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SAJID Javid confirmed England WON'T unlock early on July 5 - as he urged Brits to hang on three more weeks for Freedom Day.
Making his first appearance in the Commons on Monday, the new Health Secretary said the Government will look to scrap the majority of restrictions on July 19.
The new Health Secretary ripped up the doomster handbook left by disgraced predecessor Matt Hancock, saying it was his “immediate priority” to end the restrictions.
The former Chancellor ripped up cushy consultancy jobs worth over £300,000 a year to become the people’s freedom fighter.
The business champion turned healthcare chief is well aware of the crippling effect of the pandemic restrictions on the nation’s economy.
Read our Coronavirus blog below for the latest news and updates...
UK DELTA VARIANT CASES RISE 46% IN A WEEK
Cases of the Delta variant which was first identified in India have risen 46% in a week across the UK, new figures show.
Public Health England said there had been 35,204 more cases since last week.
This week, 514 people were admitted to hospital in England with Covid-19, where reports show 304 were unvaccinated.
Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said: “Through the success of our vaccination programme, data suggest we have begun to break the link between cases and hospitalisations. This is hugely encouraging news, but we cannot become complacent.
“Two doses of vaccine are far more effective against Covid-19 than a single dose, so please make sure that you come forward to get your second dose as soon as you are invited.
“Whilst vaccines provide excellent protection, they do not provide total protection, so it is still as important as ever that we continue to exercise caution.”
GRANT SHAPPS SAYS QUARANTINE FREE TRAVEL FOR BRITS WITH TWO JABS WON’T BE READY FOR FREEDOM DAY
Travel to amber countries won’t be relaxed for double-jabbed Brits in time for Freedom Day on July 19, Grant Shapps admitted today.
With holiday hopes taking a blow, a blow the Transport Secretary said it will be “complicated” to exempt the fully vaccinated from quarantine.
When asked about that prospect today, Mr Shapps replied: “It’s unfortunately more complicated than that.
“One of the very big areas is what do you do if children are not going to be getting vaccinations?
“So we’ll probably focus in phase one on UK people who’ve been double vaccinated, and what that means for their travel into other areas.”
BRITAIN REACHES NEW VACCINE MILESTONE WITH HALF OF UNDER-30S VACCINATED
Half of all adults aged under 30 in England will have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by today, the NHS has reported.
Over 4.2 million people aged between 18 and 29 have received a jab in the three weeks after the vaccination programme was opened up to those in their twenties.
Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: "It's fantastic to see so many young people coming forward for their jabs, doing their bit to protect themselves and their loved ones."
It comes as hundreds of "grab a jab" walk-in vaccination sites opened doors, including football stadiums and shopping centres.
The sites were designed to boost uptake of the coronavirus vaccine amid rising case numbers fuelled by the Delta and Delta Plus variant.
UK DELTA VARIANT CASES RISE 46% IN A WEEK
Cases of the Delta variant which was first identified in India have risen 46% in a week across the UK, new figures show.
Public Health England said there had been 35,204 more cases since last week.
This week, 514 people were admitted to hospital in England with Covid-19, where reports show 304 were unvaccinated.
Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said: "Through the success of our vaccination programme, data suggest we have begun to break the link between cases and hospitalisations. This is hugely encouraging news, but we cannot become complacent.
"Two doses of vaccine are far more effective against Covid-19 than a single dose, so please make sure that you come forward to get your second dose as soon as you are invited.
"Whilst vaccines provide excellent protection, they do not provide total protection, so it is still as important as ever that we continue to exercise caution."
GRANT SHAPPS SAYS QUARANTINE FREE TRAVEL FOR BRITS WITH TWO JABS WON’T BE READY FOR FREEDOM DAY
Travel to amber countries won’t be relaxed for double-jabbed Brits in time for Freedom Day on July 19, Grant Shapps admitted today.
With holiday hopes taking a blow, a blow the Transport Secretary said it will be “complicated” to exempt the fully vaccinated from quarantine.
