thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--‘Long Covid’ Damaged My Body. But It Destroyed My Mental Health

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With the coronavirus crisis now in its tenth month, we’re starting to hear stories from people who, like me, are living with ‘long Covid’.
Telling our stories is incredibly important. Not only does it give researchers a steer on what they should study to understand the long-term impacts of this virus, but, in my case, I want to provide a feeling of hope to others suffering. I want people to know it can get better.
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I first came down with a nasty virus in mid-March. By day four, we called an ambulance; I had constant dizziness and body pains, and felt as though I was falling through my bed. However, the paramedics insisted I didn’t have Covid as I didn’t present the symptoms back then they were looking for (difficulty breathing and loss of taste or smell), and cautioned me about being taken into hospital, which were starting to become overrun.
Then the company I’d recently started at announced they had to close the London office indefinitely due to the pandemic. The shock, coupled with my symptoms, hit me with an avalanche of stress. Proper stress.
Facing a pandemic and a recession, the doom I felt was so intense I could scarcely breathe. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, my aunt was diagnosed with cancer, my uncle died, and I lost my beloved cat. Over the next seven months my symptoms would relapse five times. At the most extreme, I felt like I was dying – How I imagine being poisoned while being electrocuted would feel.
Through this actual nightmare that seemed never to end, my symptoms continued in surging waves. The worst was the dizziness, that no amount of lying down would stop. Sharp searing pains throughout my nervous system rendered me immobile, with skull-crushing headaches and strange burning sensations throughout my legs. Desperate for relief and help, frustratingly nobody could find anything physically wrong.
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“I found a Facebook group for people suffering like me, and finally felt like I wasn’t alone. But reading their stories terrified me. Nobody was recovering.”
To my dismay, they suggested it was all in my head. But I knew they were wrong. The Covid antibody test had just become available, and I decided to take it. The result was positive. I’d had Covid all along – and felt certain these symptoms were some kind of long-lasting effect.
I found a Facebook group for people suffering like me, and finally felt like I wasn’t alone. But reading their stories terrified me. Nobody was recovering. I began to fall into a deep depression. How would I be able to take care of my young son? How would I work or provide for my family? The guilt and sense of utter uselessness was so torturous that at times I will admit, suicide entered my mind. It was clear though, the physical symptoms were creating the mental anxiety, not the other way around.
My partner Emma was immense. She took care of me, our son, all the mundane chores, while holding down a busy job. Lockdown meant we couldn’t easily get family support, but my mother gave me hope and advice by trawling through medical papers from around the world as they were published. Doctors were now revealing they too were suffering from the same condition. The medical world had to start taking cases like mine seriously.
I knew we were still learning so much more about this virus, and what ‘long Covid’ really is. Being well enough to work and provide was weighing heavily. But I was determined to have purpose; to feel useful again. So, I simply couldn’t give up.
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“After months of suffering, and trying everything, my body began to feel a surge of sudden energy, like a long-lost friend. Hope had returned.”
In a desperate state, weak and debilitated, I sought alternative remedies. I tried a combination of Chinese medicine, a nutritionist, techniques in calming the nervous system, regular meditation, acupuncture and even sessions with a prominent healer. After months of suffering, and trying everything, my body began to feel a surge of sudden energy, like a long-lost friend.
Hope had returned.
Seven months on, I have started work and am back into the full swing of things. The word ‘gratitude’ is so overused. But I am grateful. My job is part of who I am, and I find some solace in being able to enact that part of my identity.
Virtually all my physical symptoms have gone. I hope this is permanent. The mental scars still remain, so I don’t take my health for granted. I’ve given up alcohol, coffee and eat a healthy diet. I’m beginning to return to regular exercise and maintain the ritual of daily meditation. Looking after my mind and body, means I can take care of my family.
Long Covid has changed my perspective. Yes, it destroyed my mental health, but it forced me to reappraise my focus, direction, identity and capacity. It’s been a tough year, but an opportunity to rethink who you are doesn’t come around often.
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That, at least, is something else I can be grateful for.
Dominic Goldman is executive creative director at Above+Beyond


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-06--Millwall Fans 'Spreading Hatred' By Booing Players For Taking A Knee

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Millwall Football Club has said it is “dismayed and saddened” after its players were booed by fans for taking a knee at a match on Saturday.
The long-awaited home game against Derby County at The Den in south-east London saw supporters back in the stadium for the first time since February 29.
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But it was “completely overshadowed” when some of the 2,000 home crowd were heard booing the teams for taking a knee in support of the fight against racial discrimination.
In a statement released on Sunday, Millwall said it was ”dismayed and saddened by events which marred Saturday’s game.”
“The club has worked tirelessly in recent months to prepare for the return of supporters and what should have been a positive and exciting occasion was completely overshadowed, much to the immense disappointment and upset of those who have contributed to those efforts,” it said.
“The impact of such incidents is felt not just by the players and management, but by those who work throughout the club and in its Academy and Community Trust, where so many staff and volunteers continue passionate endeavours to enhance Millwall’s reputation day after day, year after year.
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“The club will not allow their fine work to be in vain.”
Millwall defender Mahlon Romeo later accused fans of “spreading hatred” and said the incident had left him feeling “the lowest I’ve felt in my time at this club”.
In an interview after the game, Romeo told the South London Press: “Today’s game, to me now, has become irrelevant. The fans have been let back in - which the whole team was looking forward to. But in society there is a problem - and that problem is racism.
“The fans who have been let in today have personally disrespected not just me but the football club. And what the football club and the community stand for. What they’ve done is booed and condemned a peaceful gesture which was put in place to highlight, combat and stop any discriminatory behaviour and racism. That’s it - that’s all that gesture is.”
Ryan Woods of Millwall takes the knee during the Sky Bet Championship match between Millwall and Derby County at The Den on Saturday. Jacques Feeney via Getty Images
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He continued: “I’m speaking on behalf of myself here – not any of the other players – I want to make that very clear. This is the first time I feel disrespected. Because you have booed and condemned a peaceful gesture which – and it needs repeating – was put in place to highlight, combat and tackle any discriminatory behaviour and racism in general.
“I’m almost lost for words. I don’t know how they thought that would make me feel. I don’t know what they thought taking a knee stood for. But I think I’ve explained it simply enough. I feel really low – probably the lowest I’ve felt in my time at this club.
In response, the Millwall Supporters’ Club said it “fervently” believed that those who took part in the booing were not racist.
📑 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 - Derby County
Please read the attached statement from the official supporters’ club of #Millwall FC.
You can access it also via our website here ⬇https://t.co/G9iGw35apO pic.twitter.com/NUIj5LCQUs — Millwall Supporters’ Club (@TheMillwallFans) December 6, 2020
The incident has been also been condemned by the English Football League (EFL), Football Association (FA) and anti-racism charity Kick It Out, as well as by Derby interim boss Wayne Rooney.
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Environment secretary George Eustice was criticised for not denouncing the fans who booed the players, arguing that Black Lives Matter should be seen as a “political movement”.
Speaking to Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Eustice said: “My personal view is that Black Lives Matter – capital B, L and M – is actually a political movement that is different to what most of us believe in which is standing up for racial equality.
“Each individual can take their own choices about how they reflect this and I know a number of people feel quite strongly and have taken that approach.”
Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said Eustice’s comments were “disappointing”, tweeting: “These would be disappointing comments from anyone but a Cabinet Minister?
“The PM needs to make clear that this is not the Government’s view.”
Our response to today's incident at Millwall. pic.twitter.com/129BS270N0 — Kick It Out (@kickitout) December 5, 2020
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The Hope Not Hate campaign also responded to the cabinet secretary’s interview, tweeting: “Saying that ‘Black lives matter’ shouldn’t be controversial and the fact that it is to some says much about the scale of racism in Britain today.
“Footballers have shown leadership on this issue. Government ministers should try doing that too.”
Derbyshire Police confirmed a 25-year-old man has been arrested over “a number of comments of an abusive nature” made on Facebook during the Millwall match.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-06--Donald Trump Had One Job At His Rally And He Completely Messed It Up

