Anti-vaxxers pose as vegans in bid to avoid compulsory Covid jabs - Express

Actor-turned-activist Laurence Fox is among numerous people to announce they are now abstaining from all animal products after it was claimed that firms could not force vegans to have the vaccine. This is because the drugs were tested on animals during their development phase.

While this is a legal requirement for all pharmaceutical drugs in many countries, including the UK, some ultra-ethical vegans refuse to touch anything that could have harmed a living creature.

The former Lewis actor, who has been a vocal critic of lockdown restrictions, declared himself a vegan after several conspiracy theorists revealed the loophole on social media.

He jokingly tweeted: "I will only eat plant-based food and medium-rare sirloin steaks.

“And chicken, pork scratchings and salami."

READ MORE: Will you avoid holidays to Europe after charge for Britons announced?

“In vaccines we have the tool to open up every part of society, so let’s get on with it.

“The whole population needs to be vaccinated, it’s as simple as that.”

Some observers have claimed it would be ruled discriminatory if it was challenged legally.

Currently, only a handful of companies are requiring that staff be double vaccinated before they return to the office.

But it is expected that more organisations will follow suit.

And from September people will have to show they are double jabbed to gain access to certain venues including nightclubs.

Civil liberty campaigners have claimed these actions infringe people’s civil rights.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and much of the scientific community have hit back - saying vaccines are the only effective way to control the spread of the virus.

Curbing this is essential to protecting society’s most vulnerable and reducing the chance of Covid mutating into strains which are more resistant to vaccines.

Much of the vegan community has also come out in support of the vaccines.

Many argue that though the drugs have been tested on animals, this is often a legal requirement.

Dr Julia Baines, science policy adviser and author at PETA UK, told Euronews: “As a scientist working to end animal testing and a vegan, I’ll tell you why I’ve had both COVID-19 vaccines.

“While science is changing, we still live in a world in which companies that make medicines, including vaccines, are required by government agencies to conduct certain tests on animals before they can market their products.”

She added: “The goal of being vegan and advocating for animal rights is to bring about positive changes for animals.

“As long as tests on animals are a legal requirement, refusing to take a medicine on ethical grounds will not help the animals who have already been used in tests or spare any the same fate in the future.

“What we need is a change in the law so that animals are no longer required to suffer in tests, which is why PETA and our international affiliates are working with government agencies in the UK and abroad to draw attention to the scientific failings of tests on animals and promoting the development, use, and acceptance of modern, non-animal testing methods.”

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2021-08-05 06:00:00Z
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Three people charged in connection with death of five-year-old Logan Mwangi in Wales - Sky News

A man has been charged with the murder of five-year-old Logan Mwangi in South Wales.

Logan, who was also known as Logan Williamson, from Sarn in Bridgend, was found dead in the Ogmore River near Pandy Park in the early hours of Saturday morning.

South Wales Police have charged John Cole, 39, of Sarn, Bridgend, with murder.

Cole is also charged with perverting the course of justice, as are Angharad Williamson, 30, from Sarn, and a 13-year-old boy who cannot be identified due to his age.

All three are in police custody and will appear before magistrates in Cardiff on Thursday.

Senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Mark O'Shea, said: "This is a very harrowing case for all involved and I extend my deepest sympathies to Logan's family and friends.

"This remains an extensive and sensitive investigation by the Major Crime Investigation Team and I am grateful to the local community for its support and understanding while we have continued to gather evidence across several scenes.

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"Legal proceedings are now underway and I want to remind everyone to avoid speculation which may prejudice this investigation.

"We continue to appeal to anyone who has any information in relation to the incident to contact the Major Crime Investigation Team."

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2021-08-05 00:44:09Z
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Dominic Cummings: Carrie was driving Boris Johnson crackers - The Times

Dominic Cummings launched another broadside against Boris Johnson’s wife, Carrie, yesterday — claiming the prime minister told him she was driving him “crackers” and wanted to get her a job “with lots of foreign travel”.

Johnson’s former adviser also said the prime minister had suggested Cummings could be in line for a peerage when he left Downing Street last November and regarded himself as “the king” who deliberately presided over “chaos” in No 10.

Cummings’s comments, in an interview with The Spectator, are the latest in a string of claims he has made against Johnson’s wife, who was instrumental in his ousting.

Cummings said that he and Johnson had not spoken since he had left Downing Street

JONATHAN BRADY/PA

He said that shortly before he left Downing Street he held a meeting with Johnson at which the prime minister questioned him

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2021-08-04 23:01:00Z
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Dominic Cummings claims Boris 'wanted to get Carrie a job with lots of foreign travel' - Daily Mail

Why Boris Johnson 'wanted to get Carrie a job with lots of foreign travel': Dominic Cummings claims Prime Minister said his wife was driving him 'crackers'... and says he was offered a peerage

• Mr Cummings told The Spectator in an interview that he thought Carrie was a 'wrong 'un' from the moment he first met her
• He claimed that Boris Johnson said his partner was driving him 'crackers' 
• Cummings left No 10 in November last year after a dramatic fall-out with couple
• A Downing St  source said Mr Cummings' claims were 'untrue'

By Claire Ellcott Political Correspondent For The Daily Mail

Published: 22:02 BST, 4 August 2021 | Updated: 22:03 BST, 4 August 2021

Dominic Cummings has claimed that Boris Johnson said his partner Carrie was driving him 'crackers' and suggested finding her 'a job with lots of foreign travel'.

