thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--Here's What You Need To Know About Stamp Duty Into 2021

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The housing industry is pleading with the government to extend the stamp duty holiday by a further six months, as homebuyers race against the clock to get their moves over the line before the deadline of March 31, 2021.
In July, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a temporary stamp duty holiday that cuts the tax rate to 0% for all properties priced £500,000 and under.
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This was to encourage home buyers after the industry shuttering and prolonged uncertainty of the original coronavirus lockdown. Savings of up to £15,000 were incentive enough to kickstart activity – but with time running out, here’s what you need to know about the current state of play in the property market.
Will the stamp duty holiday be extended?
The government hasn’t announced any further details on the chance of the current stamp duty holiday being extended beyond March. Housing minister Christopher Pincher said in the commons in November: “The government does not plan to extend stamp duty relief, and will continue to monitor the property market.”
However, property professionals and trade bodies representing estate agents, conveyancers, surveyors and mortgage brokers have banded together, writing a joint letter to the government asking for the stamp duty holiday to be extended by at least another six months and for any announcement to be made before Christmas.
It takes homebuyers an average of 123 days to purchase a home, Emma Harvey, director of mortgages at MoneySuperMarket, tells HuffPost UK. “As it stands, the stamp duty holiday scheme is due to come to an end at the end of March meaning prospective homebuyers have just 20 days left from November 9 to find a property and apply for a mortgage in order to complete,” she says.
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Research suggests a strong desire from Brits for an extension to the scheme, and an industry primed for activity, she adds. “During the second lockdown, estate agents and lenders adapted quickly to ensure the housing market doesn’t stand still. Viewings are still going ahead with measures in place, while lenders are also continuing to work hard to get sales through.”
Other areas of financial relief and support have already been extended more than once, including the furlough scheme. Could there be changes here too?
“We have seen the government react quickly, so we certainly can’t rule it out,” says Harvey, but she believes it’s unlikely the industry and buyers will be notified of any extension until closer to March, which “will make it touch and go for many buyers hoping to complete a sale at the start of the year”.
What’s happening to house prices?
With so many looking to take that next step on the property ladder, house prices have been increasing as buyers flood to the market, especially at price-points where the tax savings are the greatest.
The property portal Zoopla has reported record-high sales agreed post-lockdown and it’s estimated at a total of 418,000 sales worth £112bn.
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“House prices are rising at an annual rate of 3%, the strongest rate of growth seen in two and a half years,” says Gráinne Gilmore, head of research at Zoopla. “Prices are being underpinned by the levels of demand in the market, and there are now 50% more sales in the pipeline than this time last year.”
So, what’s holding property sales up?
Despite the UK now being in a second lockdown, mortgage applications are continuing to surge, currently at a 12-year high, as many British residents look to buy or sell their homes to take advantage of the ongoing stamp duty holiday.
This has caused serious delays to the mortgage, conveyancing, and surveying processes, which could result in some buyers missing out on the stamp duty holiday in the limited time window. What’s more, the sector’s processing capacity has been reduced by the shift to working from home and property transactions are taking a lot longer than normal. This is delaying the turnaround from an average 12 weeks to 20 weeks, according to the open letter.
“During the summer we saw the pent-up demand from the first lockdown come to the market. The sustained levels of demand since then point towards the market now being driven by a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ reassessment among some homeowners about how and where they live in the wake of lockdown,” Gilmore explains.
“The delays in the market are being caused by the sheer volume of activity,” she adds, with activity highest among households who already own a home.
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And if stamp duty holiday isn’t extended?
If there’s no extension, thousands of sales could fall at the final hurdle and this will have a knock-on effect on the housing market which has so far recovered well from the Covid-19 slump. “We could feasibly expect to see a real slowdown in the market as the discount is retracted,” Harvey adds. “Some people will pull out of deals.”
As restrictions from the second lockdown continue and the industry deals with a massive backlog of conveyancing admin in the run up to Christmas, delays are going to be inevitable and it’ll mean some will face an anxious wait.
Buyers and sellers are rushing things to fast-track a house move, but this could mean vital details are overlooked, which in turn, could hold things up further.
Gilmore advises buyers hopeful of meeting the March 31 deadline to have as much information upfront as they can – and mortgage financing in place.
″While the stamp duty holiday has likely brought forward much activity that would have taken place into 2021, the current trends in the market, with a greater rise in demand from existing homeowners who have more equity at their disposal, means it is likely activity in this part of the market will continue past the stamp duty holiday,” she says.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--I Was Given Two Days Off When My Dad Died. But I Know People Need More Time

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HuffPost UK My dad Roger, and me, pictured in 2007
The day my dad died, the manager of the high street shop I worked in phoned me up. She offered some condolences – before sheepishly telling me she expected me back the next day.
If I wanted any more than the two days I was entitled to, she said, it would be unpaid. I was in too much of a daze to question this ridiculous demand, but I knew I definitely wasn’t going to be in a fit state to return to work. At that point, my world was a blur.
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My dad, Roger, a much-loved science teacher, had been ill for more than three years with various forms of cancer. In the winter of 2006, after it spread, he was given six months to live. He had made it to April 2008.
I had taken off the day before he would die in advance because, in my gut, I just knew. My dad was going into the hospice to give my mum, who had been caring for him round the clock, “some respite”. Later that day a nurse told me, aged 20, “you know he’s not going to come back out?”
In a whirlwind 24 hours I went from having the final coherent conversation with my dad – “Look after mum, won’t you” – on the makeshift care ward in the sitting room of our family home, to him taking his final breath with my mum, sister and I beside him in a shared hospice room.
Nearly thirteen years later, everything is a bit of a blur yet somehow replays like a film. Key scenes stick in my mind: the horror of watching him project uncontrollable faecal vomit, the painful wail that erupted from his three dearest women when he actually died. And then there’s the comedy: wiggling his eyebrows in a rosy-cheeked induced coma in response to us telling him we loved him, or me eating a prawn sandwich next to his dead body because, well, I was hungry.
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HuffPost UK My mum and dad's wedding in Bristol in August 1979
I’m telling this story now because this Monday, the bereavement charity Sue Ryder made an urgent call for new laws to give workers whose partner or close relative dies two weeks paid leave. Heidi Travis, its chief executive rightly points out this would give people “a crucial period of time to start processing their grief” as well as helping the “financial impacts of unresolved grief and its cost to the economy”. With hundreds of people losing loved ones every day during the coronavirus pandemic, families need this safety net more than ever. While by no means does two weeks off make things feel any better, it’s such an important time to start processing what has happened rather than pretend everything is okay and carry on as normal. I’m astounded this isn’t law already.
Thanks to Lucy Herd, who I got to know while covering her Jack’s Law campaign, parents can now get statutory bereavement pay if their children die before they turn 18, or if a baby is stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy. But now, me and thousands of others, are calling for more and backing the campaign too. I know now that with my current employer if something terrible happened, I would be given the time and support I need. But why the hell should something as traumatic as this rely on privilege or the luck of having a compassionate employer?
If I had been forced to return to work the day after my dad died, I would have been completely spaced out. I wouldn’t have been able to do my job properly and I would have probably been unable to serve customers or deal with the day-to-day mishaps. When I did return, it was hard enough – other colleagues hadn’t been told why I was off, so I was asked if I’d “had a nice holiday”.
On the day I returned, someone from another store called and asked to speak to a colleague. I didn’t recognise the name. Thinking I couldn’t hear, they muttered that I was stupid. Another member of management was completely unable to deal with my upset and tears. I quit the job a few weeks later.
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HuffPost UK My dad's memorial bench at the school where he was Head of Science
To go through that trauma, and then for some people to have no choice but to return to work, with no bereavement leave required by law, is utterly heartbreaking. Because I lived at home and could handle the cost, I decided to take two weeks of unpaid leave. That allowed me to cry a lot, see friends and family, be with my mum and my sister and make preparations for the funeral and thanksgiving service. It was absolutely crucial to starting the long healing process of losing a parent when you hardly feel like an adult yourself. But not everyone has that privilege.
For people who lose their loved ones with the added stress of the coronavirus pandemic, I can’t imagine their pain. In this moment, I feel so grateful for those moments of saying goodbye and being with him, which many people are unable to have amid this pandemic.
Two weeks doesn’t take away the pain of losing a loved one, but the space to have time to grieve as well as financial security at such a devastating time is absolutely crucial. Let’s make two weeks statutory bereavement leave law now and give families a chance to heal.
Becky Barnes is audience editor at HuffPost UK. Follow her on Twitter at @BeckyBarnesB
Have a compelling personal story you want to tell? Find out what we’re looking for here, and pitch us on ukpersonal@huffpost.com


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--Why The Crown's Fourth Season Is Easily Its Best Yet – 'It Feels Eerily Close To Home'

Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher are rarely uttered in the same breath, but both women defined 1980s Britain and both are introduced in the first episode of The Crown’s fourth season.
For fans, this is incredibly exciting. They have patiently waited through decades of monarchical history dating back to the Queen’s coronation in the 1940s to get to Diana and Thatcher. While the older stories were gripping, for many they have lacked the contemporary resonance of the 1980s and for many viewers this season will be the first time the Netflix drama has been within living memory.
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Having seen new episodes from season four ahead of the launch on 15 November, it feels like the most energised series yet. It fizzes with a new set of strong lead performances telling unbelievable – but mostly factual – stories from the past. Here are our biggest takeaways...
It’s funnier than ever
Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret Netflix
In one episode, Thatcher goes on a hunt, accompanying the Queen. “I couldn’t help noticing ma’am, you didn’t bring any outdoor shoes,” notes one courtier at Balmoral where the prime minister has gone for a royal visit.
“That’s right,” retorts Margaret, adding, “what a straaaaange thing to say,” as Gillian Anderson hammily drags it out her vowels. The prime minister is genuinely contemplating why she’s been asked about sensible shoes. Could going to the countryside actually mean going outside?
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What follows is a camp reimagining of Thatcher trailing a stag across the Scottish Highlands accompanied by a gunman and Her Majesty the Queen. Thatcher, unprepared, is dressed to the nines in a two-piece power suit designed for delivering evening speeches in, not the kill for the table, but begrudgingly she’s off hunting at first light on Her Majesty’s invitation.
She has on a pair of muddy outdoor shoes the Queen has offered her, and slips across the dewy early morning grass with the efficiency of a deer on ice skates and the look of a toddler who’s dropped her ice cream.
It’s a hilariously camp instance that is funny for how feasible it feels.
Later, a begrudging Thatcher and husband Dennis attend a Scottish sports day, which includes log throwing, as guests of the Queen. Gillian Anderson brilliantly embodies Thatcher’s snobbishness in her body language: she gives the prime minister a quivering lip as she struggles to hold her public face, bemoaning what an utter waste of time this all is.
Thatcher would much rather be behind her desk working but she’s paralysed, stuck here in the depths of the countryside, and it’s joyously funny.
In the meantime, the rest of the royals, bedecked in wax jackets and appropriate shoes, jump in and out of muddy Land Rovers, embracing the culture of the outdoors to which Thatcher is so allergic.
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Gillian Anderson relaxes into the role Thatcher – although not everyone will enjoy it
Gillian Anderson plays Margaret Thatcher Netflix
Thatcher was loved and despised – division which led her to become immortalised as one of the most famous prime minsters. But in recent years portrayals of her have become more pervasive than footage of actual Thatcher herself.
Meryl Streep did a cracking job at capturing her in The Iron Lady, Spitting Image had their go, and now it’s Gillian Anderson’s turn.
It feels as if she takes a while to warm into the character in the initial few scenes, including in episode one where she experiences a fraught audience with the Queen. In that scene, Gillian’s performance feels like it drifts into pastiche: the delivery is extra slow, her words extra incensed and head bobs an inch or two more dramatic than the Iron Lady’s herself.
But within half an episode, Gillian relaxes into Thatcher’s tailored business suits: she peers listlessly out of a plane window while bemoaning the royals, asserts that she, and only she, unpacks her husband’s clothes on trips away and tirelessly lectures anyone she meets about the value of hard work. Across these moments, Gillian captures what many perceived to be Thatcher’s irritating tone deafness, but also how her single-mindedness makes her vulnerable.
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As we mentioned above, Gillian also manages to make her performance light and comedic when appropriate, but Thatcher supporters may find that she’s gone a little OTT with the delivery.
Emma Corrin’s Princess Diana will win over royal fans and detractors – just like the Lady herself did
Emma Corrin makes her debut as Princess Diana Netflix
Director Ben Caron deliciously plays around with the audience’s thirst for Diana in episode one when she first appears non-recognisably (no spoilers here.) She might not be instantly Diana, but the introduction of an unknown character is so stylistically handled in the scene, it’s easy to work out what’s going on after a few seconds.
When she finally appears, Emma Corrin as Diana is majestic. At 24, she naturally conveys the lightness, energy and naivety of Diana in those early years before her life become complicated. Emma reveals the Diana before she became fatigued, and before the affairs – a young woman in awe of Prince Charles.
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She depicts how overwhelming that must have felt – her eyes dart nervously in their sockets as she greets the royals all at once, and is criticised by Princess Margaret for not bowing to each family member in the right order. She looks curious, excited and concerned all at once and it feels haunting.
As do scenes that echo decades of TV news coverage – scenes of the soon-to-be royal as she goes about her life in London followed by a throng of photographers.
Overall, it feels eerily close to home
The show has now moved on to the 1980s Netflix
Of course, for many of The Crown’s audience, the 1980s are within living memory. For those slightly younger, Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher are two figures with stories which pervade the news today, so even for younger viewers this season feels palpably modern.
This sense of the show being brought gradually up-to-date will create more anticipation ahead of season five – which will likely tackle the tragic death of Diana in 1997 – and season six, which was confirmed earlier this autumn.
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But for now, the fashions, particularly of Princess Diana, and everything from the cars being driven, to the attitudes of the characters, feel relatable.
The Queen and Prince Charles, played by Josh O'Connor and Olivia Colman Netflix
There’s a unique sense of pleasure in events from living memory being recalled in a glossy high-budget TV drama – we’re all enjoying a bit of nostalgia more than ever right now – and The Crown’s fourth season finds its magic by blending familiar stories from the royal family with surprising revelations we never knew before.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--Cora, Rona And Lockie: 10 Baby Names Inspired By Lockdown

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The pandemic has changed all of our lives – and if you’re about to have a baby, chances are you’re thinking about the strangeness of the current situation even more than usual.
A recent survey, conducted by ChannelMum.com, found that 43% of parents believe the coronavirus outbreak will affect what they decide to call their baby.
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The research also found 7% of parents have changed their mind on how they will name their children as a direct result of the pandemic.
Some 60% of the 1,300 parents polled said they would avoid names that reminded them of the virus and the lockdown – but others may feel the need to mark such a significant part of our history.
Whichever way you decide to go, we have a wealth of baby name inspiration on HuffPost UK Parents. Here are 10 of the best monikers inspired by lockdown.
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RichLegg via Getty Images
Cora
Cora comes from the Ancient Greek Κόρη (Kórē), the name for the Greek goddess Persephone. Other forms of the name could be Kora and Korra.
Rona
Rona comes from the Hebrew and means ‘song’. A much prettier version of what it’s come to mean to us today.
Vira
Vira has a Hindi origin, where it means ‘hero’, but it can also come from the Spanish, meaning ‘white’ or ‘fair’.
Coren
Coren is usually a boy’s name, and comes from the Latin, meaning ‘spear’.
Corina
The name Corina means ‘maiden’ and comes from the French.
NoelUroz via Getty Images
Lochlan
Lochlan means ‘from the fjord and lake-land’, and comes from the Gaelic for ‘loch’ (lake/fjord) and ‘lann’, meaning land.
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Ronan
The name Ronan means ‘little seal’ and originally comes from the Irish.
Viola
The name Viola means Violet and is of Italian origin, but in the Bible it means ‘forever young’.
Violet
Violet is named after the pretty purple flower, and represents spirituality, gentleness, imagination, calmness, creativity, wisdom, royalty and luxury.
Lockie


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--University Students To Be Allowed To Travel Home In December In Christmas Boost

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University students in England will be allowed to travel home in early December so families can be reunited for Christmas under government guidance for the coronavirus pandemic.
Institutions will be told by the Department for Education (DfE) to end in-person teaching and switch to online classes so they can return between December 3-9.
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The boost for students comes as the NHS was preparing to be able to start delivering a potential Covid-19 vaccine from the beginning of next month in the event it is approved.
Under guidance published on Wednesday, universities will be told to set staggered departure dates during the “student travel window” so they can safely return home.
It is hoped the risk of transmission will be reduced as students will be travelling after the four-week period of national restrictions in England.
Deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries said: “The mass movement of students across the country at the end of term presents a really significant challenge within the Covid-19 response.
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“The measures announced today will help minimise that risk and help students get home to their families as safely as possible for Christmas. It is crucial that students follow the guidance in order to protect their families and the communities they return to.”
Meanwhile, the government announced that 532 more people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, the highest figure reported in a single day since May 12 and brings the UK total to 49,770.
Matt Hancock said the UK’s medicines regulator could approve the Pfizer or Oxford vaccines within days of a licence application being submitted due to rolling analysis of the data.
The health secretary told the Commons the focus was on delivering the jabs if they pass safety tests and are approved by regulators, with a further vaccine possibly coming next summer.
Earlier on Tuesday, Hancock said the military and NHS staff are on standby to roll out a Covid-19 vaccine across the UK from the start of December and will work “seven days a week”, with GPs, new vaccination centres and pharmacists all playing a role.
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Pop-up vaccination clinics are also expected to be used in some areas.
But the Royal College of GPs questioned which work they should stop in order to fulfil the vaccine programme.
Its chairman, Professor Martin Marshall, said: “The workload and resource pressures that were facing general practice before the pandemic still exist and they need to be addressed.
“GPs and our teams won’t be able to deliver this programme alone.”
Hancock said there were many hurdles to overcome before the “vast task” of vaccination could begin, including thorough examination of clinical trial data.
But he said the NHS was leading the work to get a vaccine to those most in need as soon as possible, including the elderly and health and care staff, though most other people will not get a jab until 2021.
The roll-out of a vaccine would ease the pressure on prime minister Boris Johnson to avoid having to extend the national lockdown in England when it expires on December 2.
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Senior Conservative backbenchers, including former Brexit minister Steve Baker, have formed a “Covid recovery group” to resist such a move.
Experts hope that the first phase of vaccination of priority groups could prevent the vast majority of deaths from Covid-19.
Asked whether a vaccine could be available by Christmas, Hancock said that was “absolutely a possibility”, adding that vaccination clinics would be open on bank holidays and weekends.
The UK government has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine – enough for about a third of the UK population.
It expects 10 million of these doses to arrive in the UK before the end of this year, with people given two doses, 21 days apart.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--Is Boris Johnson’s Test And Trace Service A Waste Of Money?

