thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--People Are Sharing Their Best Ever Asian Meals – And This Is Why

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Food has always been front and centre on Instagram – but you may have spotted an extra flurry of delicious meals being shared in the past fortnight.
Chefs and home cooks, foodies and restaurateurs, have all been posting pics of the most delicious Asian meals they’ve cooked and eaten using the hashtag #ESEAeats – and they’re enough to make you very, very hungry.
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Georgie Ma, 38, host of Chinese Chippy Girl, a podcast about the British-born Chinese experience, initiated the hashtag with her friend and co-creator Anna Chan, 31, a London-based technologist, to connect and share food stories around the Asian community – and beyond.
“Celebrating our food heritage is such a big part of our culture,” Ma tells HuffPost UK. “Asian parents don’t usually show their affection to their children by saying ‘I love you’ – instead they show their affection to one another through food.”
Ma and Chan’s hashtag was prompted by controversy surrounding London-based chef, Philli Armitage-Mattin, a contestant on BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals, who branded herself as an ‘Asian specialist’ on the show and previously in her Instagram bio – and describes her cooking style as “dirty food refined”.
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Clarence Kwan, author of the Chinese Protest Recipes zine, and Dr. Anna Sulan Masing, co-founder of the food research project, Sourced Journeys, are among those to express dismay at this framing of Asian food – in a year where East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) communities have found themselves vilified.
The pandemic has revealed a lot of racism towards Chinese people in particular, who were initially blamed for creating the virus and are still associated by some with carrying it. This has had impacts on Chinese families – and businesses.
This feels deeply personal to me, as someone who grew up in rural south Wales with parents who ran a Chinese takeaway and who had to anglicise their cooking to suit a Western palette in order to survive.
Earlier this year, I was also a victim of racial discrimination in London and sadly, I know that this wasn’t a standalone incident – the level of verbal and physical abuse towards ESEA communities has skyrocketed by more than 400%, according to data from the British Transport Police and Metropolitan Police.
Misinformation and fear around coronavirus is behind much of this racism as well as the rise in racist tropes labelling Chinese people as eaters of “weird” food and many as “filthy disease carriers”.
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And this is why calling our food “dirty” feels so fraught.
In the face of criticism, Armitage-Mattin has expressed upset at the backlash she has received, apologising on social media for any offence caused.
“I have never called Asian food ‘dirty’ in a derogatory manner. I have never used the phrase ‘dirty’ to reflect being unclean or unhygienic. The way I mean ‘dirty’ is indulgent street food; food that comforts you as in ‘going out for a dirty burger’,” she wrote in a statement on Instagram, where her bio now reads: “learn how to make crave worthy food”.
“As a chef, I only cook food I personally find interesting, delicious and that I’m passionate about which includes street food from around the world. It has never occurred to me to connect ‘dirty’ and ‘Asian’ in the manner I’m accused of, that has never been my intention.”
She later tweeted and posted to Instagram a second statement explaining her approach to cooking, highlighting her own mixed heritage – “my mother is Indian and my father is English” – and her place as a 28-year-old female chef learning and trying in a tough industry. “I apologise unreservedly for causing offence,” she added.
In response to what some see as poorly chosen words for an apology, the #ESEAeats hashtag has exploded. Figures from all walks of life, from chefs to scientists to food writers, have been sharing mouthwatering photos of Cantonese roast meats, hot pot gatherings, and dim sum feasts.
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This outpouring of memories of homecooked meals with friends and family and tributes to the best Asian meals eaten at home and abroad has shown a community with a loud and passionate voice.
“It’s really moved me and I know it’s created comfort to people in the ESEA community,” says Ma of a hashtag she never imagined would get this big.
“It’s really inspiring to see groups such as Besea.n sharing their stories [Britain’s East and South East Asian Network], right through to individuals who have only just found a community for the first time on Instagram.”
The message emerging from the pictures and their captions is that language is important and that the words used to describe food culture matter.
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As Kwan writes on his God of Cookery Instagram, under a delicious picture of steamed sea bass with ginger and spring onions: “Chinese food has never been ‘dirty’. What’s actually dirty are the social conditions and narratives that continue to suppress Chinese people through our food.”
And as Ma herself reflects: “While I don’t think [Armitage-Mattin] meant it in an oppressive manner, it just played on my mind and took me back to my childhood when kids at school commented on my school lunch being dirty.”
BBC Good Food columnist, Melissa Thompson, has also contributed to the hashtag, writing on her fowlmouthsfood Instagram: “If you’re cooking the food of a different background to your own – especially if you’re profiting from it – respect isn’t enough. You need to be entirely deferential to it and realise that you stand below that cuisine.”
Thompson adds: “Seeing it be appropriated and disrespected, then you don’t have the right to talk about refining or elevating it, or talking down about it. It’s already good enough. That’s why you’re drawn to it.”
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Some people have been left annoyed, frustrated, or triggered by the “dirty” food debate. These are old wounds and conversations we are tired of having again and again – like the sacking in 2018 of a chef at Thai restaurant Som Saa in London for his racist YouTube content, or the 2019 row around ‘clean’ Chinese American restaurant Lucky Lee’s – run by two white restaurateurs – in the US.
Ma hopes that sharing our experiences can educate people from a non-Asian background. “Our food is not dirty and it does not need refining,” she explains. “We should appreciate the love and effort that has gone into making our food.”
Something positive and celebratory is emerging from a moment that could have been brushed off or swept under the rug. Elizabeth Haigh, chef and owner of Singaporean Kopitiam, Mei Mei, in London’s Borough Market, is among those to reminisce on the hashtag, in her case remembering delicious hotpot and eating durian on the floor when she was just three-years-old.
“Food doesn’t need refinement,” Haigh explains in her post. “The refinement is through the knowledge and experience of the food in which we are grateful and lucky to receive. Food is community, food tells the stories of our ancestors and food is one of the only ways we can still connect with our culture – and it certainly doesn’t need to be made ‘pretty’.”
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Others are having some fun with it, such as Kelvin Tan, sous chef at the two-Michelin starred Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham, who posted his signature “dirty quacking noods” – and some bonus AMSR of him eating them.
There has also been a sharing of snaps from trips abroad – which can also be trips home. Many in the ESEA diaspora are based in the UK, but grew up elsewhere, or have family abroad, and still carry strong ties with their motherland.
Kuala Lumpur-born Mandy Yin, chef-owner of Sambal Shiok Laksa Noodle Bar and Nasi Economy Rice in North London, reminisces about trips to Malaysia remembering coffee shops, hawker centres, and food markets fondly.
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Burmese supper club hosts and cookbook authors, The Rangoon Sisters, have shared some of their favourite meals in Myanmar. “Yes, this flat lay is quite beige and brown, but the subjects are beautiful and delicious,” they write, recalling the dishes they grew up eating, from bowls of Mohinga, and plates of mutton curry to nangyi thoke – thick round noodles with chicken.
“There’s nothing quite like the buzz of eating these dishes in a teashop – probably what some might call ‘not refined’ – but to us, perfect and we are missing it a lot right now,” they add.
The Celestial Peach team also take a trip down memory lane, to food eaten on a 2013 Asian backpacking trip, including fresh-off-boat-crab in Kep and stir-fried ants in Phnom Penh, eating their way through multiple countries.
Closer to home, the platform celebrates and champions the brightest East Asian and Southeast Asian voices who work with Hackney Chinese Community Centre to organise potlucks and, during the pandemic, postal Asian dessert exchanges.
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This latest iteration of the “dirty” Asian cuisine debate has certainly highlighted the gap between intention and impact in the language we use about food.
Growing up in a predominantly white community and often being the only person of colour in social or educational settings, I know what it means to be bullied and alienated. Many have a similar upbringing and share the same experiences I did of being branded a “forever foreigner” or “honorary white”. But strength comes from our lived experiences and pride in our collective traditions.
Many still misunderstand the weight of words on a culture, especially for people who have had to live their whole lives with the threat of racial abuse and othering, because of the food they eat and its connotations.
No one owns food just as no one owns culture. But the #ESEAeats hashtag has created a platform, widening a sense of community for anyone who might have similar feelings to take up space, but to do so while critically interrogating our own positions and privileges. By breaking down these boundaries, we help breed integrity and respect for one another.
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Food is ingrained and esteemed in East and Southeast Asian culture – and it’s great to see our community reclaim identity and fight for social justice and equality through celebrating what we eat.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--Stop Blaming Remainers For The Brexit Disaster. It’s Not Our Fault

