thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-28--What's So Hard About Developing A Coronavirus Vaccine? We Asked A Scientist

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As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread around the globe, the best hope for truly getting it under control is a vaccine that would protect people from contracting Covid-19. Scientists in the U.S., China, the U.K. and elsewhere are racing to develop a vaccine and there have been some promising signs that one of the many vaccine candidates under development may prove effective against the virus.
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In the U.S., President Donald Trump has predicted a vaccine will arrive before the end of the year. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease has said it’s a question of “when and not if” a vaccine against this coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-2, will be developed, and also predicted that could happen before year’s end.
With Covid-19 taking lives and crushing economies around the world, stopping the spread would provide tremendous relief. But the progress of science is characterised more by failure than success. Researchers are working on almost 200 potential vaccines for this coronavirus, and there’s no guarantee any of them will ever work, let alone one that’s ready for wide use within months.
Creating a safe, effective vaccine that quickly would be unprecedented. In addition, no one has ever attempted to produce a new vaccine, distribute it to every corner of the world and carry out an immunisation campaign on this scale and with this much speed.
To get a better understanding of the challenges facing vaccine researchers, HuffPost spoke to Vincent Racaniello, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York.
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Is it realistic to expect a vaccine for the novel coronavirus by this winter?
No, I think it’s highly unrealistic to expect a vaccine by the end of 2020. We haven’t made any vaccine in that short of time. That would be a year from January, when we first saw circulation in the U.S. Eighteen months is optimistic. What would be more realistic, in my view, would be next summer. But, you know, vaccines can take five to 10 years and longer. The polio vaccine took 50 years to develop. Certainly, we’ve advanced in our technology so we can do it faster now, but I would say, no, the end of this year is completely not feasible, in my view. However, I would love to be surprised.
How would a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine work to prevent people from becoming ill?
What vaccines do is they’re introduced into you ― they can be injected, or they can be taken orally, or through any number of other routes ― and they turn on your immune system to make a response to the virus that’s in question, in this case SARS-CoV-2, without making you sick. Then you have an immune response and, most importantly, your immune response comes with a wonderful feature called “memory,” so it remembers what it’s encountered so that whenever it sees that agent again, it will respond. So that’s what a vaccine tries to do ― it tries to produce immune memory without any of the pathogenic or disease consequences of a real infection.
Is this similar to what the human immune system does itself when it fights off infections?
Absolutely. If you get influenza or a common cold virus or any other virus ― if you survive, of course ― then you have immune memory, and then whenever you encounter the virus again, you should mount a nice response and you should prevent infection entirely. You won’t even know that you’ve encountered the virus.
What are the primary challenges to developing new vaccines for any disease?
There are many, but the main one is understanding what’s needed to protect you from infection. We’ve been talking very generally about the immune response but, in fact, there are different components. There are cells and proteins involved, and so we need to know which is important for the particular virus. That’s one of the reasons that it took 50 years to make a polio vaccine, because people had to figure out what was important. Now, for this new virus, we don’t have the time to do that, so we’re making a lot of assumptions about what’s important, and we hope that they’re right.
How do governments, pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions and scientists decide how to prioritise the development of vaccines for some diseases over others?
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I hate to say, this is very sad and this is an indictment of the whole system for making vaccines, but the main priority is profit.
The companies that make vaccines, they’re all for-profit companies and they need to see that they can make a profit off of their vaccine. So all the vaccines that we have are there because many, many people are infected with viruses like influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, shingles and polio. They infect a lot of people and the companies can make money from them.
However, there are many diseases out there that are far less prevalent but nevertheless they kill people. Companies aren’t interested in making vaccines for those diseases because there’s no profit to be made. I think that’s a fatal flaw with our vaccine system that has to be fixed and it’s why we don’t have a vaccine ready for this particular virus. We could’ve, but no company was interested. Same for antiviral medications. That’s why we’re in this situation we’re in right now.
One could think of creative ways to get around that. Governments can get involved, for sure. We’re hobbled in this country by the political paralysis of our government and its unwillingness to invest in science completely, so that’s stymied that. Now, since this SARS-CoV-2 has emerged, there are new nonprofits that have popped up saying, “We’re going to fund vaccine development.” In the end, it’s just a matter of someone raising money, and there’s plenty of money out there to do this. Think about the money we’re spending on recovery in the U.S. ― trillions. If a fraction of that money had been spent on developing a vaccine, we’d be out of this problem.
There are no vaccines available for any strains of the coronavirus, including the one that causes Covid-19. Why is that?
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After SARS-1 in 2003, it went away. We were able to stop it. The virus disappeared. So most companies said, “We’re not interested in making a vaccine. There’s no market.” But a few academics went ahead and they made an experimental SARS vaccine, but it never got beyond that because there’s no financial support.
It’s not hard. In fact, it would’ve been not very hard to make a vaccine that could protect against many coronaviruses that come out of bats. But again, no financial backing for that and, even more, no research report. In the U.S., the NIH was not willing to support that kind of fundamental research because its budget is too limited.
There are many novel coronavirus vaccine candidates in development. What will determine which, if any, are used?
Unfortunately, they’re mostly not even in phase 1 in people. A handful are in phase 1 and a couple in phase 2. Those have been pushed and those are going to be the ones that finish first, so they’ll have an advantage. Now, whether they work or not is important, obviously, so if they don’t work, that’s the end of that and the others are going to have to catch up.
The others are not even out of the laboratory. Some of those may never get out of the lab. It may turn out there are too many problems developing those. Others might, but as companies see that other companies have a head start, they might decide not to put resources in it because they’ll lose money. Many of these companies have never made vaccines before. Very few companies have, and I think that’s a factor. If you haven’t made a vaccine, you’re going to have more problems because you don’t know what you’re doing.
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All of those things are factors, and then of course production is a factor. I hope we have more than two vaccines because I don’t see how you could make 7 billion vaccine doses with just two companies. I think we need at least 10 vaccines to be able to cover the whole planet.
What are the potential downsides of deploying vaccines developed quickly during an emergency like the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic?
We could take a lesson from the polio vaccine in the 1950s. It was only about 50% effective, yet that’s what they had so they went ahead with it. And that meant that a lot of kids whose parents lined them up for shots weren’t protected. It also meant that companies had rushed production. In fact, a lot of kids got polio from that early vaccine because it wasn’t made properly. You could imagine that these early SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, because they’re rushed through, are not as optimal as they could be and they’re not going to be as effective. In most cases, the vaccine candidates are not infectious so I’m not too worried about them causing the actual disease.
If you try to scale up vaccine production for hundreds of millions of doses, things could go wrong. Normally, we take a lot of time to do this. Everyone is being assured that we’re doing things in a safe way, but I think there’s still room for things to go wrong when you rush things.
People say, “Well, if they’re rushing it, I’m not going to take it,” and I think that’s a valid concern. What I often say is if you rush a vaccine and there’s a problem and you hurt people, then you will never get people to take it for many years. Once there’s a negative view of a vaccine because of some side effect, then people are very reluctant to take it. We have to make very sure that this is safe. We cannot make shortcuts. We have to test it in enough people ― thousands of people ― to make sure there are no side effects.
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If a novel coronavirus vaccine were developed, what would need to happen for it to be deployed widely and safely?
You need a lot of doses, first of all, because I do not want it to be distributed only to wealthy countries. That’s not the point of vaccines. The developed nations are making the vaccine, but they have to understand they have to share it with everyone, and I do hope that happens here. That’s my primary concern.
You have to make enough of it. If we only have one vaccine that turns out to work, it’s going to be really hard to make enough doses for everyone. Another issue is these vaccines are going to have to be cold, probably frozen, and not everywhere has that capability. Finally, what about the delivery? Most of these vaccines need to be injected. That means you need at least 7 billion needles. I don’t even know if we have 7 billion needles in the world, so I hope someone’s thinking about that ahead of time. And you need people to inject them. You can’t just do it yourself. You need a trained health care worker, which isn’t available everywhere.
Has a vaccination campaign of this scale ever been attempted?
No, never. We’ve never had to immunise everyone. We’ve always had to select groups, like for childhood disease where we do mass campaigns. There is no precedent for this, for having to immunise every person on the planet.
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-28--Fighting For Disabled Visibility In The LGBTQ Community

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Fighting For Disabled Visibility In The LGBTQ Community
Max Marchewicz was openly queer from a young age but after developing a chronic pain condition in their twenties began feeling excluded from queer spaces and being "left out of the conversation". So the activist started an instagram account called Cripple Queers for people like them to have a sense of community and raise awareness.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-28--Trump Shares Video That Includes Supporter Shouting 'White Power' At Protesters

