Senin, 15 Maret 2021

Sarah Everard: Boris Johnson has 'full confidence' in under-pressure Met Police chief Cressida Dick - Sky News

Boris Johnson has given his full backing to the head of the Metropolitan Police but admitted the chaos at Saturday night's vigil for Sarah Everard was "very distressing".

Cressida Dick has faced calls to resign over her force's handling of events at Clapham Common in south London, after police were seen grabbing several women and leading them away in handcuffs.

But, speaking to reporters in Coventry on Monday, the prime minister said he supported Dame Cressida.

Live updates on Sarah Everard investigation and protests

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick arrives at New Scotland Yard in London, the day after clashes between police and crowds who gathered on Clapham Common on Saturday night to remember Sarah Everard. The Metropolitan Police has faced intense criticism for its handling of the vigil, with officers accused of "grabbing and manhandling" women during clashes with the crowd. Picture date: Sunday March 14, 2021.
Image: Dame Cressida Dick has faced calls to resign over the weekend's events

When asked if he had full confidence in the Met Police chief, Mr Johnson replied: "Yes, I do. And what she's asked is we look at what happened on Saturday night.

"The police do have a very, very difficult job, but there's no question that the scenes that we saw were very distressing.

"So it's right Tom Winsor [Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary] should do a full report into it.

"I think people have got to have confidence in the police and Tom's going to be looking at that."

People had gathered informally for Saturday's vigil after an event organised by Reclaim These Streets was cancelled following talks with the Met Police, which said it would be in breach of coronavirus rules.

Four people were arrested for public order and coronavirus regulation breaches.

The prime minister spoke to Dame Cressida on Sunday and said he had been "very concerned" about the images he saw from the night before.

"I think a lot of people were concerned about that," he added.

"The reality is the country is united still in shock and grief about what happened to Sarah Everard.

"We must do everything we can to find the answers."

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'All we wanted to do was pay respects'

Dame Cressida will attend a meeting of the government's crime and justice taskforce on Monday evening to look at what further action can be taken to protect women and girls and make sure streets are safe.

The meeting is also expected to be attended by the prime minister, Home Secretary Priti Patel, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland and Max Hill, the director of public prosecutions.

Mr Johnson said Ms Everard's death - after she vanished while walking home from a friend's house in south London on 3 March - had "unleashed a wave of feeling from people, from women above all, who do worry about their safety at night".

"The fundamental thing is that women have got to feel that when they make a complaint, when they go to the police with an account or an allegation of violence or harassment, that they will be taken seriously," he added.

"So our teams are meeting tonight to discuss what more we can do."

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'I am not considering my position' - Met Police chief

The prime minister also pointed to the government's promise to recruit 20,000 new police officers in England and Wales, as well as its Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

The legislation - which was due to be debated by MPs in the House of Commons later on Monday - includes new measures to toughen sentences for rapists, to stop the early release of serious sexual and violent offenders, and to toughen the law on domestic violence, Mr Johnson said.

Labour have vowed to vote against the bill and criticised the government for "rushing through poorly thought-out measures".

Although they support several measures in the bill, Labour argue it will impose disproportionate controls on free expression and the right to protest.

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'Deeply disturbing' arrests at vigil

They have claimed the legislation could see harsher penalties for damaging a statue than for attacking a woman.

And they have called on ministers to work on a cross-party basis to introduce a package of measures to tackle violence against women.

"It says lots of things about statues and almost nothing about protecting women and girls, and particularly dealing with violence against women and girls," Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said.

"This is a crime, police, sentencing and court bill, it should be the vehicle for addressing it. And there is nothing meaningful in it."

Sir Keir added there was a "gaping hole" in the legislation and said it "doesn't address the fact that sentencing for rape and stalking is too low".

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2021-03-15 13:41:35Z
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Brexit: EU launches legal action against UK for 'breaching' Northern Ireland Protocol trade agreement - Sky News

The European Union has launched legal action against the UK for making changes to Northern Ireland's trading arrangements, an EU official said.

The European Commission has accused the UK of breaching EU law concerning the movement of goods and pet travel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland after the UK moved to unilaterally change parts of the Brexit deal to better suit British businesses earlier this month.

