COVID-19: Coronavirus vaccines now being offered to people aged 42 and over in England - Sky News

Coronavirus vaccines are now being offered to people aged 42 and over in England.

It is the second time this week the vaccine booking system has been extended to more people in their 40s, after they were offered to those aged 44 and over yesterday.

Now, people aged 42 and over, or those who will turn 42 before 1 July, can arrange their jab appointment through the national booking website.

Live COVID updates from across the UK and around the world

The expansion of the vaccine programme comes as figures over the weekend confirmed more than half of the UK's total population has received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

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Government data up to 25 April shows that of the 46,650,008 jabs that have been given in the UK so far - 12,897,123 were second doses.

The target of offering a first coronavirus vaccine dose to the nine most vulnerable groups by 15 April was reached three days early.

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Despite supply constraints and second jabs for those at highest risk of contracting COVID being prioritised, the rollout was subsequently slowly expanded to adults under the age of 50, with people in their mid to late 40s the first group to be offered the jab as part of this second phase.

Within a week of the booking system opening, two thirds of 45 to 49-year-olds had received their first vaccine.

A new campaign called "every vaccination gives us hope" has been launched this week and includes a TV advert showcasing the health workers and volunteers involved in the UK's vaccination rollout.

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New ad encourages under-50s to get jab

During a visit to Wrexham on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to take up the vaccine when offered it.

He also urged the public to be "realistic" about the prospect of the UK being hit with a third wave of COVID-19.

"We have built up what I think are some pretty robust fortifications against the next wave, we will have to see how strongly they really are in due course," he said.

The PM denied saying he was prepared to let "bodies pile high" rather than order another lockdown, rebuffing newspaper allegations that he had made the comments in October, just prior to England's second national lockdown.

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PM asked about 'bodies pile high' comment

Asked if he had ever made those remarks, Mr Johnson said: "No. The important thing I think people want us to get on and do as a government is to make sure that the lockdowns work and they have.

"I really pay tribute to the people of this country, this whole country of ours, that have really pulled together and - working with the vaccination programme - we've got the disease under control."

Vaccinations are now being administered at more than 1,700 sites across England, including at GP surgeries, pharmacies, places of worship, football grounds and supermarkets.

Meanwhile, in Scotland, preparations continue to extend the vaccine rollout to people in their 40s, while those aged 30 and over are being offered the jab across Wales.

In Northern Ireland, as well as the clinically vulnerable, people aged 35 and over have been invited to book their vaccine appointment.

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2021-04-27 08:16:31Z
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Does Boris Johnson’s ‘Bodies’ Remark Explain His Deadly Delay On The New Year Lockdown? - HuffPost UK

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1. Does Boris Johnson’s ‘Bodies’ Remark Explain His Deadly Delay On The New Year Lockdown?  HuffPost UK
2. Covid: Boris Johnson's 'bodies pile high' comments prompt criticism  BBC News
3. Covid-19: UK '3rd wave is probable' says Boris Johnson but vaccines provide 'robust fortifications'  The Sun
4. This Cummings spat could be a dangerous political trap for Johnson  The Guardian
5. Quiet Case left MPs wanting  Telegraph.co.uk
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2021-04-26 20:44:34Z
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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe jailed for another year in Iran over 'propaganda activities' - Sky News

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2021-04-26 18:55:41Z
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Don't be complacent, under-45s told as they join queue for Covid jabs - The Times

The coronavirus vaccination rollout will be extended to the under-45s this week as it was announced that more than half of the British population had received at least one dose of a vaccine.

From today about half a million 44-year-olds will be invited by the NHS to book their vaccine in England. Later in the week the offer of a vaccine will be extended to everyone aged 40 to 43 and a television advertising campaign will be launched to encourage take-up. There are hopes that within days people in their thirties will be able to be invited to get a jab, according to reports.

The advertising campaign, called “every vaccination gives us hope”, will also run across radio, social media and on billboards and will

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2021-04-25 23:01:00Z
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Boris Johnson said bodies 'could pile high' during lockdown discussion - BBC News

Boris Johnson suggested that "bodies could pile high" during a heated discussion about lockdown in Downing Street in the autumn, sources familiar with the talks have told the BBC.

On Monday, the Daily Mail reported that Mr Johnson had said "let the bodies pile high in their thousands" rather than order a third lockdown.

The PM denied making the remarks, adding that lockdowns had worked.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he was "astonished" by the reports.

