Babak Belurs

Jumat, 03 Desember 2021

COVID-19: Number 10 confirms Christmas parties will be held across Whitehall as minister urges Brits to 'keep calm and carry on' - Sky News

Downing Street have confirmed "in-person events" such as parties will be held in the lead up to the festive period as a Cabinet minister urged Britons to "keep calm and carry on with your Christmas plans".

A Number 10 spokesperson told Sky News celebrations will be held across Whitehall in the run up to Christmas despite fears over the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

"As the prime minister has previously made clear, these events are within the latest guidance and we do not want people to cancel them," the spokesperson said.

Later on Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he believes "Christmas should go ahead as normally as possible".

It comes as the number of confirmed Omicron cases in the UK is expected to rise sharply, and after the Irish government implemented new coronavirus restrictions for the festive period including caps on the number of households allowed to mix indoors and attend large sporting and cultural events and the return of table service in hospitality settings.

Live COVID-19 updates from the UK and around the world

A source confirmed to Sky News that there will be an official update to UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures "shortly" and the UK total "won't be less" than 66.

Meanwhile, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), one in 60 people were expected to have coronavirus in the week up to 27 November.

The latest data was released as Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden told Sky News that people should continue to go to the pub and dine at restaurants during the festive season.

Mr Dowden said the government had taken "sufficient" action against Omicron so far and that there is no need for people to cancel their festive plans.

"The message to people is fairly straightforward, which is keep calm, carry on with your Christmas plans," Mr Dowden said.

"We've put the necessary restrictions in place, but beyond that, keep calm and carry on."

But many are cancelling festive events off their own accord, with supermarket Sainsbury's the latest to ask colleagues to postpone their Christmas parties amid fears the new variant will lead to higher staff absence levels during the holiday trading period.

Scientists are worried the new Omicron variant could be more transmissible or more evasive to existing immunity than other strains of the virus.

The government has responded by reintroducing mandatory mask-wearing in some settings in England, while also tightening self-isolation rules and travel restrictions.

However, recent days have also seen mixed messages from government ministers and public health officials over what festive celebrations, including Christmas parties, should look like this year.

This has led to criticism from within the hospitality industry, which has reported the cancellation of some Christmas parties.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, the PM was adamant once more that festive events should go ahead as planned and that no rules were broken by Downing Street staff at alleged Christmas parties during a time of coronavirus restrictions last year.

"What I have said throughout as this thing was brought up is that is not true, we followed the guidance throughout and continue to follow the guidance," Mr Johnson said.

"And on the subject of Christmas parties, I notice there has been quite a lot of toing and froing about it, people concerned that they need to cancel their Christmas parties.

"That is not right, we are not saying that and we are not saying that nativity plans have to be cancelled.

"I believe very strongly that kids should be in school and I also think that Christmas should go ahead as normally as possible.

"What we are trying to do is cope with the Omicron variant and that means having some tough measures at the border and also some measures to make sure people isolate if they come into contact with an Omicron case.

"Plus, we are toughening up the measures on masks. And that is a balanced and proportionate approach to take to Omicron whilst we wait to get to the bottom of exactly the risk it poses.

"But, key point, whatever the risk Omicron may pose, or may not post, the booster id everywhere and vaccine is always going to be your best protection."

Mr Dowden echoed the PM in stating that people shouldn't abandon their existing plans.

"We have not changed the advice around people taking part in hospitality - so going to the pub, going to restaurants and so on," he added.

"And actually I think most pubs and restaurants up until very recently have been doing very well during this season and we're not discouraging people to do so."

Mr Dowden later revealed that the Conservatives were pushing ahead with a planned Christmas party themselves.

"I think there's a Conservative Party political party, as it were, Christmas party, I think is still planned, and I don't intend to cancel it as chairman of the Conservative Party," he told BBC Breakfast.

"It will just be a normal Christmas gathering of staff that are in London, we have staff in Leeds as well, and that is completely consistent with the rules, and I would urge people to keep calm and carry on with their plans.

"We're not changing our plans either. Of course, if the situation changes and rules need to be updated, we'll comply with the rules as they stand."