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Donald Trump had one task he needed to accomplish at his first rally appearance since he lost the US presidential contest – boost Republican chances in a crucial run-off election next month.
Instead, the outgoing president spent most of Saturday evening repeating baseless claims of election fraud, attacked members of his own party and refused to acknowledge that come next month, he will be leaving the White House.
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“They cheated and they rigged our presidential election but we will still win it,” Trump said.
“And they’re going to try and rig this election too,” he told the crowd, who chanted “four more years!”
Appearing at a rally in Georgia, Republicans had hoped Trump would use his time to boost senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.
Republicans need one victory to maintain their Senate majority, and Democrats need a Georgia sweep to force a 50-50 Senate and position Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the tie-breaking majority vote.
The races will determine which party controls the US Senate. Democrats, who already have the majority in the House of Representatives, need to win both seats to control the Senate.
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If Republicans win one seat, they will retain their majority and be able to block much of Biden’s legislative agenda, Reuters reports.
Yet as soon as Air Force One landed in the state, it quickly became apparent Trump’s aim was to air his own complaints and stoke baseless doubts about the conduct of last month’s vote, rather than boost his party.
The president repeated his attacks on Republicans who have refused to back his claims, including Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp.
In a move unprecedented in modern US history, the Trump team has tried, without success, to get Republican-controlled legislatures in battleground states won by Biden to set aside the results and declare Trump the winner.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump phoned Kemp and pressured the governor on Twitter to take further steps to help him overturn the election results. Kemp has refused to do the president’s bidding.
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I will easily & quickly win Georgia if Governor @BrianKempGA or the Secretary of State permit a simple signature verification. Has not been done and will show large scale discrepancies. Why are these two “Republicans” saying no? If we win Georgia, everything else falls in place! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 5, 2020
In a tweet, Kemp said Trump also asked him to order an audit of signatures on absentee ballot envelopes in his state, a step he is not empowered to take because he has no authority to interfere in the electoral process on Mr Trump’s behalf.
Trump, though, vented his frustrations with on Twitter and at the rally. “Your people are refusing to do what you ask,” he complained, as if speaking with Kemp.
“What are they hiding? At least immediately ask for a Special Session of the Legislature. That you can easily, and immediately, do.”
At the rally, he took aim once again at Kemp, saying he could assure him victory “if he knew what the hell he was doing”.
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But you never got the signature verification! Your people are refusing to do what you ask. What are they hiding? At least immediately ask for a Special Session of the Legislature. That you can easily, and immediately, do. #Transparency https://t.co/h73ZfjrDt3 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 5, 2020
At the rally Trump also pulled out a piece of paper and read a list of his electoral achievements, including falsely asserting he won Georgia and the White House, PA Media reports.
Biden took the state by 12,670 votes and won a record 81 million votes nationally, but Trump continued to reiterate his unsubstantiated claims of fraud, despite his own administration assessing the election to have been conducted without any major issues.
Before the rally, Matt Towery, a former Georgia Republican legislator who is now a political analyst and pollster, said Trump could help if he praised the candidates, but warned:
“If he talks about them for 10 minutes and spends the rest of the time telling everyone how terrible Brian Kemp is, then it will only exacerbate things.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Will Boris Johnson's Happy Brexmas Pantomime Really Work?

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The stage is set, the orchestra is playing and the spotlight is being trained on the main players. But as Boris Johnson and Ursula Von Der Leyen prepare for their first face-to-face talks on a Brexit trade deal, you could be forgiven that this production will be more a Christmas panto than a serious power play.
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Is the whole UK-EU trade and security relationship hanging on by a thread? “Oh no it isn’t!” “Oh yes it is!’ Crucially of course, there are not one but two audiences watching and both the PM and the EU Commission president know they have to convince their own crowd they’ve won the day. The mark of a clever negotiation is allowing both sets of punters to go home with a smile on their face (or at least not as much of a frown as the other lot).
Pessimists will see the fact that Johnson and Von Der Leyen are having to meet in person on Wednesday as proof of just how far apart the UK and EU still are. Optimists with a more cynical bent may see the meeting instead as a choreographed device, not least because the EU knows Johnson needs a big, showy spectacle to hide any possible concessions he makes.
The PM has made a career out of portraying Brussels as the pantomime baddies and now he has a chance to finish off the performance. Similarly, some European leaders like Emmanuel Macron have recently benefited from attacking a perfidious Albion (or should that be perfidious Albino?) but may have to mute their mini-victories on fish or level playing field agreements.
Some on the EU side are wary of making more concessions on their side too, with the French in particular warning that a Brexit trade deal is for life, not just for a Christmas/New Year deadline imposed by London. The British panto tradition of boos, bawdiness and bad hair days may be met by more than a gallic shrug.
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The EU, like many Brits, are left wondering just which character will Johnson play? Sporting a blond mop and a team of ministers who aren’t a threat to him, Snow White and the Cabinet Dwarfs has been running in rep for a while. Johnson’s Mayor of London record showed he could pull off the Dick Whittington role too, while his thrusting-fiftysomething-new-father performance suggests we could see Peter Pan hanging from an Olympic zipwire.
Yet it seems the PM’s panto part of choice right now must surely be that old English folk tale, Jack and the Brexit Beanstalk. Critics think he traded his country’s services industry for a handful of magic Brexit beans. By contrast, his admirers can picture him bravely raiding the Brussels giant’s house, nicking back the golden egg-laying hen and then chopping down the ties that used to bind Britain to the EU. All the while, shouting “She’s behind you!”
It’s true that there is unease among several Tory backbench Brexiteers that they may be being taken for a ride (the Chamberlain/Churchill meme is back), and that Johnson is preparing to give ground in key areas before dressing the whole thing up as a victory (just as he famously did in agreeing a border in the Irish Sea last year, before renouncing it later). There was something distinctly fishy about the way the PM held a photocall with a fishmonger in Uxbridge rather than a trawler in Grimsby today.
But with Keir Starmer never likely to oppose any deal (and in fact to my eye very likely to back one), Johnson can afford a few Conservative hardline rebels. Never forget that Brussels can count, and they can count what an in-built majority the government has without that Labour opposition.
No, if there is a deal to be done or not done, it will come down ultimately to Johnson. Yes there will be sherpas and officials, but this on him. He is the one who can authorise concessions or can stand firm. It may even be that in this Zoom-focused age of ours, the small talk in the margins, the back-and-forth of a real, live meeting could swing this momentous decision.
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More than four years after his own central performance arguably delivered the Vote Leave cause, a year after his election victory built on getting Brexit ‘done’, Johnson must be relishing another stint in the limelight.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--MPs Again Back Boris Johnson's Plan To Break International Law On Brexit

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Boris Johnson is on collision course with the House of Lords after Tory MPs reaffirmed his Brexit plan to break international law.
The Commons agreed to reinsert the controversial proposal back into the UK Internal Market Bill, kicking off a round of parliamentary “ping pong” with the upper chamber.
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No formal vote was needed as MPs agreed to nod through the change, without any opposition.
The Lords had gutted the legislation in recent weeks, inflicting some of the biggest government defeats of modern times.
Johnson has said that the plan is to break the law “in a limited and specific way”, claiming that the bill would act as a “safety net” if the UK disagreed with the EU over links between Britain and Northern Ireland.
But it has been roundly condemned by Brussels as a breach of trust, by Tory Brexiteers like former leader Lord Howard and by US president-elect Joe Biden.
In a bid to pave the way for a possible deal on UK-EU trade, the government said on Monday that it could actually ditch the plan from the bill if there was progress in talks in Brussels.
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The Commons vote means that there will be a prolonged battle this week with peers, who are expected on Wednesday to stand firm and again tell ministers to dump any clauses that break international law.
MPs were preparing to overturn all of the Lords amendments, including separate legislative moves to protect devolved powers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Commons voted with large majorities to reintroduce moves to give ministers the power to override the Brexit divorce deal if required and to allow Westminster to have the final say over some policies contested by devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The UK Internal Market Bill sets out the way that trade within the UK will work once it is outside the EU’s single market and customs union.
During the debate, business minister Paul Scully explained the government wants to retain these clauses in their current form in the bill until discussions with the EU “have successfully concluded”.
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He also confirmed the government would be prepared to remove or deactivate three of the clauses if solutions are agreed to during talks with the EU.
Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband said the offer sounded like the “beginnings of the grinding of the wheels of the climbdown”.
“Three months of posturing, undermining our reputation in the world, and today an hour before the debate begins we see some preparations maybe for the brakes being applied before we go over the cliff.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Boris Johnson And Ursula Von Der Leyen To Meet In Brussels In Bid To Salvage Brexit Deal

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Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are to meet in Brussels in a last-ditch attempt to salvage a Brexit deal after admitting “conditions for finalising an agreement are not there”.
They said in a joint statement that they have asked their chief negotiators to “prepare an overview of the remaining differences” in post-Brexit trade talks to be “discussed in person in the coming days”.
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The statement from UK prime minister and his EU counterpart read: “As agreed on Saturday, we took stock today of the ongoing negotiations.
“We agreed that the conditions for finalising an agreement are not there due to the remaining significant differences on three critical issues: level playing field, governance and fisheries.
“We asked our Chief Negotiators and their teams to prepare an overview of the remaining differences to be discussed in a physical meeting in Brussels in the coming days.”
As senior government source told HuffPost UK: “Talks are in the same position now as they were on Friday.
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“We have made no tangible progress. It’s clear this must now continue politically.
“Whilst we do not consider this process to be closed, things are looking very tricky and there’s every chance we are not going to get there.”
With @BorisJohnson we took stock of the negotiations. The conditions for an agreement are not there due to remaining differences on critical issues.
We asked our Chief Negotiators to prepare an overview of the remaining differences to be discussed in person in the coming days. pic.twitter.com/rWCWlMz0dv — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 7, 2020
This evening I spoke with @EU_Commission President @vonderleyen.
We have asked our Chief Negotiators and their teams to prepare an overview of the remaining differences to be discussed in a physical meeting in Brussels in the coming days.
Full statement: https://t.co/NcB2Aq9j2Q pic.twitter.com/cj7bmibDa3 — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 7, 2020
Their second call in a little over 48 hours came after Michel Barnier and his UK counterpart Lord Frost spent the day talking in Brussels.
The negotiators spent the last week talking in London, but failed to break the deadlock – with issues remaining on fishing, governance and the so-called level-playing field.
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Downing Street said earlier on Monday that it was prepared to continue talks for “as long as we have time available”, though admitted time was in “very short supply”.
The comments appeared to be at odds with the EU’s chief negotiator Barnier, who reportedly told MEPs the deadline for talks succeeding is Wednesday.
The prime minister’s spokesman told a Westminster briefing: “Time is obviously in very short supply and we’re in the final stages, but we’re prepared to negotiate for as long as we have time available if we think an agreement is still possible.”
Meanwhile, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove met his counterpart on the UK-EU joint committee in Brussels, though the discussions are separate from the trade negotiations.
But in an olive branch to Brussels, the government said it was prepared to remove three controversial clauses from the UK Internal Market Bill relating to the Irish border.
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In a statement, the government said the UK and EU have “worked constructively together through the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee.
“Discussions continue to progress and final decisions are expected in the coming days. If the solutions being considered in those discussions are agreed, the UK government would be prepared to remove clause 44 of the UK Internal Market Bill, concerning export declarations.
“The UK government would also be prepared to deactivate clauses 45 and 47, concerning state aid, such that they could be used only when consistent with the United Kingdom’s rights and obligations under international law.”
If there is no deal by the end of the Brexit transition period at the end of the month, then Britain will leave the single market and the customs union and begin trading with the EU on World Trade Organisation terms, with the imposition of tariffs and quotas.
Before then it has to be ratified by both houses of parliament in the UK and the European Parliament as well as signed off by the EU leaders.
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There had been hopes that could happen at a two-day summit in the Belgian capital starting on Thursday – their final scheduled gathering of the year – but the timetable is looking increasingly tight.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--How Fart Jokes Took Over The Final Days Of Trump’s Presidency