On 3 March, the UK announced it was going to extend grace periods relaxing procedures and checks on British supermarket suppliers and businesses trading, including animal products and parcel deliveries, in Northern Ireland until October.

A woman walks past graffiti saying 'No Irish Sea Border' in Belfast city centre, Northern Ireland
Image: A woman walks past graffiti saying 'No Irish Sea Border' in Belfast city centre, Northern Ireland

Under the agreement, to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, Northern Ireland has remained a part of the EU's single market for goods meaning products arriving from the UK mainland have to undergo EU import procedures.

But this has created a new trade border with Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, raising concerns the terms negotiated last year, signed by Boris Johnson, would cause further food shortages if implemented, as agreed, in full at the end of March.

Some supermarkets and other shops have struggled to maintain stocks since 1 January when the arrangement began.

The UK says changing the grace period is not a breach and is necessary because the EU has refused to extend it.

More from European Union

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss told Sky News earlier this month extending the grace period was "temporary" and it is "perfectly common practice while deals are being implemented to have temporary easements in place".

"That is not a breach of the protocol and we're very clear about that," she added.

The European Commission said this is the second time in six months the UK government "is set to breach international law" after the Internal Market Bill set out clauses that would undercut the Northern Ireland Protocol. These were removed in December.

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PM 'building consent' for NI protocol

The EU has sent two letters launching the legal action: a formal notice of breaches under EU law and a political letter to David Frost, the UK's co-chair of the Joint Committee of UK and EU officials, calling on the British government to refrain from extending the grace period.

European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic, who leads the issue for the EU, said: "The Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland is the only way to protect the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement and to preserve peace and stability while avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland and maintaining the integrity of the EU single market.

"The EU and the UK agreed the Protocol together. We are also bound to implement it together.

"Unilateral decisions and international law violations by the UK defeat its very purpose and undermine trust between us.

"The UK must properly implement it if we are to achieve our objectives. That is why we are launching legal action today.

"I do hope that through the collaborative, pragmatic and constructive spirit that has prevailed in our work so far on implementing the Withdrawal Agreement, we can solve these issues in the Joint Committee without recourse to further legal means."

 Prime Minister Boris Johnson greets troops alongside Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis (right) and Brigadier Chris Davies, Commander 38 (Irish) Brigade (left), during a visit to Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove in Northern Ireland
Image: Boris Johnson visited Northern Ireland last week to see how its vaccine rollout was going

The UK has a month to respond to the legal letter otherwise it faces a fine, to be decided by the European Court of Justice.

The EU has urged the UK to enter into bilateral consultations with the aim of reaching a mutually agreed solution by the end of March.

Analysis: UK-EU relations are not looking good

By Michelle Clifford, Europe correspondent

The EU's move to bring legal proceedings against the UK likely shows an acceptance of an increasingly rancorous relationship between the two sides.

And in EU capitals there is said to be a determination to force the UK to comply with its post-Brexit obligations.

The unilateral move by the UK to extend so-called grace periods for business to bed in to the new reality has damaged trust and EU leaders weren't impressed by Lord Frost (the UK's Brexit man) basically calling on those on the other side of the Channel to get over the fact the UK has left the union.

And an EU official said, again and again, today their side hope this doesn't end up in court (and the ECJ - the very court loathed by Brexiteers - at that) and that things can be resolved through discussion.

The language going in both directions recently doesn't give much hope of that.

But then again, the EU threatened legal action at the end of last year in the face of Boris Johnson's Internal Markets Bill.

Mr Johnson removed the offending clauses and peace was restored. But now the UK has offended in the EU's eyes again.

Relations and resolutions might prove trickier.

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2021-03-15 14:24:01Z
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Oxford says data show no problem with AstraZeneca vaccine - Financial Times

The head of the Oxford university group that developed the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine has said there is “no signal of a problem” with its jab after a number of countries suspended its use because of safety concerns.

The Netherlands on Monday said it had become the latest country to halt use of the vaccine saying that 10 cases of noteworthy side-effects had been reported, including thrombosis. Indonesia also temporarily stopped its rollout.

Ireland, Denmark, Bulgaria, Norway, Iceland and Italy’s Piedmont region have also stayed their Oxford/AstraZeneca inoculation drives, although the picture was mixed as Germany said it would continue deploying it and Thailand resumed use.