When asked about that prospect today, Mr Shapps replied: “It’s unfortunately more complicated than that.
“One of the very big areas is what do you do if children are not going to be getting vaccinations?
“So we’ll probably focus in phase one on UK people who’ve been double vaccinated, and what that means for their travel into other areas.”
LOOSE WOMEN’S NADIA SAWALHA GOES OFF ON MATT HANCOCK IN SWEARY RANT, SAYING HER ‘HEART BREAKS’ FOR FAMILIES OF COVID VICTIMS
Nadia Sawalha launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock following the shocking revelation of Matt’s rule-breaking affair.
The Loose Women star took to social media to compare the actions of Boris Johnson to those of North Korea, Russia and China.
Nadia, 56, said: “I am sure we will still be expected to stick to all the rules and make our teenagers stick to all the rules, and our kids stick to all the rules, while these f***ers continually break them.
“I don’t give a damn if anyone out of the government breaks a rule, it’s none of my business, I don’t care.
“But when the guy who stood on that podium week after week – with his family values face, and with his doing the right thing and pull together message – is groping someone who he has given a contract to in his ministerial office and the prime minister yet again comes out and says I accept his apology and the case is now closed.”
Read the full story here
FURLOUGH RULES CHANGE THIS WEEK - HOW WILL IT AFFECT YOUR INCOME?
Bosses must start chipping in towards furlough payments for staff from July, here is what it means for your wages.
The furlough scheme pays workers 80% of wages for hours not worked, up to £2,500 a month, supporting millions of workers during the pandemic, but the way it is funded is set to change.
Almost 9 million workers were furloughed in May 2020 and this has dropped to 4.2 million.
From Thursday, the level of government support will reduce to 70% up to a maximum of £2,187.50 for hours not worked.
But the government is keeping the 80% rule so employers will have to top-up the remaining 10% up to £312.50 to receive the support.
Read the full story here
GREEK PM WANTS DOUBLE JABBED BRITS TO HOLIDAY AND SLAMS EU THREATS
Greece's Prime Minister has slammed EU threats to slap a holiday ban on Brits — and he vowed to get double-jabbed tourists on to his beaches.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis lashed out at France and Germany for plotting to try to bar UK families from all 27 countries across the bloc.
He told Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel they should focus on getting jabs in arms and butt out of people’s holiday plans.
Siding with Spain and Portugal in the holiday wars, Mr Mitsotakis came out swinging.
He said: “We should not adopt a logic of new restrictions but, on the contrary, accelerate the vaccinations. Those who have been vaccinated are protected, those who have not are in danger.”
GREEK PM WANTS DOUBLE JABBED BRITS TO HOLIDAY AND SLAMS EU THREATS
Greece's Prime Minister has slammed EU threats to slap a holiday ban on Brits — and he vowed to get double-jabbed tourists on to his beaches.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis lashed out at France and Germany for plotting to try to bar UK families from all 27 countries across the bloc.
He told Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel they should focus on getting jabs in arms and butt out of people’s holiday plans.
Siding with Spain and Portugal in the holiday wars, Mr Mitsotakis came out swinging.
He said: “We should not adopt a logic of new restrictions but, on the contrary, accelerate the vaccinations. Those who have been vaccinated are protected, those who have not are in danger.”
WHAT IS THE GREEN WATCH LIST?
Grant Shapps admitted that the majority of the countries that were added to the UK's list are now on the green "watch list" as their "marginal" figures could soon cause them to be downgraded.
Mr Shapps said sun-starved Brits should be aware that "things might change quickly" and make sure they have full insurance before booking a trip abroad.
And he suggested only those who have "flexibility" in their summer plans should go ahead and plan a foreign holiday this summer.
WHAT COUNTRIES ARE ON THE GREEN 'WATCH LIST'?