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Donald Trump on Sunday shared a video that appeared to show one of his supporters yelling “white power” at a group of people protesting the president in a Florida retirement community.
The video, apparently first shared Saturday on Twitter by user @davenewworld_2, captures a series of tense exchanges between Trump supporters and protesters in The Villages, an overwhelmingly white community that describes itself as “Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.”
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“Where’s your white hood?” one protester holding a “Make American Sane Again” sign shouts at two people driving by in a golf cart decorated with pro-Trump placards.
“Yeah, you got it! White power! White power!” the driver yells back at the group as the woman next to him chants, “Trump! Trump! Trump!”
Trump, in a since-deleted retweet that shared the video to his more than 82 million followers, thanked the “great people” of The Villages.
“The Radical Left Do Nothing Democrats will Fall in the Fall,” he wrote.
Twitter
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In another portion of the roughly two-minute video, a Trump protester yells “Fuck Trump!” at another apparent supporter in a golf cart.
“Nasty language,” the woman in the golf cart responds.
“Listen to the president if you want nasty language, you idiot,” the protester shouts back. The same protester can be heard calling Trump supporters “Nazis” several times in the video.
Neither the White House nor The Villages immediately responded to requests for comment.
Twitter users condemned the president’s apparent praise for his supporter chanting “white power.”
“An older white man yelling ‘white power’ at another white man in a homogeneous community from a golf cart as he drives on to catch (his tee time? Matlock reruns?) is the perfect metaphor for all that Trump, and his enablers stand for,” tweeted Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.).
Some Twitter users drew comparisons between Trump’s decision to tweet the video of the man shouting “white power” and his long history of making racist comments and defending white supremacists.
These magazine covers got it right back in 2017. pic.twitter.com/9MlmcbXQKI — Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) June 28, 2020
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In 2017, Trump prompted bipartisan backlash for claiming there were “very fine people on both sides” of a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. A year earlier, when former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke endorsed him for president, Trump initially claimed that he hadn’t heard of Duke and refused to disavow his support. He eventually condemned Duke a few days later.
The president said right-wing protesters who gathered to oppose stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic were “great people,” though some were carrying Nazi flags and nooses.
During an interview on CNN’s “State Of The Union,” Republican senator Tim Scott said Trump should take down the tweet, calling the entire video “offensive.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-28--Police Rushed To 'Targeted Assault' In Glasgow City Centre

Part of Argyle Street in Glasgow has been cordoned off after someone was stabbed in a "targeted assault" on Sunday afternoon. PA
Police have responded to a stabbing incident in Glasgow city centre, less than a mile away from where six people were injured in a knife attack on Friday.
Officers were called just after midday on Sunday to a report of an assault in Argyle Street. Police are currently at the scene and a police cordon has been erected at Argyle Street where it meets James Watt Street.
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In a statement, Inspector Gareth Griffiths said: “We were called around 12.10pm on Sunday, 28 June, to a report of an assault in Argyle Street, Glasgow.
“We believe this was a targeted assault and we do not believe there is a threat to the wider public.
“This is not being treated as linked to the incident in West George Street, Glasgow, on Friday June 26, or any nearby hotels or accommodation.”
An eyewitness told The Herald and Times that he heard “loads of screaming” in the area and saw a man lying on the ground “covered in blood”.
“Literally just happened, was loads of screaming and guy is on the ground with blood all over him,” the witness said.
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“Looked like the guy came out of the Premier Inn hotel.”
Police in Glasgow are responding to an incident less than a mile from the hotel where 6 people were stabbed on Friday. Reports of screaming and man covered in blood near the Premier Inn on Argyle Street. #HeartNews pic.twitter.com/Yj58qcw3D0 — Heart Scotland News (@HeartScotNews) June 28, 2020
Police Scotland said the incident on Saturday was not linked to the attack on West George Street on Friday, in which a police officer and five other people - including two teenagers - were stabbed during a “serious incident” at a hotel.
The knife attack took place at around midday at the Park Inn Hotel and a male suspect was shot by an armed unit and died at the scene.
The officer who was injured in the attack, Constable David Whyte, is now in stable condition.
Three of the other people who were injured were asylum seekers and the other two were members of staff, according to Police Scotland.
All remain in hospital, one in a critical but stable condition while the others in a stable condition.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-28--DHSC: UK Records 36 More Coronavirus Deaths In 24 Hours, Bringing Total To 43,550

Scientists whilst working at the Lighthouse Laboratory at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. Andrew Milligan - PA Images via Getty Images
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The number of people who have died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus has risen to 43,550 – an increase of 36 over 24 hours.
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Since the end of April, the government’s daily announcement has included people in care homes and the community, rather than just in hospital, who have died.
But only those who had tested positive for Covid-19 are included, meaning anyone who died with a suspected case won’t be recorded.
The figures cover the period up to 5pm on Saturday.
It comes after the number of people who have died in hospitals across the UK, as well as care homes in Wales, after contracting the virus rose by XXXXXXXX in 24 hours.
That increase consisted of 18 in England, two in Wales and one in Northern Ireland. Scotland recorded zero new deaths for the third consecutive day.
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NHS England said patients who died were aged between 43 and 95 years old. One patient, aged 48, had no known underlying health conditions.
The daily death toll is far lower than previous 24-hour periods, but it is important to note that the totals are often artificially lower on Sunday and Monday due to a lag in reporting over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the government has not published the number of people who have been tested for coronavirus for several weeks.
As of 9am on Sunday, there had been 9,195,132 tests completed, with 127,709 in the past 24 hours. The true number of tests is likely to be much lower as many patients are tested more than once for the virus.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--No.10 Sets Effective Brexit Negotiating Deadline At End Of September

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The appointment of the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator as national security adviser sets an effective deadline for negotiations with the EU at the end of September, Downing Street has indicated.
David Frost is expected to take up the security role at the end of August but will work with departing incumbent Sir Mark Sedwill during a short “transition period”, Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson on Monday.
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But once Frost takes over the job fully, the role of chief Brexit negotiator will be abolished as it will no longer be necessary, the spokesperson said.
They told reporters: “It will cease to exist once the talks with the EU have concluded one way or another later this year.
“I think we have been clear on a number of occasions, these talks shouldn’t drag on and that we want and need them to be concluded by the autumn.”
He went on: “We need to make sure businesses can prepare properly for what will happen at the end of the year, if these negotiations go on too long into the autumn they won’t know what to prepare for.”
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The spokesperson added: “I think we have spoken in the past about not wanting to be continuing having talks in October.”
European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, right, speaks with his UK opposite number David Frost during the start of the first round of post -Brexit trade talks in March. ASSOCIATED PRESS
A new round of negotiations started on Monday morning between Frost and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier to kick off an “intensified” programme throughout July and August.
“We need to make progress as soon as possible,” the spokesman said.
Frost has promised the talks with the EU “remain my top single priority until those negotiations have concluded, one way or another”.
The current transition period expires at the end of the year, meaning a new trade deal will need to be in place or the UK will follow World Trade Organisation rules for its relationship with the EU, which would have the most significant negative impact on the economy.
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European Commission spokesperson Daniel Ferrie said: “Our overall message this week, but also for the coming weeks and coming months, is to intensify our negotiations in order to make progress in order to get a deal.”
Ferrie said he had “no particular comments to make” about Frost being given a second job while the negotiations continued.
He added: “From our side at least we are fully concentrated on the negotiations.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--No Singing, Touching Or Trombones: The Government's New Covid-Safe Wedding Guidelines

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Singing, touching, and “instruments that are blown into” are all off limits under new government guidance for coronavirus-safe weddings.
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Large receptions after the ceremony, food for guests and loud music have also been specifically advised against in the guidance, which was published on Monday morning.
Even the process of exchanging rings has been sanitised, with the new advice specifically advising that “hands should be washed before and after”, with the wedding bands themselves “handled by as few people as possible”.
As restaurants, cinemas and hotels open their doors, from July 4 up to 30 people will be able to attend weddings or civil partnerships in licensed venues in England.
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Weddings in England had previously been banned in almost all cases. Northern Ireland has allowed outdoors weddings with 10 people present, Wales has now permitted small ceremonies and weddings in Scotland are still off limits unless there are exceptional circumstances, for example if one partner is seriously ill.
From July 4, ceremonies in England must take place in “Covid-19 secure environments” and should be “concluded in the shortest reasonable time”.
This means that some religious ceremonies, which can take place over the course of several hours or days, now have to be adapted to be as short as possible.
The tradition of young children acting as flower girls or page boys as we know it could also become a thing of the past, as the guidance states: “Where an infant is involved in proceedings a parent/guardian or member of the infant’s household should hold the infant.”
The new rules specifically state that people should avoid singing, chanting or shouting during the event “because of the potential for increased risk of transmission from aerosol and droplets.” Loud music that cannot be spoken over at a normal conversational volume has also been prohibited, to discourage guests from shouting at one another over the noise.
Any ceremonies involving washing or ablution rituals can no longer be done at the venue itself and should be done before arriving, and the guidance states that people should not wash the body parts of others.
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The guidelines continue: “Where rituals or ceremonies require water to be applied to the body, small volumes can be splashed onto the body, but full immersion should be avoided. Others present should stand distant from any splashes and stay socially distanced. All individuals involved should thoroughly wash their hands before and after and ensure good hygiene.”
Attendees should not touch or kiss devotional objects that are handled communally, with barriers or clear signage putting in place if necessary. Similarly, books, reusable and communal resources such as service sheets, prayer mats, or devotional material should be removed from use, replaced with single-use items if possible.
Cash donations are also discouraged, with “online giving resources” promoted instead.
Couple getting married in church Peter Cade via Getty Images
While couples might now be able to actually complete the ceremony aspect of their nuptials (albeit radically altered), receptions are still off limits.
Public Health England guidance states: “Large wedding receptions or parties after should not take place after the marriage ceremony or civil partnership formation.”
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The traditional wedding breakfast, or any other food or drink, is also still forbidden “unless required for the purposes of solemnisation.”
As well as singing, chanting and shouting being banned, so too are instruments “that are blown into”. Organs are fine, but “should be cleaned thoroughly before and after use.”
Again, the new guidelines highlight that these activities could cause an increased risk of infection, even if social distancing measures are adhered to and face coverings are worn.
If the presence of music that would normally be sung or played during the wedding itself is non-negotiable, the guidance states that recordings should be used instead.
By now, most of us are used to seeing signs in supermarkets, screens at tills and distanced lines on the floors inside shops, but these features are also set to become part of every couple’s big day too.
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Attendees from different households will still have to stand two metres apart (or at least one metre “with risk mitigation”, and frequently-used venues should introduce floor markings to help guests maintain their distance.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--Rankin Captures NHS Heroes In Series Of Stunning Portraits

