Boris Johnson news – live: PM condemns Wiley’s ‘abhorrent’ antisemitic remarks, as No 10 announces crackdown on junk food
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Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson has said he was “too fat” before his illness with coronavirus, as the prime minister announced moves to ban junk food ads before 9pm, end buy-one-get-one-free deals and put calorie numbers on restaurant menus.
Health experts have welcomed the campaign, but warned that chancellor Rishi Sunak’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ initiative – which sees fast food outlets giving the public 50 per cent off meals during August – will undermine the weight loss drive.
It came as Mr Johnson's spokesperson said the prime minister believes rapper Wiley’s string of antisemitic tweets were “abhorrent” and thinks Twitter’s response was “not good enough”.
Spain wants to rebuild trust after UK drops it from safe list
Spain is working on regaining confidence and convincing other countries that its coronavirus outbreak is under control, a minister has said after the UK imposed a quarantine on holidaymakers returning from the country.
“We know that we are sailing through waters whose maps and characteristics are unknown to us, what we have to do is to regain that confidence and that element of security that is essential for the tourist activity,” agriculture minister Luis Planas told Antena 3 TV station.
The Spanish government is trying to convince Britain that it should at least exclude the Balearic and Canary islands, whose infection rates are very low, from the measure.
It follows remarks by foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said on Sunday insisting that: “Spain is safe, it is safe for Spaniards, it is safe for tourists.”
She added that her government would take measures regarding other countries if needed, based on epidemilogic data, but that there would be no tit-for-tat retaliation taking place.
Government first case of ‘very rare’ coronavirus infection in pet cat
The virus responsible for Covid-19 has been detected in a pet cat in the UK for the first time.
“Tests conducted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency have confirmed that the virus responsible for Covid-19 has been detected in a pet cat in England,” said chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss.
“This is a very rare event with infected animals detected to date only showing mild clinical signs and recovering within in a few days.”
Although this is the first confirmed case of an animal infection with the coronavirus strain in the UK, there is no evidence to suggest that the animal was involved in transmission of the disease to its owners or that pets or other domestic animals are able to transmit the virus to people.
Cat infection ‘spread from humans to animal’, says chief medical officer
Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England (PHE), has offered her thoughts on the cat in England contacting coronavirus.
“This is the first case of a domestic cat testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK but should not be a cause for alarm,” she said.
“The investigation into this case suggest that the infection was spread from humans to animal, and not the other way round. At this time, there is no evidence that pets can transmit the disease to humans.
“In line with the general advice on fighting coronavirus, you should wash your hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals.”
Peers question why environment has become ‘stumbling block’ in Brexit negotiations
A lack of trust and mixed signals from the government risk hampering a UK-EU agreement on the environment, it has been claimed. Peers in the House of Lords said that a failure to find common ground on setting an environmental level playing field could be “critical”.
The UK-EU political declaration, agreed in October 2019, included commitments not to reduce environmental and climate protection and ensure a “level playing field” of common high standards.
In a letter to environment secretary George Eustice, peers on the Lords’ EU environment sub-committee said that the government must build trust with the EU by strengthening its Environment Bill – and working with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on shared ambitions.
Lord Teverson, chair of the committee, said that there is room for an agreement which would not restrict the UK. “The environmental level playing field still appears to be a stumbling block in negotiations,” he said.
“The UK and EU have similarly ambitious aspirations so it should be possible to find common ground. Failure to reach an agreement could have a critical impact.”
Government should guarantee sick pay for returning holidaymakers, says union
TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady has called for sick pay to be increased and said “no one should suffer financially for following official advice to quarantine”.
She added: “It’s not holidaymakers’ fault that the guidance has changed. Wherever possible, employers should do the right thing and pay quarantined workers their full pay.
“The government must also make it clear that people who can’t work from home during quarantine will be eligible for statutory sick pay.
“And they should increase sick pay from £95 a week to at least the level of the 'real living wage’ of £320 a week. In addition, ministers should change the law to stop employers from sacking quarantined workers.”
PM criticises Wiley’s antisemitic comments as ‘abhorrent’
Boris Johnson regards rapper Wiley’s string of antisemitic tweets as “abhorrent” and believes Twitter’s response was “not good enough”, the prime minister’s official spokesman has said.
Several MPs have joined a 48-hour “walkout” to protest the company’s slow action to remove the splurge of antisemitic tweets, while home secretary Priti Patel said she has asked for a “full explanation” from both Twitter and Instagram about why the rapper’s comments were allowed to remain on his accounts for 12 hours.
Quarantined workers ‘may be entitled for Universal Credit’ says No 10
Downing Street has warned that “no travel is risk-free” during the pandemic, as the prime minister’s official spokesman confirmed that other countries could follow Spain in seeing the re-imposition of quarantines.
The PM’s official spokesman reiterated that the government expects employers to be “flexible” in allowing staff to work from home while self-isolating.
He said holidaymakers who miss out on work because of the quarantine period may be eligible for Universal Credit or employment support allowance – but not statutory sick pay.
“If there are people who need urgent support then they may be entitled to the new-style employment support allowance or Universal Credit.”
In the worst-case scenario, Downing Street said workers who lose their jobs because they are quarantining after returning from Spain could appeal to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).
Grant Shapps won’t be exempt from quarantine, No 10 confirms
Transport secretary Grant Shapps will not be exempt from the quarantine provisions when he returns from his Spanish holiday.
“The same rules apply to ministers as they do anyone else,” the PM’s official spokesman said.
Downing Street indicated Shapps remained in touch with his officials. “The transport secretary is in touch with his department,” the spokesman said. “He was involved in the decision-making process.”
Grant Shapps faces quarantine (Getty)
No mixed messages on unhealthy food, says No 10
Downing Street denied that it was sending out mixed messages by clamping down on “buy one, get one free” promotions on unhealthy products while also launching a scheme for discounts on meals out which will include fast food restaurants.
“The Eat Out To Help Out scheme applies to all restaurants and people will be able to choose a range of healthy options from the menus if they are trying to lose weight,” the prime minister’s official spokesman said.
The scheme is aimed at protecting jobs in a sector “hit very hard by the coronavirus pandemic”.
Spain suggests islands could be excluded from UK quarantine rule
Spanish officials have said they are in talks with the UK government about making the Canary and Balearic Islands exempt from the UK’s newly-imposed 14-day self-isolation rules.
Current guidance advises against all non-essential travel to mainland Spain, but the Canary and Balearic Islands are exempt from the warning.
Reyes Maroto, Spain’s tourism minister, said on Monday there had been “conversations since the weekend” between the two countries on dropping the quarantine for the islands.
Our reporter, Matt Mathers, has the full story below:
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