thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--Let’s Consider Cleaners As Key Workers During The Coronavirus Pandemic

Let’s Consider Cleaners As Key Workers During The Coronavirus Pandemic
As cleanliness and hygiene move to the top of everyone’s agenda amid the coronavirus pandemic, the government’s criteria for some to be deemed a key worker excludes some cleaning staff. People within the industry are asking for more recognition.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--NHS Staff Are Dying – But Government Still Can't Say How Much More PPE They Need

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The government has been unable to say how much personal protective equipment is still lacking in the fight against coronavirus, as the number of NHS staff confirmed to have died of the illness continues to climb.
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Health chiefs boast that millions of pieces of kit – masks, gloves and aprons – have been dished out since the outbreak began. But the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) could not tell HuffPost UK how much more was needed.
It comes amid complaints from workers and their unions that frontline staff are not being adequately protected. Although the amount of PPE is high, much of it must be changed daily or even hourly, and there are more than a million frontline health and social care workers who need it. That’s before even considering other sectors such as bus drivers, of whom 20 have died in London alone since the outbreak began.
Dame Donna Kinnair, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, has said she is hearing from nurses every day that they do not have enough protective equipment, while staff in care homes have put out emergency appeals for help while awaiting vital deliveries of masks, gloves and aprons.
Meanwhile, as of Thursday, 27 NHS staff are known to have died after contracting coronavirus.
The Department of Health and Social Care says it has so far delivered 923m pieces of PPE to the frontline, including 173m masks; 163m aprons; 1.3m gowns and 440m pairs of gloves.
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But large-scale deliveries do not necessarily mean every staff member has what they need.
NHS workers in PPE. Justin Setterfield via Getty Images
There are around 1.6m NHS staff in the UK, spread across hospitals and the community, and the PPE needs of each individual vary widely depending on their job, and even the given day. Some needing a full change of equipment between each patient.
Any medical professional working in a high-risk situation, such as preparing a patient for ventilation, could only use their PPE once. Aprons, masks, gloves and gowns should also be discarded after a single use.
Other items, such as protective goggles, can be re-used if strict hygiene procedures are followed.
When HuffPost UK asked the DHSC for a rough idea of the amount of PPE needed each week, a spokesperson simply offered a breakdown of how much had been delivered around the Easter bank holiday weekend.
Labour MP Helen Hayes, who put out an emergency appeal on Twitter on behalf of a care home in her Dulwich and West Norwood constituency, said the government has not carried out a detailed enough analysis of what is needed where.
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She said social care staff, around a third of which are employed through local councils rather than the NHS, including those in care homes – are also being put at risk as a result.
URGENT: the British Home on Crown Lane, care home for people with neurodisabilities urgently needs personal protective equipment for staff, especially masks & long sleeved gowns, as they wait for delivery at the weekend. If you can help please get in touch https://t.co/mXVTFHbV7e — Helen Hayes (@helenhayes_) April 16, 2020
“The problems accessing PPE experienced in the social care sector across the country are shocking and they are leading to tragic consequences,” Hayes, who co-chairs a parliamentary group on social care, told HuffPost.
“In addition to supply chain issues, this speaks to the lack of engagement with and regard for the social care sector by the government over the last 10 years.
“The diversity of care settings and providers and their differing requirements for PPE have not been well understood and that has contributed to unacceptable delays in need being met.”
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Reports of “blanket” deliveries of certain amounts of PPE have left some bigger care facilities with serious shortages, while smaller ones have more than they need, experts say.
In a joint statement, care-worker unions the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, Unison, Unite, GMB and TUC said a “critical lack” of protective equipment and testing had allowed the virus to “sweep through” the sector.
“Social care is facing a crisis without precedent. Problems with supplies of protective equipment and a lack of testing is causing much anxiety amongst employers, staff, and the families of the people they care for. Many care home residents and care workers have already died,” the unions said on Thursday.
“People who rely on social care are often more vulnerable to catching and dying from Covid-19. Yet a month into this crisis, many care workers are still working without suitable PPE, despite their heightened risk of exposure to the virus and to spreading it.
“A critical lack of PPE and testing of social care staff and service users is putting them at unnecessary risk of exposure – and means we are almost certainly underestimating how far the virus has spread.”
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Dave Carr, a critical care nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’ in central London, believes the use of PPE should be extended even further.
The 57-year-old, who was due to retire this week but delayed his plans due to the crisis, produced a video calling for bus drivers to also be given safety equipment.
Comrade Dave Carr Intensive care nurse sends a video out for us bus drivers give us confidence to #SealTheFrontDoor and fight for #PPENow. @SadiqKhan meet the NHS and Bus workers demands now! pic.twitter.com/FkkidzXWqt — MOE - ★𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙣 𝘽𝙪𝙨 𝘿𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧★ (@BusSafetyRep) April 14, 2020
He told HuffPost UK: “A lot of our nurses come to work by bus, and a lot of support staff, including cleaners, rely on night buses because the Tube is too expensive.
“A lot of people can’t afford to live in central London and need to travel in to the hospital, so bus drivers are absolutely vital for us.
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“When we heard last week that five bus drivers had died, as the total was then, I was happy to do whatever I could to support them – without them, our frontline staff can’t get to work.
“When people clapped for the NHS last week, my unit returned the clap for public transport workers.”
Union bosses have also called for bus drivers to be provided with adequate PPE, and have their cabs properly sealed off to protect them. Outside London, drivers are calling for only cashless payments to be accepted, to limit their public interaction.
Unite national officer for passenger transport, Bobby Morton, said: “Bus drivers across the UK are becoming incredibly fearful for their safety.
“Most bus companies have introduced safety measures but clearly more needs to be done.”
Health secretary Matt Hancock said on Wednesday he accepted the government needed “to do more” for the care sector, which is why he had unveiled a new plan to give workers badges. They will allow those in the care sector priority access to shops, among other privileges.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--BBC Clarifies What's In Store For Eurovision Fans On What Would Have Been The Night Of This Year's F

BBC Clarifies What's In Store For Eurovision Fans On What Would Have Been The Night Of This Year's Final

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The BBC has clarified its plans for what would have been the night of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest grand final.
Last month, it was revealed that the BBC was putting together a special night of entertainment titled Eurovision: Come Together, following the news that this year’s event would not be going ahead due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Hosted by the UK’s Eurovision commentator Graham Norton, the show was billed as a “special Eurovision broadcast” intended to “bring the country together”.
Shortly after this, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced details of its own alternative programming, dubbed Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light.
The UK's Eurovision commentator Graham Norton BBC
This led to a some confusion among fans of the annual music competition, particularly after the EBU claimed on Thursday afternoon that Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light was being shown on the BBC.
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However, a BBC spokesperson has now set the record straight, telling HuffPost UK that their own programme will still be shown on BBC One as intended, while the EBU’s special broadcast will be available to watch on the iPlayer.
They said: “BBC One will be showing Eurovision: Come Together hosted by Graham Norton on 16 May, on what would have been the Eurovision final.
“The show will feature classic Eurovision performances, a look at what would have been in 2020 and entertaining interviews, including this year’s UK entry James Newman.
“We are also pleased to confirm that Eurovision fans will also be able to watch Eurovision: Shine A Light on BBC iPlayer.”
The EBU’s show – which will also be available to stream live on YouTube – will feature all 41 of the acts who had been supposed to compete in Eurovision 2020 giving special renditions of their songs from their home countries.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--Labour Staff In GMB Union Back 'No Confidence' Motion In General Secretary Jennie Formby

General Secretary of the Labour Party Jennie Formby arrives for a Labour clause V meeting on the manifesto at Savoy Place in London. PA
Labour Party staff in the union GMB have backed a motion saying they have no confidence in general secretary Jennie Formby after a controversial leaked report on anti-Semitism named staff and Jewish complainants.
The union’s London branch has also demanded an apology from the top official over the document, which included scores of emails and private WhatsApp conversations between staff members.
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The report – commissioned by Formby – concluded that “factional” opposition to Jeremy Corbyn among party workers worsened Labour’s failure to deal with anti-Semitism complaints and contributed to its election defeat in 2017.
The motion reads: “Staff can no longer be confident that the general secretary has the safety and welfare of staff as her top priority, and [she] has allowed the mental and physical wellbeing of staff to be put at risk with the creation and leaking of this report.”
It will intensify pressure on new leader Keir Starmer, who has launched an investigation into the report, to take action.
The move has also sparked a row with rival union Unite, whose members passed a motion condemning the GMB branch for defending staff named in the report.
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Unite, led by long-standing Corbyn ally Len McCluskey, also put out a statement welcoming an investigation into how the report leaked.
But it also says: “It is shocking to note from the report that potential ‘factional’ sabotage of the 2017 general election from former senior Labour Party staff members at the time could have caused resources to be diverted in such a way that may have contributed to an electoral defeat.”
The report not only named numerous officials – many of whom have faced online threats – but also Jewish people who had made complaints about anti-Semitism.
The GMB union, which represents some 300 workers at Labour’s Southside base, says that by “trawling the emails and instant messenger logs, the general secretary has effectively unilaterally placed all members of staff under investigation” without due process.
Labour leader Keir Starmer PA
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It also calls the leaking of the report “yet another example of the toxic culture of bullying and intimidation that exists within the Labour Party and the contempt in which it holds its members of staff”.
It is unclear how the document was leaked to Sky News on Friday, but the Information Commissioner’s Office and Labour are investigating the potential breach of personal data.
The GMB motion goes on to say there was a “hostile environment created post-2015”, when Corbyn was first elected, “in which staff who did not appear to
support the new leader were marginalised, ignored, harassed and hounded out of the party”.
Unite, meanwhile, did not say it had no confidence in Formby, adding: “This branch executive is completely committed to holding the leadership and management of the party accountable.
“We will continue to pressure the party to act swiftly on the issues raised by our members, and monitor developments closely.”
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Starmer, who was elected on a pledge to unify the party, led a conference call with staff earlier this week and asked them to “stop taking lumps out of each other”.
A second motion from GMB was also passed, which condemns how some staff named in the report treated BAME politicians.
It comes after one WhatsApp conversation saw staff direct a journalist to find the then-shadow home secretary Diane Abbott when it was known she had been crying in a toilet cubicle.
Staff noted “conversations contained in the recent leaked internal report into the Labour Party’s processes dealing with anti-Semitism show that senior management staff fell well short of what should be expected from Labour Party staff with regard to their treatment of and discussions about BAME politicians”.
The party remains under investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission over its response to anti-Semitism.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--Britney Spears And Justin Timberlake Put 'One Of The World’s Biggest' Splits Behind Them With Instag