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When faced with a blizzard of statistics, it’s sometimes possible to lose sight of the bloody great mountain in front of your face. That was the problem today when, for all the hopeful talk about a vaccine breakthrough, the starkest new number was this: a further 532 people were recorded as having died in the UK from Covid-19.
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That appalling statistic, the highest daily death toll since May 12, brings the total official number of direct Covid deaths to 49,770. Nearly fifty thousand dead in just a few months. And on the scientists’ (certainly Chris Whitty’s) preferred measure of “excess deaths”, the number is over 72,000.
As deaths lag behind cases and hospitalisations, the grim figures are likely to get worse before they get better. But they are a reminder of just how much more political trouble Boris Johnson would be in now if he hadn’t triggered the second national lockdown for England.
That may well be why Matt Hancock today shrugged off a barb from backbench grandee Sir Des Swayne about the much-criticised chart used by Patrick Vallance last week. When Sawyne said the amended graph’s 40% reduction in the death rate proved “the NHS would have coped, wouldn’t it?” Hancock replied with a firm, one-word reply of “No.”
One big difference between now and the first wave is that deaths in care homes appear to be much lower and that is in part due to one of the unheralded successes of the test and trace system: regular testing of staff and residents in care homes. When asked today if her £12bn service was largely “a waste of money”, Dido Harding replied it was “the complete opposite”, mainly because of its focus on care testing.
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Still, Graham Stringer and Greg Clark had more than a point in the science and tech committee when they said any test system that failed to result in a self-isolation within 72 hours was basically wasting its time and our money. That’s why both turnaround times and contact tracing rates need to improve significantly in order to make the most of the breather the lockdown may produce in case numbers.
Harding’s newest catchphrase is that her system is a “team of teams”, made up of public health council chiefs focusing on tracing but also private sector testing expertise (though she claimed she couldn’t give a percentage split of how much the whole system spent on which bit). When asked if it was accurate to describe her service as ‘NHS Test and Trace’, she had a barb that “that is its name”, while defending all that private sector and retail input.
But just as with Kate Bingham (another wife of a Tory MP) and her Vaccines Task Force’s £670,000 on outside PR firm costs, the perception of taxpayers’ cash misspent in a time of crisis is one that is sure to be part of Labour’s attack lines long after the pandemic turns around. If you’re one of those millions of Brits who have had no state support in recent months, such sums leave a very bitter taste in the mouth.
Speaking of value for money, Harding also revealed for the first time today that she had lobbied for better financial support for those self-isolating. She said people don’t fully quarantine because “the need to keep earning and to be able to feed your family is a fundamental element of it”, though the actual size of the sums on offer were matters for the PM and chancellor.
Until a vaccine is widely available (and that may not be until next summer) it’s worth repeating again and again that the best way to stop the spread of this disease is to get people with the virus to stay at home and stay away from others. All the money and effort spent on testing and tracing will be irrelevant if people keep spreading the virus in the community once lockdown is eased.
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That’s why it’s very strange indeed that we still have virtually no figures on the performance of the NHS test and trace app, in terms of how many people it has asked to self-isolate and how many using its contact-tracing function. This, even though Harding’s own husband, Tory MP John Penrose, is currently quarantining due to the tech.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--Sadiq Khan Says Tory ‘Demonisation’ Of Teachers Is Putting Staff At Risk Of Violence

PA
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has warned that the government’s “demonisation” of teachers during the Covid crisis is putting staff at risk of violence from pupils and parents.
In a Zoom call with more than 3,000 teachers and support staff in the National Education Union, Khan said that ministers and special advisers including Dominic Cummings should be praising their profession as “heroes” rather than denigrating them.
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Education secretary Gavin Williamson last week said that the NEU’s call to close schools during the national lockdown would put in jeopardy the education of some of the most disadvantaged children.
But Khan made a strong defence of teachers and suggested that he backed the NEU’s move towards a rota system that would allow older pupils to alternate weeks at home and in school.
In the same meeting, NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted also revealed that members were reporting a significant worsening of pupil behaviour in recent weeks as the strain of home life was brought into schools.
Speaking on the Zoom call on Tuesday night, the Mayor hit out at ministers including Williamson and at the term “The Blob”, which had been used by Cummings when he was an aide to Michael Gove to describe civil servants and teachers as being opposed to reform.
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“If politicians and the media attack teachers today, we can’t be surprised if tomorrow parents, pupils and others are abusive and violent towards teachers,” he said.
“That’s why language matters. This ‘Blob’ stuff is really important. I think the way we treat educators in the country is outrageous.”
Khan said that he had “a responsibility to big you up, justifiably so for the role you play”, rather than “the demonisation of your profession” by others.
“It really upsets me because I wouldn’t have achieved a fraction of what I have in my life but for teachers,” he said.
“You’re among the heroes of this crisis. You don’t deserve to be treated in the way you have. Rather than being thanked by this government, let’s be clear, you’ve been attacked.
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“And worse still your commitment to supporting your pupils has shamefully been called into question, when I know how passionate you are, about your profession, how much you care about your students, our children.”
A massive thank you to @SadiqKhan for taking the time to join thousands of our members today on Zoom.
We hope you can join us again soon #SadiqZoom pic.twitter.com/q1TRuB1zYd — National Education Union (@NEUnion) November 10, 2020
NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted had told the Mayor that the union was due to put out a new discussion paper on the benefits of a shift to rotas for older pupils in order to make schools safer and to reduce pressures caused by self-isolation of staff and students.
She said that some sixth form colleges had proved that the system would work, with half pupils in class and half at home, alternating each week.
“The big advantage of this is it halves the footprint in the college and it allows social distancing. And it means that the R rate, the infection rate in those colleges is far less,” she said.
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“We’re also clear that students who can’t learn from home, don’t have the [internet] access, don’t have the room, don’t have the IT equipment, they would need to stay and be taught full time in school or in college so that they keep full time learning.”
Khan replied: “All the points Mary was making don’t just benefit teachers and staff, they benefit pupils, parents, families in addressing the virus.
“As a union you are a classic example of not simply arguing for the producer, your members, but the benefits flow to the consumer, the children.”
Education secretary Gavin Williamson PA
The Mayor said he had written to Williamson in recent days to demand more support for schools but the “digital divide” was still a key issue.
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“It breaks my heart when I speak to parents who are telling me that children are using their phone to access lessons,” he said.
Bousted added: “What I see on Twitter, what I see on Facebook, what I see in the right wing press, when you’ve got Julia Hartley Brewer [the TalkRadio host] saying ‘lazy sods’ about teachers, then you just realise how far the teacher bashing has gone.”
She also revealed on the call that teachers were reporting worsening behaviour of pupils.
“When I talk to teachers, they tell me that they are now exhausted. the week before half term they said, it’s like the Christmas level of exhaustion,” she said.
“And I’m hearing some worrying things. One of the things I’m hearing from a lot of people is that pupil behavior is worsening.
“Pupils are coming to school, they are really stressed many of them are experiencing very difficult home lives at the moment with parents who are stressed about work, about unemployment, about money, stressed about the personal relationships at home.
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“And then pupils are coming to school and taking out that frustration in school. I’m hearing many stories about pupil behavior worsening.”
She added that some headteachers were adding to staff stress by insisting on performance monitoring.
“I’m hearing some bad stories about some bad practices coming back in: learning walks, lesson observations, accountability practices, which just have no place in a Covid secure school and actually putting people on their knees.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--US Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo Says There Will Be A 'Smooth Transition To A Second Trump Administ

US Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo Says There Will Be A 'Smooth Transition To A Second Trump Administration'

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Despite Joe Biden being declared winner of the US presidential election on Saturday, Donald Trump and his administration have redoubled their efforts to cling to power.
On Tuesday, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said there would be a smooth transition to the next administration in the White House – but insisted it would be the “second Trump administration”.
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Asked by reporters whether the state department was preparing to engage with Biden’s transition team, Pompeo said: “There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.”
The secretary of state initially smirked while answering and kept the rest of his remarks vague. At a press conference later, Biden said that nothing would stop the transfer of power in the US government. Biden smiled and laughed when asked about Pompeo’s comment.
“We’re ready,” Pompeo continued. “The world is watching what is taking place here. We are going to count all the votes. When the process is complete, there will be electors selected.” He said: “There’s a process – the constitution lays it out pretty clearly. The world should have every confidence that the transition necessary to make sure that the state department is functional today, successful today and successful with the president who is in office on January 20, a minute after noon, will also be successful.”
.@SecPompeo: "There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration."
Full video here: https://t.co/6Rou91HQxv pic.twitter.com/MU9Gp2QWnq — CSPAN (@cspan) November 10, 2020
The secretary of state’s comments come amid repeated and unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud by Trump and a refusal by the current president to recognise the Democrat’s win.
On Tuesday, Trump tweeted: “WATCH FOR MASSIVE BALLOT COUNTING ABUSE AND, JUST LIKE THE EARLY VACCINE, REMEMBER I TOLD YOU SO!”
WATCH FOR MASSIVE BALLOT COUNTING ABUSE AND, JUST LIKE THE EARLY VACCINE, REMEMBER I TOLD YOU SO! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 10, 2020
The message was flagged by Twitter, which warned users: “This claim about election fraud is disputed”.
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In another tweet, Trump wrote: “WE WILL WIN”.
Tuesday saw president-elect Biden call a number of world leaders, including Boris Johnson and Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
Biden secured the more than 270 votes in the Electoral College he needs to take the presidency by winning Pennsylvania on Saturday after four tense days of counting, which was delayed by a surge in mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump has made baseless claims that fraud was marring the results. Attorney-general William Barr and Senate Republican majority leader Mitch McConnell have signalled they back Trump’s right to launch a legal challenge to the result in several battleground states such as Pennsylvania.
Biden said in a speech in Delaware that his team was pushing ahead with forming a new administration to take over on US Inauguration Day on January 20, 2021, no matter what.
“We’re going to be going, moving along, in a consistent manner, putting together our administration, the White House, and reviewing who we’re going to pick for the Cabinet positions, and nothing’s going to stop that,” he said.
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Biden said it was an “embarrassment” that Trump has not conceded the election.
“I think the whole Republican Party has been put in a position with a few notable exceptions of being mildly intimidated by the sitting president, but there’s only one president at a time,” he said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--How 'Special Suitcases' Could Solve A Big Question Over The Covid Vaccine