The countries on UK's "watch list" are:
- Anguila
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Balearic Islands
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- British Antartic Territory
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Dominica
- Grenada
- Madeira
- Montserrat
- Pitcairn Islands
- Turks and Caicos Island
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS PLEA FOR TUITION FEE REFUND AS THEY FACE THIRD YEAR TEACHING ONLINE
University students are calling for a refund of tuition fees as they face another year of online learning.
Most universities are planning on offering a mix of in-person seminars and online lectures when term begins in September, research by the found.
It will be the third year in a row students will have to participate in online learning after education centres were forced to close during the first Covid-lockdown in March 2020.
Courses can cost up to £9,250 a year - or £27,750 over three years - for face-to-face learning and access to physical university resources, such as libraries and science labs.
On top of this, many students take out a maintenance loan to support them living away while they study.
ANDREW MARR SAYS HE HAD 'NASTY' BOUT OF COVID DESPITE BEING DOUBLE JABBED
BBC presenter Andrew Marr suffered with a "nasty" bout of Covid - despite being double-jabbed, he told viewers this morning.
Before speaking to the expert, he thanked Nick Robinson for taking his place on the show last week, and said: "I had a bit of Covid last week, despite being double-jabbed, and very nasty it was too."
The symptoms were akin to a "summer cold", he said.
And Marr then told Sir Peter: "I hope it's not self-indulgent to ask you about me, because I got coronavirus last week.
"I’d been double-jabbed earlier in the spring and felt, if not king of the world, at least almost entirely immune. And yet I got it. Was I just unlucky?"
LOOSE WOMEN’S NADIA SAWALHA GOES OFF ON MATT HANCOCK IN SWEARY RANT, SAYING HER ‘HEART BREAKS’ FOR FAMILIES OF COVID VICTIMS
Nadia Sawalha launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock following the shocking revelation of Matt’s rule-breaking affair.
The Loose Women star took to social media to compare the actions of Boris Johnson to those of North Korea, Russia and China.
Nadia, 56, said: “I am sure we will still be expected to stick to all the rules and make our teenagers stick to all the rules, and our kids stick to all the rules, while these f***ers continually break them.
“I don’t give a damn if anyone out of the government breaks a rule, it’s none of my business, I don’t care.
“But when the guy who stood on that podium week after week – with his family values face, and with his doing the right thing and pull together message – is groping someone who he has given a contract to in his ministerial office and the prime minister yet again comes out and says I accept his apology and the case is now closed.”
Read the full story here
MATT HANCOCK ADMITS ‘I’VE BREACHED SOCIAL DISTANCING’ BUT DOESN’T APOLOGISE TO WIFE AS HE BREAKS SILENCE OVER AFFAIR
Matt Hancock has broken his silence to admit he “breached social distancing rules” – but failed to apologise to his wife of 15 years after his explosive affair was revealed by The Sun.
The Health Secretary, 42, refused to resign and instead said he “has let people down and is very sorry” as he faces calls to be sacked by Boris Johnson for his brazen steamy clinch in Whitehall.
CCTV images published this morning showed him passionately kissing his aide – with the dad-of-three shamelessly asking for “privacy on this personal matter” just hours later.
And he admitted he had “broken social distancing rules” after lecturing the country on coronavirus regulations throughout the pandemic.
In his very short statement, in which he failed to apologise to his wife or acknowledge his behaviour, he said: “I accept that I breached the social distancing guidance in these circumstances.
“I have let people down and am very sorry. I remain focused on working to get the country out of this pandemic, and would be grateful for privacy for my family on this personal matter.”
BORIS JOHNSON COULD WELCOME MATT HANCOCK BACK AS HE SAYS HIS ‘CONTRIBUTION IS FAR FROM OVER’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears to have hinted Matt Hancock could return to the Government because his “contribution is far from over” — despite slamming him as “useless” in a text.
The embattled Health Secretary quit his role on Saturday, a day after humiliating footage of his romantic clinch with a senior aide was published by The Sun.
But praise comes after he branded Mr Hancock “totally f***ing hopeless” in bombshell WhatsApps released by ex No10 aide Dominic Cummings.
