thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-27--Windrush Scandal: Justice Still Not Served In 2020, Say Survivors Awaiting Compensation

With 2021 around the corner, the vast majority of Windrush compensation scheme claimants have yet to receive any payouts.
Recent figures suggest just 15% have been awarded, while the human cost of the catastrophe cannot be quantified.
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This year has been unlike any other: the resurgence of the global Black Lives Matter movement has shone a light on systemic injustice far and wide, including inequalities perpetuated by the UK government.
All this has taken place against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has given rise to disproportionate suffering within Black communities.
It has been two years since the Home Office returned 65-year-old Vernon Vanriel to the UK from Jamaica, after refusing him entry and leaving him stranded on the island 13 year prior to that. He has yet to receive compensation and has become increasingly lonely and depressed.
“I’m starting to put a big question mark on whether I even feel British any more,” he said, “simply because of the way the government has treated me and others affected by the Windrush scandal.
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“They wronged me by not allowing me into the country for 13 years. They’ve ruined my life and now find it hard to pay people what is deserved in a timely manner rather than waiting until they’re dead.”
Recent Home Office figures show 77 claims have been made through the scheme for people who have already died, but only three have resulted in payments so far.
Vernon Vanriel Screenshot
After an emotional reunion with his brother and sister at Gatwick airport in 2018, reality set in for Vanriel, who is still without compensation and more “alienated” than ever before. Last June, he was fitted with a pacemaker and is currently taking medication including antidepressants.
Vanriel currently lives in sheltered housing on account of his health – but has been told by the local council that he’s not allowed to host his 22-year-old son, who was born in Jamaica, for longer than three weeks. If Vanriel travels overseas to visit his son, he’d have to return in a few weeks or risk losing his London flat.
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Vernon Vanriel looks down at Sammy Young S&G and Barratts/EMPICS Sport
Following pressure from campaigners, earlier this month the Home Office announced an overhaul of the compensation scheme that means claimants could now receive as much as £100,000. Higher awards will be available for those in exceptional circumstances.
“I consider my circumstances to be exceptional and hope my offer will reflect that,” said Vanriel. “I’m 65 years old with nothing to call my own except the clothes on my back.”
After seeking legal advice, he lodged his application with the Windrush compensation on July 13, 2020, three days after his 65th birthday. Last Tuesday, he received a phone call from the Home Office and an officer told him to expect a letter in the post regarding his compensation that would hopefully “put a smile on his face”.
“The Home Office has ruined my life and now find it hard to pay people what is deserved in a timely manner rather than waiting until they’re dead.” - Vernon Vanriel
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“I’ve heard of people waiting 18 months and still not being paid,” he added. “I think the fact that I have a solicitor dealing with it and continually pestering them to make a decision or give an update has a lot to do with it. People who don’t have legal representation are being left on the shelf. They’re finding things a damn sight harder.”
The changes to the Windrush compensation scheme will apply retrospectively and will make a “real difference” to people’s lives, home secretary Priti Patel said in the Commons earlier this month, adding: “I’ve always promised to listen and act to ensure the victims of Windrush have received the maximum compensation they deserve, and it is my mission to correct the wrongs of the past and I will continue to work with the Windrush working group to do exactly that.”
Michael Braithwaite HuffPost UK
The scandal erupted in 2018 when British citizens, mostly from the Caribbean, were wrongly detained, deported or threatened with deportation, despite having the right to live in Britain. Many lost homes and jobs and were denied access to healthcare and benefits.
Michael Braithwaite’s life was ripped apart by the scandal and he is still awaiting compensation three years later. Like Vanriel, the 68-year-old has enlisted the help of solicitors to secure it but has struggled to collate the vast, arguably unreasonable amount of evidence required by the Home Office to support his claim.
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“The government said they’re going to right the wrongs of the Windrush Scandal – but those have not been put right today and now we’re going into 2021,” he told HuffPost UK.
“They have treated us Black people who came here like garbage at the back door. I am appalled and I’m hurt, deeply hurt. Over the years, they have kept making promises and not delivering.”
After 16 years of dedicated service as a special needs teaching assistant at a school, Braithwaite was frog-marched off of the premises after suddenly being told he had no right to be in the country he’d lived in for over five decades.
Born in Barbados, Braithwaite migrated to the UK aged nine with his two brothers in 1961. The children travelled on British Caribbean passports to join their parents.
“They said they’re going to right the wrongs of the Windrush scandal – but those have not been put right today and now we’re going into 2021.” - Michael Braithwaite
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“They stripped me of my energy. My whole world had gone. I enjoyed my work so much. The scandal took away everything I could ever think of. I endured a lot of stress, dehumanisation and humiliation,” he said.
“I get very emotional when I talk about this, I always do. [...] And every time I do it, it brings back the whole memory of that situation that I was in. I’ve been suffering for years and I know other people have been suffering too. A lot of us have died not receiving compensation. And some people are still waiting on compensation, as well as the families of the people who have passed away.”
He added: “The government should wake up to the situation. The contribution that we [the Windush generation] made to this country is still not being stated; what my parents and people before me came and did as well.
“Christmas 2020 has just passed. I’ll be going to see another year where we are expected to bite our lips and not stand up for our rights. We keep asking for justice and then not being answered. So I would say this to the UK government: you know that without us, this country wouldn’t be what it is today.”
Michael Braithwaite and his daughter in happier times Supplied
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Braithwaite says the battle for justice has weakened him, though he will continue the fight.
“We need more people of a young energy because my energy is not as strong as it used to be,” he said. “We need to have younger people coming in and understanding that it will be a repercussion on them in some way or the other. So everyone needs to get up, stand up and understand what’s happening in this place that you live in.
“I will use every breath in my body to fight and help put things right. We have to keep fighting and we’re not going to stand down. Not just for me – but for people of the future generations coming up in this world.”
“Christmas 2020 has just passed. I’ll be going to see another year where we are expected to bite our lips and not stand up for our rights. We keep asking for justice and then not being answered.” - Michael Braithwaite
Elwaldo Romeo, another survivor of the scandal, submitted his claim for compensation more than a year ago and says he has yet to receive a response, never mind a financial award.
A decade ago, the 64-year-old was told by the Home Office he was facing detention and should return to Antigua, a country he left 59 years earlier at the age of four.
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“How more British can I be?” he said. “I put my compensation claim in and, so far, I’ve not been offered anything. It’s the system; the system is very slow and laborious.
Elwaldo Romeo Chris J Ratcliffe via Getty Images
“It’s not too bad for myself because I’m employed, I’m earning money. But for those who are destitute, those who really need the funds, those who are in rented accommodation and have got all these bills behind them, I think they are the ones that the Home Office should look at quickly.
“I once asked a question about rehousing people [who are in need]. And I was told that the Home Office can’t rehouse people, it stands on local councils, and yet the Home Office actually influenced the councils taking Windrush victims’ homes away. So it’s not a fair system.”
Likening the situation to the transatlantic slave trade, he added: “The Home Office has the right to change things as and when they please. It’s a situation where the perpetrator now dictates what the client or the person who’s been affected gains out of this situation. And I don’t think that’s fair.”
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Romeo is calling for the government to be “more open and respectful in how they treat people”.
“Although she did not instigate the Windrush scandal, Priti Patel is there to do a job and I think she’s doing it very poorly. She has no compassion for the people she’s dealing with, and if she wants people to come forward, she needs to look at it properly and look at where these people are coming from.”
Elwaldo Romeo as a child
Speaking to the Commons Home Affairs Committee on December 9, Martin Forde QC said the Home Office’s deportation flights were “seriously undermining” its work on the compensation scheme. A chartered flight to Jamaica was scheduled for December 2 and widely condemned by campaigners and celebrities.
Forde said people affected by the scandal “don’t trust the Home Office at all” and are “genuinely scared”, which could be deterring some from applying for compensation.
The lawyer, who was appointed as the department’s independent adviser as it brought in the Windrush claims scheme, told MPs there were problems with the department’s “image and its portrayal”.
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Romeo echoed this: “If you’re going to put people on planes and deport people, there’s going to be a lot of people that’s going to resent putting their names forward. So it’s one way of keeping people quiet.”
Glenda Caesar, who arrived in the UK as a baby in 1961, first found out she wasn’t classed a British citizen after she tried to visit her dying mother in the Caribbean in 1998.
In 2009, things became even more serious for her; the mum-of-four – who also has 11 grandchildren – was sacked from her part-time job as a GP practice administrator because of her lack of citizenship.
Glenda Caesar HuffPost UK
Caesar was then forced to rely on her children for support. Since the scandal, she now has a British passport and a naturalisation certificate – but she is still awaiting compensation and is justifiably discontented.
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“I was branded a liar and blamed for something that wasn’t my doing. And then I’ve been put through a process where I’ve had to prove myself [to get compensation] to a government that has every information on me – they shouldn’t have to put me through this,” she told HuffPost UK.
“I was very happy, me and my family. And then to have your livelihood taken away from you is the worst that anyone can do, aside from taking your home away from you. It stopped me from working, it took away my livelihood, it put me into the state of depression, of mental illness; it made me judge myself as a mother where I put my child into a situation that should have been avoided and no mother should have put her child in that situation. The list could go on and on.”
Last December, she rejected the government’s £22,000 of compensation, dismissing it as “an insult”. Another offer was made in July, which she also turned it down because it still didn’t reflect the losses she had suffered.
“I sent it back and waited a very long time. I wasn’t prepared to wait because I felt I shouldn’t need to; I shouldn’t be given deadlines – this is the government’s mistake [so] I should be setting them deadlines,” she said.
Glenda Caesar as a baby Supplied
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As part of Windrush Lives, a campaigning group, Caesar has been at the forefront of the national campaign to raise awareness about the scandal, demanding justice for those affected.
“We have been in constant contact with the Home Office, back and forth to fight, to get improvements on the impact on compensation payments because what we found is that across the board, they were giving everybody the same amount for impact on life which was £7,000 pounds,” she explained.
“It didn’t matter how complex your case was – they were offering everybody the same amount. It didn’t go above £10,000; the amounts ranged between £3,250 and £7,000. So we had meetings with ministers and politicians, and fought for changes to be made, which has been now. We’ll have to wait and see what the impact is.”
Useful websites and helplines
Windrush Helpline, open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, on 0800 678 1925.
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).
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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


