thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-26--Why Aren't Nail Salons Reopening?

Why Aren't Nail Salons Reopening?

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Following the latest lockdown easing announcement, pubs, cinemas, hotels, restaurants and hairdressers in England will be able to open from July 4. One thing that didn’t make the list? Nail and beauty salons.
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It’s said to be because of the “risk of infection and safety” – and there’s no date planned as to when they can open their doors. “We intend to allow some other close contact services, such as nail bars, to reopen as soon as we can, when we’re confident they can operate in a secure way,” Johnson said in the briefing.
The prime minister added that “difficult judgements” were made when they were deciding which businesses would be able to reopen.
In other European countries, like Italy and Germany, beauty salons opened alongside shop and hairdressers – but people in the UK are going to have to wait a little longer. Yet, according to online beauty booking service, Treatwell, appointments are already beginning to fill up.
With little guidance from the government on when the beauty sector can restart – what does this mean for our much-needed feel-good beauty treatments?
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valentinrussanov via Getty Images
How much longer will beauty salons have to wait?
Many salons had been preparing to reopen in time for the start of July, laying out the space and ordering PPE for the staff. But they’re confused by the latest lockdown announcement.
Ama Quashie, owner of Brixton-based nail salon Ama, wishes there was some stipulation for the future. “Is it going to be weeks [until we can reopen]? Another month?” she says, speaking to HuffPost UK. “What happens if you’re in an industry that’s not allowed to return?”
Others in the beauty industry also feel they’ve been left in the dark compared to other sectors. “Boris has given no indication of when we may reopen,” says Tina Michael, founder of Shoreditch Nails.
“He’s given other industries indications of their opening dates and honoured them. We need to know a rough timeline so we can prepare for reopening. We are being treated in a way that makes our industry look insignificant.”
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Bita Honarvar / Reuters
And can they afford to remain closed?
Government grants won’t last forever, salon owners tell us. They’re worried what to do when the support ends, as many are relying heavily on the grant scheme to get by.
“I know 80% furlough comes to an end in July,” says Quashie. “The government hasn’t said what will happen if you’re in an industry that’s not allowed to open past July. We need the 80% to carry on if we want to survive. It’s as simple as that.”
Michael adds: “It’s unfair we’ve got the same help as businesses who are able to open next week and start earning money. If some businesses are being singled out to remain closed by the government, then frankly the furlough scheme should continue to apply to those singled-out businesses.”
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What will change when salons do reopen?
You’ll notice a few changes when you head back to a nail salon, although many of them say they were already ahead of the hygiene curve.
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“We had sanitised and sterile practices as the foundation of our business long before coronavirus started,” Quashie explains, “things like sterilised tools between treatments and wiping down surfaces with anti-fungal, antibacterial, and antiviral products. Now it’s a case of going above and beyond.”
Aside from upping the cleanliness, there’ll also be new guidelines for clients. Expect mandatory face masks or coverings, longer appointment times to ensure no cross-contamination with clients, contactless payments, and pre-booked appointments only.
“We won’t be serving clients drinks and they’ll be unable to bring guests with them,” Michael explains. “They’ll also need to inform us of any medical conditions that would potentially prevent us from doing their treatments before their appointment.”
Salon owners want to come back as soon as possible, but they say the staff and public’s safety is a number one priority. “Getting a facial, pedicure or manicure is a treatment service and it’s supposed to be pampering,” says Quashie.
“I want to come back in a way that doesn’t feel scary or put anyone at risk.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-26--Women's Sport Has Gone Missing This Summer And We Want It Back

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Just as quickly as women’s sport became the norm in our lives, it’s disappeared – and the Covid-19 pandemic is to blame.
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The Vitality Netball Superleague, the FA Women’s Super League and the Evian Championship – set to be The Ladies’ Professional Golf Association’s first major of the year – have all become casualties of the virus, with fixtures in women’s cricket, tennis and cycling also taking a battering.
This comes a year after nationwide excitement for the Fifa Women’s World Cup, and months after record attendance for a women’s football game at Wembley for last November’s friendly between England and Germany.
Of course, men’s sports have been hit by the pandemic, too and any athlete due to compete in the Olympics is bound to be disappointed – but there have been clear inconsistencies in how the male and female games have returned.
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In football, for example, the Premier League and Championship have resumed, while the Women’s Super League (WSL) was concluded on points.
Some say the dearth of women’s sport this summer is a necessary evil, to protect funding for future growth – not to mention players’ safety. But others disagree. Former England defender-turned-pundit (and Strictly star) Alex Scott has said she’s “frustrated” by the decisions that have been made.
“Not even just women’s football – women’s sport has taken a back seat,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live. “It’s not acceptable. Women’s sport in general has gained positive momentum and visibility for us [which] does matter. But now we’re going to go a whole summer of just watching men’s sport again.”
Luke Walker via Getty Images
But Tammy Parlour, CEO of the Women’s Sport Trust, says we’ve “got to be careful around that narrative”.
“Lots of people have been asking questions such as ‘will the momentum be lost?’ but the pandemic has affected sport at every level – not just women’s sport,” she tells HuffPost UK. “So to highlight women’s sport as having a problem, I think is quite unjust.”
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Women’s sport has made huge leaps in recent years, says Parlour, with big brands increasingly offering sponsorship deals across the industry and record audiences watching the televised games. Last summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup semi-final was the second most-watched sporting fixture on TV in 2019.
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Despite the progress, she thinks it’s unfair to compare the women’s and men’s games – particularly in football – “because they’re at totally different stages of development”.
“The WSL has been professional for two years, whereas the Premier League has been going on for ages,” Parlour says. “Also, they would have lost billions if they hadn’t have come back, so it’s very much a commercial decision. There was overwhelming agreement to terminate the WSL.”
The FA’s director of the women’s professional game, Kelly Simmons, has explained that the decision to conclude the WSL early was made in consultation with clubs, saying there was a “clear consensus was that there were too many operational, logistical and financial obstacles in place to complete the season”.
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Stephanie Hilborne, CEO of the charity Women In Sport, acknowledges the choice seems to be supported by most of the industry, but she’s concerned about the message it sends to those outside the game.
“The perception problem is that to the general public, this decision will make it feel like women’s football is not really serious,” she says, adding that it could have a knock-on effect regarding participation.
“Women in Sport have been advocating for the sports sector to sustain the momentum of women’s sport because we know just how important visibility is for inspiring girls and women in the UK to participate in sports at amateur and grassroots level.”
David Cannon via Getty Images
Hilborne’s concerns extend beyond football. Women’s golf became the first women’s professional sport to return on June 18 – but it was only able to do so because of the charity of a male golfer. Faced with the likelihood of returning at least two months before his female counterparts, Justin Rose and his wife Kate stumped up the cash to sponsor a series of seven women’s tournaments.
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“It is very generous of Justin and Kate Rose to fund it, but it illustrates the inequality that men’s golf can go ahead without a charitable donation,” says Hilborne. “In future we hope that levels of investment in men’s and women’s sport will be more comparable.”
Post-pandemic, professional sportswomen across sports “may face several additional barriers to men”, Hilborne adds.
“Salaries and contracts are at a very different stage,” she says. “Some women players have part time jobs including in the NHS, which they may have recommitted to; others were on short-term contracts and may have had to bail out during the pandemic.
“Mostly there has been less money invested in sustaining physical fitness than with men’s teams, and virus testing could be prohibitively expensive when there is not the same level of income to the women’s games.”
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Parlour takes a more optimistic view on funding, saying there is already evidence of women’s leagues being supported to “accelerate out of this”.
She points out the the Rugby Football Union (RFU), The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Football Association (FA) have each made pledges to continue funding women’s sport.
“I don’t see any of the national governing bodies stopping women’s sport funding,” she says. “Despite cuts, they’ve protected this money. Many sports have actually ring-fenced their funding for the women’s game. What I’m heartened by is that the longterm vision is still alive.”
One thing Hilborne and Parlour both agree on, is that the determination of players, combined with a dedicated fanbase, will ensure women’s sport will recover.
“Despite the barriers we feel confident things can get back on track with a concerted effort across the sports sector,” says Hilborne.
“We won’t be seeing women’s sport this summer, of course that’s disappointing, but we need to look at the long game,” Parlour adds. “I strongly believe that it will come back and that it has a strong future.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-26--I've Decided To Come Out To The World As Genderfluid After Nearly Dying From Covid-19