Mr Johnson later appeared to denounce efforts to procure PPE as a “disaster” and suggested Mr Hancock be stripped of responsibility.
But despite the messages, Mr Johnson this week refused to sack his Health Secretary, with his spokesman saying the PM considered the matter closed after receiving the West Suffolk MP’s apology yesterday.
HUNDREDS QUEUE FOR JAB AS VACCINE CENTRES AND STADIUMS OPEN THEIR DOORS TO WALK-IN PATIENTS
Adults across England will be able to "grab a jab" this weekend as hundreds of walk-in vaccine centres open up to the public.
Anyone over 18 can now turn up to their local vaccination clinic without a booking and get a jab.
The latest stage of the government's roll out sees football stadiums, theatres, supermarket car parks and shopping centres turned into makeshift centres.
Edgebaston Stadium in Birmingham, Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and Vertu Motors Arena, home to Newcastle Eagles basketball team, are just a few major sporting arenas opening their doors.
Buses offering Covid jabs will also operate in Bolton, Dudley, Colchester, and Ipswich.
CONTINUED: UK WEDDING RESTRICTIONS GOT LOOSENED FOR THOSE ABOUT TO TIE THE KNOT
Anselm Guise is the owner and manager of wedding and events venue Elmore Court, in Gloucestershire. He has been busy preparing for a number of weddings in the coming weeks.
He says: “We host around 130 weddings a year and we’ve got a few weddings booked over the next month, so there was a lot of relief that we could increase guest numbers up from 30. It means couples can invite everyone they were hoping to, which is fantastic.
“Thankfully, we’ve got a lot of space here. In the main hall we can safely host 94 people for the ceremony. We are also thinking of extending our ceremony room into the adjacent dining area, so that couples with more guests can still have their loved ones there for the actual wedding.
“We’ll be serving food and drink to guests sitting down, and closing the dance floor after the couple’s first dance. But when it comes to mingling, as long as we provide a Covid-safe venue, the guests are being asked to assess further risks themselves – we won’t be stopping people from hugging!"
Read the full story here
NHS SOUNDS ALARM OVER RISE IN UK COVID PATIENTS ON VENTILATORS
The NHS is under ‘huge pressure’ as people in ventilator beds increase 41% during last week, NHS bosses say.
The deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said the number of Covid patients in hospital on ventilation beds had increased by 41% in the last week to , which she said was a strong indication Covid was having an impact on health services.
Cordery told BBC Breakfast: “Trusts on the frontline are really coming under huge pressure … they have plans in place to tackle the backlog, but with more Covid cases and demand for emergency care going up, that’s really challenging.”Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Prof Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London, said this and other surveillance data were “encouraging”, despite rising case numbers. Lower hospitalisations and death rates relative to case numbers prove the high effectiveness of vaccines in protecting people from serious illness, he said.
NHS SOUNDS ALARM OVER RISE IN UK COVID PATIENTS ON VENTILATORS
The NHS is under ‘huge pressure’ as people in ventilator beds increase 41% during last week, NHS bosses say.
The deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said the number of Covid patients in hospital on ventilation beds had increased by 41% in the last week to , which she said was a strong indication Covid was having an impact on health services.
Cordery told BBC Breakfast: “Trusts on the frontline are really coming under huge pressure … they have plans in place to tackle the backlog, but with more Covid cases and demand for emergency care going up, that’s really challenging.”Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Prof Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London, said this and other surveillance data were “encouraging”, despite rising case numbers. Lower hospitalisations and death rates relative to case numbers prove the high effectiveness of vaccines in protecting people from serious illness, he said.
MATT HANCOCK ADMITS ‘I’VE BREACHED SOCIAL DISTANCING’ BUT DOESN’T APOLOGISE TO WIFE AS HE BREAKS SILENCE OVER AFFAIR
Matt Hancock has today broken his silence to admit he “breached social distancing rules” – but failed to apologise to his wife of 15 years after his explosive affair was revealed by The Sun.