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-27--12 Funny Celebrity Zoom Moments We Couldn't Have Anticipated 12 Months Ago

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Zoom has become a hotly contested part of our lives this year: love it or hate it, we’ve all had to log on to a video call at one point or another.
For some of us, it’s caused burnout, and there’s been some hilarious responses online. For instance, Japanese-based artist Marina Fujiwara has created an inventive way to escape excruciating Zoom drinking parties which you can be inspired by below.
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オンライン飲み会から緊急脱出できるマシーンを作りました pic.twitter.com/gB2Ur6f21i — 藤原 麻里菜 | Marina Fujiwara (@togenkyoo) April 29, 2020
But for others, it’s been a crucial source of much-needed entertainment as we all remained largely socially distanced.
So with that in mind, here are some of the funniest, most shocking and most cringe-inducing Zoom moments from 2020, involving some of your favourite celebrities...
1. Judi Dench logged into this messy Zoom call and we can’t get enough of it
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Wondering how on Earth this came about? Well, The Jac and Jay Show on YouTube are friends with TikTok star @Sam.williams1, who just happens to be Judi’s grandson.
Turns out Sam is a fan of Zac and Jay’s show so he managed to convince his 85-year-old grandma to join a call with them and a host of their pals.
“Have you got any life lessons for us,” Zac asks and Judi responded: ”“Like everyone, I’m just bowled over, and the kindness of people is just wonderful and remarkable and I can never finish saying how wonderful it is and how remarkable people are.”
Then someone lowered the tone by shouting out: “I’m on Facetime with f*cking Judi Dench!!!” and the acting legend broke down laughing.
Purest lockdown moment ever.
2. Will Ferrell surprised an American football team by pretending to be a player
.@gregolsen88 looks a little different here...
Special guest Will Ferrell crashed today's virtual team meeting. 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/LQArLdfmbw — Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) May 1, 2020
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“I want to welcome in Greg Elson, Greg come in and tell us what you’re all about,” the team’s coach said, before Will entered dressed as the football player.
“Coach, thanks so much, so excited to be here... excited to play,” joked Will down the camera from lockdown.
Will is reportedly a friend of Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, which possibly explains why he was up for crashing their Zoom meeting.
Stick it out ’til the end, when the Step Brothers star assures the team: “I’ve been working out, don’t worry,” before showing off his belly to the team, adding: “I’ve been doing a lot of yoga and nothing else.”
3. NSYNC reunited over Zoom - but was that the real Justin Timberlake?
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“That’s not the real Justin!” declared Joey Fatone of NSYNC when US comedian Jeremiah Watkins appeared dressed as the band’s most famous member on this Zoom call.
Three of the other members of the 90s pop band had reunited for an episode of comedian Josh Wolf’s Controlled Chaos podcast when Wolf decided to crash, dressed as Justin, to make the other guys laugh.
“You know I’m locked up in quarantine like a lot of us right now and I figured I should write some quarantine love songs, so who better to hit up than my best boys from NSYNC?” fake-Justin said.
Before Joey retorted: “That’s not the real Justin - he wouldn’t let us write anything!”
Turns out, Josh is actually pretty good at writing songs that genuinely sound like they could be NSYNC’s too.
4. The Jonas Brothers turned up to a Zoom party run by a group of fans and it was a mood
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“Are you doing a Tiger King cover?” one fan asked Kevin Jonas when he switched his background to a pic of Joe Exotic cuddling a tiger in this intimate Zoom call, which all three brothers turned up to.
“The Jonas Brothers came to my friend’s Zoom party to say hello to everyone! It for sure was the best moment of this 2020!” said YouTube Victor Hugo Padilla in the comments when he posted it online.
The fan gathering took place early in lockdown, and in it, the band thanked the fans for their support, assured them new music is going to be released “at some point” and shared a communal virtual ‘cheers!’ too. Cute.
Wait until right at the end when the fans shared their hilarious and inevitable “oh my god!” moment after the brothers logged off and there was no need to act cool and composed anymore.
5. John Torode set fire to his kitchen during a remote This Morning cooking segment
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Many of the This Morning chefs cooked from home via Zoom during the height of lockdown, but John Torode very nearly didn’t have a home left after a live kitchen disaster.
The MasterChef judge hadn’t noticed a tea towel had caught fire behind him, leading to a panicking Phillip Schofield screaming at him down the line for him to turn around.
Cue plenty of giggles from Phil and co-host Holly Willoughby once the fire was out.
6. This Euphoria star called out a shit-talking director for putting down his apartment
psa if youre a shit talking director make sure to mute ur shit on zoom mtgings pic.twitter.com/PTgMZcRhEw — lukas gage (@lukasgage) November 20, 2020
“These poor people live in these tiny apartments, I’m looking at his background and he’s got his TV and, you know,” the director auditioning Euphoria actor Luke Gage for a new role could be heard saying down Zoom.
But the director didn’t realise he wasn’t on mute and Lucas cleverly called out his comment, replying: “I know it’a shitty apartment, that’s why give me this job so I can get a better one.”
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The director said he was “mortified,” and insisted: “Oh my god, I’m so so sorry Lucas. I’m so sorry.”
Criiiiiiinge.
A whole range of celebrities swooped in to back up the star, including Hugh Bonneville, Glee’s Kevin McHale and Judd Apatow, who said: “As a young man I would have dreamed of an apartment like this one. Look at that sweet flat screen! The guitar! The moldings!”
7. Gemma Collins had some camera calamities on Loose Women
Does anyone have a spare selfie stick for Gemma Collins? #LooseWomen pic.twitter.com/4DTeFAnGEx — Jamie Bolton (@JamieBolton) August 6, 2020
The GC was due to appear on Loose Women to give one of her most candid interviews yet, but things got off to a humorous start when her camera set-up immediately let her down.
Having just casually propped her phone up, it continued to crash to the floor on a number of occasions during the chat, lightening the mood and giving the panel, Gemma and viewers at home some laughs.
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Eventually, after numerous calamitous moments, the Loose Women cut to an early ad break to allow Gemma to properly secure her phone so she could speak without fear of more disasters.
The behind-the-scenes is all documented in this episode of Gemma’s reality show, Diva Forever And Ever, revealing her sister-in-law was eventually charged with being her camera woman through an open window.
8. Gordon Brown summed up how most of us feel during a Zoom call by slamming his laptop closed
OH MY GOD look at how Gordon Brown ended his interview pic.twitter.com/vu1pdsTS4u — Scott Bryan (@scottygb) September 11, 2020
Former prime minister Gordon Brown was cut short during a stint on BBC Breakfast earlier this year and wasted no time in getting on with his day - he didn’t even wait for the segment to end before closing his laptop screen.
″That’s definitely over, that ended,” presenter Charlie Stayt said, before fellow host Naga Munchetty laughed and added: “It’s infuriating when that happens isn’t it,” referencing how Gordon had frozen earlier on the call.
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9. Alison Steadman returned as Pam in Gavin & Stacey in this iconic online quiz
Alison returned to her famous role of Pam Shipman for this quiz in aid of cancer charity Marie Curie, and Mathew Horne – who plays her on in Gavin & Stacey – also logged in and exchanged some words in character with his on-screen mum, revealing how they’d been faring in lockdown.
The quiz was a great success, giving fans something to smile at given there’s no Gavin & Stacey Christmas special this year, as well as raising over £50,000 for charity.
10. Brad and Jen reunited online for a sexy reading
jennifer aniston and brad pitt’s full “spicy” scene as linda barrett and brad hamilton on “fast times at ridgemont high”s virtual table read.
THIS WAS WAY TOO FUNNY 😂#FastTimesLive pic.twitter.com/BuxXh6Co42 — thay 🦙 (@beingamaguire) September 18, 2020
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The former couple were playing two lovestruck characters from 1980s film Fast Times At Ridgemont High when the script got steamy.
″Hi Brad. You know how cute I always thought you were. I think you’re so sexy. Will you come to me?” Jennifer said to Brad in character, who was stifling laughter. Also seen giggling was Julia Roberts, who clearly noticed the awkward tension.
11. This interview ended when BBC ran out of free zoom minutes
Haha I guess @BBCNews is also using the free version of zoom. pic.twitter.com/WNh25R8D7t — Luke Taylor (@davidluketaylor) May 26, 2020
“This free Zoom meeting has ended,” was seen on the screen as the presenter admitted: “Well, we’ve lost [interviewee] Scott Parsons for the time being.”
We’ve all been there: 40 minutes into a Zoom call, refusing to pay for unlimited use and then being cut off mid-sentence. Only for most of us, we aren’t presenting live to the nation. Admittedly, it was a surprise that the BBC appeared to also be benefitting from the free version of the service.
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12. And finally, Geraldine Granger pretended she had internet troubles to escape an awkward video call
The Vicar of Dibley returned for three lockdown specials broadcast down Zoom, which brilliantly parodied the most of our interactions over the last nine months.
“It looks like her screen’s frozen!” sone little girl said after Dawn French’s character is asked why God hasn’t brought more of us back from the dead other than Jesus.
“Well, the simple answer to that is,” Geraldine said, before pretending to freeze and escaping the Zoom chat by logging off and feigning internet problems.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-27--Love Is Blind's Lauren: 'If We Made It Through 2020, We Can Make It Another 100 Years'

