“The models that gave us Freedom Day: SAGE’s forecasts of third wave” – SAGE modelling suggests that it is realistic to expect between 100 to 200 daily fatalities across the UK at the worst of the current outbreak and 1,000 to 2,000 hospital admissions, MailOnline reports
“The impact of the coronavirus crisis on U.K. household wealth” – The Resolution Foundation has found that “the wealth gap between the richest 10% of families and the median family grew by £40,000 during the pandemic”, according to this press release
“Boris Johnson has lost his nerve and condemned us to Covid no-man’s land” – “Johnson has driven us into a ditch,” says Sherelle Jacobs in the Telegraph. “A febrile no man’s land of mask war mud-slinging, third wave hysteria and confusion over the distinction between guidelines and laws, from which there is no obvious escape”
“Chaos looms as return to work meets self-isolation” – “It is difficult to tell staff that they have to return to their desks knowing that doing so could lead to 10 days in self-isolation,” writes Lucy Burton in the Telegraph. “If Chancellor Rishi Sunak really wants office life to return, these rules must be scrapped”
“They think it’s all over …” – A sketch of yesterday’s press conference by the Telegraph‘s Madeline Grant
“Did ‘Lockdown Football’ cost England the Euros?” – England has been playing ‘Lockdown Football’, Mick Hume suggests in Spiked. It is, he says, “based on the same safety-first precautionary principles that have shackled British society during the Covid crisis”
“The social-distancing generation” – “Lockdown has exacerbated the growing sense of isolation already experienced by many young people,” says Neil Davenport in Spiked. “That is why the past 15 months of social restrictions have not been quite as stifling an ordeal for the young as one might have expected”
“Enjoy summer if you can. Winter is coming – and I fear that Covid restrictions will return” – Mark Harper MP had hoped that the work of the Covid Recovery Group would be done by now, he says in the Conservative Home. “However, I fear that our efforts will be required this autumn and winter to ensure that proper Parliamentary scrutiny of key Government decisions takes place”
“Protect our children from this vaccine assault” – Writing for the Conservative Woman, Belinda Brown calls for a “full and independent” investigation into vaccine safety before “any more vaccinations are given or the programme extended to younger age groups”
“Forcing jabs on soldiers is illegal and immoral” – Forcing soldiers into taking the jab would be a “gross abuse of authority by the chain of command”, writes Lieutenant-General Jonathan Riley for the Conservative Woman
“Covid: We need real leadership” – “We need the confidence to stop mass testing of healthy children which is just spreading fear,” writes Richard Tice in the Conservative Woman. “Real leadership is about showing that courage, generating that understanding, instilling that confidence”
“Gemma Peters – did I hear you right?” – Writing for the Unity News Network, Roger Watson responds to Gemma Peters, CEO of Blood Cancer U.K., who suggests that we should all be wearing masks for the benefit of those whose immune system are compromised
“Peter Hitchens expects Covid restrictions to be back by autumn” – The Mail On Sunday columnist tells talkRADIO’s Mike Graham he takes all talk of ending the lockdown with a large dose of salt. “I’m not at all confident that we will get through to October without it all being brought back again,” he says
“France moves to restrict restaurants to those vaccinated” – President Emmanuel Macron has announcex a package of new measures, Euronews reports, including a move to restrict restaurants, cafes and shopping centres to those that have been vaccinated or who have recently tested negative
“Israel jabs heart transplant patients with COVID booster shot” – The Sheba Medical Centre in Israel has become the first in the world to administer a third shot of a Covid jab. According to the Jerusalem Post, it was given to a heart transplant patient
“Governments have ditched data for glamorous models” – Professor Ramesh Thakur in Spectator Australia says he couldn’t believe it when he read the decision about whether to ease England’s coronavirus restrictions was going to based on SAGE modelling. “Are Cabinet Ministers not capable of asking for an audit of past predictions?”
“This isn’t a terminus. This is just another way station” – “We were warned in advance that the Prime Minister was going to tone down the rhetoric about Freedom Day,” says Toby in an appearance on GB News. “And boy did he turn down the rhetoric”
'This isn't a terminus. This is just another way station'
Toby Young accuses Boris Johnson of 'a u-turn on the irreversibility commitment'. pic.twitter.com/0MkKm5p7lE
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