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To say Rudy Giuliani is having a tough month would be understating things.
Donald Trump’s personal lawyer is currently in hospital recovering from coronavirus but even while on his sickbed his reputation continues to be eviscerated.
Ignoring the adage of not kicking a man while he’s down, Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen took the opportunity to lay into Giuliani on Twitter – mocking him for breaking wind during public testimony last week.
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Responding to a query as to who served as a better fixer to Trump, Cohen, now a vocal critic of the president, crowed: “The only thing Rudy Giuliani needs to fix is the skidmark he left on his underpants after he let one rip!”
The only thing @RudyGiuliani needs to fix is the skid mark he left in his underpants after he let one rip! https://t.co/VuqHo0ewNI — Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) December 7, 2020
For the record, Giuliani has let it be publicly known that he is “getting great care” and “recovering quickly” after being admitted to Georgetown University Medical Centre in Washington DC.
The 76-year-old, who has been spearheading the president’s fantastically unsuccessful effort to contest the election, had been testifying that he believed the vote count was flawed and that president-elect Joe Biden had not won the state of Michigan when his bodily function was unfortunately picked up on microphone.
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Thank you to all my friends and followers for all the prayers and kind wishes.
I’m getting great care and feeling good.
Recovering quickly and keeping up with everything. — Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) December 7, 2020
It was the farty cherry on an extremely crappy cake for Giuliani who had once gained acclaim as mayor of New York for steering the city through the September 11 attacks and aftermath.
His meteoric fall from grace has been nothing short of spectacular.
In October, Giuliani was unwittingly caught in what appeared to be a compromising position in British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s new film, a sequel to the 2006 Borat movie.
Hair dye or mascara malfunction: Rudy Giuliani SIPA USA/PA Images
In the film he is shown in a hotel room with Borat’s teenage daughter Tutar, played by actress Maria Bakalova, who is posing as a TV journalist and helps Mr Giuliani take off his microphone.
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He then lies back on the bed and appears to have his hands in his trousers, before Baron Cohen, dressed in lingerie, bursts in and says: “She’s 15, she’s too old for you, she’s my daughter.”
(1) The Borat video is a complete fabrication. I was tucking in my shirt after taking off the recording equipment.
At no time before, during, or after the interview was I ever inappropriate. If Sacha Baron Cohen implies otherwise he is a stone-cold liar. — Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) October 21, 2020
Giuliani defended his honour on twitter, insisting he was tucking his shirt in, and somehow linking the incident to his bid to expose “the criminality and depravity of Joe Biden and his family”.
Big press conference today in Philadelphia at Four Seasons Total Landscaping — 11:30am! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2020
Days later, Giuliani was derided for accidentally staging a press conference in the parking lot of Philadelphia’s Four Seasons Total Landscaping – a business located between a sex shop and a crematorium, and a far cry from the luxury hotel where Trump had tweeted that the event was meant to be held.
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Giuliani’s public humiliation was not complete, though.
There was more to come when he delivered a news conference about alleged election fraud – while dark liquid oozed from his sideburns and down both sides of his face.
The spectacle prompted Daily Show host Trevor Noah to muse publicly: “Was his brain shitting itself? You know your legal strategy is fucked up when even your hair starts crying about it.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Catherine O'Hara Wasn't Actually Home Alone Bosses' First Choice To Play Kevin's Mum

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Home Alone without Catherine O’Hara is almost unfathomable, but it turns out that it was nearly a reality.
It has been revealed that the Schitt’s Creek star wasn’t the first choice to play Kevin McCallister’s forgetful mum Kate in the classic 1990 Christmas film.
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In an interview with Metro, cinematographer Julio Macat has told of how Big star Elizabeth Perkins was originally touted for the role.
Catherine O'Hara played Macaulay Culkin on-screen mum in Home Alone 20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock
Julio – who is now actually married to Elizabeth, after they subsequently worked together on Miracle On 34th Street in 1994 – said: “My wife, Elizabeth Perkins, had a similar situation where she worked on a movie that also was very special. You know the movie, Big? She was the girlfriend, Susan.
“We hadn’t met yet and she filmed that movie almost a year before Home Alone. [Writer] John Hughes asked her to be the Catherine O’Hara role, and she wasn’t able to do it, she was busy.”
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Elizabeth Perkins was nearly cast as Kevin's mum Kate Rodin Eckenroth via Getty Images
This year marks 30 years since the release of the original Home Alone film, with Catherine recently celebrating the occasion with a special TikTok video.
She reprised her role to recreate the moment Kate realised she’s left Kevin at home again in Home Alone 2, and the result was absolutely incredible.
I can’t stop watching this pic.twitter.com/DNOJOQ1V3Y — Dec The Halls 🎄 (@Tweet_Dec) November 29, 2020
Catherine is currently riding a huge wave of success following her starring role in Schitt’s Creek, where she appeared as the iconic Moira Rose.
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The Canadian sitcom experienced an explosion in 2020 mainly thanks to a mixture of word of mouth during lockdown and its clean sweep at the Emmys, where Catherine picked up the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series gong.
Many fans have only just discovered the link between Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone this year, leaving many of their minds blown.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--UK Offers To Drop Law-Breaking Legislation In Olive Branch To EU

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The UK has offered to drop controversial law-breaking legislation that would allow Boris Johnson to breach the withdrawal agreement (WA) he signed to take the country out of the EU.
That is despite the fact that Johnson is still planning to write the law-breaking clauses back into the Internal Market Bill after their largely symbolic removal by the Lords last month.
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But in an apparent olive branch to the EU with separate negotiations on a trade deal going down to the wire, the UK offered to pull the clauses out again if “good progress” continued to be made in separate talks with Brussels on how the WA is put into practice.
Michael Gove was meeting Maros Sefcovic, his opposite number on the joint committee on implementing the WA, on Monday to try to find a way through the row.
A failure to do so would further anger Brussels and potentially blow up negotiations on a trade deal with just weeks left until the end of the transition period on December 31.
That is the date the UK is due to default to economically damaging World Trade Organisation terms for trade with the EU if an agreement cannot be reached.
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On a day of high Brexit drama, the UK’s chief negotiator David Frost is also in Brussels for talks with his counterpart Michel Barnier, who has set a Wednesday deadline for a trade deal.
The prime minister will meanwhile speak to European Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen on the telephone at 4pm on Monday, in what is being seen as a potential make-or-break moment for agreement.
Britain's chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove arrives at EU headquarters in Brussels on Monday ASSOCIATED PRESS
Britain's chief Brexit negotiator David Frost leaves a meeting with EU counterpart Michel Barnier on Monday KENZO TRIBOUILLARD via Getty Images
The row over the Internal Market Bill’s law-breaking clauses centre on the special status created in the WA for Northern Ireland, which will follow EU rules in some areas while the rest of the UK will not, in order to maintain an invisible border with the Republic of Ireland.
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This would also create a need for exit declarations on goods travelling between Northern Ireland and the UK mainland, which Johnson has previously opposed.
In defiance of this arrangement, the Internal Market Bill would give ministers the power to disapply the need for exit summary declarations for goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
It would also give ministers the power to decide what constitutes state subsidies for businesses in Northern Ireland, which also goes against the agreement Johnson signed with the EU.
The UK is meanwhile also offering to drop further law-breaking clauses expected in the taxation bill due for debate this week.
These would give ministers the power alone to decide what goods travelling between Great Britain and Northern Ireland are “at risk” of entering the EU, and so should be subject to checks.
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In a statement on the Gove-Sefcovic talks, the UK government said: “Discussions continue to progress and final decisions are expected in the coming days.
“If the solutions being considered in those discussions are agreed, the UK government would be prepared to remove clause 44 of the UK Internal Market Bill, concerning export declarations.
“The UK government would also be prepared to deactivate clauses 45 and 47, concerning state aid, such that they could be used only when consistent with the United Kingdom’s rights and obligations under international law.
“Good progress continues to be made regarding the decision as to which goods are ‘at risk’ of entering the EU market.
“Talks continue this afternoon.
“In the light of those discussions, the government will keep under review the content of the forthcoming taxation bill.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Lord Maginnis Suspended From Lords For 18 Months For Homophobia And Bullying