The Prime Minister's former chief adviser also said that Mr Johnson offered him a peerage when he left No 10.

Downing Street sources were quick to deny his allegations last night.

Mr Cummings said he thought the former Miss Symonds was a 'wrong 'un' from the moment he met her.

He left No 10 in November last year following a dramatic fall-out with the PM and his then-fiancee.

Mr Cummings said his relationship with the PM changed after he won a massive majority at the general election in December 2019, adding: 'The entire situation was completely transformed.'

In an interview with The Spectator – the magazine that employs his wife – he said he had a bad impression of the PM's wife from their earliest meeting.

'I thought she was a wrong 'un from the day I first met her back in 2016 when she was a press officer of some kind,' he added.

Dominic Cummings has claimed that Boris Johnson said his partner Carrie was driving him 'crackers' and suggested finding her 'a job with lots of foreign travel'. Pictured L-R: Carrie Symonds, Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings celebrate on Election Night 2019

Mr Cummings claimed that in the final few days before he walked out of Downing Street, Mr Johnson said his then fiancee was driving him 'crackers'. He said: 'So when Boris and I came to the break-up in the final few days, we sat on the sofa and he started reading out questions from his phone and I said, 'Have you lost your mind? Your crazy girlfriend is sitting upstairs texting you questions?'

'And he was like, 'Oh my God, you're right, she's driving me crackers. We've got to find her a job with lots of foreign travel.

'Could we get the Cabinet Secretary to give her a job on COP26, travelling round with Kate Middleton?'

'That's the weird thing: part of his brain knows that his girlfriend is crackers, but he's also trapped.' Mr Cummings added: 'Well, you know this crazy thing happens with people, they just get trapped by crazy girlfriends. It's not the first time it's happened.'

A source inside No 10 said the claims were 'risible, like much of Dom's recent output'. They added: 'These claims are untrue.'

The PM's former chief adviser admitted he has not spoken to Mr Johnson since leaving Downing Street.

But he said Mr Johnson had offered him a peerage when he quit. Asked if it would have made him 'Lord Cummings of Barnard Castle', he replied: 'No! He said it but then he almost immediately started laughing and realised that that was not exactly the sort of thing that would buy me off.' Asked whether he rejoiced when Matt Hancock stood down as health secretary over leaked CCTV footage of him kissing an aide in his office, Mr Cummings said: 'Well, obviously it would have been better if Boris had fired him last May when I told him to. But if it ends with a sex scandal, fine by me.'

He added: 'I suspect that all his officials knew what was happening, and they knew that what I said about him was true, and someone in his private office will also have had access to CCTV and thought: Ah, we'll get rid of that lying b******.'

Mr Cummings said he thought the former Miss Symonds was a 'wrong 'un' from the moment he met her. Pictured: Carrie (left) and Boris Johnson on holiday with their child and dog in Scotland

Mr Cummings said he told the Prime Minister that he planned to leave on December 18 last year, adding that he had never wanted a career in Westminster. But he says his departure was hastened when Mrs Johnson started plotting to remove his allies from No 10.

'I walked out. And then she was terrified that Boris would reverse-ferret so she deliberately blew everything up in the media to cause maximum carnage,' he said. 'So then all relations between us were severed and I haven't spoken to him since.'

Asked why he agreed to work for the PM when he thought him 'unfit' for office, Mr Cummings said that the alternative was former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and a second Brexit referendum which he believed could lead to violence.

'MPs wouldn't be able to campaign safely outside the M25 without armed guards,' he said. Mr Cummings now writes a blog on the Substack website. 

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2021-08-04 21:02:59Z
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Boris Johnson insists he hasn't snubbed Nicola Sturgeon after declining to meet in Scotland - The Telegraph

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2021-08-04 18:31:16Z
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Boy, three, dies after being hit by vehicle on Pembrokeshire farm as investigation under way - Sky News

A three-year-old boy has died after he was struck by a vehicle on a farm.

The incident took place at a property in Clynderwen, a rural village in Pembrokeshire.

Dyfed-Powys Police said they were called to the site at around 7pm on Tuesday.

No one else was injured but the young boy died at the scene.

A spokesperson for the Welsh force said: "An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is ongoing and the family is being supported by specialist officers."

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The Health and Safety Executive and HM Coroner have been told of the death.