Rankin
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He’s best known for capturing iconic images of the Rolling Stones, Kate Moss and the Queen, but now acclaimed photographer Rankin has turned his attention to NHS heroes who have worked throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
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The powerful and personal portraits of doctors, nurses, porters and other NHS staff have been unveiled to celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the NHS.
Rankin’s series of 12 images will be showcased across the country at bus stops, roadside billboards and pedestrian areas including the Piccadilly Lights in central London this week.
Emma Kelly, a critical care nurse at the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, was surprised to be invited to take part in the project.
“At first, I thought it must be the wrong Emma as I feel like I’m just doing the job I’ve been trained to do,” she says. “While all of us who work for the NHS do the job because we want to care for and support our patients, it is lovely to be recognised in this way and to be able to share our stories with the world.”
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Rankin Emma Kelly, Critical Care Nurse, Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Kelly says she recently had the hardest day of her career so far due to Covid-19.
“One of my patients deteriorated rapidly and a decision was made to switch to end of life care,” she says. “The patient was a Covid-19 case, which meant family visits were restricted. Sitting there holding her hand and relaying messages from her family is something that will stay with me forever.”
Dr Farzana Hussain, a GP at Project Surgery, Newham, says she feels “privileged” to have been able to go to work every day and make a difference to people’s lives during the pandemic.
“Now more than ever, it’s important that we see the humanity that makes up our GP practices, community services and hospitals,” she says. “Every member of staff has their own story, fears and hopes for the future. I think Rankin’s photography brings this out really well.”
Rankin Farzana Hussain, GP, Project Surgery, Newham, London
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Those photographed include an ICU consultant, a Covid-19 critical care nurse, a midwife, a psychiatrist, a hospital porter, a Covid-19 ward cleaner, a paramedic, a GP, a pharmacist, a district nurse, a 111 call centre worker, and a chief information officer.
All have played a vital role in managing the response to coronavirus and supporting people impacted by the disease.
Like many of us across the UK, Rankin says he was moved by the “incredible efforts” of those working for the NHS when the pandemic began to unfold.
“Taking a portrait is a unique and intimate experience, even with social distancing in place,” he says. “Everyone had their own inspiring story, which to them was just doing their job. I hope these images portray the resilience and courage they show every day in the face of real adversity.”
See the full collection below.
Rankin Marc Lyons, ICU Consultant, East Cheshire NHS Trust
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Rankin Sarah Jensen, Chief Information Officer, Barts Health NHS Trust
Rankin Laura Arrowsmith, Cleaner, Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Rankin Stuart Brookfield, Paramedic, South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Rankin Roopak Khara, General Adult Psychiatrist, West London NHS Trust
Rankin Ali Abdi, Porter, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
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Rankin Claudia Anghel, Midwife, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire
Rankin Jack Hannay Manikum, 111 call handler, West Midlands Ambulance Service
Rankin Anne Roberts, District Nurse, Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust
Rankin Ade Williams, Superintendent Pharmacist, Bedminster Pharmacy, Bristol


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--Education Secretary Doesn't Deny Boris Johnson Wants Brexiteer To Run Civil Service

Britain's Education Secretary Gavin Williamson arrives in Downing Street in London ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Education secretary Gavin Williamson did not deny Boris Johnson had wanted a Brexiteer to replace Sir Mark Sedwill as the UK’s top civil servant.
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The news Sedwill was to resign from his dual role as cabinet secretary and national security adviser sent shockwaves through Westminster on Sunday.
It comes amid fears a wider shake-up of Whitehall by the PM, spearheaded by his top adviser Dominic Cummings, will erode the impartiality of the civil service.
Speaking on Radio 4′s Today programme on Monday, Williamson was also challenged about Sedwill’s replacement in the national security adviser role, David Frost.
Frost is controversial choice. He was originally hired as an aide to the Tory government to help conduct the EU-UK trade talks – a role he will continue to serve in alongside his national security job. Normally, top civil servants are required to be politically neutral.
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Williamson claimed it was “not unusual”, however, and drew comparisons between US and UK politics.
Asked if the appointment had been a political one, Williamson told the programme: “He will be, but that’s not unusual. That’s what you see in the United States, that’s what you see in many other countries.
Outgoing cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill PA
“This is a man who has impeccable public service, very much a background that similar people who have held this role in the past before have come from, having worked in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for an awful long time – so this isn’t an unusual appointment.”
Williamson did not deny the government was seeking a Brexiteer, saying: “The prime minister’s search is to get the very best person into that role and applications will be opening from next month to get someone of the very highest calibre to step into some big shoes.”
Williamson lost his job as defence secretary in Theresa May’s administration after Sedwill found him to be the source of a leak of information about a National Security Council meeting on Chinese firm Huawei.
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The education secretary was also asked if he was sorry to see Sedwill go and he did not directly say that he was, telling the BBC: “Well, I think what the prime minister said in terms of his letter, paying a fulsome tribute to the work that Sir Mark has done over his 31 long years was very, very fitting.”
Former cabinet secretary Lord O’Donnell, meanwhile, said he was concerned over Sedwill’s resignation.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I’m worried about the appointment of David Frost as national security adviser because I’m not quite sure how putting a special adviser in that role works, how that’s consistent with Michael Gove’s desire for deep subject knowledge for someone who hasn’t really had much of a background in national security.”
Asked if the service’s impartiality is being eroded, the peer said: “I think appointing a special adviser to a national security role is quite clearly an example of that.
“It’s a problem because political appointees are there and they are more likely to be subject to group-think, more likely to be yes-men, more likely to say what it is ministers want to hear as opposed to giving good, objective, speaking truth to power which is what it’s all about.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--James Blunt Has Made 2020 Even Worse With His New Album (His Words, Not Ours)

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Just when you thought 2020 couldn’t get any worse, James Blunt goes and releases a new album.
And hey, don’t shoot the messenger – that’s from the man himself.
The You’re Beautiful singer was on typically self-deprecating form during an appearance on Monday’s Good Morning Britain to plug the new long player.
But unlike every other celeb on the planet, instead of telling hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid how amazing he – and his new release – is, he took a slightly different approach.
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“This apocalyptic year wouldn’t be complete without a James Blunt album coming out,” he joked.
“It’s a collection of really miserable songs.”
'This apocalyptic year wouldn't be complete without a James Blunt album coming out.' 😂@JamesBlunt is back!
Watch GMB weekdays from 6am on the ITV Hub👉https://t.co/fzcHkA6S4k pic.twitter.com/QamwHip2v1 — Good Morning Britain (@GMB) June 29, 2020
Don’t know about you, but we are sold, as was Piers and much of Twitter...
If only all celebrities were like Mr Blunt... always such a fun interview. 👇 https://t.co/tEzwdR4RPI — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) June 29, 2020
James Blunt is funny for a posh bloke - I might even get his new album 😹 #gmb — Karen Tennents girl 🏴 (@karen_flynn) June 29, 2020
Always good fun when he appears on any TV show for an interview. Piers, surely you can arrange a James Blunt hour on GMB on a regular basis to cheer the nation up? — Chris White (@ChrisWh86909990) June 29, 2020
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If only interviewers were like James Blunt. — Robert (@RobertA14822101) June 29, 2020
I don't listen to James blunt (he does his thing very well though)
It's reasons like this why I like him. His interviews are usually great.@JamesBlunt 👏😆 https://t.co/v7jYAnlyfV — Billy_phono_FTW (@FtwPhono) June 29, 2020
James Blunt on his new album “This apocalyptic year wouldn’t be complete without a @JamesBlunt album...a collection of really miserable songs” Brilliant — Ruth Woodward (@ruthwoodward) June 29, 2020
I love James Blunt. His voice, his humour, just him. What a guy. — Sasha (@sasha4196) June 29, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--Decade Of Public Sector Cuts 'Wasn't Actually Austerity', Says Boris Johnson

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Boris Johnson has said the programme of public spending cuts imposed by Conservative-led governments over the last 10 years “wasn’t actually austerity”.
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The prime minister said an economic effort like the one enacted by former president Franklin D Roosevelt in his new deal out of the US’s great depression was needed for the coronavirus crisis.
“This is the time to invest in infrastructure, this is the time to make those long-term decisions for the good of the country,” he told Times Radio on Monday morning.
“You have to be careful and the chancellor will be setting out our plans in the spending review in the autumn.
“But in the end what you can‘t do at this moment is go back to what people called austerity – it wasn’t actually austerity but people called it austerity – and I think that would be a mistake.
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“I think this is the moment for a Rooseveltian approach to the UK.”
David Cameron, who introduced cuts to the public sector in response the financial crisis when he became prime minister in 2010, has said he should have cut further and faster.
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“Those who were opposed to austerity were going to be opposed – and pretty hysterically – to whatever we did,” he said.
Johnson will attempt to kick-start the economy after Covid-19 with a decade-long schools rebuilding plan.
He is expected to announce a spending blitz during a speech on Tuesday as he lays the groundwork for the UK to spend its way out of the coronavirus downturn by undertaking a vast building programme.
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Part of the plans will include a 10-year undertaking to improve school facilities, along with sprucing up classrooms currently in use.
A £1bn cash injection will see construction work start on the first 50 projects as soon as September 2021, Downing Street has said.
Another £5600m will go towards school repairs in this financial year while further education colleges will see £200m of the £1.5bn promised by chancellor Rishi Sunak at the spring budget to transform college estates over the next five years fast tracked so work can be brought forward.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--Adele Fans Are Loving The Subtle Nod To Her London Roots In Rare LA Living Room Pic