Britney Spears And Justin Timberlake Put 'One Of The World’s Biggest' Splits Behind Them With Instagram Exchange

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Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake have well and truly moved on from what she has described as “one of the world’s biggest break-ups”, as evidenced in their recent Instagram exchange.
On Thursday morning, Britney surprised her followers with a video of herself striking a variety of poses to her famous ex’s track, Nasty.
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“This is my version of Snapchat or TikTok or whatever the cool thing you’re supposed to do these days,” she joked. “As you can see I’m not really dancing folks... I’m just very bored.”
Addressing her music choice, Britney added: “PS I know we had one of the world’s biggest breakups 20 years ago …… but hey the man is a genius !!!! Great song JT.”
Britney’s sister Jamie Lynn and boyfriend Sam Asghari were among those to comment on the video soon after it was uploaded, but what no one was expecting was that Justin himself would also send the Womanizer singer a message, posting a string of emojis.
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Justin Timberlake responds to Britney Spears’ Instagram post calling him a “genius.” pic.twitter.com/H6EIHRZjiZ — Pop Crave (@PopCraveMusic) April 16, 2020
The two former teen stars were one of the most high-profile couples of the early 2000s, dating for three years until they eventually called it a day in 2002.
Shortly after the split, Justin released one of his biggest tracks, Cry Me A River, which appears to detail the split, and featured a Britney look-a-like in the music video.
Britney and Justin at the height of their relationship in 2001 New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images
Britney later claimed that Justin had told her about the video ahead of time, telling her that it was “not a big deal”.
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She later branded the music video a “publicity stunt”, claiming he’d told her afterwards: “Well, I got a controversial video.”
“So he got what he wanted,” Britney told Rolling Stone. “I think it looks like such a desperate attempt, personally.”
The former teen stars made one of their most infamous red carpet appearances at the AMAs in 2001 Frank Trapper via Getty Images
Britney’s own chart-topping song, Everytime, is perceived by many as her response to Cry Me A River, and her split from Justin.
While Britney has now been dating Sam Asghari since 2016, Justin is married to actress Jessica Biel, with whom he has a son.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--UK Coronavirus Lockdown Extended For Three Weeks

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Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
The UK’s coronavirus lockdown will be extended for three weeks, Dominic Raab has announced.
The decision was taken as the epidemic appears to be reaching its peak number of infections in the UK.
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It means Britons will have to continue staying at home, social distancing when out for exercise, essential shopping or work if necessary, and self-isolating if they have Covid-19 symptoms.
Raab, who is deputising for Boris Johnson while the PM recovers from hospitalisation for coronavirus, said the advice from the scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage) said relaxing of the measures would risk damage to public health and the economy.
“Based on this advice, which we have very carefully considered, the government has decided that the current measures must remain in place for at least the next three weeks,” he said.
It came as the number of people who have died in UK hospitals after coronavirus rose by 861 in 24 hours, taking the working total to 13,729 as of 5pm on Wednesday.
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Raab said that in the community the so-called “R rate” - the number of people each infected person goes on to infect, was now below one.
But the foreign secretary acknowledged problems with the virus being spread in hospitals and care homes and said the rate of transmission in the community was still not as low as it needs to be to lift the measures.
He added relaxing the measures would damage both public health and the economy, he said.
Raab said before the lockdown can be lifted, the government will need to see:
The NHS maintaining the capacity to cope with Covid-19 cases
A sustained and consistent fall in the daily death rate
Reliable data from SAGE showing the rate of infection is decreasing to “manageable levels across the board”
Supply of tests and personal protective equipment (PPE) meeting demand
No risk of a second peak in the epidemic which overwhelms the NHS.
Raab, who chaired the government’s Covid-19 meeting and cabinet today, told the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing: “The very clear advice we received is that any change to our social distancing measures now would risk a significant increase in the spread of the virus.
“That would threaten a second peak of the virus and substantially increase the number of deaths.
“It would undo the progress we have made to date and as a result would require an even longer period of the more restrictive social distancing measures.”
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A YouGov poll of 3,430 British adults taken before the announcement showed 67% “strongly support” extending the lockdown for weeks, while 21% “somewhat” back the move.
Raab said the public needed to show “patience” and stick with the restrictions to stop the spread of the virus.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel but we are now at both a delicate and a dangerous stage in this pandemic,” he said.
“If we rush to relax the measures that we have in place we would risk wasting all the sacrifices and all the progress that has been made.
“That would risk a quick return to another lockdown with all the threat to life that a second peak to the virus would bring and all the economic damage that a second lockdown would carry.”
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Raab refused to give any details for how the lockdown could eventually start being lifted.
Dominic Raab sets out the five conditions the government will need to be satisfied with before considering it safe to end the UK #coronavirus lockdown.
Get the latest on #COVID19 here: https://t.co/9A3btSyzox pic.twitter.com/RPv1EJtPMB — SkyNews (@SkyNews) April 16, 2020
But chief scientific officer Sir Patrick Vallance suggested the government does not want to lift measures for different groups of people at different times, for example by allowing young people to return to a more normal life while asking the elderly to continue social distancing.
“The aim there is to try and do that in a way that allows everything to start moving more towards normal – not to segregate on certain groups and say there is a differential approach towards this,” he said.
He suggested that a vaccine and treatments will eventually give the UK a way out of the crisis.
“Those are going to be critically important,” Vallance said.
England’s chief medical officer professor Chris Whitty suggested that developing an effective antibody, or serological test, could help in easing restrictions.
Such a test would allow health bodies to establish what proportion of the population had already been infected, as well as finding a vaccine.
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He said there were “substantial bodies of work” going on among the academic sector, commercial suppliers and Public Health England as well as government laboratories at Porton Down to find one.
Whitty said: “We are moving very fast in this area scientifically, but we are definitely not there in either of the issues of getting a serology (test) or getting a sampling frame, but we will probably have a crude ranging shot soon.”
Experts are meanwhile examining the risks of an extended lockdown leading to non-Covid deaths or illness, he said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--Watch Live: Dominic Raab Chairs Daily Coronavirus Update

Watch Live: Dominic Raab Chairs Daily Coronavirus Update
Following today’s Cobra meeting, foreign secretary Dominic Raab gives coronavirus press update. UK’s lockdown is expected to continue for at least three more weeks as the country’s death toll rises by 861 cases in 24 hours .


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--How Will Captain Tom Moore's £14m Be Spent To Help NHS Workers?