It might feel like a lifetime ago, but it was actually only earlier this year that Netflix’s unique series Love Is Blind gripped reality TV fans all over the world.
The show’s unique – and, in hindsight, weirdly prescient – premise saw single contestants living in isolated pods, communicating with prospective love interests without actually being able to touch or even see them. They only actually came face-to-face with one another after they got engaged, and cameras then followed them all the way down the aisle on each of their big days.
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The show definitely had potential for toe-curling viewing (and it certainly had its moments!), but it also introduced us to the living embodiment of #CoupleGoals in the form of Lauren and Cameron, who viewers quickly took into their hearts.
Cameron proposing to Lauren during their first face-to-face meeting Netflix
Unfortunately, shortly after the series reached its grand finale, the coronavirus pandemic changed everything, and the victory lap that would usually follow a water-cooler show like Love Is Blind had to be put on hold for the couple, who had actually been married for around 18 months by the time the world saw their wedding.
For HuffPost UK’s new interview series 2020: The Year That Wasn’t, we spoke to Lauren Speed-Hamilton about heading back into isolation nearly two years after filming in the pods, and the pressures of being new in the public eye at a time of civil unrest…
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Thinking back to January, how did you feel looking ahead to 2020?
At the start of the year I was pretty optimistic and nervous at the same time, because the show was about to come out, and I didn’t know what to expect.
And then, right before the show dropped, that’s when Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter accident. After that happened, it was just like, ‘this year is off to such a crazy start’. His death actually impacted the show, which I don’t think a lot of people know, because nobody was trying to promote a new show in the US after Kobe’s death. So January was a whole bag of mixed emotions.
Cam and I had been married for a year and a half leading up to the show, so I was just wishing for the best. I knew I’d been true to myself the whole time, but when it comes to television and stuff, you never really know how you’re going to be portrayed or edited. And it’s so precious because it’s our lives and our love story, and we just wanted it to be right. So leading up to that – I was very scared! I was very nervous, and just trying to keep calm and not have nervous breakdowns and anxiety attacks.
Lauren during the early days of Love Is Blind Netflix
The portrayal of us in the show was actually pretty on it, I have to admit. Although I will say that I do think the show zhuzhed up the interracial aspects of our relationship. Like, we didn’t talk about being interracial as often as the show portrayed – but every time we mentioned it, you’d better believe it made the cut.
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It is something we talked about, but it wasn’t like, ‘hey, we’re at dinner, y’know, I’m Black?’. But overall, I think the show really captured mine and Cameron’s personalities and who we are. So we were happy.
How much did lockdown affect what you already had planned for the year?
At first, it was an adjustment like, ‘man, I pictured this year being so different’. 2020 just took everybody’s plans and was like ‘nope, this is how we’re gonna do it’. But at the same time, being able to roll with everything that the universe handed us this year and still make the most of it is a blessing.
So many people had such a difficult year that I just felt blessed to be able to continue working and doing things, I just have a total feeling of gratefulness and I’m so humbled. That’s really my takeaway.
We were just like everybody else, we turned to TikTok, making dances and stuff, but it really worked for us. And it really gave us a chance to connect with people who became supporters from the show. They got to see the continuation of our lives – once again, in this kind of pod-like situation, which is so crazy, because that’s how everybody met us, and that’s how it continued once the show came out due to quarantine and everything. The timing is really insane.
Lauren and Cameron with their fellow Love Is Blind stars during the show's reunion special. Netflix
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How did you make it work in 2020, and what are you most proud of?
I think I was really just proud of the fact that I was able to be completely myself, have this platform and be able to talk to and engage with so many different people from around the world, and help people to see light in such dark times. And just the fact that our love story really touched so many people, to me, I think that’s wonderful, because I was just being myself. I don’t know if that’s something to be proud of, but it makes me feel good.
And also, outside of the show, here in the US with the whole Black Lives Matter movement... being a Black woman and being able to have my platform and use it and share information and share how I’m feeling in the moment – because there are so many people that are really tuned into my life at the moment – I just feel blessed that I was able to be a voice during those times for so many people.
What did you find to be the biggest challenge or the lowest point of the year?
We were just talking about the whole Black Lives Matter movement… and that was definitely hard. It was hard for me to experience as a Black woman... and in the same token that I said I was happy I could be voice, it was hard to adjust to all of that attention and the platform during a time like this. I really had to take a moment to myself and make sure my mental health was OK.
When everything was happening, it felt like everyone was looking to me, like, ‘Lauren what do we do? Say something! Tell us how to feel’, and it’s like, ‘girl, I’m trying to understand how I feel – I’m trying not to wake up and just cry some days’, you know? That was really challenging. I really had to take time for myself to process what was going on before I could speak publicly about everything.
And even in our household, there were times when Cam and I really had to have some difficult conversations, just being an interracial couple, about how I’m feeling and how he’s feeling and how we’re feeling together. Even though it’s a time for growth, we all know that growth can come with growth pains, and that was a hard time mentally, for me.
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Lauren and Cameron's wedding day was a high-point of the Love Is Blind finale Netflix
What’s the one thing that got you through lockdown?
Snacks! I love snacks. Which is probably not the best all the time, but it kept me sane, for sure. Me and Cameron actually did a whole Star Wars binge, and I’d never seen those movies before. And you know what, I’m a fan now. I’m so late to the party, but I love it. Cam made me a fan, for sure.
What’s been the biggest lesson that you’re taking away from 2020?
I learned a lot about myself. That I’m strong, and that I’m determined. And that family is everything. This year really made me realise the value of family, and love, and just knowing my own strength within myself – even though challenges come, I’m one to fight and work hard, regardless.
Lauren says she's feeling optimistic as she looks ahead to 2021 Netflix
How do you feel now looking ahead to 2021?
I feel optimistic, actually. I feel happy, I feel excited. There are so many awesome things that we have planned for 2021, so I’m really excited to get in there and continue living life and growing and sharing everything that the world has to offer.
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2020 was like the ultimate test. Even though we were already married for like a year and a half, this year, everything that we went through, being stuck inside – I shouldn’t say stuck, because we have to be inside – but working together and living together, everything together, it’s definitely a challenge. So if we can get through that, and the [Love Is Blind] pods, we’re OK, we can make it another 100 years probably.
Love Is Blind is available to watch on Netflix in full now. Lauren and Cameron can also be seen in the new special The Netflix Afterparty: The Best Shows Of The Worst Year, streaming now.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-27--13 Images From Around The World That Defined 2020