He added that: "Everybody would be deeply concerned, not least all those families who have lost someone in the pandemic."

• What is the row over Boris Johnson's flat about?
• Dominic Cummings launches attack on PM's integrity

The comments are said to have been made at the end of October when England went into its second lockdown following a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg says, at the time, the prime minister was reported to have had big concerns about the implications of another lockdown on the economy and non-Covid related health issues.

"This does take us back to that moment and back to the very serious claims made by some people who were involved in the decision making - including some ministers - that the hesitancy around the second lockdown did cost lives," she said.

The story was labelled "not true" by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and when asked about the comments earlier on Monday, Mr Johnson denied having made them.

He added that the public wanted the government "to make sure that the lockdowns work, and they have," he said.

The PM's spokesman also said the reported comments were false adding: "This is untrue and the PM has denied it… I'm not aware of anyone else making that statement."

This comes amid a bitter row between Downing Street and the prime minister's former senior adviser Dominic Cummings.

Last week Mr Cummings published a blog in which he denied leaking information about the second lockdown in England to the press and said he had been cleared by the top civil servant Simon Case.

Mr Cummings also alleged Mr Johnson considered blocking an inquiry into the leak in case it involved a friend of his fiancee Carrie Symonds.

Mr Case is giving evidence at an MPs' committee and has said the inquiry is ongoing, however he added that "given the time that has now passed, I think it's probable the team will not successfully identify the source or sources".

A Cabinet Office source told the BBC that no-one had yet been exonerated in the investigation.

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2021-04-26 14:01:08Z
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Nicola Sturgeon will have 'back-seat drivers' for independence if SNP win majority - Daily Record

Nicola Sturgeon will have a “whole host of back-seat drivers” giving her instructions on how to achieve Scottish independence if the SNP wins a majority, Willie Rennie has said.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader compared the SNP leader’s positioin with Theresa May’s beleaguered attempts to negotiate a Brexit deal amid various demands from factions within her Conservative Party.

Speaking to the PA news agency Rennie said Sturgeon has lost control the nationalist agenda and figures like Alex Salmond and the Greens would quickly put the parliament and the First Minister off the road.

Rennie said the prospect of nationalist in-fighting dominating the parliament would see Scottish politics “bedevilled” by the constitution for another five years.

Rennie said: “If the SNP, the nationalists, get a majority, I think Nicola will have a whole host of back-seat drivers."

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon (Image: PA Wire)

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“She’s lost control of the nationalist movement already and I think there will be people shouting out all the time from the back seat telling her exactly which direction to go in and she’ll be beholden to them because she’ll have your commitment to try and pursue this whole independence agenda.

“But they don’t agree with each other – Alex Salmond wants it on day one, he’s talking about taking to the streets.

“I don’t quite know what the Greens’ strategy is, but we know they changed their strategy a few weeks after the last election, so who knows what they’ll do this time, and there’s not one single view within the SNP about how this should be done.

“Nicola keeps pushing it back and who knows where it will end up."

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Rennie said he believed the SNP’s plan for another independence referendum by 2023 would be derailed if they fail to get an overall majority on May 6, and argued that parliament could instead focus on a recovery from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

He added: “She’s almost beginning to look a bit like Theresa May who, despite her best efforts, she’s got a factionalised movement behind her that’s pulling in all sorts of directions, and is trying to control things from the back seat.”

He added: “If we turn back from that and make sure that they don’t get that majority, then there’s a real chance we can get the parliament focused on recovery."

Scottish politics

“That’s the choice we’ve got.We’ve got Nicola driving the vehicle as a majority, with all these back-seat drivers telling her where to go.

“Or we can have a parliament that is resolutely focused, working in partnership to get recovery put first and to create jobs and tackle climate emergency and make sure the NHS is back up to speed, and cutting waits for mental health treatment and make sure we’ve got bounce-back support for education.”

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2021-04-25 19:32:42Z
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Downing Street flat refurbishment: What is the row all about? - BBC News

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Boris Johnson is facing questions over how expensive renovations of his Downing Street flat were paid for.

Labour has called for a full inquiry into the issue. But for those who haven't been following every twist and turn - here are the basics you need to know.

What is the flat?

Like several of his recent predecessors, Mr Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds are living in the flat above No 11 Downing Street, the chancellor's official residence.

The four-bedroom flat, which is much larger than the one above No 10, has had periodic improvements made to it in the past.