Courtesy of Mike Miksch The author in June 2020
I had a mild case of Covid-19 until my cat turned green.
I had been regularly consulting with medical professionals via video conferencing after I first started experiencing symptoms in March. My entire household had come down with it at the same time, and I, being the hopeless paranoid neurotic that I am, was obsessively watching everyone for any sign that things might be taking a turn for the worse with them. I was so worried about everyone else that I nearly missed what was happening with me.
In my defence, this was still fairly early on in the coronavirus pandemic and I wasn’t showing any of the extreme danger signs that were widely known at the time. I wasn’t having any real trouble breathing, I didn’t have any unusual shortness of breath, my fever was annoying but not dangerously high, and my coughing was manageable.
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But then I started to have cognitive problems. At first, it was just using the wrong words for things, but I soon began suffering perception issues. The dimensions of a bathroom drawer, for instance, didn’t seem to be quite right, and our staircase felt like it had more steps than usual. It wasn’t until my cat ― an orange tabby named OJ ― appeared to be a shade of sage green that I realised something was terribly wrong.
When I arrived at the ER, I was told that despite being alert and communicative, I had the blood oxygen saturation level of an unconscious person. I tested positive for the coronavirus (shocker) and was admitted for acute respiratory failure. The green cat, extended staircase and wrong-sized drawer turned out to be the result of hypoxemia ― unbeknownst to me, I was suffocating to death by inches. I was told that if I hadn’t come in, it was better than even odds that I would have died in my sleep that night or perhaps the next, and if I had survived longer than that, the chances of dying would have just kept getting worse with each passing day.
When I was discharged from the hospital a week later, I was 20 pounds lighter than I’d been at the start of my ordeal, had briefly participated in a clinical trial for remdesivir, and was filled with a determination that surprised me with both its intensity and its purpose: I wasn’t going to live in the closet anymore.
It’s just that coming out hasn’t gone exactly to plan so far.
I came to realize I was non-binary ― specifically genderfluid, meaning I variously identify as male, female, and every point in between ― relatively late in my life, when my career and family life had already calcified around me in a shape that didn’t seem to leave a lot of room to rock the boat. It wasn’t until I read a blog outlining someone’s experiences with being genderfluid that I realized what they were describing tracked almost exactly with much of what I’ve felt throughout my life.
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For more than 20 years, I had operated under the assumption that since I was attracted to the opposite sex and my plumbing matched the gender I was assigned at birth, I was a heterosexual cisgender individual. All those impulses to engage in behavior or activities associated with the opposite gender, those fleeting moments where my own internal conception of myself did not match the outside, all those momentary but intensely fervent desires to be another me, those were just ... I honestly don’t know what I thought those were. Just aberrations that could be safely shoved into a box and ignored, I suppose. But when I went back and reexamined those instances through the lens of what I had learned, a great many things suddenly came into sharp focus.
“When I was discharged from the hospital ... I was filled with a determination that surprised me with both its intensity and its purpose: I wasn’t going to live in the closet anymore.”
Initially, I didn’t do much to act on this new revelation. I shared it with my wife (who has been incredibly supportive), my kids (who have been incredibly indifferent) and my best girlfriend (back to incredibly supportive), but that was as far as I went. I was content with having a better understanding of who I was ― and maybe mixing up some of what I wore with clothes that came from the other side of the department store but could still read as my assigned gender at first glance. At the time, that was enough for me.
I also joined a few online spaces where fellow non-binary people gathered. Mostly I remained on the periphery, wondering if I was non-binary “enough” (since I still identify, at least partially, as my assigned gender) to merit a seat at the table. And even if I did, the overwhelming majority of people I was sporadically interacting with who also identified as non-binary were young enough to be my offspring if I had been a teenage parent, which made me acutely uncomfortable in discussing these sorts of issues with them.
But a whole hell of a lot of that trepidation and uncertainty about my validity evaporated when I got home from the hospital. The news I’d dodged a date with death lit a fire under my ass, and I discovered that I really did not want to go to my grave without ever living my life as I truly wanted ― and as I truly am.
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So, I began plotting how to go about coming out but ran into two immediate problems: First, I live in the state of Washington, which is, at the time of this writing, still under an extremely prudent lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus, rendering face-to-face interactions difficult. Second, every decision in my life has been motivated by a pathological need to avoid ridicule and embarrassment, which makes potentially everything about the process of coming out as non-binary difficult for me. It’s a troublesome circle to square, to say the least.
To expand upon that second point, I have, with depressing regularity, debilitating problems with introversion. These are wrought by anxiety disorders and cognitive distortion issues where my default read of a person is always that they think the absolute worst of me. I was initially hesitant about opening up to my own parents about my gender identity, even though, intellectually, I had every reason to expect that two people with a track record as progressive as theirs would accept and support me no matter what.
But emotionally, what stuck out in my mind was an incident when I was 18 years old and my mom briefly got it into her head that I might be gay. To me, she seemed entirely too excited at the prospect, which had made me uncomfortable. All I could think while contemplating telling her about being non-binary was that while she would probably be nominally supportive of my gender identity, I could ultimately be relegated to being her LGBTQ fashion pet to earn wokeness points with her circle of ageing liberal boomer friends. I recognise this extrapolation was completely irrational and without merit (and, needless to say, did not actually occur), but the gravitational force of this and a thousand other baseless fears still bend my thoughts and actions.
Because of that, it didn’t take long for me to fall into the plan of not announcing myself as non-binary, but rather living my truth out in the open without comment and allowing others to draw their own conclusions. Or at least as out in the open as I could manage during the pandemic when I can’t leave the house for anything more than a quick trip to the store to get ingredients for taco night.
My office underwent the work-from-home diaspora just before I got sick (fun fact: I came home from the hospital to find an email informing me that someone in my work area had tested positive for Covid-19 and that I may have been exposed, which was amusing), so we are all telecommuting to work and communicating through channels such as Microsoft Teams. I don’t have a webcam, so while I am free to wear whatever I please, gender norms be damned, there’s no one to see it. I’ve also stopped referring to myself by the gender I was assigned at birth, but that’s a subtle trick I don’t actually think anyone else is likely to pick up on. As far as everyone in front of their monitors is concerned, the line demarcating the “me” before I nearly died from Covid-19 from the “me” after I recovered might as well not exist.
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Still, the fact I’ve gotten this far is tremendous progress that I wouldn’t have thought possible even six months ago. And the fact that I am where I am today, I wouldn’t have thought possible even last week. But recently I decided that the passive-aggressive approach wasn’t working for me. So I’m rocketing from, Oh, I’ll cop to it if someone asks me about it, to just ripping off the Band-Aid and announcing to the world, Oh, by the way, I’m good with both feminine and masculine forms of address. Also, you can call me Claire if you’re cool with it. And not only am I announcing it today, I’m doing it in one of the most public ways imaginable ― on a huge global media website. I guess if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it big, right?
“I’m rocketing from, 'Oh, I’ll cop to it if someone asks me about it,' to just ripping off the Band-Aid and announcing to the world, 'Oh, by the way, I’m good with both feminine and masculine forms of address. Also, you can call me Claire if you’re cool with it.' And not only am I announcing it today, I'm doing it in one of the most public ways imaginable ― on a huge global media website.”
I’ve also realized that despite coming out publicly today via this essay, I won’t ever get to stop ripping off that Band-Aid. Every new person who enters my life is potentially another opportunity to come out, and the mere prospect of that makes me nervous as all hell because there’s always going to be that chance that they don’t respond kindly to what I’ve told them. That fear imbues the closet with a magnetic attraction ― the closet is safer, the closet is familiar, the closet is easier ― that I expect I’m going to be fighting against for the rest of my waking days, but I’m convinced it’s a fight worth having.
It’s difficult for me to envision the world returning to normalcy as we knew it, but I still have to hope that there’s going to be a happy tomorrow. That I’ll be able to actually meet other LGBTQ folk and make the inroads and connections that I previously was never courageous enough to forge. That I will have the confidence to shop in whatever clothing section I want as the mood suits me. That I will be daring and proudly outwardly present my gender identity. That I will not look back at the beckoning closet doorway I’ve stepped through ― or if I do, that I won’t let myself walk back through it.
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I’m not all the way there. Not yet. But I’m out in the open now and I’m going to stay there.
This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-26--I’m A Black Midwife, And I’m Tired Of Women Like Me Receiving Worse Healthcare

The author HuffPost UK
At a time when racial inequality across society is under such scrutiny, getting to the heart of why Black women in the UK are five times more likely to die in pregnancy, birth or postnatally than white women should be a priority.
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This cannot be a coincidence, neither can it be solely dependent on biological factors. As a midwife of colour, every one of these statistics is just saddening. Not just the stats themselves – but that they have not improved over the years and in fact only seem to be getting worse.
So, why the disparities? We don’t really know for sure. But the vast discrepancies points towards elements of racial bias within maternity care. Elements that I myself have been privy to time and time again.
I qualified as a midwife back in 2009, and since cared for women around London in all maternity settings. My passion for caring and supporting women through pregnancy and birth has always been fuelled by wanting to make a difference to a person’s birth experience and to help them achieve the positive birth they deserve.
“Why the disparities? We don’t really know for sure. But the vast discrepancies points towards elements of racial bias within maternity care.”
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In my early days of midwifery there was little awareness of the risks Black women faced – but I first began to notice evidence of racial bias In 2004, working as a maternity support worker in a hospital situated in a predominantly white area, and reading Culture, Religion & Childbearing in a Multiracial Society: A Handbook for Health Professionals for a course. Discussing the book, my colleague turned to me and said: “I won’t need to get this book, the majority of women who give birth in this hospital are white.” I sighed in disbelief – especially as I myself had given birth in that hospital not four years earlier.
That was my first experience of the disregard for ethnic minorities in my workplace. When I graduated, I worked in that same hospital for a few years before moving on to another in a more culturally diverse area. There, I thought things would be different, that perhaps the hospital would be more geared up to caring for women from ethnic minorities as they made up a large proportion of the local population. I was wrong.
While the vast majority of the healthcare staff were fantastic, supportive and caring to women, there were still trickles of racism that seeped deep into the maternity system. There were midwives who preferred to carry out community visits in the whiter, middle class areas further away, as opposed to the more culturally diverse, denser areas closer to the hospital. Staff would make subtle jokes about how certain patients smelled, how loud the women were or not explaining things to them properly as “they probably won’t understand anyway”.
“Every woman needs to know that they have the support and understanding of their midwife.”
Women were often lumped together in a ‘one size fits all’ category, not taking into account the variations in the size of women, length of pregnancy, pelvic shape and other factors that often vary between ethnicity. In the maternity sector, women are often measured against charts and values that are devised from that of a typical Caucasian female. For example Asian women should potentially have their BMI recorded under a different method of charting. This can make a difference as to whether a woman is classified as overweight (and therefore more at risk of complications) or not.
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So, how do we meaningfully change these statistics? It starts by delving deeper into each case of BAME women that die, and committing to getting to the bottom of why this might be happening.
Every woman needs to know that they have the support and understanding of their midwife. They need to be able to raise a concern without fear of being brushed off and not listened to. But the problem doesn’t lay solely on the shoulders of the healthcare professionals and their mindset though. There needs to be more training available to healthcare staff that highlight the risks that women from the BAME community suffer when pregnant and that helps them to provide better care. If there are biological factors contributing to this higher risk, healthcare professionals need to take this into consideration when planning and executing personalised maternity care.
When I think of the women this will help, I think of my own daughter. When she is older and has a baby of her own, I want to be able to celebrate the birth of my future grandchild with her. I want to know Black girls like my daughter will always return home alive and well.
Marley Hall is a midwife, speaker, and mother of five. Follow her on Instagram at @midwifemarley