Lord Maginnis PA
A peer who shouted abuse at parliamentary security staff and called an MP who complained about it a “queer” has been suspended from parliament for at least 18 months.
On Monday, 408 peers backed the Lords conduct committee’s recommendation of an 18-month suspension for Lord Ken Maginnis for bullying and harassment, which included the use of homophobic language.
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Maginnis, former archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, and Lord Kilclooney, who was recently accused of being racist about Kamala Harris, were among the 24 peers who voted against suspension.
Independent Ulster unionist Maginnis, who sat as the UUP MP between 1983 and 2001, faces indefinite suspension until he engages with behaviour change training.
But the 82 year-old told BBC News he would not take part in any training, describing it as a “mockery”, sparking calls for him to become the first peer in history to be expelled from the Lords permanently.
Last night on @BBCScotNine Lord Maginnis confirmed he wouldn’t take part in any behaviour training. Not the contrition I or others are looking for. I will be seeking guidance on what this means but his appalling behaviour has no place in our politics👇https://t.co/SdAQh8wzaS — Hannah Bardell MP 🏴🏳🌈 (@HannahB4LiviMP) December 4, 2020
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The committee last week found that Maginnis had breached the Lords code of conduct by bullying both a security officer and SNP MP Hannah Bardell during an incident at one of parliament’s security gates when the peer was stopped for not having his entry pass.
Bardell later raised the incident in the Commons, describing it as “one of the worst cases of abuse of security staff I have seen”.
Speaking to HuffPost UK afterwards, Maginnis made homophobic remarks about Bardell, accusing her of seeking “cheap publicity” and trying to “score a few points” because he is opposed to gay marriage.
“Queers like Ms Bardell don’t particularly annoy me,” he added.
Lord Maginnis also described the security officer, Christian Bombolo, as “a little git” and a “jobsworth”, which the staff member said made him feel “humiliated and worthless”.
The committee found Maginnis’s comments about Bardell also breached the code of conduct because they “met the criteria for harassment associated with the protected characteristic of sexual orientation”.
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“The issue concerned in this case is not Lord Maginnis’s beliefs but his behaviour” - Lord Mance, chair of the conduct committee
Maginnis was also found guilty of harassing Labour MP Luke Pollard in a row following a meeting of the armed forces all party parliamentary group, where the peer accused Pollard of being the “worst chairman he had ever seen”.
Later in the evening Lord Maginnis sent an email to James Gray MP, the actual chair of the APPG, copied to a number of other parliamentarians, with the subject heading “Discrimination by Homos”.
In these emails he complained to Gray that Pollard had “deliberately not called” him despite acknowledging his indication of wishing to ask a question.
He described his exchange with Pollard after the meeting as one in which the MP had “threatened me with his ‘boyfriend’”.
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Lord Maginnis was also found guilty of harassing Labour MP Toby Perkins during another row over the incident in which the peer used homophobic language.
On Monday, Lord Mance said the conduct committee he chairs had doubled the Lords standards commissioner’s initial recommendation of a nine month suspension to 18 months because Maginnis showed a “complete lack of remorse”.
Lord Mance told peers before the vote: “We identified on Lord Maginnis’s part both an absence of any remorse and a complete lack of insight into the impact of his behaviour on in particular the victims of such behaviour.
“Lord Maginnis portrayed himself before us as a victim of a conspiracy by people who disapproved of his views and insisted that all his conduct had been provoked.
“He continued to refer to the claimants in a disobliging and sometimes offensive manner and he said that he was not in fact minded to accept either any training course or suspension.”
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Lord Mance added: “The issue concerned in this case is not Lord Maginnis’s beliefs but his behaviour.
“Lord Maginnisis entitled to hold the beliefs that he does and to express them freely in parliament or outside.
“But at the same time he is required to treat others with courtesy and respect and not to engage in what were here of repeated incidents of bullying and/or harassing misconduct.”
On Friday, Bardell wrote to the committee and the Lords commissioner for standards Lucy Scott-Moncrieff to ask what happens if Maginnis refuses to take behaviour change training.
She highlighted the BBC interview in which he “categorically stated he would not be undertaking any course of coaching” and described it as a “mockery”.
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“I’m sure others who have suffered at the hands of this man are keen to understand how long Lord Maginnis will be afforded to refuse the help he needs before a line is drawn and he is expelled from the House of Lords completely,” Bardell said.
“I believe it’s very important that I and the other complainers have a clear sense of what will happen after Monday and we are not left hanging for 18 months while Lord Maginnis continues to refuse any help.”
Here is a list of the 24 peers who voted against Maginnis’s suspension:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-07--Here Are The ‘Substantial’ Meals Brits Ordered In Pubs This Weekend

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Pubs across England prepared to serve more “substantial meals” than ever before this weekend as new rules in tiers one and two allowed them to open their doors again – provided punters ordered enough grub with their pints.
The humble Scotch egg hit headlines as politicians indulged in some well-seasoned debate over exactly what constitutes a proper pub ‘meal’.
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But did people take advantage of the loopholes over the weekend to keep pub bars and kitchens busy. The answer, it seems, is a meaty-eggy yes.
“They quite like the fact they can sit and it be a bit more leisurely,” says Dianne Irving, 52, of her newly returned customers. The publican from Carlisle manages three pubs in the city – The Howard Arms, The Crown Inn and The Milbourne Arms – which all saw a flurry of custom in the first weekend after lockdown. “People are coming in and spending time – taking time between courses.”
In south London, Mark Reynolds, 46, founder and director of The Three Cheers Pub Company, which runs The Avalon in Clapham, says his customers have also been noticeably indulgent. “There’s been a huge amount of pent-up demand and customers are just happy to be coming out,” he says.
Both pub companies operate similar food policies under the new rules, with customers asked to order two smaller dishes or a classic main if they want to consumer alcohol.
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“A proportion of customers are still trying to come in [just] for a drink and those people are ordering a scotch egg and a side. Obviously, those are not people who would generally order food in a pub,” says Reynolds.
“We saw a huge amount of sales of scotch eggs, sausages and sausage rolls – bar snack sales have gone through the roof.
Irving’s customers are also following the ‘two sides’ rule. “Chicken goujons, fish goujons, jalapeno bites, that kind of stuff,” she says. “We couldn’t justify a portion of jalapeno bites being a substantial meal. Well, could we or couldn’t we? Same with all the legislation and the nonsense that’s been going about!”
Despite the surge in sales of smaller items, Reynolds says the majority of his weekend diners ordered a main meal – and nearly all had pre-booked – “which in a lot of respect works very well for us,” he says. “We’re getting that extra spend, everyone’s sitting down, it’s all quite controlled.”
The picture was similar in Carlisle, where many regulars are getting into the Christmas spirit with a traditional sit-down dinner now it’s December.
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“This time of year people tend to treat themselves, so they are having two or three courses so they can also make an occasion of it,” says Irving. Only one customer had a “strop” and refused to order food, she says, and although most were ordering two sides, some diners were staying longer for a number or courses so they could space out their drinks – and ultimately fit more in.
STasker via Getty Images
Both publicans say they are less concerned by the surge in drinker-diners, as long as their kitchens can cater for them – and more worried for those regulars who traditionally prop up the bar with just a drink or two.
“You’re going to be putting off the boy that comes to the bar every day and has three or four pints and uses it as his social community, the place where he can come and see people: that is going,” laments Reynolds, who says the new ‘substantial meal’ policy is “obviously causing problems” for some. “I think a lot of people will just not come to the pub if you’re a regular who likes a pint.”
Irving agrees. “We have a lot of elderly customers come in, gentleman who live on their own, widowers, they come in the afternoon and have two or three pints and go home,” she says, adding that for these customers, “it’s not about the drink, it’s about socialising, seeing a face.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-08--UK Drops Law-Breaking Brexit Legislation In Deal With EU

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The government has agreed to drop controversial legislation on Brexit that would have broken international law.
It would have allowed ministers to renege on Boris Johnson’s withdrawal agreement (WA), which took the UK out of the EU this year, in order to protect Northern Ireland’s status within the UK.
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But Michael Gove agreed to drop the law-breaking clauses from the Internal Market Bill and the Taxation Bill following talks with his EU counterpart on the joint committee for implementing the WA.
The decision to drop the law-breaking clauses ends an explosive row with the EU which threatened to torpedo Brexit negotiations on a wider trade deal, which are on a knife edge as the end of the transition approaches on December 31.
The prime minister is set to travel to Brussels this week for talks with European Commision president Ursula von der Leyen in a make-or-break attempt to thrash out the deal to stop the UK crashing out of the EU without a trade deal on January 1, predicted as the most economically damaging outcome.
Gove’s agreement with his opposite number on the joint committee on implementing the WA, Maros Sefcovic, may raise expectations that both sides are clearing the path for Johnson and Von der Leyen to strike a wider deal on the future UK/EU relationship.
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At a Brussels press conference, Sefcovic said the deal on Northern Ireland removed “one big obstacle” to a wider agreement.
“I hope that this would create positive momentum for the discussions on the free trade agreement,” he said.
“As you know we are still very far apart.”
He added: “We removed, I would say, one big obstacle from the way.”
Delighted to announce agreement in principle on all issues in the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee. Thank you to @MarosSefcovic and his team for their constructive and pragmatic approach.
I will be updating Parliament tomorrow.https://t.co/xtJ25h6ymu pic.twitter.com/OKYPLxV0jZ — Michael Gove (@michaelgove) December 8, 2020
The row over the law-breaking clauses centred on the special status created in the WA for Northern Ireland, which will follow EU rules in some areas while the rest of the UK will not, in order to maintain an invisible border with the Republic of Ireland.
This arrangement created a need for exit declarations on goods travelling between Northern Ireland and the UK mainland, checks on goods flowing the other way if they were deemed “at risk” of entering the EU, and would mean Brussels state aid laws could apply to any British business if government subsidies was deemed to distort trade in Northern Ireland.
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The prime minister had attempted to use the law-breaking clauses to give ministers the powers to override the WA in all these areas.
But Gove and Sefcovic announced in a joint statement that agreement had now been reached on key sticking points and that the law-breaking clauses would be dropped.
They said “agreement in principle” had been reached in areas including export declarations for Northern Ireland, checks on animal and plant products, the supply of chilled meats to the province and on the application of state aid.
They also reached an agreement in principle on “practical arrangements” for the EU’s presence in Northern Ireland when the UK authorities implement checks and controls and determine criteria for goods to be considered “not at risk” of entering the European single market when moving from the UK mainland to the province.
There was also an agreement to exempt agricultural and fish subsidies from state aid rules and finalised the list of chairs for the arbitration panel that will resolve disputes over how the WA is implemented after January 1.
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“In view of these mutually agreed solutions, the UK will withdraw clauses 44, 45 and 47 of the UK Internal Market Bill, and not introduce any similar provisions in the Taxation Bill,” the statement said.
Draft texts will now be analysed in the UK and EU and the joint committee will meet to formally adopt the agreements.
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator on a wider trade deal, thanked Gove and Sefcovic for reaching a deal.
Many thanks Maros to you and the team ! https://t.co/k7wX25nmK3 — Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) December 8, 2020
It came as an industry chief warned that the failure to resolve Brexit with just weeks left until the end of the transition period is contributing to a “complete assault” on businesses’ headspace.
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Food and Drink Federation (FDF) chief executive Ian Wright said the combination of the economic shock of coronavirus, the Christmas rush and the fact firms have “no clue” what their trading terms are from January 1 are taking an “enormous” financial and mental toll on firms.
It is causing a “complete assault on people’s headspace”, Wright added.
Wright told the Commons business committee: “With just 14 days to go, we have no clue what’s going to happen in terms of whether we do or don’t face tariffs and that isn’t just a big imposition, it’s a binary choice as to whether you do business in most cases.
“So my members will not know whether they are exporting their products after January 1 or whether they will be able to afford to import them and charge the price that the tariffs will dictate.
“And in Northern Ireland it’s even worse.
“I have to say, the Northern Ireland protocol is a complete shambles and the idea that you can prepare for something as big as the changes that’s going to happen – that is to say everybody doing business in Northern Ireland is in effect exporting to the EU, many of them for the first time – is ridiculous.
“So it’s a massive toll, financially it’s a big imposition but I think a bigger toll is the level of confusion and chaos that we potentially face.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-08--Matt Hancock Warns Public 'Let's Not Blow It Now' As Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout Begins