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As for the single market, Brexiters hated it because of freedom of movement, while remainers now opposed it because it would reduce us to the status of lobbyists with no concrete say over our economic rules.
And yet, the majority of remainers always chose to compromise. In the indicative votes of March and April 2019, the vast proportion of Remain MPs backed the single market option. Most of the Labour MPs who opposed it were in fact not remainers at all, but members representing leave constituencies who did not think the single market option achieved the referendum’s mandate.
Of course, in retrospect, all Remain MPs should have backed the single market in 2019. And yet there was no guarantee the government would have implemented it even if it had secured a majority.
Let’s be clear: the people who made compromise impossible were the Conservatives.
From the start, Theresa May established a winner-takes-all government in which she alone would decide what Brexit meant. Remainers, for their part, were expected to suck it up and acquiesce to something they knew would cause untold harm. But remainers knew the referendum had been based on lies and contradictory promises, and the government’s own figures suggested the economy would be badly hurt.
Polls suggested that a majority would now vote to stay in the EU. It was entirely legitimate to call for a rethink in light of the new circumstances. Nobody, until the Lib Dems in late 2019, were calling for Brexit’s outright cancellation. We wanted to compromise, and, at the same time, believed the public had the right to confirm Brexit was what they wanted.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Of course we would rather have had the single market than this. Of course we would rather have had May’s deal. But in the end remainers had to campaign for what they thought was best. Nobody voted for the Brexit we have now, because this Brexit was never promised or threatened. Even in December 2019, a majority of voters backed parties promising a new referendum or outright Remain. We will never know if the British people actually wanted to leave on today’s terms, because nobody ever asked them.
Brexit was not the remainers’ choice in 2016 and hard Brexit is not their choice now. We are not responsible for fighting something which is now happening, and we would not have ended up with something better if only we’d asked. The disaster now facing us is the fault of the people who won the referendum and then the general election: that is, the hardliners of the Conservative Party. They alone will pay for it.
Jonathan Lis is deputy director of pro-EU think tank British Influence, and a political writer and commentator.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--Romeo Beckham Can't Resist A Cheeky Dig At Dad David's Shirtless Gym Pic

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David Beckham might think twice before posting a shirtless gym picture on Instagram again.
The former England captain got taken down a peg to two by his son Romeo after sharing an image from his latest workout.
David had been training with former Team GB judo athlete Bobby Rich, and posted that he “really hates tricep dips as a finisher” on Instagram.
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His shirtless snap soon caught the attention of wife Victoria, who wrote: “Wow Wow wow!!! My inspiration in the gym!!!! X kisses.”
However, their middle son Romeo couldn’t resist a cheeky dig at his dad in the comments.
“Ok big man,” the 18 year old wrote, alongside a laughing emoji.
David Beckham and his son Romeo pictured last year SIPA USA/PA Images
Bobby also shared the same image of David on Instagram, revealing he has been putting him through his paces for the last two months.
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“Very impressed with this man right here,” he wrote.
“Despite lockdown disrupting a short stint and having to take our sessions online, for the past 8 weeks David has trusted me and smashed everything I’ve chucked at him out of the park!”
David was less convinced though, replying: “And killed me whilst apparently smashing it.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--Nadiya Hussain Reveals The Reality Show She Regrets Turning Down

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The baking champ has revealed she turned down the chance to appear on the ITV reality series and now “regrets” the decision.
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Speaking to the Guardian, Nadiya said: “I got asked to do I’m a Celebrity this year, and a bit of me regrets not doing it.
“It’s just so cold in Wales: if I’m going to have cockroaches in my pants I’d rather it be in the sun, thanks. Still, I can’t help wondering what it would have been like.”
Nadiya Hussain PA
Nadiya was likely invited to appear on I’m A Celebrity after she publicly said she would be keen to take part in the dreaded Bushtucker eating trials, which sees celebrity contestants chowing down on a range of culinary nasties.
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“That’s the bit I’d love to do,” she told HuffPost UK in 2018. “I’m scared to fly out of a plane and stuff, but my goodness give me a jug of blitzed up balls. No problem, I’ll have ’em!”
Despite seemingly being up for I’m A Celebrity, she’s not so keen on appearing on the show that made her a household name again.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--I’m Trans, And I Don’t Care If I Don’t See My Family At Christmas

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Family is the most important thing, especially at Christmas. Or at least that’s what we’re told. Even this year, when our Christmas celebrations will – and should – be limited by coronavirus, all we seem to be talking about is how vital it is that families can be together.
No one seems to acknowledge that not everyone actually wants to see their families. Every year there are people guilt-tripped into visiting family who don’t accept them. Like me, they’ll be hoping that they won’t be able to go home at all.
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Let me explain. I’m a student in my early twenties, who has spent the last year exploring my gender. I’m trans, and describe my gender as shifting between ‘agender trans guy’ and ‘genderfluid butch’ and I’ve recently started using he/him pronouns.
I’ve never felt more like myself since embracing my trans identity, but I’m too scared to come out to my parents, who expect me to go home for Christmas and be their perfect little daughter.
“My parents were okay, mostly, with the fact that I’m queer. However, their acceptance seems to hinge on me not doing or wearing anything to suggest I’m not straight.”
My parents were okay, mostly, with the fact that I’m queer. However, their acceptance seems to hinge on me not doing or wearing anything to suggest I’m not straight. They’re supporting me financially through my studies, and while I’m privileged to not have to worry about money, their support comes with a price.
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Usually the price is having to take off any queer pin badges or “outrageous” feminist t-shirts, or toning myself down around my parents – let alone grandparents or younger cousins – because apparently my queerness isn’t appropriate for a family Christmas. This year, that price is being misgendered and having to hear my deadname (the term trans and non-binary people use to describe their birth name) every day, because I don’t feel safe to tell my parents that it’s not my name anymore.
Family holidays like Christmas can really emphasise how cisheteronormative our culture is. Whether by well-meaning family members or parents who stubbornly don’t accept us, we’re asked why we don’t have partners yet or when we’re planning to have children. We’re pressured into “playing nice” with people who don’t think that we deserve human rights. We get deadnamed during Christmas dinner.
Henning Heckman / EyeEm via Getty Images
And that’s the experience of the ‘lucky’ ones. It doesn’t account for those who have been kicked out or disowned for being queer. At a time when universities are making sure students can travel home to spend Christmas with their parents, we should remember that a quarter of homeless young people in the UK are LGBTQ. For many LGBTQ+ folks, university is the first place they feel safe to be themselves, and I know I’m not alone in dreading the expectation to go home. Can you imagine how awful it is to feel nauseated at the idea of seeing your parents, because they will neither see nor acknowledge the person you really are?
While lots of queer and trans people do have families who accept and support them, for the rest of us it’s our communities and found family who step in. Also described as a chosen family, these are groups of friends and supportive people who really provide unconditional support.
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My found family are the ones who have shown up for me through eight months of social distancing and gender dysphoria. They’re the people who I wasn’t scared to come out to, and the friends who asked me about my pronouns and encouraged me to try “men’s” underwear. My found family are the people who are there for me when a phone call with my parents triggers my suicidal ideation. And they have never made me feel ashamed to be myself.
“It’s my found family who I wish I could see this Christmas.”
It’s my found family who I wish I could see this Christmas. At the very least, isolated as I feel right now, I’d choose Christmas by myself – with Zoom calls from my found family and silly selfies exchanged with my friends – over going home where I’ll have to pretend to be someone I’m not.
There will of course be people who have to spend this Christmas entirely alone and isolated, Just as there will be people who don’t get a Christmas at all because they’re essential workers on zero-hour contracts who still have to be there to serve you with a smile. There are people who will be spending Christmas with a tube down their throat, fighting Covid in hospitals. There will be doctors who can’t see their families because they’re trying to keep their patients safe, and there will be families who cannot gather to say goodbye to their loved ones.
I don’t want to diminish their pain or their grief. I don’t want to imply that I’m grateful for the pandemic or the heartbreak it has brought. But to every queer and trans person out there, wondering if you’re a terrible person because you don’t care that you can’t get home for Christmas, I want to assure you that you’re not.
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If you’re feeling relief at the thought of escaping the charade of a cis-het, family-friendly Christmas, you’re not alone. You’re not alone and you are loved, and I hope you have your found family around you.
Quinn Rhodes is a queer, trans, disabled sex blogger. Follow him on Twitter at @onqueerstreet
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--Brexit Trade Deal: Three Key Issues Dividing Boris Johnson And The EU