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Adele got fans talking over the weekend with a rare photo from her home in LA, but a lot of people are only now noticing one particular design feature, which pays homage to her North London hometown.
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On Saturday night, Adele shared some pictures of herself on Instagram, in which she was seen re-watching her iconic Glastonbury set and trying on her outfit from the 2016 performance, remarking that she was “five ciders in” as she enjoyed her nostalgia trip.
However, upon closer inspection, many fans eyes were drawn to the window of her California home, more specifically what appeared to be the tube stop for her old stomping ground, Tottenham Hale.
“You reckon that’s a custom-made Tottenham Hale sign in her back garden?” one asked. “London gal forever.”
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Another replied that she “noticed that last night”, joking: “I must have been very tired cus I was like, ’oh she’s in London, and lives really near the tube.”
Others also pointed out the nod to Tottenham on Twitter, praising the singer for keeping such a unique reminder of her roots in her LA house...
Obsessed with trying to analyse the small details shown of Adele’s living room that haven’t been disguised by love heart emojis. That is definitely a Tottenham Hale underground sign in her garden?! 😍 pic.twitter.com/Rf61V6Ru1A — Sarah Packer (@Sarah_EmilyP) June 28, 2020
Things I love to see, Adele reliving her #Glastonbury year & the fact she has a Tottenham Hale tube stop sign outside her window. She lives in LA. #icon https://t.co/flWRSNrm33 — Ashna Hurynag (@ashnahurynag) June 28, 2020
Adele with a Tottenham Hale sign in her garden 👀 pic.twitter.com/wlgCNVeHrn — Kev (@WelshSpur07) June 28, 2020
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I love that Adele has a Tottenham Hale tube sign in her garden(?) 😂 pic.twitter.com/hbuXozu5FQ — Michelle (@macaroons) June 27, 2020
adele having a tottenham hale tube station sign in her garden is possibly the best design feature i have ever seen anywhere ever. pic.twitter.com/YOTkBc7hTt — jen. (@adeleftharry) June 28, 2020
Also in the star’s Instagram comments was fellow British musician (and Adele’s rumoured boyfriend) Skepta, who joked: “Finally got your Instagram password lol.”
She then responded with hearts and winking face emojis.
Adele previously sang about her relationship with where she grew up on her debut single Hometown Glory, revisiting this theme on the 25 album cut River Lea.
It’s now been almost five years since Adele released new music, and fans are seemingly getting impatient for her impending fourth album.
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When Adele posted a photo of herself at Glastonbury, one of her followers commented: “Teaser? Albums coming out today???!!!! Tell me now!!!!”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--Boris Johnson: Local Coronavirus Spikes Like Leicester Face 'Whack-A-Mole Strategy'

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Boris Johnson has said it was “crucial” to “crack down” on local spikes in coronavirus cases, amid suggestions a lockdown could be imposed on Leicester.
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According to Public Health England data, almost 3,000 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in Leicester since the start of the coronavirus epidemic. Of these, 866 cases were reported in the last two weeks.
Speaking to Times Radio on Monday morning, the prime minister said the government had a “whack-a-mole strategy” to suppress the virus.
“The crucial thing is to make sure we are ready to crackdown on local flare-ups,” he said.
“That’s why you see the steps that are being taken in Leicester.”
Asked if he was still worried that total deaths and the infection rate remained too high, he added: “Every day I worry.
“Local hospital admissions are coming down, so are the death numbers,” he said.
Leicester’s mayor Peter Soulsby and government officials will today discuss the surge in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks.
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Bars, restaurants and other parts of the hospitality industry are due to open on Saturday across England.
But Soulsby told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the plan he had seen was to keep the current lockdown restrictions in place in his city for two weeks past July 4.
“I’ve looked at this report and frankly it’s obviously been cobbled together very hastily,” he said.
“It’s superficial and its description of Leicester is inaccurate and certainly it does not provide us with the information we need if we are to remain restricted for two weeks longer than the rest of the country.”
Leicester public health director Ivan Browne was also critical about the level of information given to the city to tackle the outbreak.
“Interestingly it’s very much around the younger working-age population and predominately towards the east part of our city,” he told the BBC.
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“I don’t think at the moment we’re seeing a single cause or a single smoking gun on this so we need really try to dig down and find out what is going on and it’s likely to be a combination of factors.
Labour MP for Leicester East, Claudia Webbe, said said she believes a local lockdown is necessary.
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She told BBC Breakfast the government’s lifting of lockdown restrictions on July 4 while her constituency was seeing a new spike in cases would be “reckless”.
Webbe said countrywide lockdown measures introduced in late March should be re-introduced in Leicester, such as asking people to stay in their homes as much as possible and the two-metre social distancing restriction.
“That is the context in which this Covid-19 is operating in. So I’m very concerned, and I really do believe that where the data allows we need to ensure that we engage in processes to protect lives, and I think we need to go into therefore more localised lockdown to protect lives and ensure that we can address this virus,” she said.
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The focus on Leicester’s future came as a leading scientist warned the country remains “on a knife edge” ahead of lockdown measures being further relaxed next month.
Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said he was worried about a possible spike in infections ahead of the reopening of pubs, restaurants and hairdressers.
Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, he warned of the possibility of a “very nasty rebound” of coronavirus in the winter if the UK does not use the next few months “sensibly”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--BET Awards 2020 Winners: The Complete List

The BET Awards were back on Sunday, but things were a little different, to say the least.
As one of the first major award shows in the age of COVID-19, the ceremony took place virtually ― instead of at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles, where it was held last year.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--US Couple Points Guns At Protesters Marching Past Their Home

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A couple in St. Louis is coming under fire on social media after images and videos showed them aiming guns at protesters who were marching past their home.
Footage showed the couple, one with a pistol and the other with what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle, shouting at the protesters and waving the weapons around. At times, they appeared to be pointing the firearms toward the demonstrators.
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A couple has come out of their house and is pointing guns at protesters in their neighborhood #StLouis #lydakrewson pic.twitter.com/ZJ8a553PAU — Daniel Shular (@xshularx) June 29, 2020
The march was organised by Expect Us, which billed the event as “a call to action against the violence towards Black people.”
The route reportedly passed the home of Mayor Lyda Krewson, where protesters chanted: “Resign Lyda, take the cops with you.” Local CBS station KMOV reported that demonstrators also painted “RESIGN” in the street outside her home.
Krewson is under pressure to step down after she read aloud the names and home addresses of constituents who had called for police reform during a Facebook Live video, a move critics said equated to doxxing critics of the police.
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She later apologised and deleted the post.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--Coronavirus Death Toll Passes Half A Million Worldwide

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More than half a million people around the world have now died after contracting Covid-19.
According to a tally by John Hopkins University, the death count for coronavirus worldwide had reached almost 502,000 by Monday morning.
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The sombre news came the day after the same university revealed that more than 10m people had tested positive for coronavirus since the deadly virus emerged at the end of 2019.
However, the number of deaths and cases are both likely to higher than the figures recorded, with many people infected with coronavirus having gone untested – especially at the start of the pandemic.
The US has seen the highest number of deaths in the world, with more than 125,800 people having passed away after contracting Covid-19.
The country with the second highest death count is Brazil, where almost 58,000 people have died, followed by the UK, which has recorded 43,634 according to John Hopkins University data.
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Coronavirus deaths, by country* US: 125,804 deaths Brazil: 57,622 deaths UK: 43,634 deaths Italy: 34,738 deaths France: 29,781 deaths Spain: 28,343 deaths Mexico: 26,648 deaths India: 16,475 deaths Iran: 10,508 deaths Belgium: 9,732 deaths *According to John Hopkins University data
However, a tally of deaths from the World Health Organisation (WHO) – which gives the number of deaths per one million of the population – gives different rankings.
The WHO calculates that San Morino – one of the world’s smallest countries – has had the most Covid-19 deaths per one million of the population, with 1,235.29.
In second is Belgium, with 839.69 deaths, followed by Andorra with 675.32.
The UK ranks fourth in this table, with the WHO calculating it has had 639.35 deaths per one million of the population.
On Sunday, it was revealed that Leicester is facing the UK’s first local lockdown following a surge of coronavirus cases.
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Home secretary Priti Patel said there was “support going into” the Midlands city to address a flare up after 658 new cases were recorded in the area in the two weeks to June 16.
But the UK is not the only country using local lockdowns in a bid to control the virus.
In China, the county of Anxin – which is around 100 miles from Beijing – was sealed off on Saturday “until further notice”, Reuters reported.
According to the BBC, more than 400,000 are affected by the lockdown, with only essential workers allowed to leave the house for work.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--Sacha Baron Cohen Pranks Right-Wing Rally Into Racist Singalong