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The world reacted with almost universal relief when news broke on Monday that an effective Covid-19 vaccine might be imminent. But then the reality of the task dawned: what were the practicalities of immunising the world?
A massive undertaking in itself, but one made even more challenging since the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine needs to be stored at minus 70C.
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Put simply, the pharmaceutical industry is not currently configured for a “cold chain” at the low temperatures required for storage.
Dr Alexander Edwards, associate professor in biomedical technology at the University of Reading, said: “In general cold chain distribution and storage is built into the pharmaceutical supply chain – even the shelves on your corner pharmacist will have regular temperature checks. But minus 80 freezing is not routine.”
But it’s not a lost cause.
One solution is to keep the vaccine at minus 70C until the final hours is a suitcase-sized container that will keep the doses at the required temperature for up to ten days. The Times has reported that each container holds 1,000 to 5,000 doses.
“The cold chain is going to be one of the most challenging aspects of delivery of this vaccination,” said Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security in Baltimore, US.
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“This will be a challenge in all settings because hospitals even in big cities do not have storage facilities for a vaccine at that ultra-low temperature.”
The necessity for this temperature of storage also poses problems surrounding the distribution of the vaccine globally.
Some low income countries face significant challenges when transporting vaccines which only need to be stored in refrigerators at 4C – let alone minus 70C.
To get to the UK, the vaccine could come from Pfizer’s distribution centre in Belgium to GP practices across Britain.
On Tuesday, health secretary Matt Hancocck said he has “confidence” the NHS can deliver an approved vaccine despite the logistics involved.
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Hancock, who acknowledged the “mammoth logistical operation”, said that from the moment the vaccine leaves the factory in Belgium it can only be taken out of minus 70C four times before it is injected into a patient’s arm.
But it can be stored at a warmer temperature in the two days prior to being used, he added.
This implies that GPs will be able to administer the vaccines two days after deliveries without the need for new refrigeration systems.
But experts said the hurdles could be overcome.
Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said on Monday: “There are production and distribution problems to be overcome, but these should not be beyond the wit of human ingenuity.”
Dr Charlie Weller, head of vaccines programme at Wellcome, told the PA news agency: “The cold chain that’s needed, that’s going to be a challenge where there are health systems and countries where that cold chain is not set up, or it is not able to be set up in a timely manner.
“So that is going to potentially mean that we need different options, we need a range of vaccines.”
The Moderna vaccine, which is working on a formula based on similar technology, does not need to be stored at such a low temperature.
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Other vaccines including ones from Johnson & Johnson and Novavax can be stored at 2-8 degrees C, the temperature of a regular refrigerator.
Pfizer spokesperson Kim Bencker said one detailed plan includes using dry ice to transport frozen vaccine vials by both air and land at their recommended temperatures for up to 10 days.
They can be kept in an ultra-low temperature freezer for up to six months, or for five days at 2-8 degrees C – a type of refrigeration commonly available at hospitals, Bencker said.
The Pfizer storage units can also be refilled with ice for up to 15 days, she said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--Joe Biden Said Brexit Must Not Damage Good Friday Agreement, Says Irish PM After Phone Call

US president elect Joe Biden has been speaking with world leaders after his victory over Donald Trump Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
US president elect Joe Biden used a phone call with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin to sound the alarm over any threat Brexit may pose to the Good Friday Agreement.
Biden spoke with Martin on Tuesday, the Irish government said, adding the Democrat “reaffirmed his full support” for the 1997 peace accord Bill Clinton helped to negotiate.
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The two leaders “discussed the importance of a Brexit outcome that respects the GFA and ensures no return of a border on the island of Ireland”, Dublin said on Tuesday.
Biden, who beat Donald Trump in the race for the White House, is thought not to support Brexit and also spoke with French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel.
Prime minister Boris Johnson also had a phone call with Biden lasting around 25 minutes at around 4pm, Downing Street has said.
In a statement, the Irish government said Martin had congratulated him and Kamala Harris on their “remarkable election victory”.
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Boris Johnson calls Joe Biden from Downing Street Boris Johnson calls Joe Biden from Downing Street
“In a warm conversation, president-elect Biden recalled his strong Irish roots and his visit to Ireland with his family in 2016,” the statement read.
“The president-elect reaffirmed his full support for the GFA and they discussed the importance of a Brexit outcome that respects the GFA and ensures no return of a border on the island of Ireland.
“They looked forward to working together bilaterally and across a range of international areas including EU-US relations, the UN – including the Security Council, and on the important global challenges of Covid-19, economic recovery and climate change.”
Martin said during the campaign Joe Biden had “nailed his colours to the mast” in terms of his “absolute commitment” to the upholding of the GFA and “his resistance to any measures or mechanisms or developments that would undermine the agreement and peace on the island of Ireland”.
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I’ve had a warm and engaging call with US President Elect @joebiden He brings tremendous knowledge & understanding to his new role, and has a great love for his Irish heritage. He underlined his commitment to the Good Friday Agreement & we spoke of importance of multilateralism.. — Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 10, 2020
... for example, the Paris Accord and the WHO. I congratulated him on the historic nature of his election and that of @KamalaHarris and we agreed to work closely together. I also invited him and @DrBiden to come back to Ireland when we will properly mark their success 🇮🇪🇺🇸 — Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 10, 2020
He also described Biden, who has ancestral roots in Ireland, as “the most Irish of presidents since John F Kennedy” and said the Irish government was pleased he had “won the confidence of the American people”.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said the election of Biden had “made it clear” that there would be no trade deal with Britain unless the GFA is safeguarded in all of its parts.
“The election of Joe Biden has the potential to reshape the nature of the Brexit negotiation particularly with regards to the aggressive and arrogant approach taken by the Tory government and Boris Johnson to Irish interests,” she said.
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“Throughout this process Tories have actively sought to undermine the GFA and most recently Mr Johnson has played the reckless game by using as a bargaining chip the protection secured for Ireland as part of the withdrawal agreement.”
“Central to this game-playing has been Mr Johnson’s dangerous internal markets bill.”
It comes as the internal market bill makes its way through parliament, with the UK set to end the Brexit transition period with the EU on December 31.
Peers voted down the controversial bill, which would give ministers the power to breach the PM’s own withdrawal agreement with the EU, on Monday night, but Downing Street refuses to back down.
Biden is said to have “significant concerns” about the legislation has previously warned it could threaten the GFA.
I just spoke to @JoeBiden to congratulate him on his election. I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our countries and to working with him on our shared priorities – from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy and building back better from the pandemic. — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 10, 2020
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It is not clear whether Johnson and Biden discussed Brexit during their conversation.
The prime minister confirmed the conversation on Tuesday in a tweet, with No.10 adding he had also passed on good wishes to vice president-elect Kamala Harris.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--UK's Daily Coronavirus Death Toll Exceeds 500 For First Time Since May

A woman wearing a face mask as a precaution walking past a social distancing sign on Oxford Street. SIPA USA/PA Images
The UK’s daily coronavirus death toll has exceeded 500 for the first time since May.
On Tuesday, the UK recorded the deaths of 532 people who had tested positive for Covid-19 in the previous 28 days.
Though delays in reporting at weekends means that figures often spike on a Tuesday, it is the first time since May 19 that the daily coronavirus death toll has breached the 500 mark and the highest number since 632 deaths were recorded on May 12.
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Of the 532 deaths, 460 were reported in England and 39 in Scotland, while Wales accounted for 22. Eleven were also recorded in Northern Ireland.
It brings the UK’s coronavirus death toll to 49,770 – one of the highest in the world.
Meanwhile, more than 1.2m Covid-19 cases have been recorded, with 20,412 new infections added to the total on Tuesday.
News of the deaths comes amid hope from scientists that a coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech could mean life is back to normal by spring, with trials suggesting the new jab is more than 90% effective.
However, England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam warned on Monday it would be a “colossal mistake” for Brits to relax when it comes to lockdown rules and social-distancing.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--Lorraine Kelly Reveals Reason Why She'd Never Do Strictly Come Dancing – And It's Partly Thanks To A

Lorraine Kelly Reveals Reason Why She'd Never Do Strictly Come Dancing – And It's Partly Thanks To Anton Du Beke