Applause and anger from balconies as a pandemic rages; military trucks carrying coffins; health care workers in personal protective equipment; and millions marching for racial justice.
There will never be another year quite like 2020.
Here are 13 images selected by HuffPost editors around the world that defined 2020.
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The coronavirus changed everything ... except rush hour in Tokyo
Crowds at Tokyo's Shinagawa station in Japan on March 2. Athit Perawongmetha / Reuters
Despite recording fewer deaths than many comparable countries, Japan could not escape the life-altering effects of Covid-19.
Tokyo’s notorious rush hour, however, remained largely unchanged.
In March, the government urged people to avoid crowded spaces and work from home. But not everyone was able to do so, as many employers refused to implement flexible working policies.
The pandemic eventually drew fewer people to Japan’s crowded railways, but major stations such as Shinagawa Station in central Tokyo, pictured here in early March, still filled with mask-clad commuters during the morning rush hour.
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As of mid-December, Japan recorded at least 201,000 coronavirus cases and 2,833 deaths.
— Satoko Yasuda, HuffPost Japan
Dawn breaks after Italy’s darkest night
Italian military trucks drive through the streets of Bergamo, Italy, on March 18 after the army was deployed to move coffins from the town to neighboring provinces after funeral services were overwhelmed. Handout/Reuters
It was the darkest night in Bergamo, the city hardest hit by the coronavirus in Italy.
At the first light of dawn on March 18, 15 army trucks loaded up their precious cargo and drove slowly from the cemetery to the highway out of the city. They carried 65 coffins that the city could not bury: There was no more space in the cemetery, funeral services were collapsing, and they were no longer able to cremate corpses.
On that day, Italy reported 475 coronavirus-related deaths — bringing the country’s total toll to almost 3,000, including 319 in Lombardy, the country’s worst-hit region, where Bergamo is located.
The soldiers escorted the coffins south to the city of Bologna in the neighbouring region of Emilia-Romagna. After cremation, the ashes would return to their loved ones. It was the only funeral procession Bergamo could afford. From their windows, people looked on and cried.
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Bergamo and its province counted around 6,000 victims in the first wave of COVID-19 during the months of March and April. At the end of June, a requiem mass was held for the fallen of the city, a great collective funeral for all those who could not have an individual funeral. Nearly every Bergamo citizen lost a parent, a child or a sibling in the pandemic.
— Giulia Belardelli, HuffPost Italy
A PPE portrait from Korea’s front line
Nurse Yun Na-yong poses during a break between shifts at Keimyung University hospital in Daegu, South Korea, on March 12. Nurses caring for coronavirus patients wear bandages on their faces to help prevent painful sores while wearing full-body protective suits for hours on end. ED JONES via Getty Images
As one of the countries hit the earliest by the coronavirus, South Korea witnessed a spike in Covid-19 cases in the spring. As much as the government was prepared, the virus hit hard and fast. Most citizens feared the worst. There was a sense of panic.
Nurses on the front lines spent hours and hours caring for their patients.
“I’m trying hard,” nurse Kim Eun-hee said.
But they desperately needed to find a way to shield themselves from the painful sores that develop from wearing several layers of protective gear.
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The nurses applied pads, plasters and tape to their foreheads, cheeks and noses and wore them as badges of honour.
The images were encouraging, powerful and symbolic. South Korea was able to avoid the worst of the pandemic, and there is no doubt that everyone of those who stood on the front line played a pivotal role in that.
When nurse Yun Na-yong (pictured above) posed for a photo during a break between shifts at Keimyung University hospital in Daegu on March 12, she was asked if she had a message to give.
“We will win,” Yun said.
— Wan Heo, Senior Editor, HuffPost Korea
Applause, anger and anguish: Spain’s year on the balcony
People on their balconies applaud to pay tribute to health care workers fighting against the coronavirus pandemic on April 18 in Madrid. Carlos Alvarez via Getty Images
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Covid-19 placed Spain at the center of the world’s attention.
The noise of what was happening around the globe contrasted with the silence inside the country: During the 100 days of confinement in the first wave, the voices of people outside disappeared, along with the sound of footsteps and life as we knew it.
It was a silence that, inexorably, broke at 8 o’clock in the evening, when Spaniards came out to applaud from their balconies to thank health care workers for their efforts. It was a gesture of solidarity, but above all, it was a need to see other people, to know that there was life outside of our homes.
But the increase in coronavirus deaths turned appreciation for front-line workers into rage against the government, and cheers were replaced with the sound of clanging pots and pans in protest. The country was split in two — gratitude for front-line workers mixed with anger and anguish in a year that left almost 50,000 dead and 1.8 million infected. Only the pain of relatives who could not say goodbye to their loved ones was greater.
For Spain, 2020 was the year of silence.
— Guillermo Rodriguez, HuffPost Spain
Patrick Hutchinson, Britain’s hero for our times
Patrick Hutchinson carries an injured far-right counterprotester named Bryn Male to safety near London's Waterloo station during a Black Lives Matter protest, following the police killing of George Floyd, on June 13. Dylan Martinez / Reuters
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In June, Patrick Hutchinson, an activist and supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, carried far-right counterprotester Bryn Male to safety during a heated moment at a BLM march in central London.
The image was captured by Reuters news agency photographer Dylan Martinez and quickly went viral, with many hailing Hutchinson as a “hero.”
The media zeroed in on the photo — it was splashed across global newspaper front pages, and it popped up on billboards across the capital.
“It wasn’t just about saving a life. It was also about saving a narrative — and stopping it being derailed with something as negative as maybe someone dying, for example,” Hutchinson said during a candid interview with HuffPost U.K.
But some people took exception to the popularity of the image, arguing that the politics of respectability and the idea that Black people must respond with kindness when faced with racism or violence does nothing to protect Black people themselves.
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— Nadine White, HuffPost U.K.
‘A powerful image to show football’s social conscience’
Players of Aston Villa and Sheffield United take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement prior to the Premier League soccer match between the two teams at Villa Park on June 17 in Birmingham, England. Pool via Getty Images
The stands may have been empty at Birmingham’s Villa Park stadium, but the country of England was full of pride as players and officials dropped to one knee on June 17, before the first Premier League football match in Britain since March.
Referee Michael Oliver blew the whistle for kickoff before he and his officials joined the players in kneeling for around 10 seconds in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
As the scene unfolded, Sky Sports commentator Rob Hawthorne captured the moment: “Look at this.”
“A powerful image to show football’s social conscience as all of the players take the knee,” he said. “The referee did as well.”
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The match between Aston Villa and Sheffield United ended 0-0 and was played without fans present. However, the scene of players taking the knee has since played out at every Premier League game since.
— James Martin, HuffPost Global
Tower blocks become cell blocks in Australia
A man looks out the window of the Flemington Towers government housing complex on July 6 in Melbourne, Australia. Nine public housing estates were under mandatory lockdown and two additional suburbs remained under stay-at-home orders as authorities worked to stop further COVID-19 outbreaks in the city. The only people allowed in and out were those providing essential services. Darrian Traynor via Getty Images
One of the 3,000 residents trapped in nine lockdown tower blocks in Melbourne, Australia, stared out the window and pressed his hands against the glass.
The draconian lockdown in Australia’s second-largest city highlighted the way in which COVID-19 outbreaks among the most vulnerable in 2020 have been met by a heavy-handed government response.
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“I looked outside from my window and no nurses, no cleaners, no food — just lots of cops,” Emel Evcin, a 42-year-old mother of two, said by phone from her two-bedroom flat. “This is not a lockdown, this is a lockup.”
Days earlier, without warning, more than 500 armed police officers surrounded the towers and placed them under “hard lockdown” after a number of residents tested positive for the coronavirus.
Residents spent six weeks locked in their homes, unable to leave, reliant on food packages, with two police officers monitoring every floor of each tower.
Australia has recorded more than 900 deaths and over 28,000 cases as of Dec. 22.
— Sasha Belenky, HuffPost Australia
A river between us
American tourist boat Maid of the Mist, limited to 50% occupancy under New York State rules, glides past a Canadian vessel limited under Ontario's rules to just six passengers in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, on July 21. Carlos Osorio / Reuters
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This photo, taken by Reuters photographer Carlos Osorio in July, went viral because it sums up the tension between Canada and the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The image shows two ships from the iconic Maid of the Mist boat tour at Niagara Falls. The background features an American tourist boat with passengers in blue rain ponchos operating at a limited capacity of 50% under New York state rules. It glides past a Canadian vessel limited with just six passengers, due to Ontario’s provincial regulations.
While the world’s longest undefended border may have been closed, the photo of the two boats provides a glimpse at the two countries’ different approaches to the fight against the coronavirus.
Canada has recorded 515,000 cases and 14,332 deaths. South of the border, the United States has recorded 18.1 million cases and 320,000 deaths.
— Andrew Yates, HuffPost Canada
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‘Quebec’s George Floyd’ sparks a reckoning in Canada
An image of Joyce Echaquan taken from live video footage on Facebook, in which she is seen tied to her gurney while two health care workers utter racist slurs. Capture d'écran/Facebook
The death of an Atikamekw woman who livestreamed hospital workers’ racist insults during the last moments of her life sparked a racial reckoning in Quebec, with some calling Joyce Echaquan the Canadian province’s “own George Floyd.”
The 37-year-old mother of seven died on Sept. 28 in a Joliette hospital, a three-hour drive south from her home in the First Nations reserve of Manawan. Shortly before her death, she posted a live video on Facebook in which she is seen tied to her gurney while two health care workers utter racist slurs.
“You’re dumb as hell,” one staff worker tells her in French. “That’s better dead,” she laters mutters, calling Echaquan “better to fuck than for anything else.” Her death was recorded minutes later.
Joyce’s story spurred calls to end systemic racism in Quebec, and pushed the province to invest $11 million to guarantee the safety of Indigenous people in the health care system.
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— Émilie Clavel, HuffPost Québec
Greece’s asylum-seekers flee for their lives. Again.
Thousands of asylum-seekers on the Greek island of Lesbos flee for their lives on Sept. 9 as a huge fire rips through the camp of Moria, the country's largest and most notorious migrant facility. More than 12,000 men, women and children ran in panic out of containers and tents and into adjoining olive groves and fields as the fire destroyed most of the overcrowded, squalid camp. The blaze started just hours after the migration ministry said 35 people at the camp had tested positive for the coronavirus. ANGELOS TZORTZINIS via Getty Images
This was the moment a boy carried a child in his arms as migrants fled one of Europe’s largest and most notorious migrant facilities on Sept. 9.
More than 12,000 men, women and children ran in panic out of containers and tents and into adjoining olive groves and fields as the fire destroyed most of the overcrowded, squalid Moria camp on the island of Lesbos.
The camp, built to house around 2,750 people, had long been held up by critics as a symbol of Europe’s failings in immigration policy.
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The blaze started just hours after the migration ministry said that 35 people at the camp had tested positive for COVID-19. With the camp at almost 10,000 above capacity, social distancing had become completely impossible. Men, women and children continued to sleep under improvised shelters made of reed stalks, blankets and salvaged tents for days after the fire.
— Antonis Fourlis, HuffPost Greece
Early voting in New Orleans is 2020 in one photo
Dana Clark and her 18-month-old son, Mason, wait in line on Oct. 16 at City Hall as early voting begins for the U.S. presidential election in New Orleans. Kathleen Flynn / Reuters
On Oct. 16, Dana Clark and her 18-month-old son, Mason, waited in line at City Hall as early voting began for the U.S. presidential election in New Orleans.
Clark said she donned a protective cover because she didn’t know how many people would be wearing face masks in line, and her child didn’t have a mask. She said she works as a teacher and wanted to take precautions for her students’ sake.
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This image went viral, and for good reason. It showed 2020 in a single photo: a chaotic election year with record voter turnout and racial injustice, topped with a pandemic.
— Chris McGonigal, HuffPost U.S.
When culture dances for survival in France
One hundred eighty performers from the group "Les Essentiels" dance on Dec. 12 in Montpellier to protest against the government's health policy and the decisions it took with regard to the cultural world in France. SYLVAIN THOMAS via Getty Images
Dressed all in black, with the exception of a red clown nose, 180 dancers performed a silent protest on Dec. 12 against the continued closure of cultural sites in France, including cinemas, theaters and museums.
The group, named “Les Essentiels,” performed a mime representing the killing of culture in a country that is proud of its rich artistic heritage in the southern city of Montpellier.
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Along with restaurants and nightclubs, workers in France’s cultural industries are among the victims of the government’s containment measures ordered in a bid to curb the coronavirus epidemic.
Actors, musicians and dancers, all deemed “nonessential” by the French government, feel like they have become the sacrifices of social distancing. They are still unsure whether they will be able to bring their art back to life in January.
— Geoffroy Clavel, HuffPost France
The jab that was felt around the world
Margaret Keenan, 90, receives applause from staff as she returns to her ward after becoming the first patient in the world to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at University Hospital in Coventry, England, on Dec. 8. ASSOCIATED PRESS
In a split second, it was done.
Shortly before 7 a.m. in Coventry, England, Margaret Keenan became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
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Keenan, who has lived in Coventry for more than 60 years after moving from Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, wore a blue Christmas T-shirt in support of Britain’s National Health Service.
“I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against COVID-19,” Keenan, 90, said. “It’s the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the new year after being on my own for most of the year.”
Keenan received applause from staff at Coventry Hospital as she was wheeled away to her ward. She was soon followed by William Shakespeare from Warwickshire, who received the vaccine next.
There will truly never be another year like 2020.
— Sarah Turnnidge, HuffPost U.K.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--Marco Rubio Shredded On Twitter For Bashing Fauci — After Getting Covid-19 Vaccine