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Sacha Baron Cohen pranked right-wingers at a rally in Olympia, Washington, on Saturday, by performing at the event in disguise and leading attendees to join in on a racist singalong with lyrics about liberals being “injected with the Wuhan flu.”
The comedian and creator of the political satire program Who Is America? infiltrated the pro-gun ‘March for Our Rights 3’ rally on Saturday, social media posts first revealed and Variety later confirmed.
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By first posing as a sponsor and filling the rally with his own entertainment and security staff, Baron Cohen was able to pull off the stunt without being removed from the stage, organisers said.
Sacha Baron Cohen Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
One of the event’s organisers, Matt Marshall ― the founder and former leader of the Washington Three Percent, a group aligned with the far-right militia movement ― posted on Facebook that the intruders presented themselves as a political action committee that offered to pay for the entire event.
The group reached out a week before the rally, Marshall told NPR, and provided funding for event costs, including decorations, a headliner and its own security team. At the last minute, a bluegrass act was added to the lineup, which organisers were too busy to vet, said Marshall, who was also the emcee at the rally.
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In videos, the overalls-clad performer is heard singing about former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci, suggesting that they be injected with “Wuhan flu” and that coronavirus is a “liberal hoax.”
He also mentions chopping up members of the World Health Organisation “like the Saudis do.” Some in the crowd are heard cheering, clapping along and chanting back the lyrics to the song for several minutes.
According to James Connor Blair, a city council member in Yelm, Washington, Baron Cohen’s security then blocked organisers from pulling him offstage or unplugging the power and “after the crowd realised what he was saying, and turned on him, his security then rushed the stage and evacuated him to a waiting private ambulance that was contracted to be their escape transport.”
The Washington Three Percent said in a Facebook statement Saturday that its members were “were appalled at the performance of an entertainer adorned in clown-face, who ― much to our group’s mutual repugnance ― voiced a series of racist and antisemitic jokes and songs, while on the stand.”
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“Our ranks enjoy the membership of every race, religion, and creed, and such despicable behaviour is NEVER allowed within our group, and if it ever arises, it causes the immediate dismissal of the perpetrator.”
The group issued an additional statement Sunday stating that it was not the organiser of the rally, but “we do give our 100% support to this event and will continue to support similar future events.”
“The juvenile prank Cohen had orchestrated and his racist bigotry does not reflect the sentiments of the event organisers or the Washington 3%,” the post said.
Many speculated that the stunt was meant for the Who Is America show, described as Baron Cohen’s take on American patriotism, which in its first instalment duped several political figures into revealing disturbing beliefs.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--Trump Campaign Reportedly Removed Social Distancing Stickers From Rally Arena

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Donald Trump’s campaign removed thousands of stickers on arena seats encouraging social distancing before the president’s rally last week in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Billboard and The Washington Post reported.
The “Do Not Sit Here Please!” stickers were intended to help stem the spread of Covid-19 cases, which were spiking in the city at the time of the June 20 event — and continue to climb in Tulsa and throughout Oklahoma.
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Campaign officials informed an executive of venue manager ASM Global to stop labelling the seats hours before the rally, ASM executive vice president Doug Thornton told Billboard.
“They also told us that they didn’t want any signs posted saying we should social distance in the venue,” he added. “The campaign went through and removed the stickers.”
By the time the Trump campaign interfered, arena workers had already affixed some 12,000 stickers on nearly every other seat, a person familiar with the event told the Post.
Both Billboard and the Post also viewed video showing Trump campaign staffers peeling off stickers from the seats.
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There was plenty of room for social distancing at the BOK Center, where only 6,200 rally tickets were scanned for a space that can hold 19,000 people. Instead, vast swaths of seats were left empty as people jammed together in seats closest to the podium.
The stickers were part of ASM Global’s new mandatory “VenueShield” protocol aimed at helping protect people from Covid-19 at the 325 sites it manages. But Thornton told Billboard that ASM had no legal authority to stop the event, which was approved by governor Kevin Stitt and Tulsa’s Republican mayor, G.T. Bynum.
The Trump campaign ignored ASM’s request to file a Covid-19 safety plan for the rally, Billboard reported — even though Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, had reportedly warned the White House that the rally would be dangerous. Hundreds of campaign staffers only haphazardly wore masks and maintained social distancing, according to Billboard. Tulsa is overhauling event protocols at the centre in the wake of the Trump rally.
As many as eight Trump campaign staff members involved in preparing for the rally tested positive for the coronavirus. A reporter who covered the rally has also tested positive.
“We know that two of them were intermingling with the people in the arena,” Tulsa Police Department corporal David Crow said at a meeting last week. “Obviously, we know that that event probably triggered some type of broader infection.”
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Campaign manager Brad Parscale, campaign staffers and dozens of Secret Service officers are reportedly now in quarantine because of suspected Covid-19 exposure at the Tulsa rally.
Anyone applying for tickets to the rally on the Trump campaign website had to agree not to sue the president or the campaign if they contracted Covid-19 at the event.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--Beyoncé Urges Fans To ‘Vote Like Our Life Depends On It’ As She Accepts Humanitarian Prize At BET Aw

Beyoncé Urges Fans To ‘Vote Like Our Life Depends On It’ As She Accepts Humanitarian Prize At BET Awards

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Beyoncé has urged fans to “vote like our life depends on it” during an impassioned address calling for the dismantling of “a racist and unequal system” at Sunday’s BET Awards.
The singer was honoured with the humanitarian prize at this year’s event, with former first lady Michelle Obama among those paying tribute.
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The 20th annual ceremony, which celebrates Black artists, took place virtually against the backdrop of sweeping protests against racial inequality and a still-raging pandemic.
Beyoncé at the 2020 BET Awards, which aired June 28, 2020, and held virtually due to restrictions to the spread of COVID-19. BET Awards 2020 via Getty Images
During her rousing acceptance speech, delivered via a video address,Beyoncé praised protesters who took to the streets following the death of George Floyd and urged people to vote ahead of November’s presidential election.
She said: “I want to dedicate this award to all of my brothers out there, all of my sisters out there inspiring me, marching and fighting for change. Your voices are being heard and you’re proving to our ancestors that their struggles were not in vain.
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“Now, we have one more thing we need to do to walk in our true power and that is to vote. I am encouraging you to continue to take action, continue to change and dismantle a racist and unequal system.
“We have to continue to do this together, continue to fight for each other and lift each other up because there are people banking on us staying at home during local elections and primaries happening in states across the country.
“We have to vote like our life depends on it, because it does. So please continue to be the change you want to see.”
In her glowing tribute, Obama described Beyoncé as an inspiration.
She said: “You can see it in everything she does, from her music that gives voice to black joy and black pain, to her activism that demands justice for black lives.
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“And no matter how big the stages get, I know my girl isn’t satisfied unless she’s sharing all that shine she has with the next generation.”
Michelle Obama is seen during the 2020 BET Awards BET Awards 2020 via Getty Images
Due to coronavirus, awards show organisers Black Entertainment Television (BET) eschewed the usual format of packing fans and stars into a venue in favour of having performances pre-recorded.
Comedian Amanda Seales anchored proceedings from a home studio.
The show was opened by Keedron Bryant, the 12-year-old boy whose stirring protest song following the death of George Floyd earned him a record deal with a major label earlier this month.
He performed his track I Just Wanna Live before some of the biggest names in hip-hop united for a performance of Public Enemy’s 1989 anthem Fight The Power.
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Nas, Chuck D, Black Thought, Rapsody and YG all featured, adapting the words of the song to reflect the current turmoil, including a reference to Breonna Taylor, who was shot dead by police in Louisville, Kentucky, in March.
Fury against police treatment of Black people was a recurring theme of the ceremony.
For a performance of his UK number one single Rockstar, rapper DaBaby was surrounded by protesters holding slogans in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, while others wore T-shirts bearing the names of Black people killed by police.
He began with a nod to the death of George Floyd, adding a new intro to the song rapped while he was on the floor with a police officer’s knee on his neck.
The performance was dedicated to the “lives lost to racism and police brutality”.
While the prize-giving took a backseat to the overall message, artists were still celebrated.
Breakthrough rapper Roddy Ricch won Album of the Year for his debut effort Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial, adding to his Best New Artist prize.
Lizzo was named Best Female R&B/Pop Artist while Best International Act went to Nigeria’s Burna Boy. He won in a category also containing British stars Dave and Stormzy.
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Music video of the Year was awarded to DJ Khaled, John Legend and the late Nipsey Hussle for their accompaniment to the song Higher.
The in memoriam segment of the ceremony featured high-profile figures including hip-hop stars Juice Wrld and Pop Smoke, who both died over the previous 12 months.
Rapper Lil Wayne rapped a tribute to basketball star Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash in January.
Singer and comedian Wayne Brady performed a tribute to rock and roll pioneer Little Richard, who died in May at the age of 87.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--Opinion: Don't Pander To The US Cheap Food Lobby With Chlorinated Chicken