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It has been a heart-lifting moment among the fear of the coronavirus pandemic – the inspirational story of the army veteran, who turns 100 years old on Thursday, walking 100 lengths of his garden to raise almost £30m for the NHS.
Captain Tom Moore completed the last of the 25-metre laps early on Thursday morning, while his fundraising total continues to rocket and his place in the nation’s affections soars. The veteran said he would carry on walking lengths as donations continue to be made to his JustGiving page.
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But what will happen to the phenomenal sum of money he has raised?
We know that the millions will be donated to NHS Charities Together.
The charity, which is an umbrella body for NHS charities nationwide, has set the ambitious target of raising £100m for NHS workers through its NHS Charities Covid-19 Appeal.
Before its fundraising appeal began on March 23, NHS Charities Together was not a household name, but within weeks it has raised a huge amount of money.
Here’s what we know about the charity and how the appeal funds will be spent.
What is NHS Charities Together?
NHS Charities Together is the official charity partner of the NHS nationally.
It holds a licence from the health secretary to use the NHS brand, and to fundraise for NHS charitable funds in the UK. It is the only national charity able to do this.
The charity acts as an umbrella organisation for the other 230 NHS charities.
It is a small organisation that, as of last week, had only five staff – but has despite its size managed to channel the outpouring of public goodwill for the NHS into a formidable fundraising operation.
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According to Charity Commission records, NHS Charities Together was newly registered as a charity on November 25, 2019, but it formerly operated as the Association of NHS Charities with a rather more modest income of £271,262 in 2018.
We're accepting Grant Applications from #NHS charities, to support our members who are helping staff and volunteers facing #Covid19 right now. The grants are available thanks to supporters of our Urgent Appeal. Read more about this here: https://t.co/Hr5VErV94e pic.twitter.com/tPZ6xcNQdB — NHSCharitiesTogether (@NHSCharities) March 30, 2020
What will the money be used for?
NHS charities will be the ultimate beneficiaries of money donated to the Covid-19 appeal, and it will support NHS staff and patients.
But charity money does not replace core government funding and cannot be used to buy frontline NHS equipment, such as ventilators, personal protective equipment or coronavirus testing.
NHS Charities Together says it is working with trustees, NHS charities, and the fund management company CCLA to set up an emergency grants fund.
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The fund will do three things.
Firstly, it will quickly hand out money to be spent on enhancing the well-being of NHS staff, volunteers and patients by paying for things like well-being packs, meal deliveries, wash kits and furniture for rest rooms.
Money will also be available to support patients’ mental health by providing electronic devices so they can talk to family and friends.
Secondly, the charity says it has ring-fenced funds to be spent after the coronavirus crisis on supporting the mental health and recovery of NHS staff and volunteers.
And, thirdly, money will also go to bolstering care and hospice services in the community so more patients can leave hospital quickly (and stay out of it), reducing the pressure on inpatient beds.
The charity’s chief executive Ellie Orton told BBC One that the millions raised by Captain Tom Moore would be used to support these efforts.
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How much has been raised?
As of April 16, the NHS Charities Together appeal has raised £27,154,185 separately from the now £30m also raised by Captain Tom Moore.
The £27m total includes two multi-million donations made in the first weeks of the campaign, which launched on March 23.
One of these for £10m came from the currency trading company XTX Markets, received on the first day and swiftly followed by £5m from the Rausing Family, linked to the famous TetraPak founder, later that week.
The charity says there has been amazing support from the public, companies, high net worth individuals and celebrities so far, who are keen to show their support to the NHS.
Captain Tom Moore has a separate fundraising page on the site JustGiving where the £30m to support his charity walk has been donated.
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Captain Tom Moore has walked the length of his garden one hundred times before his 100th birthday this month Peter Cziborra / Reuters
How quickly will the money get to NHS workers?
HuffPost UK asked NHS Charities Together how quickly money from the NHS Charities Covid-19 Appeal will be spent.
The charity said its small team had been inundated with inquiries and it was not possible to get back to us.
However, it has provided examples of requests it has received from NHS charities for money, although these are not directly linked to the funds raised by Captain Tom Moore.
Which NHS charities have applied for grants?
The Oxford University NHS Foundation Trust, which includes the John Radcliffe Hospital, a national hub to receive critically ill Covid-19 patients transferred from other hospitals, will benefit from a grant.
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As the coronavirus crisis began to unfold, the hospital’s charity contacted frontline staff asking what help they needed and saw requests come in for hot food, drinks, snacks and treats for staff too busy to get their own food.
With funds from the appeal, staff are now receiving practical help such as hot food, water, high energy snacks, cakes, chocolates, hand and face creams, care kits and recipe boxes to take home.
The charity says a large number of frontline staff are having to stay in local hotels either to protect their own families or because a family member is in self-nhs isolation.
So far, the charity has delivered 250 care packages that include food and toiletries, to these staff.
How marvel-lous is this appeal by @UHCWCharity! They're fundraising to create care packages for NHS superheroes, an example of the great work being done by our members to support #NHS staff and volunteers through #Covid19. Read more about this here: https://t.co/ail3PrZvJ1 pic.twitter.com/hQXtYsVWBe — NHSCharitiesTogether (@NHSCharities) March 31, 2020
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The West Herts Hospitals Charity has also applied for money.
Like all hospitals, its sites are closed to visitors following Covid-19 guidelines, which it says has had a massive knock-on impact on both patients’ and staff’s health and wellbeing.
The charity says some patients have no way to communicate with relatives but having iPads to make FaceTime and Skype calls would help them stay in contact and in some cases say their final goodbyes.
The iPads will also be used for activities such as games and audiobooks, which will help patients’ mental health and wellbeing, and in turn support staff who are sat in isolation with them.
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust will also benefit from money.
The trust has more than 12,000 staff and 700-plus volunteers working across two sites at Royal Stoke University Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent and County Hospital in Stafford.
The UHNM Charity serves both hospitals and is keen to support all staff and volunteers during the coronavirus crisis through its Share to Care project, which will provide care packs for staff and volunteers in 100 departments.
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The packs will include food and wash kits and other items to help reduce stress and boost morale. UHNM Charity has requested £5,000 towards the cost of sourcing the care boxes.
How is money being donated to the appeal?
NHS Charities Together is using the fundraising platforms Virgin Money Giving, JustGiving, and Facebook to host its appeal.
Virgin Money Giving says it is acting as a “central hub” so the charity can track the amount raised through all donation sources.
The not-for-profit site charges a 2% platform fee, which donors have the option to cover, and a 2.5% processing fee to cover its costs for processing debt and credit card payments.
Virgin Money Giving said it had generated fees of about £38,000 on the £2.24m donated directly to NHS Charities Together through the site as of last week.
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But as many donors have chosen to cover this cost, Virgin Money Giving said its fees have actually been £9,900.
Virgin Money CEO David Duffy has also announced he is giving up a proportion of his salary to cover Virgin Money Giving’s fees for the NHS Charities Together campaign on at least the next £2m of donations.
A spokesperson said: “We don’t make any money from people’s generosity, and unlike other fundraising websites our low fees only cover our operating costs.”
HuffPost UK also asked JustGiving what charges were in place for the NHS Charities Together appeal and Captain Tom Moore’s fundraiser.
The site charges a 1.9% processing fee, meaning it will have taken £32,480 on the £1,709,518 of donations to NHS Charities Together as of April 8.
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JustGiving said the processing fee is used to cover costs such as fraud checks and credit card charges.
The site told HuffPost UK charities would usually pay an annual subscription fee, but this has been waived for NHS Charities Together.
The company, which is owned by American tech firm Blackbaud, also confirmed it will take the 1.9% processing fee on money raised by Captain Tom Moore, which is equivalent to £570,000 on the £30m raised so far.
To celebrate the completion of Captain Tom’s challenge, Blackbaud has donated £100,000 to NHS Charities Together through the army veteran’s campaign.
This is the largest donation JustGiving has ever made. Captain Tom’s appeal has also broken site records and is the largest total ever raised on JustGiving.
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A JustGiving spokesperson said: “97 percent of all funds raised by Captain Tom will go directly to NHS Charities Together, as with any other charity fundraiser on JustGiving.”
Facebook says it charges 0% fees to non-profits and they get 100% of donations. As of April 16 £16,825 had been donated via the site.
If you would like to donate to the NHS appeal


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--Joe Lycett Shares One Last (Very Silly) Statement As Hugo Boss, As He Reverts To Original Name

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Joe Lycett has revealed his days as Hugo Boss are officially behind him.
Last month, the British comedian raised eyebrows when he took on the German fashion house of the same name, after reports the company was using trademark claims to target small businesses and charities who use the name “boss”.
“It’s clear that @HUGOBOSS HATES people using their name,” he said at the time. “Unfortunately for them this week I legally changed my name by deed poll and I am now officially known as Hugo Boss.
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“All future statements from me are not from Joe Lycett but from Hugo Boss. Enjoy.”
Joe Lycett at a premiere last year Shirlaine Forrest via Getty Images
However, on Thursday afternoon, Joe – who presents the consumer rights show Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back – announced that he was reverting back to his original name, apparently satisfied that his point had been made.
“A little over a month ago I changed my name by deed poll to Hugo Boss,” he explained. “This was to raise awareness about the fact the fashion behemoth Hugo Boss have issued cease and desist letters to small businesses that have the word ‘boss’ in their name, including independent Swansea brewery, Boss Brewing.
“And raise awareness it did – it became world news with headlines across the globe and also Dick n Dom from Da Bungalow said I should be knighted.”
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Joe continued: “Hugo Boss released a statement saying they ‘welcome the comedian formerly known as Joe Lyctett to the Hugo Boss family’. Well, I have decided to go back to the Lycetts. They don’t target small businesses, if you ignore the time mum posted a dump to the local florist.”
He then ended his post with “one final statement as Hugo Boss”, declaring: “Hugo Boss has a smelly bum bum.”
Shortly after his name change, Joe made headlines when he recorded a parody version of that celebrity Imagine video, roping in some famous mates for a decidedly less family-friendly version.
He also had viewers howling with his appearance via video-link on The One Show, where he made no secret of the fact that he’d already treated himself to a drink that day while in isolation.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--Ben Fogle's Suggestion We Should All Sing Happy Birthday To The Queen Sparks Some Very Colourful Rea

Ben Fogle's Suggestion We Should All Sing Happy Birthday To The Queen Sparks Some Very Colourful Reactions