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Critics didn’t miss the hypocrisy as US senator Marco Rubio attacked infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci and the science of Covid-19 on Sunday, a week after the senator got a vaccine to protect himself against the coronavirus.
Rubio, who has often downplayed the threat of Covid-19 and has blown off wearing a mask at large gatherings even as cases were spiking, hasn’t criticised disinformation about Covid-19 from President Donald Trump.
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Yet he slammed Fauci’s advice, saying in a tweet that the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases “lied about masks in March” and “has been distorting the level of vaccination needed for herd immunity”.
Fauci initially downplayed the importance of the American public wearing face coverings, and said he was concerned at the start of the pandemic that a mask shortage would put health care workers at risk. But for several months, he has strongly and repeatedly advised that everyone wear a mask.
Health experts have said until recently that up to 70% of the population would need to get the vaccine to reach herd immunity. Fauci has increased that in the past week to between 70% and 85%, based on updated estimates.
Dr. Fauci lied about masks in March
Dr. Fauci has been distorting the level of vaccination needed for herd immunity
It isn’t just him
Many in elite bubbles believe the American public doesn’t know “what’s good for them” so they need to be tricked into “doing the right thing” — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 27, 2020
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Rubio became one of the first Americans to receive a vaccine against Covid-19, getting a shot ahead of many elderly Americans, first responders and health care workers who have a far greater risk of contracting the disease.
I know I looked away from the needle
And yes, I know I need a tan
But I am so confident that the #Covid19 vaccine is safe & effective that I decided to take it myself pic.twitter.com/TQbog6fu7i — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 19, 2020
People on Twitter let the Florida senator have it.
Republican’s in 2020
Jan: Hoax
Feb: Hoax
Mar: Hoax
Apr: Hoax
May: Hoax
Jun: Hoax
Jul: Hoax
Aug: Hoax
Sep: Hoax
Oct: Hoax
Nov: Hoax
Dec: Vaccine are here.... ME FIRST, ME FIRST, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY ME FIRST.. — #CountryOverParty 🇺🇸 (@n_ymiller) December 28, 2020
Now that Marco got the vaccine before the nation's healthcare workers, he's back to work smearing the nation's premiere immunologist. — Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) December 27, 2020
Rubio to get in boat: I HAVE A CHILD
Rubio once on the boat: You dont need these boats you silly fools. It's only sea water pic.twitter.com/Bcm5dflYSP — NinjaNewfieInTheGarden (@NinjaNewfieCA) December 27, 2020
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Dr. Fauci is a national hero, while Marco Rubio used his influence to elbow his way to the front of the vaccination line, ahead of the elderly and essential health care workers.https://t.co/M0IrPzdGRW — Nathan Max (@natemax) December 27, 2020
When you turned while getting your vaccination shot, was it that you couldn't face the needle or because you couldn't face the doctors and nurses you cut in front of ? — Jason😷 (@sparky347v) December 27, 2020
Marco Rubio is casting doubt on the expert that has guided America through the COVID crisis while the president that Rubio continues to support has spread lies and conspiracies about the virus. — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 27, 2020
You jumped the line as a politician to get the coronavirus vaccine before elderly patients with pre-existing conditions who need it the most. Then you call Dr. Fauci and everyone else an elitist. You sir, have no shame. — Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) December 27, 2020
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If you got a coronavirus vaccine months ahead of everyone else then you shouldn’t allowed to slander Dr. Anthony Fauci.
CC lil Marco — Molly Jong-Fast🏡 (@MollyJongFast) December 27, 2020
Vaccine line cutters like Marco Rubio are why Dr. Fauci has to live in fear of his life every day
They’re responsible for the massive disinformation campaign that has destroyed the economy & brainwashed the susceptible
Lil Marco stop slanderin and panderin. You’ll never be Prez — Lindy Li (@lindyli) December 27, 2020
So you elbowed your way to the front of the vaccine line and now you’re yelling back that it’s not something other people need?
Is there a Bible verse for that you could hide behind? — Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) December 27, 2020
310,000+ dead Americans and you're tweeting about Dr. Fauci, someone who is trying desperately hard to fight the pandemic.
As opposed your boss, who's been doing THIS since January: pic.twitter.com/ZOgeYrraqA — Ann Lewis Hamilton (@AnnLHamilton) December 27, 2020
You supported the guy who said it would go away when the weather got warm. pic.twitter.com/4CuD2Eufmh — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) December 27, 2020
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A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--December Sees Highest Covid-19 Death Toll In US Since Pandemic Began

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December marked the deadliest month in the United States since the coronavirus pandemic began, with more than 63,000 Covid-19 deaths recorded nationwide during the month so far, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
April held the previous monthly record for the highest number of Covid-19 deaths, with at least 55,000 reported. The US saw a steep incline in coronavirus cases, hospitalisations and deaths in the spring, followed by a sharp decrease over the summer. Those numbers began to increase again in the fall and have continued to surge into the winter.
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As of Sunday, there have been nearly 19 million recorded Covid-19 cases in the US and more than 331,000 deaths nationwide.
Vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna began rolling out across the US in recent weeks, marking a turning point in the pandemic that has wreaked havoc on the health and economy of the country.
Members of the White House coronavirus task force have said the hope is to have 20 million Americans vaccinated by the end of December, another 30 million in January and 100 million by March.
Still, public health experts and top officials have warned that the next few months could continue to see record Covid-19 deaths.
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“One thing I promise you about my leadership during this crisis: I’m going to tell it to you straight,” President-elect Joe Biden said during a news conference Tuesday. “I’m going to tell you the truth. And here’s the simple truth: Our darkest days in the battle against Covid are ahead of us, not behind us.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--Liam Payne Jumps To Former Bandmate Harry Styles' Defence Following Vogue Cover Debate

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Last month, Harry made headlines when he became the first man to appear on his own on the cover of the iconic fashion magazine, sporting a Gucci gown and matching jacket for the occasion.
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While the photo-shoot was lauded by fans of both Harry Styles and fashion, it didn’t go down quite so well with everyone, with certain right-wing critics taking issue with the singer’s choice to wear a dress on the cover.
.@harry_styles is our December issue cover star!
Read how the star is making and playing by his own rules: https://t.co/tQPLi5OEtj pic.twitter.com/AxZgxE68Rx — Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) November 13, 2020
Harry himself has already brushed off the backlash, quoting US pundit Candance Owens’ call to “bring back manly men” in a cheeky Instagram post, and he’s now received the thumbs up from his ex-bandmate, Liam Payne.
Speaking to Roman Kemp on the Capital Breakfast Show, Liam said: “I thought it was great! I think he’s enjoying himself and he’s free to do as he wishes!
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“And, you know, I just think that people don’t need to be so bothered about stuff. There’s been a lot more stuff going on this year than whether or not he’s wearing the right clothes in someone else’s mind. Just let him go on with it, he’s enjoying himself.”
During the interview, Liam also revealed he’d been reunited with Harry last year after a long period of not seeing one another.
Liam Payne and Harry Styles David Fisher/Richard Young/Shutterstock
“After the band we didn’t speak for a long time actually,” Liam explained. “And then I remember seeing him, it was actually at a Jingle Bell Ball, backstage for the first time in a long time.
“He’s still the same guy he always was when we left each other in that dressing room as the band kind of stopped for a little bit.”
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Last year, Liam told The Face magazine he considers himself “like the antichrist version of what Harry is”.
“I was actually genuinely looking at some pictures of him the other day, and I just thought, “I don’t know what more I’d say to him other than, ‘Hello’ and ‘How are you?’’,” Liam said.
Liam Payne and Harry Styles performing together in 2015 Kevin Winter via Getty Images
He did praise Harry’s fashion, though, adding: “If he wants to wear one earring and go to the Met Gala wearing something unexpected, what of it? Fair fucking play’. I couldn’t put myself in that. I’d look fucking… It’d look weird.”
Discussing his approach to fashion during his Vogue interview, Harry said: “Clothes are there to have fun with and experiment with and play with. What’s really exciting is that all of these lines are just kind of crumbling away. When you take away ‘There’s clothes for men and there’s clothes for women,’ once you remove any barriers, obviously you open up the arena in which you can play.
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“I’ll go in shops sometimes, and I just find myself looking at the women’s clothes thinking they’re amazing. It’s like anything – anytime you’re putting barriers up in your own life, you’re just limiting yourself.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--UK Herd Immunity 'Unlikely To Be Achieved Before Summer', Leading Scientist Says

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Herd immunity in the UK is unlikely to be achieved until summer despite the possibility of another Covid-19 vaccine being approved, a scientist advising the government has said.
Calum Semple, professor of outbreak medicine at the University of Liverpool and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is a “game changer” if it is approved in the coming days as expected.
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But he told BBC Breakfast: “To get the wider community herd immunity from vaccination rather than through natural infection will take probably 70% to 80% of the population to be vaccinated, and that, I’m afraid, is going to take us right into the summer I expect.”
It comes as hospitals in the South face a rise in pressure as the number of coronavirus patients receiving treatment heads towards the April peak, PA Media reports.
Paramedics in the capital are receiving almost 8,000 callouts daily, and Boxing Day was described as one of London Ambulance Service’s “busiest ever days”.
The 7,918 calls received by London Ambulance Service (LAS) on December 26 was up more than 2,500 on the 5,217 received on the same day last year, and medics are receiving support from other ambulance services in the South.
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Dr Katherine Henderson, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, described her experience of working in a hospital on Christmas Day as one of “wall to wall Covid”.
“We see patients who are coming in who have Covid symptoms and then we have other people coming in with other symptoms who turn out to be Covid positive.
“Between that, there’s a great deal of difficulty getting those patients through into the wards,” she told BBC Breakfast.
“The chances are that we will cope but we cope at a cost – the cost is not doing what we had hoped, which is being able to keep non-Covid activities going.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--Love Actually Fans Left Howling As Ludicrous Deleted Airport Scene Resurfaces