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Is Covid going to be the moment the world strengthens the institutions of a healthier model of economic growth and a more resilient model of globalisation, to deepen the trade ties that bind us?
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Or is this the moment the protectionist tendencies triumph as the USA, China and Europe turn in on themselves in a new world order of economic nationalism by trading bloc?
On climate change will Covid be the moment we abandon decarbonisation as a luxury we can’t afford as we fire up the global economy one (dirty) engine at a time? Or the moment we embrace healthier growth, cleaner air and cities, fewer cheap flights and redouble our commitment to green growth?
On trade, are we going to seek to remain in the European trade zone, or orientate our economy towards the USA, or towards the fastest emerging markets in Asia and Africa?
The answer to these questions will shape our nation for the next few decades as surely as membership of the common market did from the 1970s to now.
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Nowhere will the answer be more felt than in UK food, farming and countryside.
Will we decide to make leaving the EU a moment to open the doors to cheap imports of food - American and Asian factory-farmed poultry, pork and beef and midwest grain - against which UK farming with its world- leading animal welfare and environmental standards cannot possibly compete?
Or will we stand by our UK food and farming sector?
The agriculture and trade bills currently being scrutinised in parliament, and the ongoing trade negotiations with the United States, will decide.
Chickens are shipped for processing in Morton, Missouri. The use of antimicrobial washes and sprays is widespread in the US chicken industry, with companies applying them to kill germs at various stages in the production process ASSOCIATED PRESS
In the Conservative manifesto we promised we would not water down any of the existing food safety, farm animal welfare and environmental standards. Ministers repeat that assurance. But we know that the Americans put “liberalisation” of agriculture and food top of their list of negotiating red lines.
UK ministers must make clear we will not accept lowering our food standards.
Trade ministers are currently saying:
The adoption of EU standards into UK law on Brexit day fulfils the manifesto commitment
We cannot bind the hands of negotiators.
WTO rules do not allow the imposition of any welfare standards.
There’s nothing wrong with allowing in cheap food produced below our standards, as we already do.
Don’t forget that a US trade deal will not just allow cheap American food into the UK it will also allow premium UK food into the US.
Given that ministers are also seeking Henry VIII powers to allow them to change trade rules and food standards by statutory instrument (a mechanism for processing minor technical regulatory details which avoids a vote of the whole House), and resisting calls for scrutiny and accountability of the trade negotiations to parliament, we are in danger of giving the green light to exactly what the US department of trade - and ultra-free market Brexiteers - have long wanted: an abandonment of EU “red tape” (farm welfare and food standards) and an open-door for cheap imports.
If that is allowed to happen it would mean the equivalent to UK farming of the closure of our shipbuilding and steel industry in the 1980s. Without huge EU like subsidies which we are rightly getting away from, all but the biggest and most exclusive premium farm and food operations would go bust. I don’t share the National Farmers Union’s warnings of tumbleweed prairies. Farms in the countryside would be snapped up by the global jet-set looking for safe-haven investment and private rural playgrounds.
But another great UK industry would be thrown away. World leading UK expertise and commercial muscle in agronomy, food standards, sustainable food production, Agritech, nutraceuticals and plant and animal breeding would be thrown away. For the short term “kick” of cheap food.
Just as the world market for agricultural innovation, technology and low input high productivity “smart farming” is set to be worth billions, are we seriously going to throw it away to give Donald Trump the prize for which American trade negotiators have always yearned?
Just when we should be embracing Covid as a moment for a more resilient and sustainable model of growth we would be doing the opposite.
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That’s why I’m working with a group of fellow Conservative backbench MPs to help ministers ensure we protect our food and farm welfare standards. We are urging the PM to recognise the strength of feeling (one million people have now signed the food standards petition) and do the right thing:
Make absolutely clear that we will not negotiate away any existing UK animal welfare and food standards in trade negotiations.
Agree to the proposed commission on food and farm standards to provide transparency and scrutiny.
Agree to either clear red lines in the US trade negotiations (why not put them in law so the US can see it’s for real) or basic parliamentary scrutiny and accountability in the negotiation of our trade deals.
Introduce a single clear food labelling system for consumers which ensures all produce has to show country of origin and an indicator of conformity to UK production standards.
It’s not just food standards on the line.
This debate goes back to what sort of country we want to be in the new post-Brexit, post-Covid world? Our vision, values and ambition.
Does ‘global Britain’ mean maintaining our high standards and leadership on the environment, animal welfare, food standards, resilience and sustainability? Or does global Britain mean cheap Britain - cutting corners, lowering standards and abandoning our own farming industry by importing the cheapest food from around the world? From Wisconsin to Wuhan.
It doesn’t have to be a choice between trade or standards. We have a golden opportunity to turn this round and use our trade leverage to drive better trade. Fair trade instead of free trade. If we insist on higher standards for US imports - what about putting tariffs on low-welfare goods? - we could help drive up standards in the US. By dropping 40% EU tariffs on exports from developing countries we could help them switch from aid to trade.
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This isn’t a Remainer plot to frustrate Brexit. Brexit was sold as a moment to “take back control” and embrace a great new age of global Britain trading with the fastest growing economies beyond the EU. Yes I voted Remain because I was worried about precisely this food issue and the impact on my constituents.
Mid Norfolk is the number one constituency for poultry and number three for pigs. Food processing is our largest employer and prosperity generator. The majority of the 62% of my pro-Brexit constituents are 100% opposed to selling out UK farming on the altar of cheap foreign food imports. Cheap food isn’t a solace if you’ve lost your job.
I backed Boris Johnson and Michael Gove because they made very clear we would defy the accusation of a ‘cheap Brexit’ and instead make this a moment to redouble our leadership in green growth, international development, workers rights, food standards and clean green UK agritech. They were right.
So let’s not pander to the grizzled US cheap food lobby with its hormone beef, chlorinated chicken and “finger-lick’n” cheap food culture, and the implications for the health of our food and our population. We need to be promoting healthy eating of fresh UK produce. Not global junk food.
Let’s fly the flag for British standards - from Scotch salmon to Belfast bacon, Welsh cheese, Cornish pasties, Norfolk crab - all showcased in the global culinary melting pot of our burgeoning London and metropolitan food culture.
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To those like Dominic Lawson (who also opposes action on climate change) who claim that defending UK farm animal welfare and food standards is “protectionist” by artificially supporting weak and uncompetitive producers, I say that protecting consumers and animal welfare standards isn’t weak. Markets are about values. Market economies work in a framework of regulation. Good regulation drives good markets and innovation. The “protectionists” here are the US industrial farm lobby protecting their profits over our standards.
The post-Covid recovery is no time to abandon our domestic food and farming sector. As we look to repair the damage from exposure to Wuhan’s wet markets and establish greater resilience in our national supply chains, we need our farmers and fresh food supply more than ever.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--Senior Tory Calls For 'Clear Red Lines' Against 'Cheap, Grizzled' US Food Imports

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Boris Johnson has been urged by a senior Tory to set “clear red lines” in US trade negotiations to stop the import of “cheap” and “grizzled” American food to the UK.
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Former minister George Freeman, backed by a “growing group” of dozens of Tory MPs, told the prime minister not to “sell out” the party’s manifesto pledge to maintain British food standards in post-Brexit trade deals.
Around 20 Tory MPs have already rebelled to try and block the import of chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef amid growing fears about trade negotiations with Donald Trump’s US, which has made food exports a priority in talks.
Writing exclusively for HuffPost UK, Freeman suggested MPs could back fresh amendments to the trade and agriculture bills in an effort to ensure ministers do not “pander to the grizzled US cheap food lobby with its hormone beef, chlorinated chicken and ‘finger-lick’n’ cheap food culture”.
Prime minister Boris Johnson (left) meets US president Donald Trump at the 74th session of the UN general assembly, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, USA. PA Wire/PA Images
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The government has so far insisted it will not water down food standards, but voted down a Tory rebel attempt to stop the UK import poorer quality food after signing a free trade deal with the US.
Trade secretary Liz Truss last week insisted that the UK “will never lower our standards in order to sign a trade deal”.
“Contrary to claims in the press, these standards – the ban on chlorinated chicken and hormone-injected beef – are already in UK law through the withdrawal act,” she said.
But Freeman and colleagues fear the government could use controversial so-called Henry VIII powers to change the standards without a proper vote in the Commons, and seek to drive through the changes under the radar as part of a wider US trade deal package.
More than one million people have also now signed a National Farmers Union petition to legally ban the import of lower quality food.
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Speaking to HuffPost UK, the Mid Norfolk MP said: “We won a landslide based on Boris and Michael Gove’s clear commitment that Brexit would not mean lowering our welfare standards. They were right.
“This is the first test of that. We mustn’t allow the opposition to portray us as selling out our manifesto pledge.
“Our growing group of MPs from all wings of the party and corners of the country is urging the PM to set clear red lines in the US trade deal”.
George Freeman, Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk PA
Five Tories are already backing amendments to the trade bill to give MPs a greater role in scrutinising post-Brexit free trade deals.
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The Lords is also set to vote on a cross-party amendment to the agriculture bill to maintain UK food standards in trade deals, which is likely to spark a fresh MPs’ rebellion if it passes in the upper house.
Freeman warned that without either clear red lines or “basic parliamentary scrutiny” of trade deals, “we are in danger of giving the green light to exactly what the US department for trade – and ultra-free market Brexiteers – have long wanted: an abandonment of EU “red tape” and an open door for cheap imports”.
He said that approach would “mean the equivalent to UK farming of the closure of our shipbuilding and steel industry in the 1980s”.
In the wake of coronavirus, Freeman also warned that the UK has a “solemn duty” to secure its supply chains from public health risks from other countries like China, with its wet markets.
“Does “global Britain” mean maintaining our high standards and leadership on the environment, animal welfare, food standards, resilience and sustainability?” he wrote.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--How To Do Your Makeup So It Doesn’t Rub Off On Your Face Mask