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-26--Pregnant Black And Ethnic Minority Women To Get Additional NHS Support

The steps include:
1. Increasing support of at-risk pregnant women – e.g. making sure clinicians have a lower threshold to review, admit and consider multidisciplinary escalation in women from a Black, Asian, or ethnic minority background.
2. Reaching out and reassuring pregnant Black, Asian, or ethnic minority women with tailored communications.
3. Ensuring hospitals discuss vitamins, supplements and nutrition in pregnancy with all women. Women low in vitamin D may be more vulnerable to coronavirus so women with darker skin or those who always cover their skin when outside may be at particular risk of vitamin D insufficiency.
4. Ensuring all providers record on maternity information systems the ethnicity of every woman, as well as other risk factors, such as living in a deprived area (postcode), co-morbidities, BMI and aged 35 years or over, to identify those most at risk of poor outcomes.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-26--Holidays Abroad Without Quarantining On Return To Be Allowed By Government

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People will be able to travel abroad for holidays this summer without quarantining on their return as long as they visit countries deemed as “low risk” in the coronavirus pandemic, the government has announced.
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France, Greece and Spain are among the nations earmarked for so-called “air bridges” or “travel corridors”, which will allow travellers to visit countries abroad without having to enter 14-day isolation on their return to the UK.
The government is likely to discuss the arrangements with those three countries and others in the coming days with the aim of kickstarting travel abroad by July 6.
It brings the blanket quarantine plan, which was criticised by Tory MPs and business groups, to an end after three weeks of operation, following its first review.
Countries have been risk assessed by the government’s joint biosecurity centre and Public Health England (PHE) and classified as green, amber or red, informed by the prevalence of coronavirus in the country, confidence in the country’s data and the trajectory of Covid-19 infections.
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Low risk countries in the green and amber categories will be exempt from quarantine measures at the border.
But all travellers returning to the UK will still need to complete a passenger locator form to enter the country.
Passengers will also be required by law to wear face coverings on planes and ferries to protect others, despite airports, ports and Eurotunnel introducing “Covid-secure” measures.
The government will also constantly monitor the situation in different countries and “will not hesitate to put on the brakes” if risks re-emerge in the UK or nations deemed low risk.
A “handbrake mechanism” will be put in place so if an outbreak occurs in a country, or even in a particular part of the country, or if officials have concerns about the increasing number of cases in that country, quarantine requirements will be reintroduced.
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People sunbathing at Misericordia beach in Malaga, Spain - a popular destination for Brits SIPA USA/PA Images
A government spokesperson said: “Our public health measures at the border were put in place to manage the risk of imported cases and help prevent a second wave of the virus, and will continue to support our fight against coronavirus.
“Our new risk-assessment system will enable us to carefully open a number of safe travel routes around the world - giving people the opportunity for a summer holiday abroad and boosting the UK economy through tourism and business.
“But we will not hesitate to put on the brakes if any risks re-emerge, and this system will enable us to take swift action to re-introduce self-isolation measures if new outbreaks occur overseas.”
Foreign Office travel advice will also be eased in countries where the public health risk is no longer “unacceptably high” and therefore advice “against non-essential travel” can be lifted.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-26--Keir Starmer Rejects Demands To Put Rebecca Long-Bailey Back In His Top Team

Labour leader Keir Starmer with former shadow education secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey Hannah Mckay / Reuters
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Keir Starmer has rejected left-wing MPs’ demands to reinstate Rebecca Long-Bailey to his top team, after sacking her for sharing an allegedly anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.
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In a statement, the Labour leader confirmed he had held an hour-long meeting with members of the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs, who had demanded his former leadership rival be returned as shadow education secretary.
But Starmer – who has pledged a “zero tolerance” approach to anti-Semitism in his party º– said, while the discussion was “constructive”, his “mind is made up” on the issue.
He told the Press Association: “I had a meeting with a number of Labour MPs this morning. That was constructive and the tone was absolutely right.
“We engaged in for about an hour a discussion but my mind is made up on this. I took my decision yesterday.”
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Sir @Keir_Starmer says his meeting with left-wing Labour MPs over the sacking of Rebecca Long-Bailey was “constructive and the tone was absolutely right”.
But after talking to them for about an hour, he still won’t be bringing her back to his shadow cabinet pic.twitter.com/FQE6uEp36I — Stephen Jones (@SteveJonesPA) June 26, 2020
Long-Bailey was removed from the shadow cabinet on Thursday after she Tweeted an article that included a claim the US police learned the tactics that killed George Floyd from Israel.
In the interview with The Independent, actress Maxine Peake said: “The tactics used by the police in America, kneeling on George Floyd’s neck, that was learnt from seminars with Israeli secret services.”
A spokesperson for the Israeli police said in response: “There is no tactic or protocol that calls to put pressure on the neck or airway.”
Long-Bailey tweeted the article along with the comment: “Maxine Peake is an absolute diamond.”
Following a conference call with the Labour leader, the Socialist Campaign Group said there had been a “significant disagreement” over Long-Bailey’s dismissal.
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It said it had also raised the issue of the freedom of party members to speak out on Israel.
“The Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs made it clear that Rebecca Long-Bailey should not have been sacked and should be reinstated,” the statement said.
“The imminent annexation of the West Bank by Israel’s government was discussed and the need for the Labour Party, MPs, party members and supporters to speak out against Israel’s illegal annexation and ongoing human rights abuses by the government of Israel was raised.
“This was a businesslike exchange of views which took place in a mutually respectful manner.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-26--NHS Test And Trace Won’t Use Boris Johnson’s ‘One-Metre-Plus’ Social Distancing Rule

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Boris Johnson has been accused of “increasingly confused” public health messaging on coronavirus after it emerged that his new “one-metre-plus” social distancing rule will not be part of the NHS Test and Trace system.
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HuffPost UK has learned that the government’s flagship service for containing Covid-19 will stick firmly to its current guidance that two metres is the safest distance to prevent its person-to-person spread.
Johnson announced this week that one-metre-plus would be as safe as two metres as long as “mitigations” – such as face coverings and sitting in the same direction – were applied.
The new guidance will kick in from July 4, allowing more businesses such as hair salons, pubs and restaurants to open for the first time in three months.
But the NHS has decided its definition of “close contact” will still be based on the two metre rule, meaning that even if someone wears a mask between one metre and two metres away they will be deemed to be a possible vector for the virus, a government source confirmed.
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Under the NHS Test and Trace system, anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 has to self-isolate and report the names of anyone they have had such close contact with for more than 15 minutes. The contacts are then told to self-isolate for 14 days.
So although from July 4 anyone operating the one-metre-plus rule will be deemed safe, the NHS Test and Trace system will formally deem them at risk of catching the virus and take action to prevent further spread.
One key difficulty with incorporating the one-metre-plus rule is that it would make an NHS app – which is already unlikely to be ready before winter – almost impossible, as distance between smartphones is the key metric.
Although sitting side by side is safer than sitting opposite someone, the app could not be able to register orientation, nor whether a mask was worn.
Executive Chair of NHS Test and Trace, Baroness Dido Harding and Matt Hancock ASSOCIATED PRESS
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The prime minister made clear that the relaxation of the social distancing rules was a political decision to boost the economy, and some members of the Sage group advising the government have said the change is premature.
After scenes of the public packing onto beaches such as Bournemouth this week, chief medical officer Chris Whitty warned that cases will rise again if people interpret the relaxation as a free for all.
Amid rising concern that the public are already relaxing their distancing, Johnson himself said on Friday that there would be a “serious spike” in coronavirus infections if people take “liberties” with the rules.
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth told HuffPost UK: “People want to do the right things for themselves and their loved ones.
“But when government agencies are working to different protocols from ministers on the one-metre-plus rule, it exposes the extent to which government messaging is now increasingly confused. Given the virus remains deadly and infection rates are still high, ministers must get a grip.”
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It also emerged this week that the PM had decided not to adopt advice from Sage (the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies) that mask-wearing should be made compulsory in shops. No.10 said that unlike public transport, the time spent in shops would be brief enough to allow voluntary use of face coverings.
NHS Test and Trace is already facing problems since its launch three weeks ago, with more than a quarter of people testing positive for Covid-19 not reached by the system.
It faces fresh criticism over delays in passing on information to Leicester City Council about an outbreak of cases first made public by Hancock in a No.10 press conference.
Although a local mobile testing unit was installed within days, it took more than seven days to pass on data on the street-by-street level location of the cases.
Ashworth said the delay “simply isn’t good enough”.
He said: “Matt Hancock announced Leicester was experiencing an outbreak but it took a whole week for Leicester Council’s Director of Public Health to receive from Test and Trace the specific postcode data that’s crucial to tracking this virus. We need speed and focus to break transmission chains and keep people safe.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-26--A Minute Of Kindness: DJ Doctor Creates NHSessions To Entertain Frontline Workers