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Fans of the festive classic Love Actually have been left howling over a deleted scene from the film that has started doing the rounds on social media.
Anyone who treated themselves to a Love Actually rewatch in the last few weeks will remember the tense scene towards the end of the film, in which schoolboy Sam runs through Heathrow Airport to declare his love for classmate Joanna.
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Well, as a newly-resurfaced deleted scene has revealed, the scene almost looked very different.
It turns out that Sam was originally supposed to be a promising gymnast, so as he navigated his way through the airport, he was supposed to put his skills to use, and do an incredible backflip over a barrier.
The stunt was even filmed but eventually abandoned, and while the footage was originally revealed in 2013, many fans of Love Actually are only discovering it now, and it’s sparked a pretty big reaction…
If it's your first time then this will be a treat. Behold! The deleted airport scenehttps://t.co/XJAm1xzd55 — Pat (@Paaaaatttttt) December 23, 2020
i was today years old when I saw the airport deleted scene from love actually. this is the funniest thing ever and they should have kept it in the movie. i can’t with the adult stunt double 🤣 pic.twitter.com/4SGjdMQpxI — anya🐯 (@allineedisoneee) December 21, 2020
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HAHAHAHA WHY IS HIS BODY DOUBLE 7 FEET TALL https://t.co/qhgbF1WMf6 — Chris Wright (@Chris_Wriiight) December 24, 2020
Good lord, I'm speechless. On reflection, this bit of hilarity might have made the movie better. — Patrick McMahon (@Pittpatva) December 25, 2020
WOW I genuinely thought that sequence couldn't be stupider and yet here we are. — You can’t reap what you don’t sow ❤🦋 (@cheekyhobbit) December 24, 2020
Holy moly! That was comically bad! Thank goodness they took that entire thing out. — Shakalaka (@CarlaCube) December 24, 2020
That is an abomination I will never I see.... — Jackie Boy (@Jackie_Boy_H) December 24, 2020
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The body double doing the cartwheels through the seats was about 7 feet tall! 😃😃 — Helen Ramage (@Erebob) December 24, 2020
Thank god they cut that! — Dr. Maria Brown (@mariab_65) December 24, 2020
Omgggg 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I’m not being funny, but I’m 30 and hve only recently been able to start navigating my way around an airport without assistance from an actual adult.
How did this little kid manage to run around and get to the correct gate without any issues?!?! — nathan (@njvns) December 24, 2020
Oh my.
What an absolutely ludicrous treat.
🤣
If this extended ‘gymnastics’ chase had been left in the final cut of Love Actually, it would have been the least ridiculous and problematic part of the movie. https://t.co/Q3QbWX6DVa — Simon Angilley (@dufussy) December 26, 2020
Director Richard Curtis previously said of the “very rough” footage (via The Sun): “We’re a bit torn as to whether we were to put this bit in - there would have been some effects and polish done on it. We didn’t in the end, and I thought it was fun.
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“In the original draft of the movie, there was lots of mentions about the fact that Sam, the little boy, was a brilliant gymnast and when it was sad you’d just see him casually being brilliant at gym.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--Michael Gove Refuses To Rule Out Tier 4 Coronavirus Restrictions For Whole Of England

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Michael Gove has not ruled out the whole of England being moved into Tier 4 restrictions, saying it has to be “a judgment based on the medical situation”.
Hospitals in the south of England have seen a “real rise in pressure” as the number of coronavirus patients receiving treatment heads towards the April peak.
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Paramedics in the capital are receiving almost 8,000 call-outs daily, and Boxing Day was described as one of London Ambulance Service’s “busiest ever days”.
Gove told BBC Breakfast: “We review which tiers parts of the country should be in on the basis of scientific evidence.
“The Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) will be making a recommendation to ministers, but I can’t pre-empt that because it obviously has to be a judgment based on the medical situation.
“As you quite rightly point out, the NHS is under pressure and these are difficult months ahead.”
A formal review of England’s tier system is due on 30 December but tier 4 restrictions for large parts of the country were introduced early last week due to concerns over the spread of a new more infectious strain of the virus.
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PA Media
Infection rates in England are currently highest in areas of Essex, London and other parts of the South East.
Brentwood in Essex has the highest rate in England, with 1,111 new cases recorded in the seven days to December 23 – the equivalent of 1,442.5 cases per 100,000 people.
The area is in Tier 4 of Covid-19 restrictions along with most of the south of the country, with socialising banned and people told to stay home.
There are concerns that socialising over the Christmas period may have helped the spread of the virus to other parts of the country.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--Former EastEnders Boss Recalls Showdown Between Barbara Windsor And June Brown

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Former EastEnders chief Dominic Treadwell-Collins has revealed that Dame Barbara Windsor frequently kept her co-stars in check during her time on the BBC soap.
And it wasn’t just the younger cast members she would keep in line, either, with Dominic recalling a confrontation between Dame Barbara and Dot Cotton star June Brown.
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Speaking to Radio Times, he revealed: “Barbara was the best executive producer EastEnders never had.
“She was so sharp, she knew the audience, and kept actors young and old in check.
“Once, June Brown shouted at us from her dressing room window, ‘Your storylines are shit.’ Barbara grabbed her, brought her upstairs and told her to apologise.”
Dame Barbara Windsor and June Brown BBC/Shutterstock
He also told of an incident in which the Peggy Mitchell actor told off her on-screen nieces Samantha Womack and Rita Simons for wearing Ugg boots behind the bar of the Queen Vic, even though their feet were completely out of shot.
Dominic worked with Dame Barbara on several of her biggest EastEnders storylines, most notably the plot which saw her character taking her own life in 2016.
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Dominic Treadwell-Collins Emma McIntyre via Getty Images
The showbiz legend died earlier this month at the age of 83, six years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Dame Barbara devoted her final years in the public eye to raising awareness of dementia, and last year met with prime minister Boris Johnson to discuss reforms to dementia care in the UK.
Since her death, a fundraiser in Dame Barbara’s name has already accrued more than £100,000 in donations, with proceeds going towards Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Read Dominic Treadwell-Collins’ full interview in the new issue of Radio Times.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--Michael Gove Says Schools Will Reopen Next Month But Scientists Are Reportedly Advising Against It

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Michael Gove has said the government hopes the staggered reopening of schools in England will go ahead as planned, despite reports that scientists have recommended they should all be closed to prevent coronavirus infections surging.
The Cabinet Office minister said he was confident primary school pupils and Year 11 and Year 13 pupils in England would be able to return in the first week of January, with the rest going back later in the month.
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Speaking to Sky News, he said: “Our plan is that primary schools will go back but with secondary schools only children in years 11 and 13 – that’s those doing their GCSEs, their BTECs, their A-levels – those will go back.
“And also, children of key workers and those that are vulnerable and need support and care that school can provide.
“Other children in secondary schools won’t go back until a week after that.”
The commitment comes as it was reported the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has recommended all secondary schools remain closed in January.
According to Politico, the body advised that the R rate might be kept below 1 if schools stay closed in January and that closing secondary schools would have a bigger impact than shutting primary schools.
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Officials from Downing Street and the Department for Education are due to discuss the issue on Monday.
Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT, wrote to the Education Secretary on Monday demanding further action on school safety.
The letter calls for Gavin Williamson to allow schools to move to remote learning for all pupils, except those deemed to be vulnerable or the children of key workers, in the highest tier areas.
“Delaying the return of pupils to schools and colleges at the start of the spring term will also enable all school and college employers to undertake and consult as required on new risk assessments and ensure that they can be compliant with any new measures or requirements contained in any forthcoming national guidance,” it says.
It comes amid rising concern of a new virus variant that has been spreading rapidly around London and southern England and has now been detected in France and Spain.
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Scientists have suggested that the mutated coronavirus strain could more easily infect children.
Gove did acknowledge the schools situation could change.
“We always keep things under review but teachers and head teachers have been working incredibly hard over the Christmas period since schools broke up in order to prepare for a new testing regime – community testing – in order to make sure that children and all of us are safer,” he told Sky News.
“We do keep things under review but that is the plan.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--The Crown's Olivia Colman Explains Why She Won't Be Offering Advice To Imelda Staunton

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The Crown star Olivia Colman has explained why she won’t be reaching out to her successor Imelda Staunton to offer any tips on playing the Queen.
After two seasons at the helm of the royal Netflix drama, Oscar winner Olivia is now set to hand over the throne to Imelda, who will play Queen Elizabeth II for the last two series of The Crown.
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In a new interview with Radio Times, Olivia insisted she won’t be offering any advice on the role to Imelda, claiming her replacement will “do it all much better than me” on her own.
Olivia Colman at the Oscars earlier this year Craig Sjodin via Getty Images
“Me? I haven’t spoken to Imelda and I wouldn’t dare offer any advice about playing the Queen,” Olivia said.
“Imelda is extraordinary and she’s going to do it all much better than me. I can’t wait to watch what she does.”
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In a recent interview with co-star Emma Corrin shared on Netflix’s YouTube page, Olivia was asked “what advice would you give to the next actor to play the Queen”, to which she responded: “I wouldn’t. It’s Imelda Staunton. Imagine me giving her advice.”
Imelda Staunton S Meddle/ITV/Shutterstock
She did reveal in the same video that she’d reached out to her predecessor, Claire Foy, before signing up for the role, who told her: “[The Crown] is the happiest job… you get really looked after, it’s lovely, do it.”
For the forthcoming series of The Crown, Imelda will be joined by Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip and Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, taking over from Tobias Menzies and Helena Bonham-Carter, respectively.
Elizabeth Debicki will succeed Emma Corrin as Princess Diana in the new series, while Dominic West has been heavily tipped to be playing Prince Charles, a role currently played by Josh O’Connor.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--Jessie J Reveals She Spent Christmas Eve In Hospital Due To Meniere's Disease