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Over the last few weeks, there’s been some genuinely lovely moments of people coming together to support a good cause, like Clap For Carers and 99-year-old Captain Tom Moore’s NHS fundraiser reaching £12 million.
So wildlife presenter Ben Fogle probably thought he was on to something when he made a suggestion on Twitter on Thursday morning.
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With the Queen’s birthday next week, he tried to rally people on Twitter to sing a collective Happy Birthday to Her Maj from their doorsteps and windows.
“Let’s throw her a surprise,” he wrote. “Let our song bring good cheers not just to Her Majesty but to the whole nation #singforthequeen.”
It’s the Queens birthday next Tuesday. Let’s throw her a surprise. At 9am 21st April, we are calling on the whole country to sing Happy Birthday from our windows and doorsteps. Let our song bring good cheer not just to Her Majesty but to the whole nation #singforthequeen pic.twitter.com/867EbD9PVg — Ben Fogle (@Benfogle) April 16, 2020
While well-meaning, Ben probably wasn’t expecting the response he got on social media.
Many noted how he hadn’t quite managed to read the room...
people are either furloughed or working double time mate, if you think we're rising early to sing happy birthday to some old rich woman, whose family are isolating in separate palaces while the rest of us can't afford the rent on our damp bedrooms, i don't know what to tell you https://t.co/3Nw5qW0qLN — Kate Flood (@KateFlood) April 16, 2020
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In today's episode of 'Celebrities Not Reading The Room' we're joined by Ben Fogle. https://t.co/y7GGGGHTnA — Jack (@Firth_lar) April 16, 2020
I think I'll pass on this, thanks. Our concern should be for the elderly people in care homes dying in large numbers, and those looking after them, not for an overprivileged woman hiding away in luxury with access to the best healthcare available. https://t.co/AkBH2VEtMT — Matthew McGee ⴵ 🌍🇪🇺🇬🇧🎭🎞📚 (@McGeeMatthew) April 16, 2020
I have zero ill-will for the British queen - actually I respect her quite a bit - but I have NEVER and I mean NEVER had less interest, time, affection, mental space, personal regard or fucks to give about the royal family. https://t.co/xlZ0iuQCpG — Maria Farrell (@mariafarrell) April 16, 2020
Some reactions were a little more colourful...
See you next Tuesday. https://t.co/cJozcYFOFp — David Baddiel (@Baddiel) April 16, 2020
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Good grief. What's next? Tap dance for Churchill? Cry wank for Thatcher? https://t.co/8bbaj9ZoZI — Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) April 16, 2020
This is a nice idea but I’m clapping for the PM at 0830, dancing for the Police at 9AM, jazz hands for the judiciary at 0930 and arm waving for the army at 10AM so no real time for this — Disappointed Optimist (@disappoptimism) April 16, 2020
Am I the only person looking at the UK now and thinking, the whole country has gone completely fucking mad? https://t.co/znzRLJYlCX — Tom Scorza (@TomScorza) April 16, 2020
She's not going to shag you mate https://t.co/RWy68dSXAz — Joe Naan (@JoeWNaan) April 16, 2020
alternatively, it's my birthday tomorrow if you want to sing happy birthday for a queen who earns their own money https://t.co/wbo5tA3spZ — Séancé (@MeltingSwans) April 16, 2020
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I have been on this site for 11 years in September and can confidently say that this is the worst tweet I have ever seen https://t.co/DoH8jdJejh — sianny devito (@PrincessDisiana) April 16, 2020
She didnt wish me a happy birthday on facebook when it was mine.
So I'm out. https://t.co/zQgMWkK5VH — Rees 'Speed Racer is a good movie' Finlay 🎭 (@reesytime) April 16, 2020
Others noticed a fundamental flaw in his plan...
Great idea Ben, but you've JUST TWEETED THE F*CKING SURPRISE https://t.co/R17ppBn1n8 — ᔕᗩᗰ (@samcpr) April 16, 2020
surprise ruined. nice one mate queens cryin https://t.co/72CaUYOWzN — Richard Chambers (@newschambers) April 16, 2020
You've ruined the surprise well done. https://t.co/uqC4ykWBSO — barney farmer (@barneyfarmer) April 16, 2020
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There were suggestions of who else we could sing Happy Birthday to...
It's Iggy Pop's birthday next Tuesday. Let's throw him a surprise. At 9am 21st April, we are calling on the whole country to blast Lust For Life at full volume from our windows and doorsteps. #lustforiggypop https://t.co/Ko3eDDNWuC — Dai Lama (@WelshDalaiLama) April 16, 2020
I support this idea but only because April 21 is *my* birthday https://t.co/gAqMjmySwS — Josh Salisbury (@josh_salisbury) April 16, 2020
And a warning to those who did participate...
I am working the night before and if any of my neighbours do this I cannot be held responsible for my actions https://t.co/upqloMgduW — Ian Ford (@ij_ford) April 16, 2020
Imagine finding out that you live in a neighbourhood where people throw open their windows to sing Happy Birthday to the Queen at nine in the fucking morning. https://t.co/Zl57Nltk5t — Hugh Brechin (@HughRBrechin) April 16, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--UK Coronavirus Deaths Increase By 861 In 24 Hours

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The number of people who have died in UK hospitals after contracting coronavirus has risen by 861 in 24 hours.
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It brings the working total to 13,729 as of 5pm on Wednesday – an increase of 7% on the figure of 12,868 24 hours earlier.
On Thursday, the UK’s four devolved authorities reported 740 deaths in England, 80 in Scotland, 32 in Wales and 18 in Northern Ireland – totalling nine more deaths than the central figure. Here’s a quick primer on what all the different numbers mean and how to understand them.
A person in a protective suit near St James' Park as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Newcastle. Lee Smith / Reuters
Meanwhile, as of 9am on Thursday, 103,093 people in the UK have tested positive for the disease, including 4,618 in 24 hours.
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The people who died in England were aged 28 to 103. Some 40 of them had no known underlying health conditions.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--Jake Graf And Wife Hannah Welcome Baby Daughter Via Surrogate: 'She's Here!'

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Jake Graf has announced he and his wife Hannah have welcomed a baby girl via surrogate.
The trans couple revealed their daughter was born at 5.30am on Tuesday morning, but are yet to reveal her name.
“We couldn’t be happier nor more grateful,” Jake wrote in his tweet, alongside a photo of him cradling their newborn with Hannah on a sofa.
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She’s here!! 🥳❤👶🏻 Our amazing surrogate brought our daughter into the world at 5:30am Tuesday morning. We couldn’t be happier nor more grateful.🙏🏼@hannahw253 pic.twitter.com/GWDLZNVubq — Jake Graf (@JakeGraf1) April 16, 2020
The couple announced they were expecting their first child together in December 2019. They explained they used Jake’s eggs, which were frozen before his gender-affirmation surgery at 36.
Jake said he had been on testosterone for six years, but didn’t want to miss out on having kids, so stopped taking it for six months and went to a fertility clinic.
“They said they had no statistics to show how successful it was likely to be,” he told the Mail at the time. “They’d never done anything like it before. But they agreed to try to harvest some eggs.”
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SO excited to announce that @hannahw253 and I are expecting our first child next year. 😀❤👶🏻 https://t.co/PQejdRm8fx — Jake Graf (@JakeGraf1) December 14, 2019
The couple found their surrogate through the National Fertility Society. “It’s a little bit like dating,” said Hannah.
“You need to have shared values and the same outlook. I think our surrogate – who is a very warm, practical person with children of her own – got the sense that we were a happy couple who love each other; that we’ll be good parents.”
The couple married two years ago in March 2018. Speaking to HuffPost UK before the big day, they said they’d hoped the wedding would be a significant moment for trans visibility and show the world that “you can be trans and happy”.
“Growing up, I never thought I would be happy,” Winterbourne told HuffPost UK in the lead up to the wedding. “But when I met Jake, things changed.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--WHO: We Cannot Wait For Coronavirus Vaccine Before Lifting Lockdown

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the world “can’t wait” for a Covid-19 vaccine to become available before lifting lockdown measures.
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Catherine Smallwood, senior emergency officer at WHO Europe, warned that such immunisation is at least 18 months away.
And she dismissed suggestions from health minister Nadine Dorries that the UK needs a vaccine before it can “exit full lockdown”.
During a briefing on Thursday, Smallwood said: “The WHO is not saying we need to wait for a vaccine.
“We don’t know when a vaccine will be available for use in our populations and what we don’t want to do is take action now based on the situation now.
Health minister Nadine Dorries has suggested the UK will need a vaccine before it can exit full lockdown PA
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“We need to think of ourselves in a position of a new normal until such a time that a vaccine might become available to us.”
She added that more than 70 potential coronavirus vaccines are currently being developed, but that it is likely to be at least 18 months before one is available.
She added: “We are aware that in reality it normally takes several years for a vaccine to become available, but we can’t predict when a vaccine will become available and we can’t wait for that.”
Journalists should stop asking about an ‘exit strategy.’ There is only one way we can ‘exit’ full lockdown and that is when we have a vaccine. Until then, we need to find ways we can adapt society and strike a balance between the health of the nation and our economy . #COVID19 — Nadine Dorries 🇬🇧 (@NadineDorries) April 15, 2020
The UK’s current lockdown measures are expected to be extended on Thursday evening. Speaking to BBC Radio 4′s Today programme, Neil Ferguson, of Imperial College London, said easing the lockdown after another three weeks would depend on “how quickly case numbers go down”.
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Professor Ferguson added: “If we relax measures too much then we’ll see a resurgence of transmission.
“What we really need is the ability to put something in their place. If we want to open schools, let people get back to work, then we need to keep transmission down in another manner.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--Cameron Diaz Discusses Life As A New Mum During A Pandemic

Cameron Diaz has been private about her new baby girl for the last three months, but in a rare interview, she opened up about her little one and motherhood during the coronavirus pandemic.
Diaz and her husband, Benji Madden, surprised fans in early January with an announcement that they had welcomed their first child, daughter Raddix Madden. During an Instagram Live chat on Tuesday with her friend Katherine Power, CEO of Who What Wear, Diaz said she adores motherhood.
“I love being a mother. It’s the best, best, best part of my life,” the 47-year-old actor said Tuesday, according to Entertainment Tonight.
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“I’m so grateful and so happy and it’s the best thing ever and I’m so lucky to do it with Benj and we’re having the best time. I’m thrilled. I can’t believe it.”
The new mum said she’s spending her time at home cooking, cleaning, tending to the garden and taking care of Raddix. “All I’m doing over here is keeping things alive,” she quipped.
As far as being in quarantine goes, Diaz admitted it hasn’t actually affected her life with a newborn too much. She said she tries her best to “stay in the present” and avoid overthinking to combat sadness about the pandemic.
“I’ve kinda been living a quarantine life anyhow because I have a three-month-old, three-and-a-half month,” she said. “So my life has been completely quiet and still for the last few months. But I was able to have my friends over all the time. And now I just don’t see anybody.”
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Diaz said she and Madden do Raddix’s bath and bedtime routine before settling down for a wine. It’s Madden’s job to put Raddix to bed, she said.
“He’s so good. He’s such an amazing father. I’m so lucky he’s my baby’s father. He’s incredible. He puts her down and I go into the kitchen and I pour myself a nice glass of red wine. I start my cooking, I put on my show, whatever it is.”
In January, when the couple made their big announcement, they said they felt “so happy, blessed and grateful to begin this new decade” with little Raddix.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--No.10 Completely Rules Out Brexit Transition Extension