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For a person who wears makeup, the current mandate to wear a face mask can mean one of two things: Don’t wear makeup at all, or be prepared for makeup to move off your face and onto your mask. But are those really the only options?
Not necessarily. Transfer-proofing techniques have been in professional makeup artists’ arsenal for decades, and they’ve only gotten better with the advent of highly powerful sealants and fixing sprays, as well as sophisticated formulas of long-wearing foundation. But if you already have a foundation you like and are not inclined to purchase a professional-grade fixing spray, you’re in luck. A range of helpful techniques using products that you likely already have at home can help keep your makeup from transferring to your face mask.
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What follows is a trial run of five techniques ― by no means an exhaustive list. For five days, I tried each of these techniques. I used the same skin care routine before each makeup application: I wore a clean black fabric face mask for at least five hours each day during this period, which happened to coincide with the outbreak of peaceful protests in New York City in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. I attended some of these protests while wearing full makeup and the mask.
These techniques can be used with any foundation, concealer or powder products you already have. For transparency, I used MAC Cosmetics’ Studio Fix Fluid, Laura Mercier Translucent Powder, Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer and Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray.
Day 1: Jordan Liberty’s Viral Skin Prep
The Technique
This technique, developed by makeup artist Jordan Liberty and popularised on TikTok, is all about creating an oil- and sweat-absorbing base. After doing your skin care routine and applying moisturiser and sunscreen, you are supposed to dust translucent powder all over the face. I recommend waiting about 15 minutes after you’ve applied sunscreen to allow it settle into the skin, especially if you choose to use a thicker variety with zinc or titanium dioxide. Next, apply setting spray; allow it to dry. Then, apply a primer; I chose to use Milk Makeup’s Hydrogrip Primer. Follow with your regular foundation, concealer and powder, and since you need a setting spray to make this technique functional at all, do a final set with that, too.
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The Result: Disappointing.
Niko Maragos The inside of the face mask after a day of trying Jordan Liberty's skin prep technique.
I found this technique kept my makeup looking good for more than five hours of wear with a mask on. However, I think that the result has more to do with the amount of product that it requires you to apply to the skin: much of it can wear off throughout the day, but enough is left behind that what you see in the mirror is still passably good. But when it comes to creating transfer-proof (or even transfer resistant) makeup, this technique was disappointing.
Day 2: Minimal Foundation And Powder Applied Through A Paper Towel
The Technique
A general piece of advice I’ve encountered as a makeup artist is that less product, strategically applied, makes for not only a better result, but a longer-wearing one. This is especially true when there will be friction between the skin and another surface, a situation with which Sarah Cimino, a theatrical makeup designer, is quite familiar. She designed the makeup for the burlesque Company XIV’s Seven Sins, in which dozens of actors wear masks and face ornaments of all kinds through the show’s seven acts.
“They don’t wear a lot of foundation, and that’s for a couple of different reasons,” Cimino said. “I do think that, especially wearing a mask daily, is going to present a lot of challenges to our makeup but also to our skin.” To minimise that effect, Cimino encouraged a minimal amount of product set with a translucent powder.
Following Cimino’s advice, on Day 2 of my experiment I opted to use only concealer, rather than foundation, because I wanted a little bit more coverage. With this particular formula, a water-resistant one, it wouldn’t have made sense to use a damp beauty blender. To avoid pulling up product with my fingers, I followed Jackie Aina’s advice (repeated in many of her YouTube videos) to let the concealer sit for about 3 minutes. At that point, I blended it out with a flat, synthetic brush.
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As an added layer of protection, I used an old lipstick trick from Cimino, with a slight twist. I took a paper towel, pulled the ply into its two thinner parts and held one piece over my face, pressing translucent powder over the paper using a clean latex sponge.
The Result: Much better.
Niko Maragos The inside of the face mask after a day of trying using minimal products and applying powder through a tissue.
Far less product transferred to my mask this way, with most of the transfer occurring on the nose; with the previous method, there was product transfer around my chin. As there was less product on my skin, I also felt less made-up, and my skin felt less clammy by the end of the day. But that’s to be expected of a technique that does more with less. For the person who wants to wear more product, who isn’t comfortable wearing only a bit of concealer, this technique is a nonstarter.
Day 3: Hairspray
The Technique
I don’t mean to re-traumatise anyone with memories of their childhood dance recitals by bringing this technique up, but look: old tricks still work, kind of. For this technique, there is nothing to be done differently from what you normally do, except to take a can of your favourite hairspray, close your eyes and blast a few pumps on your face from about an arm’s length away.
The Result: The worst so far.
Niko Maragos The inside of the face mask after a day of wearing makeup that's been sprayed over with hairspray. This technique is ... not recommended.
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This technique was slightly less effective than the previous day’s technique, and this was without having been outside that day for any reason. It’s worth pointing out that my skin was also the most uncomfortable by the end of the day. Given the discomfort and the relatively unremarkable payoff, without even subjecting it to the humidity and heat that day, I rank this technique lower than the others.
Day 4: A Quick Bake
The Technique
“Baking” has taken on an outsize presence in the amateur beauty world in the past few years, and it’s not without reason. The technique involves applying a hefty amount of loose powder over strategic areas of the face, letting it sit (“bake”) for a period of time (anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes) and then dusting it off. The result is usually a much brighter, smoother, longer-wearing application of product. It turns out that it’s also quite effective at resisting transfer.
New York City makeup artist Sharmeen Akther regularly contends with fabric and ornaments around the faces of her clients. Specialising in South Asian bridal hair, makeup and dressing, Akther’s job involves being extremely cautious of the various veils and head coverings that her clients wear during bridal ceremonies and related festivities.
“One of my nightmares is getting foundation or eyeliner on their dress,” Akther said. “And thank God that’s never happened.” She said that in her years of doing South Asian bridal makeup, no client has ever said their makeup has transferred. One might assume Akther relies on a complex technique to make this magic happen. But in fact, she takes the opposite approach.
“I try to use a foundation that’s lightweight,” she said, highlighting Nars’ All Day Luminous formula. She also keeps the baking to an extreme minimum and does it after applying a pressed powder to the entire complexion (Akther personally uses MAC’s Studio Fix Powder). “I’ll literally put on the powder, wait for like 10 seconds, and then I’ll take it off.”
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Taking her advice, I applied my regular foundation, set with a pressed powder, and then baked my nose for just a few seconds with a generous helping of translucent powder.
The Result: Good for a short period of time.
Niko Maragos The inside of the face mask after a day of wear using a "light bake."
This technique was effective at keeping my foundation undisturbed, except for on my nose. It should be noted here, however, that I had spent a long afternoon marching through Brooklyn on what was a hot and sunny day. But even under those conditions, no makeup from the areas around my mouth or on my cheekbones transferred onto the mask. That said, for the makeup-wearer who will be wearing their mask on a short commute or to run an errand, I recommend this technique. This is especially true for someone who would like to use the fewest amount of products possible. All it takes is loose powder.
Day 5: Setting Spray Into Foundation
This is another resourceful technique that doesn’t demand too many extra steps, products or sometimes hard-to-execute activities like covering your face with tissue. In my experience, the only tool you really need is a fluffy foundation brush ― something rounded that will lend itself well to buffing.
After doing your skin care, load your brush with a bit of your foundation and then spray the fibres with your setting spray. Apply the product and work it in quickly: In my experience, the setting spray will cause the product to dry much faster than usual. I don’t recommend using a sponge for this technique; it will absorb the setting spray. Once your foundation is applied, follow with your setting powder and setting spray.
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The Result: Winner!
Niko Maragos The inside of the face mask after a day of wear using setting spray and foundation.
This was, all around, the most effective technique. There was admittedly still transfer on my nose, but even that was less than with the other techniques, which is especially impressive. While testing this technique, I had my longest day of protesting yet, in terms of both time spent and miles walked. Given those conditions and the simplicity of the technique, this is my top recommendation.
But as a caveat to that recommendation, consider that I’ve subjected all of these techniques to a particularly intense trial. For anyone who will be wearing a mask for a short amount of time ― say, to walk the dog, take a trip to the store or even to find a place in the park for a socially-distanced day in the sun ― any one of these techniques will be sufficient.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--My Pride Anthems: Rufus Wainwright