Prof Andrew Pollard, Oxford vaccine group director, told the BBC there was “very reassuring evidence that there is no increase in a bloodclot phenomenon here in the UK, where most of the doses in Europe been given so far”.

“It’s absolutely critical that we don’t have a problem of not vaccinating people and have the balance of a huge risk, a known risk of Covid, against what appears so far from the data that we’ve got from the regulators — no signal of a problem,” he said.

Dr Phil Bryan, vaccines safety head at the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said people “should still go and get their Covid-19 vaccine when asked to do so”.

“We are closely reviewing reports but given the large number of doses administered, and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause,” he said.

The European countries have decided to halt Oxford/AstraZeneca inoculations even though the European Medicines Agency, the EU medical regulator, has recommended its continued use for now. The stoppage threatens to further delay the European bloc’s already stuttering immunisation drive.

Dutch authorities said that 10 cases of problems including possible thrombosis or embolisms had been reported by people who received the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab. That meant 43,000 vaccination appointments would be cancelled. Hugo de Jonge, health minister, characterised the pause as a precaution and said he hoped the situation would be resolved within two weeks.

Indonesia cited European doubts about the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in its own decision to stop its rollout temporarily, adding that it would await a World Health Organization review.

Last week, the WHO said that were was no sign the problems were caused by the jabs, while the EMA said there was no indication so far of a higher incidence of thrombosis and embolisms in vaccinated people.

It is the second time EU countries have departed from the EMA’s advice on the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. Several initially declined to give it to older people, although some are considering changing their stance and offering it to all adults.

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2021-03-15 12:50:35Z
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Sarah Everard: Woman arrested at vigil says she was 'terrified' as officer 'said he had a baton' - Sky News

A woman whose image went viral after being arrested at the Sarah Everard vigil on Saturday said she was "terrified" as a police officer leading her away warned he had a baton.

Patsy Stevenson was pictured being taken away from Clapham Common's bandstand in south London on Saturday night after a vigil for the murdered 33-year-old turned violent.

Ms Stevenson told Sky News she went to mourn Ms Everard, whose body was found in Kent woodland last week after going missing from near Clapham Common, and to be among other women who feel their safety needs to be talked about.

Live updates on Sarah Everard investigation and protests

Patsy Stevenson was arrested while attending a vigil for Sarah Everard
Image: Patsy Stevenson was arrested while attending a vigil for Sarah Everard
Police detain a woman as people gather at a memorial site in Clapham Common Bandstand, following the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, in London, Britain March 13, 2021. REUTERS/Hannah McKay TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Image: Ms Stevenson says a police officer warned he had a baton

But she said it quickly turned nasty when lots of police officers came on to the bandstand, pushing women into the barriers and she was then arrested. She was among three women and a man to be arrested.

She told Sky News: "We were very scared about what was going to happen.

"I just stood there and a police officer was pulling my arm, trying to get my name and then I was tackled to the ground.

"As I was being taken away, behind me one of the officers that was holding on to me was saying 'I've got my hand on my baton, I've got my hand on my baton' to one of the other officers.

"I thought this was terrifying because we're about to walk into a crowd of people and I don't know whether that crowd are going to go against what's going on and me be arrested."

Ms Stevenson said she did not know what to do, having never been in that kind of a situation before, and another woman told her not to give police her name so she did not.

Sarah Everard
Image: Sarah Everard's body was found in Kent woodland last week. A serving Met Police officer has been charged with her murder
Mandatory Credit: Photo by James Veysey/Shutterstock (11798757t)
A woman is arrested at a vigil in memory of murdered Sarah Everard. Patsy Stevenson
Sarah Everard vigil, Clapham, London, UK - 13 Mar 2021
Image: Ms Stevenson said she just wanted to pay her respects. Pic: James Veysey/Shutterstock

She said she shouted out to the crowd, "he's got his hand on his baton, be careful" as she was worried for the safety of others.

"Then they said 'she's antagonising the crowd please move her back'," Ms Stevenson added.

"I wasn't trying to antagonise anyone, I was just trying to make sure everyone was safe.

"I was terrified but then I looked up at the press and I had a small thought that if this gets out I might be interviewed and in that moment the fear didn't matter to me."

She added that the vigil "turned out the opposite to what we wanted".