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Matt Hancock has urged the public not to “blow it” by abandoning social distancing rules now the vaccine rollout is under way.
Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, the health secretary said the deployment of the Pfizer jab in the UK was a “day to celebrate” and the “start of the fightback” against coronavirus.
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Hancock, who appeared to cry during a TV interview on Tuesday morning when watching footage of the vaccine being first used, said it was “emotional for many of us”.
But he told MPs there were “worrying signs” that infection rates were rising in some areas, including Essex, Kent and London.
“Over the coming weeks and months, we must all keep following the rules to keep people safe, and make sure we can get through this safely together,” he said.
“Even while we can now see the route out, there’s still a long march ahead. Let’s not blow it now.”
He added: “We must stick with it for now, but we can see the way through this.”
Margaret Keenan, 90, was the first person to receive Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, marking the start of a phased NHS rollout across the UK.
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Here is the vaccine priority list:
Older adults resident in a care home and care home workers All those 80 years of age and over, plus frontline health and social care workers All those 75 years of age and over All those 70 years of age and over All those 65 years of age and over All Individuals aged 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions. All those 60 years of age and over All those 55 years of age and over All those 50 years of age and over The rest of the population (priority to be determined)
Under the NHS plan, the vaccine is being administered in hospitals first, with it being given by GPs next week and in care homes by Christmas.
Hancock said once vaccines other than Pfizer’s were available, such as the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, then vaccination centres in larger venues like sports stadiums and conference halls would be opened in the New Year.
The health secretary said he had “high confidence that the summer of 2021 will be a bright one” and that the vaccine would mean the current restrictions could be scrapped.
The government is under pressure from a significant Tory MPs to lift restrictions sooner rather than later.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-08--MPs Could Sit Between Christmas And New Year To Ratify A Last-Minute Brexit Deal

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Downing Street has left open the prospect of MPs sitting between Christmas and the New Year to allow Parliament to ratify a last-minute Brexit deal.
As the UK confirmed the current impasse in talks over a trade deal with Brussels, the prime minister’s spokesperson made clear that both the House of Commons and House of Lords could process the necessary legislation before the final legal deadline of December 31.
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Ahead of face-to-face talks between Boris Johnson and EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen, No.10 didn’t rule out rushing any eventual agreement through parliament within 24 hours.
Some expect the Commons to rise for its festive break next Tuesday, but it could be asked to sit later if a deal isn’t finally nailed down before this week’s EU summit.
Asked directly if there were contingency plans for MPs to sit between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the PM’s spokesperson said: “We believe that should we reach a free trade agreement there is parliamentary time to put it through the House.
“I think we have seen previously parliament’s ability to pass things at a good speed where necessary and we continue to believe that there is time to do so.”
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He stressed that “time is obviously in short supply” but that the government wanted to reach a deal “as soon as possible”.
The two sides are still far apart over fishing rights, competitive divergence on EU rules and on how to police any future breaches of the trade deal.
The spokesperson did however reject suggestions from the European Commission on Tuesday morning that the Brexit trade talks could possibly be extended into January if there is still no agreement.
“We have been clear that the future relationship needs to be concluded by the end of the year and negotiations won’t continue into next year,” he said.
PA
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Asked about the possibility of MPs sitting at Christmas, foreign office minister James Cleverly said on Monday: “It’s reasonable to expect parliament to work hard to get that through.”
Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg has only ruled out the Commons sitting on Christmas Day itself, leaving open the possibility of sittings on other days.
Johnson and the EU commission chief will meet “in coming days” as the clock ticks down to the December 31 expiry of the UK’s transition period under post-Brexit rules.
Fears of a no-deal outcome were heightened when the PM told the cabinet the UK would “thrive with or without” a deal on trade and security.
Yet, in a further sign of an olive branch to Brussels, the government is not yet publishing its new taxation bill, which was expected to include controversial clauses to override international law.
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Meanwhile, No.10 said the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator Lord Frost will return to London later on Tuesday to discuss the remaining differences in reaching a free trade deal.
“It is the case that our chief negotiator David Frost is in Brussels working with his counterparts on the remaining differences currently. He will then travel back to London later today to discuss them with the prime minister,” the spokesperson said.
The EU’s own chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the bloc will “never sacrifice our future for the present” amid a deadlock in trade deal talks.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-08--100-Year-Old's Secrets To A Long Life Are All Kinds Of Fabulous

Church Farm Care
A care home resident celebrated her 100th year in style, despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Madge Parker, who turned 100 on 4 December, marked her birthday with a fresh haircut, before enjoying a visit from her daughter Pauline, who celebrated with her mum through the window. As is tradition, she also received a telegram from the Queen.
Staff and friends at Field House care home in Radcliffe-on-Trent then held a small party for Madge where she was given flowers, balloons, gifts and a birthday cake topped with her favourite sweet treat: chocolate eclairs.
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Asked the secret to her long life, Madge said a sherry (or two), gardening and enjoying holidays. Sounds pretty good to us.
She also said being in the company of family and friends has helped her live to 100, as well as her career at Ransome & Marles, a company founded during the First World War which made ball and roller bearings for aircrafts.
Church Farm Care Madge Parker with her telegram from the Queen.
Madge was born in Lincolnshire and is one of seven children. She married her husband Jack at the age of 21 and has one daughter, Pauline.
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Angela Anuzis, manager at Field House, which is part of Church Farm Care, said: “Madge has become such an important part of our family since joining in 2018; it was so great to be able to hold a small party along with all the friends she has made here to celebrate her birthday.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-08--These Tweets Sum Up The Joy And Heartbreak Of 2020