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Downing Street has completely ruled out extending the Brexit transition period, arguing the UK needs to leave the EU to have the flexibility to respond to the coronavirus crisis.
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“We will not ask to extend the transition period and if the EU asks we will say no,” Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said on Thursday.
“Extending the transition would simply prolong the negotiations, prolong business uncertainty and delay the moment of control of our borders.
“It would also keep us bound by EU legislation at the point where we need legislative and economic flexibility to manage the UK response to the coronavirus pandemic.”
The transition period for the UK leaving the EU expires on December 31, with a deadline to request an extension set for June 30.
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For the duration of the transition period, the UK remains in the European single market with little to no change for businesses and ordinary citizens.
Some have argued that this standstill period should be extended into next year, with businesses already in turmoil due to the Covid-19 pandemic wary of more upheaval and economic damage and negotiators unable to meet in person.
An industry source has told HuffPost UK: ”The idea that a man-made economic hit on top of the chaos caused by Covid is helpful is beyond baffling.”
Downing Street’s comments come after British and EU negotiators agreed to stage three further rounds of talks on a post-Brexit trade deal in a bit to make “real, tangible progress” before the extension request deadline at the end of June.
UK chief negotiator David Frost and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier took stock of the technical work that has been done since the first round of negotiations in a video-conference meeting on Wednesday.
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In a joint statement they said: “While this work has been useful to identify all major areas of divergence and convergence, the two sides agreed on the need to organise further negotiating rounds in order to make real, tangible progress in the negotiations by June.
“Given the ongoing coronavirus crisis, these negotiating rounds, the structure of which is set out in the terms of reference, will take place via video-conference.”
The talks, each lasting a full week, will take place in the weeks commencing April 20, May 11 and June 1, with a further high level meeting expected in June to review the progress that has been made.
The prime minister’s determination to stick to the current timetable was said to have been underlined by Frost in his latest discussions with Barnier.
It came as Tory former health secretary Stephen Dorrell invited Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy to work together on securing a transition extension.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--Parents Want To Homeschool Even After Lockdown. Are You Kidding Me?

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“Nearly a quarter of parents will continue homeschooling – freeing up more than two million school places by September 2020.”
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This was the topline of a study that found its way into my inbox earlier this week, claiming 23% of British parents want to carry on teaching their kids at home – even when lockdown ends.
Their reasons? 78% of the more than 2000 surveyed said they liked being in control of what their child learns, more than half (51%) said they felt homeschooling reduced bullying, while nine in 10 parents (91%) said they enjoyed spending more time with their child.
My reaction – and that of my fellow parent pals – was unequivocal. You have got to be kidding.
Klaus Vedfelt via Getty Images
As I write this article, one of my children is tugging on my leg to ask me to help him put on his Iron Man costume. He’s been wearing it every day, since the start of lockdown, and I sometimes wonder if he’ll ever wear anything else.
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Meanwhile, my eldest, who’s eight, wants to build a ‘Lego circus’ around my feet. Literally. “Your toes can be the audience,” she says. “Now, don’t move - NOT EVEN IF YOU NEED TO GO TO THE TOILET.”
I’ll grant them some leeway – after all, it is the Easter holidays. The pressure to sit down with the two of them and take them patiently through the half-dozen daily tasks their teachers set them during term-time is off, for now. They are being very sweet and having fun – but it’s all but impossible to get any work done. Impossible.
It’s not all bad, of course – I relate heavily to the sentiment of the parents who say that homeschooling allows them to enjoy spending more time with their kids. The weather helps, too. And watching my children’s imaginations grow as they’re confined to the four walls of our house is fascinating.
But the thought of voluntarily carrying on... with this? You’re pulling my leg, too, right?
When I asked some fellow parents whether they fancied taking on a permanent role as their child’s teacher, some openly started laughing.
“Absolutely no effing way,” one mum told me. “Son has already told me he can’t wait to go back to school because he misses his friends, and ‘You’re a terrible teacher, Mummy’.”
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“No chance in sweet hell,” a pal said simply. And another explains: “I can’t bear this shit anymore. I’ve got clients on video calls and kids wandering in to say I’m stuck on question 3 or I’ve written ‘ear’, can I go on the Switch now.”
One mum asked her four-year-old to clear his breakfast bowl, and posted a picture of the results – a message on the family whiteboard which read: “No mums in the house!”
Hannah S How one boy responded to his mum's request that he do chores.
“Reckon we’ve nailed this homeschooling malarkey,” she said. “If we can manage half an hour of something vaguely educational a day then I count that a win. Although he sometimes likes reading and playing number games, now we’re just trying to make things fun, bake, colour, garden, and hold off on TV till the afternoon. At the end of the day, he’s still tiny and I do think we need to recognise that too much pressure is bad for all of us at the moment.”
And this wasn’t the only whiteboard mishap – Csilla Mikolay posted this shot of gibberish she gamely titled: “Homeschooling”.
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Meanwhile, a dad trying to work from home and teach his kids said: “Our home schooling is slowly disintegrating into ‘let’s at least talk about the film we watched this afternoon.’ No way I can keep up replicating what the school expects until September (our school’s already closed until then).
“I’ve just decided to put zero pressure on them, make sure they do ‘enough’ and focus on us all staying sane. Egyptian history and sodding digraphs can wait.”
And another mum said: “My daughter has wanted to be homeschooled for years. She has Asperger’s and finds it very stressful. Since lockdown she’s decided she’d hate to be homeschooled!”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--Ross Kemp Defends His Controversial ITV Documentary On Coronavirus

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Ross Kemp has spoken out in defence of his upcoming documentary about coronavirus.
The former EastEnders star recently announced that he was filming a new programme in a Milton Keynes, focussing on the NHS staff members working to help those who have been diagnosed with Covid-19.
During filming, Ross has been photographed wearing personal protective equipment, which has been criticised by many because of a national shortage of PPE.
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The documentary has also been criticised for allowing Ross into hospital wards where patients are dying, something relatives are not currently permitted to do.
I’ve just been fitted for PPE and we’re about to go into an intensive care unit at Milton Keynes Hospital to witness the incredible efforts of medics treating Covid 19 patients. Please note we won’t be depleting the hospital’s PPE stock #COVID19 #coronavirus #nhs pic.twitter.com/L20jDvjc8i — Ross Kemp (@RossKemp) April 10, 2020
Addressing the controversy during Thursday’s Good Morning Britain, Ross explained that he “understood” why families may be upset.
“They are being separated for the reason the NHS don’t want to spread the virus any further than they can possibly help it,” he said.
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“We were only in for a very short period of time, and we went in there with the NHS’s blessing and with the blessing of the hospital staff because they want to tell their story, and hopefully by telling that story we will reassure the public, particularly those who are suffering at the moment because their loved ones are in hospital.”
Sharing his intention behind the upcoming documentary, Ross continued: “The film is about trying to show in just 48 hours how all the staff of the NHS are doing such sterling work on our behalf, how they are saving lives.
“But it’s also an opportunity for them to talk to us, to tell us what their concerns are, what their fears are, and how they are overcoming them, and also to say what we can do to help them do their job better and also what we should be doing to help beat it.
“There are some really important pieces of information that only frontline staff can really explain properly, and that is the point of the film – it’s to reassure people who are understandably concerned and worried and slightly angry about what is going on at the moment.”
Ross Kemp during his Good Morning Britain interview ITV
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Earlier this week, the Milton Keynes hospital where the documentary is being filmed defended their decision to allow production to go ahead in a lengthy statement.
“There is a lot of anxiety and confusion both about the NHS’ ability to meet the pressures of Covid-19 and the type of care that is being offered to those that have the virus,” they said.
“After discussions with NHS England, we believed it was important to give a mainstream media outlet controlled access to the hospital so that the public could be informed and reassured about the response of hospitals to Covid-19.”
They added: “At a time when there is anxiety nationally about the spread of Covid-19 and the NHS’s ability to respond to the pressures the virus will bring, we felt it was important to give a true account on the work being done in hospitals and in community settings, and the measures being taken to prevent the spread of the virus.
“We hope that the programme will help to reinforce the message that it is important for members of the public to stay at home and protect the NHS.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--Eight Things You Need To Know About Coronavirus Today

Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
Men are dying from coronavirus at twice the rate of women in England and Wales, figures have shown for the first time, while the government has ordered 15,000 new ventilators.
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The latest figures show:
As of Thursday, a further 870 coroanvirus-related deaths in UK hospitals have been reported in the last 24 hours – 740 in England, 80 in Scotland, 32 in Wales and 18 in Northern Ireland – over 24 hours.
Nearly 16,000 coronavirus tests were carried out in England, Scotland and Wales on Tuesday.
98,476 people have tested positive for coronavirus in those three nations.
Here’s what you need to know today:
WHO dismisses health minister’s vaccine claims
A man walks along the beach in Cleethorpes as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. (Photo by Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images) Danny Lawson - PA Images via Getty Images
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the world “can’t wait” for a Covid-19 vaccine to become available before lifting lockdown measures.
Catherine Smallwood, senior emergency officer at WHO Europe, warned that such immunisation is at least 18 months away, dismissing suggestions from health minister Nadine Dorries that the UK needed a vaccine before the nation could “exit full lockdown”
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Dorries came under fire on Wednesday for claiming that a vaccine was the only way the UK could escape restrictive measures, stating: “Until then, we need to find ways we can adapt society and strike a balance between the health of the nation and our economy.”
Journalists should stop asking about an ‘exit strategy.’ There is only one way we can ‘exit’ full lockdown and that is when we have a vaccine. Until then, we need to find ways we can adapt society and strike a balance between the health of the nation and our economy . #COVID19 — Nadine Dorries 🇬🇧 (@NadineDorries) April 15, 2020
Government approves first new adapted ventilator design
The government has ordered 15,000 new ventilators after the first newly-adapted design, created by a manufacturing consortium, was approved by regulators.
Hundreds of units of the ventilators, manufactured by Penlon as part of the VentilatorChallengeUK (VCUK) consortium – which includes Formula One racing teams Mercedes, McLaren and Williams – are expected to be produced in the next week.
The first 40 of the devices were sent to a military distribution site at MoD Donnington on Thursday for delivery to the NHS.
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At the outbreak of the crisis, PM Boris Johnson said the NHS needed more 30,000 ventilators – a number that was later lowered by health secretary Matt Hancock to 18,000. The NHS had approximately 8,175 ventilators at the time of Johnson’s initial request.
Men dying from coronavirus at twice the rate of women in England and Wales
The mortality rates for men with coronavirus are more than double the rates for women. Victoria Jones - PA Images via Getty Images
Coronavirus is killing men at double the rate of women in England and Wales, new figures published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show.
The data, published on Thursday morning, also revealed that 91% of deaths related to the virus recorded in March involved at least one pre-existing condition.
Covid-19 was the underlying cause of death in 3,372 deaths in March: the equivalent of 69 per 100,000 people – accounting for 7% of all deaths in England and Wales that month – 9% of all deaths for males and 6% for females.
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The data also revealed that the largest number of deaths were in those aged between 85 and 89 years old, with heart disease the biggest underlying condition.
Health secretary confirms 27 NHS coronavirus deaths
The health secretary has confirmed that 27 NHS staff have now died after contracting coronavirus.
Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast there had “very sadly” been 27 verified deaths, referring explicitly to the death of 28-year-old Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, a heavily pregnant nurse who died after contracting the virus.
More than £65,000 has now been raised for Agyapong’s family, including her newborn daughter who was delivered via emergency caesarean.
It is with great sadness we announce that yet another member of our nursing family, Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, has sadly died from COVID-19. She is survived by her newborn daughter. pic.twitter.com/PvZHMpRzBj — NursingNotes (@NursingNotesUK) April 15, 2020
Agyapong had worked as a nurse on a general ward at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital for five years, where she died on Sunday. She had tested positive on April 5 and was admitted to hospital on April 7.
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A Gofundme page set up on Wednesday morning had raised more than £65,000 by early Thursday morning.
“Mary was a blessing to everyone she came across and her love, care and sincerity will be irreplaceable,” organiser Rhoda Asiedu wrote on the page.
“I am raising this funds for her immediate family; her husband, AJ and her baby girl little Mary, who was born at the time of her demise.”
Colleagues paid tribute to Agyapong, who also went by her married name Mary Boateng, on the GoFundMe page. Renai Mcinerney wrote: “Sister Mary was my colleague, I worked alongside her for a few years. She deserves her family to be looked after, after she devoted her life to the NHS as a nurse.” Caitlin Green posted: “So sorry to Mary’s family and friends for her loss. She will live on in her beautiful baby girl.”
99-year-old veteran continues walking laps of his garden after raising more than £14m for NHS
Captain Tom Moore, 99, poses after he continued to raise money for health workers, by attempting to walk the length of his garden one hundred times before his 100th birthday this month. Peter Cziborra / Reuters
The 99-year-old veteran who has raised more than £14m for the NHS has completed the 100 laps of his garden - but will keep going as long as donations continue to be made in his name.
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Captain Tom Moore, who lives with his family in Bedfordshire, finished the last of the planned 25-metre laps early on Thursday morning.
Congratulations to @CaptainTomMoore, who has completed a fundraising walk to raise more than £12m for NHS charities!
Soldiers from 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment surprised Tom with a Guard of Honour at a safe distance as he completed his final lap.#InThisTogether pic.twitter.com/Yqw8K8AQqs — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 16, 2020
Hours later, Downing Street suggested that Moore’s efforts could be rewarded with an honour.
A spokesperson for No.10 said: “Tom has captured the heart of the nation with his heroic efforts and has raised an incredible amount of money for hardworking NHS staff.
“He has embodied the spirit of the whole country in doing their bit for the battle against coronavirus to support the NHS and save lives. From his military contributions to his support for NHS staff, Tom has demonstrated a lifetime of bravery and compassion.
“The prime minister will certainly be looking at ways to recognise Tom for his heroic efforts.”
His achievements – which started at a modest target of £1,000 last week, ahead of his 100th birthday on April 30 – were singled out by Matt Hancock during the Wednesday evening press conference at Downing Street.
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In his opening address, the health secretary said: “I want to pay a special tribute today to Captain Tom Moore.
“Captain Tom, you’re an inspiration to us all, and we thank you.”
Speaking on ITV, Moore said: “I’ve always been one for having a future, I always think things will be good. We’ve fought so many battles and we’ve always won and we’re going to win again.”
His daughter Hannah said her father had become “a beacon of hope for people” during challenging times and that the donations were “beyond words”.
She added that the local postmaster had already been “inundated” with messages ahead of Moore’s 100th birthday, which is on April 30.
At least 16 people killed in suspected domestic abuse attacks since the start of lockdown
The rate of deaths has almost doubled, campaigners have said. Ute Grabowsky via Getty Images
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At least sixteen people have been killed in suspected domestic abuse incidents since the start of lockdown three weeks ago, campaigners have said.
The figure of five deaths a week is more than double the UK average for the time of year, Sky News reported.
Counting Dead Women, a campaign group which account for domestic abuse deaths nationwide, have identified the deaths of sixteen people – including children – in the period between March 23 and April 12.
Support charity Refuge has also recently revealed a 25% rise in calls to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline within a five day period shortly after the PM announced the lock down.
Home secretary Priti Patel announced a new awareness campaign to tackle the issue during a press briefing on Saturday.
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She said: “I want to emphasise that anybody who is a victim of these crimes can still get help. Anyone in immediate danger should call 999 and press 55 on a mobile if you are unable to talk.”
Medics warn of increase in home deaths due to reluctance to call for an ambulance
Dozens more people than usual have died at home after suffering a cardiac arrest, medics have warned. Victoria Jones - PA Images via Getty Images
Dozens more people are dying at home each day after suffering cardiac arrests – potentially related to coronavirus – before ambulance crews can reach them, medics have warned.
Minutes of an online meeting held by London’s senior A&E staff, obtained by the Guardian, reveal the sharp rise in at-home deaths due to a reluctance to call for an ambulance.
The notes contained details of concerns shared by medics that seriously ill people are opting to avoid A&E or dialling 999 in order to avoid placing a strain on the service.
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“People don’t want to go near hospital,” the document said. “As a result salvageable conditions are not being treated.”
Fears have also been raised that many of thee deaths are as a result of untreated Covid-19, which can place an extreme strain on the heart. The head of one A&E department told the Guardian: “Of these 85 extra cardiac arrest deaths a day in London, they must be mainly Covid.”
Homeless charity faces ‘deeply troubling’ times amid crisis
One charity has warned of a 50% drop in donations. Chris J Ratcliffe via Getty Images
A homeless charity has warned of “deeply troubling” times amid the coronavirus crisis, as donations plummet amid a soaring demand for help.
Turning Tides, which supports 200 homeless people in West Sussex, says it is urgently asking for help as it faces a 50% drop in fundraising income due to lockdown.
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The charity has supported homeless people across the county for the last 28 years, but chief executive John Holmstrom says: “We have never seen anything like the situation we are facing now and urgently need to ask for help.
“The picture we are facing as an organisation is deeply troubling.”
The charity is asking the public to join a “campaign to keep homeless people in our community alive”, and vital emergency donations are requested via the Turning Tides website.
Holmstrom added: “We have 21 properties across the county supporting some 200 homeless people.
“Additionally, we are providing vital practical and emotional support to growing numbers of rough sleepers being housed in temporary accommodation to limit the spread of the virus.
“There is an unprecedented demand on our services and this will only increase in the weeks and months to come.
“Many of our courageous frontline staff are designated keyworkers and, like our colleagues in the NHS, they are under huge pressure and putting their own health on the line as they support some of the most vulnerable people in our community.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-16--Coronavirus Has Brits Sleepwalking Into A Totalitarian Surveillance State

