Why is it that pubs and restaurants cannot open at the same time as “non-essential” shops? Matt Hancock has been ordered to the High Court to justify this decision, following legal action by Sacha Lord and Hugh Osmond. The Telegraph has the story.
Matt Hancock has been ordered to the High Court on Tuesday to justify why he is allowing non-essential shops to open before pubs and restaurants.
The legal action has been brought by nightclubs operator Sacha Lord and Pizza Express founder Hugh Osmond to try to force the early opening of hospitality venues.
According to High Court documents seen by the Telegraph the pair are challenging “the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Steps) (England) Regulations 2021 to the extent that those Regulations provide for non-essential retail businesses to reopen before indoor hospitality businesses”.
The order from Mr Justice Swift says that “the Secretary of State shall by 10am on Tuesday April 6th, 2021 file and serve his response to the application” from the pair.
Although Mr Hancock has been summoned to the High Court, it is likely that officials in his department will have to attend court on his behalf.
“Non essential” shops will be able to open from April 12th, while indoor hospitality businesses will have to remain closed until at least May 17th. Mr Osmond has said that this case offers “some hope… for those of us who cherish British freedom and who crave a return to rational and democratic governing”. He continued:
In a democracy, evidence and rationality should still matter, and so too should transparency, challenge and accountability.
Government has been given an easy ride in Parliament with the official Opposition being nowhere to be seen.
This has led to arbitrariness, randomness and a complete lack of logic in the rules, and we’re starting to see it being accompanied by something even more sinister: an arrogance, and a sense that ministers are above scrutiny.
The Government left us no choice but to take it to court and regardless of the eventual outcome of the case, I am grateful to Mr Justice Swift (whose name seems so apt) for recognising that this is a truly urgent matter affecting the lives of millions of people, that simply cannot wait.
The Telegraph’s report is worth reading in full.
Stop Press: Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, has congratulated Sacha Lord and Hugh Osmond on Twitter for forcing the Health Secretary to justify opening non-essential businesses, but not indoor hospitality businesses, in court.
I’ve never understood why shops are seen as lower risk than pubs & restaurants.
— Andy Burnham (@AndyBurnhamGM) April 3, 2021
1. It’s harder to maintain distancing in shops
2. Opening hospitality reduces gatherings in homes
I might be wrong & that’s why we need to see the evidence.
Well done @Sacha_Lord & @hughosmondhttps://t.co/wNkOX2EI9v
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Well Done Hugh and Sacha. Had the priviledge of hearing Hugh talking on Planet Normal recently, he speaks for many and took no prisoners. A man to be appaulded. This is a step in the right direction., at least the Judge is prepared to listen. Baby steps but at least they are being heard. Look forward to hearing that the Government are found to be at fault (again). Good luck guys. Look forward to a positive update soon.
Looking forward to the day when Hancock is summoned to the International Criminal Court in the Hague for crimes against humanity.
And he should be accompanied by BoJo, (dim) Whitty, Vallance, Ferguson and every negligent MP that has allowed this disgusting man to act unchallenged for over a year.
Yes – I have fantasies too! Sadly, I fear not.
I contacted them last year.
They replied and said at that time there was not enough evidence to proceed with a crimes against humanity investigation but they would keep my letter on file in case more evidence came to light.
Feel free to use the reference OTP-CR-465/20 when you contact them:
OTP.InformationDesk@icc-cpi.int
It will be the first visit of many by him and his co-conspirators.
Best news ever, better than all the Easter chocolate and this is from a chocoholic.
Look at that lying face, ID/Control is the narrow window a low mortality virus has given them
Is Burnham saying he wants non essential businesses to remain closed as well?
Not very bright, that Burnham bloke. Most people don’t hang around in shops for hours.
No, BUT the average density is not far off: as one set of people leave shops, another set enters and, hence, cumulative close encounters per unit of time will be similar!
Is it an over-statement to say that Matt Hancock has been summoned to the High Court on Tuesday? I don’t know the background, but isn’t this no more than that an urgent application has been made for judicial review, and Swift J has (in the usual way with urgent applications) required a prompt response. Is Hancock’s presence (or anyone else’s) required? or simply the lodging of a defence?
I started sending FOI requests and e-mails in May 2020 and amongst others I have contacted:
Not one reply ever supplied any valid scientific evidence, not even under Freedom of information requests.
What little they did supply had either already been ripped to shreds by independent scientists or I could easily debunk it it was so laughably implausible.
The town and borough council said “speak to the county council”.
The county council said “speak to central Government”.
Central Government replied “we have nothing to tell you as we have no evidence”.
The person who dealt with my request at the Northern Ireland Assembly even telephoned me and apologised to me for not being able to find any evidence to support their stance and actions and was very embarrassed by this admission.
Wow!! Well done you!! This is news that the BBC should be shouting from the rooftops! Oh wait, I forgot, it’s the British Brainwashing Corporation, so they’ll never touch this sort of truth with a bargepole. Do you have a template that the rest of us could use to base similar FOI requests on (I have never previously done one). Perhaps if a lot more of us follow your lead and bombard all the ‘powers that be’ with such requests, it might help end this madness faster!
They forgot to say speak to WHO and the CCP. They are the ones making all sovereign countries jump to their tune. If we then attack our own governments that only aids the CCP still further. We are in a trap.
And Texas and Florida have opened fully and it was done immediately and not in some ‘careful’ patronizing way.
Open up everything Boris and stop listening to SAGE and your girlfriend, or is it Tony, Klaus and Bill you listen to.