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Lorraine has revealed the reason why she would “absolutely under no circumstances” take part in the BBC ballroom show, and it’s part in thanks to Anton Du Beke.
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The presenter admitted the professional dancer hadn’t been too complimentary about her dance skills, and she was inclined to agree with his verdict.
Lorraine Kelly and Anton Du Beke ITV/Shutterstock
Lorraine made the admission as she revealed fellow Strictly professional Luba Mustuk had asked her if she’d ever do the show after teaching her a few steps during a Portuguese retreat they went on earlier this year.
Speaking in a video diary for Hello magazine, Lorraine said: “I wasn’t very good at all, but I loved it. It was such great fun.
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“Luba said, ‘Why don’t you do Strictly Come Dancing?’ and I said, ‘Absolutely under no circumstances’ because you know there’s always a comedy act in Strictly Come Dancing and they’re funny but rubbish? I would just be rubbish.”
She continued: “I would be terrible and I do remember when Anton Du Beke come on the show and I said to him during the commercial break, ‘Do you think anybody can dance?’ and he said, ’Yeah, yeah absolutely. Stand up a minute.’
“So I stood up and he did the kind of hold thing, and then he said, ’Oh, it’s like dancing with a tree.′ And he was right.
“So you won’t see me on Strictly.”
Will Lorraine ever do Strictly? She reveals all in this week's diary 💃 pic.twitter.com/KCSM7jB8h2 — HELLO! (@hellomag) November 10, 2020
Lorraine isn’t the only celebrity to have ruled themselves out of Strictly on the grounds they think they’d be rubbish recently.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--FA Chairman Greg Clarke Steps Down After Comment About 'Coloured' Footballers

“We would also like to reaffirm that as an organisation, we are absolutely committed to doing everything we can to promote diversity, address inequality, and tackle all forms of discrimination in the game.”
Speaking to the Commons digital, culture, media and sport committee on Tuesday, Clarke said he wanted to see racist, homophobic and misogynistic abuse in football stadiums criminalised.
But questioned over why no professional male footballer in England had come out as gay, Clarke said LGBT athletes from other sports had told him it was because people had seen what “happens to high profile female footballers, high profile coloured footballers, and the abuse they take on social media”.
Labour MP Kevin Brennan interrupted Clarke to ask him to “withdraw” the use of the word “coloured”.
“Diversity is not really the issue. Football is diverse. It’s inclusion that’s the issue,” Brennan said. “Isn’t that exactly the sort of language that means inclusion is not a reality, even though football is very diverse?”
Clarke said: “If I said it I deeply apologise for it.
“I am a product of having worked overseas. I worked in the USA for many years where I was required to use the term ‘people of colour’ because that was product of their diversity legislation and positive discrimination format, sometimes I trip over my words.”
In a statement later on Tuesday, he said: “As a person who loves football and has given decades of service to our game, it is right that I put the interests of football first.
“2020 has been a challenging year and I have been actively considering standing down for some time to make way for a new chair now our CEO transition is complete and excellent executive leadership under Mark Bullingham is established.
“My unacceptable words in front of parliament were a disservice to our game and to those who watch, play, referee and administer it. This has crystallised my resolve to move on.
“I am deeply saddened that I have offended those diverse communities in football that I and others worked so hard to include.
“I would like to thank my friends and colleagues in the game for the wisdom and counsel they have shared over the years and resign from the FA with immediate effect.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--Boris Johnson And Joe Biden Hold First Conversation After US Election

Boris Johnson calls Joe Biden from Downing Street Boris Johnson calls Joe Biden from Downing Street
Boris Johnson has spoken to US president-elect Joe Biden and “warmly congratulated” the Democrat on his victory over Donald Trump.
The prime minister confirmed the conversation on Tuesday in a tweet, with No.10 adding he had also passed on good wishes to vice president-elect Kamala Harris.
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Johnson said he looked forward to working with the new US administration on “shared priorities”, which include climate change, as the UK continues preparations to host the COP26 summit in Glasgow next year.
Johnson said: “I just spoke to Joe Biden to congratulate him on his election.
I just spoke to @JoeBiden to congratulate him on his election. I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our countries and to working with him on our shared priorities – from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy and building back better from the pandemic. — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 10, 2020
“I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our countries and to working with him on our shared priorities – from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy and building back better from the pandemic.”
A Downing Street spokesperson added: “In a call this afternoon the prime minister warmly congratulated Joe Biden on his election as president of the United States.
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“The prime minister also conveyed his congratulations to vice president-elect Kamala Harris on her historic achievement.
“They discussed the close and longstanding relationship between our countries and committed to building on this partnership in the years ahead, in areas such as trade and security – including through NATO.
“The prime minister and president-elect also looked forward to working closely together on their shared priorities, from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy, and building back better from the coronavirus pandemic.
“The prime minister invited the president-elect to attend the COP26 climate change summit that the UK is hosting in Glasgow next year. They also looked forward to seeing each other in person, including when the UK hosts the G7 summit in 2021.”
The call is thought to have taken place at around 4pm and lasted around 25 minutes.
Biden had also spoken with French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday.
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The conversation follows an embarrassing episode in which the government blamed a “technical error” for the word “Trump” appearing faintly in the background of Johnson’s first tweet congratulating Biden and Harris.
It appeared as though a previous message had been overwritten.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--These Are The 67 New Areas Where You Can Get Rapid Covid Tests

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Boris Johnson on Monday announced plans to send 67 more local areas 10,000 rapid coronavirus tests each.
The rapid flow tests are designed to turn around results potentially within an hour without the need for a laboratory.
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The government wants it to boost the testing of potential asymptomatic carriers of the disease and then isolate those who are positive in order to drive down infection rates.
The prime minister also hopes it can help critical industries, key workers and institutions to continue functioning.
On Tuesday, the full list of the 67 areas where rapid Covid tests will be made available to local public health directors was published. It is not yet known where or how the tests would be administered – that is up to public health teams to decide.
Johnson hopes a successful pilot in the areas could see a wider rollout.
Liverpool, Stoke and Lancashire have already been provided with lateral flow tests and they will now be made available in 67 more areas, which are:
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Barking and Dagenham
Bexley
Birmingham
Blackburn and Darwen
Blackpool
Bolton
Brent
Bristol
Bury
Calderdale
Camden
City of London
County Durham
Coventry
Darlington
Doncaster
Dudley
East Riding of Yorkshire
Enfield
Essex
Gateshead
Greenwich
Hackney
Halton
Hammersmith and Fulham
Hartlepool
Hertfordshire
Kingston upon Hull
Islington
Kensington and Chelsea
Kingston upon Thames
Knowsley
Lambeth
Lewisham
Luton
Manchester
Middlesborough
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newham
North Tyneside
Northumberland
Nottingham City
Nottinghamshire
Oldham
Redbridge
Redcar and Cleveland
Richmond upon Thames
Rochdale
Salford
Sefton
South Tyneside
Southwark
St Helen’s
Staffordshire
Stockport
Stockton-on-Tees
Sunderland
Tameside
Tower Hamlets
Trafford
Wakefield
Waltham Forest
Wandsworth
Warrington
Wigan
Wirral


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--Eric Trump Ridiculed After Urging People To Vote…1 Week Late

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Eric Trump found himself the butt of countless jokes on Tuesday morning after he issued a rallying cry for people in Minnesota to vote, one week after the 2020 election.
“Minnesota get out and vote!!!” tweeted President Donald Trump’s second-eldest son:
Twitter screenshot
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On Election Day itself, Eric Trump had posted a slew of similar calls:
Pennsylvania please get out and VOTE!! We must save America from the radical left! — Eric Trump (@EricTrump) November 3, 2020
Turn Nevada Red!!! — Eric Trump (@EricTrump) November 3, 2020
Nevada - we are so close! Get out and vote ASAP! Let’s #KeepAmericaGreat — Eric Trump (@EricTrump) November 3, 2020
That prompted speculation on social media that Tuesday’s tweet was down to a scheduling error. Eric Trump deleted the post within minutes of it going live. But it still went viral via screenshots.
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President-elect Joe Biden is projected to take all 10 Electoral College votes in Minnesota, having secured more than 1.7 million votes to Trump’s 1.4 million.
Is it is just me... or is this the longest Election Day EVER???! https://t.co/hj2eP142en — Nick Zerwas (@NickZerwas) November 10, 2020
Scheduled post. Someone picked the wrong Tuesday. — Meg Maker (@megmaker) November 10, 2020
eric trump has come unstuck in time — Emanuel 3080berg (@emanuelmaiberg) November 10, 2020
For those wondering, I’ve concocted an elaborate scheme where I’ve placed Eric Trump into a “Truman Show”-like environment, yet he lives Election Day 2020 over and over like “Groundhog Day”. pic.twitter.com/0xsgEPcCxs — Santa Claus, CEO (@SantaInc) November 10, 2020
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This should have gone out last week at this time. Eric Trump can’t schedule tweets. Part 2. pic.twitter.com/8RqquGhWnx — drew olanoff (@yoda) November 10, 2020
Please tell me you’re talking about American Idol. — Jenny Johnson (@JennyJohnsonHi5) November 10, 2020
Good morning to all, especially Eric Trump’s most Eric Trump tweet pic.twitter.com/rDKuHprWo7 — trevor shelley de brauw (@trevordebrauw) November 10, 2020
oops you scheduled this tweet for the wrong tuesday hon — Robbie Couch (@robbie_couch) November 10, 2020
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Did Minnesota land in the stop the count, or count the vote category? — Matthew Smith (@MattSmithKIRO7) November 10, 2020
Eric Trump deleted this tweet, but screenshots are forever pic.twitter.com/sCggLE08II — Matthew Champion (@matthewchampion) November 10, 2020
When you schedule the tweet but it's already after dad lost the election. 😂 — Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) November 10, 2020
It appears Eric Trump scheduled an Election Day tweet for the wrong week. pic.twitter.com/BliI5XxflN — Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) November 10, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--Boris Johnson Monumentally Screwed Up His Message Congratulating Joe Biden

