thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-22--Fears The Far-Right Could Target Colston Statue Protesters After Police Publish Their Photos

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Police have been accused of endangering the safety of 15 people who helped topple a slave trader’s statue in Bristol by publishing their photographs.
And locals have criticised the force for pursuing non-violent anti-racist protesters instead of putting its scant resources into – for instance – fighting domestic violence.
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Officers from Avon and Somerset Police did not intervene at any point during the pulling down of Edward Colston’s statue during a Black Lives Matter protest on June 7 – nor did they put any measures in place to prevent it from being dragged into the water.
Instead, officers scoured social media and CCTV in the following days, tracing the pictures of 18 people involved both in toppling the statue and in rolling it into the River Avon.
While a press release, published on Monday, states that the police have tracked down three of the people pictured, the pictures of 15 more have now been shared with members of the public asked to identify individuals.
Detective superintendent Liz Hughes said: “The incident attracted worldwide attention and there’s no denying it has polarised public opinion – but in the eyes of the law a crime has been committed and we’re duty-bound to investigate this without fear or favour.
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“I’d like to reassure people we’re carrying out a thorough, fair and proportionate investigation and have sought early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.”
Bristol’s directly-elected mayor Marvin Rees said in the days after the protest that he had viewed that statue as “an affront”, and while he could not condone Colston’s removal, said he felt “no sense of loss”, telling Radio 4′s Today programme that any prosecution would be “up to the criminal justice system”.
He added: “I don’t really intervene in criminal matters like that – that’s not for me to go and be a cheerleader to the police in any criminal investigations.”
But on June 19, the police confirmed the council had in fact referred the matter to the police. Bristol City Council itself did not return HuffPost UK’s request for comment.
Now, with the pictures published and publicly available, there are fears that sharing the images of protesters could actively put them in harm’s way.
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Clayton Wildwoode, an organiser for Bristol Black Lives Matter, told HuffPost UK: “The first message we want to get out is letting people know that they should keep themselves and their families safe because their faces have been put out there – it’s quite an unsafe thing for the police to have done.
“It’s quite a big issue, especially with EDL-type people out there. Their faces are out there and terrorist groups – which we will call them – could potentially take advantage of that.
“But at the same we do understand that pressure has been put on Avon and Somerset Police and we’re hoping it is something that will be dropped quite quickly as it’s been debated for decades – for as long as anyone across our group has even been alive.”
Woodwilde added: “It’s more than a debate now. People’s futures are on the line. Every law and policy the government put in place is there for a reason, but sometimes there are situations where it has to be applied differently.
“At the moment it’s being looked at from a moral perspective, which shouldn’t be the case.”
BLM Bristol is currently working on a response to the police appeal, and crowdfunding for potential legal expenses that could come as a result of prosecutions. In the meantime, members are also working on setting a date for a second march, which will be announced in the coming week.
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Police said they had “carried out a number of enquiries to try and establish who these people are in the hope we wouldn’t need to release their images into the public domain,” but had ultimately had to turn to a photo appeal for answers.
Avon and Somerset Constabulary directed HuffPost UK to the press release when contacted for further comment.
The toppling of Colston’s statue sparked a worldwide conversation, and many news organisations globally have shared the pictures featured in the police appeal. HuffPost UK is not among them.
Even the reporting of the police appeal has revealed fierce polarisation in public opinion, with many of those supportive of the protesters’ actions slamming media organisations for sharing the pictures.
Despite being at the very heart of the story, the Bristol Post – the city’s largest and oldest surviving dedicated local paper – has taken a different approach, opting to avoid sharing the police appeal altogether.
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Editor Mike Norton, who wrote an opinion piece explaining his decision on Monday morning, told HuffPost UK: “It’s a very nuanced situation – everyone has accepted it is a very nuanced situation. The police said on the day it was a complicated situation, and the mayor has talked of nothing else but how complicated and difficult it is.
“But now we’ve got to this point, and everyone just behaves as though it’s a very simple act of criminal damage – and that’s where I struggle to conform to that view. All these institutions, which had admitted how complicated it is, had reduced it to a criminal act and I didn’t want the Post to be the same.
“I wanted to show that what happened made us think differently. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t be prosecuted, I’m saying that I disagree with how what the police and the council have done has taken the nuance out of the history and the background of this issue.
“I’m just trying to be consistent with what we’ve all said from the moment he came down.”
Journalists, including those at the Bristol Post, have faced intimidation from some members of the public as the Colston story has unfolded in front of a global audience. Reporters have faced attacks online, and have even detailed incidents of being spat at and verbally harassed while reporting on counter-demonstrations.
“The Colston debate is definitely a magnet for racists, which has affected whether or not we turn comments on,” Norton explained.
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“It’s been difficult, I’ve had abuse online and our reporters have been spat at in the street. We’re trying to steer a balanced route through this.
“I think it’s very difficult to have a nuanced conversation about the transatlantic slave trade in Bristol because views are so polarised. This is not about whether or not you agree with prosecutions, or whether or not you agree with the statue coming down – there is so much grey in the middle.
“I think the conversations should be had in that grey area, not at the extremes.”
A study conducted by the Runnymede Trust, the UK’s leading race equality think tank, has previously deemed Bristol to be one of the worst places in the UK for racial inequality, and many living in the city had come to view the Colston statue as a symbol of this pervasive imbalance.
Ros Martin, a Bristol-based writer and artist and a member of Countering Colston, said: “My personal view is that they [the protesters] have done us a huge favour and the council should be recognising this.
“In Bristol it very clearly represents to me an oppression – it’s about privilege. It’s about the entrenched inequalities that don’t shift in a city and the disingenuous way in which on one hand it’s a very wealthy city whilst also having some very high levels of deprivation.
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“You would have thought that in a city like Bristol there are a lot of things that they [the police] would have to occupy their time – for example the increase in domestic violence through lockdown.
“The statue sat there under the pretence that it was raised by the citizens, when it was in fact the wealthy Victorian Merchant Venturers who put it up in our midst. Now it’s been taken down by the citizens of Bristol.
“It’s not a good use of police time and is just serving to make an example at a really critical time, the middle of a pandemic.”
The Bristol Post reported that records showed the statue had been accepted by the city as a gift in 1895. The Society of Merchant Venturers – which raised the funds to pay for it – has since distanced itself from the controversial memorial.
Zoe Jones, who herself was arrested and had been through a trial after taking part in a sit-in protest outside the Houses of Parliament in April 2019 with Extinction Rebellion, said: “The pulling down of the Colston statue is something that people in Bristol have been campaigning for decades to achieve.
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“This was kind of the inevitable conclusion to years of this, and it didn’t harm anyone. No one was hurt in the process. So to have this selection of blurry photos taken from videos on Facebook amplified by the press doesn’t seem to helpful to anyone.”
She added: “As Extinction Rebellion, prosecution is something we’ve always understood if you take part in any form of non-violent civil disobedience – it’s something that we crowdfund for and support people through and we’ve shared the crowdfunder for Black Lives Matter in Bristol.
“If people are prosecuted we want them to have a fair chance and a fair trial. We hope that the people who made it happen are not punished for bringing down a memorial to a man who trafficked 84,000 people into slavery. He didn’t represent our city and he belongs in a museum.
“I think the cultural importance of moments like this can’t be underplayed. We’ve seen statues in American cities and all over the world coming down, inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests in Bristol.
“As somebody who has engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience and been taken into custody myself, I do think it’s necessary to force change when things are wrong.”
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Avon and Somerset Constabulary is pursuing an investigation specifically into criminal damage – but it’s not clear what sentences protesters could face if they were to be charged, tried and ultimately convicted.
According to the Sentencing Council, criminal damage with a value exceeding £5,000 can be punishable by a maximum of up to 10 years in prison. The Sunday Telegraph reported on June 13 that ministers were considering proposing 10-year sentences for demonstrators who damage war memorials such as the Cenotaph.
Manchester-based journalist Nimo Omer said: “I think it just shows the disdain that the political class have for people who are just trying to make a change because taking down that statue has been one of the most effective forms of direct action in years.
“It’s an example of what happens when people say ‘enough is enough’. I think it’s [the investigation] is abhorrent, especially as a lot of people involved are Black or brown, and could directly face harsh, punitive sentences.
“It just seems like a vindictive way of telling people: ‘This is what happens – we will find you and you will be punished for taking part in non-violent civil disobedience.’”
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Omer added: “Sharing these pictures is incredibly harmful – not just for those who were taking down the statues but also for those who were involved in the protests more generally. It sets a really dangerous precedent.
“I don’t see how it is in the public interest, and I don’t understand how it is acceptable for publications to be putting people in danger for no reason at all. I think putting out this information uncritically is just completely reckless.
“If this is the future of journalism, I don’t want any part of that.”
Bristol resident Cath Greig said she had been “shocked” by the pictures of protesters being published as part of a police appeal.
“I would class myself as a pretty law abiding citizen, but this was something so different,” she said.
“It was almost like it had been such a long time coming, and this was the only way that anybody would take notice. With the toppling of the statue, so much more information about the slave trade came out – people who had no idea about this suddenly did.
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“Although certain people actually did it, they would have been part of a whole mass of people involved. They might not have actually touched the statue, but it was almost a group endeavour.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-23--So, 'Turbo Relationships' Boomed In Lockdown. Are You In One?