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It’s little wonder that the coronavirus pandemic has dominated discussion on Twitter this year.
But it’s testament to the human spirit that that the public has honed in on the shining examples of kindness and bravery in the face of unspeakable suffering and grief.
We’ve applauded our beleaguered NHS workers, we’ve cheered as footballer Marcus Rashford coordinated a mass effort to feed hungry children during half term and we’ve grieved for the loss of Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman.
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Here is a look at the most popular tweets and topics in the UK in 2020.
Top retweeted tweets of 2020
1.
The world was left stunned at the death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, who passed away at the age of 43 following a four-year battle with colon cancer.
2.
Controversial but maybe this is a good time for hospital car parks to be free for NHS staff? Retweet if you agree 👊🏼 — Dr Alex (@DrAlexGeorge) March 22, 2020
As the pandemic unfolded, causing immeasurable strain to an already stretched NHS, one medic mused whether it was a good time to introduce free car parking for staff.
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Within days of this tweet, an initiative from YourParkingSpace.co.uk was offering free parking at more than 900 car parks, with some very close to car parks.
Matching this, the government awarded free parking with immediate effect for all frontline staff, social care workers and health service volunteers for the duration of the outbreak.
3.
An Open Letter to all MPs in Parliament...#maketheUturn
Please retweet and tag your local MPs pic.twitter.com/GXuUxFJdcv — Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) June 14, 2020
Manchester United star Marcus Rashford led a sterling campaign against child food poverty this year, winning widespread praise and being made an MBE for his ongoing efforts to ensure no child goes hungry. His work resulted in the government backtracking to announce free meals would be provided to disadvantaged children over the Christmas holidays.
4.
George Floyd and I were both arrested for allegedly spending a counterfeit $20 bill. For George Floyd, a man my age, with two kids, it was a death sentence. For me, it is a story I sometimes tell at parties. That, my friends, is White privilege. — Mark D. McCoy (@m_d_mccoy) June 1, 2020
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George Floyd was arrested after he allegedly tried to use a counterfeit $20 bill at a store in Minneapolis. The 46-year-old was filmed pleading for air as a white police officer knelt on his neck. His death sparked global protests.
5.
I don’t even know what to say.
Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020. — Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) June 16, 2020
Marcus Rashford hailed the power that people possess “when they come together” after launching his passionate campaign to help feed vulnerable children.
6.
Little Britain comedian Matt Lucas gave his own take on Boris Johnson’s address to the nation as he addressed easing the restrictions for lockdown.
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Johnson faced calls for clarity after his speech and Lucas, 46, added to those voices by posting a video on Twitter of himself impersonating the PM.
“So we are saying ’Don’t go to work, go to work, don’t take public transport, go to work, don’t go to work, stay indoors, if you can work from home go to work, don’t go to work, go outside, don’t go outside and then we will or won’t do something or other,” he said.
7.
The spirit of NHS staff is absolutely astonishing ❤
Please RT if you’re proud.
WE WILL BEAT THIS!
pic.twitter.com/BpQsq3bdD0 — NHS Million (@NHSMillion) March 20, 2020
A tweet featuring NHS workers dancing to Olly Murs went viral after the singer shared it on social media, and it gained even more traction when it was posted by NHS Million.
Sandra Roberts and her colleague Lyn Roberts posted the frontline theatre team at Basildon Hospital boogying to Dance With Me Tonight.
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8.
If you're in trouble dial 999.
If you cannot speak, dial 55.
We hear you.
You are not alone.pic.twitter.com/WeoHsNB6ke — DC Dave Wise (@CopThatCooks) August 17, 2020
One of the biggest side-effects of lockdown has become the rise in domestic abuse, with many survivors finding themselves locked in their homes with their abusers.
This advert from West Mercia Women’s Aid spread awareness of how to call for help, even if they are unable to speak in the presence of their abusers, reminding them: You are not alone.
9.
No celebrities or meaningful messages in this entry. Just a sock puppet masquerading as Pac-Man and eating cars. Because you’ve got to do something to pass the time in quarantine.
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10.
Our letting agent asked us to make a video of the flat we are basically being forced out of. I wish them the very best of luck. pic.twitter.com/h3fcOw657w — Sandy Batchelor (@sandybatchelor) May 17, 2020
A tenant claiming to be being “forced out” of his home took revenge on his letting agent by producing a sarcastic virtual tour of the property, pointing out various faults along the way.
Top 5 most ‘liked’ tweets
1.
The death of Chadwick Boseman is announced.
2.
I don’t even know what to say.
Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020. — Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) June 16, 2020
Marcus Rashford shares his happiness over community spirit in 2020.
3.
Hey guys, wanna feel old?
I'm 40.
You're welcome. — Macaulay Culkin (@IncredibleCulk) August 26, 2020
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Macauley Culkin discusses his age.
4.
Congratulations to the Astronauts that left Earth today. Good choice — Andy Milonakis (@andymilonakis) May 30, 2020
Andy Milonakis jokes about astronauts choosing to leave Earth during lockdown.
5.
That was emotional 💙 — NHS (@NHSuk) March 26, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-08--James Corden Delivers Good News And Bad News About Gavin & Stacey's Future

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James Corden has said if he and Ruth Jones do write more episodes of Gavin & Stacey, they will definitely be the last.
The pair have faced pressure to bring back the hit sitcom after the massive success of last year’s Christmas special, which saw over 18 million people tune in.
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And while James and Ruth have spent the last 12 months insisting there are no current plans to make more episodes, the Late Late Show host has offered a glimmer of hope – as well as some bad news too.
Gavin & Stacey returned after a 10-year break last year BBC/GS TV Productions Ltd/Tom Jackson
Speaking to Metro, James admitted he still doesn’t know about the show’s future, but said: “I hope so much we do it.
“The next one will really be the last, final part. And that is a little too much pressure for my chest to take at the moment, if I’m honest, in amongst the anxiety of 2020.
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“If I had any notion of trying to make another Christmas special I don’t think I’d be able to breathe.
“So we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But I promise you, we won’t lead you over that bridge unless we think it will be worth the journey.”
Nessa proposed to Smithy in last year's Christmas special BBC
The 2020 Christmas special ended with a cliffhanger, when Ruth’s character Nessa got down on one knee to propose to James’ Smithy.
Gavin & Stacey originally ran for three series and a Christmas special from 2007 to 2010.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-08--Face Masks Could Still Be Needed Next Winter, Says UK's Chief Scientific Adviser

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Masks might still need to be worn next winter even if the vaccine has been successfully rolled out, the UK’s chief scientific adviser has said.
Patrick Vallance said he expected life to start “returning towards normal” in the spring.
But he said it would be longer than that before everything was “completely normal” in the way it was before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
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“It may be, even with vaccinations, next winter we may need measures like masks and so on still in place,” he told Sky News.
Vallance said this was because it was not clear “how good” the vaccines were and how effective they would be at preventing the transmission of the disease even if they were very effective at protecting those who had actually been given a jab.
But speaking to LBC, Matt Hancock played down the suggestion. Asked if masks would be needed for most of next year, the health secretary said: “I don’t think so.”
He added: “I think that by spring we should be out of the measures, I really hope. I hope that we have a normal summer this summer coming.
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“I think people have got used to wearing masks in certain circumstances but I want to get back to living by personal responsibility, rather than by laws that we’ve had to pass through Parliament. Now we can see the route to getting back to that.”
It is not the first time government scientists and ministers have differed over how long face coverings will be needed.
Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s deputy chief medical officer, last week told a No.10 press conference that mask wearing could “persist for many years”.
But after clarifying that Van-Tam meant the sorts of personal hygiene habits seen in what the prime minister called the “Far East”, Boris Johnson said: “Well, who knows?”
Margaret Keenan, 90, become the first person in the world to receive Pfizer’s Covid-19 jab on Tuesday morning.
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The UK is the first country in the world to start using the Pfizer vaccine after regulators approved its use last week.
Under the NHS plan, patients aged 80 and above who are already attending hospital are among the first to receive the vaccine.
Johnson, speaking at the vaccination centre at Guy’s Hospital in London on Tuesday, said people who did not want to have the vaccine were “totally wrong”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-08--Robbie Williams Backs Gemma Collins After She Launches Bid For Christmas Number One

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Gemma Collins has found support from an unlikely source after launching her bid for this year’s Christmas number one.
Robbie Williams has backed the former TOWIE star to take the festive top spot, after she released a cover of Baby It’s Cold Outside with former Celebrity Big Brother housemate Darren Day.
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The singer is set to make a cameo appearance on the GC’s upcoming Christmas special of her reality series, which airs on Wednesday.
Gemma Collins SIPA USA/PA Images
In a video message, Robbie tells the GC: “I’m wishing you the very, very best Christmas and incredible new year.
“Good luck with the new single with Darren, it’s a cracker.
“Thank you for making me smile and thank you for making me laugh, we need more of that on our televisions.”
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Robbie recently admitted he and his wife Ayda Field are big fans of Gemma’s and had been binging her reality show, Diva Forever, while in lockdown.
Robbie Williams David Parry - PA Images via Getty Images
Meanwhile, Gemma has also confirmed an upcoming appearance on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories.
She has filmed a tell-all interview with the Good Morning Britain host set to air in the New Year, saying she is “nervous” for people to see it.
Discussing the programme during a chat on GMB, Gemma said: “Do you know what, Piers, I want to thank you for that because it was very ... what’s the word? Cathartic? It was very cathartic, and yeah, it was a real accolade to my career, you inviting me on.
“I am a bit nervous for people to see it, because obviously I do spill the beans on a lot of things with you that people haven’t heard before.”
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Piers also enjoyed filming the episode, saying: “It was very emotional and it was very enjoyable as well. I thoroughly enjoyed it - it airs in the new year.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-08--Vaccine Cards Are Not Immunity Passports, Says Matt Hancock

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Vaccination cards given to patients after receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are a standard NHS procedure and not so-called immunity passports, the health secretary has said.
As the UK’s largest ever immunisation programme began on Tuesday morning, Matt Hancock appeared in multiple media interviews to discuss the rollout of the vaccine – explaining that millions of people were expected to be given the jab before Christmas.
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The idea of immunity passports – a way of certifying who had been vaccinated or was considered ‘immune’ after contracting the virus (a concept which itself is still being determined by scientists – has been floated numerous times throughout the pandemic, especially as harder-hit sectors such as travel and hospitality find a way to get back on their feet.
While some have welcomed the idea, it has also been met with heavy scepticism by those who say it risks creating a two-tier system where those who are at highest risk from the virus or are unable to be vaccinated face fewer freedoms than those without such proof.
The NHS card given to patients vaccinated with the Covid-19 jab. GARETH FULLER via Getty Images
Pictures of Covid-19 vaccination cards, released ahead of the UK’s groundbreaking vaccine rollout, sparked an immediate backlash, with many conflating them with immunity passports.
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But, as the health secretary set out on Tuesday morning, the cards are nothing of the sort – and are instead a standard NHS procedure for reminding people to return for the necessary second vaccine several weeks after their first dose.
Speaking to Sky News, the health secretary said vaccine cards being issued to patients were “standard NHS reminder cards” for the follow-up appointment for the second dose.
He added: “We are not proposing to have a sort of immunity certificate that allows you to do different things.”
Hancock reiterated his message during an interview with the Today programme on Radio 4. He said: “The card that people are being given is a reminder card for their second appointment. It’s an absolutely standard NHS procedure because you’ve got to come back for the second appointment.”
After having the first dose of the vaccine, participants will be given a ‘vaccine card’ and instructed to keep it safe.
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The blue card has space for the date and batch number for the two jabs the recipients will receive.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-08--Revealed: How Covid Has Made The UK's Bitter Housing Crisis Even Worse