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After meeting for a last-ditch dinner on Wednesday night, Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen have agreed to let talks on a post-Brexit trade deal continue until Sunday.
As the clock counts down rapidly to midnights on December 31, both the PM and von der Leyen said “very large gaps” remain between the two sides.
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The deadlock comes down to persistent sticking points between London and Brussels over the drawn-out Brexit process.
After years of disagreement, here are three major stumbling blocks still complicating the path to a trade deal.
Fishing
Fishing access has been a Brexit issue for years, and remains a serious sticking point. WPA Pool via Getty Images
Fishing is an industry responsible for 12,000 jobs on around 6,000 vessels in the UK.
The PM has insisted that no British prime minister could accept EU demands to continue to maximise access to UK waters for its fishing fleets after the Brexit transition period expires on December 31.
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As far as the government is concerned, the UK is now an independent coastal state and should be able to prioritise its own boats.
But that negotiation is complicated by the fact that most fish caught by the UK’s fishing industry is sold to Europe, so Britain needs to maintain access to EU markets. The UK exported 333 thousand tonnes of fish to members of the EU in 2019 with a value of £1.34bn, according to figures from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO).
Johnson told the Commons ahead of his dinner with von der Leyen on Wednesday: “They (the EU) are saying that the UK should be the only country in the world not to have sovereign control over its fishing waters.
“I don’t believe that those are terms that any prime minister of this country should accept.”
The UK government’s allowing of other countries to fish in its waters actually predates its entry into the EU, with vessels from France, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands to fish inside the UK’s 12 nautical mile territorial zone up to six miles from the coast (and vice-versa) from 1964.
The ‘level playing field’
Standards on workers rights, the environment and state aid have also become grounds for major disagreements between the two sides. WPA Pool via Getty Images
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The so-called “level playing field” rules are intended to ensure businesses on one side of the UK/EU divide do not gain an unfair advantage over those on the other side.
In exchange for continuing access to the single market, the EU is seeking a high degree of alignment by the UK with its standards on workers rights, the environment and particularly state aid for businesses.
The British deny they want to undercut EU measures, but say the point of leaving is for the UK to be able to set its own standards.
Johnson said: “Our friends in the EU are currently insisting that if they pass a new law in the future with which we in this country do not comply or don’t follow suit, then they want the automatic right to punish us and to retaliate.”
Level playing field rules play a part in almost every trade deal, and as the BBC points out, the closer two parties are, the tighter these rules usually have to be.
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With the UK just miles from the coast of mainland Europe, and already deeply intertwined with EU markets, the EU therefore say that the trade agreement with the UK necessarily has to be different from other ones made with countries such as Japan or Canada.
Governance
Another major sticking point is determining how future rules will be enforced – and what the consequences would be if they were broken.
The EU wants powers to retaliate against UK breaking one rule by hitting back via another, which could mean, for example, imposing tariffs. As part of this, the UK would be able to do the same in return.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--Florida Megachurch Pastor Tells Evangelical Congregants Not To Take Covid-19 Vaccine

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A prominent Florida megachurch pastor has advised his congregants not to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, urging them to “believe in divine immunity” instead.
Guillermo Maldonado, founding pastor of the Miami-based King Jesus International Ministry and a loyal supporter of President Donald Trump, shared already debunked claims from the pulpit on Sunday about the vaccine altering DNA and being used to track people down.
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The Pentecostal preacher imbued those conspiracy theories with religious significance by connecting them to his beliefs about the end of the world. Pointing to verses from the Bible’s Book of Revelation, Maldonado suggested that the coronavirus vaccine would help lay the groundwork for the coming of the Antichrist.
“Do not [take] the vaccine. Believe in the blood of Jesus. Believe in divine immunity,” Maldonado said in a bilingual sermon that was translated live and streamed on Facebook.
He also claimed God had warned him about a “satanic global agenda” that is trying to establish one worldwide religion and bring the Christian church under governmental control ― an idea that echoes decades-old conspiracy theories about a global elite secretly working to create a “new world order.”
“They want to stop President Trump because he’s against that agenda,” Maldonado said.
King Jesus International Ministry did not respond to HuffPost’s request for clarification.
The Miami megachurch is where the Trump campaign launched its “Evangelicals for Trump” coalition in January. The church reportedly received between $2 million and $5 million in forgivable loans under federal rescue legislation designed to help small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Maldonado has become something of a celebrity preacher in certain Latinx evangelical circles, in large part because of his televangelism and his books. King Jesus International Ministry is believed to be one of the largest Hispanic churches in the country, attracting thousands to its services in pre-pandemic times. Its network is boosted by several affiliated congregations around the country ― and by the over 800,000 people who follow Maldonado on Facebook.
Members of Maldonado’s church will likely be influenced by his anti-vaccine teachings, according to Lloyd D. Barba, an assistant professor of religion at Amherst College and an expert on Latinx Christian communities.
“When a preacher with his stature mixes conspiracy theory with end-time speculation and claims to have heard directly from God on social-political matters, it becomes exceedingly difficult for the faithful in the pews to discern between what is scripture, social commentary, political fantasy, and outright conspiracy,” Barba told HuffPost. “In fact, the parsing out of those elements is discouraged.”
President Donald Trump embraces Guillermo Maldonado during a rally of evangelical supporters at the King Jesus International Ministry church in Miami on January 3, 2020. AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
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In March, as local authorities across the country started to call for shutdowns to combat Covid-19, Maldonado faced backlash for suggesting that truly faithful believers wouldn’t be afraid to attend church in person.
The preacher’s more recent anti-vaccine statements reflect beliefs that aren’t necessarily fringe in Latinx evangelical communities, Barba said. Maldonado is part of the New Apostolic Reformation, a global movement of Pentecostal leaders who see themselves as a “remnant” destined to guide the world in the end times by advancing the establishment of the kingdom of God. The leaders seek to wield social and political influence to accomplish that.
Bible verses about the “mark of the beast,” which Maldonado pointed to in his Sunday sermon, warn Christians about a future where the Antichrist takes over the world economy and prevents people who don’t have that mark from buying or selling food. Some Pentecostals have long speculated that the mark of the beast would appear on earth as a vaccine or microchip designed for human implantation.
These beliefs prompt Christians like Maldonado to see compulsory public health measures as evidence of a scheme to advance a “one-world” government that will set the stage for Christian persecution during the end times.
Maldonado’s latest sermon fell shy of saying that the vaccine will be the way that the mark of the beast is administered, Barba said, but the preacher was alluding to such a possibility.
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“Christians are supposed to do all they can to resist the mark of the beast (whenever that happens) and by extension should also resist any harbingers of it. That’s exactly what this vaccine symbolizes for Maldonado,” Barba said.
Faith leaders, including Maldonado (far left), pray over Trump during an "Evangelicals for Trump" coalition launch at King Jesus International Ministry on January 3, 2020. AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Maldonado’s approach to Covid-19 is also shaped by the prosperity gospel, a teaching that is “massively popular” among Latinx Pentecostals, Barba said. The prosperity gospel suggests that wealth and good health are signs of God’s favour. There’s an emphasis on divine healing and God’s constant protection ― even during a pandemic that has disproportionately impacted Latinx communities.
The coronavirus has proved to be a “pressure point” for this strain of evangelical belief, Barba said.
“The fact that they have not been able to control the pandemic in their own churches and in this country challenges the teachings of divine healing and control over the ‘evil’ elements in this world such as the virus,” he said.
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Miami-Dade County, where King Jesus International Ministry is based, has seen more than 240,000 Covid-19 cases and nearly 4,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--Hunter Biden Investigated Over Taxes By US Department Of Justice