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It should have been so simple – send the US president-elect a little message saying “very well done on your victory”.
And at first glance, it looks like Boris Johnson did just that.
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But alas, this is 2020 and ineptitude, incompetence and downright shambolic behaviour daily stalk the corridors of Whitehall.
Despite very clearly and correctly being addressed to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, sharp-eyed social media users spotted the word “Trump” showing faintly in the background of the message.
PA Media
This led to online speculation that No.10 had originally prepared a message to herald a Donald Trump win, only to replace it with one acknowledging the Democratic candidate’s success after US media outlets called the race for the former vice president on Saturday afternoon.
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Downing Street’s explanation? The infamous “technical error”.
A government spokesperson said: “As you’d expect, two statements were prepared in advance for the outcome of this closely contested election.
“A technical error meant that parts of the alternative message were embedded in the background of the graphic.”
How... unfortunate.
The situation was highlighted by the Guido Fawkes website which also noted faint words stating “the future” and “second term” buried in the tweet.
Trump, seen as an international ally of Johnson, has so far refused to concede defeat in the election.
Biden has insisted that maintaining peace in Northern Ireland is paramount to any post-Brexit UK-US trade deal.
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The Foreign Office’s top diplomat Sir Philip Barton was questioned about the tweet blunder while appearing before MPs.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--Uri Geller's I'm A Celebrity Horror Story Is The Most Vomit-Inducing We've Ever Heard

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Depending on your tolerance of creepy crawlies, I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! is either the stuff of nightmares or an exciting challenge.
However, even those made of the toughest stuff might have a hard time coping with what original campmate Uri Geller experienced on the show.
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The illusionist and self-proclaimed psychic took part in the first series of the ITV reality show way back in 2002 and regaled the Loose Women with the most stomach-churning tale we think we’ve heard about any celebrity’s time in the jungle.
Uri Geller took part in the first series of I'm A Celebrity Shutterstock
Speaking on Tuesday’s show, he said: “I’m a vegetarian but I had to eat an insect, partly it was for charity.
“So I swallowed the insect whole and when I was going back on the bridge back into the camp I felt it crawl up my oesophagus inside me.
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“It actually crawled back into my mouth through my throat and I spat it out.
“I’ll never forget that.”
*screams eternally*
Uri’s admission comes after former campmate Fatima Whitbread shared a grim detail about the Bushtucker Trial she undertook where a cockroach got stuck up her nose.
Reflecting on the moment during an appearance on highlights show A Jungle Story on Sunday night, the former Olympian revealed that after the cockroach was dislodged, she actually held onto it, and still has it to this day.
Fatima Whitbread on I'm A Celebrity ITV/Shutterstock
“I could feel his furry little legs up there, it was very uncomfortable and very unsettling,” she explained. “But at the same time, I just thought, ‘well there’s no point getting upset about this’.
“It did come out, and it didn’t last long… and I kept him, and had him waxed. LB, I call him. Because at the time, he was a little bastard.”
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ITV bosses are currently gearing up for the 20th series of I’m A Celebrity, which moved from its usual home in the Australian jungle to a remote castle in Wales due to the pandemic.
The 10 celebrities taking part in the show have now been announced, and are currently in isolation prior to entering the castle later this week.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--The Times's Cartoon Trolls Trump Over The Chaos It Suggests He's Leaving Behind For Biden

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President-elect Joe Biden faces quite the cleanup in a cartoon published by the Times on Monday.
Morten Morland, the political cartoonist at the newspaper, depicted the mess that Donald Trump has wrought on the Oval Office with this image that has since gone viral on Twitter:
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A Trump Make America Great Again cap lies discarded on the floor near bottles of spray tan, golf clubs, a ripped-up copy of the Constitution and a mobile phone with Twitter’s logo on its screen.
There’s also a bottle of bleach, referencing Trump’s bonkers suggestion during a press briefing in April that injecting disinfectant could be a cure for Covid-19, a hair dryer, soda cans, fast food containers, a Confederate flag and a large lump under the rug.
Morland marked Trump’s 2016 election victory with this cartoon for right-leaning magazine The Spectator:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--I Should Get My Covid Vaccine Before You

Pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced positive early results on its Covid-19 vaccine trial and has proven to be 90% effective in preventing infection of the virus. SIPA USA/PA Images
Today, it seems, we may be one step closer to beating Covid. But as the UK and the rest of the world start to celebrate the possibility of the first effective vaccine, I can’t help but feel conflicted.
I’m of working age and classed as extremely vulnerable, due to a lifesaving double lung transplant in 2017. And just a little digging into the vaccine announcement has put a serious dent in any feelings of excitement.
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While the government has warned the process to roll out this, and potential other, vaccines nationally is unlikely to be quick after a year full of challenges, it is difficult to stop people running away with the idea that the end is in sight.
“I fear that after almost nine months effectively shielding, we will be expected to continue to stay at home.”
Many would perhaps assume, despite these attempts to quell enthusiasm, two things from the latest news. Firstly, that it may not be too long until the whole country is vaccinated and we are headed back to normality, and, secondly, that once available, the entirety of the highly vulnerable group would be at the top of the list, able to receive the vaccine as early as potentially December. That however, is, frustratingly, far from the truth.
Since the outbreak of Covid, the highly vulnerable have been spoken about often. But too often, the rhetoric around this group incorrectly painted a picture of solely the elderly. We were told that breaking the rules could endanger the lives of our grandparents. But what the public messaging neglected to highlight was that many thousands of others are classed as extremely vulnerable, for any number of health reasons, who aren’t elderly and in fact might not, to the general public, look vulnerable at all.
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“Why have we, the extremely vulnerable, been bumped down the list?”
Looking at the government’s tier system created for the roll out of the vaccine, those under 65 and classed as highly vulnerable are placed sixth in terms of priority. Within groups one to five are, understandably, those who work in healthcare settings and care home residents and workers, where the virus appears to have thrived with huge impact, but there are also millions of others too.
The entire population over the age of 65, a group of over 12 million, have been given higher priority access than the extremely vulnerable. Those aged 65 to 70, around 3.4 million according to national statistics, without health conditions haven’t even been asked to shield up until this point.
This decision has left thousands of vulnerable working age people feeling yet again undervalued, ignored and unrecognised. Yet, when the time comes, plans currently suggest that many of these healthy over 65s will be entitled to a vaccine before people under that age with conditions including cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, chronic lung conditions or people like me, who have received organ transplants.
“Government instructions to shield may be protecting the NHS and lives but for a significant group it is slowly destroying them – and it cannot continue.”
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Another factor to highlight is that many of those over the age of 65 will have retired, while a vaccine for the working age vulnerable would allow many to return to jobs and have a life closer to normality. I wouldn’t want to suggest that normality for them isn’t also valuable, but for the working age vulnerable it would reduce not only the personal strain of shielding, but the strain on the economy and society; an added bonus for the government it would seem.
So why have we, the extremely vulnerable, been bumped down the list? The plans are based on the data around Covid mortality and we have, in some ways it seems, been too good at shielding. We are a group more used than most to reducing our exposure to potential illness. We have stayed inside and limited the potential strain on the NHS, often at the expense of our own jobs and lives – and now we are essentially being punished for our compliance.
I am sure in the next few days and weeks, as the plans for potential roll outs are cemented, these categories will vary somewhat.
But despite this, the reality is there is a limited number of vaccines and many more people who need one.
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I fear that other more vocal, or visible, groups may trump the working age vulnerable and that after almost nine months effectively shielding, we will be expected to continue to stay at home.
I understand that a vaccine would be a positive for all and most could argue why they should be top of the list, but it is frustrating to feel that, yet again, the government has forgotten us.
Our position as extremely vulnerable does not, or should not, define us. It should not mean we are viewed as less valuable, or not viewed at all.
We, as a group, deserve to be considered a priority, and while it may seem selfish what I am saying it, it’s true. There needs to be some acknowledgement that government instructions to shield may be protecting the NHS and lives but for a significant group it is slowly destroying them – and it cannot continue.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--John Fraser, The Dam Busters Star, Dies Aged 89

Actor John Fraser has died at the age of 89, it has been confirmed.
John was best known for playing Flight Lieutenant J V “Hoppy” Hopgood in the 1955 British war film The Dam Busters.
His partner of 42 years, Rodney Pienaar confirmed that John had died on Saturday after returning home from a stay in hospital.
John Fraser pictured in 1958 Associated British/Kobal/Shutterstock
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Speaking to the Daily Mail, Rodney revealed John had been diagnosed with oesophageal carcinoma over a year ago, but had refused chemotherapy treatment.
Rodney said: “He was in Chelsea and Westminster hospital until two weeks ago and then he came back out. It would have been horrible if he had died in hospital but fortunately he was home for his last week.
“He had gone into hospital because his breathing was bad and then he got a chest infection so when he came back he was on morphine. Sometimes I had to crush up pills for him and mix them into his yogurt.
“I found him on Saturday morning and he looked very peaceful in his bed.”
Rodney added that John had not had coronavirus before his death.
John (right) in 1960's Tunes Of Glory alongside Alec Guinness United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock
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After his breakthrough role in Dam Busters, John went to appear in films such as 1957′s The Good Companions, 1965′s Repulsion and 1968′s Isadora.
He was also nominated for Best British Actor at the Baftas for his role as Lord Alfred Douglas in the 1960 film The Trials Of Oscar Wilde.
According to the Telegraph, John stepped back from Hollywood as he was a young gay actor at a time when homosexuality was illegal, and wanted to keep a low profile.
John, who was born in Glasgow in 1931, later went on to make appearances in a number of TV shows including Randall And Hopkirk, Columbo, Doctor Who and The Bill.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--The Ugly Truth About Coronavirus Vaccine Testing