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If you found your relationship went from zero to 100 during lockdown – and all of a sudden, you’ve mastered the art of living together – you’re not alone.
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Lockdown appears to have accelerated Brits’ love lives, resulting in so-called “turbo relationships”, a new report from Relate and eHarmony has found.
Some people found themselves living together within weeks of meeting – and largely thriving because of it. Over a third of those newly living with a partner believe the past two months have felt “more like two years of commitment”.
And more than a third of respondents say they’ve reached common relationship milestones a lot faster – leading to more sex, better communication and the opportunity to discover new, shared passions.
Why is this happening? Relate counsellor, Peter Saddington, says “in wider periods of societal unrest”, couples often pull together. “The combination of more time spent together, heightened anxiety levels and the removal of common routines – like seeing friends – is an intense mix,” he says.
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There are pros and cons to being in a turbo relationship. “It’s quite a romantic idea, isn’t it?” says Relate counsellor, Holly Roberts. “This romantic idealism that a couple have just met and they’ve decided to move in together because they’ve missed each other and want to be together. I think that can be really positive – it’s a nice love story to the beginning of their relationship.”
On the flip side, some people might have walked – or ran – into a lockdown relationship a little “love blind”, she says.
If this is the case, there may have been a few red flags that have cropped up: bickering more than normal (that could be once a day, and about small things that are irrelevant), noticing differences in your values (they’re not big on marriage and you are), as well as spotting a void in your mutual interests.
Those who want to keep their relationships ticking over should now try to slow things down, says Roberts, and “rediscover that honeymoon period at a slower pace”.
Speeding things up in your relationship may have meant you’ve missed out on the exciting bits of having a new partner. Roberts encourages people to go back to the dating phase and rediscover each other – creating a sense of mystery, experiencing butterflies and actually missing someone again.
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artbesouro via Getty Images
It’s also good to be mindful that it may be hard to adjust from living in each other’s pockets, to going back to some form of normality.
“If a couple have been living together and it’s just been the two of them, that intimacy and time they spent together is really unique,” she explains, “but coming out of lockdown, they’re going to have more opportunity to see other people – friends, family – and other intrusions on their time that will take them away from each other.
“It’s managing that process and feeling like it’s okay to miss each other – but it’s also ok to want to spend time with other people.”
Having your own time, friends and interests is important in making you feel nourished as an individual, which in turn makes you a happy and wholesome person to be in a relationship with – and vice versa, adds Roberts.
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If you do find yourself struggling with the change of pace, talk about it. “Communication is absolutely vital,” she continues – and a lack of it can fuel misunderstanding and feelings of abandonment in your relationship.
Crucially, psychotherapist Lucy Beresford says both people in the relationship need to acknowledge that living in a mutual bubble can’t last forever.
“There has to come a point where you meet each other’s parents, or reconnect with your friendship groups – and it’s really important you do. You can’t exist in this little bubble, just the two of you, for the rest of your life,” she says. “You have to let other people in, create different energy, different oxygen, in your relationship – but you have to also talk about it.”
Some couples have found lockdown to be been a strain on their relationship. If that’s the case, don’t beat yourself up about it – a break-up isn’t inevitable. Hold fire, and let the dust settle post-lockdown if you can.
“If you’ve been struggling it’s probably that you need that extra energy, extra input, from other people – whether that’s chatting to your sister, your best mate, or seeing your colleagues in the flesh,” she says.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-23--This Ad Actually Claimed A Bra Could Reduce Breast Cancer Risk. Yes, Really.

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An advert has been banned for suggesting a bra could reduce the risk of breast cancer. We’d love to say we were joking.
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The bra, sold by online retailer Lemongrassrice, appeared in a Facebook ad in April. The advert displayed a small image of the product, alongside an X-ray image of a breast.
Text below the image read: “Reduce the risks of breast cancer.”
Via ASA
The ad also contained a series of green tick boxes, claiming the bra offered an “ergonomic design” and had an “easy front closure”, alongside an oh-so-infuriating heart eyes emoji.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received a complaint from a healthcare professional specialising in breast health, who challenged whether the claim was “misleading”. ASA banned the ad from appearing again.
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“Lemongrassrice did not provide any evidence to show that the bra could reduce the risks of breast cancer,” ASA said. “We concluded that the claim ‘reduce the risks of breast cancer’ had not been substantiated and was misleading.”
For anyone who needs a reminder, the medically-approved ways to reduce your risk of breast cancer include maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, having a low intake of saturated fat and limiting alcohol, as advised by the NHS. Your underwear has nothing to do with it.
In fact, Rachel Rawson, a clinical nurse specialist at Breast Cancer Care, previously told HuffPost UK there is no reliable evidence to support the urban myth that bra underwire is linked to breast cancer.
Lemongrassrice Ltd did not respond to the ASA’s enquiries. HuffPost UK has also contacted the company for comment and will update the article if we receive a response.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-23--More Homelessness Funding Amid Fears Of Rough Sleeping Spike

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The government has announced more funding to help around 15,000 people in emergency accommodation and avoid a fresh homelessness crisis.
When the coronavirus outbreak hit Britain in March, ministers asked local authorities in England to house all rough sleepers and those in hostels and night shelters, with hundreds of people being put up in hotels in a bid to isolate them from infection.
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But, as HuffPost UK reported, councils warned the initial £3.2m provided by central government fell well short of the actual cost they incurred.
Now the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has said rough sleepers and those at risk of becoming homeless will be helped to secure their own tenancies through £105 million, £85 million of which is new funding,
The Treasury money will also help them put down deposits for accommodation and secure thousands of rooms already available, such as student accommodation, while they wait for a permanent home.
Currently almost 15,000 people are in emergency accommodation, such as hotels, to keep them safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Approximately 5,000–7,000 of these had been sleeping rough, and 2,000 were in communal night shelters.
The charity Crisis previously warned thousands could return to the streets at the end of June, with contracts between local authorities in England and hotels expected to terminate due to current government money running out.
READ MORE: Rough Sleepers Living In Hotels Amid Coronavirus Are Terrified Of Returning To The Streets
Housing secretary Robert Jenrick said: “In recent months, I have seen a huge effort across the country to keep almost 15,000 vulnerable people off the streets. This has been vital to ensure their safety during the peak of the pandemic and has changed the lives of thousands for the better.
“The additional funding announced today will allow us to continue to support these individuals – giving them access to the accommodation and support they need now while we continue with plans to deliver thousands of long-term homes in the coming months.”
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Chairwoman of the Covid-19 rough sleeping task force, Dame Louise Casey, thanked hotels and other providers for providing “safe haven” for some of society’s most vulnerable members.
She added: “We now have an extraordinary opportunity to help keep them in and turn their lives around if we get the next steps right.
“I am clear that there can now be no going back to the streets as people begin to move on from the emergency accommodation that has been put in place.”
The housing, communities and local government committee previously warned that the “golden opportunity” to solve rough sleeping would be lost without at least £100 million a year.
The government allocated £3.2 million in March specifically to help homeless people self-isolate during the Covid-19 outbreak.
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It has also promised £433 million to create 6,000 supported housing units – 3,300 of which will be made available in the next 12 months.
A larger pot of emergency funding – £3.2 billion – has been made available to help local authorities respond to the pandemic, but they are facing competing claims on their resources.
It is not clear whether homeless people whose immigration status is not finalised, and have no recourse to public funds (NRPF), can be helped by the new money.
Homeless people sleeping rough on the pavement near the Houses of Parliament in March. ASSOCIATED PRESS
London Councils, which represents local authorities in the capital, previously said that at least 900 of the almost 5,000 rough sleepers in London’s emergency accommodation are subject to NRPF restrictions.
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Anecdotal evidence heard by Crisis suggests up to 60% of people in some hotels could be in this category.
Jon Sparkes, Crisis chief executive, said: “This funding is a real step forward towards tackling homelessness across England, but money alone will not provide a guarantee of safe and secure accommodation during and after this public health crisis.
“We need emergency legal measures to ensure that every local council can provide housing support to everyone experiencing homelessness, regardless of their immigration status.
“Across the country, we know that support is patchy and inconsistent, with councils often uncertain who they should be helping, and in need of clarity and direction from Government.
“In addition to this very welcome extra funding we need to see additional legislation that gives everyone at risk somewhere safe to stay.”
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A further £16 million to address substance misuse, which has previously been announced, has been brought forward due to the coronavirus pandemic, the government said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-23--Can Boris Johnson’s ‘Bustle Hustle’ Get Britain Through A Downturn?