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Federal prosecutors in Delaware are investigating President-elect Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden over tax issues, the transition team announced Wednesday.
News of the investigation comes just as Joe Biden is set to announce his nominee for attorney general of the United States. Hunter Biden had been a constant target for President Donald Trump during the 2020 campaign.
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Hunter Biden said in a statement that the US Attorney’s Office in Delaware informed his legal counsel about the investigation on Tuesday. The US Attorney’s Office declined to comment, citing Justice Department policy.
“I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors,” Hunter Biden said.
Joe Biden is “deeply proud” of his son, who has “fought through difficult challenges, including the vicious personal attacks of recent months, only to emerge stronger,” a statement from the transition team said.
A CNN reporter was working on a story about the investigation and had been in contact with Hunter Biden’s legal counsel when the transition team for Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris sent out its press release. The reporter, senior justice correspondent Evan Perez, reported that the investigation began in 2018, but was put on hold ahead of the 2020 election under DOJ policy.
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Hunter Biden, seen here with his father President-elect Joe Biden, is under investigation by the Justice Department, the transition team announced Wednesday. ANDREW HARNIK via Getty Images
Investigators in the probe have been looking at whether Hunter Biden and his associates violated tax and money laundering laws in business dealings in foreign countries ― specifically China, as first reported by CNN and confirmed by The Associated Press. Some of those transactions reportedly involved people the FBI believe resulted in counterintelligence concerns, which CNN said is common when dealing with Chinese businesses.
Weeks before the election, Trump supporters used the existence of a laptop they said was tied to Hunter Biden — as well as the surfacing of someone who alleges he had business dealings with him — to question Joe Biden’s knowledge of his son’s activities in countries like Ukraine and China. The president-elect maintains that he did not speak with Hunter Biden about his business dealings, and has denied ever taking money from a foreign country.
The laptop became public in October when The New York Post reported on emails it alleged had come from Hunter Biden’s laptop, and that the publication said it received from Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
The tax probe on Hunter Biden has nothing to do with the laptop, according to the AP, who cited an anonymous source familiar with but not authorised to discuss the matter.
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Joe Biden addressed his son’s business dealings in an interview last week with CNN’s Jake Tapper, pledging to maintain an independent Justice Department free of any perceived conflicts of interest.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--Here's Why Goldie Hawn And Kurt Russell Still Don't Plan To Marry After 37 Years

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Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell may have immortalised their relationship in the classic 1987 rom-com Overboard, but it’s their off-screen love story that continues to captivate ― and, in some cases, perplex ― fans over nearly four decades.
The couple are sharing their screen once again in The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two, playing Santa and Mrs. Claus. In an interview with People to promote the movie, they explained why they still have no plans to marry despite being committed to each other for 37 years.
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As in previous interviews, Hawn shrugged off the implication that there was some secret to her relationship’s success. “It’s not about the marriage,” she said. “It’s about the people and the relationship, and the will to stay together.
“And that’s a big one because if you want it, you can have it. You’ve got to give things up, but the joy and the excitement of being together and touching the toes of somebody at night is really a nice feeling.”
Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn Never Felt the Need to Wed: 'It's About the Will to Stay Together' https://t.co/NcqFb1ZRjw pic.twitter.com/cWahsp6Ftd — People (@people) December 9, 2020
Russell added: “For people like us, the marriage certificate wasn’t going to create anything that otherwise we wouldn’t have.”
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Hawn, 75, was previously married to Gus Trikonis from 1969 to 1976. Later in 1976, she married Bill Hudson, with whom she shares children Oliver and Kate Hudson. She and Hudson divorced in 1982.
As for Russell, he was married to Season Hubley from 1979 to 1983.
Those past relationships, Hawn said, were an example of the fact that “sometimes marriage doesn’t work.”
“You’ve just got to want to be together,” she added. “I don’t think there’s any way other than do it.”
Hawn and Russell first met in 1983 while filming the World War II period drama Swing Shift, which also starred Ed Harris and Holly Hunter. Three years later, they welcomed a son, Wyatt.
Though they never exchanged vows, the couple have always put their blended family front and centre. Both of Hawn’s children from her previous marriage refer to Russell as “Pa,” and in 2000, he walked Kate Hudson down the aisle at her wedding to Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--The Crown’s Josh O’Connor Blasts Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden’s ‘Outrageous’ Call To Add Disclaim

The Crown’s Josh O’Connor Blasts Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden’s ‘Outrageous’ Call To Add Disclaimer To Netflix Show

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The fourth series of the streaming giant’s lavishly produced series arrived last month and has been in the headlines since, attracting criticism for allegedly not doing enough to ensure viewers know it is a work of fiction.
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Season four features Princess Diana (played by Emma Corrin) and dramatises her relationship with the Prince of Wales, played by Josh.
Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles with co-star Emma Corrin as Princess Diana. Netflix
Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, had asked Netflix to add a disclaimer to episodes, a request the US company denied.
In a new interview with the LA Times’ podcast The Envelope, Josh says the show has been “let down” by the MP at a time when the arts are suffering because of the pandemic.
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“We were slightly let down by our culture secretary, whose job it is to encourage culture,” Josh said.
“In my opinion, it’s pretty outrageous that he came out and said what he said. Particularly in this time when he knows that the arts are struggling and they’re on their knees, I think it’s a bit of a low blow.”
Josh O'Connor Netflix
Josh insisted viewers are aware The Crown is a work of fiction.
“My personal view is that audiences understand,” he said. “You have to show them the respect and understand that they’re intelligent enough to see it for what it is, which is pure fiction.”
Earlier this week Netflix said it had “no plans – and sees no need” to add a disclaimer.
However, Josh’s co-star, Helena Bonham Carter, who plays Princess Margaret in the third and fourth series, said the show has a “moral responsibility” to make it clear to viewers it is a drama and not historical fact.
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In an interview recorded for The Crown’s official podcast after filming on season four finished earlier this year, Helena discussed the differences between “our version” and the “real version”.
Peter Morgan, who created The Crown, had previously appeared on the show’s official podcast to defend his right to creative licence.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--More Than 3,100 Dead From Covid-19 In US In Grim Single-Day Record

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At least 3,124 people in the United States died from Covid-19 on Wednesday, a grim new record as the country grapples with the worst phase of the pandemic thus far.
Johns Hopkins University reported the figure late Wednesday amid a surge in infections around the nation following the Thanksgiving Day holiday period. More than 220,000 people tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday alone, and US hospitals have already begun reporting a frightening limit in intensive care beds.
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The country last broke the daily record for coronavirus fatalities last Wednesday, when over 2,800 people died from the virus, surpassing a record of about 2,600 deaths set in mid-April when the US was scrambling early in the pandemic. Covid-19 cases are still rising in almost every state.
More than 289,000 people have now died from the virus in America, and the country is on track to surpass 300,000 deaths by the end of the year.
Claudia Campos swabs the mouth of her daughter, Katie Ramirez, at a testing site in Los Angeles on December 9, 2020. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
The news has been more optimistic in some other countries. This week, the UK began inoculating citizens with the first approved coronavirus vaccine, made by Pfizer and the German company BioNTech. The vaccine has shown to be more than 90% effective in trials, and Canada followed Britain this week in approving its widespread use.
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The Food and Drug Administration is currently considering emergency use applications from Pfizer and for another vaccine made by Moderna. A decision on the Pfizer vaccine is expected to come within days.
Health care workers and nursing home residents are expected to be the first people in the US to get vaccinations. The US government signed a deal for 100 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, but it will only be enough to inoculate 50 million Americans because the vaccine requires two doses.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--7 Thoughtful Alternatives To Giving Shop-Bought Gifts This Year