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Jessie J has revealed she spent Christmas Eve in hospital this year after contracting Meniere’s disease.
The chart-topping singer told fans she woke up on Thursday morning unable to hear in one ear due to the condition, which can cause hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo.
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As things worsened, Jessie said that she “couldn’t walk in a straight line”, and was taken to hospital in Los Angeles.
She told her fans in an Instagram live-stream (via The Sun): “I woke up and felt like I was completely deaf in my right ear, couldn’t walk in a straight line.
“Basically I got told I had Meniere’s syndrome. I know that a lot of people suffer from it and I’ve actually had a lot of people reach out to me and give me great advice, so I’ve just been laying low in silence.”
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Jessie went on to say that she was happy to have gone to hospital at the time she did, as she has since been given medication that’s made her feel better.
“Now’s the first time I’ve been able to sing and bear it. I just miss singing so much and being around anyone,” she added.
“It could be way worse, it is what it is. I’m super-grateful for my health. It just threw me off.”
Jessie J at a Grammys after-party earlier this year Araya Diaz via Getty Images
Jessie – who recently ended her relationship with on-off boyfriend Channing Tatum – is best known for hits like Price Tag, Do It Like A Dude and Domino.
Earlier this year, she returned to the judging panel of The Voice UK, where she joined the reality show’s junior spin-off.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--'Disruption', Roaming Charges And Expensive Health Insurance – What Brexit Will Bring On Friday

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Brits have been warned to expect disruption and added costs if they travel to the EU in the new year when Brexit transition period ends on Thursday.
Despite failing to mention them in the run up to the 2016 referendum, Michael Gove is now urging UK citizens to take out comprehensive travel insurance to cover health costs and check their mobile roaming policies to avoid charges if they are travelling to the EU.
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UK travellers have previously been able to rely on the European Health Insurance Card, and have avoided roaming charges thanks to a ban throughout the EU.
But the Brexit trade deal brokered this week does not allow for Brits to keep either of these advantages.
Gove also warned businesses that the time is “very short” to make the final preparations before the UK begins trading with its biggest trading partner and minimise what he said would amount to “some disruption”.
“In just three days’ time the Brexit transition period will end and we will have finally regained our independence,” he added.
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Conservative grandee Lord Heseltine urged MPs and peers to abstain when voting on Boris Johnson’s trade deal, warning it will inflict “lasting damage” on the UK.
The former deputy prime minister said he will “in no way share the endorsement of the legislation”, but that he will not vote against it because the consequences of a no-deal would be even graver.
The IPPR think tank warned that the “weaker than expected” protections in the treaty leaves workers’ rights and environmental protections at risk of erosion.
But the PM denied the UK would regress on workers’ rights and environmental standards, two issues both sides have committed to uphold in the deal.
“All that’s really saying is the UK won’t immediately send children up chimneys or pour raw sewage all over its beaches. We’re not going to regress, and you’d expect that,” he told the Sunday Telegraph.
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Brexit deal leaves workers’ rights & environmental protections at serious risk of erosion, new IPPR paper warns today
It's better than ‘no deal’ but leaves wide scope for key rights and duties to be rolled back in UK
Read full @MarleyAMorris analysis👇https://t.co/8pAchTR2Co — IPPR (@IPPR) December 27, 2020
The PM did acknowledge that the treaty “perhaps does not go as far as we would like” over access to EU markets for financial services.
A hasty analysis of the treaty secured on Christmas Eve began in earnest when it was published in full on Boxing Day – less than a week before its implementation.
The self-styled “star chamber” of lawyers led by veteran Eurosceptic MP Sir Bill Cash and assembled by the European Research Group of Tory Brexiteers was expected to reveal its verdict on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, the post-Brexit trade deal will mean fishermen will be left “absolutely worse off”, the chairman of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations has said.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--RuPaul's Drag Race UK Announces New Celebrity Guests, Including Natalie Cassidy

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RuPaul’s Drag Race UK has announced a new bunch of celebrity guests set to appear on the upcoming second series.
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In the lead-up to the series’ return, the BBC has confirmed a number of other star guests who’ll be helping the 12 queens as they’re put through their paces with various challenges.
Among them are long-serving EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy, who will be giving the queens an “acting masterclass”.
"Turning looks, stunting pretty, she's the trumpeter from Walford city..." Karwai Tang via Getty Images
Natalie said: “I love the show. I love its boldness, its brassiness, and it’s sassiness. I was really thrilled to be part of it… it’s good fun and it’s just what we need right now.
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“As ever the talent is amazing and fabulous. There is so much creativity and humour and good fun from what I’ve seen. Exactly the sort of thing we need to cheer us all up - long live Drag Race.”
Also putting in an appearance will be choreographer Jay Revell – who has previously worked with stars like Little Mix, Liam Payne and Kesha – and UK drag legend Jodie Harsh.
Drag Race All Star Raven, who now does makeup for RuPaul herself, will also be sharing her expertise with the new batch of queens.
Raven is reowned for her makeup ability throughout the world of drag Tasia Wells via Getty Images
Raven teased: “These queens are coming for royal blood!
“Every year the calibre of talent surpasses the previous year. These queens came to win. Win big and prove they are the beat of the best. A lot of heart and soul and a lot of laughs. Crafty bitches!”
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Drag Race UK will be back on our screens on Thursday 14 January, airing at the same time as the new US season for the first time.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--Fishermen 'Worse Off' And 'Betrayed' By Boris Johnson's Post-Brexit Trade Deal

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Despite being one of the main sticking points in negotiations, the post-Brexit trade deal will mean fishermen will be left “absolutely worse off”, the chairman of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations has said.
Andrew Locker said the industry had been “betrayed” by Boris Johnson, who has delivered a “fraction of what we were promised”.
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“We are going to really, really struggle this year.”
Speaking to the BBC’s Today programme, he added: “I am angry, disappointed and betrayed. Boris Johnson promised us the rights to all the fish that swim in our exclusive economic zone and we have got a fraction of that.
“We are absolutely worse off. When we were within the EU we used to trade fish with the EU. We used to swap things we didn’t use with fish that they didn’t use and that enabled us to put together an annual fishing plan.
“What we have got now is a fraction of what we were promised through Brexit.”
PA
The comments echo those from chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisation (NFFO), Barrie Deas, who accused Johnson of having “bottled it” on fishing quotas to secure only “a fraction of what the UK has a right to under international law”.
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Deas said the PM had “sacrificed” fishing to other priorities, with the subject proving to be an enduring sticking point during negotiations.
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove rejected claims that Britain’s fishermen will be worse off as a result of the post-Brexit trade deal.
“I don’t accept that. I think it is fair to say that we are in a stronger position than we were in the EU and in the common fisheries policy,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
“In the common fisheries policy we were only able to access about 50% of the fish in our waters. It is the case that we are now getting a significant uptick in that number, so we will have by 2026 about two-thirds of the fish in our waters.
“This staged process gives us a chance to increase the size of the fleet, to invest in our coastal communities, and, of course, in due course we will have that opportunity to increase that quota even further.”
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From a purely economic standpoint, the intense haggling over fishing rights seems a bit odd – even when combined with fish and shellfish processing, the sector makes up 0.1% of Britain’s GDP.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-28--The 12 Absolute Worst Takes Of The Absolute Worst Year In Living Memory