Everyone wants to see the back of Covid-19 but, as an animal lover and a vegan, should I accept a jab that’s the result of animal cruelty? Cristobal Marambio via Getty Images
Everyone loves a monkey, right? They are cute, clever and cheeky. Most of us feel warm and at peace with life when we see pictures and nature documentaries of them playing and swinging through trees.
They are our closest cousins. Loveable creatures. Some parents even call their children “cheeky monkeys”.
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But what about the monkeys that spend their whole lives restrained in laboratories, with scientists hurting them to see what happens?
The hunt for a coronavirus vaccine has been horrendous for some animals. As part of the drive to save human lives, thousands of cheeky monkeys, ferrets, cats, mice and hamsters have been deliberately infected and experimented on in labs.
Pfizer and BioNTech, the big pharma companies behind the vaccine that caused excitement yesterday, have treated monkeys and mice with contempt. While their human researchers have been protected with elaborate PPE, the animals in their care have been trapped and deliberately infected. Some were injected with an inoculation first and some weren’t.
For animal lovers, that creates a dilemma. In what circumstances will you turn a blind eye to animals being harmed?
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Many people think that being vegan is just about not eating meat and animal products but it is really so much more than that. Veganism, as defined by the Vegan Society, is a bid “to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.”
Everyone wants to see the back of Covid-19 but, as an animal lover and a vegan, should I accept a jab that’s the result of animal cruelty? I say no – and not just for moral reasons.
There is convincing evidence that most epidemics and pandemics, including Covid-19, have actually been caused by humans “playing god” and exploiting animals. In August, a white paper found that nearly every major zoonotic disease outbreak over the last 120 years is inextricably linked to animal exploitation, including meat consumption.
The human cost is huge: even before Covid-19, two million people were dying from zoonotic diseases each year.
A separate report from the UN said the number of zoonotic epidemics – the ones that can be transmitted from animals to people – is rising, from Ebola to Sars to West Nile virus and Rift Valley fever.
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The authors warned that although the world is treating the health and economic symptoms of this coronavirus pandemic, governments are ignoring the root causes: humans’ destruction of nature and meat eating.
We need to wake up. Since it was exploiting animals that got us into this mess, it’s both immoral and ill-advised to exploit more animals now.
Vivisection is perhaps the wickedest form of animal cruelty. An animal dies in a British lab every eight seconds, often in horrifying circumstances. Rabbits have chemicals poured into their eyes and are then left to endure weeks of agony. Animals are injected in their brains and faces, dipped in hot water and subjected to electric shocks. Pregnant sheep and their unborn lambs get surgically mutilated, partially suffocated and then killed.
Ahead of the Iraq war, scientists sought to find out what happens to a wounded creature who receives further wounds. To do this, they attacked pigs. One of the medics explained: “My pig? They shot him in the face with a 9mm pistol, and then six times with an AK-47 and then twice with a 12-gauge shotgun. And then he was set on fire.” Finally, after a 15-hour ordeal, the pig died.
It is supreme human arrogance to think that we can inflict this torture on animals in labs and slaughterhouses without it coming back to bite us. This year, we saw again that it does.
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Factory farms, slaughterhouses, vivisection laboratories and all these other sites need to be closed for good. We should only keep a few standing as monuments for future generations to visit and shake their heads at how cruel and stupid we were before we woke up.
You might argue that the coronavirus pandemic is so serious that in just this exceptional case it is okay to exploit animals, for the greater good. And after all, those experiments are done now.
But the “just this once” argument never ends. Countless meat-eaters say they know it’s wrong to eat meat and they have even started to eat a bit less — but what comfort is that to the animals they do eat? More than 70 billion land animals are still slaughtered each year.
I won’t be accepting the vaccine. After what has been done to so many defenceless animals, it feels wrong to me. When I say it’s time to stop exploiting animals, I really mean it.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--A Long-Awaited Mary Wollstonecraft Statue Has Been Erected And People Do Not Like It

Maggi Hambling's 'A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft' unveiled on Newington Green, London, as world's first memorial to the feminist pioneer. Ioana Marinescu
People were less than thrilled when the long-awaited Mary Wollstonecraft statue turned out to be a tiny, anonymous woman “with her tits out”.
The world’s first memorial to the “mother of feminism” has been erected in Newington Green, Islington, close to where the 18th-century writer lived and worked.
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It portrays a small, silvery, naked “everywoman” figure emerging from a swirling grey mass, inscribed with the Wollstonecraft quote: “I do not wish women to have power over men, but over themselves.”
It was created by the artist Maggi Hambling, who said the sculpture “combines female forms which commingle and rise together as if one, culminating in the figure of a woman standing free.”
“She is Everywoman, her own person, ready to confront the world. As opposed to traditional male heroic statuary, the free-standing woman has evolved organically from, is supported by, and does not forget, all her predecessors who advocated, campaigned and sacrificed themselves for women’s emancipation.”
But critics have described the memorial as being “disrespectful” and “patronising” to both Wollstonecraft and to feminism as a whole.
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it's actually hilarious. 'we wanted to honour the mind of Mary Wollstonecraft, so we've done her with her tits out' https://t.co/OI6Wgu3tr8 — Alice Lowe (@alicelowe) November 10, 2020
1. Contemporary portrait of Mary Wollstonecraft
2. New statue of Mary Wollstonecraft
Fuck all the fucks off pic.twitter.com/PbbsCpbo3I — Tabitha McIntosh (@TabitaSurge) November 10, 2020
Many asked why the world’s first memorial to a woman hailed as the “mother of feminism” had to include a naked woman instead of Wollstonecraft herself.
ok so the statue of mary wollstonecraft is up and... for some reason she is naked and absolutely tiny and doesn't look anything like her????? pic.twitter.com/6q4dlsZUiv — Another Angry Woman (@stavvers) November 10, 2020
First the women's war memorial that is just empty, disembodied clothing. Now a statue of Wollstonecraft that mimics every generic naked woman statue ever. Like everyone else (and that might be a first for twitter) I am so profoundly disappointed. — Julia Laite (@JuliaLaite) November 10, 2020
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Specifically what I hate is the sexy toned Female on top. Nameless, nude, and conventionally attractive is the only way women have ever been acceptable in public sculpture. This was a chance to break from those conventions, no?
I like the amorphous silvery bit. — Imogen Hermes Gowar (@girlhermes) November 10, 2020
The memorial follows a decade-long campaign by the group, Mary on the Green, to raise £143,000 to create the statue.
“Her presence in a physical form will be an inspiration to local young people in Islington, Haringey and Hackney,” the campaign’s website states. (Newington Green is on the border of Islington and Hackney, but Haringey is several miles away so it is unclear why it has been singled out in this manner.)
“Just as the image of Churchill’s memorial statue is used in debates on his legacy, the same is needed for Mary Wollstonecraft.”
In response to the criticism, Hambling said: “A traditional figurative sculpture of Mary Wollstonecraft would relegate her to history, whereas this sculpture, for Mary Wollstonecraft, embodies her spirit of rebellion and the ongoing battle for women’s rights.”
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Bee Rowlatt, head of Mary on the Green, added: “There’s no question that Maggi Hambling is a challenging artist, and this work is certainly not your average statue. Of course we want to start a conversation, the more people that find out about Mary Wollstonecraft, the better.
“The sculpture does not depict Mary naked, as some people are saying, because it doesn’t depict Mary at all. It’s called A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft. The figure is representative of the birth of a movement. She was the foremother of feminism.
“This work is an attempt to celebrate her contribution to society with something that goes beyond the Victorian traditions of putting people on pedestals.”
Wollstonecraft is best remembered for her 1792 work, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman”, which imagines a social order where women are equal to their husbands.
Despite having received little formal education herself, she went on to open a girls’ boarding school in Newington Green.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--Don't Expect Kamala Harris To Be Progressive Because She's A Woman Of Colour