Doesn’t it seem like the older you get, the more stressful Christmas becomes? There are gift lists and shopping budgets and the mad rush to get everything done on time. Throw a global pandemic on top of it all, and 2020 may be the most stressful season yet.
According to a recent spending survey by Credit Karma, more than half of people feel more financially stressed about Christmas than they did last year. Of the 34% who feel financially unprepared, 50% are worried about affording gifts. Fifty-nine percent of all respondents plan to alter their gift-giving practises this year.
If that includes you, you may be wondering how to show your love and gratitude without spending much money. The good news is that the best gifts often can’t be bought in a store anyway. Here’s what you can give instead.
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1. Write a letter.
In a world of text, email and DMs, the art of letter-writing is becoming lost. Yet anyone who’s received a heartfelt written note can tell you how special it made them feel.
As a particularly thoughtful gift, consider writing letters of gratitude to loved ones. Research has shown that expressing gratitude is linked to an increase in happiness for both the giver and receiver. Unfortunately, most of us do not always express our gratitude to the people in our lives, so this season is a good opportunity to do so.
Not sure where to start? Try describing one or two specific examples of ways the person made you grateful and how they affected your life positively.
2. Create a scrapbook.
Turning shared memories into a tangible gift can be one of the most thoughtful ideas. You can reminisce about when your children were little, relive an epic road trip or memorialise generations of family events in a scrapbook.
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If you’re particularly creative, create a traditional scrapbook the old-fashioned way with physical prints and other materials. If you’d rather have your digital photos organised, use an online photo book service.
3. Make a video.
Most of us are feeling some degree of Zoom fatigue at this point in the pandemic, so the prospect of spending another day awkwardly chatting through the family computer might not be something to look forward to. However, we’re all still in need of human connection.
Take some of the pressure off and create a video that the recipient can view on their own time. Services such as VidDay allow you to collect videos and photos from various participants and then have them edited together. Encourage people to record heartfelt messages, list why they’re grateful for that person and tell funny stories for a memorable and touching gift.
4. Give the gift of your time.
Do you have a nifty skill you can teach? Are you a stellar tutor? Can you do supermarket runs for someone who is immunocompromised? Now, more than ever, offering your time to help someone else can be the greatest gift.
5. Get crafty.
When it comes to gift-giving, it’s the thought that counts. But that doesn’t mean everyone wants janky macaroni art for Christmas. As long as you’re a somewhat talented crafter, consider making gifts this year.
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Pam Merritt, crafts expert for Zulily, shared a few ideas:
Decorative baskets: If you have random baskets stored around the house, repurpose one for a gift. You can spray paint it and then fill it with a rosemary tree, which makes a great gift for a neighbour, friend or teacher, Merritt said. You can also put things like blankets or throws in it, or make it functional and include face masks.
DIY ornaments : Merritt said a good craft kit should have everything you need for this project (though you may need to grab a pair of pliers from the toolbox). Plus, ornaments can be used in all sorts of ways, she added — yes, on a tree or wreath, but they can also look great on a wall or doorknob, or you can even make a few ornaments and put them on a bowl on a table.
Handmade cards: Sometimes a nice card is the best gift of all. Create unique cards using stickers, felt, homemade gift tags and even wrapping paper. “It’s a great activity to bring the family together and give a gift that shows how much you care,” Merritt said.
6. Donate to a charity in their name.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--40 'Welcome To Adulthood' Tweets That Sum Up Life As A Grown-Up

Welcome to adulthood! You have 4,302 emails in your inbox yet you go 2.5 weeks on average between seeing grown ups you actually like in person.
Everything is simultaneously crowded and lonely🙈


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--I Started Writing Porn During The Pandemic. Here's How It Changed My Life

Oscar Wong via Getty Images "When I started this journey, I considered myself a writer. Now I realize I’m also a businesswoman."
The lockdown began in Montreal on 12 March. I was already in a state of personal crisis, with my mother entering the final stages of ovarian cancer. At the same time, the world around me descended into chaos. Food was scarce, toilet paper scarcer, and, worst of all, the newspaper and magazine budgets my freelance writing career depended upon were rapidly drying up.
Medicated for both anxiety and depression, I knew I needed to take care of myself. Thankfully, new episodes of Outlander were airing. Who can be stressed while spending an hour in a world where a WWII combat nurse can fall back in time and land in the arms of an 18th Century highlander who worships her and wakes her with oral sex? With the show’s sweeping historical romance and steamy sex scenes, I became obsessed with Jamie and Claire.
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When the season ended I tried to find a replacement, somewhere new to escape to. I made a half-hearted attempt to read romance novels, but whatever I found was either poorly written or just too raunchy. They lacked the story and emotional connection I was searching for ― and the scorching sex I craved.
So, I did what any sane 48-year-old woman raising two teenagers while suffering from anxiety in the midst of a global pandemic would do. I decided to write my own erotica.
I had been curious about penning something sexy for a long time. Based on a lifetime’s worth of fantasy material, coupled with decades of writing experience, I figured I could pull off something half-decent. It was the fiction part that scared me. I write, but always the truth. I lack the imagination to make up stories and weave plots interesting enough for people to want to follow.
So, I signed up for an online intimacy writing workshop with our local writers’ association. The course was made up of mostly hobbyists with a sprinkling of published writers. Our instructor, April Ford, is a local author, generous with her knowledge and connections, bringing in Lukas Rowland, a queer male writer, to do a reading that blew me away, no pun intended.
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I was excited about the course, but nervous. The first exercise consisted of forcing two strangers into a situation and engaging them in an intimate conversation. I panicked. See above re: lack of imagination. In the end, I took the night my husband and I met. It was a good scenario, as we experienced one of those love-at-first-sight moments without ever speaking a word to each other ... mainly because I was there with his roommate.
I re-wrote the scene as if we had spoken and fleshed out what that conversation would’ve been like. And it was so much fun, I kept going. By the time I was 2,000 words in, I realised I was discovering these characters on the page and watching them come to life. It was unlike anything I’d written before. And when it came to the sex, I was surprised at how easily it flowed. I’d picked up a copy of Diana Gabaldon’s I Give You My Body, her manual on how to write sex scenes, and her advice on focusing on the emotion changed everything for me.
“The work was good. The sex was smoking. My best friend even provided me with a 'wetness meter' because that’s what best friends do. Her insight that it’s all about the things we’re too vulnerable to ask for ― our deepest fantasies ― helped me dig deep to shape the sex scenes.”
Before I knew it, I had 5,000 words, then 10,000. Within two weeks, I had a complete 25,000-word novella about a pair of star-crossed lovers who find their way to each other; a story I’d created out of (almost) thin air.
And it was hot.
Or at least I thought so. Now that it was finished, my next step was to find out if it was actually any good. I selected a few friends I trusted to, A, be able to read erotica I wrote without picturing my husband and me, and B, give me honest feedback. The work was good. The sex was smoking. My best friend even provided me with a “wetness meter” because that’s what best friends do. Her insight that it’s all about the things we’re too vulnerable to ask for ― our deepest fantasies ― helped me dig deep to shape the sex scenes. I then spent three days turning sixes into nines.
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Next up was choosing a pen name. I wanted it to be sexy and gender-neutral, so I did a quick Facebook poll, using a compilation of favourite suggestions to fashion one of my own.
Bolstered by my new secret identity, I decided it was time to come clean with my family. First I broke the news to my husband, whose pandemic coping mechanism of choice had been to build an industrial IOT platform. When I told him about my new erotic literary adventure, he cocked his head, looked at me, and said, “So while I’m trying to better the world, you’ll be writing smut?”
At that moment, we made a bet — which one of us would strike it rich first with our pandemic side hustles?
My children had an entirely different reaction. As a parent, it’s always rewarding when you discover new ways to mortify your offspring. They were well aware of my Outlander obsession, my 12-year-old daughter often yelling down at me to lower the volume on the TV. And they knew I’d written sex-themed articles in the past. But this was next level. I sat them down and said I was going to try writing fiction. Sexy-time fiction. There are really no secrets in this house.
My daughter said she just didn’t care, and I told her she’d change her mind once she’s living in the house porn built. In the meanwhile, she makes me hit the escape key on my laptop when she walks in the room.
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My 14-year-old son, on the other hand, was mildly intrigued by the idea of a porn empire, and deeply fascinated by the business end. I now get a constant stream of questions regarding my pricing tactics and marketing strategies.
The decision made and disclosed, I got busy writing a second book. Once it was done, I made quick work of getting both of my books up online. Navigating the world of self-publishing is a trip in itself. I briefly thought about submitting to publishing companies, but I figured this whole thing was an experiment — why wait years to be published when I could literally have a book up in days?
There was just one thing I didn’t gamble on. When I started this journey, I considered myself a writer. Now I realise I’m also a businesswoman, taking care of ad spends and marketing while figuring out the trim sizes and accounting. Thankfully, there are Facebook groups for everything — even burgeoning erotica writers. Learning the ropes (and tropes) of the genre has been invaluable, down to which book covers work and how to promote a first-in-series.
“Pivoting to porn during the pandemic has saved me. My mom passed away in July and it felt impossible for me to move on. Writing these books has become a reason to get out of bed each day.”
I now have five books for sale, and two more queued up and ready to go, a new one being released on the first of each month. I love writing them and immersing myself in the world I created. I don’t write about billionaires or mafia bosses, shape shifters or royalty. I craft stories about real people, in everyday situations, who find love in surprising places. And then they proceed to have mind-blowing sex.
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I worried at first about the sex getting repetitive, but found an approach that works. No sex scene is gratuitous. Each one moves the story forward and centres around an emotion. Coming at it from that angle lets me keep it fresh, and it’s amazing what the imagination can do when you’re hiding behind a pen name. One of my favourite scenes takes place on a wedding night and the groom spends pages exploring his bride’s body like a landscape, memorising each curve and dip as he prepares to worship her for a lifetime.
Pivoting to porn during the pandemic has saved me. My mom passed away in July and it felt impossible for me to move on. Writing these books has become a reason to get out of bed each day. They’re keeping me sane and holding my head above water during the most trying period of my life. Because really, when everything around you falls to pieces, who doesn’t want to escape into a world where every single one of your fantasies are fulfilled? Where people meet, fall in love, and then make a mad scramble to remove their clothes? Especially at a time when we can no longer touch each other.
The pandemic is currently surging, and it doesn’t look like things are getting better any time soon. I figure at least I’m giving people a distraction, like Gabaldon’s Outlander gave me. One of my best reviews to date said, “I have my period, I broke my ankle, and the world is falling apart. There’s no reason for me to be horny. Yet here I am, trying to figure out how to screw my husband.”
The best part is that I’m honing my craft every day, and it shows in everything else I write. What started out as an experiment has turned into my salvation.
Are there downfalls to living in a fantasy world? Absolutely. For one, I’m walking around in a constant state of semi-arousal. While at first my husband found it amusing to have his wife constantly rubbing up against him, the novelty has quickly worn off. He’s living in the real world, not the one I’ve created in my head. When I come up behind him, wrap my arms around his waist and purr into his neck, it’s only when I get soap in my eye that I notice he’s elbow-deep in dirty dishes. And when I rub my eyes to clear my vision, all I see are my kids arguing, the dog eating the last of the toilet paper, and infection rates rising across the city.
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So I just go back to writing my latest book.
Julie Matlin is a writer based in Montreal, Quebec. She has a weakness for small puppies and “Outlander.” Follow her on Instagram at @j.matlin and on Twitter at @jmatlin. This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--The Best (And Worst) Pig In Blanket Offerings – Ranked By Us