A Minute Of Kindness: DJ Doctor Creates NHSessions To Entertain Frontline Workers
We spoke to this doctor (and DJ) about how he wanted to lift the spirits of his fellow frontliners with live DJ sets on Instagram. As popularity grew, he also brought on fellow record spinners and performers to entertain during the pandemic.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-26--How 'Air Bridges' Could Save Britain's Summer

Keen beachgoers prompted the Bournemouth ultimatum this week. GLYN KIRK via Getty Images
You’re reading The Waugh Zone, our daily politics briefing. Sign up now to get it by email in the evening.
A Bridge Too Far?
“Don’t tear the pants out of it”, deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van Tam famously told the public when lockdown restrictions were first eased at the end of May.
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While that advice, delivered at a No.10 press conference (how we could do with one of those today) was followed by the vast majority of the public, the scenes on Bournemouth beach this week show compliance with social distancing is waning.
Is it any surprise when Boris Johnson has declared the end of “hibernation”, called for a return to “bustle”, and set a countdown clock ticking to what many will see as a day of national celebration on July 4 when the pubs reopen?
The Police Federation has already warned of the potential for a “perfect storm” next weekend and a “summer of discontent”.
England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty has also raised the alarm, warning that coronavirus cases “will rise again” if the scenes of Thursday’s “major incident” in Bournemouth are repeated.
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The prime minister today warned of the danger of a “serious spike” in infections if people take “liberties”, in a week where he has trumpeted the return to freedom as part of efforts to kickstart the UK’s ailing economy.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said the government has the power to shut down beauty spots but Downing Street made clear that overstretched local authorities are in charge, despite massive cuts in council funding under the Tories.
Of course, easing the lockdown is both necessary to avoid economic collapse, yet risky in the context of a second wave in coronavirus infections.
And perhaps rather than shutting down beaches, Johnson is hoping to pull a different lever to relieve the pressure on beauty spots and resorts in the UK – air bridges.
Cabinet ministers met today to hammer out the plan to end 14-day quarantine for incoming travellers to the UK as long as they are coming from certain lower-risk countries, most likely in Europe.
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There was already an urgency about the proposals, given the widespread concern among Tory MPs and business groups like the CBI about the damaging impact on businesses at a time when coronavirus is largely in retreat in Europe.
Influential 1922 committee chair and lockdown-sceptic Sir Graham Brady even used his question during Johnson’s statement on easing restrictions to warn the PM that he needed to come up with a plan for air bridges “within days”.
But the plans could now take on an extra significance by giving some cooped up Britons an outlet – a trip to Spanish or Portuguese beaches rather than Bournemouth or Brighton – and a possible way to relieve staycation pressure and save the British summer from the “discontent”.
The weekend papers are likely to be full of the details – but the government will have a much harder job persuading people to fly abroad when the already-tiresome rigmarole of travelling via an airport is only going to get worse in the times of Covid-19, with passengers told to check in all baggage and facing the prospect of temperature checks at destinations.
And that’s not even mentioning Spanish media reports of a potential shark sighting off the Costa del Sol.
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It may be a good move to accompany any announcement with the return of the No.10 press briefing on Monday.
Quote Of The Day
“In some parts of the world – I won’t name them – you have got spikes, really serious spikes, in the instance of the disease so it is crucial that people understand that on July 4 we get this right, we do this in a balanced way.”
– Prime minister Boris Johnson.
Cheat Sheet
A suspected knife attacker has been shot dead after a police officer and five others were stabbed during a “serious incident” in Glasgow city centre.
Boris Johnson has warned of the danger of a “serious spike” in coronavirus infections if people take “liberties” with social distancing rules. The prime minister sounded the alarm after a “major incident” was declared on Thursday as thousands flocked to the beach to sunbathe in the warm weather.
Moves to stamp out bullying and harassment in parliament would have been “seriously” undermined if MPs had not voted this week to make the process fully independent, the Clerk of the Commons John Benger has said in an article for HuffPost UK’s opinion section.
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Migrant women subjected to domestic abuse are being left unsupported by the authorities and at the mercy of their tormentors, dozens of activists have warned.
What I’m Listening To
Sick man: how Boris Johnson’s brush with death revealed a lethal amateurism at the heart of government – Tortoise
Got A Tip?
Send tips, stories, quotes, pics, plugs or gossip to waugh.zone@huffpost.com.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-26--‘Unity, Peace, Love, Hope’: This Is What Pride Means Around The World

‘Unity, Peace, Love, Hope’: This Is What Pride Means Around The World
Many Pride events have been cancelled this year due to coronavirus, but that hasn’t stopped the spirit of the movement being felt by members of the LGBTQ community. For many of them, Pride is more than just a holiday in the calendar – it is a way of living every day in the pursuit of equal rights. Here we speak to LGBTQ people from around the world to find out what Pride means to them and why it remains so important.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-26--Apparently 'Corona' Is Becoming A More Popular Baby Name Because Of Course

Olga Ignatova via Getty Images
Finding the perfect name for your baby is a big deal for new parents. Some moms and dads will name their infant after the season, month or day of the week; some after a beloved family member.
And some this year are choosing a moniker that pays homage to the extraordinary year 2020 has been, with everyone changing their daily lives beyond recognition because of the global pandemic.
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Pregnancy website “The Bump” released its Top 100 Most Popular Baby Names this month, and, for the first time, Corona appeared, in the one hundredth spot on the “girls’ name” list.
Here are some of the other baby name trends of note in the first half of 2020:
Top-ranked baby names
The number one spots were taken by Mila and Braxton. Mila has its origins in Spanish and means “miracle,” which is fitting for our times. Braxton, more commonly a last name, is an old English name meaning Brock’s town, or badger (the cute woodland animal, not the verb!).
-A and -er endings
So many names ending in the -a sound this year! Among them are Aria, Amelia, Mia, Luna, Ximena and Zia, as well as Shea, Ezra, Elijah and Micah. The -er ending is popular too, with Archer, Asher, River, Harper and Sawyer among the most-picked so far this year.
Famous inspirations
Keanu Reeves has been making headlines a lot recently, so it’s no surprise to see the beloved Canadian actor’s moniker on this year’s highest-ranking list. Gianna was also popular, perhaps as a nod to the late Gianna Bryant, daughter of former LA Lakers basketball star, Kobe Bryant.
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A baby name fit for a princess
Charlotte, the name Kate and William gave their adorable little girl, takes the 28th spot on the “girls’ name” list. No Archie, Louis or George in the top spots surprisingly though.
Nature-inspired baby names
Many new parents in 2020 went for outdoorsy, nature-inspired names for their little ones. Some of the sweetest on the list include Wren, Willow, Azalea, River and Jasper.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-26--Boris Johnson Warns 'Serious Spike' Of Covid Looms If 'Liberties' Taken On Social Distancing