Congratulations for making it to the final stages of what can only be described as a truly, truly naff year chock full of truly, truly naff takes.
The only thing worse than the events of 2020 was the execrable quality of the commentary offered up by politicians, journalists and random self-appointed public health experts who’ve never achieved a science qualification in their life.
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Here are the claims that either made us do a double-take straightaway or have aged extremely badly. Or, in some cases, both.
January
Ah, January. Remember January? You may have had some lovely plans for the year. A holiday, perhaps, or a career change. Maybe even just a vague idea you were going to make an effort to spend more time with your loved ones.
This is going to be a fantastic year for Britain. pic.twitter.com/dLQUVauCKg — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 2, 2020
Just under 12 months later, the UK would be cut off from Europe, Brits were banned from entering pretty much everywhere and “Plague Island” was trending on Twitter.
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I don't much like being stuck on #PlagueIsland with the
lads from Lord of the Flies in charge. — Jen 🐇😷 (@Jennyflower) December 20, 2020
February
The second entry for the year is from.... oh, no, it’s us.
Back in early February, HuffPost UK asked the question: “How bad is coronavirus?”
With hindsight the answer is clearly “monumentally, world-changingly bad on every level imaginable”, but on February 11, when we penned this piece, it wasn’t clear just how terrible things were going to get.
Here are a couple of lines from that piece:
“The [global] death toll from the coronavirus has risen to 1,018, and there are now 43,106 confirmed infections worldwide.”
“Four more patients in England tested positive for coronavirus on Monday, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to eight, and two GP surgery branches in Brighton have been shut following an outbreak in the city.”
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Looking back it’s almost quaint that we were discussing the closure of individual GP surgeries when just weeks later huge emergency Nightingale hospitals were being built to deal with the expected surge in patient numbers and the collapse of the entire NHS was a very real possibility.
The worldwide number of cases back then was only around two-thirds of the total number of deaths in the UK alone now.
To be fair, we did add that there was “quite the global crisis on the boil” but yes, we admit, this doesn’t really do the scale of the pandemic justice.
March
March was when stuff got real. The UK recorded its first death from the disease on the 5th. By the 24th, the total was 422 and the UK went into full lockdown.
But there was a silver lining. Well, according to former Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, there was. That silver lining was the “return of the bow and curtsy”.
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“A handshake can be an awkward thing – a clumsy, clammy grapple. But a woman breathes something of herself into her curtsy. She can make the gesture demure or haughty, coy or brazen. She can dip perfunctorily or sweep into a balletic plié. She can swish her skirts alluringly or bob coldly.”
No, we haven’t accidentally copied and pasted a line from a Jane Austen novel. Hannan – who was once known as the “Brain of Brexit” – actually wrote these words, which were published in The Telegraph on March 15 when the UK death toll stood at 21.
I've been on strong painkillers for three days now with no end in sight so I'm just going to assume I'm hallucinating as the alternative is too terrifying to contemplate pic.twitter.com/CB5pVOqCGQ — Jonn Elledge (@JonnElledge) March 15, 2020
Mind you, Hannan isn’t exactly known for his searing, on-point analysis of... well, anything, really.
You think Churchill was a racist? Just wait till you hear about the guy he defeated. — Daniel Hannan (@DanielJHannan) October 13, 2018
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Here's an unpopular opinion on the #Windrush affair. You could say, the system worked. A newspaper unearthed a scandal (well done @ameliagentleman). Pundits & politicians unanimously decried the injustice. Ministers listened and changed policy. That's what's meant to happen, no? — Daniel Hannan (@DanielJHannan) April 16, 2018
April
One depressingly reassuring constant of 2020 has been that no matter how weird and terrible things were here in the UK, you just had to look to the US for a sense of “yup, things could be much worse”.
We had our fair share of anti-lockdown protests but in typical fashion the Americans did them bigger and... better?
Here’s an astounding example from April – a couple in a massive SUV screaming in defence of their democratic right to spread a deadly virus at an actual frontline health worker who they’re accusing of being a “communist” who should “go to China”. All because he’s trying to save their lives.
This video of a nurse who is on the frontlines of this pandemic being told to “go to China” has gotta be the most insane thing I’ve seen on Twitter dot com in the 11 years I’ve been on this platform. And I used to report ISIS accounts for a living.pic.twitter.com/5E4Hi6P7DR — Mari Manoogian (@MariManoogian) April 20, 2020
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May
At the beginning of lockdown, the government’s message was very clear – “stay home”. See, can’t get much clearer than that.
But when restrictions began to be eased in May, they faced a bit of a problem. You can’t “stay home... a bit”.
So they came up with a brand new catchphrase – “stay alert, control the virus, save lives”.
How we were supposed to stay alert to a microscopic and invisible virus wasn’t explained, leading to much, much confusion.
But at least Boris Johnson’s take on public safety advice gave rise to one of the funniest things of 2020: Matt Lucas’s glorious piss-take.
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June
Toby Young has so much to say about coronavirus that he started his own newsletter called Lockdown Sceptics where various people have gathered to tell each other that the biggest global health emergency in modern times is all a big fuss about nothing.
Unfortunately, the former government adviser – who was forced to quit his role in 2018 when people realised he’d spent years saying grossly offensive things – hasn’t got anything right so far.
One of his most monumental gaffes came in June, when he wrote: “I’m going to go out on a limb and predict there will be no ‘second spike’ – not now, and not in the autumn either.
“The virus has melted into thin air. It’s time to get back to normal.”
We’ll just leave this chart here...
Covid hospitals PA Media
As Hugo Rifkind eloquently put it...
We all make mistakes. But if I had zero scientific qualifications and had confidently predicted in a national newspaper in summer that there would be no 2nd wave, "not now and not in the autumn, either" then I might be inclined to wonder what the fuck I was doing with my life. — Hugo Rifkind (@hugorifkind) October 15, 2020
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July
There were some positive aspects of 2020, not least the huge increase in reach and influence of the Black Lives Matter movement – albeit sparked by the most tragic of events.
But in keeping with the general tone of the year, there were also many bad takes.
Our July entry comes from the Museum of the Home in Hackney, London, which in the wake of the renewed Black Lives Matter protests, asked the local community what should be done with the statue of its slave trader founder that stands above its main entrance.
EMPICS Entertainment
The museum’s board of trustees decided to “acknowledge the legacy of colonialism and slavery within our history” and asked people for their views.
Then it ignored them.
The Museum of the Home announced its decision in a press release in which it acknowledged that “overall, the response [of the public consultation] was in favour of removing the statue”.
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It added: ”However, feedback showed that what to do with the statue is a complex debate, full of nuance and different opinions.
“On balance the board has taken the view that the important issues raised should be addressed through ongoing structural and cultural change, along with better interpretation and conversation around the statue.”
“Black lives clearly don’t matter to that board of trustees,” singer, activist and Hackney resident Jermain Jackman told HuffPost UK at the time. “They clearly had their own agenda. I’m completely gobsmacked.”
Hackney is one of the most diverse places in the country. Known for its cultural and Black history with links to Windrush
For a museum in this same borough to refuse to remove a slave trader statue despite the majority of response saying otherwise is disgusting and unacceptable https://t.co/UQQ824Fcfr — JermainJackman🇬🇾 (@JermainJackman) July 29, 2020
August
2020 peaked in August as the government allowed something close to normality to resume.
The flagship programme was the Eat Out To Help Out scheme, which saw individuals and families encouraged to eat out at discounted rates following the national lockdown.
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Chancellor Rishi Sunak even popped down to his local Wagamama to dish out a few meals as we were all encouraged to help get the hospitality sector back on its feet.
Great to pop down to @wagamama_uk after the statement today.
They’ve already bought more than 2,000 staff back from furlough and will be one of the many restaurants to benefit from the VAT cut and ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ vouchers. pic.twitter.com/6DF08iuDYv — Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) July 8, 2020
Treasury figures show more than 100m meals were eaten under the scheme, which gave diners a 50% state-backed discount up to a maximum of £10, on meals every Monday to Wednesday.
But just a month later Warwick University research suggested the scheme may have been responsible for between 8 and 17% of all new detected clusters of coronavirus emerging during August and into early September in the UK.
September
In September, the UK government hired famed raw onion chomper Tony Abbott to assist with Brexit trade deals, a man so bad at his previous job he was ousted by his own party.
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While serving on the frontline of Australian politics, Abbott opposed same-sex marriage as “political correctness”, said he was “a bit threatened” by gay people and claimed women are “physiologically unsuited to leadership”. Oh, and that raw onion thing? Just watch this...
Just a normal day between the Gizmodo Australia and UK editors where I am explaining the Tony Abbott onion situation to @tepritchard
"What the fuck, was the skin on?"
A great question, Tom. Yes. pic.twitter.com/eaHNakfv0K — Tegan Jones on Hols 🏝⛰🚘📚🕹 (@Tegan_Writes) August 25, 2020
So where’s September’s bad take in all of this? That came from Matt Hancock who in an interview with Kay Burley brushed off all of the above by saying: “Well, er, he’s also an expert in trade.”
'Is Tony Abbott the right person to represent us - even if he's a homophobic misogynist?' - @KayBurley
Health Secretary @MattHancock says the former Australian PM is "also an expert in trade" and denies the claims.
Follow #KayBurley live: https://t.co/Qj88d3ncEp pic.twitter.com/ELhm8PzXAo — Sky News (@SkyNews) September 3, 2020
Burley reeled off a list of Abbott’s previous comments, but Hancock responded: “As far as I understand it the proposal is that Mr Abbott supports the UK on trade policy, which is an area in which he’s got a huge amount of expertise.
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“I bow to nobody in my support for everybody to love who they love, whoever that is, as you know and as we’ve talked about a lot, but we need to have the best experts in the world working in their field and as the former prime minister of Australia obviously Mr Abbott’s got a huge amount of experience.”
October
While Jeremy Corbyn has seen his standing decrease over the year, his brother Piers has been on a meteoric rise, albeit in a very niche segment of the population.
The 73-year-old has spent most weekends speaking at a series of anti-lockdown and Covid-sceptic rallies, one of the largest of which was held in Trafalgar Square in October.
Speaking to the crowd he attempted to explain away the pandemic, saying: “I’m often asked: ‘Is there a deadly virus and, if not, how are people getting ill and dying?’
“Well, one, they make up the numbers and they tell us lies. There has been a flu around which, you know, people get.
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“And the other thing is increased wi-fi, 4G and 5G. It’s a proven fact 5G and 4G and 3G does lower your immune systems. So, when they turn it up, some of you will get ill. And that will be used to increase the so-called Covid numbers.”
SIPA USA/PA Images
He went on: “They also claim that they found the virus even though they haven’t seen it. And then they said they’ve even got a vaccine for it. A vaccine for something they can’t see. Well, that no one can see. “They say [...] they’ve seen a genome sequence in a dish and that could be the virus. Now, that argument is bananas. “I’m not going to go into the details of that, but that is the point. It is not an honest scientific method. They are just conning you.” Like all viruses, the coronavirus is very small and cannot be seen by the naked eye. There are thousands of studies proving it exists.
November
We’ll keep this one short.
I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2020
December
If you’re not familiar with Paul Joseph Watson, he’s a 38-year-old British man who made a name for himself writing about conspiracy theories for the right-wing US website Infowars.
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He now spends his days on Twitter engaged in a bizarre quest to prove he’s not gay even though no one cares whether he is or not.
Also we have no understanding of what this is about.
Basically, if you’re a man who wears a mask, you’re broadcasting the fact that you have been fucked in the ass by your girlfriend. And that is not something to be proud of. — Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) December 16, 2020
Bad take alert. But the best part of this torrid saga was the unexpected intervention of Edwina Currie, her of 1988 egg scandal fame and former mistress of John Major, who gave what could very possibly be a salacious insight into the affair of the 1980s.
Idiot. Try it, you might enjoy it. https://t.co/sjjnAuYivN — Edwina Currie (@Edwina_Currie) December 16, 2020