Boris Johnson news – live: Vaccine sceptics called 'nuts' by PM as ministers target junk food ads in obesity crackdown
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Boris Johnson has hit out at anti-vaccination conspiracy theorists, describing them as “nuts”, as he set out his government’s plan for an extra 30 million people to get the flu jab this winter.
The prime minister also called on the public to lose weight this summer, saying it was one of the ways “you can reduce your own risks from Covid”. He is set to propose a ban on TV junk food ads before 9pm in a bid to tackle Britain’s obesity problem.
And in an interview with the BBC, Mr Johnson admitted the UK could have handled the coronavirus pandemic better - saying there were "open questions" over the timing of his decision to send the country into lockdown. He added: "I think it's fair to say that there are things that we need to learn about how we handled it in the early stages”.
It comes exactly a year after Mr Johnson assumed his role in Downing Street, a 365 stretch that has seen him win an outright majority in the commons during the 2019 election, trigger the start of the Brexit process on New Year’s Eve and launch a response to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Elsewhere in a stinging attack on the nation’s readiness to split from Brussels, a former national security adviser claimed ministers are refusing to admit to the threat from terrorists and crime gangs if there is no Brexit deal.
In a report to the House of Lords, Lord Peter Ricketts said “Without a deal, the loss of operational effectiveness for UK law enforcement agencies – including in Northern Ireland – will be profound, undermining modern intelligence led policing and putting the safety of the public at risk.”
And UK and US defence chiefs have accused Russia of launching an anti-satellite space weapon. Defence secretary Ben Wallace claimed Britain remained “deeply vulnerable” to the “weaponising” of space.
Starmer has made Labour ‘competitive’ again, says Blair
Keir Starmer has returned Labour to being a “politically competitive” party which is in a position to win a general election, Tony Blair says.
The former Labour PM praised his successor’s performance in the three months since he won the contest to replace Jeremy Corbyn. He told the PA news agency: “Keir is doing a good job - a very good job actually - and I think he has put Labour back on the map. He has made them competitive again.
“He will know and we all know that there’s a long way to go before a general election and many things to be done.
“But in these months since he has become the leader, he has I think completely changed the image certainly of the Labour leadership amongst the public and he deserves respect and admiration for that.”
Asked if Sir Keir had made Labour a party that can win again, the former PM said: “He has put it in a position where it can.”
Former prime minister Tony Blair (PA)
Anti-vaxxers are ‘nuts’ says Johnson
The prime minister was overheard calling opponents of vaccines as “nuts”, as he warned the coronavirus “could come back again”.
“There’s all these anti-vaxxers now,” said the PM while speaking to nurses at the Tollgate GP surgery in east London.
“They are nuts, they are nuts.”
Fixing social care ‘very, very difficult’, says PM
Boris Johnson also said cross-party proposals on social care will be brought forward in the next few months during his visit to east London.
He told Sky News: “Well, obviously we’re investing massively in social care, in protecting social care, in making sure that people are well looked after in the social care sector, so an overall package of about £3.7 billion has gone to local councils.
“And you know about the social care action plan to stop the spread of Covid, of coronavirus, in social care, which is being very successful.”
Johnson then addressed what he called “the long-term plan for the funding of social care to make sure that people are protected from the risk of having to sell their homes to pay for the possibly exorbitant costs of social care that some people do face”.
He said: “That’s, if I may say, that’s a separate thing. We will be bringing forward proposals.”
He added: “This is something we haven’t been able, as country, to fix for 30 years. It’s a very, very difficult ... but we will be bringing forward cross-party proposals in the next few months.”
PM calls for ‘summer of weight loss’
Boris Johnson has been discussing his anti-obesity drive during a visit to Tollgate Medical Centre in Beckton, east London.
The PM called for a “summer of weight loss” amid anti-obesity drive.
Johnson was asked about suggestions the Government may ban junk food adverts before the watershed, and said: “I’m not normally a believer in nannying ... type of politics.
“Losing weight is, frankly, one of the ways that you can reduce your own risks from Covid.”
Johnson also said he had lost about a stone and a half recently.
PM: Coronavirus crisis will be here until ‘middle of next year’
Boris Johnson has suggested the coronavirus crisis will still be with us in the middle of 2021, as he tried to talk about being over the worst by then.
“I think by the middle of next year, we will be well on the way passed it, but I must be clear with people – I do still think we have tough times ahead in keeping this virus under control and we have tough times ahead in coming through economically.”
He said we should “rely” on the “common sense” of the public to follow the guidelines on face coverings – and said he couldn’t say how long people would have to wear them in shops and public transport.
Greens take control of Brighton council from Labour
Brighton has gone Green after Labour lost its status as the largest party amid antisemitism claims.
The Green group officially took over power on Thursday evening at a time when the city faces a loss of up to £39m as a result of coronavirus.
New council leader Phelim Mac Cafferty said the outlook for local government in the UK “has never been bleaker” but said his party “stand ready to serve the city”.
The change in political control follows the resignation of two members of the council's Labour group and the suspension of another from the party.
The Green group holds 19 of the seats on Brighton & Hove City Council, with the Labour group now on 18.
Where does Johnson stand so far in the pantheon of PMs?
It’s now exactly one year since Boris Johnson took office and vowed to banish “the doomsters, the gloomsters” that were holding back our nation.
Despite the rollercoaster ride over the past 12 months, our associate editor Sean O’Grady thinks this prime minister has done the same as most before him – losing the public’s approval within his first year.
So how does he compare to his predecessors? Read more here:
£100,000 raised for ‘legal fund’ for Jeremy Corbyn
Campaigners have contributed more than £100,000 to a “legal fund” for ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as he faces being sued by Panorama presenter John Ware.
The GoFundMe page was created on Wednesday, shortly after Corbyn had criticised the Labour’s decision to pay “substantial damages” to former party employees who took part in the BBC programme’s expose on antisemitism claims under his leadership.
Ware, who made the programme, is said to be taking legal action after Corbyn’s claim that the Labour payout “risks giving credibility to misleading and inaccurate allegations”.
The crowdfunding campaign attracted huge support via social media. The page reads: “The relentless attacks on Mr Corbyn, a man of integrity, honesty and humility cannot be allowed to continue and we have an opportunity here to offer him support in a practical way.
“It will also let him know that his supporters have not forgotten him, nor have they gone away.”
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (PA)
‘Boris Johnson is good at being lucky’
Our chief political commentator John Rentoul says Boris Johnson, however fortunate, has shown remarkable personal and political resilience. The PM’s approval ratings in opinion polls have fallen back, but he remains “relatively popular” for a midterm leader, he writes.
Read more here:
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