Huffpost UK
We all know there’s only one breakout star item from the Christmas dinner menu that’s worthy of the ’god tier’ status: pigs in blankets.
Traditionally, it’s a chipolata sausage wrapped in streaky bacon, but over the years its repertoire has expanded into veggie and vegan versions. Meat or no meat, they’re still crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside – and Christmas dinner just isn’t complete without these delicious cylindrical little bastards.
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But year after year, pig in blanket items seem to be popping up for shock value. Not content with merely wrapping a sausage anymore, other much-loved everyday foodstuffs have been given the porky treatment. Mayonnaise? Spritz some eau de pigs in blanket in there. Noodles? Wrap them up with pigs in blanket. Mac and cheese? Let’s sneak in a little sausage.
As much as we love them, we must ask ourselves – have we reached peak pigs in blankets? We put all the festive culinary pork items to the test and tried them all to find out. Here’s our ranking – from worst to best.
Sainsbury’s Pigs In Blankets Noodles, £1
Rating: -1/5
Reviewed by: Angela Hui, life reporter
Angela Hui Sainsburys Pigs in Blanket Noodles
If 2020 had a taste, this would be it. A sad grey noodle that tastes of overcompensated sage and nothing else. Texturally, it’s so wrong. It’s far too soft with no bite and it disintegrates whenever I pick it up with my chopsticks. To make this soggy wet strand edible, I add a lot of chilli oil (I mean, a lot) to make it palatable. My recommendation? Go to an Asian supermarket, stock up and buy two packs of instant ramen (for the same price) and treat yourself to the good stuff.
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Iceland’s Caroline Reaper Super Spicy Pigs In Blankets, £2 for 12
Rating: 2/5
Reviewed by: Amy Packham, life editor
Amy Packham Carolina Reaper Pigs In Blanket
I can handle spice – but I wouldn’t say I love it. My boyfriend and I cook six spicy pigs, hoping we’ll be able to stomach three each. Alas, I only eat half and he mistakenly eats a whole one. The texture and taste of the pigs in blanket are great, but then the spice hits – and it’s too much. My other half coughs, chokes, gulps down some water, and chugs some milk. I have half a pig and can’t have anymore. I scratch my nose, forgetting my fingers still have spiciness on them. Big mistake. This’d be fun as a novelty present, but I think a lot of people would find these too much. I guess we can’t blame Iceland after all – there’s a caution on the packaging. We end up with a nearly full side plate of them, untouched.
Sainsbury’s Pigs In Blankets Flavour Mayo, 75p
Rating: -2/5
Reviewed by: Angela Hui, life reporter
Angela Hui Sainsbury's Pigs in Blanket Mayo
This bright salmon-coloured congealed blob looks as bad as it tastes. I wince at the strong vinegar scent when I open it. The stench smacks you hard in the face, my poor nose feels bruised. I can tell I’m going to immediately regret putting any of this pungent stuff in my mouth. Taste-wise, it’s overly oily and vinegary, it doesn’t contain any part of the pig and only has a hint of liquid smoke to replicate a fake smokiness. This truly is the stuff of nightmares. When you search the word ‘nightmare’ in the dictionary a picture of this mayo will appear.
Aldi Two-Metre Pig In Blanket Swirl, £4.99
Rating: 2.5/5
Reviewed by: Rachel Moss, life reporter
Rachel Moss Aldi Two-Metre Long Pigs in Blanket
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I expect some sort of giant, comedy sausage to turn up at my door after being assigned Aldi’s two-metre long “socially distanced-compliant” pig in blanket to review. I’m almost disappointed when a neat swirl arrives, but I do wonder if this novelty product could actually make a classy centrepiece. Things go downhill when I cook it. It’s hard to get an even cook on such a dense spiral and the outside layer begins to catch, while the centre remains underdone. Turning the oven down and covering with foil helps, but I take a peek at the underside and decide this baby needs flipping, which (it turns out) is easier said than done, without the spiral unravelling. The end result looks like a sad, slightly burnt snail – I’m choosing to blame the design, rather than my cooking ability. It’s tasty (it’s sausage and bacon, what’s not to love?), but I wouldn’t buy it again – individual PIBs are easier to cook, taste exactly the same and (probably) look better.
Iceland Pigs In Blankets Mac And Cheese, £3
Rating: 2.5/5
Reviewed by: Amy Packham, life editor
Amy Packham Pigs in Blanket Mac and Cheese
I’m a little disappointed to only see four piggies in blankets when I open the meal to put it in the oven – but maybe I’m just a piggie myself. It takes 45 mins to cook from frozen, and the top breadcrumb layer looks so incredibly good, my tummy rumbles. The main event underneath, though – the actual mac and cheese – is pretty bland and not very cheesy. I add (quite a lot of) salt and pepper to give it some flavouring. Still, the pigs in blanket are amazing and go really well with it, I just wish there was more! Have a large festive dessert planned for afters if you’re hungry.
Sainsbury’s Pigs In Blankets Tree Tortillas, £1
Rating: 3/5
Reviewed by: Angela Hui, life reporter
Angela Hui Pigs in Blanket Flavour Tortilla Trees
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A solid, moreish crisp that makes for an excellent vessel to dunk into other dips. There’s a slight porky taste that’s not too overpowering, with hints of sage and paprika coming through – but add sage to anything and it’ll remind you of sausages. The tree-shaped tortilla is a festive nod to get you in the Christmas party snacking mood, because the sight of a crunchy Nordmann Fir is enough to send anyone crackers for Christmas.
Sainsbury’s Pigs In Blankets Christmas Tree, Taste the Difference, £6.50
Rating: 3/5
Reviewed by: Angela Hui, life reporter
Angela Hui Pigs in Blanket Christmas Tree
While it certainly looks the part with fresh festive cranberries and rosemary tinsel (their words not mine), it’s a big shame I can’t taste either of those things after cooking. The bacon that’s wrapped around the sausage is doing all of the heavy lifting, giving a lovely dry-cured and smoky flavour, which masks the under-seasoned tree-shaped sausage. The tree shape is cute, but it’s a little gimmicky which makes for uneven cooking where the ends are more frazzled and crispy, but the centre is cooked just right and it’s juicy. It isn’t terrible, but it could be better.
Asda Extra Special Pigs In Blankets Crisps, 85p
Rating: 3/5
Reviewed by: Natasha Hinde, life reporter
Natasha Hinde Pigs in Blankets Hand Cooked Crisps
I’m actually very excited to try these crisps as I wonder how they’d infuse the flavour of pigs in blankets – which is quite a unique taste – into them. When I bite the first one, I realise I’m basically eating smoky bacon flavoured crisps. I wouldn’t say they’re distinctly pigs in blankets-flavoured, however they are tasty for those who are partial to a bit of smoky bacon.
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Asda Candied Pigs In Blankets, £2.25
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewed by: Natasha Hinde, life reporter
Natasha Hinde Candied Pigs in Blanket