My smartphone was making me stupid, Dr Dominic Pimenta writes. Getty Creative
I never thought it would take as little as four weeks to accept a national decline into dystopia. But after just a month locked in my flat, calls from family and friends who live in countries with fewer restrictions, remind me that this is all a bit totalitarian.
As a human rights researcher, my own adaptability scares me. While I fully support taking all possible measures to save lives and prevent the spread of coronavirus, including lockdown, I am scared that my priorities as a human with a survival instinct can so easily overtake what is important to me as a citizen.
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I read news of the new NHS contact tracing app, and my worries come into sharp focus. It rattles the part of me that has spent the past year buried in research reports on the uncontrolled spread of surveillance capitalism and the undermining of our digital rights, before the term has even entered our common lexicon.
The UK, along with many other European countries, is introducing a Bluetooth-enabled app to trace and alert people who have been in sustained proximity with confirmed cases of Covid-19, who would then be told to self-isolate. Apple and Google have joined forces to enable the necessary technology. Supporters of such an initiative, including researchers at the University of Oxford, argue that this app could serve as a cornerstone of a lockdown exit strategy, putting an end to the enforced confinement of millions of people while preventing a deadly second wave.
While ample assurances have been given that data collection will be completely anonymous and stored only on local devices, the Guardian recently revealed a draft government memo explaining how the app could be “de-anonymised” through device IDs “if ministers judge that to be proportionate at some stage”.
This is precisely the danger we are currently facing. We risk giving our whole arm when we only agreed to our pinky. In international human rights law, temporary derogations of fundamental rights may be considered legitimate if they are time-bound, necessary, non-discriminatory, and transparent. The two latter points are particularly lacking when it comes to the Covid app.
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And that is assuming that it even works as intended in the first place. TraceTogether, the now open-source Singaporean app that is serving as the model for the NHS version, was only downloaded by about a fifth of the population. Eighty to 100% is needed for the app to be truly effective as a contact tracing tool. Digital tracing worked well in China because they did not rely on voluntary uptake, but simply utilised its extensive surveillance state. This gives you an idea of the scale of surveillance called for by these initiatives.
This also leads into the issue of digital inequality, already laid bare by our differentiated lockdown experiences (like whether or not you can afford high-speed wifi). In the UK, only about 20% of people over the age of 75 own a smartphone. We risk a situation where the most vulnerable to the virus do not have access to the tools being promoted as the best means of protection.
We have been living under surveillance capitalism for a good while, but the current crisis risks normalising a new level of tracking. Reminding us how we are still living with security measures taken after 9/11, Edward Snowden has warned of a new era of bio-surveillance that survives long after we finally get a coronavirus vaccine. In March, an open letter signed by over 50 technology experts pointed out that phone data from UK service providers is already being used to track people’s movements. We currently do not fully understand who has access to it.
But say that it works – is it worth giving up a little bit more of our data and a few more of our freedoms? We’ve already taken large bites out of that cake on an unprecedented scale. Even if we determine this app to be worth the price, we must ensure that the impact of these measures is as limited as possible. The Women Leading in AI group published an open letter to MPs recommending the government openly publishes the framework supporting the deployment of the app and establishes an independent oversight board to ensure accountability. They also demanded that the government clearly frames this as a temporary and collective endeavour, with end dates for when our data will no longer be stored for the app.
When it comes to our digital rights, as with so many other things we hold dear, we are currently balancing on the edge of a precipice. We can choose to demand that this health crisis is understood as a collective effort where decisions are made for and by the people, or sleepwalk into unquestioned mass surveillance and further erosion of our fundamental rights and liberties.
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The latter prospect is enough to jolt me awake in the mornings. Perhaps it’s time to consider adding “Contact MP about the NHS app” to our new lockdown routines.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-17--Prince William and Kate Middleton Urge Mental Health Awareness During Covid-19 Lockdown

Prince William and Kate Middleton Urge Mental Health Awareness During Covid-19 Lockdown
Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate encouraged people to take care of their mental health during the coronavirus outbreak. Speaking via a video William said the tips and advice offered by the Public Health England's Every Mind Matters programme were helpful to those experiencing "strange feelings and difficult circumstances" while in lockdown. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also spoke about the difficulties National Health Service workers face on the frontline and commended them in tackling the spread of coronavirus.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-17--Matt Hancock Unable To Promise Enough Hospital Gowns For The Weekend

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Matt Hancock has not been able to guarantee hospitals will have enough protective gowns to get them through the coming weekend.
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The health secretary said on Friday he would “love to be able to wave a magic wand” and have enough personal protective equipment (PPE) “fall from the sky in large quantities” but this was not possible due to a global shortage.
The government has been unable to say how much personal protective equipment is still lacking in the fight against coronavirus, as the number of NHS staff confirmed to have died of the illness continues to climb.
As of Thursday, 27 NHS staff are known to have died after contracting coronavirus.
Taking questions via video link from the Commons health and social care committee today, Hancock admitted the NHS and care service was “tight” on gowns - although 55,000 more were due to arrive today.
Asked if he was “confident” all UK hospitals would have enough gowns this weekend, Hancock said the government was doing “everything we possibly can” but it was a “challenge”.
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Jeremy Hunt, the Conservative chair of the committee who preceded Hancock as health secretary, asked: “Are we going to be able to get gowns to everywhere that need them over this weekend?”
Hancock said “that is exactly what we are aiming to do” but was unable to offer a guarantee.
“I would love to be able to wave a magic wand and have PPE fall from the sky in large quantities and be able to answer your question about when shortages will be resolved,” he told MPs.
Health secretary Matt Hancock has said a global shortage of PPE is hindering efforts. PA
“But given that we have a global situation in which there is less PPE in the world than the world needs, obviously it’s going to be a huge pressure point.”
He added: “There’s nothing that I can say at this select committee that will take away the fact that we have a global challenge and we’re doing everything we can to resolve it to get that PPE to the front line.”
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Today’s committee hearing, which lasted over two hours, came following reports that the head of an NHS trust in southern England has asked for the help of a British fashion company as he fears his staff will soon run out of hospital gowns.
Yesterday the government needed to be satisfied of five things before it would consider it safe to lift or adjust the current lockdown - which has been extended by at least three weeks.
They are:
Protect the NHS’s ability to cope and be confident that the NHS is able to provide sufficient critical care across the UK
A sustained and consistent fall in daily death rates to be confident the UK is beyond the peak
Reliable data from Government scientific advisers showing rate of infection is decreasing to manageable levels across the board
Confidence that testing capacity and personal protective equipment (PPE) are in hand with “supply able to meet future demand”
Confidence that any adjustments to the current measures would not risk a second peak in infections.
Also giving evidence to the committee today, professor Anthony Costello, chair of global health at University College London, said the UK faces “further waves” of coronavirus and will probably have the highest death rate in Europe because the government was “too slow” to act.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the Covid-19 death toll in hospitals in the UK had reached 13,729 as of 5pm on Wednesday, up 861 on the figure the day before.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-17--Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Creator Reveals What He'd Say To The Ingrams Now

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Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? creator David Briggs still wants to hear Charles Ingram admit he cheated on the quiz show.
The TV producer has spoken out against the former army major and his wife Diana following the ITV drama, Quiz.
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The real-life story saw Charles accused of cheating his way to the jackpot on Millionaire with a supposed scheme involving a series of coughs from Diana and an accomplice.
And while the Ingrams have always maintained their innocence after being found guilty of deception at a 2003 trial, David – who was played by Elliot Levey in Quiz – still believes they cheated, calling the evidence “compelling”.
Diana and Charles Ingram pictured during their trial in 2003 PA
Speaking to The Sun, he said: “What I’d say to anyone uncertain of their guilt now is simple - go back and watch the programme.
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“I was there in the studio on the night it happened, and the evidence is compelling. I’m very protective of ‘Millionaire’. This is the show that I created. It was my little baby.
“But it was a show that was important to the viewing public of Britain. The Ingrams did their evil deed then I think the public got behind us and thought, ‘These disgusting little guys tried to cheat.’
“If I ever met them in the street, I’d ask them, ’If my lips would be sealed for the rest of my life, tell me, ‘Did you do it?’ I’d just like to hear him admit it.”
It was revealed earlier this week that the Ingrams are still planning to appeal the case, with their defence lawyer Rhona Friedman explaining there has been “changes and advances in science that weren’t available at the trial” that have the “ability to properly discern the many coughs” that were seen as suspicious at the time.
However, Millionaire host Chris Tarrant is also still convinced the couple are guilty as charged.
He told Radio X earlier this week: “I mean the bottom line is he’s a rotter and a cad and a bandit and he was guilty. No question in my mind at all that he was guilty!”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-17--Led By Donkeys Project NHS Plea For PPE Onto UK Houses Of Parliament

Led By Donkeys Project NHS Plea For PPE Onto UK Houses Of Parliament
Political campaign group Led By Donkeys projected “a message to the government’ onto the houses of parliament. The video directed to Britain’s prime minister Boris Johnson sees NHS staff highlighting a lack of protective equipment (PPE). The group originally formed to fight Brexit also restarted a billboard campaign to “create a record of heroes and anti-heroes” during the coronavirus crisis.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-17--1966 England Defender And Leeds United 'Icon' Norman Hunter Dies Aged 76 After Contracting Coronavir

1966 England Defender And Leeds United 'Icon' Norman Hunter Dies Aged 76 After Contracting Coronavirus

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Former England and Leeds defender Norman Hunter has died, aged 76.
Hunter, who made 28 appearances for the Three Lions and was part of the 1966 World Cup-winning squad, was last week admitted to hospital with the coronavirus.
In a statement, Leeds United said the club was “devastated to learn of the passing of club legend Norman Hunter at the age of 76”.
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“He leaves a huge hole in the Leeds United family, his legacy will never be forgotten and our thoughts are with Norman’s family and friends at this very difficult time.”
Meanwhile, the England team tweeted a statement saying: “We’re extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Norman Hunter at the age of 76.
We're extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Norman Hunter at the age of 76.
Norman was part of our @FIFAWorldCup-winning squad and won 28 caps for the #ThreeLions. All of our thoughts are with his family, friends and supporters at this time. pic.twitter.com/K7XQ2c7nJl — England (@England) April 17, 2020
“Norman was part of our @FIFAWorldCup-winning squad and won 28 caps for the #ThreeLions. All of our thoughts are with his family, friends and supporters at this time.”
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Former England striker Gary Lineker said: “Sad news: Norman Hunter has passed away. Grew up watching that great @LUFC side of which he was a huge part. This awful virus was one crunching tackle too far but he’ll be biting yer legs somewhere. RIP Norman.”
The Professional Footballers’ Association said: “All at the PFA are deeply saddened to hear of Norman Hunter’s passing. Football has lost a legend and we join the entire football community in mourning this loss.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-17--Celebs Like Piers Morgan And Carol Vorderman Join The #MeAt20 Trend And The Pics Are Glorious