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Boris Johnson has warned of the danger of a “serious spike” in coronavirus infections if people take “liberties” with social distancing rules.
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The prime minister sounded the alarm after a “major incident” was declared on Thursday as thousands flocked to the beach to sunbathe in the warm weather.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council took the extraordinary step after services were “completely overstretched”.
Health secretary Matt Hancock, meanwhile, has warned that the government has the power to shut down beauty spots if there is a risk to public health.
Speaking during a visit to a restaurant in east London, the PM said: “If you look at what’s happening elsewhere in the world where people have been coming out of lockdown, I’m afraid what you’re also seeing is people taking too many liberties with the guidance, mingling too much, not observing social distancing.
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“So in some parts of the world – I won’t name them – you have got spikes, really serious spikes, in the instance of the disease so it is crucial that people understand that on July 4 we get this right, we do this in a balanced way.”
The government has announced that pubs, restaurants, cinemas, theatres and galleries will be among the venues that can open to the public on July 4 as England emerges from the first wave of the disease.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street ASSOCIATED PRESS
The two-metre rule on social distancing will also be cut to “one-metre-plus” on the same date, meaning that people can come within a metre of one another provided a “mitigation” such as a face covering is in place.
But fears remain that the lockdown, imposed in March, is being eased too soon.
In an interview with TalkRadio, Hancock said he was “reluctant” to go down the route of shutting public spaces as “people have had a pretty tough lockdown”.
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But he added that if there was a spike in the number of coronavirus cases “then we will take action”.
Asked about the issue, a Downing Street spokesman told reporters the government could impose local lockdowns, but added: “Everyone should be able to enjoy the sunshine, and we understand that people want to enjoy public spaces, but it is important we don’t undo the hard work of the British public in reducing the transmission of this virus.
“It is a matter for local authorities to manage numbers, alongside emergency services and Public Health England.
“As we saw yesterday they are best placed to make those decisions on a case-by-case basis.”
Pressed on whether the government would close beaches, the Number 10 spokesman said: “It is for local authorities to manage numbers.
“I believe Matt Hancock, when he spoke, was referring to the powers to impose localised lockdowns which we have been clear throughout may need to be the case if we see case numbers rise in a particular area.”
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Chief medical officer for England Professor Chris Whitty has also urged people to follow social distancing rules in the hot weather or risk causing a spike in coronavirus.
He wrote on Twitter: “Covid-19 has gone down due to the efforts of everyone but is still in general circulation.
“If we do not follow social distancing guidance then cases will rise again.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-26--Glasgow Stabbing: Suspect Shot Dead After Six Attacked Including Police Officer

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A suspected knife attacker has been shot dead after a police officer and five others, including two teenagers, were stabbed during a “serious incident” at a hotel in Glasgow city centre.
The incident is not being treated as terrorism, Police Scotland has said.
All six injured people, including the 42-year-old officer who is in “critical but stable” condition, are being treated in hospital. He was later named as constable David Whyte.
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The other victims are men aged 17, 18, 20, 38 and 53 and have not yet been named.
There is currently a heavy police presence around the Park Inn in West George Street with more than a dozen emergency vehicles. Authorities said the incident was “contained” and there is no danger to the general public.
HuffPost UK understands the Park Inn Hotel, which armed police were seen entering is temporarily home to asylum seekers – though it is not known if there were other guests as well. Two receptionists are believed to be among those injured.
The scene in West George Street, Glasgow. PA
Police Scotland assistant chief constable Steve Johnson said: “The individual who was shot by armed police has died. Six other people are in hospital for treatment to their injuries including a police officer, who is in a critical but stable condition.”
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UPDATE 15:25 ACC Steve Johnson said: "The individual who was shot by armed police has died. Six other people are in hospital for treatment to their injuries including a police officer, who is in a critical but stable condition. — Police Scotland (@policescotland) June 26, 2020
One witness, who gave his name as John, told the PA news agency he saw two people stabbed in the hotel. He said he came down from the third floor to see the reception area covered in blood.
“One receptionist had been stabbed behind the receptionist desk,” he said.
“And then when I went down to the entrance I shouted at him and told him to stay calm and I will call for help.
“When I went to the entrance I saw another receptionist [...] had been stabbed. There were two police officers there assisting him.”
Glasgow UK
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Addressing the attack, first minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “First and foremost my thoughts are with all those people who have been caught up in this terrible incident, particularly the six injured people taken to hospital for treatment, as well as residents and staff at the hotel.
“While such a serious incident is rare in Scotland it is another reminder of the courage and professionalism of our police officers who are willing to run towards danger in order to protect the lives of others.”
The reports from Glasgow City Centre are truly dreadful. My thoughts are with everyone involved. I am being updated as the situation becomes clearer. Please help the emergency services do their jobs by staying away from the area - and please don’t share unconfirmed information. — Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) June 26, 2020
Greater Glasgow Police tweeted: “Emergency services are currently dealing with an incident on West George Street in Glasgow.
“The street is currently closed off and the public are asked to avoid the area at present.
“The situation is contained at this time and there is no danger to the general public.”
Craig Milroy, who saw the aftermath of the incident from an office building nearby, said he had seen four people taken away in ambulances.
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“After that we saw commotion, ambulances further up and we saw armed police all running into the hotel next to the Society Room,” he said.
“We were still standing outside. After that the police all came down. The riot police and triage team told us to go back in and lock the door.”
Deeply saddened by the terrible incident in Glasgow, my thoughts are with all the victims and their families.
Thank you to our brave emergency services who are responding. — Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 26, 2020
Witnesses posting on social media reported a large police presence including armed officers and riot vans.
Serious police presence in West George Street, Glasgow just now. Armed police entering a building. Anyone know what’s going on? pic.twitter.com/aplqcywWrN — Adele Mills (@MillsAdele) June 26, 2020
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-27--Police Officer Injured In Glasgow Knife Attack In Stable Condition

The police officer who was injured in a knife attack at a Glasgow hotel on Friday is now in a stable condition.
Constable David Whyte, 42, was one of six people injured during the incident at the Park Inn Hotel in West George Street on Friday, in which a male suspect was shot and killed by police.
Three of the other people who were injured were asylum seekers, Police Scotland said, while two were members of staff.
All remain in hospital, one in a critical but stable condition, the others in a stable condition.
Whyte’s condition was initially described as critical but stable.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-27--Jimmy Carr Reveals He's Undergone Hair Transplant As He Unveils Results On Peter Crouch's Show

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Jimmy Carr has revealed that he has undergone a transplant to stop his hair “socially distancing” from his forehead.
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The comedian unveiled the results of his procedure during the recording of BBC One’s Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer, which airs on Saturday night.
Jimmy Carr pictured last year Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment
Jimmy said he’d decided to have the transplant – which sees donor hairs taken from the back of a patient’s head and implanted in the front – as he believed he looked like a “snooker-playing vampire”.
Speaking to co-host Maya Jama, he says: “I tell you what I did, I went and had a hair transplant. I kinda had a look of... like a snooker-playing vampire.
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“So what happened was my hair was socially distancing from my forehead and I’d had enough of it.”
Jimmy showed off the results on Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer BBC
He continues: “I shaved my head and what they do is take hairs from the back of your head and they put them on the front.
“Basically I had enough hair, it was just in the wrong place. It was a bit of redistribution.”
Last year, Jimmy revealed he wanted a hair transplant and joked to chat show host Jonathan Ross that he was considering an Elvis Presley style quiff.
He said: “We were talking about hair transplants. I want a proper Elvis quiff. I want to go big. Go big or go home.
“It’s showbusiness baby, let’s enjoy ourselves.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-27--Dermot O'Leary And Wife Dee Announce Arrival Of First Child

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Dermot O’Leary and his wife Dee Koppang O’Leary have welcomed a baby boy.
In a post on Instagram on Saturday, the X Factor presenter announced TV producer Dee had given birth to their son on Tuesday.
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Dermot posted a picture of a babygrow with “Koppang O’Leary Productions Est. 2020” written on it.
He wrote: “Welcome to the world baby Koppang O’Leary.
“We’re delighted to announce that we’ve had a baby! A little boy born on Tuesday 23rd June 2020 (Sankthansaften / Midsummer for you Norwegians) at 8.19am, weighing in at 6lb 13oz.”
Dermot added that he and Dee were “enjoying the cuddles in the newborn bubble”, but said their pet cats are “yet to be 100% convinced”.
Dee also shared the same photo with the same caption on her Instagram account.
Dermot O'Leary and his wife Dee Koppang O'Leary zz/KGC-03/STAR MAX/IPx
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It is the first child for the couple, who married in September 2012.
The pair announced they were expecting back in February.
Former Strictly Come Dancing winner Ore Oduba was among the first to offer his congratulations to the couple on Instagram, commenting: “Delighted!!! Absolutely over the moon for you all.. CONGRATULATIONS Koppang O’Learys!!!!”
Presenter Rochelle Humes said: “So SO happy. Congratulations to you both, big love.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-27--Seven Questions About Air Bridges – And Their Answers