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has revealed that a review of the party's Christmas gatherings led to a decision that a large get-together for the parliamentary Labour party would no longer go ahead.

However, she added: "We've said quite clearly that we don't think people should cancel their Christmas gatherings.

"But we do think the government should make clear advice to people what they should be doing."

It is understood that other Labour festive events are still being planned.

In his Sky News interview, Mr Dowden added the government's response to Omicron was "sufficient at this stage".

And he said he was "confident" that Britons would be able to "have a better Christmas than last year", although he urged people to get a COVID vaccine booster when they are called to do so.

"All of our advice is based on scientific evidence and indeed the chief medical officer [Professor Chris Whitty] and chief scientific adviser [Sir Patrick Vallance] attend cabinet and were at cabinet when we discussed this earlier this week," he said.

"That is why we have gone for this balanced and proportionate set of measures.

"So it is the case that, unlike previously in England, people will have to wear masks on public transport and they'll have to wear masks in retail settings and we've very much tightened up the border restrictions.

"We believe those are necessary and appropriate steps, but beyond that people can carry on with their plans as before.

"So I would say to people just keep calm, carry on with your Christmas plans as already set out."

Your Omicron questions answered: Watch a special programme with COVID experts on Sky News at 7pm

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2021-12-03 16:41:15Z
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Euro 2020 final disorder: Ticketless thugs 'could have caused death' at England v Italy game - BBC Sport

Last updated on 2 hours ago.From the section Football

"Ticketless, drunken and drugged-up thugs" could have caused death as they stormed Wembley before the Euro 2020 final, says a review into the disorder.

The report by Baroness Louise Casey said there was a "collective failure" in planning for the match, which about 2,000 people got into illegally.

It noted 17 mass breaches of disabled access gates and emergency fire doors.

Lady Casey said the "appalling scene of disorder" as England played Italy led to a "day of national shame".

Her report said there was a "collective failure" in planning for the match on 11 July, including a "vulnerable" stewarding operation lacking experience partly because of the pandemic and the police deployment arriving "too late".

The knowledge that about 25,000 of Wembley's 90,000 seats would be left empty because of Covid restrictions contributed to a "perfect storm" of factors.

"Our team of role models were in our first major final for 55 years. However they were let down by a horde of ticketless, drunken and drugged up thugs who chose to abuse innocent, vulnerable and disabled people, as well as police officers, volunteers and Wembley staff," said Lady Casey.

"We are genuinely lucky that there was not much more serious injury or worse, and need to take the toughest possible action against people who think a football match is somehow an excuse to behave like that.

"I am clear that the primary responsibility for what went wrong at Wembley that day lies with those who lost control of their own behaviour."

The Metropolitan Police made 51 arrests connected to the final, 26 of which were made at Wembley, and says its investigation is ongoing.

"Detectives are assessing tens of thousands of hours of CCTV footage, body worn footage and social media clips to identify those responsible for the scenes of disorder," it said in a statement.

In all, there were 90 football-related arrests of England fans at Euro 2020.

Italy beat England on penalties to become European champions.

The review into the disorder on the day also found that:

An England victory in the shootout would have created a "further huge public safety risk" with up to 6,000 people planning to storm the stadium at full-time to celebrate as the gates opened to allow ticket-holders to leave.
There was "a collective failure" among the organisations who staged the final to plan for the "foreseeable risk" of disorder and ticketless fans converging on the stadium.
Alcohol and drugs were a key factor in the disorder as fans arrived at the stadium up to eight hours before the 20:00 BST kick-off.
Planning for the final was hampered by the extra strain placed on authorities by managing the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and the loss of experienced stewards.
The Wembley Stadium safety officer made "significant and exceptionally brave" decisions around unchecked access and locking and re-opening turnstiles, without which there would have "likely" been "considerably more injuries or even fatalities"

What does the review recommend?

In the foreword of her report, Lady Casey says: "One of the saddest parts of this process has been hearing the testimony of FA staff.

"While they did not want the England team to lose that night, such was their concern for what might happen in the event of an England victory, they ended up with a feeling of huge relief at the result.