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Social media trends involving people posting old pictures of themselves can sometimes be a little tedious, but we have to admit, we do love it when celebrities join in.
When the #MeAt20 hashtag started going viral on Thursday, it wasn’t long before a host of famous faces were digging back into their photo archives.
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Stars including Piers Morgan, Carol Vorderman, Judge Rinder and Nicola Coughlan were among those who shared pictures of what they looked like when they were 20 years old.
And the results are absolutely glorious – see for yourselves...
Carol Vorderman
TV presenter
Graduating age 20. 1981. Engineering. Cambridge Uni.
VERY bad perm. Inspired by Deirdre Barlow, John Bon Jovi with a hint of Cher 😂 ❤#MeAt20 pic.twitter.com/xatuFBygZn — Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) April 17, 2020
Piers Morgan
Good Morning Britain host
Judge Rinder
TV judge
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Julian Clary
Comedian
#MeAt20 seems to be a thing. So here I am. The word ‘singer’ was used loosely back then. pic.twitter.com/7v4siS02w3 — Julian Clary (@JulianClary) April 16, 2020
Krishnan Guru-Murthy
Channel 4 News presenter
The only #MeAt20 pic I have to hand - presenting the ‘seminal’ fashion show Posh Frocks and New Trousers for ITV with @RealSarahGreene and @Annabel_Giles 🤣 #AGE20 pic.twitter.com/NsZLshHFC3 — Krishnan Guru-Murthy (@krishgm) April 16, 2020
Nicola Coughlan
Derry Girls star
Me at 20- living in Malta, barely studying, have a lot of the craic pic.twitter.com/nQaCkVcgjk — Nicola Coughlan (@nicolacoughlan) April 16, 2020
Mary Nightingale
ITV newsreader
Jack Monroe
TV cook
Found one with some clothes on. Don't be fooled by the big eyes - those shoulders could carry a 15 stone body. #MeAt20 pic.twitter.com/UomVMFngcN — 🌈👩🍳📚Jack Monroe (@BootstrapCook) April 16, 2020
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Les Dennis
Presenter and actor
#MeAt20 publicity photo. So much mascara. And the dragonflies on the shirt!!! pic.twitter.com/9X0O6QFKyf — Les Dennis (@LesDennis) April 16, 2020
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Actor
Me at 20, dressed like J.Lo. Dress by Middletown CT Goodwill. Julio, the Wesleyan Usnavi, as Ja behind me. #TBT pic.twitter.com/6dn9SeMl6V — Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) April 16, 2020
London Hughes
Comedian and presenter
Lol ok, Me at 20... Auditioning for CBBC - An absolute sex goddess pic.twitter.com/1k2w7W6Gwj — London Hughes (@TheLondonHughes) April 16, 2020
Alison Moyet
Singer
Sajid Javid
Politician
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Matthew Wright
Former Wright Stuff presenter
Tim Vine
Comedian
#MeAt20 I can’t exactly remember why, but I asked my sister to take this photo of me trapped in a bath fully clothed. pic.twitter.com/QpxUXUSMmn — Tim Vine (@RealTimVine) April 16, 2020
Shappi Khorsandi
Comedian
Baga Chipz
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK contestant
Me at 20. 2nd Marriage. pic.twitter.com/IRTizVUQ2q — Baga Chipz (@ChipShopBird) April 16, 2020
Julia Bradbury
TV presenter
Not sure why we're all doing this but #MeAt20 (or there abouts.... )😅 pic.twitter.com/Lkn7dfQ7dx — Julia Bradbury (@JuliaBradbury) April 16, 2020
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Nigel Slater
Chef
Charlie Condou
Former Coronation Street actor
Me at 20, in Judge Dredd. I look exactly the same now obviously pic.twitter.com/SafBbVHKRv — Charlie Condou (@Charliecondou) April 16, 2020
Ruby Tandoh
Former Bake Off contestant
this was me at 20 (in the bake off tent). i now spend less time hating myself and more time hating the UK food media and the crooks who uphold it. we grow. pic.twitter.com/AdAG4yHb6I — Ruby Tandoh (@rubytandoh) April 16, 2020
Laurence Fox
Actor
#MeAt20
I’m pretty sure this is still my casting headshot.
I shall report myself for a violation of the Trade Descriptions act.
😬 pic.twitter.com/bOaL4zqNlw — Laurence Fox 🥦 (@LozzaFox) April 17, 2020
Busy Philipps
Hollywood star
Me at 20. Do I win something? pic.twitter.com/DYXkI7e6qe — Busy Philipps (@BusyPhilipps) April 16, 2020
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Alyssa Milano
Former Charmed star
Victoria Coren Mitchell
TV presenter
Jay Rayner
Food critic
#MeAt20. Then I killed him and buried him under the patio. pic.twitter.com/Dp5Bsghv9e — Jay Rayner (@jayrayner1) April 16, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-17--Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus Today

Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus Today
The UK and Canada both extend their lockdowns and British government officials say they will not extend the Brexit transition. President Trump has backed down from his claims of authority over individual states and announced a three point plan to reopening the country - as a record 22 million people applied for unemployment.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-17--NHS Workers' Emotional Plea Projected Onto Houses Of Parliament

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A moving message from NHS workers has been projected onto the Houses of Parliament calling for adequate protection for frontline staff amid the coronavirus crisis.
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Led By Donkeys, which made a name for itself by putting up posters and projecting videos of politicians contradicting themselves throughout the Brexit process, was behind the stunt.
The video, projected onto the Houses of Parliament and posted online early on Friday morning, following the weekly Clap for Carers held on Thursday evening.
The video features a number of unnamed frontline workers – starting with a staff member appealing directly to Boris Johnson, who was discharged from hospital on Sunday after his own life-threatening battle with the virus.
She says: “Prime minister, we’re happy to hear you’ve recovered from Covid-19. For doctors and nurses there’s no greater feeling than watching a patient be discharged and heading home.
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“The NHS saved your life. Now we need you to save ours.”
A message to the government.
Houses of Parliament - SOUND ON. pic.twitter.com/LnXRFQ49ud — Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys) April 17, 2020
Other workers, some of whom who have lost colleagues to the virus, then come forward to plead for adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).
“This week we’ve seen health care assistants, nurses and doctors in the NHS losing their lives to this deadly disease,” one staff member adds.
“We need personal protective equipment now.”
HuffPost UK revealed on Thursday that the government was still unable to say how much more PPE was actually required – despite NHS staff and other frontline workers, such as care home employees, crying out for lifesaving protection.
“An already very stressful time for NHS staff is being made worse by inadequate protection,” said one staff member in the video.
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“Without it, they risk becoming unwell, and who will then be left to look after the rest of us, look after our loved ones and those we care about?” added another.
The. short video also featured a final year medical student who was preparing to start working in the NHS.
She said: “My parents ask me: ’Will you be safe? Will you have proper PPE?′ I don’t know.”
Samantha Batt-Rawden, from the The Doctors Association UK Led By Donkeys
The Clap for Carers movement has been widely praised for bolstering the nation’s spirits and millions of pounds have been raised to help support the health service, butt he government have repeatedly been called on to step up and provide more PPE.
There was widespread backlash on Wednesday evening after health secretary Matt Hancock unveiled a new badge for care workers, with many calling for more meaningful action to help struggling cares.
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The Led By Donkeys video echoed this message, with workers calling on the government to do its “duty” and protect staff.
One worker said: “It’s the duty of government and employers to protect their staff, and there are clearly failures.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-17--Prince William Worries About His Grandparents, But They're Doing Video Calls Just Like Us

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have revealed what lockdown looks like in the royal households – with homeschooling and anxieties for older relatives stressing them out.
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Prince William revealed that, like many of us, he’s worried about his grandparents during the coronavirus outbreak – it just so happens that his grandma is the Queen, 93, and grandfather is the Duke of Edinburgh, 98.
“Obviously I think very carefully about my grandparents, who are the age they’re at,” he said in an interview with BBC Breakfast. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure that they’re isolated away and protected from this.”
The couple appeared via video link in an interview with host Tine Daheley on Friday morning. William revealed they’ve been keeping in touch with “all the family” via video calls.
“It’s been a really good way of keeping in touch and seeing each other. As you can imagine the younger generation are a little bit more tech savvy – but only just!” he joked.
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Chris Jackson via Getty Images
They’re homes may be quite different, but Kate said the experience of lockdown for the royals has “been ups and downs, like a lot of families self-isolating”.
She said she was surprised how much their children, particularly the eldest, Prince George, had an awareness of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Although you don’t want to scare or overwhelm them, I think it is appropriate to acknowledge it in the simple ways and in age-appropriate ways,” she said.
When asked how homeschooling was going, the couple laughed, before Kate revealed that they haven’t even told the children it’s the Easter holidays and have been fitting some lessons around play to maintain a strict routine.
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“The children have got such stamina, I don’t know how, honestly. You get to the end of the day, you write down all the list of the things you’ve done in that day: you pitch a tent, take a tent down again, cook, bake. It is amazing how much they can cram into one day, that’s for sure,” she said.
William also spoke about his father, Prince Charles’ Covid-19 diagnosis. He said the initial diagnosis did cause to worry: “I have to admit, at first I was quite concerned. He fits the profile of somebody, at the age he is at, which is fairly risky.”
But he went on to say Prince Charles’ symptoms were relatively mild and the hardest thing for him was not being able to go for walks.
“My father has had many chest infections, colds, and things like that over the years. And so, I thought to myself, if anybody is going to be able to beat this, it’s going to be him.” William added.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also spoke about how Covid-19 might be impacting the nation’s mental health, with William saying there is an “ever-increasing need for people to look after their mental health and take it seriously and also know where to go to get the support they might need”.
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The couple have voiced a new advert for Public Health England’s Every Mind Matters platform, which will air across TV channels from Monday, signposting the public towards NHS tips and advice around mental health and wellbeing during the pandemic.
It comes after new data shows over four in five (85.2% ) British people are worried about the effect that coronavirus is having on their life, with over half (53.1%) saying it was affecting their well-being and nearly half (46.9%) reporting high levels of anxiety.