The Grade 1 listed building is owned by the UK government but prime ministers can live there while they are in power.

The flat was extensively refurbished by David and Samantha Cameron in 2011 at a cost of £30,000 - the maximum public grant available to prime ministers each year for the upkeep of their home.

Tony and Cherie Blair also spent thousands on turning the space into a family home when they lived there.

• Explain PM flat funding to MPs, says Labour
• Plan to fund Downing Street makeover 'speculation'

White House

Now Mr Johnson and Ms Symonds have also carried out work on the flat, which was understood to be largely complete by early March.

Interior designer Lulu Lytle has been involved in the upgrade, a source has told the BBC.

Ms Lytle is the co-founder of Soane Britain, an upmarket London-based firm which specialises in traditional craft methods.

The couple wanted to transform the flat from Mr Johnson's predecessor Theresa May's "John Lewis furniture nightmare" into a "high society haven", according to Tatler.

How much has been spent on the renovations?

Prime ministers receive an annual allowance of up to £30,000 a year from the public purse to contribute towards the costs of maintaining and furnishing their Downing Street home.

But the question is - did the most recent works cost more than that? There has been speculation the final bill could be up to £200,000, although there has been no official comment on this.

How were they paid for?

Details of how much of the £30,000 allowance was spent during the 2020-21 financial year are not yet available but on Friday Cabinet Office Minister Lord True said painting, sanding and floorboards work had been done by long-standing Downing Street contractors.

In an answer to a written question, Lord True added: "Any costs of wider refurbishment in this year have been met by the prime minister personally."

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss also told the BBC Mr Johnson had paid for the renovations "from his own pocket".

But there are questions over whether the money originally came from another source - and the prime minister then paid it back.

The Daily Mail has reported that the Conservative Party has received a £58,000 donation in relation to the flat.

Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Ms Truss did not answer repeated questions on whether a Tory donor initially provided the money for the refurbishments.

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Was there a trust involved?

There have been reports that Mr Johnson tried to set up a charitable trust for the purpose of preserving Downing Street's heritage, which could help fund the refurbishments through donations from Tory supporters.

In the US, a scheme of this kind pays for restoration work in the White House.

This is where the picture gets a bit more complicated.

According to a leaked email obtained by the Daily Mail, the Tory peer Lord Brownlow wrote to the party's head of fundraising last October informing him he was making a donation, including "£58,000 to cover the payments the party has already made on behalf of the soon to be formed 'Downing Street Trust' - of which I have been made chairman".

A second leaked email from Lord Brownlow in June 2020 showed the decision to set up the trust was taken by Mr Johnson as long as 10 months ago, the paper reported.

But to date, no such trust has been formed.

Lord True said the government "has been considering the merits of whether works on parts or all of the Downing Street estate could be funded by a trust".

"This could mirror long-standing arrangements in place for Chequers [the prime minister's country residence] (a private trust) or for Dorneywood [a country home for a senior member of the government] (a charitable trust), reducing the need for subsidy from the public purse," he added.

Why is there a row?

The PM has faced questions over the funding of the refurbishments for a number of weeks - but the issue was thrust into the spotlight again on Friday by an explosive blog post by his former chief advisor, Dominic Cummings.

Mr Cummings alleged Mr Johnson once planned to have donors "secretly pay" for the work on his flat, which he said was "unethical, foolish, possibly illegal and almost certainly broke the rules on proper disclosure of political donations if conducted in the way he intended".

Labour has called for an inquiry and for the prime minister to reveal the full amount that was spent on the flat and who paid for it in the first place.

There are also potential issues over transparency.

Political parties have to report donations and loans to the Electoral Commission if they are above £7,500.

MPs must also declare any donations which could influence their actions in the Commons Register of Members' Financial Interests within 28 days.

The government is supposed to publish the list of ministers' financial interests twice a year - but the last one showing money donated to them was released in July 2020.

The Electoral Commission said it was working to establish whether any funds relating to the renovations fell within its remit of political donations, and therefore needed to be published.

In response to Mr Cummings's claims, a No 10 spokesperson said: "At all times, the government and ministers have acted in accordance with the appropriate codes of conduct and electoral law.

"Cabinet Office officials have been engaged and informed throughout and official advice has been followed.

"Gifts and benefits received in a ministerial capacity are, and will continue to be, declared in transparency returns."

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2021-04-25 14:09:50Z
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