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-09--Revealed: The Places That Won’t Get Enough Of The Covid Vaccine

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Sixty-seven of the world’s poorest countries will only be able to vaccinate a tenth of their population against Covid-19 in 2021 as rich countries hoard jabs, new research has revealed.
Yet despite the international Covax pledge to ensure vaccines are distributed fairly to all countries, the reality is that rich nations including the UK have secured enough of the leading candidates to immunise their total populations three times over by the end of 2021 while others have nowhere near enough.
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Canada is the country with the most doses secured per person – they could immunise everyone five times within a year.
The disparities have been called out by the People’s Vaccine Alliance (PVA), a group of campaigning organisations including Oxfam, Amnesty International, Frontline AIDS and Global Justice Now.
The group wants governments to take “urgent action” alongside the pharmaceutical industry to share technology and intellectual property through the World Health Organisation (WHO) to make sure enough vaccine doses are produced for a global rollout.
More than 10,000 people of Nigerian heritage work in the NHS, but Nigeria is one of 43 countries in Africa included in the list of low and lower-middle income countries that may be unable to access enough does of the vaccine in 2021.
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Just 11 countries across the entire continent of Africa are expected to have adequate access to the jab next year.
Here is the full list of countries the PVA says will struggle to access enough vaccine for more than 10% of their population:
Afghanistan
Angola
Algeria
Benin
Bhutan
Burundi
Burkina Faso
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Republic of Congo (Brazzaville)
Cote d’Ivoire
Democratic Republic of Congo
Djibouti
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Eswatini
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Haiti
Kenya
Kiribati
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Kyrgyz Republic
Lao PDR
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Micronesia
Moldova
Mongolia
Mozambique
Myanmar
Niger
Nigeria
Occupied Palestinian Territories (the West Bank and Gaza)
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Syria
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Timor Leste
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Ukraine
Vanuatu
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Just five of the 67 countries – Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan and Ukraine – have reported over 1.5m cases between them.
Data collated by the PVA shows wealthy nations representing just 14% of the world’s population have bought up 53% of all the most promising vaccines so far.
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Russia’s vaccine Gamaleya/Sputnik and Sinovac, developed and trialled in China, are also included in the list of leading vaccines used by the PVA to determine availability.
Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s head of economic and social justice, said: “The hoarding of vaccines actively undermines global efforts to ensure that everyone, everywhere, can be protected from Covid-19.
“Rich countries have clear human rights obligations not only to refrain from actions that could harm access to vaccines elsewhere, but also to cooperate and provide assistance to countries that need it.
“By buying up the vast majority of the world’s vaccine supply, rich countries are in breach of their human rights obligations. Instead, by working with others to share knowledge and scale up supply, they could help bring an end to the global Covid-19 crisis.”
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The PVA said that so far all of Moderna’s vaccine doses and 96% of Pfizer/BioNTech’s have been bought up by rich countries. They added that “in welcome contrast” Oxford/AstraZeneca had pledged to provide 64% of their doses to people in developing nations, but that supply would likely still only reach 18% of the world’s population next year at most.
Anna Marriott, Oxfam’s health policy manager, said: “No one should be blocked from getting a life-saving vaccine because of the country they live in or the amount of money in their pocket.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--Barbara Windsor, Star Of EastEnders And Carry On Films, Dies Aged 83

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Much-loved actress Dame Barbara Windsor, who is best known for her roles in EastEnders and the Carry On films, has died aged 83.
One of Britain’s most beloved entertainment stars, she first found early fame in the Carry On films and later became a household name playing Peggy Mitchell, the Queen Vic’s battle-axe landlady in BBC soap EastEnders.
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Dame Barbara was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014 and made the news public in 2018.
She died at 8.35pm on Thursday at a London care home, her husband Scott Mitchell told the PA news agency.
Dame Barbara Windsor and her husband Scott Mitchell arriving to deliver an Alzheimer's Society open letter to 10 Downing Street last year. PA
He said the cherished actress’s final weeks were “typical of how she lived her life” and “full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end”.
Scott said: “Her passing was from Alzheimer’s/dementia and Barbara eventually died peacefully and I spent the last seven days by her side.
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“Myself, her family and friends will remember Barbara with love, a smile and affection for the many years of her love, fun, friendship and brightness she brought to all our lives and the entertainment she gave to so many thousands of others during her career.
“Barbara’s final weeks were typical of how she lived her life. Full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit until the end.
“It was not the ending that Barbara or anyone else living with this very cruel disease deserve. I will always be immensely proud of Barbara’s courage, dignity and generosity dealing with her own illness and still trying to help others by raising awareness for as long as she could.”
Cockney actress Barbara Windsor at home, 12th February 1960. (Photo by Barham/Daily Herald/Mirrorpix/Getty Images) Mirrorpix via Getty Images
Scott, who alongside his wife campaigned for greater dementia care from the government, added: “Dementia/Alzheimer’s remains the UKs number one killer. Although in challenging times, I urge the prime minister, his government and other parties to be true to their previous promises and invest more into dementia/Alzheimer’s research and care.
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“Thank you to all the doctors, nurses and carers who are angels at the care home for your kindness and care to Barbara and I throughout her stay with you. You are my heroes.
“And my gratitude to our family, friends and everyone in the media and the general public for all the good wishes and warm support that has been shown to Barbara over the last few years during her illness. Barbara deeply appreciated that.”
At the end of his moving tribute, Scott said: “May you rest in peace now my precious Bar. I’ve lost my wife, my best friend and soul mate and my heart or life will never feel the same without you.
“I will be making no further statements and now need the time to grieve this painful, personal loss.”
Dame Barbara made her debut as Peggy in 1994 and soon became one of the small screen’s best-loved characters as she yelled at rogue drinkers to “get outta my pub!”.
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Barbara Windsor as Peggy Mitchell and Mike Reid, who played Frank Butcher, in EastEnders in 1999. PA
It became the defining role of her career and saw her star alongside Ross Kemp and Steve McFadden as her fictional sons Grant and Phil, with the late Mike Reid as her on-screen husband Frank Butcher.
The character left our screens in 2003 when Dame Barbara took a sabbatical for medical reasons after being diagnosed with the Epstein-Barr virus, but she returned as a series regular in 2005.
PA
In 2009, Dame Barbara announced she would be leaving the soap again in order to spend more time with her husband Scott, who she married in 2000.
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She returned for cameo appearances in the soap over the next few years but in 2016 she played Peggy for the final time.
Her final scenes aired in May that year as the Walford stalwart took her own life after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Before becoming synonymous with Albert Square, Dame Barbara delighted Carry On fans with her portrayals of a “good time girl,” appearing in nine films in a series known for its bawdy humour.
Carry On stars Sid James and Barbara Windsor in 1973. PA
She first appeared in Carry On Spying in 1964, with her final film role coming in 1974’s Carry On Dick.
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One of Dame Barbara’s most famous scenes was in 1969’s Carry On Camping, when her bikini top flew off in the middle of an exercise class.
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The actress was made a dame in the 2016 New Year’s Honours list for her services to charity and entertainment.
Both Dame Barbara and her husband campaigned to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s following her diagnosis.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--These People Are Being Urged To Get The Flu Vaccine Before Christmas

