On Monday, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said (and not for the first time): “[It] still remains that there is nothing in the data currently to suggest step four [of the lockdown roadmap] can’t go ahead at the earliest date.” Unfortunately, reports today are far more pessimistic about a June 21st unlock. This is largely due to a “fairly grim” briefing given to ministers by the Government’s two most senior scientific advisers on Monday. The Times has the story.
Britain’s roadmap for easing lockdown could be delayed by a fortnight with cabinet ministers increasingly pessimistic after a “downbeat” briefing from Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance.
The delay would enable all over-50s to be fully vaccinated and leave sufficient time for jabs to take effect before restrictions are lifted.
Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer for England, and Vallance, the Chief Scientific Adviser, yesterday gave a briefing to ministers on the latest data that was described as “fairly grim”.
They emphasised concerns about the rate of transmission of new strains of coronavirus, such as the Indian variant, and that vaccinations did not provide 100% protection. Millions of Britons remain unvaccinated.
One cabinet source said they expected a delay of “between two weeks and a month” but suggested that the political fallout was likely to be limited as long as the full reopening took place before the start of the school summer holidays late next month. Another said that a delay made more sense than a partial lifting of lockdown restrictions to avoid any “confusion” in messaging…
Johnson is expected to make a formal announcement on Monday, when the Government’s social distancing review will be published…
Another cabinet source described the mood in Whitehall as “downbeat”. “We always said it was June 21st at the earliest. We may need another few weeks to let the effects of vaccination take hold. Doing a partial reopening would create confusion. People have planned on the basis of a full reopening. It’s important that the messaging is consistent.”
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: James Melville is unimpressed by the suggestion of an extension to lockdown. “Hospitalisations are still low. One death [on Monday]. We have a vaccine. After June 21st, we can’t do this anymore. We are done.”
It’s destroyed businesses, livelihoods, mental health, kids welfare, elderly interaction, non Covid treatments.
— James Melville
Hospitalisations are still low. 1 death today. We have a vaccine.
After 21st June, we can’t do this anymore. We are done.#EnoughIsEnough
Retweet if you agree. pic.twitter.com/hJ5uvbmJ4X(@JamesMelville) June 7, 2021
Stop Press 2: Matt Hancock has told four million people in Greater Manchester and Lancashire to “minimise travel”, get tested and only meet outdoors in a further sign that the unlocking will be delayed. MailOnline has more.
Stop Press 3: Rishi Sunak is willing to accept a delay of up to four weeks to the final stage of England’s reopening roadmap, according to the Guardian.
Sunak, the Chancellor, has in the past been regarded as more keen to lift lockdown constraints than some cabinet colleagues. But a Whitehall source said he was not fixated on the June 21st date and was more concerned that when restrictions are lifted, the move can be permanent. “The Treasury’s main thing is that freedoms are irreversible and businesses have clarity,” the source said.
Worth reading in full.
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What is going on here? This is no accident this is an orchestrated attempt to replace Brandon with the deep states/Soros/Obama cliques next preferred candidate, probably the shallow Gavin Newsom. For those who don’t know he’s California’s Trudeau, but possibly even more amoral. Whatever Obama/Soros etc are pulling the strings on this one.
It is not just the Obamas who want a share of the spoils. Those other hereditary Democrat families may not want to sit back and see it go to the Obamas again. Will be delicious to watch them tearing each other apart.
It’s a bit like a Norman succession in many ways.
Like the Bush’s
Newsom …. or Michelle Obama? What’s the betting they go for the black female. If she announces she’s gay, or better still trans and is really a man, they’ll tick three boxes.
If MO flashes her Shlong it will be close in a run off with GN , two pricks together in fact !!
You could well be right !!
This cannot be true. ——–Why would this geriatric person who should really be looking over lake from a bath chair in a care home somewhere have “sensitive documents”?. ——-He wouldn’t know they were sensitive. He wouldn’t even know he had them. And if he did read them he would forget it 10 minutes later.
He’s been smuggling classified documents out for decades, long before he became senile.
He doesn’t know what these documents were nor can even remember whether his underwear was changed.
So the Yanks would rather have a bumbling, forgetful, senile old law breaker against whom there is real evidence as President, than Donald. Says a lot for TDS in the mass of the electorate.
I want an opinion from someone who he has spoken to recently, like Mitterand.
Trump is now odds-on with the bookies to win, and comfortably ahead in polling in swing states. I get the impression that there are not many swing voters on either side now, and not many in the middle – anyone now intending to support Trump is going to do so no matter what, and the same for Biden. Why anyone would vote for Biden is beyond me, but there you go.
Meanwhile, in other DC news, Michael Mann chose to have his defamation case heard there because its the pinnacle of probity and fair play. John Williams, Mann’s first counsel, in summing up, demeaned the whole show by playing the Trump card against Steyn. In the final minutes of the trial he linked “election deniers” with “science deniers” and asked the jury to send out a strong message to stop attacks on all the other scientists out there. (No conflation of two outcomes there then). Despite Steyn, having conducted his own defence and considered to be the victor in court exchanges, the jury found in favour of Mann and ordered Steyn to pay him $1m in damages. ‘Justice’ DC style!
Democrat cities are gulags.
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/oh-the-irony-mps-welcome-migrant-thugs-then-demand-protection-from-them/
Our ever efficient MP’s now want personal protection from the “safe and effective”
illegal immigrantsthird world trash that we are importing on a daily basisThis is beyond parody.
They want protection from everyone so they can continue representing Other Interests safely but at our expense. Imported attackers makes it easier to justify.
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/the-lefts-approach-to-democracy-if-you-cant-beat-them-ban-them/
The author makes some good points about our elites but still displays a naive belief in the ballot box.
Also while anti-elite parties are making gains elsewhere, I don’t see much blue sky here in the UK – some are planning to desert the mainstream parties for Reform – probably majority of these will be ex-Tory voters, but support for Labour who will be more of the same as the Tories but much worse is UP. So depressing that people’s dissatisfaction doesn’t push them further than “I will vote for the ‘opposition'”.
Biden—The ventriloquists dummy. —–But who is the ventriloquist?
Gotta love this ‘democracy’: When the aren’t calling each other Nazis, they’re mutually alleging insanity and/or unfitness for office. Propose policies? Oppose policies? Bah, humbug! That’s not how votes are being won!
In the light of this:
https://whitehorsebrewery.co.uk/product/stable-genius-4-0
That’s at least a decent ale.