, according to the Daily Mail.

“We can now finalise those points.”

Lord Frost, the Prime Minister's lead negotiator with Brussels, has previously told the House of Lords the challenge was how to include a commitment to the ECHR in the legal text.

Britain has previously rejected EU demands to implement a commitment to retain membership of the ECHR into domestic law as the price for the internal security pact.

The ECHR is an international agreement drawn up by the Council of Europe and enforced by the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights.

A spokesman for the Government said: "The UK remains committed to the ECHR – we have been clear on that time and time again, including in Parliament.

"We agree that co-operation with the EU should be based on our shared values of respect for fundamental rights and for the rule of law.

"The UK's approach to these issues in the context of law enforcement is based on precedent for EU third-country agreements in this area."

MUST READ: Brexit LIVE: German MEP breaks cover to admit EU no deal panic

The Government has announced a 24-hour monitoring centre that it says will help crack down on organised crime, terrorism and abuse of the immigration system.

Brexit transition arrangements end by December 31 but talks on the future relationship to replace them are still taking place.

Fuelled by France, demands for widespread access to the UK's fishing waters remain the main stumbling block.

Downing Street insists its negotiating position will not change.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said: "We want to try and reach a free-trade agreement as soon as possible. But we have been clear we won't change our negotiating position and we have been clear what that position is."

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2020-12-01 07:38:00Z
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Covid-19: Tiers vote, vulnerable children and Christmas tree boom - BBC News

Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday morning. We'll have another update for you at 18:00 GMT.

1. New tiers system put to a vote

MPs are expected to give the go-ahead later to a stricter three-tier system of restrictions in England. Boris Johnson insists it's needed to keep infections under control, but a sizeable chunk of his own backbenchers are broadly against tighter controls. Labour won't endorse the new system, but won't reject it either. Sir Keir Starmer says he has "serious misgivings" and wants his MPs to abstain, but it isn't "in the national interest" to block it. The SNP will also abstain because the plans only apply to England. The upshot of all that is more than 55 million people are therefore set to enter the two toughest tiers from 00:01 GMT on Wednesday - a reminder of what that means.

GRaphic
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2. Vulnerable children

England's chief inspector of schools says the "invisibility of vulnerable children" during the pandemic should be a "matter of national concern". In her annual report, Amanda Spielman warns long absences from school mean signs of abuse may have been missed and it should now be a priority to find overlooked cases. She also raises concerns about the pressures on families of children with special educational needs. It's the latest in a long line of warnings about the impact of coronavirus on already disadvantaged groups. BBC's special correspondent Ed Thomas witnesses the struggles first hand in one town.

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3. Tougher rules

More areas of Scotland are expected to move into a stricter tier of virus restrictions later. Public health officials recommended the move for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire following an increase in cases. Wales, too, will face fresh curbs from Friday. Welsh pubs, restaurants and cafes will be banned from serving alcohol and will be unable to open to customers beyond 18:00 GMT. We answer your questions on the latest Welsh picture here. And see the rules around eating or drinking out and about wherever you are in the UK.

Glasgow
PA Media
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4. Lung damage 'identified'

Covid-19 could be causing lung abnormalities still detectable more than three months after people catch the disease. The damage emerged in scans of 10 patients at Oxford University and researchers now plan a larger study to find out more. The risk of severe illness and death from Covid-19 increases markedly for the over 60s, but if the trial discovers that lung damage occurs across a wider age group - even in those not requiring hospital treatment - "it would move the goalposts", says Prof Fergus Gleeson, who is leading the work.

Doctor looking at MRI image
Getty Images
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5. Tree sales booming

Christmas tree growers across the UK say they're having a bumper year - potentially selling two million more specimens than normal. Pete Hyde, owner of Trinity Street Christmas Trees in Dorset. told the BBC his sales were up by nearly a third. It could be that some sales are coming earlier as people look to scratch a shopping itch while other stores are closed. Or it could be households are desperately looking for some festive cheer and an "authentic" Christmas experience after so much hardship this year.

Pete Hyde selling Christmas tree to customers
Trinity St Christmas Trees
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Government statistics show 58,245 people have died of coronavirus, up 205 in the previous 24 hours, while the total number of confirmed cases is now 1,629,657, up 12,330, and hospital admissions since the start of the pandemic are now 217,371, up 1,350. Updated 30 Nov.

And don't forget...

Find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.

Plus, with a number of potential vaccines now on the way, there are increasing concerns that misinformation online could put some people off being immunised. Our global health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar looks at the efforts being made to combat that.

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2020-12-01 07:17:00Z
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