"In the end the penalty shootout went Italy's way, the rain came down, and the crowds dispersed largely quietly. But we should not lose sight of how close the alternative was. And they should never have had to feel that way anyway."

Lady Casey concluded that "law-abiding fans, our national team and our national game deserve better" and that the events of 11 July "can't be allowed to happen again".

She said the absence of fan zones close to the stadium were "potentially a very significant factor" in the situation spiralling out of control, and that the ban on drinking on London transport was not enforced strictly enough.

The national euphoria and focus on the final made fans gathering and disorder "foreseeable" and "there was a collective failure to plan for the worse-case scenario".

Lady Casey wrote: "Finally, the biggest challenge I lay down is around the culture that led some individuals on the day at Wembley, and in the days after on social media, to choose to behave in this way.

"What makes people believe that it is somehow acceptable to break into a stadium or abuse disabled entrances just because it is a big match or there are spare seats inside?

"Why on earth should black footballers be expected to continue to play for their country amid racist abuse from their own countrymen?"

Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were racially abused on social media after the game.

Lady Casey recommends a series of more general changes to help prevent a repeat:

Empowering authorities to act more strongly against fans using drugs, flares and smoke bombs at matches and around stadiums and entering stadiums without a ticket.
A Football Association campaign to force "a sea-change in attitudes towards supporter behaviours".
Better communication between the agencies overseeing the match and the flow of fans to the stadium.
A new category for football matches "of national significance" to make organisers aware of the unique challenges of such major events.

England have been ordered to play one match behind closed doors and the FA fined 100,000 euros (£84,560) by European football governing body Uefa as punishment for the unrest.

UK Sport has denied that England's possible bid to host the 2030 World Cup has been irrecoverably damaged by the disorder.

What was the reaction?

Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham said that "no event is set up to deal with such disgraceful behaviour from thousands of ticketless fans", but apologised "for the terrible experience that many suffered within Wembley on what should have been a historic night".

"We fully accept the report's findings and there are important learnings for us, as well as other agencies involved," he added. Collectively we must never allow this to happen again."

Lady Casey, speaking to the media after the publication of her report: "There is no easy target going to be had at Wembley again...in fact, there is almost a danger they will over-police it. That message needs to go out to any thug who thinks they can take on Wembley stewards again.

"If it had only been alcohol I don't think people would have been able to sustain themselves. To go from nine in the morning, 12 in the morning, and for 6000 people to stay on those steps, outside for the entire match. I think drugs is a significantly greater issue than probably people have realised."

Metropolitan Police Service Commander Rachel Williams: "I am deeply sorry that so many people who came to enjoy a day of football, were met with unacceptable scenes of disorder.

"This moment of national significance was tarnished by groups of ticketless, anti-social and thuggish football fans who were intent on causing disorder and committing criminal acts. We regret that we were not able to do more to prevent those scenes unfolding."

Julian Knight MP, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee, said: "It is clear that we narrowly averted disaster on a major scale at Wembley. This day of national shame saw the behaviour of drunken and drugged-up thugs put the lives of genuine football fans at serious risk.

"That a collective failure in planning allowed safety breaches on this scale is a grave charge given that the risk was foreseeable.

"We must see action taken by football authorities before we bid for any major tournaments. The DCMS Committee will be monitoring not what is said today but what is done in the weeks and months ahead."

A statement from Brent council said: "We welcome Baroness Casey's detailed and balanced report. This is not about a blame game, this is about learning lessons to ensure that the shocking scenes of Euro Sunday can never be repeated. We will work closely with partners, including the FA and Metropolitan Police, to take forward the recommendations."

Fan accounts: 'One group of 10 mates in our row - all snorting cocaine'

BBC Radio 5 live spoke to several fans after the report was released:

Paul: "It was sort of warzone conditions outside Wembley Park. Broken glass, drunkenness, open drug-taking the likes of which I've never seen before and it was an extremely worrying situation to walk into. It really put a downer on what was going to be a great day.

"With all the issues around the disorder, stewards were diverted to that and there was no searches of bags or anything as you went through the turnstiles. Anything could have been brought in at that point."

