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.
Food and Drink Federation hits out at government's reported junk food-fighting plans
The food and advertising industries have condemned the Government's "illogical" reported plans to curb junk food advertising in the fight against obesity.
It is thought that ministers could soon announce reforms on snack promotions and ban junk food adverts from the TV before the 9pm watershed and entirely from digital platforms.
The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) said that, if true, the proposals reported in the Financial Times on Friday would be a "slap in the face" to an industry already struggling with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
The organisation's boss, Tim Rycroft, said: "With household budgets more stretched than ever before, restrictions on promotions and advertising will increase the price of food, reduce consumer choice and threaten jobs and investment across the UK at a precarious economic time."
Boris Johnson’s first year as PM has been worse than the wildest of nightmares | Tom Peck
"It is a year since Boris Johnson stood outside the door of 10 Downing Street as prime minister and shouted a curling word salad into the skies" - Tom Peck writes.
He adds: "A year since he spoke of his plan for social care that was “ready to go”.
"Traditionally, at this point, the columnist points out that the plan did not, in fact, exist."
Read more of his take on the year that was below:
Barclay - Extra funding for Scotland means more fiscal powers not needed
An extra £1.9 billion of Covid-19 funding from Westminster should ensure Scotland does not need more fiscal powers, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has said.
Steve Barclay said the uplift, which has seen a total of £3.7 billion handed to the devolved nations, was in response to a request from the Scottish Government.
Mr Barclay said: "What the Scottish Government said is that they wanted greater flexibility to be able to deal with some of the uncertainty of the pressures from Covid and they gave us an estimate as to what that cost would be.
"We've listened to that and we've responded with something that's not been done before, which is giving that in-year clarity as to the additional Covid funding for the rest of the year."
Dominic Cummings sent Emily Maitlis 'message of support' after Newsnight monologue
Emily Maitlis has revealed that she received a “text of support” from Dominic Cummings following her Newsnight monologue.
The presenter divided audiences in May after introducing an episode of the political programme with a speech claiming that Cummings had “broken the rules”, after he drove from London to County Durham at the height of lockdown.
But, while the segment generated nearly 24,000 complaints to the BBC, Maitlis told Tatler that she received a text from the Prime Minister’s political advisor after the broadcast.
More below:
Jess Phillips: Boris Johnson thinks he’s a comedian. There's nothing funny about his lack of leadership
A year of Boris Johnson is a difficult thing to judge - Labour MP Jess Philips writes.
"In normal times it probably wouldn’t be, but we are, in case you hadn’t noticed, in the grip of a global pandemic.
"It is hard to look at the situation that the country is in and see if it is better, worse or the same as a year ago, when everything has changed."
More from her on Mr Johnson's first year below:
Breaking: PM admits government 'could have done things differently' over coronavirus
Boris Johnson has admitted that the government didn’t understand coronavirus in the early stages of the pandemic and 'there were things we could have done differently'.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the BBC’s Political Editor, Laura Kuenssberg, the prime minister said: “We didn’t understand (the virus) in the way that we would have liked in the first few weeks and months."
"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," he adds.
Asked what he thought the mistakes were, he said he took "full responsibility" for what happened.
However he said he was focused on preparing for a resurgence of the virus, adding: "There will be plenty of opportunities to learn the lessons of what happened.”
Asked whether there were delays in implementing a lockdown and other measures such as the mask order, the prime minister initially said the government followed scientific advice.
He eventually admitted: "Maybe there were things we could have done differently and of course there will be time to understand what exactly we could have done, or done differently."
'We all need to be fitter and healthier'
Boris Johnson also said his own brush with coronavirus had strengthened his resolve to tackle obesity in Britain.
Speaking to BBC News, the prime minister said: "I was very lucky and I had fantastic doctors and nurses in the NHS.
"One thing, by the way, that I think did make a difference - for me and for quite a few others - and this is an issue that we're raising today - is the issue, frankly, of being overweight.
"And that's why we need to tackle our national struggle with obesity.
"So you asked about my own personal circumstances, and one of the lessons I drew from that is the need for us all to be fitter and healthier.
"And if we're fitter and healthier by the way, we will also be happier.
"And - and here's the key thing - if we're fitter and healthier, and if we lose weight, we'll be better able not just to individually withstand coronavirus, but we'll do a great deal to protect the NHS - and that's why we'll be bringing forward an obesity strategy."
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