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Paper-backed writher
An optimist thinks the glass is half full, a pessimist thinks it’s half empty. A realist just drinks the bloody pint. Well, from July 4, that old joke will be stress tested in spades as pubs in England join restaurants, hotels and a string of other venues shuttered during the past three months.
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As Boris Johnson announced the biggest and most dramatic steps in his ‘unlockdown’ plan on Tuesday, he tried hard to caveat and contain his own natural sunny disposition. In the House of Commons and in his No.10 press conference, he was torn between ebullience and caution. But in the end (spoiler alert) the optimism won out.
You always know which bits of a Boris Johnson speech really matter to him because he literally taps his notes or bangs the Commons despatch box to prove it. Having waxed lyrical about the end of our “long national hibernation”, his personal Morse Code became its most animated. “Life [tap] is returning, to our streets [tap], to our shops [tap, tap], the bustle [tap, tap, tap] is starting to come back!”
He was quick to then warn in the next breath that the “frost” could too easily return, but stressed he trusted in the common sense and community spirit of the British public to understand the nuances of the latest relaxation of the rules. He wasn’t exactly saying he would blame the people if things went wrong, but like a fairground hustler he made clear he was taking a gamble and it would be a shared risk.
That tension was again on display in the press conference. The PM said “frankly I can’t wait to go to a pub or a restaurant even if it may not be wholly compatible with the new diet that I’m on”. He outlined his own wishlist of visiting the Globe Theatre, going to a restaurant, having a haircut and playing a game of village cricket. He said “people need to enjoy themselves...I want to see bustle [that word again], I want to see activity..” before remembering to add “I also want everybody to be careful…”
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And similarly when asked about July 4 - dubbed ‘Super Saturday’ by some government-supporting tabloids - he couldn’t resist saying: “I hope it will be a great day.” But he then remembered the script: “People have to make sure they don’t over do it. We can’t have great writhing scenes in the beer gardens.” An expert writher himself, his jocular tone didn’t sound too wholehearted a condemnation.
The contrast in tone with chief medical officer Chris Whitty (and to a lesser extent chief scientist Patrick Vallance) was pretty marked, despite the PM’s objections to the contrary. In possibly their final Three Amigos press conference, the Covid curve sombrero was indeed looking squashed, but the unease was palpable.
Whitty made plain his job was just to advise, not to decide, but he repeatedly stressed the hibernation could well return. “If people hear a distorted version of what’s been said that say this is all fine now, it’s gone away...then we will get an uptick, for sure.” He would be surprised if we weren’t still dealing with the pandemic next spring. Unlike the PM, he even allowed himself the luxury of saying hindsight may prove today’s relaxations were unwise.
It’s precisely because Whitty was trying his best to be supportive of the PM that some of his warnings carried more clout. When he said his biggest worry was people not reporting their symptoms or engaging properly with NHS Test and Trace, it was a reminder how fragile the progress has been so far.
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One of the main lessons of the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war was don’t get into a war unless you have an exit strategy for getting out. Johnson didn’t have the luxury of avoiding this fight, but some critics think he has not yet properly planned the way back through any big job losses. Having bought time with his successful furlough plan, has Rishi Sunak been doing enough to draft a mass reskilling programme for those who will lose their jobs?
The PM’s ‘apprenticeship guarantee’ is a big start, but it’s going to take serious planning to start retraining the unemployed in growing areas like climate change, social care, AI (maybe through a ‘Right To Train and Retrain’ as some Labour city mayors have already suggested). Theatres, music and the hospitality sector may all need targeted subsidy for continue furlough until social distancing can fully end.
Johnson hinted at the end of his press conference that one-to-one tuition for some school pupils could become the norm, not just a catch-up, to reduce inequality. But he needs to build a detailed, funded programme to do that. If he could pull that off, as well as reskill a whole swath of workers, his ‘levellling up’ talk could prove more real than rhetorical. It would also give the country some kind of enduring legacy out of this awful crisis. The end of the daily press conferences doesn’t mean these questions will stop.
If the PM wants to foil the cynics who say he’s relying on public amnesia about the crisis to get himself out of a political hole, he could also perhaps start talking more about how he will personally never forget his own illness nor the deaths of others.
Back in March, Johnson talked about the need for a “wartime government”, about “the fight” against the new “enemy”. So why doesn’t he promise a national memorial or garden of remembrance for all those who have died? Maybe, given more Britons have died from Covid than the 40,000 civilians who perished in the Blitz, every single one of their names could be etched in stone?
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Pessimists may always see the easing of lockdown as an act of blind optimism at best and a reckless political hustle at worst. But if Johnson can actually now draft a serious economic, educational and social plan for recovery, while never forgetting those who have died, he could turn out to be the kind of realist the country needs.
Quote Of The Day
“We may, at some point, say that particular bit of the decisions that were taken is too much of a risk, with the benefit of hindsight and have to go back on it.”
Chief medical officer Chris Whitty
Tuesday Cheat Sheet
Boris Johnson announced the 2m social distance rule would be supplemented by a ‘1m plus’ rule. Two households will be able to meet and stay over at each others homes indoors. A raft of premises will reopen on July 4, with even those not opened yet promised some relief in coming weeks.
A rebellion by Tory MPs ensured a defeat for Jacob Rees-Mogg’s plan to allow MPs to debate serious bullying and harassment complaints made against them by staff. MPs stood up for their researchers and others and backed Chris Bryant’s amendment by 243 to 238.
Justice secretary Robert Buckland announced that juries could be scrapped in some trials in order to tackle a backlog of court cases topping 500,000 while adhering to social-distancing measures.
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Priti Patel announced that the government was accepting in full all the recommendations of the Williams review into the Windrush scandal. She also admitted compensation for victims had been “far too slow”.
Matt Hancock’s abandoned test and trace app cost the taxpayer nearly £12m, health minister Lord Bethell revealed. Labour’s Rachel Reeves was scathing, but the DHSC insists the Isle of Wight project generated invaluable information to build a new app.
New ONS data showed that ‘excess deaths’ are decreasing. Deaths in hospital are now below normal levels, but deaths at home – more than 900 excess deaths in the week ending 12 June – are still higher than usual. There was a 30% fall in emergency admissions to hospital in May compared to the previous year.
A total of 42,927 people in the UK have died after testing positive for Covid-19, as of 5pm Monday.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-23--Robert Jenrick Set To Face Vote On Approval For Controversial Housing Scheme

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The Labour Party is to stage a vote on housing secretary Robert Jenrick’s decision on a controversial property development involving a Tory donor.
The Opposition will attempt to force the government to release all documents relating to the approval of the Westferry Printworks Development in east London.
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The party will use an opposition day debate in the Commons on Wednesday to force a vote - but the government is unlikely to be defeated given the Conservative majority of 80.
The move, however, represents further scrutiny of Jenrick over an issue that emerged a month ago.
The secretary of state has faced accusations of “cash or favours” after it emerged the developer, former Daily Express owner Richard Desmond, had personally given the Conservative Party £12,000 two weeks after the scheme for 1,500 homes was approved.
Labour said the timing of the decision – just a day before a new community infrastructure levy came into force – would have saved Desmond’s Northern and Shell company up to £50 million.
The party said Jenrick also overruled his advisers to reduce the amount of affordable housing required in the development, potentially saving Desmond a further £106 million.
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Jenrick originally approved the plan in January 2020, overruling both Tower Hamlets Council and a planning inspector.
He subsequently reversed the ruling following legal action by the council, admitting that what he did was “unlawful by reason of apparent bias”.
It later emerged that Jenrick had sat next to Desmond at a Conservative Party fundraising dinner in November 2019.
Earlier this month, the housing secretary told the Commons that Desmond had tried to raise the scheme with him during the dinner, but that he had told the businessman he could not discuss it.
He said that he took the decision to approve the scheme “in good faith with an open mind”, and he was confident that “all the rules were followed”.
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However, Desmond told The Sunday Times last weekend that he had shown Jenrick a promotional video for the scheme on his mobile phone during the fundraiser at the Savoy Hotel.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s debate, shadow communities secretary Steve Reed said: “The secretary of state has admitted he knew his unlawful, biased decision to approve Richard Desmond’s property deal would save the Conservative Party donor up to £150 million, but there are still far too many questions left unanswered.
“It is essential the government maintains public trust during the coronavirus crisis. Dominic Cummings and now Westferry have severely tested this – the government’s moral authority hangs by a thread.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-23--Why Britain Is Changing Its Social Distancing Rules

Why Britain Is Changing Its Social Distancing Rules
England is changing its social distancing rules to allow more businesses to open on 4th July. The two metre rule is to be relaxed to one metre, though this will be reviewed and could be reimposed if the infection rate changes again.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--UK Records At Least 64 More Coronavirus-Related Deaths In 24 Hours

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The number of people who have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus has risen to 43,081 – an increase of 154 over 24 hours.
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Since the end of April, the government’s daily announcement has included people in care homes and the community, rather than just in hospital, who have died.
But only those who had tested positive for Covid-19 are included, meaning anyone who died with a suspected case won’t be recorded.
The figures cover the period up to 5pm on Tuesday.
It comes after the number of people who have died in hospitals across the UK, as well as care homes in Wales, after contracting the virus rose by 64 in 24 hours.
That increase consisted of 51 in England, four in Scotland, eight in Wales and one in Northern Ireland.
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Twenty-nine of England’s victims were 80 or older, with none aged under 40.
Meanwhile, as of 9am on Wednesday, 8,542,186 people had been tested for coronavirus, with 306,862 coming back positive. Some 232,086 people were tested in the preceding 24 hours, with 653 new cases confirmed.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--Beer Gardens And Non-Essential Shops In Scotland To Reopen In July

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Outdoor hospitality such as beer gardens and non-essential shops are to open in Scotland, as Nicola Sturgeon mapped a route out of the coronavirus lockdown.
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The first minister confirmed in Holyrood on Wednesday that outdoor hospitality can open from July 6 and indoor non-essential shops could open from July 15.
Households will also be able to meet indoors with people from up to two other households from July 15, the Scottish Government said.
Sturgeon also said some travel distance restrictions – which see people forced to stay within five miles of their home for recreation – will be relaxed on July 3, along with the opening of self-catering accommodation.
Setting out the new Covid-19 route-map to MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, she said the pace of easing lockdown in Scotland, was “slower than England’s – but it is, in my view, right for our circumstances and, I hope, more likely to be sustainable than if we went faster”.
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She added that, despite the positive trends in the virus in recent weeks, it is still expected to “pose a real and significant threat for some time to come”.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon delivering a statement on Covid-19 at the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh. PA
The FM also warned that if the Covid-19 virus begins to take hold again, then the move out of lockdown “will be halted”.
“We must keep working to drive it down further, towards the point of elimination – because that then gives us the best chance of keeping it under control through testing, surveillance, contact tracing and the application of targeted suppression measures when necessary,” she said.
“The prize if we succeed is getting greater normality back in our lives, maybe more quickly than we would have envisaged a few weeks ago, and without reversals back into blanket lockdown.”
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The FM also urged Scottish people to continue to follow government advice to ensure that Covid-19 continues to be suppressed.
She said: “The choices we have made to date as individuals, and collectively as a society, have brought us this far – albeit with a lot of sorrow along the way.
“But arguably, the choices we make in the coming weeks will be even more important – as we learn to work, socialise and live alongside each other again, but in a way that keeps the virus under control.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--Keir Starmer Blasts Boris Johnson For 'False' Claims About Child Poverty