Tom: "All the stairs were blocked up, the fire exits were blocked. In our row there ware a group of 10 mates none of them had tickets, all of them were snorting cocaine. It felt very very dangerous."

Tony: "Outside the semi-final was awful as well. That was a lesson that should have been learnt by the authorities to have bolstered security up for the final. It was poor for the semi-final but absolutely diabolical for the final.

"For so many years I've been following England and this was meant to be culmination of all of that but it was just such a let down."

John: "The first thing that we saw that really shocked us - the Covid app had stopped working and people were just flashing their phones [to the stewards]. There was a guy in front of us who showed them an email from Argos, that got him in."

Alistair: "It was clear that the people who were organising security around the game and around Wembley don't understand football.

"The magnitude of the occasion as we progressed further and further through the tournament… Anyone who follows football regularly could see that this was going to happen and yet the security layout was almost identical from those first group games all the way through to the final."

'This was dicey... it was scary'

BBC sports news correspondent Natalie Pirks

I've been to hundreds of matches at Wembley in my two decades of being a sports broadcaster. This was dicey... it was scary. It felt like nothing I've ever experienced before.

I would always have said in the past that I'd take my children to England matches but I was so very glad that they weren't there that day.

It was very evident from about 10am that there were no police around. There were fans that were already drunk and worse, and there was no-one around. It does say in the report the police didn't start getting there until about noon, and at that time there were already a lot of fans on the ground.

From 1pm onwards, given it was an 8pm kick-off, you knew what that would entail in terms of drinking all day - but it was so much worse. Flares going off, drug-taking in the streets, lamp posts being bent over, fighting.

When you go abroad with England, you see certain England fans who are very respectful of the culture, they enjoy being with England and are very respectful generally of the country. The fans that you saw that day are not necessarily those England fans.

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2021-12-03 12:31:26Z
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Storm Arwen: More than 10,000 homes still without power after 'catastrophic damage' to electricity networks - Sky News

More than 10,000 homes across the UK are still without power due to the "catastrophic damage" caused by Storm Arwen a week ago.

Around 10,500 properties remain without electricity, but 99% of homes have now had their power restored, according to the latest figures from the Energy Networks Association (ENA).

As of 9am, more than one million homes have been affected by the damage to electricity networks.

"Power lines have been brought down and poles snapped in half. The energy networks have been responding to over 4,500 individual sites of damage across the country," the ENA said.

"Snow, freezing conditions, high winds, blocked roads and complex, labour-intensive faults are making power restoration extremely challenging."

In Scotland, parts of which have been particularly badly hit by Storm Arwen, a total of 1,600 Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) customers remained without power as of 7am.

Jim Savage, chief executive of Aberdeenshire Council, said SSEN told him it hopes to get the number of customers off power down to 1,000 on Friday, though some may not be reconnected until the weekend.

In a bid to help those who are still off supply, the army has deployed around 130 troops to carry out door-to-door checks and offer welfare support in the north-east of Scotland.

Aberdeenshire Council said in its area, the army will be based out of police stations in Ellon, Turriff, Inverurie and Banchory, with three teams of 10 at each.

Power has been restored to more than 129,000 SSEN customers since Storm Arwen first struck, causing what managing director Chris Burchell described as "catastrophic damage to the electricity network".

The company said properties still without power are mainly located in rural and isolated communities, with Aberdeenshire the main area still affected.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "We are always ready to provide extra support to civil authorities across the UK in their time of need and it's great to see units based in Scotland supporting their local communities.

"Our dedicated armed forces will conduct door-to-door checks on people in their homes, providing essential support to those impacted by Storm Arwen."

In Durham, the county council has said around 100 servicemen and women will be based in Weardale to help local people.

It said the military help follows a request from County Durham and Darlington Local Resilience Forum (LRF) for additional resources.

Northern Powergrid, the electricity distribution network operator for the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, said 6,000 customers remained off supply at 11pm on Thursday.

However, power has been restored to 234,000 others and teams have continued to work through the night and Friday morning.