Campaign group Reclaim These Streets had tried to work with the police to organise an official vigil with stewards and officers on Clapham Common but it was cancelled as police said it was a coronavirus risk.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by James Veysey/Shutterstock (11798757t)
A woman is arrested at a vigil in memory of murdered Sarah Everard. Patsy Stevenson
Sarah Everard vigil, Clapham, London, UK - 13 Mar 2021
Image: Ms Stevenson was taken away from the bandstand by police. Pic: James Veysey/Shutterstock
Mandatory Credit: Photo by James Veysey/Shutterstock (11798757w)
A woman is arrested at a vigil in memory of murdered Sarah Everard. Patsy Stevenson
Sarah Everard vigil, Clapham, London, UK - 13 Mar 2021
Image: Ms Stevenson said she went to the vigil to pay her respects and stand up for women. Pic: James Veysey/Shutterstock

Ms Stevenson said she went to the vigil anyway as she wanted to be there in solidarity with Ms Everard and women who have to deal with feeling unsafe on the street.

"No one intended this, it was meant to be a vigil, all we wanted to do was pay our respects", she added.

"I accidentally went viral, I didn't want this to happen, this happened like a whirlwind.

"I've been thrown into the public eye and the only way I can make this not in vain is to not make it political, not against the police, it's just about the safety of women and we need to talk about it."

Police on Clapham Common on Saturday evening
Image: Police on Clapham Common on Saturday evening

An investigation into the way police dealt with the vigil has started as Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick backed her officers and said they needed to make a very difficult judgment during the pandemic, where gatherings are unlawful.

There have been calls for Dame Cressida to resign over the police's handling of the vigil but Anna Birley from Reclaim These Streets said that would do nothing to advance female equality.

Boris Johnson, Home Secretary Priti Patel and policing minister Kit Malthouse have also refused to heed calls for her to step down.

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2021-03-15 11:20:47Z
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Sarah Everard: Police search Sandwich town centre - BBC News

Sarah Everard

Officers investigating the murder of Sarah Everard have cordoned off an area in the town of Sandwich in Kent.

The 33-year-old marketing executive disappeared as she walked home in Clapham on 3 March. Her body was found one week later in Kent woodland.

Serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with her murder.

Police cordoned off a section of The Rope Walk, near the centre of Sandwich, on Sunday evening.

Scotland Yard said police had routinely been searching areas of London and Kent as part of the investigation.

On Sunday, Sandwich Town Council said it was in contact with Kent Police on behalf of Scotland Yard as part of the investigation.

The cordoned-off area contains a secluded path near a stream and homes.

Residents in Sandwich have been asked not to gather at the scene.

Metropolitan Police officers continue their search at Fellowship Walk in Sandwich, Kent,
PA Media

Ms Everard was reported missing by her boyfriend on 4 March.

She had visited a friend in the Clapham Junction area on 3 March and left at around 21:00 to make what was roughly a 2.5 mile (4 km) journey home.

She called her boyfriend for around 14 minutes and was seen alone on CCTV at 21:15 GMT and again on a camera at 21:28.

Sandwich, Kent
PA Media

Her body was found on Wednesday inside a builder's bag and later identified through the use of dental records.

A post-mortem examination has taken place but no cause of death has been released.

Metropolitan police cordon at The Rope Walk in Sandwich, Kent, after a body found hidden in woodland
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2021-03-15 09:51:02Z
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Covid-19: Evidence does not suggest AstraZeneca jab linked to clots, MHRA says - BBC News

A Nurse administers a coronavirus vaccine to a patient
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People should still get their Covid vaccine despite several EU countries pausing use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab amid concern about blood clots, the UK medicines regulator has said.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said evidence "does not suggest" the jab causes clots.

But the World Health Organization says there is no reason to stop using it.

Dutch officials said the move was precautionary following reports from Denmark and Norway about side effects including blood clots.

Manufacturer AstraZeneca has said there is no evidence of a link between the two.

Dr Phil Bryan, vaccines safety lead at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said people "should still go and get their Covid-19 vaccine when asked to do so."

"We are closely reviewing reports but given the large number of doses administered, and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause."

Prof Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford vaccine group, said there were "huge risks" from Covid and vaccination saved lives.