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2021-08-04 18:03:11Z
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COVID-19: Nicola Sturgeon says Boris Johnson declining invitation to meet in Scotland is 'a missed opportunity' and a 'strange' decision - Sky News

Nicola Sturgeon has said it is "a bit strange" for Boris Johnson to have declined her invitation to meet for talks during the PM's trip to Scotland this week.

Speaking to reporters, Scotland's first minister said "most people will think it is a bit odd" that the prime minister did not want to discuss COVID-19 recovery plans with her, but that the decision to not accept the offer is "on him".

On Tuesday, the PM declined Ms Sturgeon's invitation to meet for talks while he is in Scotland this week.

Image: Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson have previously had a meeting at Bute House in Edinburgh

The first minister had invited the prime minister to her official Edinburgh residence, Bute House, to discuss their plans for boosting Scotland and England's economies as the two countries build back following the pandemic

But in a reply to Ms Sturgeon's letter, Mr Johnson said: "I am keen to arrange an in-person meeting with you and the other first ministers and deputy first minister to build on the constructive discussions we had earlier this summer.

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"We agreed then that we should establish a structured forum for ongoing engagement between the government and the devolved administrations to deliver tangible outcomes in the interests of people throughout the UK."

The prime minister added: "I look forward to meeting with you soon and working together in the interests of people in all parts of our country."

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Image: Boris Johnson declined Nicola Sturgeon's invitation to meet for talks while he is in Scotland this week

Ms Sturgeon said it is for the PM to explain why he declined her invitation.

"I don't feel snubbed, I think most people will think it is a bit odd and a bit strange that we have got a prime minister visiting Scotland who talks a lot, rightly, about the need - despite our political differences - for us to work together where we can on getting through COVID and into COVID recovery but doesn't take the opportunity when in Scotland to come and talk to me directly about how we might cooperate and work together," Scotland's first minister told reporters.

"I think people will just find that strange and it is for Boris Johnson to explain, I suppose, why… this would have been the first opportunity given COVID for us to sit down appropriately socially distanced and have a face to face chat.

"And I think it would have been a good opportunity. I was getting ready to welcome him to Bute House today.

"There is lots that Boris Johnson and I fundamentally disagree on but we both lead governments that are trying to get our countries through COVID and so there is a lot for us to cooperate on.

"So a missed opportunity, but that is on him."

Image: Nicola Sturgeon said the PM declining her invitation to meet is a 'strange' decision, but one that is 'on him'

In her original letter, Ms Sturgeon acknowledged the two leaders "differ politically", but said the Scottish and UK governments "must work together where we can".

The two have sometimes taken different approaches to COVID restrictions, with the devolved governments responsible for their health services.

Almost all legal restrictions in England were lifted on 19 July, while the first minister has confirmed that most COVID measures will be scrapped next Monday (9 August).

While the legal requirement to wear face masks in a range of settings ended in England last month, Ms Sturgeon has said that face coverings in shops and on public transport will remain mandatory for "some time to come".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he wanted to see the PM and Ms Sturgeon "work together" on the recovery from the pandemic and tackling climate change.

Talking to reporters, Sir Keir - who is also on a two-day trip to Scotland - said: "The prime minister and the first minister should meet. We should not have an argument about when they are going to meet or where they are going to meet - we need to work together on this.

"In 100 days time COP will have been over. This is an incredibly important moment and I want to see the prime minister being able to exercise the diplomacy we need for the UK, pulling together coalitions.

"And that should be here in Scotland, but actually, across the world. Because the Paris Agreement told us what we need to do, the focus now for Glasgow is how do we actually achieve that."

Analysis, Joe Pike, political correspondent

Bute House, the official residence of Scotland’s First Minister, is often a stage for political drama and choreography. For high-profile handshakes, resignation speeches, hirings and firings.

Today it is deserted and the net curtains drawn after Boris Johnson declined an invitation to meet Nicola Sturgeon on his trip north. The PM’s letter to the FM could be summarised as: ‘let’s catch up soon’.

Some are already calling this a snub. Behind the scenes, however, something more complex is taking place. The two governments have developed contrasting strategies of how to handle such visits and control the media narrative.

It seems Nicola Sturgeon’s team are keen for her to be centre stage and seen as an equal to Boris Johnson (in fact they believe she is far more talented than the PM). By having two leaders side-by-side, a clear comparison is made, and SNP sources argue that is to their advantage.

By putting such a meeting at the heart of a prime ministerial visit, the tensions between the two politicians over a second independence referendum are also likely to appear - something No 10 are keen to avoid.

In contrast Boris Johnson wants to ‘normalise’ his trips north of the border and take the heat out of the independence debate.

Tory sources argue visiting Edinburgh or Glasgow should be as inconsequential as the PM visiting Leeds or Manchester.

Scotland is not enemy territory: Mr Johnson’s allies are keen to stress the Scottish Conservatives are the official opposition at Holyrood, and he is ‘the Prime Minister of the entire United Kingdom’.

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2021-08-04 14:37:30Z
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