My Pride Anthems: Rufus Wainwright

The coronavirus pandemic has changed everything, and that includes how we’re all celebrating Pride in 2020.
With huge public gatherings out of the question, we’re asking a range of LGBTQ celebrities and allies for their personal Pride anthems, to help us all get into the Pride spirit from lockdown.
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We’re coming towards the end of our My Pride Anthems series, but rest assured, with two interviews left, we’re definitely going out with a bang.
Kicking things off is one of the most influential and revered LGBTQ artists making music right now, Rufus Wainwright.
You might notice there’s a distinct absence of Judy Garland – who Rufus once named as the ultimate gay icon – from his list of Pride anthems, but as he puts it: “I will admit that I still worship Judy Garland and will always admire her, but that period was earlier in my career.
“When I initially took on that mantle [of his Judy Garland-inspired live shows] it was a kind of exorcism that I was performing, I had been haunted by Judy for many, many years, and felt the need to express my passion for her as a way of kind of moving on.”
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Instead, here’s the list of songs that Rufus did include on his Pride playlist, including Blondie and Pet Shop Boys.
Culture Club – Karma Chameleon
“I think I was around 10 or 12 when this came out, and how Boy George and Culture Club presented themselves was so riveting. I’m always flabbergasted at the fact I didn’t realise, but even adults at that time didn’t realise that he was gay. It just didn’t really cross your mind, even though it was right there in front of you. This song, I don’t know, it felt like there was a message, but it was also, at the time, an anthem, and just a piece of witty genius, and that’s why I chose it as a Pride anthem.
“And Boy George is a friend of mine, we’ve worked together a few times, and certainly I think he’s one of the great figures of gay kind of survival. He’s really been through the ringer, as they say, and come out a better person at the end. And he managed to really face so many of his demons, concerning his gay life and also his struggle with addiction. He’s a real important figure, for sure.”
Nina Simone – My Baby Just Cares For Me
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“That song has a literal gay reference in it, when she talks about her baby not ‘caring for Liberace’s hair’, which I think at the time, when the song came out in the late 50s, that was pretty daring, a 100% gay reference in a song.
“And, of course, when I fell in love with this track, I was also falling in love with my first love, who was, you know, some kid, some young straight guy that I was acquainted with. So I often relate it to my early gay love, but the song itself is also very important because it has a direct gay reference in the lyrics.”
Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill
“Kate Bush is almost more of a patron saint for a lot of gay people – especially gay men of a certain age... my age, that is. She was really, kind of, I don’t know, a force for good and a force for motion and... transcendence. And that’s what a lot of gay men – and I’m only speaking for gay men, because I am one, so I feel like I can – but that is the process that all gay men have to really embark on, and I think Kate Bush is an incredible vehicle for that process, and Running Up That Hill, is just the engine.
“I saw her show in London in 2014, and I can’t say this about every show, even when I think they’re fantastic when I see them, but that show has really stayed with me. It’s really remained in my mind and in my psyche, and that’s the sign of a true classic pop show. When something repeats again and again.”
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Pet Shop Boys – It’s A Sin
“I’m very good friends with Neil Tennant, he’s one of my closest buddies actually, and so I love him as a person. But this song, and that music, was really a very important part of my early gay life, when I would go to nightclubs – often alone, because I was kind of sneaking around, when I was very young.
“I didn’t relate to the kind of celebratory sensibilities that a lot of gay clubs had, during the AIDS crisis there was a real dichotomy between death and life, and I always felt very confused. But then when the Pet Shop Boys came on, I would suddenly feel an acceptance and almost an acknowledgement of the dark side of that period, because it was very dark. But it was also still fun and celebratory and exciting.”
Blondie – Heart Of Glass
“I was very young when I got into this song. I think I was around five or six. And I had this distinct memory of being in the backseat of the car, and my father was in the front driving me around, and that song was playing, and I was just so enraptured, and singing along and getting really carried away by Blondie and Debbie Harry’s vocals.
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“And I remember him looking back at me very nervously, kind of realising what he had on his hands here. I could sort of tell that he was, you know, having trouble coming to terms with the reality of the situation, that he had a gay son, which took him some time to get used to.
“It’s a happy memory, but it’s also one of the first memories where… I don’t think I even knew I was gay at that point, but I knew that there was something different between me and my father. I was of another tribe, I guess. And that song was kind of leading me in that direction, to the direction of my tribe.
“And I still love Blondie. I’ve had the chance to work with Debbie Harry a couple of times and I pinch myself every time she’s in the room. I still think of her from the perspective of that five-year-old gay boy, looking for his way.”
Rufus Wainwright’s upcoming album Unfollow The Rules will be released on 10 July. Watch the lyric video for You Ain’t Big below:
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-29--These One Tin Bake Recipes Will Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

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There’s only so much banana bread a person can make (and eat), which is why many of us are looking elsewhere for baking inspiration.
Enter: One Tin Bakes. Edd Kimber’s recipe book is one for home bakers with a mega sweet tooth, as well as those who enjoy making cakes but don’t have a cupboard full of baking gadgets.
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There are recipes for cakes, bars, cookies, tiffins, pastries, pies, tarts, buns and breads, with dessert ideas thrown in for good measure – like the sticky date pudding with a rum butterscotch sauce, or masala chai baked rice pudding.
All these creations are baked in a 23 x 33cm cake tin – the one you’d typically use for brownies. Here are three mouthwatering recipes from the book.
Roasted white chocolate oatmeal raisin cookie bars
Serves: 16
Edd Kimber Roasted White Chocolate Oatmeal Raisin Bars
Ingredients
For the caramelised white chocolate ganache:
370g white chocolate, roughly chopped (when choosing your white chocolate for roasting, use one with at least 30% cocoa butter)
150ml double (heavy) cream
1½ teaspoons flaked sea salt
For the oatmeal raisin bars:
120g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
125g plain (all-purpose) flour
160g rolled oats
½ teaspoon flaked sea salt
3 tablespoons golden syrup or clear honey
150g light brown sugar
3 tablespoons milk powder
¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
145g raisins, soaked in boiling water, drained
Method
Preheat the oven to 120°C (250°F). Add the white chocolate for the ganache to the baking tin in a single layer and bake for about 60–90 minutes, stirring vigorously every 15 minutes, until melted and a rich, golden colour. When you take out the chocolate to stir it may look coarse and grainy. Ensure you stir it until smooth and melted before returning to the oven. Once it’s ready, scrape into a heatproof bowl and set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F), gas mark 4. Wash and dry the baking tin, grease it, then line with a strip of parchment paper that overhangs the two long sides of the tin. Secure the paper in place with two metal clips. Place the flour, oats and salt into a large, heatproof bowl and mix together. Place the butter, syrup or honey, sugar and milk powder into a medium-sized saucepan and cook over a low medium heat until melted and combined. Remove from the heat and whisk in the bicarbonate of soda and 1 tablespoon water, then pour this and the raisins over the oat mixture and stir to coat. While still warm, tip into the prepared tin and press into an even layer. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until golden all over and just a little darker around the edges. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before adding the ganache. To finish the ganache, pour the cream into the bowl with the roasted chocolate, then place over a pan of simmering water (ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the ganache is smooth and combined. Pour over the base and spread into an even layer, then pop the tin in the refrigerator until set, about 1 hour. Just before the ganache is set, sprinkle with the salt. Remove from the refrigerator and cut into small bars to serve. Store in a sealed container for 3–4 days.
Blueberry cornmeal buckle
Serves: 12-15
Edd Kimber Blueberry Buckle
Ingredients
For the streusel topping:
125g ground almonds
125g oat flour
3 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
100g unsalted butter, diced
For the almond cornmeal cake:
185g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
250g caster (superfine) sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
185g fine cornmeal
185g ground almonds
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
5 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
450g fresh blueberries
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), gas mark 4. Lightly grease the baking tin and line with a piece of parchment paper that overhangs the two long sides of the tin. To make the streusel topping, mix together the ground almonds, oat flour, sugar and salt, then rub in the butter using your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Pop this bowl into the freezer while you finish the cake batter. For the cake, place the butter, sugar and lemon zest into a large bowl and beat together using an electric mixer for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Mix together the cornmeal, ground almonds, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Add the eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time, beating until fully combined before adding another. Add the vanilla and mix briefly to combine. Add the cornmeal mixture and mix together to form a smooth cake batter, then gently fold in the blueberries. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin and spread into an even layer, then sprinkle the chilled streusel mixture evenly over the top. Bake for 40–45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes, before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, cut into portions and serve. Store in a sealed container for 2–3 days.
Anzac caramel chocolate slices
Serves: 20
Edd Kimber Anzac caramel slices
Ingredients
For the Anzac base:
85g plain (all-purpose) flour
60g rolled oats
40g desiccated coconut
¼ teaspoon flaked sea salt
75g unsalted butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup or clear honey
100g light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
For the caramel filling:
100g unsalted butter
397g condensed milk
2 tablespoons golden syrup or clear honey
55g light brown sugar
For the topping:
200g dark chocolate, melted
Flaked sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), gas mark 4. Line the baking tin with parchment paper that overhangs the two long sides of the tin, securing in place with metal clips. To make the base, combine the flour, oats, coconut and salt in a large bowl. Place the butter, golden syrup or honey and sugar in a saucepan and cook over a medium heat, stirring every now and then, until melted. Remove from the heat and add the bicarbonate of soda and 1 tablespoon of water, stirring together for a minute until the mixture is a little foamy. Pour this over the oat mixture and mix together until well combined. While the Anzac mixture is still warm, tip it into the prepared tin and press into a flat and even layer. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until golden brown and a little darker around the edges. Leave to cool in the tin while you make the caramel. Add all the caramel filling ingredients to a medium-sized saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and continue to stir, scraping the bottom of the pan regularly to prevent catching, for 10–15 minutes, until the mixture has thickened and darkened a shade or two. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the caramel, when ready, should reach 112°C/235°F. Remove from the heat and pour the caramel over the base. This mixture is very hot, so ease it into the corners by lifting and tilting the tin as needed. Set aside to cool for 30 minutes. For the topping, pour the melted chocolate over the caramel and use an offset spatula to spread it out evenly. Pop the tin in the refrigerator and leave for a couple of hours to allow everything to fully set (if you want to sprinkle with sea salt, allow the chocolate to turn a little tacky before sprinkling, otherwise it will sink into the chocolate). To serve, remove from the tin using the parchment paper and cut into squares. Keep these in the refrigerator, but allow them to come to room temperature before serving as the textures are at their best. Store in a sealed container for 4–5 days.