John Hewitt, chairman of the LRF's strategic coordinating group, said: "We are doing everything we can to support residents who are affected by the disruption to power supplies, from providing emergency supplies to simply checking in to make sure everything is OK."

He added: "We are very grateful to the Ministry of Defence that they have approved our request for support and that we already have troops on the ground helping our communities."

Durham County Council added that troops will also provide updates on work to restore the power supply and gather feedback on any issues of concern.

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2021-12-03 11:53:22Z
1193760787

Euro 2020 final disorder: Ticketless thugs 'could have caused death' at England v Italy game - BBC Sport

Last updated on 1 hour ago.From the section Football

"Ticketless, drunken and drugged-up thugs" could have caused death as they stormed Wembley before the Euro 2020 final, says a review into the disorder.

The report by Baroness Louise Casey said there was a "collective failure" in planning for the match, which about 2,000 people got into illegally.

It noted 17 mass breaches of disabled access gates and emergency fire doors.

Lady Casey said the "appalling scene of disorder" as England played Italy led to a "day of national shame".

The knowledge that about 25,000 of Wembley's 90,000 seats would be left empty because of Covid restrictions contributed to a "perfect storm" of factors.

"I am clear that the primary responsibility for what went wrong at Wembley that day lies with those who lost control of their own behaviour."

Italy beat England on penalties to become European champions.

The review into the disorder on the day also found that:

An England victory in the shootout would have created a "further huge public safety risk" with up to 6,000 people planning to storm the stadium at full-time to celebrate as the gates opened to allow ticket-holders to leave.
There was "a collective failure" among the organisations who staged the final to plan for the "foreseeable risk" of disorder and ticketless fans converging on the stadium.
Alcohol and drugs were a key factor in the disorder as fans arrived at the stadium up to eight hours before the 20:00 BST kick-off.
Planning for the final was hampered by the extra strain placed on authorities by managing the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and the loss of experienced stewards.

What does the review recommend?

In the foreword of her report, Lady Casey says: "One of the saddest parts of this process has been hearing the testimony of FA staff.

Lady Casey concluded that "law-abiding fans, our national team and our national game deserve better" and that the events of 11 July "can't be allowed to happen again".

The national euphoria and focus on the final made fans gathering and disorder "foreseeable" and "there was a collective failure to plan for the worse-case scenario".

"What makes people believe that it is somehow acceptable to break into a stadium or abuse disabled entrances just because it is a big match or there are spare seats inside?

"Why on earth should black footballers be expected to continue to play for their country amid racist abuse from their own countrymen?"

Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were racially abused on social media after the game.

Lady Casey recommends a series of more general changes to help prevent a repeat:

Empowering authorities to act more strongly against fans using drugs, flares and smoke bombs at matches and around stadiums and entering stadiums without a ticket.
A Football Association campaign to force "a sea-change in attitudes towards supporter behaviours".
Better communication between the agencies overseeing the match and the flow of fans to the stadium.
A new category for football matches "of national significance" to make organisers aware of the unique challenges of such major events.

The Metropolitan Police had said that 51 arrests were made connected to the final, with 26 of those made at Wembley. In all, there were 90 football-related arrests of England fans at Euro 2020.

What does the Football Association say?

Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham said that "no event is set up to deal with such disgraceful behaviour from thousands of ticketless fans", but apologised "for the terrible experience that many suffered within Wembley on what should have been a historic night".

"We fully accept the report's findings and there are important learnings for us, as well as other agencies involved," he added.

"Collectively we must never allow this to happen again.

"The lessons learned from this review will ensure that fans have a good experience at major international events at Wembley, as they have for many years."

England have been ordered to play one match behind closed doors and the FA fined 100,000 euros (£84,560) by European football governing body Uefa as punishment for the unrest.

UK Sport has denied that England's possible bid to host the 2030 World Cup has been irrecoverably damaged by the disorder.

'This was dicey... it was scary'

BBC sports news correspondent Natalie Pirks

I've been to hundreds of matches at Wembley in my two decades of being a sports broadcaster. This was dicey... it was scary. It felt like nothing I've ever experienced before.