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Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of repeatedly giving “dodgy answers” after the prime minister was found to have for made “false” claims about child poverty.
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The Labour leader demanded on Wednesday that Johnson do the “decent thing” and correct the record.
Speaking during PMQs last week, Johnson said both relative and absolute child poverty had fallen under the Conservative government.
He also said there were “400,000 fewer families living in poverty now than there were in 2010”.
“The two rebuttals offered by the prime minister are not borne out by the government’s own figures,” it said.
Johnson made the claims after Starmer challenged him over a report that showed 600,000 children are now living in relative poverty compared with 2012.
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The Labour leader also asked why the total number of children in poverty was projected to rise to 5.2 million by 2022.
The commissioner ruled Starmer’s claims were “correct descriptions” based on the government’s own figures and the best available data.
Starmer told Johnson at PMQs today: “He’s been found out. He either dodges the question or he gives dodgy answers.
“No more witnesses, I rest my case,” the former director of public prosecutions added.
“Will the prime minister do the decent thing and correct the record in relation to child poverty?”
Johnson said he was “happy to point out” that “actually there are 100,000 fewer children in absolute poverty and 500,000 falling below the thresholds of low income and material deprivation”.
Johnson defended his record and said the government was investing “massively” in the Universal Credit benefit system to help the “poorest and neediest”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--Revealed: The Government Isn’t Certain The Coronavirus 'R' Rate Is Below 1 In England

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The government is not certain that the coronavirus R rate is below 1 in England, meaning the disease may not be under control even as lockdown restrictions are being lifted, HuffPost UK can reveal.
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According to a classified daily document released by Public Health England to health professionals across the UK, there is “uncertainty” around the figure published by the government, which has been used to justify the lowering of the UK’s “alert level”.
Publicly, the government last stated the R was 0.7 to 0.9 on June 17. If R – short for the reproduction rate of the virus – is greater than 1, the epidemic is generally seen to be growing. If R is less than 1, the epidemic is shrinking.
But a copy of last Thursday’s document, titled “COVID-19 Situation Report” and marked “OFFICIAL SENSITIVE”, states that because of uncertainty in how accurate the figure is “we cannot preclude R being above 1” in England.
Public Health England
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It adds that the rate is believed to have risen recently, and explains: “We believe that this is likely to be due to increasing mobility and mixing between households and in public and workplace settings.”
On Tuesday Boris Johnson announced further easing of the lockdown restrictions including allowing two households of any size to meet inside and stay overnight from July 4.
The report also includes other data that have not been made public – most notably that the daily estimate of the number of daily new infections last Thursday stood at 7,000.
This is in contrast to the figure of actual positive tests reported for the same day, which was 1,346.
As of 9am 19 June, there have been 7,433,114 tests, with 169,600 tests on 18 June.
301,815 people have tested positive.
As of 5pm on 18 June, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 42,461 have sadly died.
More info:
▶ https://t.co/xXnL3FU15k pic.twitter.com/jkxbyXBiEy — Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) June 19, 2020
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One health professional, who wished to remain anonymous, told HuffPost UK the information in the PHE report should be made public.
He said: “It really gets my goat – they really should be in the public domain. There’s nothing in it that justifies secrecy and it’s not as though the virus is listening into what we’re saying so it could adapt its strategy.
“The fact that we have to ask if we can share these things is crazy. It’s even crazier that we might be told no.
“There’s a whole other level of pain that this government has made PHE, a civil service body, unable to publish anything, even if it’s in the public interest, until the Cabinet Office and Number 10 have said that they may.”
A government spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “SAGE was totally clear when the most recent UK R rate was released last Friday that it stood at 0.7-0.9.
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“The rate for England was also 0.7-0.9.“The latest ONS figures also show that the number of infections is declining.
“Most significantly, the “growth rate” for England alone is at -4 to -1. That means the number of infections is declining daily by between 4 and 1 per cent.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--Talking Heads Viewers Can't Quite Believe Their Eyes As Reboot Makes Use Of Vacant EastEnders Sets

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Talking Heads viewers did a double take when the retro series was revived on Tuesday night, with some believing they were tuning into new EastEnders episodes.
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While the BBC soap is currently off-air for the first time in its 35-year history due to the coronavirus pandemic, its sets have been used for the revival of Alan Bennet’s series of monologues.
The series first aired on the BBC during the 1980s, later featuring on Radio 4, but bosses had to get creative when it came to shooting the revival, as social distancing measures meant it was difficult to build new sets.
Talking Heads BBC
Instead, they made use of many familiar locations around Walford, as EastEnders’ studios have been out of action since production closed down on the soap in March.
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Tuesday night’s double bill saw Imelda Staunton delivering a 30-minute monologue from Dot Branning’s living room, while Sarah Lancashire was later seen sitting in the Queen Vic kitchen.
Talking Heads BBC
It was almost full-circle for Sarah, who was finally back on the set of a soapland pub 24 years after she left her role as Rovers Return barmaid Raquel Watts in Coronation Street.
Fans couldn’t quite believe their eyes...
Is Sarah Lancashire in the kitchen of The Queen Vic? 🤔
Raquel in The Vic. Never did I think I'd see the day. #TalkingHeads — Nathan Chard (@NathanEChard) June 23, 2020
Is lockdown getting to me or is #TalkingHeads ep 2 being filmed in the upstairs of the Queen Vic as in the pub in Eastenders😂??? — Kira Philpott (@KiraPhilpott) June 23, 2020
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Gosh, these episodes are just magical. Alan Bennett's writing feels so appropriate for what we're living through. And it's still just a little bonus watching these actors work on such recognisable #EastEnders sets #TalkingHeads — Ryan Love (@RyanJL) June 23, 2020
Sarah Lancashire in the Queen Vic kitchen is a surreal image #TalkingHeads — TellyAddict (@TVAddict2020) June 23, 2020
Watched #TalkingHeads 1 & 2 ahead of time as they're all on BBCIplayer. Both magnificent, powerful monologues.
Slightly obsessed with the scenery for An Ordinary Woman because it looked exactly like EastEnders, but that soon faded out of view once I focused on it. — The Bio Copywriter 🏴 (@gillianography) June 23, 2020
is sarah lancashire in the queen vic on #talkingheads ?? — matthew (@matthewminikin) June 23, 2020
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Why does Sarah Lancashire look like she’s upstairs in the Queen Vic? The kitchen, living room & bathroom look very similar. #TalkingHeads — PeRFect#103 (@LilyKean) June 23, 2020
Sarah Lancashire’s turn in #TalkingHeads is brilliant but I keep getting distracted by the set. It looks like the upstairs of the Queen Vic. — Yer aul segosha (@YerAulSegosha) June 23, 2020
Forthcoming episodes – which are already available to watch on BBC iPlayer – feature the likes of Jodie Comer, Rochenda Sandall, Martin Freeman, Lucian Msamati, Maxine Peake, Kristin Scott Thomas and Dame Harriet Walter in other iconic Walford locations.
Talking Heads’ series director Sir Nicholas Hytner said the stars also loved being on the set of the BBC soap, which is due to resume production at its studios in Elstree, Borehamwood later this month.
He told The Sun: “Some of these actors may be dames, but they’re still in showbusiness. All of them who had a chance to do a selfie in Albert Square or in the Queen Vic, they all did it.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--Transport Workers Memorial Planned At Victoria Station In Honour Of Belly Mujinga

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The government is planning to erect a memorial to transport workers who have died with coronavirus, potentially at Victoria station in honour of rail worker Belly Mujinga.
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Transport secretary Grant Shapps said he wanted to commemorate transport workers’ “extraordinary input and effort” during the crisis, revealing that 54 have died to date.
Any memorial could be set up at Victoria in honour of Mujinga, he said. The rail worker died two weeks after she was reportedly spat at while working at the station by a man claiming to have coronavirus.
Shapps said he had “huge respect” for the transport workers who have died with coronavirus, stressing “they were doing essential work”.
Undated family handout photo issued by Agnes Ntumba of her sister Belly Mujinga, 47, who has died of coronavirus after being spat at while on duty. PA
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He told the Commons transport committee: “Although we don’t know whether they died as a result of their jobs, they may have had coronavirus from anywhere, I would say of all transport workers – these are the people who have been getting the NHS workers, and the care workers and essential workers and our food and all the rest of it to the right places at the right times throughout this crisis, without which we literally... wouldn’t have food on our tables and certainly wouldn’t have the emergency services there.
“I think they have done a phenomenal job.
“I have spoken to the unions and others about doing something in the slightly longer term to commemorate transport workers’ extraordinary input and effort to assist in the country in this time of crisis perhaps with some sort of commemoration or memorial perhaps even at Victoria station where sadly Belly Mujinga worked but sadly died.”
Transport secretary Grant Shapps ASSOCIATED PRESS
Her colleague also contracted the virus and continues to recover.
According to Mujinga’s union, the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), after the attack she asked instead to work from inside the ticket office, claiming she was scared for her life owing to her health problems which had forced her to take time off work in the past.
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But these pleas went unanswered.
The assault on Mujinga was not reported to the police for seven weeks – long after she had died, leaving behind 11-year-old daughter Ingrid and husband Lusamba Gode Katalay.
Earlier this month, British Transport Police (BTP) announced it was taking no further action in the matter, stating it had found insufficient proof of a crime to justify any prosecution.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--Owen Paterson Pays Tribute To 'Wonderful' Wife Rose After She Is Found Dead At Home