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The government has advised British nationals against all but essential travel for more than three months in a bid to tackle the spread of Covid-19.
But on Friday evening, in a bid to kick-start the tourist economy, it was announced that a number of short-haul flights to European countries are expected to resume from July.
So called ‘air bridges’ or ‘travel corridors’ could mean that travellers will soon be able to jet abroad on quarantine-free holidays to a number of destinations.
But how will the system work? Which countries could we travel to first? And what are airports doing to make travel safer?
Here are the answers to seven questions about the changes, and what they could mean for your summer break.
What are air bridges, and how will the system actually work?
Also known as travel corridors, air bridges will allow Britons to go on holiday to certain destinations without needing to quarantine for 14 days on their return to the UK.
In place of the quarantine arrangements will be a traffic light system, with officials placing countries into green, amber and red categories based on the prevalence of coronavirus within each nation’s borders.
It is expected a quarantine-free list of countries will be published on Wednesday, with restrictions lifted as soon as July 6.
Which countries could be included?
The government is expected to announce next week Britain’s first air bridges with “low-risk” European destinations, including France, Italy, Spain, Greece and Germany.
According to reports, air bridges will be announced in batches, with the second set of destinations likely to include other European countries such as Denmark, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands, and “low-risk” Caribbean islands.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said air bridges would only be agreed with countries which have a coronavirus test and trace system of the same standard as that used in Britain.
When will air bridges be introduced?
The first air bridges to low-risk countries could be in force from July 4, but Shapps said no announcement will be made until June 29, when the quarantine measures will be officially reviewed.
Greek tourism minister Haris Theoharis has indicated it could be up to three weeks before his country is happy to open up an air bridge to the UK, depending on the advice they get from health experts.
Which countries are less likely to be included?
There were mixed reports over whether Portugal would be included in the UK’s plans next week, after a spike in coronavirus cases in the country.
Long-haul flights to destinations such as Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong are reportedly not expected before late summer.
Flights to Australia are thought to be more complicated, due to the need to stop over in other countries, which increases the risk of contracting or spreading coronavirus.
What about the 14-day quarantine?
Since June 8, all passengers, bar a handful of exemptions, have been required to go into self-isolation for 14 days when they arrive in the UK.
People who fail to comply can be fined £1,000 in England, and police are allowed to use “reasonable force” to make sure they follow the rules.
What safety measures have airports introduced?
Last month, Heathrow Airport began trials of thermal screening technology to detect elevated temperatures of arriving passengers.
Edinburgh Airport has implemented a colour-coded one-way system to maintain social distancing, while protective screens have been installed at check-in, security and arrivals, and staff wear face coverings and personal protective equipment (PPE) in “passenger-facing areas”.
At Gatwick Airport, hand sanitiser stations, protective screens, regular deep cleaning and social distancing instructions have been introduced throughout the site, with face mask vending machines selling four masks for £3.
Pre-booked airport security slots are being tested at Manchester Airport, in which passengers can reserve a free 15-minute window to use a dedicated lane taking them directly to a checkpoint.
What about the flight itself?
It looks as though in-flight food and drinks will not be available, or at least be limited, for a while.
EasyJet said it will not have a bistro or boutique service on board, but will have drinking water available for those who request it.
The airline said it hopes to have a limited bistro service operating again “in the near future”.
Aer Lingus said it has suspended in-flight services on its short-haul trips and will have a reduced service on its transatlantic routes.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-27--Lizzo Enlists Queer Eye Guys For Her Pride-Themed Soulmate Video

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Lizzo is giving her self-love anthem a timely makeover for the final week of LGBTQ Pride Month.
The three-time Grammy winner unveiled an animated music video for her song Soulmate on Friday.
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The video arrives a year after Lizzo marked the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, historically cited as the start of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, with a benefit concert for the Stonewall Community Foundation.
Netflix
The star has also been candid about how her early struggles with self-image inspired the empowering message she hoped to impart to fans through Soulmate and other tracks on her 2019 album, Cuz I Love You.
“I didn’t love who I was,” she told Elle last year. “And the reason I didn’t love who I was is because I was told I wasn’t lovable by the media, by [people at] school, by not seeing myself in beauty ads, by not seeing myself in television ... by lack of representation.”
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“My self-hatred got so bad that I was fantasising about being other people,” she added. “But you can’t live your life trying to be somebody else. What’s the point?”
Meanwhile, the Fab Five of Queer Eye have proven themselves to be skilled co-stars when it comes to music video appearances.
Last year, the guys made cameos in the video for Taylor Swift’s You Need to Calm Down, which also featured appearances by Ellen DeGeneres, Billy Porter and Adam Rippon.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-27--Davina McCall Clarifies Emma Willis And Rylan Interview Following Brian Dowling Criticism

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Davina McCall has spoken out again after former Big Brother contestant and host Brian Dowling claimed highlights series Best Shows Ever had tried to erase him from the show’s history.
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Davina McCall and Brian Dowling at the Ultimate Big Brother final in 2010 Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment
After one viewer noted the omission was strange, Brian tweeted: “You are not the only one. Actually at this stage it’s getting rather funny. People trying to rewrite history.”
Davina had responded at the time, explaining Brian’s presenting stint hadn’t been discussed as Best Shows Ever was focussing on the Channel 4 years of the reality show, and he had hosted on Channel 5.
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However, the interview has continued to be a topic of conversation on social media, with some people claiming Rylan suggested Emma had taken over from Davina, when in fact Brian presented in between the pair’s stints.
Tweeting a clip from her and Rylan’s interview with Emma – who worked on Channel 4′s Big Brother’s Little Brother prior to the show’s move to Channel 5 – Davina tweeted: “This is what he [Rylan] said. He was referring to when she worked with me on C4. Clear as day. He never said she took over from me as host.”
This is what he said . He was referring to when she worked with me on C4 . Clear as day. He never said she took over from me as host . pic.twitter.com/WUmRorXQXS — Davina McCall (@ThisisDavina) June 27, 2020
Davina had also previously stated Brian had been invited to appear on Best Shows Ever, as they showcased an episode from his original series as a housemate in 2001.
However, he later tweeted an “FYI” to Davina, writing: “I found out from The Sun newspaper that I was being fired and replaced, and it took the production company a further four weeks to confirm that, without a single thank you or apology, phone call, text or email or even a bunch of flowers or a single question asking how I was.
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“My whole time on the show as a host was tainted by how I was treated and it still affects me today.”
He added: “The same production company asked me if I wanted to film a 10-second message on my phone saying hello to you and Rylan. Surprisingly, I didn’t really feel like doing that.”
Emma Willis, Brian Dowling and Davina McCall have all hosted Big Brother PA
Brian won the second series of Big Brother in 2001, later triumphing in the all-stars series Ultimate Big Brother in 2010.
He then hosted two regular series and four celebrity series of the reality show when it made the jump to Channel 5 in 2011.
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He was replaced by Emma in 2014, with Rylan then taking the helm of spin-off Bit On The Side, which he originally co-hosted with AJ Odudu for one series.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-27--Family Guy Actor Mike Henry Steps Down From Cleveland Brown Voice Role

Family Guy cast member Mike Henry has announced he will no longer voice the character of Cleveland Brown on the animated series.
The actor, who is white, said in a statement that “persons of colour should play characters of colour”.
It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years. I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role. pic.twitter.com/FmKasWITKT — Mike Henry (@mikehenrybro) June 26, 2020
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Mike has voiced Cleveland on Family Guy and spin-off series The Cleveland show since 1999.
He said on Twitter: “It’s been an honour to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years. I love this character, but persons of colour should play characters of colour. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role.”
Voice actor Mike Henry SIPA USA/PA Images
His announcement came as The Simpsons also issued a statement confirming that it would “no longer have white actors voice non-white characters” moving forward.
The Simpsons had faced criticism for having Hank Azaria, who is white, voicing Indian shopkeeper Apu.
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The actor confirmed in January he would no longer perform the role.
Hank Azaria announced he would no longer voice Apu in January Fox
White actor Harry Shearer originally voiced some Black characters on The Simpsons, including Dr. Hibbert.
Variety reported that Black actor Kevin Michael Richardson has voiced many of the show’s Black characters in recent seasons.
She said that her playing the role was “engaging in an act of erasure of Black people”, with a spokesperson adding that Missy will be recast.
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Frozen star Kristen Bell also announced she would also stop voicing multiracial character Molly in Apple TV+ comedy Central Park.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-27--Jonty Bravery: Council Spent Thousands Trying To Keep Tate Modern Murder Bid Teenager’s Name Secret

“An independent serious case review is now under way.
“It will look at what happened and the role played by all the different agencies involved.”
The six-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, suffered a bleed to the brain, fractures to his spine, and broken legs and arms in the fall.
The youngster had been visiting London with his family at the time and is now recovering in his native France.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-27--Christianity Has A Race Problem