"It's absolutely critical that we don't have a problem of not vaccinating people and have the balance of a huge risk - a known risk of Covid - against what appears so far from the data that we've got from the regulators - no signal of a problem."

He added there was "very reassuring evidence that there is no increase in a blood clot phenomenon here in the UK, where most of the doses in Europe been given so far"

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), which is carrying out a review into incidents of blood clots, said the vaccine's benefits continue to outweigh its risks.

The EMA said that, as of 10 March, there were just 30 reports of clots among almost five million people given the vaccine across Europe.

The Republic of Ireland, Bulgaria, Denmark, Norway and Iceland have paused its use, as has Thailand.

Italy and Austria have stopped using certain batches of the drug as a precautionary measure.

Health officials in Northern Ireland have said they will continue to use the vaccine.

AstraZeneca's chief medical officer Ann Taylor said the number of cases of blood clots reported is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population.

About 17 million people in the EU and the UK have received a dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, manufacturers said.

AstraZeneca said its review had found no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country.

Dr Taylor said: "The nature of the pandemic has led to increased attention in individual cases and we are going beyond the standard practices for safety monitoring of licensed medicines in reporting vaccine events, to ensure public safety."

More than 24 million people in the UK have received the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to government figures.

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2021-03-15 08:14:34Z
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Sarah Everard: Clashes at Clapham Common vigil 'distressing' and 'alarming', says policing minister - Sky News

Clashes between police and attendees of a vigil for Sarah Everard were "distressing" and "alarming", the policing minister has told Sky News.

Kit Malthouse said that officers were "happy" to be held "accountable" by an independent investigation into Saturday night's chaos.

But he insisted the under-pressure Metropolitan Police commissioner, Cressida Dick, should not resign over the force's handling of events.

Live updates on Sarah Everard investigation and protests

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'Deeply disturbing' arrests at vigil

Her officers have been heavily criticised after the ugly scenes on Clapham Common in south London on Saturday, during which police were seen grabbing several women and leading them away in handcuffs.

Asked about those scenes, Mr Malthouse said: "Along with everyone else, I found it very distressing and the pictures were obviously alarming, which is why the home secretary has asked for this independent investigation into what actually happened.

"So that we can hold the police accountable, which I know they're happy to be so, to make sure everything was done in accordance with the rules.

"I think we have to reflect on the fact that Saturday obviously saw unleashing a huge amount of emotion and anger.

"Not just about the appalling crime that occurred, but about a repressed sense of women's safety - and that that was in jeopardy and under threat."

Mr Malthouse said ministers would use a meeting of the government's crime and justice taskforce on Monday to look at what further action can be taken to protect women and girls and make sure streets are safe.

The meeting is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Home Secretary Priti Patel, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, Dame Cressida and Max Hill, the director of public prosecutions.

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'I am not considering my position' - Met Police chief

Ms Patel has ordered a "lessons learned" review into the policing of Saturday night's vigil by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, an independent watchdog.

People had gathered informally for Saturday's vigil after an event organised by Reclaim These Streets was cancelled following talks with the Metropolitan Police, which said it would be in breach of coronavirus rules.

Four people were arrested for public order and coronavirus regulation breaches.

On Sunday, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Metropolitan Police's headquarters at New Scotland Yard and chanted "shame on you".

But, despite widespread condemnation of how officers handled events over the weekend, Mr Malthouse declined to add his voice to those calling for Dame Cressida to quit as the head of the capital's police force.

"I recognise the police are in an incredible difficult position," he said.

"Throughout this pandemic we've asked them to do a job that they've never done before.

"To stand between the public, if you like, and this terrible virus in a way that none of us are used to and, certainly, they aren't as well.

"So that very, very difficult position they're in needs to be reflected in our contemplation of this.

"In the vast majority of cases the police and the public have managed this situation extremely well between them."

Anna Birley, from Reclaim These Streets, also said she did not want Dame Cressida to resign, but asked for the Met chief to meet with the group.

"We are a movement of women seeking to support and empower other women, and as one of the most senior women in British policing history, we do not want to add to the pile-on," she told ITV's Good Morning Britain.

"We do want her to meet with us.

"We were hugely disappointed that she put out a statement yesterday without talking to any of the people who were organising the vigil and had such a difficult experience with the Metropolitan Police force."

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2021-03-15 08:23:50Z
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