Owen Paterson leaving Downing Street PA
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The wife of former cabinet minister Owen Paterson has been found dead at their family home.
The Tory MP for North Shropshire said that the loss of his “wonderful, caring wife” Rose, had come as a “terrible shock” to the family.
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In a statement released on Wednesday the former environment secretary said said: “It is with great sadness that I must inform you that my wife, Rose, has been found dead at our family home in Shropshire.
“Rose and I were married for 40 happy years.”
Rose Paterson, chair of Aintree Racecourse and wife of Conservative former cabinet minister Owen Paterson has been found dead at their family home, the MP has said. PA
He continued: “She was a wonderful, caring wife, mother and grandmother.
“Her death has come as a terrible shock to us all.
“I would ask the media to respect the privacy of myself and my family at this extremely difficult time.”
A number of MPs offered their condolences to Paterson and his family, including his Conservative colleague George Freeman.
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Tragic news. Wonderful tribute. #RosePaterson was a great woman doing great work on welfare in racing & associated sports. @AintreeRaces @itvracing @BHAPressOffice.
Deepest condolences to @OwenPaterson & family & friends.
(Pls respect the family’s plea for privacy🙏). https://t.co/rRzcDn9YXN — George Freeman MP (@GeorgeFreemanMP) June 24, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--'I Never Wanted A Hospital Birth. Here's How I Made It A Positive Experience'

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In HuffPost Birth Diaries we hear the extraordinary stories of the everyday miracle of birth. This week, Louise Tully shares her story. If you’d like to share yours, email amy.packham@huffpost.com.
The risk of catching coronavirus while pregnant hadn’t been a huge worry of mine. I was more concerned that I was no longer able to have a home birth.
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That was all I’d planned for but the lockdown was the beginning of recognising my dream birth was going to be turned on its head. I’d done all the reading and everything, and in one fail swoop, it was gone. We were told we couldn’t have a water birth either, as they were intending to reserve that area for pregnant women with Covid-19 – although no one was actually in there.
I didn’t go into labour naturally. I’d gone in for a scan where they predicted my daughter would be over 10 pounds – but also saw I high blood pressure so they kept me in, and found out I had pre-eclampsia. By then I was 39 weeks, so they advised me to have a C-section or be induced. I chose the latter. I went home for the night to pack my bag and headed back in on Saturday morning.
My partner couldn’t be there until I was in fully established labour so I was alone – it was strange saying bye to him and getting dropped off, having no idea when I’d see him again. I had no idea how long it would be. How long is a piece of string?
The process for induction takes ages: a pessary for 24 hours, a second one for six hours, a third one for six hours, and hopefully by then, I was told, my waters would’ve broken.
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It was a chilled environment in the ward. There were three of us women, all who had been induced, all bobbing about on our birthing balls. And there was me lunging across the ward, trying to bring labour on that way, too. We were allowed baths and showers to help us relax, and the staff looked after us so well. In fact, the whole process was better than I’d anticipated.
I’d come prepared for sure, with headphones, series downloaded onto my tablet to watch Netflix, and music. I had lots of video calls from my partner and family, too – and the food in the hospital was excellent! Apple cake for dessert, always topped up with tea. It really made the experience pleasant.
As women, we really bonded in that room (so much so, we’ve since added each other on Facebook). We were with each other for what felt like a long period of time: all the pessaries, toilet trips, whenever something happened. The bond was amazing, it kept the atmosphere light, as we chit-chatted away through our labours – discussing each other’s lives.
HuffPost UK
My waters broke naturally on the antenatal ward, but my daughter pooed internally, so I was moved quickly for monitoring, then taken to the delivery suite where I finally got to see my partner again, which was a huge relief.
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Because of the situation, I was plugged into loads of stuff – a drip to encourage contractions, a cannula because I kept throwing up, a trace on my belly to monitor the baby.
Every time I went to the loo it was like I was being unplugged!
On the delivery suite, my midwife Caroline respected all my initial birth plan requests. She darkened the room, used an infuser with essential oils and wiped my back with a cold flannel to keep me cool. I eventually had an epidural.
My anaesthetist was hilarious. As he walked in to start the process, he said: “How’s the lavender working out for your pain relief?!” I cracked up laughing. It was well-timed and lightened the mood.
My cervix dilated a little but made no progress. And when I started pushing, things weren’t budging either, so I consented to a forceps delivery and a C-section if things weren’t moving.
But on the way from the delivery suite to the theatre, my daughter moved down quickly. Two tugs with the forceps and she was out. “She’s here!” I kept repeating. “She’s finally here!”
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I don’t think you really believe a baby is coming out of you that first time. It’s surreal, so surreal. I remember her big bottom lip poking out and hearing her cry out. I’ll never forget it. She was put straight on my chest, while they checked me over and repaired me. And we had more skin-to-skin back in our room – it was perfect.
I felt so looked after during my birth. The birth felt medicalised, but the care was so good, I really did try and treat it like a spa! I felt informed when they presented me with choices; I chose an epidural, I consented to a forceps delivery and episiotomy. And it was much better than how I thought it was going to be – in fact, I felt empowered.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--Pubs Told To Keep Record Of Customers For 21 Days When They Reopen

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Pubs and restaurants have been told to keep a record of their customers for 21 days after they visit, to help the government “contain clusters or outbreaks” of coronavirus.
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Boris Johnson yesterday announced end to the UK’s “national hibernation” and outlined plans for how the hospitality industry could reopen in England on July 4.
But drinking in a pub will look a lot different from before the lockdown.
There will be no hanging out at the bar, with table service being encouraged to reduce the amount of interaction on shared surfaces.
The guidelines published on Wednesday morning also ban pubs and bars from hosting live performances, including drama, comedy and music, in front of a live audience.
Pubs and other venues have been told to introduce a booking system if they do not already use one.
Keeping a record of customers makes it easier for the NHS to then trace the close contacts of any who subsequently test positive for coronavirus, and ask them to self-isolate.
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“The opening up of the economy following the Covid-19 outbreak is being supported by NHS Test and Trace,” the guidelines say.
“You should assist this service by keeping a temporary record of your customers and visitors for 21 days, in a way that is manageable for your business, and assist NHS Test and Trace with requests for that data if needed.
“This could help contain clusters or outbreaks.
“Many businesses that take bookings already have systems for recording their customers and visitors – including restaurants, hotels, and hair salons. If you do not already do this, you should do so to help fight the virus.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--In 24,000 Covid Cases, These Were The 5 Most Common Symptoms

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A persistent cough and fever have been confirmed as the most common symptoms associated with Covid-19, in a study of nearly 25,000 cases.
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Other major symptoms included fatigue, losing the ability to smell and difficulty in breathing. The study confirms the list of symptoms listed by the World Health Organisation at the start of the pandemic.
The researchers – from five universities including the University of Leeds – combined data from 148 separate studies to identify the common symptoms experienced by more than 24,000 patients from nine countries, including the UK, China and the US.
The study, published in the online journal PLoS One, is one of the biggest reviews ever conducted into Covid-19 symptoms. The researchers also acknowledge there’s likely to be a large proportion of people who had the virus but didn’t display symptoms.
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Marcos Silva via Getty Images
Of the 24,410 cases, the study found:
78% had a fever . This tended to vary across countries with 72% of fever reported by patients in Singapore and 32% in Korea.
57% reported a cough . Again, this varied across countries, with 76% of patients reporting a cough in the Netherlands compared to 18% in Korea.
31% said they had suffered fatigue .
25% lost the ability to smell .
23% reported difficulty breathing.
The researchers believe the variation in the prevalence of symptoms within some countries was due, in part, to the way the data was collected.
Ryckie Wade, a surgeon and Clinical Research Fellow at the Leeds Institute of Medical Research, supervised the research. “This analysis confirms a cough and fever were the most common symptoms in people who tested positive with Covid-19,” he said.
“This is important because it ensures people who are symptomatic can be quarantined, so they are not infecting others. The study gives confidence to the fact that we have been right in identifying the main symptoms and it can help determine who should get tested.”
The study involved academics from the University of Leeds with colleagues from the University of Sheffield, University of Bristol, Imperial College, London, and the Belgian Cancer Centre. The research was funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research and VALCOR, in Belgium.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--Evanna Lynch Warns About Unhealthy Harry Potter Fan Culture