Covid has made Britain’s desperate housing crisis worse, with the pandemic fuelling a sharp rise in the number of homeless people living in temporary accommodation, HuffPost UK can reveal.
Our investigation has identified the shocking rate at which homelessness increased in the early months of the virus outbreak – and looks set to spiral further as the chaos and economic hardship inflicted by coronavirus continues to affect families across the country.
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We can exclusively reveal:
The number of homeless households living in temporary accommodation in England (98,300) is now at its highest level since 2005 – and includes 62,700 families with children.
The total figure soared by 6,110 households – or 7% – in just three months between March and June this year, according to government figures.
The government says this is largely due to the national drive to move rough sleepers off the streets during the first wave of the pandemic, but homeless charities fear the upward trend will continue as more families are at risk of losing their homes now the government’s Covid-19 amnesty on evictions has been lifted.
The number of private renters in arrears reached 442,000 adults in July – double the same period last year, according to the charity Shelter.
Meanwhile, the government has still failed to fund 60,000 “shovel-ready” schemes to build houses in the capital, despite asking councils for details of them at the height of the pandemic.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “People should be as shocked by the housing situation in the UK as they are by the healthcare system in America. There is no safety net for people and that’s why people are forced to live in these vulnerable circumstances – and that is a choice we are making.”
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter Courtesy of Shelter
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The revelations come after HuffPost UK’s investigation on Monday shone a spotlight on how the crisis is affecting homeless families, including some who are consigned to live in rooms the size of one or two parking spaces for months on end.
A heavy burden is also being placed on councils.
Government data published in October show local authorities in England spent almost £1.2bn on temporary housing for homeless people in 2019/20, with 87% of the cash spent with private landlords, lettings agents or companies – or £1bn.
The total spend is a jump of 9% compared to the previous year, and a rise of 55% over the last five years.
While London boroughs are by far the worst affected by the crisis, Birmingham, Manchester, Luton, Milton Keynes, Bristol and Coventry are all among the top 25 areas in England with the highest numbers of homeless households, according to the government data we analysed.
Levels of homelessness also soared in other parts of the UK.
The number of homeless households in temporary accommodation in Scotland (14,229 in September) has risen by 22% since March. Wales saw a huge increase of 53%, from 2,324 in March to 3,566 in August this year. The most recent figures for Northern Ireland from 2017/18 show 3,354 households were affected.
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The damning findings have led to urgent calls for the government to build the affordable homes families on low incomes desperately need.
Council leaders told HuffPost UK spending £1bn with private landlords was “completely illogical” and had done nothing to alleviate the growing crisis.
“It’s very sad that we now effectively see a market in temporary accommodation,” said Rebecca Rennison, cabinet member for housing at Hackney Council. “That shouldn’t exist. We shouldn’t have that number of households homeless.”
‘Exceptional returns’ on housing the homeless
Finefair lettings agency works with councils in London to accommodate homeless households Emma Youle/HuffPost
HuffPost UK has found evidence that the housing crisis is driving demand for property owners to convert rental flats and houses into the type of one-room bedsit accommodation used by many councils to house homeless people – and sometimes, as we revealed this week, even whole families.
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One major operator in the sector, Finefair Ltd – a lettings agency working with councils in London to accommodate homeless households – advertises how lucrative converting properties can be.
The company’s website promises home owners “exceptional returns” by turning their properties into HMOs (houses of multiple occupation) and hostels.
The firm’s annual report in 2019 also highlights how the increase of homelessness year on year is driving demand for this type of housing. The company made £1.8m in profit in 2018-2019 on revenue of £22m.
We approached Kamran Naseem, founder and managing director of Finefair, for comment. In response, a spokesperson said: “We provide much needed accommodation which meets the required standards, and operate within guidelines in respect of rent charges set out by the local authority.”
The families living in one room
Jankhana and her family (left) lived in one room, sharing a kitchen and bathroom, in a building in Plaistow. Pictured (right) is the kitchenette in the room. HuffPost UK
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HuffPost UK on Monday revealed the difficulties faced by homeless families living in one-room accommodation with shared kitchens and bathrooms. We reported on conditions for two families in the capital who were crammed into rooms the size of one or two parking spaces. Both had seen cockroaches and one had problems with mice.
Finefair Ltd was the agent renting out one of these properties – a loft conversion in Ilford, east London, where a mother and her two-year-old daughter had been placed by Hackney Council.
Finefair and the owners of the property, former City lawyer Uzma Naseem and tax adviser Abid Karim, told HuffPost UK all the rooms met space standards set by the government and said any complaints of pest infestation were responded to within 24 hours.
A mother and her two-year-old daughter lived in this loft room (left) at a house in Ilford. Pictured (right) are two cockroaches that were found in the property. HuffPost UK
The other property we reported on, a block of homeless housing in Plaistow in east London, was used by Newham Council to house a family of four who lived in one room, sharing a kitchen and bathroom with two other residents.
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According to Land Registry records the block is owned by Eve Investments Ltd, an offshore company registered in Jersey.
It was not possible for HuffPost UK to establish the identity of the company’s owner because this information is not made public in Jersey.
The Jersey-based agents for Eve Investments Ltd did not comment when contacted by HuffPost UK.
The property is managed and operated, through a leasehold agreement, by Elan Management Solutions Ltd – a UK company owned by the property developer and human rights activist Edwin Shuker.
Elan Management Solutions Ltd told HuffPost UK: “Our building provides local authorities with emergency and temporary accommodation to people who find themselves in a wide range of incredibly difficult circumstances. Our facilities are set up to provide safe shelter for a few days or weeks, rather than as a long-term housing solution.”
The company added: “Operating in this sector is, unfortunately, far from easy. The circumstances that lead to our residents’ arrival at our door are rarely happy and frequently heartbreaking. Our dedicated team of local staff provide and maintain a safe and secure environment for our residents, including staff being on site 24/7 and a large garden for use by the residents.”
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Occasional incidents of pest control or malfunctions in heating are dealt with as speedily as possible by an in-house maintenance team or rapid response contractors, the company said, adding that it takes its responsibilities “incredibly seriously”.
“This is a highly regulated industry and we always strive not only to comply with all the regulations but to deal with each resident client with respect and dignity,” Elan said.
Elan said that according to its last set of accounts its profit was £30,061.
Both Finefair and Elan Management Solutions said they played no role in selecting or allocating who is placed into the buildings, which is the sole remit of the local authority.
In the case of the family housed in the Elan property, we understand that when the local authority made the booking it was to place a mother and her two children in the room. The family later made it clear to the council the children’s father would also be living there. Elan says the booking was made for three occupants and it was unclear how the council had ended up allocating four people there.
Priced out: not enough affordable rental homes
A high street in Newham. The east London borough has the highest number of households living in temporary accommodation in the country. David Mbiyu/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
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Local authorities are required by law to offer temporary accommodation to homeless households.
While this type of accommodation is designed to be short-term, the unaffordability of more stable housing for thousands of the country’s poorest families means they can end up living there for months or even years.
There is no legal limit to how long councils can place households in temporary accommodation before offering them more suitable homes.
The councils HuffPost UK spoke to said they faced an “impossible task” in trying to house rising numbers of homeless people when there is not enough affordable rental accommodation.
Newham and Hackney, the councils who placed the two families HuffPost UK reported on, are the areas of England with the highest and second highest numbers of homeless households living in temporary accommodation.
Rennison said soaring house prices and rising rents had left Hackney Council effectively operating as a landlord to thousands of homeless households priced out of the rental sector.
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“We’ve got over 3,000 households in temporary accommodation and it’s heartbreaking,” she said. “It’s not temporary any more – families and households will often stay until they get a permanent home.
“We keep pursuing every avenue, trying to identify every opportunity – everything from our own social house-building programme to campaigns we do to identify properties people might be able to afford in the private sector and move out to. But the whole system is broken.”
The Labour councillor said placing families into temporary accommodation for long periods of time could have very damaging effects, particularly on children.
“It’s a choice no council wants to make,” she said. “And all we can do is continue to work and try and improve the quality of what we have. But it is heartbreaking. Children are growing up in cramped accommodation.”
Rennison called on the government to invest in social housing and acknowledge that incomes have not kept track with soaring rental prices. “Remove the benefits cap and actually give people on low incomes a chance of finding a property in the private rented sector,” she said.
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60,000 ‘shovel-ready’ housing schemes
Darren Rodwell Courtesy of London Councils
Darren Rodwell, deputy chair of housing for London Councils – a body that represents all councils in the capital – echoed calls for investment in new affordable homes.
He told HuffPost UK the government had asked local authorities at the height of the pandemic if they had any “shovel-ready schemes” to deliver housing and infrastructure projects. London councils had identified 60,000 housing schemes, asking for cash to get them off the ground.
Yet London was not awarded a penny to build any new homes, instead receiving what Rodwell described as the “meagre” amount of £22m for other building projects.
He called on the government to make money available to fund the housing schemes, saying: “It would help the economy and it would help the housing crisis.”
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“The prime minister’s line is that we should ‘build, build, build’. Well to ‘build, build, build’ you need the investment,” he said.
The government said the projects supported nationwide by the scheme – the £900m Getting Building Fund – are projected to deliver 64,000 homes, albeit none of them in the capital.
Rodwell, who is also a Labour councillor and leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, admitted the pressure on local authorities and a lack of properties to place people into did sometimes result in families living in accommodation that did not fit their needs.
“The problem is we don’t have properties to give to people,” he said. “They’re not there. We can’t move people to something that’s not there.
“People have got to understand how big a problem it is.”
Prime minister Boris Johnson visits a construction site in Warrington in August. The government has been slammed for failing to fund 60,000 housing schemes in the capital PHIL NOBLE via Getty Images
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Councils are also braced for a further escalation in homelessness following the lifting, on September 20, of the government’s temporary ban on evictions due to the pandemic.
As yet the true impact of this change is unknown as landlords have to give tenants six months’ notice if they wish to evict them under the Covid-19 temporary rules. So the fallout will not become apparent until March next year.
“We don’t know how many families will be kicked out of properties because they may have lost their job through no fault of their own,” said Rodwell.
But Barking and Dagenham is anticipating up to 40% of working-age people in the borough potentially being unemployed once the furlough scheme finishes, he said.
Newham Council told HuffPost UK it has worked “tirelessly” during the pandemic to ensure everyone was in safe housing, including moving 400 families – such as Jankhana’s, who featured in our first story – into self-contained homes.
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Newham says it no longer places families into rooms with shared kitchens and bathrooms unless there is no other option.
The council said the Covid-19 pandemic had “disproportionately impacted” the borough, with more than 27,000 additional people needing to claim benefits and almost 17,000 on furlough.
“The government must do more to help local authorities meet the costs of supporting residents through the crisis,” a spokesperson said.
Gentrification: the problem is spreading to other cities
A residential street in Birmingham. The city has the third highest number of homeless households living in temporary accommodation in the country. JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images
The crisis is not only affecting London. Other cities are also reporting substantial numbers of homeless families now living in temporary accommodation, according to government data.
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Birmingham has the third highest number – 3,291 households as of June 2020 – and Manchester the ninth, with 2,313. The rest of the top 10 are London boroughs, but Luton, Milton Keynes, Bristol, and Coventry all have hundreds of households affected.
Jane Williams is the founder and CEO of The Magpie Project, a charity in Newham supporting mums and under-fives living in temporary accommodation.
“I think in larger cities it’s definitely an issue because of the way the housing market works,” she said. “As Manchester house prices go up and as the market evolves, and places get gentrified, then you will see the same thing happening.”
She said the crisis would worsen over the next six months: “I think unless there’s something extraordinary done, I can’t see how it wouldn’t.”
Mums at a drop-in session at The Magpie Project, which works to support families with children under five living in temporary accommodation The Magpie Project
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The Magpie Project supports about 170 homeless mums at any given time by providing a drop-in centre, food parcels, and access to legal and immigration advice. Williams says in their experience only about 20% live in temporary housing that is of adequate quality.
“The rest have issues,” she said. “And I think what’s really shocking is, when I set up the project three years ago, I thought these issues were when things had gone wrong. I thought these issues were odd cases where the system had broken down. But the creeping realisation came about that, no, this is the system.
“This is the system working.”
She said local authority housing teams are at “the mercy” of large private landlords because they’re competing with other councils to place families within homes that are available.
Speaking about the conditions families can face, she said: “What we tend to see is one room around the size of a parking space for a mother and child. Not necessarily any windows, or [there are] broken windows, poor heating, infestations, severe overcrowding, sharing bathrooms and kitchens.
“You can’t imagine ever being able to bring up a child in these circumstances.”
‘The government is ignoring this crisis’
Two rough sleepers drag a mattress down the road in London's Mayfair in November Dan Kitwood via Getty Images
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While councils and charities are braced for the numbers of new homeless households needing temporary accommodation to continue rising as the impact of the pandemic deepens, Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said the issue has been completely absent from the government’s policy agenda.
“I get really het-up about this because it’s completely ignored in the discourse about homelessness,” she said. “So the government keeps talking about ending homelessness, but what they mean by that is rough sleeping. It’s not to say rough sleeping isn’t important, but it means these families just get completely ignored in the political discourse about homelessness.”
For context, government figures show 14,610 rough sleepers were housed during lockdown. That compares to 98,300 households in temporary accommodation, enough to fill a large UK city.
Neate said Shelter works with homeless families living in temporary accommodation “all the time” and emphasised many of them are in work.
She accused the government of doing nothing to help low-income families priced out of the private rental sector who cannot afford to buy shared ownership properties or first homes, and who make up a substantial proportion of those now living in temporary homeless housing.
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“Usually the government talks as though the housing crisis is rough sleeping at one end and people wanting to own their own homes at the other end,” she said. “The housing crisis is actually in the middle of that. The housing crisis is the fact that there is not any properly affordable housing. And are they dealing with that? No, they’re not.”
She condemned the current system, saying: “We are pouring taxpayers’ money into the pockets of private landlords instead of investing taxpayers’ money to build housing that people on low incomes can actually live in. It’s kind of the biggest nonsense that nobody really knows about.
“We’ve got to acknowledge the real choices we are making. By not building social housing we are choosing this situation and we need to own up to that.”
The government, however, defended its position.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said it had spent £700m this year to tackle homelessness – a figure less than the £1.2bn spent on temporary accommodation by councils in 2019/20.
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The department did not dispute the rising numbers of people in temporary accommodation, but did say the number of families with children living in temporary accommodation in England had fallen slightly by 270 from March to June this year – from 62,970 to 62,700.
MHCLG told HuffPost UK the overall rise in figures was likely due to the “Everyone In” programme to house rough sleepers during the pandemic having resulted in more individuals living in temporary housing organised by councils.
The government also announced a further £15m funding last month targeted at areas with the highest numbers of rough sleepers.
But the council leaders HuffPost UK spoke to said there had been no equivalent funding injection to help councils with the costs of housing the rising numbers of families in temporary accommodation.
HuffPost UK asked for comment on the issues highlighted by this investigation from housing secretary Robert Jenrick and housing minister Christopher Pincher.
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They did not comment. But an MHCLG spokesperson said: “Everybody should have somewhere safe to live, and temporary accommodation plays a role in ensuring people are getting the help they need.
“We’re spending over £700m in total this year alone to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This will help transform the lives of some of the most vulnerable in society.
“We are also investing £11.5bn through the Affordable Homes Programme – the highest single funding commitment to affordable housing in a decade. We will deliver a wide range of affordable homes of different tenures all across the country.”
Neate, however, pointed out many of these homes, which are aimed at those looking to buy a property, are nowhere near “affordable” for actual low-income families.
“The people who are priced out of the private rented sector aren’t people who can afford shared ownership or first homes,” she said. “All of these home ownership products are not helping this group of people.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-08--Matt Hancock 'Pretends To Cry' Over Covid Vaccine, Sparking Pandemic Of Cringeing