Christianity Has A Race Problem

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As a Black Christian, my faith has always been something that gives me hope, especially during a time like this.
The Black community and the world are still in mourning over the death of George Floyd. Seeing another Black person being murdered at the hands of the police after the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Tony McDade has been heartbreaking to say the least.
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Black people have to deal with trauma on a daily basis but this has left us all mentally exhausted.
Christianity has always provided me with a national community that I can lean on in times of hardship. But I’ve been shocked and disappointed to witness the ways in which some white Christians have been complicit on racial injustice.
I was raised in a multicultural baptist church. My main pastor was white but the congregation was filled with people from various backgrounds. Every Sunday, people from European, Caribbean, African and Asian backgrounds would come together to worship God. To me this is how the church should be.
“White Christians need to continue challenging the beliefs and ideologies that they’ve allowed to enter the church.”
My church experience growing up was beyond enjoyable. I felt accepted and loved by not only God but the people in my church. As a child and young teenager I don’t vividly remember seeing any forms of racism in my church. But it wasn’t until I was a bit older that I started to hear stories of racial tension by the elders in my church for the first time.
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As I moved cities for university, finding a church was on my top agenda and fortunately I found one very quickly. Though I loved the church I grew up in, my church during university had everything my previous church didn’t. It was definitely more current and had a larger youth presence that I felt was missing as a teenager. Things seemed to be perfect until I started to notice micro-aggressions at my place of worship.
I remember witnessing a mixed-race man mistake my close Black friend for another Black girl. Then when she understandably got upset, her sadness was labelled as anger and she was called an “angry Black girl.”
White people would also often tell the Black people to “stop being so Black”. And I always felt that the church was slightly segregated. Most of the close friends in the church weren’t Black, but this could also be because some of the Black men in the church perpetuated misogynoir. During the start of a sermon a Black pastor started bragging about marrying a white woman and having mixed-race children.
Apparently my experiences aren’t out of the norm, many other Black people (especially women) in contemporary churches have experienced many of the same things.
Which is why the recent comments by the pastor of Hillsong London weren’t shocking but disappointing. Hillsong is a mega church founded in Australia, which has branches all over the world. The pastor of the Tottenham Court Road branch in London received backlash after comments he made on the death of George Floyd: “For me to be rallying as a pastor about something that’s going on in another country, I’m not really sure that’s helpful”.
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Black members of the church and of the wider Christian community were deeply upset. The pastor then went on to apologise in another service but I don’t think we should have to prompt white pastors to talk or be emphatic on a topic like this.
As a Christian, Black woman, I often feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Christians are called to be “the salt and light of the world”, which is why the church shouldn’t be encouraging an ideology that is rooted in hate. We’re called to love everyone and if we can’t achieve that in our own church, we have failed.
The discourse around Christanity and race is uncomfortable especially if we look at its history. Most Christians, Black and white, shy away from thinking about the role Christianity played in colonialism. But I think it’s something we need to discuss head on.
During colonialism, Christianity was used heavily to promote and justify slavery. Scriptures such as “slaves, obey your earthly master”, Ephesians 6:5, were used to reinforce the idea that slavery was good and normal. Additionally a slave bible was created by slave masters, which took out specific parts of the bible to further promote slavery. Though Christianity was also used by some abolitionists to end slavery, they were part of a small minority.
Centuries later when the Windrush generation moved over to the UK, they were pushed out of white church circles. Subsequently this led to Caribbean and African immigrants creating their own churches in the UK. Pastor Elijah Israel tweeted: ”Race, Class & Gender all have a role to play in denominational formation in Christian History. Pentecostalism was born through “lower class” and “black/ethnic minorities”, whereas Baptist/Reformed circles were dominated by “white” upper/middle class males.”
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He added: “Even today, notice Churches run by “Black” Leaders, don’t often have “white” majority congregations, but Churches run by “white” leaders can have “Black” majority congregations. This shows unconscious racial & classist biases that are still rooted in the soul of Christians.”
Moving forward I strongly believe that white Christians need to continue challenging the beliefs and ideologies that they’ve allowed to enter the church. We can’t speak about racism in the world without acknowledging how the spirit of racism has been encouraged in some churches. I’m hoping and praying that white Christians will do more and stand with their Black Christians now and in the future.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-27--Normal People's Connell And Marianne Go To Confession With Fleabag's Hot Priest For Ultimate TV Cros

Normal People's Connell And Marianne Go To Confession With Fleabag's Hot Priest For Ultimate TV Crossover

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If you’ve been feeling slightly bereft after bingeing the entire series of Normal People earlier this year, we’ve got the perfect treat for you.
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Connell and Marianne were reunited on Friday night, as they confessed their sins to Fleabag’s Hot Priest in a TV crossover of biblical proportions.
Viewers of Comic Relief in Ireland saw a lovelorn Connell – played by Paul Mescal – head into Hot Priest’s famous confession box to seek help in his on-off romance with Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones).
Of course, his plight was something Hot Priest (aka Andrew Scott) could certainly relate to, and as he alluded to his own failed romance with Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character, Marianne then entered the confession box.
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It transpired she had stolen Connell’s much-discussed chain, as Hot Priest then tried to reunite the struggling couple.
And while Hot Priest stopped short of asking anyone to “kneel” this time, the sketch did end on an equally brilliant note, as the trio united in a rendition of Boyzone’s Baby Can I Hold You.
Paul shared some behind-the-scenes pictures from filming on Instagram, which revealed he, Daisy and Andrew had enjoyed some cans of gin and tonic (because what else?) together during a socially distanced park meet.
The Fleabag crossover wasn’t the only sketch featuring the characters of Connell and Marianne during Ireland’s TV fundraiser.
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We also went ahead in time to find out whether the pair had made it work as adults in Older Normal People – take a look below...
Normal People debuted on BBC Three to much critical acclaim back in March, also breaking iPlayer records.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-27--Liverpool Police Granted Extra Powers To Disperse Crowds After Huge Celebrations

Police have been granted more power to disperse crowds in Liverpool after part of the Liver Building caught on fire amid wild celebrations over the city’s Premier League triumph.
Merseyside Police issued a section 34 dispersal order for the city centre – allowing officers to break up groups of more than two people – until Sunday.
The Liverpool Echo shared video on Friday night that appeared to show glass bottles being thrown at police. A police spokesman was unable to confirm that bottles had been thrown or the number of people arrested, but said there had been “significant disorder” overnight.
Several videos posted to social media also appeared to show fireworks being aimed at the Liver Building.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-27--Cressida Dick: Black Lives Matter Has Provided 'Powerful' Lessons But Met Isn't Racist

The Metropolitan Police’s top officer has said she’s learned a lot more about racism as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement – but maintains that her force is not racist, despite concerns to the contrary.
Describing footage of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of US police as appalling, Cressida Dick said the past few weeks have been “powerful” in which the realities of inequalities Black people face have been brought to the fore.
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The commissioner endorsed the phrase Black Lives Matter, describing it as “important”, and said she has personally written to Black colleagues expressing solidarity and offering opportunities to communicate about how to improve their experience within the force.
“Over the last few weeks, and I’m sure I’m not the only one, I’ve become much better informed about the Black Lives Matter movement and multiple events –but in particular the appalling video of George Floyd’s death,” she told HuffPost UK.
“I’ve thought very hard about how my colleagues and friends are affected by that. The phrase Black Lives Matter is a very important one. Black lives do matter and should matter to us all, obviously, and in this city of all cities and my police – which I believe is the best in the world and is here to bring justice, prevent crime and keep people safe. Our values are about treating people fairly and having a really inclusive workforce.”
That said, the Met chief maintains that her force is not institutionally racist, 20 years after the Macpherson Report labelled it as such.
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Numerous high profile cases of police encounters with Black men have alarmed members of the public.
On Monday, it emerged that a 24-year-old Black man from north London had been left paralysed from the chest down after being Tasered by police as he jumped over a wall.
In a similar case, rapper Wretch 32 recently told of how his 62-year-old father, Millard Scott, was Tasered in his north London home during a police raid.
Police allegedly told Scott the raid was drug-related, but the man said officers did not search his house for drugs.
Vaseline search Screenshot
Last week, campaigners criticised police after a video showed officers detaining a Black driver on suspicion of using Vaseline from his car to smuggle drugs inside his bottom.
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Earlier this month, officers were accused of racial profiling after a video emerged of two Black men in north London receiving harsher treatment during a routine stop and search than their white companion.
In May, a Black school worker was detained while waiting in his car for a post office to open.
Days later, National Police Chiefs’ Council data revealed Black people have been disproportionately fined under coronavirus laws during lockdown.
Despite these instances, the commissioner feels the two-decades-old label is not “useful or appropriate”.
“There have been some high profile complaints made and they are quite properly investigated, many of them by the completely Independent Office of Police Conduct,” she said.
“I also know there have some videos that have been circulating; inevitably they don’t show the whole story and, again, if we have concerns about those or anyone else, we refer them to IOPC and we review them ourselves, always. We’re very scrupulous about trying to deal with complaints and concerns.
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“In relation to the phrase ‘institutionally racist’ what I have consistently said is I do think that’s for others to judge; I don’t find it a useful or appropriate phrase for my service at the moment but if others judge us differently that’s obviously their right. What I do recognise is that people have concerns about the nature of interactions that we sometimes have with members of our Black communities.”
Cressida Dick with Doreen Lawrence and her son Stuart as she arrives at a memorial service at St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square for the 25th anniversary of the murder of Stephen Lawrence VICTORIA JONES via Getty Images
The Met chief said she strives to spend “every minute of every day” working towards improving trust between Black communities and the police – but highlights that reckoning with an unequal society creates obstacles where this is concerned.
“We do police in an unequal society. We also do use force; we have a unique ability to use force only within the law, only when it is proportionate and necessary to do so.
“We do things to people that they wouldn’t want done to them even when we’re doing absolutely the right thing. So this does, obviously, bring us into a potential conflict with individuals. I’m very proud of the service I lead in terms of its use of force, its professionalism, its scrutiny and accountability, the body-worn video cameras.”
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In comparison with the rest of the world, the commissioner thinks the Met is doing alright, so to speak.
“I travel overseas and watch policing elsewhere. I’m out on the streets all the time with my officers and I’ve been a police officer for a very long time. There are 40,000 of us and we’re not perfect, things go wrong – but I think the professionalism and skill that my people have in dealing with people from a whole range of communities, and particularly young people, is so much better than it ever was.”
Cressida Dick ASSOCIATED PRESS
She acknowledged that there is room for improvement within a force that is four times more likely to use force against Black people compared with the white population. But she made reference to more scenarios where individuals might misunderstand their rights or the reasons for police to use force, than to ones where officers might be the problem.
“I want us to be even better and bridge the gaps in understanding, if there are gaps: if people don’t understand why we have to use force in a particular way, if people don’t know their rights, if my officers in a particular situation have misread things for whatever reason.”
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Still, the Met head maintains that improvements have been made, pointing to reports that reflect as much.
In an internal survey, Dick said particular focus was placed upon experiences of Black women in the Met and big improvements were noted in this regard.
In March, senior Black police officer Robyn Williams was sacked without notice by the Metropolitan Police after being convicted of possessing a child abuse video on her phone which was forwarded to her on WhatsApp but she hadn’t opened.
Campaigners slammed this decision as being unfair and racially motivated.
“I’ve been engaged in many focus groups listening to people’s experiences and also trying to work with colleagues even more than I ever have to make the police service an even better place for Black colleagues and friends to work of all ages,” the commissioner said.
“I am trying to provide a better service for Londoners including our Black communities. It’s been a very, very powerful few weeks for so many people and I’m included in that.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-27--Lockdown Easing And Warm Weather A 'Perfect Storm' For Tourist Destinations, Officials Say