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Evanna Lynch solemnly swears fan culture is up to no good.
In an interview from the Talking Tastebuds podcast that’s now making the rounds, the Harry Potter actor opened up about the dangers of fandom.
She explained that she was an obsessed Harry Potter fan long before she was cast as Luna Lovegood at the age of 14, often visiting fansite MuggleNet and writing letters to the film’s cast.
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“It was so weird to go from being a fan who used to stalk Daniel Radcliffe to being someone that people would send fan mail to,” Evanna said.
After she joined the films, she realised how closely her Harry Potter fandom was tied to her own identity.
Evanna Lynch Tommaso Boddi via Getty Images
“The whole fan culture I think is a bit unhealthy, being obsessed with a person. Because when I met Daniel and Emma [Watson] and Rupert [Grint], I knew everything about them,” she explained. “I knew their pet’s names, I knew their birthdays, I knew their parents’ names. And I had to pretend I didn’t.”
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She added: “My whole identity was poured into theirs and to kind of adoring them that I was just suddenly confronted with like, ‘Who the hell am I?’ When they asked me what I’m interested in, I can’t, what do I say? And then I realised being an obsessive fan is kind of — it’s disempowering.”
Being on the other side of things disarmed her old perspective faster than you can say expelliarmus. Now that Evanna is on the receiving end of letters from obsessed fans who think they’re her “best friend,” it’s not so magical.
“I don’t respond to those people, because I don’t — it’s just not healthy,” Evanna said. “And I think it’s hard because some people, they don’t have the experience where they see it from the other side as I do, or they don’t have therapy or things like that.
“But I do, yeah, I just think fan culture is kind of dangerous and you can lose yourself in it.”
That’s not to say you shouldn’t be a fan at all. As recently as 2017, Evanna told HuffPost she still adored the series, saying, “The books almost have a resetting effect on me. They bring me back to who I am.”
It’s clear in the podcast that the actor is calling out overly obsessive, sometimes dehumanising, fan behavior. For instance, earlier in the conversation, Evanna, who’s a vegan and an animal lover, speaks about Netflix’s Tiger King and animals being exploited for photographs, relating it to bad fan interactions.
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“I get people calling me Luna and that really irks me. Or they’ll be like, ‘Can I have a picture?’ And then they’ll take it without asking,” she recalled, explaining those fans don’t take her feelings into consideration.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--Loose Women's Janet Street-Porter Reveals Skin Cancer Diagnosis

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The daytime TV panellist found out she had a basal cell carcinoma just three days before the country went into lockdown in March, and is due to undergo surgery on her nose this week.
Janet spoke about her diagnosis on Loose Women, telling her fellow panellists she originally thought the spot on her nose was a mosquito bite, after returning home from Australia after Christmas.
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Janet Street-Porter on Loose Women ITV/Shutterstock
She said: “I showed this tiny spot on my nose to a dermatologist and he immediately referred me to a consultant and they said I’ve got a basal cell carcinoma, which is a form of skin cancer.
“If untreated it could grow. It has to be removed otherwise it’s going to get bigger and bigger. Also, I could be left with a very big scar.
“I was about to have it removed then lockdown happened three days before I was supposed to have it removed. I’ve spent the whole of lockdown getting more and more anxious about it.
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“Although it doesn’t look any bigger on top of my skin, this kind of cancer grows under the skin. You can’t see it and that’s what they’ve got to cut out.”
Janet is due to have an operation on her nose this week ITV/Shutterstock
According to Melanoma UK, basal cell carcinoma is a non-melanoma skin cancer, and is the most common type of all skin cancer in the UK.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--Coleen Rooney Brands Rebekah Vardy Lawsuit 'Disappointing', Claiming Money 'Could Be Put To Better U

Coleen Rooney Brands Rebekah Vardy Lawsuit 'Disappointing', Claiming Money 'Could Be Put To Better Use'

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Coleen Rooney has voiced her ‘disappointment’ that Rebekah Vardy has filed a lawsuit against her, following their infamous run-in last year.
The pair made headlines across the globe back in October, when Coleen alleged Rebekah’s Instagram account was the source of leaked stories about her private life in the press.
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At the time, Rebekah vehemently denied she was responsible for the leaks, and said the so-called “Wagatha Christie” row had caused her to have severe anxiety attacks and led to her being hospitalised on three occasions.
It’s since been revealed that Rebekah has filed a libel claim against Coleen, which the latter has now addressed for the first time via her lawyer.
Coleen Rooney PA Images via Getty Images
In a statement (via The Sun), Coleen’s lawyer, Paul Lunt said: “It is disappointing that Mrs Vardy has chosen to issue court proceedings.
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“Coleen feels that the time and money involved could be put to better use; her offer to meet face to face still stands.”
He added: “Mrs Vardy’s decision to issue court proceedings does at least mean that Coleen’s evidence can be made public when the time is right.”
In October 2019, Coleen – wife of footballer Wayne Rooney – posted a public statement on Twitter, in which she revealed that she’d blocked all but one of her Instagram followers, in a deliberate attempt to find out who had been leaking stories about her to the press.
After she ended the post with the line: “It’s… Rebekah Vardy’s account,” Rebekah issued a swift denial claiming that “various people” had access to her Instagram account.
Rebekah Vardy Dave Benett/Getty Images
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Rebekah, who is married to England player Jamie Vardy, later said an expert was working to discover who could have been behind the leaks.
No further details about Rebekah’s claim are available at this stage, and no date has been set for a court hearing.
However, the case will proceed to a trial unless a settlement is reached between the parties.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--This Is Where You Can Meet Your Friends And Family From July

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As lockdown measures slowly lift in England, you’d be forgiven for being a little rusty when it comes to knowing what you can and can’t do.
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We know pubs, restaurants and hair salons are preparing to open, but a key question many of us are asking is: when can I properly visit family and friends?
The good news is change is coming – from July 4. Here’s a quick guide to what you will – and won’t – be able to do if you live in England and aren’t shielding.
You can meet indoors at someone else’s house
You’ll be able to meet in groups of up to two households in any location – which means you can finally go indoors. That said, you’ll need to socially distance from anyone who isn’t in your household or support bubble – remember, if you’ve formed a support bubble, you’re classed as one household.
You don’t always have to meet with the same household, states the new advice. So you could go to a friend’s house for dinner one night, and another friend’s house the next.
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You can stay over at someone’s house
People in support bubbles can already stay over at another household, but the rest of the population (except those shielding) will be able to do so from July 4.
You can stay overnight, along with your own household or support bubble, at another household – but social distancing rules still apply.
You can meet your mates at restaurants, pubs, cinemas, visitor attractions, hotels, and campsites
Lots of businesses are opening again in July, so you can organise a camping trip or book a restaurant visit with friends or family – just remember to socially distance.
If you do decide to head to the pub or to a restaurant, you can only mingle with members from one other household.
You can meet up outdoors
The rule on this hasn’t changed much – you can continue to meet outside in groups of up to six people from different households, as long as you follow social distancing guidelines.
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It will be against the law to gather in groups larger than 30 people – except for a limited set of circumstances to be set out in law – and unless all members of the group are exclusively from two households.
But no parties, sorry
People have been explicitly asked not to hold or attend celebrations (such as parties) where it’s difficult to maintain social distancing.
What about shielders?
Those shielding in England will be allowed to gather in groups of up to six people outdoors from July 6. Then, from August 1, the guidance to shield – and the support provided – will be scrapped in England entirely, allowing people who are shielding to do the same as the rest of the population. But charities have warned people should only do so if they feel comfortable.
Alison Cook, director of external affairs at Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation, said: “It’s really important people who have been shielding are confident that when they go out, they’re not going to be at risk of coming into contact with the virus, which could still have severe consequences for them as individuals. Shielding remains a personal decision.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--Don't Leave Your Hand Sanitiser In The Car On A Hot Day, NHS Warns

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You’re reading our series Summer’s Not Cancelled, where we celebrate summer in this new normal. From rediscovering nature and cherishing time with friends and family, to virtual festivals and unforgettable staycations – summer’s still here, it’s just different.
The NHS is warning its staff and the general public to remove hand sanitiser from cars this week as a heatwave hits the UK.
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In a document posted online, the NHS explains that alcohol-based sanitiser can become a fire risk when combined with high temperatures and the flammable elements in a car.
“We have received a number of reports of hand sanitiser being the cause of fires when left in vehicles in the hot weather the UK is currently experiencing,” the document says.
“The alcohol hand sanitiser is becoming heated resulting in flammable vapours being released. These vapours are reaching their ‘flashpoint’ and then ignite in normal air conditions, setting fire to flammable components within the car.”
NHS A photo shared by the NHS.
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The notice was reportedly issued to NHS staff, but has since been shared with the public on Twitter by official local NHS pages, including NHS Bedfordshire CCG, NHS East Lancashire CCG and NHS Blackburn with Darwen CCG.
The document reminds everyone that when temperatures reach 25°C outside, an internal car temperature can hit 55°C. With highs of 31°C expected in some parts of the UK this week, it’s certainly worth paying attention to.
Some have questioned the validity of the photo and message shared by the NHS, asking whether it shows a real car fire caused by hand sanitiser, and whether the vapours can catch light “in normal air conditions”.
⚠ We have received a number of reports of alcohol hand sanitiser being the cause of fires when left in vehicles in this hot weather⚠
Please remove all alcohol based sanitiser products from your vehicle.
You should still continue with your hand hygiene routine.#StayAlert pic.twitter.com/5kDpF5ZeTB — NHS Bedfordshire CCG (@BCCG5) June 23, 2020
❗Please remember to remove all alcohol-based hand sanitiser products from your vehicles when they are not occupied. They release flammable vapours which ignite in normal air conditions, setting fire to flammable components within your car❗ pic.twitter.com/KVA9q0726p — NHS East Lancs CCG (@EastLancsCCG) June 23, 2020
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Full Fact pointed out that flammable ingredients in hand sanitiser would need to reach much higher temperatures – over 350°C – to combust without a spark. “Vapours given off by antibacterial hand gel can ignite, with a spark, at temperatures as low as 22°C – but only with some sort of spark,” it said.
NHS Property and Services, which circulated the document, told Full Fact it was advised by representatives from the trade union Unison, which raised media reports from US Fire Authorities that hand sanitisers were catching fire in vehicles, and that it will issue a formal alert to its frontline teams to clarify that the risks associated with hand sanitisers in vehicles only become apparent when in contact with a spark.
However, experts at CE Safety, which runs occupational health and safety courses throughout the UK, said it is worth staying careful during the heatwave.
“With the weather getting warmer, rising temperatures can cause the alcohol in the sanitiser to evaporate, and this can result in flammable vapours being released,” CE safety said in a press release.
“On a very hot day, significant pressure could also build up inside a bottle of hand sanitiser, causing it to rupture. There have been examples of hand sanitiser bottles which had been left in a hot car exploding.”
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When Brits open the cap of the bottle, it could explode and shower the public with high proof alcohol gel. A spokesperson from CE Safety added: “Our advice is to remove alcohol-based hand sanitisers when the British public leave their cars.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--Coronavirus Means These People Will Be On Mental Health Waiting Lists For Nearly A Year