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Matt Hancock on Tuesday reacted to footage of the first people in the UK receiving the coronavirus vaccine by apparently trying to cry on live TV and then giving up and laughing instead.
The health secretary was appearing on Good Morning Britain alongside Piers Morgan and Susannah Reid.
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A sceptical-looking Morgan jiggled his pen as Hancock snuffled and snorted his way through the bizarre reaction to witnessing 81-year-old William Shakespeare (yes, really) receiving the jab.
Shakespeare, an in-patient at University Hospital Coventry, was the second person to have the injection after 90-year-old Margaret Keenan.
Matt Hancock pretending to cry based on diagrams he saw in a book pic.twitter.com/XUMHQjeMHr — James Felton (@JimMFelton) December 8, 2020
Matt Hancock forgot the golden rule of pretending to cry on national television, which is to produce at least one discernible tear pic.twitter.com/NQZSNj9M2H — TheIainDuncanSmiths (@TheIDSmiths) December 8, 2020
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Shakespeare said he was “pleased” to receive the jab, adding: “I need to say, the staff at this hospital are wonderful.”
Hancock spluttered weirdly: “It’s been such a tough year for so many people. And there’s William Shakespeare putting it so simply that we can get on with our lives. I’ve still got this worry. We can’t blow it now, Piers – we’ve still got to get the vaccine to millions of people and so we’ve got to keep sticking by the rules.”
Despite this being a rollout of a vaccine that was not engineered by British scientists, Hancock then added: “There’s so much work that’s gone into this and it makes me proud to be British.”
Hancock’s outburst has seen him compared to a malfunctioning android, Mark Zuckerberg and, er, American Psycho Patrick Bateman.
One person simply remarked: “This is North Korea level weird.”
He's like the UK version of Zuckerberg. pic.twitter.com/pL1yx1cEk1 — Theo Priestley (@tprstly) December 8, 2020
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"When psychopaths cry, Glass says they will often wipe underneath each eye, one at a time. "When people cry genuine tears they cry with both eyes, and so they will tend to wipe both eyes at once." https://t.co/aqni4OegiH — Tomcat Tobi (@TobiTomcat) December 8, 2020
This is North Korea level weird. — Bill Burke (@will_de_burgh) December 8, 2020
"What a terrific performance from Matt Hancock" pic.twitter.com/uX3tV4byXy — Hunter Godson (@HunterGodson) December 8, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-08--A Minute Of Kindness: Free Mobile Library For Kids On The Back Of  A Motorbike In Sri Lanka

A Minute Of Kindness: Free Mobile Library For Kids On The Back Of A Motorbike In Sri Lanka
In 2017 Mahinda Dasanayaka started ‘Book & Me’, a mobile library providing free books and documentary screenings for children in remote Kegalle, northeast Sri Lanka. Dasanayaka, who works as a child protection officer, volunteers his time delivering books in the mountainous region on his motorbike fitted with a red steel box filled with reading materials.