I would always have said in the past that I'd take my children to England matches but I was so very glad that they weren't there that day.

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Old Bexley and Sidcup: Conservatives retain southeast London seat in by-election prompted by death of MP James Brokenshire - Sky News

The Conservatives have held on to the southeast London seat of Old Bexley and Sidcup after a by-election prompted by the death of MP James Brokenshire in October.

Mr Brokenshire, who represented the area from 2010 until his death from lung cancer, had held the seat with a majority of almost 19,000.

Thursday's by-election, however, was tighter, with local Tory councillor Louie French gaining 11,189 votes, over Labour councillor Daniel Francis, who secured 6,711 votes.

Mr French was deputy leader of Bexley Council from 2018 to 2021, and Mr Francis is a former leader of the council's Labour group.

After his win was announced, Mr French praised his predecessor, saying Mr Brokenshire had "made an enormous impact on everyone who lives here" and promising to "work tirelessly to build on everything he achieved".

He told Sky News: "I'm absolutely delighted to become the first home-grown MP for our local area.

"It's a great privilege, I'm deeply honoured to be wearing the ribbon."

The main issues raised by residents during his campaign had been crime and policing, public transport, and problems with health services such as getting GP appointments.

The by-election turnout was significantly lower than the general election two years ago, with just 34% - 21,788 people - casting a vote.

This was down from the 46,145 votes cast in 2019 - a turnout of almost 70%.

Mr French said that it had been a "cold December night", adding: "When we get back to the usual summer elections, we won't have as many layers on and I think more people will come out to vote for me."

Conservative Party chairman Oliver Dowden told Sky News the by-election outcome was a "good result for a governing party mid-term".

"As you know, governing parties shouldn't expect to do well mid-term," he said. "We actually secured over 50% of the vote in Bexley, and I pay tribute to our excellent candidate and the campaign team there that secured that result.

"This idea that Labour have made some surge ahead is really for the birds. They have actually got about the same vote share as they secured under Jeremy Corbyn in 2017.

"And Keir Starmer couldn't even be bothered to turn up to the by-election, so I'm really not terribly worried about Labour."

Asked about Labour's result in Old Bexley and Sidcup, the party's national campaign co-ordinator, Shabana Mahmood, described the constituency as a "Tory stronghold of long-standing".

"I think what I saw when I was out there campaigning myself is the incompetence of the prime minister and the litany of broken promises are catching up with him, and I think we have seen that reflected in the result," she told Sky News.

"By any measure, and by any by-election standards, a 10.3% swing towards us is an extremely good result for the Labour Party.

"Because we know that if that result was replicated on a uniform swing across the country at a general election, that would put us within touching distance of a majority Labour government.

"So I think the prime minister should be worried because Tory campaigners in that seat will know a true blue Tory heartland like Old Bexley and Sidcup was returning a lot of dissatisfaction with the prime minister and his government."

Standing for the Liberal Democrats was Simone Reynolds, while Jonathan Rooks was representing the Greens and Richard Tice was standing for the Reform Party.

Other candidates included Elaine Cheeseman (English Democrats), Richard Hewison (Rejoin EU), David Kurten (Heritage Party), John Poynton (UKIP), Carol Valinejad (Christian Peoples Alliance), and Mad Mike Young (Official Monster Raving Loony Party).

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2021-12-03 09:00:00Z
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Kamis, 02 Desember 2021

Peter Stefanovic: Boris Johnson talking 'complete boll***s' on Christmas parties - The National

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2021-12-02 15:21:13Z
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Omicron variant: Boris Johnson issues update on Christmas parties - Bournemouth Echo

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Omicron variant: Boris Johnson issues update on Christmas parties Bournemouth Echo
Downing Street Christmas party claims: Playing by the rules? BBC News
Boris Johnson struggles to turn on Downing Street Christmas lights The Independent
COVID 19: Boris Johnson rejects chance to address No 10 Christmas party allegations as Labour call for investigation into the matter Sky News
Johnson insists no rules broken amid claims of 'boozy' Downing Street party Evening Standard
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2021-12-02 15:05:25Z
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