Warning: This article contains content and images on the subjects of mental health and self-harm that some people may find triggering.
For many people caught in the pain and turmoil of a mental health crisis, difficulties accessing NHS treatment were already acute before a global pandemic stuck.
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But a HuffPost UK investigation has found long waiting times for mental health care have been exacerbated by the strain coronavirus has placed on the NHS.
It was already common for patients to be asked to wait between six weeks and a year for basic mental health treatment prior to the pandemic.
They are now given a minimum waiting time of 10 months to start therapy and are being forced to cope with even less access to their local services as staff, funding and resources are burdened by the stress of the pandemic.
Jacob, 22, an anthropology student at Birkbeck University, who has asked for his last name not to be published, is currently on an 11-month waiting list for psychological therapy through the NHS, a service he says he needs now.
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“I’m very uncomfortable – I feel scared,” he said. “I am experiencing real fear right now and I think to be told 11 months is ridiculous.”
Jacob Jacob
He is considering paying for private mental health care if he cannot get help soon.
Jacob left his flat in London when lockdown was announced in March and moved in with his grandmother in Wiltshire.
Once there, he spent the first week calling his London GP to get his prescription transferred. He was unsuccessful. They were too busy to respond and told him to find a GP where he was even if it was temporary.
Upon registering with his grandmother’s GP he also requested mental health therapy, but he was told not to expect an appointment until May 2021.
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Jacob was diagnosed with bipolar 2 disorder four years ago, a condition that involves depressive and hypomanic episodes. After his initial diagnosis he was left waiting for therapy for five months and then had a breakdown, warranting him being sectioned for 28 days.
“I was in a really dark place and, if I’m going to be honest, I was happy to be in there,” he said. “I was nervous to leave because I felt so safe and looked after.”
Once discharged, Jacob lived with full autonomy. He had a job, lived on his own and started university.
But he has had small episodes of anxiety and depression since the start of the pandemic that he believes require a psychologist’s attention.
“If I were living on my own right now, I don’t want to think about it,” he said. “That would be horrendous. I’m very grateful to have my grandmother. It’s a huge blessing I cannot explain.”
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Once Jacob moves back to London as the pandemic eases, he will have to re-register with another GP and jump back to the end of the queue to access cognitive behavioural therapy, a talking therapy to help manage his condition, adding an additional minimum of six months to his current wait time.
He may end up waiting between one and two years for therapy by the time he finally receives it.
“I have friends who have been waiting 18 months plus for DBT therapy and they are just not getting any better” - Emma-Marie Whittenham
Jacob told HuffPost UK he feels he only has two choices: pay for private mental health care out of his own pocket or keep waiting until his condition spirals enough that he requires emergency help again.
Another student, Hannah Hawkins, 21, who is studying sport science and physiology at the University of Leeds, is also being forced to wait as her condition worsens during lockdown.
Prior to the pandemic, Hawkins had overdosed three times and was sent to hospital multiple times. Her condition is still left undiagnosed and untreated.
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Her most recent overdose was in March last year, during the second half of her first year at university.
After being released from the hospital she was told to get on with her life like normal, but due to her continued mental health problems she missed most of her first year of classes and was forced to drop out of university.
Hannah Hawkins Hannah Hawkins
Without professional help, the way she was left to cope with the suicidal and self-harm tendencies she was experiencing was through the distraction found in routine.
Now, because of the pandemic, Hawkins is no longer working and her eating and sleeping habits have become chaotic.
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She told HuffPost UK she knows she needs help and is trying to finish the registration with her GP in Kent but the anxiety she feels about not being taken seriously is making it very difficult to move forward.
“Taking the next step is like just getting closer and closer to getting invalidated again and reliving things that have already happened in the hospital when the mental health team didn’t listen to me, and they just came to a really horrible conclusion that I wasn’t really struggling with anything,” she said.
“I feel like I’m one of the lucky ones. But it had occurred to me that it’s probably because I was so ill” - Sarah Graham
Although Hawkins has not been able to get a diagnosis or any long term treatment, others who have managed to break into the system have experienced increased support and help during the lockdown.
Sarah Graham, 42, a painter in Hitchin in Hertfordshire, is feeling stable and on the brink of a full recovery with the support of her mental health team during the pandemic.
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“I feel like I’m one of the lucky ones. But it had occurred to me that it’s probably because I was so ill,” she said.
Graham was sectioned by the NHS three years ago following a manic episode involving the police picking her up from a hotel room where she was having delusions of meeting the Queen and rescuing the country from a terrorist attack.
Sarah Graham Sarah Graham
She was placed with a crisis team and eventually graduated to a care team. Post-lockdown, she still regularly meets her psychiatrist and care coordinator but now the appointments are all carried out over the phone.
Graham told HuffPost UK the two most difficult aspects of the pandemic are not having those important face-to-face meetings with her psychiatrist, and the possibility of losing her care coordinator due to NHS cuts.
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She was recently informed the care coordinator, who is a psychiatric nurse, might be replaced by a nurse who is neither trained in mental health care nor her medical history.
“I would be gutted if I lost my care coordinator through this,” said Graham. “Even though I’m doing well, she needs to know the whole picture, the good times and bad times. So I just have my fingers crossed that I can maintain that with her. It’s important to me that I do have that support and, if I do have a dip, then I can ring her straight away.”
She says she is aware of the risks for those who have not been so lucky in accessing care.
“I know that I am one of the lucky ones with my bipolar,” she said. “I know that it is so destructive and can shatter people’s lives and they can lose their confidence and be battling very constantly. I am so lucky that I have periods of wellness where I can lead a very normal life. Even through lockdown and even through this pandemic.”
Because getting into the system is sometimes so difficult, some patients have chosen to pay for private care because it ensures treatment and wait times are minimal, if any at all.
Emma-Marie Wittenham, 28, who works in digital advertising in central London, opted for private mental health care last year after being told it would take at least six months to see a specialist, despite being given a diagnosis and told she needed treatment.
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And now, during the pandemic, she has been able to utilise and access anything she has needed without additional wait times or resource restrictions.
“I know so many people that don’t have private healthcare and the pandemic hasn’t helped,” she said. “It’s isolated so many people. I’ve got friends that are just tearing their hair out pretty much not dealing with it. It’s also people who haven’t suffered with mental health before and the pandemic just exaggerates it, even more so than it would have been.”
Emma-Marie Whittenham Emma-Marie Whittenham
Wittenham stopped seeking psychological help through the NHS after having a mental breakdown in January 2018 when she was prescribed a specific therapy by her crisis team but was not given a means to access it.
“For me it definitely escalated my internal turmoil probably tenfold because I was just like: ‘No one’s going to help me – I’m just a waste of space,’” she told HuffPost UK.
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In June 2019, she finally sought private mental health care after finding out her work would cover the costs. Within 24 hours, she found a therapist nearby and had an appointment and consultation booked.
She has since been diagnosed with bipolar 2 and borderline personality disorder (BPD) and has been able to receive dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), which has been found to be particularly effective for patients with BPD, every week since.
If Whittenham’s employer had not offered to cover private healthcare costs she would not have been able to afford the therapy, which would have cost her at least £440 a month.
“I have friends who have been waiting 18 months plus for DBT therapy and they are just not getting any better,” she said.
“In fact, because they are worrying so much about getting this therapy they are admitting themselves into the hospital more because life is just building up and they are getting so desperate and they need help.
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“You feel like you are just a number waiting on a queue and if you are not on death’s door, they don’t really want to push you further.”
Whittenham says she has received great care from the NHS for physical health problems. It is only in mental health care that she feels she was abandoned.
Dr Andrew Molodynsky, lead mental health consultant at the British Medical Association, told HuffPost UK: “The thought of everyday people paying for private healthcare because of necessity is just deeply saddening.
“My advice would be if people can afford it and their welfare is massively affected by mental health problems then, sadly, it’s probably the right thing to do.”
Experts agree that the chronically underfunded mental health care system in the UK, which was already struggling, is now buckling under the added pressure of the pandemic.
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Lucy Schonegevel, head of health influencing at the charity Rethink Mental Illness, said: “Given the overall disruption that many people living with mental illness will have experienced in recent months, it’s vital that mental health is prioritised in response to this crisis so that people can access the support they need, when they need it most.”
According to a recent survey by Rethink Mental Illness, 42% of people said their mental health was worse because they were getting less support from mental health services in the early months of the pandemic. Some 8% of respondents said they hadn’t been able to receive medication.
An NHS England spokesperson said: “Although this survey offers only a snapshot of people’s experiences, the NHS across the country has moved fast to support people who need help with their mental health during Covid including video consultations, online support and the setting up of a new 24/7 mental health crisis hotline.
“Our plans to invest an additional £2.3bn every year by 2023/24 stands firm and we urge everyone who feels they are struggling to cope in these unusual times to seek early advice whether through friends and family [or] self-help websites such as Every Mind Matters, and if your symptoms worsen the NHS is here for you.”
Useful websites and helplines:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--Sadiq Khan To Move London’s City Hall To Docklands To Save £55m