Harris’ face alone is not enough to revolutionise the state of American politics, and people are right to be cautious POOL New / Reuters
The image of Kamala Harris, the first mixed-race woman elected as US Vice President, commanding the stage in Delaware in an all-white trouser suit was historic.
In a moment so many women of colour thought we’d never see, a half Black, half South Asian woman spoke of her hopes to reform the country that has endured four long years of the Trump administration’s racism and sexism.
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For the first time, a woman who looks like us has been given the power to make huge change. The significance of her presence in the White House is monumental.
But despite what her election has undoubtedly done for political representation, it does not mean that the issues faced by Black and Brown people throughout the United States will miraculously disappear. Harris’ face alone is not enough to revolutionise the state of American politics, and people are right to be cautious.
Take one look at her voting history, and the perception of her election as being radical will begin to crumble. Previously proudly describing herself as both a “top cop” and a “progressive prosecutor”, Harris has repeatedly failed to address the faults within the criminal justice system and in turn, has time and time again overlooked the needs of those from marginalised communities.
In 2014, while in the position of California’s Attorney General, she appealed the ruling that the death penalty was unconstitutional, and in 2015, she opposed a bill that demanded an investigation into police shootings in San Francisco.
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This, alongside her office refusing to release non violent offenders early on parole and her introduction of the anti-truancy program that threatened to prosecute the parents of children who skipped school, shows a confusion between Harris’ past policies and her current paraded liberal identity.
Her “cop” persona makes her more of a moderate than revolutionary, but it doesn’t stop there. She has vocally opposed calls to decriminalise sex work. She has supported the controversial SESTA/FOSTA anti sex trafficking legislation that set out to hold website publishers responsible for third-party ads marketing trafficking on their sites, and has remained silent on issues including trans rights and the rights of those incarcerated.
In short, even though she’s a woman of colour, we can’t expect her time in the White House to be progressive.
This shouldn’t be surprising. The presence of Black and Brown people in politics has not always gone hand in hand with them advocating for social reform.
“Labelling Kamala Harris as the poster girl for political change, anti-racism and progressive reform is misguided.”
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Just look at Priti Patel here in Britain – a British Asian woman who has repeatedly denied the presence of racism, argued in favour of the death penalty, and campaigned tirelessly to end free movement.
And, during the eight years of Barack Obama’s landmark presidency, the Black Lives Matter movement was founded in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, and the poverty rate among African Americans fell to its lowest since 1999.
Just because people who look like you have a place in politics, it doesn’t automatically mean that their policies will positively benefit your life.
So what does this mean for people of colour, and our view of Harris as Vice President?
Well, it’s hard not to feel like her election is a step in the right direction. As the camera panned away from Harris in her acceptance speech on Saturday, the faces of women of colour, white women, and young girls were seen, genuinely moved to tears.
Harris’ mere presence in the White House has created for them, and so many more, a sense of possibility.
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“While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,” she vowed. Never before have young Black and Brown women been able to see themselves in such an important position – and that has to count for something.
But labelling Kamala Harris as the poster girl for political change, anti-racism and progressive reform is misguided.
Instead, we should appreciate her vice presidential election for what it is – overdue representation and hope that the women who follow in her footsteps, will want to make more significant and lasting change.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--Australia's Male PM Interrupts Female Minister As She Answers Question On Misogyny

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Australia’s male PM gave a perfect demonstration of misogyny in politics when he interrupted a female colleague who was talking about... misogyny in politics.
Before we go any further, some context is required to illuminate what is possibly the most Australian-sounding political scandal of recent times.
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Its name? The “Bonk Ban”, obviously.
The Bonk Ban was a ban on sexual relationships between Australian ministers and their staff, following an affair between then-deputy PM Barnaby Joyce and a former worker.
The scandal caused a political storm and led to Joyce’s resignation. The Bonk Ban was implemented in an attempt to rein in the behaviour of what was a succession of toxic and highly chauvinistic governments.
The Bonk Ban is back in the news this week because ABC News is about to air a Four Corners report that is expected to expose a number of ministers breaching said ban.
It was in this context that the following conversation occurred between a reporter, families minister Anne Ruston, and Australian PM Scott Morrison.
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Senior minister Anne Ruston asked if culture for women in parliament has improved... @7NewsAustralia pic.twitter.com/LVIV2pgO0R — Olivia Leeming (@olivialeeming) November 10, 2020
Reporter: “Miss Ruston, can I ask you, as a woman in the government, your reflections on the culture inside? Has it got better, worse or no change since the ‘bonk ban’ era?
Ruston: “Well Phil, the only thing I can....”
Morrison: “Can I just stop you there. How this ban is referred to is quite dismissive of of the seriousness of the issue,” he said as he dismissively interrupted the serious issue Ruston was about to address.
Twenty seconds later, Morrison did finally hand the mic back to Ruston, who continued: “Well, I can only reflect on my own experience since I’ve been in this place since 2012, and I have to say I have always felt wholly supported while I’ve been here.
“And I particularly note that, since becoming a member of the cabinet, [...] there’s nobody that’s shown me greater support and shown greater respect towards me as an individual than the prime minister.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--Bill Bailey Will Be Dancing To A Rap Classic In This Strictly Come Dancing Week's Live Show

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The songs and dances being performed in Saturday night’s live show have now been revealed, with the comedian and his professional partner Oti Mabuse set to take on The Sugarhill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight.
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We have absolutely no idea how that’s going to turn out, but we wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Bill Bailey BBC
As well as Bill and Oti tackling the ground-breaking hip-hop track for their performance, it’s been revealed that Nicola Adams and Katya Jones will be performing an American Smooth to the Ben E King classic Stand By Me, after surviving last week’s dance-off.
Meanwhile, Ranvir Singh and Giovanni Pernice will be hoping they can keep top the leaderboard two weeks in a row with a Cha Cha to Pete Rodriguez’s I Like It, famously sampled by Cardi B on her 2018 hit of the same name.
Check out the full list of songs and dances below…
Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse: Couple’s Choice to Rapper’s Delight by The Sugarhill Gang
Couple’s Choice to Rapper’s Delight by The Sugarhill Gang Caroline Quentin and Johannes Radebe: Waltz to With You I’m Born Again by Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright
Waltz to With You I’m Born Again by Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright Clara Amfo and Aljaž Skorjanec: Charleston to Baby Face by Julie Andrews
HRVY and Janette Manrara: Salsa to Dynamite by BTS
Salsa to Dynamite by BTS Jamie Laing and Karen Hauer: Samba to Bamboleo by Gipsy Kings
Samba to Bamboleo by Gipsy Kings JJ Chalmers and Amy Dowden: Jive to Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by Bette Midler
Jive to Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by Bette Midler Maisie Smith and Gorka Marquez: Cha Cha to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper
Cha Cha to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper Max George and Dianne Buswell: American Smooth to It Had To Be You by Harry Connick Jr
American Smooth to It Had To Be You by Harry Connick Jr Nicola Adams and Katya Jones: American Smooth to Stand By Me by Ben E King
American Smooth to Stand By Me by Ben E King Ranvir Singh and Giovanni Pernice: Cha Cha to I Like It (I Like It Like That) by Pete Rodriguez
Last week saw Jason Bell become the second celebrity to leave the dancefloor after he and partner Luba Mushtuk lost out to Nicola and Katya in the dance-off, following the Movie Week special.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--These People Have Already Put Their Christmas Trees Up – And We 100% Back Them

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Queer Eye’s Tan France is one of many who’ve already got their Christmas trees up – and aren’t afraid to show them, despite the fact we’re not even halfway through November. But perhaps the TV presenter is on to something.
With not much to look forward to and most of the world unable to make plans for the foreseeable, surely focusing on our home and how we can make it (quite literally) sparkle is the perfect antidote to the pandemic right now?
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We’re probably spending enough time in it, after all.
Bestselling author and HuffPost UK podcast guest, Candice Brathwaite has already put her tree up, too – with the help of her husband and two children.
They’ve gone for a traditional red and gold theme, with a star on top.
Braithwaite shared a time lapse video of her family decorating the tree over the weekend, with the caption: “If I had it my way the tree would’ve been up October 31st.”
Judging by the responses to the post, plenty of her followers have already got theirs up too. “I’m with you Candice!” one person wrote. “I’m putting mine up today too!”
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It certainly feels like there’s appetite for an earlier Christmas this year, with more people confined to their homes, and in desperate need of a happiness boost.
Suzy Hainsworth, 58, from Southampton, put up her tree on November 6 – and has gone for a silver and gold theme this year.
“I am disabled and live alone, so this year my tree has gone up earlier than normal,” she tells HuffPost UK “With Covid-19, I thought it would brighten the lockdown up more and spread some cheer.”
She’s already feeling the joyful effects in her living room. “I turned the lights on and sat back and smiled,” she says. “Despite what we are going through, there is always a smile to be had.”
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Suzy Hainsworth Suzy's Christmas tree is up already.
Mum-of-two Laura Whalebone, 37, from London, doesn’t usually put her tree up until December – but this year felt different. Her place is full of eye-catching decorations, including a bright and colourful rainbow tree.
“I only got this tree last year. It may seem like just a rainbow tree but it’s much more,” says Whalebone, who left a 16-year relationship in 2019. “Christmas was a time I dreaded, as it meant more time together, and I could never do Christmas how I wanted.”
She says it “felt great” putting her tree up and placing a crown at the top. “It was exactly what I wanted, picked and paid for. Having that freedom is something many take for granted.”
When the UK went into lockdown, the 37-year-old struggled mentally – “I had only just started to enjoy going out and seeing friends and family,” she says – so she started making changes to brighten up her home.
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“In summer I put up rainbow balloon garlands,” she explains. “So I thought let’s put the tree up early. It makes us so so happy, and it’s my choice. I can’t see my family for now, but it’s a reminder that I will.”
Laura Whalebone Rainbow Christmas treet
Mum-of-eight Sally Porter put her tree up with the help of her kids on November 3, as she wanted them to have something to look forward to “after missing out on so much this year”.
“I’m determined this virus will not take away Christmas,” says the 44-year-old, from north Yorkshire.
So far she has festooned her front room with festive decorations, and there are even wrapped presents underneath the tree – surely the height of organisation.
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Sally Porter Christmas has arrived at Sally Porter's house
Tom Campbell, 36, from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, has also given into the festive fun. “The tree normally goes up at the end of November but this year has been such a raging Hellscape it made sense to bring in the festive cheer earlier,” he says, adding that it was a treat for his partner.
“I put it up as a surprise for when my good lady got home from work – I’ll admit she’s much better at decorating the tree than I am!
“Christmas doesn’t make the problems of 2020 go away but it allows a bit of bright and fun normality. People have kicked off about it, but people are kicking off about EVERYTHING this year so whatever – Merry Christmas!”
Tom Campbell Tom's Christmas tree is out – and so is his Christmas suit.