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Officials have warned that the government’s easing of lockdown coupled with scorching temperatures could create a “perfect storm” and overwhelm England’s busiest seaside resorts.
Following the declaration of a major incident in Bournemouth on Thursday – with thousands descending on the beach on the hottest day of the year – some council chiefs are now urging the government to do more to discourage tourists from travelling to overcrowded destinations.
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The government on Friday said the onus was on local authorities to deal with the huge crowds visiting their areas.
But that is not much use to those living and working in some of the busiest spots that have reported huge issues with litter, human waste and people camping in farmers’ fields or at the side of the road while the usual tourism infrastructure remains locked down.
With sweeping changes to the lockdown restrictions planned for July 4, including the reopening of pubs, there are fears popular seaside resorts, which are at capacity anyway during regular summers, will not be able to cope with people heading away for “staycations”.
Repeats of the gridlocked roads seen in Bournemouth on Thursday, and more people having to sleep outside, are real possibilities.
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Crowds gather on the beach in Bournemouth. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Conservative Laura Miller, Dorset Council member for West Purbeck and portfolio holder for adult social care and health, described “frustration” across the local authority as a result of unclear messaging from the government, but added that she was broadly in support of policies allowing people to drive any distance in England to exercise or visit outdoor areas “with mitigation”.
She described chaotic scenes across the week as crowds of visitors flocked to popular beauty spot Durdle Door, with serious difficulties caused by a lack of open facilities for the visitors – some of whom had travelled for more than four hours.
Miller said: “Just this morning as I was driving my son to school I saw people camping in caravans and tents on verges and in farmer’s fields, urinating and defecating at the side of the road.
“My children now won’t swim at our local beach, which is a quarter of a mile from our house, because there’s human excrement on the beach most mornings.
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“It’s really difficult. We’ve got all the agencies involved, we’ve got mitigation plans, but people are still coming. We’re really urging people to check before you come, pre-book parking if you can and stay as close to home as possible.”
She continued: “I don’t necessarily check the local authority Facebook page before I travel, who does? So we’re trying to communicate this message to a wider audience and have done so since May but people are still coming.
“Some have been aggressive because they’ve travelled for five hours to get to this tiny little hole in the cliff. So when you tell them they can’t come in, they become abusive.”
Miller added that she had been spat at by one motorist who had travelled for hours to the area while helping the highways team manage the extremely congested traffic.
People on the beach at Durdle Door on Saturday, May 30. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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But communications put out by a local authority can only get so far. With councils struggling to stem the flow of visitors, Miller and other officials have called on the government to make their messaging much clearer in order to dissuade tourists from swarming beauty spots.
She said: “I’ll be very clear – I think the government should have [put clearer messaging in place] when they eased lockdown. I think it’s too late now.
“I would welcome government assistance on this. We are used to it being busy here so we have protocols, and after the first bank holiday in May we stood those up very, very quickly.
“But in terms of government assistance there is none. I have raised it with MPs and I understand they are raising it with the government.
“Matt Hancock recently said beaches could close if it becomes a social distancing issue – it was a social distancing issue in April and May. Our voices have not been heard.”
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There are serious concerns that the scenes of overcrowding witnessed throughout the week could reoccur as more households – unable to head abroad for a break – seek out some sea air at overcrowded tourist destinations in England.
Lesley Dedman, an Independent councillor for Mudeford, Stanpit & West Highcliffe, near Bournemouth, described Thursday’s overcrowding as “very concerning”.
She said: “Every [coronavirus] case is a tragedy, but everyone in Dorset has worked very hard to prevent many deaths from Covid as we have a big elderly population. It would be awful if this influx of people then brought the infection rate back up.
“If another emergency situation arose, such as the one we saw on Thursday, it would be really, really worrying. But I’m not at all concerned that we didn’t do the right thing – everything was thrown at the problem.
“Our leader did exactly what should be done. I hope it doesn’t happen again, but if it does I am sure she will take whatever action needs to be taken.”
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While local authorities such as Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council have moved quickly in the face of alarmingly large crowds of visitors travelling to the south coast, there are concerns the government has created an incredibly difficult situation for local leaders to manage.
Dedman explained: “My concern is the way in which the PM, in whatever wisdom he has got, has opened some things up but not others.
“When we’re ready for people to come it will be great but at the moment the fact that the government have opened some things – for example takeaways but not restaurants – is causing issues.
“If you go into a restaurant they dispose of your rubbish for you, but people are having to go to takeaways and just chucking the waste on the ground. We’re really well supplied with bins, and they’re being emptied several times a day, but they are being overwhelmed.
“That’s the problem – we haven’t been able to get ready because half the facilities we would usually provide, or the hoteliers would normally provide, are not able to open.
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“I’m afraid the government has let us down on it.”
Liberal Democrat councillor Carole Mulroney, who sits on Southend Borough Council, said the combination of loosening lockdown restrictions and the potential for scorching weather in the weeks to come threatened a “perfect storm” of difficult conditions for the popular resort.
The town is used to welcoming huge numbers of tourists each summer, but the periods of good weather throughout lockdown have seen visitors flock to the seafront and exacerbate issues with litter and antisocial behaviour.
“It’s been an absolutely huge challenge, and we’ve got a huge challenge to come,” Mulroney explained.
“Lots of food and drink establishments will be opening, and we want them to open because they’re the lifeblood of the town.
“But if they’re all open, we’ve got really hot weather where people need to get outside and there’s the added problem of alcohol, it’s going to be very, very difficult.”
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There are fears that necessary social distancing measures such as pubs making use of outside space will also serious problems, especially when it comes to litter.
Mulroney said: “We’ve got people coming to us constantly to say that the bins are overflowing, our guys are working all hours to keep the beaches and the town clean.
“Residents who are part of beach cleaning groups are out as well, but it’s almost impossible to keep on top of because there’s just so much.
“Because all the cafes and restaurants are closed people are bringing their own food, or going up the high street to the supermarkets and getting plastic bags full of stuff, a lot of which is just being left.
“For some reason at the moment litter just doesn’t seem to be on peoples’ minds, and it’s just abandoned.”
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While Southend hasn’t seen overcrowding to the same extent as other tourist destinations such as Bournemouth in recent days, Mulroney explained that it had been a huge task throughout lockdown to ensure safety on the seafront – with much of the responsibility falling to local authorities with little support from government.
Southend seafront, pictured on June 2. PA
She said: “If we are going to get a long hot summer it’s going to be a very challenging time, not just for Southend but for all coastal resorts.
“Our officers go through whatever guidance has most recently been published, and they act accordingly, but right from the start we’ve seen at the daily briefings that things have been announced and we haven’t had the guidance for a week, ten days.
“We’ve only ever had limited powers to actually enforce social distancing – it’s meant that we’ve almost been trying to combat it with one hand behind our backs.”
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The leader of Southend Council, Labour’s Ian Gilbert, said: “I don’t think there’s been enough thought given to coastal and tourist destinations.
“I think plenty of thought has gone into how individual businesses can operate as the lockdown starts to lift, but when it comes to managing busy open spaces I don’t think enough thought has gone into that.
“Our officers are working as hard as they can on this but there is still a lot of work to do, given how close we are to July 4.”
Asked about the situation on beaches, a Downing Street spokesperson told a Westminster briefing on Friday: “Everyone should be able to enjoy the sunshine, and we understand that people want to enjoy public spaces, but it is important we don’t undo the hard work of the British public in reducing the transmission of this virus.
“It is a matter for local authorities to manage numbers, alongside emergency services and Public Health England.
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“As we saw [on Friday] they are best placed to make those decisions on a case-by-case basis.
“We have been clear that should we see case numbers increase we will introduce local lockdowns.”
Pressed on whether the government would close beaches, the Number 10 spokesman said: “It is for local authorities to manage numbers.
“I believe Matt Hancock, when he spoke, was referring to the powers to impose localised lockdowns which we have been clear throughout may need to be the case if we see case numbers rise in a particular area.”
Councillor Ian Hudspeth, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said “lives depend on all of us taking personal responsibility for our actions”, describing some of the scenes seen around the country as “unacceptable”.
However, Hudspeth also highlighted the issue that closing beaches in one area “may also simply shift the problem elsewhere.”
He added: “Councils and the emergency services cannot be left to manage this issue alone. The government can help councils by stepping up efforts to educate the public on the specific risks posed by ignoring social distancing in tourist environments.
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“Rail companies need to enforce rules around face coverings on public transport and, alongside Highways England, can help control numbers by using signage to give plenty of warning about overcrowding so people can change plans.