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London mayor Sadiq Khan is set to move City Hall to the capital’s Docklands to save £55m over five years and protect front-line services hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
The dramatic move would mean the Greater London Authority (GLA) breaking its lease half a decade early, at the end of 2021, after 20 years in the Norman Foster-designed building on a prime riverside spot on the south bank of the Thames, overlooking Tower Bridge.
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Dubbed by former mayor Boris Johnson the “glass gonad”, City Hall costs £11.1m a year in rent to private landlord, Kuwaiti-owned St Martin’s, as well as service charges and rates.
Khan will consult on relocating to The Crystal, a building owned by the GLA in the Royal Docks in east London, from December next year as part of a wider move to regenerate the area.
The London mayor, who last week said he would be taking a personal pay cut of 10% as a gesture of solidarity to staff hit by the Covid-19 crisis, said the move was needed because the London authority was facing a budget shortfall of up to £493m.
Even with the savings of relocation, lost business rates and council tax income will mean significant cuts across the entire GLA group – including to public transport, the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade.
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Boris Johnson launching his campaign to be mayor in 2007 ASSOCIATED PRESS
Khan, who is facing reelection next year, has regularly sparred with Johnson’s government over funding and recently secured £1.6bn for Transport for London (TfL) in emergency funding to keep Tube and bus services running until September.
Under the bailout’s terms, he was expected to restore a full Underground service as soon as possible and to increase bus and Tube fares by 1% above inflation.
Khan said he wanted to use the first “break clause” in the 25-year lease agreed on City Hall back in 2002 – the year the Queen opened the building alongside its first directly elected mayor, Ken Livingstone.
“My first priority will always be to protect funding for front-line services, including public transport, the Met Police and the London Fire Brigade,” he said.
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“Leaving our current home would save £55m over five years, which would help us to protect and invest in the things that matter most to Londoners, as well as supporting the regeneration of the Royal Docks.”
The idea was welcomed by Newham mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, whose borough includes the Docklands, and by the bosses of the ExCeL conference centre nearby, which was recently converted into the UK’s first Nightingale Hospital to cope with possible surges in NHS coronavirus cases.
The Crystal building in Royal Docks Pawel Libera via Getty Images
Khan said The Crystal building - near London City airport and Johnson’s infamous cable car - had “outstanding” rating for environmental sustainability that would mean its running costs will be lower than the current City Hall.
The GLA moved into the current City Hall building in 2002 as part of the regeneration of the ‘More London’ development, near London Bridge.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--Tulisa Shares Second Statement On Misha B's Video, Acknowledging The Pain She Caused X Factor Star

Tulisa Contostavlos has issued a new statement responding to Misha B’s video about her experience on The X Factor, acknowledging the pain she caused the former contestant.
The former N-Dubz singer and fellow judge Louis Walsh had accused Misha of ‘bullying’ live on the ITV talent show in 2011, with Tulisa using the words “feisty” and “mean” in relation to the singer.
Tulisa Contostavlos Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
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Earlier this month, Misha filmed an Instagram live video about her time on the show, where she addressed the incident and how she’d suffered from PTSD in the years that followed.
Tulisa initially released her own video in response, insisting her comments were not “racially motivated”.
However, she has now said she’d initially “jumped to defence mode” and has issued an apology to Misha.
Having deleted the video from Instagram, Tulisa wrote: “I can see clearly that a Black female was and is still hurt by my actions on The X Factor. That became overshadowed in my mind last week.
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“When I first posted a video it was more a reaction to online violent/death threats to myself and my family and people telling me to kill myself.
“It was on a massive scale and I jumped to defence mode. I sent Misha a separate message when I first posted that vid to apologise because my post was less about her and more an emotional reaction.”
Misha B performing on The X Factor in 2011 Ken McKay/Talkback Thames/Shutterstock
She continued: “I fully acknowledge the pain I caused and fully accept people should be angry about it. I can state again there was nothing racial in my thought process. When I referred to Misha as being feisty and competitive that was a reflection in myself because I saw myself in Misha. We are both very strong women and when I communicate with people i always jump to what I have in common to find a basis to connect.
“However, I totally understand that it made Misha feel a certain way as a young Black girl hearing it from a young white girl on a huge platform, living in the oppressed society we do, full of racial slurs and undertones not knowing my thought process,” Tulisa said.
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“This I can only acknowledge, apologise for and hold my hands up and say I’m truly sorry. It was something I did not understand at the time. I made a mistake and I completely take on board how that mistake has been viewed.”
Tulisa then gave her version of events as to what had made her confront Misha live on air, claiming “someone younger than both of us” had come to her upset about something Misha had allegedly said.
Saying she felt she had to “call her out”, Tulisa continued: “I have to protect, I have to be a protector, attacking it head on is the only way to make it stop.”
Admitting it was the wrong thing to do, Tulisa said she “didn’t stop to think of the consequences” for Misha, who was just 19 at the time.
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“I was 22, I didn’t have any guidance and I’d been given the most powerful platform in the industry at the time,” she said.
“I had a huge responsibility that I clearly wasn’t ready for in those circumstances. If I could go back in time I would have pulled myself aisde, spoke about the issues then probably have opened up about my own issues and we’d have had an open and honest dialogue and maybe found some common ground in a childhood upbringings.
“That’s what I would do now and that’s the person I am today. I don’t have many regrets, but I regret what happened with us. All my other mistakes only affected me, I can live with that. But that mistake affected you.”
She continued: “You have every right to be angry and speak your truth and how it made you feel. I do however feel you left out what our specific issue was about and left my intentions a lot more open to interpretation. I was most definitely acting on impulse and was not aware of, nor a part of, any agendas that could have been at play.”
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Tulisa then addressed comments made by fellow judge Gary Barlow in his 2018 autobiography, in which he claimed producers had deliberately stirred up drama with Misha for the tabloid press.
“I can confirm Gary and I had separate producers assigned to us so I can’t speak for his experience, only my own,” she wrote.
Gary had previously said: “About half an hour before the show goes live, the producers would come in and they’d go ‘Oh my god. That Misha. She’s such a bully. Can’t believe it. She is such a bully. In fact, you know what? You should say it. You should say it on air. She’s just bullied everyone all week’.”
Tulisa concluded her post by admitting it had been a “mistake” not to reach out to Misha before.
“I can only tell you once again how sorry I am for the years of hurt and pain you’ve experienced and that I was a part of that,” she said.
“I don’t want to see anyone hurting let alone be the cause of it. I can only hope you can see in my heart now and know that’s not who I am today.
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“I hope moving forward you get all the success and love that you deserve being the incredible talent you are. I hope you get past all the pain and hurt to happier times.”
In her video, Misha had spoken of how she was still having therapy, having been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
She said: “What I didn’t understand was that that experience, that trauma, had changed me as a person. It changed me. I didn’t trust anyone. Everyone asks me, ‘Misha, where have you been? What’s been going on?’ I’ve been battling. I’ve been healing. I’ve been working on self.
“I started therapy in 2012. I’m still having therapy now. Shout out to all my therapists, you’re the greatest, honestly. If it wasn’t for your patience, kindness, understanding and your services... life would be very different right now. You’d be looking at a different Misha B right now.”
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In response to Misha’s video, an X Factor spokesperson previously said: “We are very concerned to hear Misha’s comments regarding her experience on The X Factor in 2011. We are currently looking into this matter and are reaching out to Misha to discuss the important issues she has raised. The welfare of contestants is our priority and we are committed to diversity and equality.”
HuffPost UK also contacted a representative for Louis Walsh after Misha’s video, who declined to comment.
Useful websites and helplines
Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--Asifa Lahore: What It’s Like To Be An Out Muslim Drag Queen

Asifa Lahore: What It’s Like To Be An Out Muslim Drag Queen
Asifa Lahore grew up in a strict Muslim Pakistani family but upon reaching puberty, before transitioning in her 30s, realised that she was gay. This meant the performer had to reconcile her sexuality with her faith and for many years lived a double life that led to a period of depression. Now the performer identifies as trans and after initial struggles with mental health, her family and even entering into an arranged engagement has now found support from her parents. But self identifying as ‘Britain's first out Muslim drag queen’ has meant that Asifa receives death threats in the mail and online from members of the Muslim community.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-24--The Daily Briefings Might Be Ending But They Gave Us Some Memorable Moments

The Daily Briefings Might Be Ending But They Gave Us Some Memorable Moments
Boris Johnson has announced an end to the daily briefings by the government and scientific advisers as England moves out of the lockdown installed to stem the coronavirus pandemic. After three months of daily scrutiny, here are some of the classic moments the daily briefings gave us amidst the gloom of lockdown.