The Health Secretary, 42, refused to resign and instead said he “has let people down and is very sorry” as he faces calls to be sacked by Boris Johnson for his brazen steamy clinch in Whitehall.
CCTV images published this morning showed him passionately kissing his aide – with the dad-of-three shamelessly asking for “privacy on this personal matter” just hours later.
And he admitted he had “broken social distancing rules” after lecturing the country on coronavirus regulations throughout the pandemic.
In his very short statement, in which he failed to apologise to his wife or acknowledge his behaviour, he said: “I accept that I breached the social distancing guidance in these circumstances.
“I have let people down and am very sorry. I remain focused on working to get the country out of this pandemic, and would be grateful for privacy for my family on this personal matter.”
LOVE ISLAND’S IAIN STIRLING WON’T BE TRAVELLING TO MAJORCA THIS YEAR AHEAD OF TRAVEL RESTRICTION FEARS
Due to everchanging rules and regulations regarding travel, the narrator of the hit reality show will stay in the capital while he sets the scene for all the fans at home.
In a recent chat with Loose Women, Kaye Adams asked if he will head to Majorca to narrate the show, Iain replied: “We are in London, I think, now, this is the thing with , I never want to say anything because you never know, who knows what’s going to happen.
“I don’t know what colour Majorca is going to be next week, it will be tartan by the time I’m done with it!”
Expanding on Iain’s absence from Majorca during Love Island, Jane Moore said: “That would be such a shame because when we watch the show we think you do five minutes in the booth and then you’re sunbathing all day, but I know it’s not easy.”
Iain said: “Me and my friend Mark, we write the show together, and we definitely get to the stage where say a couple have been together three of fours weeks, you run out of ways of introducing them.”
MALTA TO ONLY ALLOW FULLY VACCINATED BRITS TO ENTER WITHOUT QUARANTINE AFTER UK GREEN LIST
Malta will only allow fully vaccinated Brits to enter without quarantine after UK green list addition.
Malta will only allow fully jabbed Brits to enter without quarantine after holidays to the island were given the green light.
Earlier this week, Malta was added to the UK's green list - thanks to its low daily Covid case rate and high number of vaccinations.
But the country announced tighter restrictions for UK holidaymakers less than 24 hours after it was added to our green list.
They said that Brits who have not received both jabs will have to quarantine upon arrival.
This means that those who arrive in Malta on June 30 or after will have to quarantine for up to 14 days if they cannot prove they have had two doses.
GREEK PM WANTS DOUBLE JABBED BRITS TO HOLIDAY AND SLAMS EU THREATS
Greece's Prime Minister has slammed EU threats to slap a holiday ban on Brits — and he vowed to get double-jabbed tourists on to his beaches.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis lashed out at France and Germany for plotting to try to bar UK families from all 27 countries across the bloc.
He told Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel they should focus on getting jabs in arms and butt out of people’s holiday plans.
Siding with Spain and Portugal in the holiday wars, Mr Mitsotakis came out swinging.
He said: “We should not adopt a logic of new restrictions but, on the contrary, accelerate the vaccinations. Those who have been vaccinated are protected, those who have not are in danger.”
PLANS FOR A CABINET RESHUFFLE ARE BEING BROUGHT FORWARD AS HANCOCK TO BE GIVEN A ‘DIGNIFIED’ DEPARTURE FROM HIS JOB.
We exclusively revealed the Health Secretary’s affair with aide Gina Coladangelo, including how they were caught on camera snogging on May 6.
Conservative sources have claimed that the Health Secretary could be given a lower-profile role after a number of high profile scandals.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been considering a reshuffle for months, and had decided recently to postpone it until the autumn.
But it could be brought forward to early next month, allowing the Prime Minister to move Hancock as soon as possible.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, a Tory MP said: “I think you will see the Prime Minister bring forward his reshuffle quite quickly now.
“Hancock doesn’t want to quit and the PM doesn’t want to sack him, but it is quite clear that a dignified way has to be found to move him on.”
Read the full story here