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Health chiefs are urging people with long-term medical conditions to get the flu vaccine before the virus properly starts to circulate.
The warning comes as analysis by Public Health England (PHE) shows six in 10 deaths from flu are seen in people with underlying medical conditions.
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People with chronic respiratory diseases – such as COPD, emphysema or asthma – are seven times more likely to die if they catch flu compared to healthy adults, PHE said, while people with cardiovascular problems, such as chronic heart disease, or who have had a stroke, are 11 times more likely to die.
With those most vulnerable to flu also being at high risk of severe illness from Covid-19, health professionals have said it’s more important than ever that eligible people get the free flu vaccine as soon as possible.
A coalition of charities, including the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Mencap, have joined PHE and the NHS in urging those with underlying conditions to get vaccinated before Christmas.
Flu is a highly infectious disease and can lead to serious complications for those living with a long-term health condition. It typically circulates between December and March.
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Some people with certain long-term health conditions may not view themselves as being at increased risk of serious illness from flu, especially if their condition is not related to the respiratory system.
However, people with chronic liver disease and immunosuppression are 48 and 47 times more likely, respectively, to die from flu compared to healthy adults.
Health conditions eligible for a free flu vaccine include: Chronic (long-term) respiratory disease, such as asthma (needing steroid inhaler or tablets). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or bronchitis. Chronic heart disease, such as heart failure. Chronic kidney disease at stage three, four or five. Chronic liver disease. Chronic neurological disease, such as Parkinson’s disease or motor neurone disease. Learning disability. Diabetes. Splenic dysfunction or asplenia. A weakened immune system due to disease (such as HIV/AIDS) or treatment (such as cancer treatment). Morbid obesity (defined as BMI of 40 and above).
Kmatta via Getty Images
So far this year, 46.8% of people with a long-term health condition and under the age of 65 have had the flu vaccine.
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While vaccine coverage in this group is higher than it has been at this point compared to the last six flu seasons, it still lags behind coverage in other eligible groups.
This year has seen the highest ever recorded flu vaccine uptake among older people, for example.
People eligible for the flu vaccine this year include: Those aged 65 and over. Those aged 6 months to 64 with a long-term health condition. Children aged 2-3 (on 31 August 2020) via their GP practice. School children in Reception – Year 6 (primary school). Year 7 children (secondary school). Pregnant women. Frontline health and social care workers. Main carers of an older or disabled person. Household contacts of people on the NHS Shielded Patient List. Those aged 50-64 years (including those who turn 50 by the March 31, 2021)
Over the last five years, flu has killed an average of 11,000 people in England each year, but the figure has ranged from around 4,000 deaths in the 2018-19 season to more than 22,000 deaths in 2017-18.
Dr Vanessa Saliba, head of flu at Public Health England (PHE), said: “The flu vaccine is the best defence against what can be a serious illness, especially for those living with long-term health conditions, such as respiratory diseases, diabetes and liver disease.
“People living with long-term health conditions are also at higher risk of serious illness from Covid-19, and having both flu and Covid-19 at the same time is associated with a greater risk of more severe illness and death. Therefore, it is more important than ever to get vaccinated against flu.”
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People aged 6 months to 65 years with one or more long-term health conditions, pregnant women and those aged 65 years and over are at a greater clinical risk from flu. All these groups are eligible for a free vaccine, which experts say is the best defence against flu.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-11--Test And Trace Private Sector Call Handlers Worked Just 1% Of Their Paid Time

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Boris Johnson’s Test and Trace operation faced fresh criticism after a new report found that its privately hired call centre staff worked just 1% of the time they were paid.
The interim study by the National Audit Office (NAO) said the controversial £22bn service risks being a waste of taxpayers’ money while failing to plug big weaknesses in the fight against coronavirus.
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The financial watchdog said that the system headed by Tory peer Dido Harding had to date failed its key objectives on test turnaround times and tracing people at risk of spreading the virus.
Labour and Tory politicians joined forces to demand improvements after the NAO report found Test and Trace had also failed to anticipate the September “surge” in demand caused by reopened schools.
It had also spent huge sums on the private sector, with billions going on contracts awarded without any competition.
Crucially, the report found that ministers spent £720 million on contracts to hire 3,000 health professionals and 18,000 call handlers, but they ended up with “little work to do” as the pandemic declined in the summer.
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Just 4% of health staff worked for their paid hours, and just 1% of call centre staff did so.
“DHSC had no flexibility to reduce the number of call handlers under the original contracts, which ran for three months,” it said.
“It negotiated new terms in August and reduced the number of these staff to 12,000, but utilisation rates remained well below a target of 50% throughout September and for much of October.
“This means substantial public resources have been spent on staff who provided minimal services in return.”
NAO chief Gareth Davies said: “The government has rapidly increased testing and tracing activity, building significant new infrastructure and capacity from scratch.
“However, it has struggled to test and trace as many people as it has capacity to, or to reach the contacts of people testing positive quickly enough.
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“Test and Trace is core to the UK’s pandemic response. It must improve its performance with a focus on effective engagement with the public and integration with local efforts to improve tracing.”
The NAO found that contracts worth £7 billion have been signed with 217 public and private organisations to provide supplies, services and infrastructure, including test laboratories and call handlers for tracing.
It stated: “In total, 70% of early contracts by value were directly awarded without competition under emergency measures that were in use across government.
“A range of stakeholders have queried why the Government did not involve local authorities more in its initial approach to tracing, given their previous experience in this area.”
The NAO report said 24-hour result targets had not been met, despite promises by the PM to get 100% done to that standard by the end of June.
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Targets to hit 80% of close contacts of people with Covid were regularly missed too, even though that was the level scientists felt was needed to make the whole service viable.
The study was written before the past fortnight, when changes to the way Test and Trace phones households has led to a big improvement in contact tracing rates.
In a further criticism, the NAO said the service did not plan for the sharp rise in testing demand in September when schools and universities reopened.
As a result, laboratories processing community swab tests were unable to keep pace with the volume and experienced large backlogs, which meant NHST&T had to limit the number of tests available.
“National and local government have tried to increase public engagement with tracing, but surveys suggest that the proportion of contacts fully complying with requests to self-isolate might range from 10% to 59%.”
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Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “The £22 billion Test and Trace now has a budget larger than policing and fire service combined, but it has failed to trace sufficient numbers of contacts and ensure those who are contacted are able to isolate.
“Instead of handing multi-million pound contracts to big private outsourcing firms the government should have invested in local, experienced public health expertise.”
PA
Commons Public Accounts Committee chair Meg Hillier said the government had “tried to reinvent the wheel” by centralising Test and Trace, leaving local public health teams “out in the cold”.
“Speed is of the essence but only two fifths of tests were turned around within 24 hours. And Test and Trace has only contacted two thirds of the people it knows were in close contact with someone who tested positive.
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“The government needs to urgently work out what’s going wrong at every step of the process. Throwing more money at the problem clearly isn’t the answer.
“Testing capacity has risen and it’s easier to get a test locally but Test and Trace’s performance still isn’t good enough.”
Ian Hudspeth, the Tory chairman of the Local Government Association’s community wellbeing board, said ministers now needed to do more to work with councils to fix the system.
“From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent launch of NHS Test and Trace, we have consistently called for councils and their directors of public health to be able to use their considerable expertise and unparalleled experience to play their full part in the national effort to beat this virus,” he said.
“Environmental health, emergency planners, trading standards and public health teams are among the council services which already had prior understanding about how to handle such outbreaks. What they needed from the outset from the national system was the necessary capacity, resources and precise data on who to reach, to help stop the spread of coronavirus.”
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Billy Palmer of the Nuffield Trust think tank added: “We desperately need a fully functioning test and trace system - we know that worse performance seems at least to be associated with areas where there are higher cases. This report strengthens the case that we must start by taking a hard look at performance and cost-effectiveness before any third wave hits.”
Dr Jennifer Dixon, chief executive of the Health Foundation pressure group, said the findings underlined why the government should start putting more money into local services, pointing out that the public health grant in 2020/21 was 22% lower per capita than it was five years ago.
“This is particularly concerning at a time when other parts of the health and care system – including public health and social care – are chronically underfunded. “
A spokesperson for the department of health and social care said: “As the NAO’s interim report notes, because the Government rapidly scaled up the UK’s coronavirus testing capacity and launched NHS Test and Trace, millions of people have discovered whether they have COVID-19 and whether they should self-isolate.
“We know there is more to do, and yesterday we published the NHS Business Plan, setting out the next phase of improvement for the service, and how we will increase the speed and reach of testing and tracing even further. ”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--Is Boris Johnson Bluffing? Or Is No Deal An Accident Waiting To Happen?

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Never in the field of Brexit conflict was so much blown up to so many, by so few words. Yes when Boris Johnson delivered his attention-grabbing TV clip on Thursday evening, the impact was instant. “He’s really going for No Deal!”, “Brace yourself, Britain!” “Attaboy, Bozza!” etc etc.
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And on the face of it, these were very punchy words indeed. “I do think we need to be very, very clear, there is now a strong possibility – a strong possibility – that we will have a solution that is much more like an Australian relationship with the EU than a Canadian relationship with the EU.
“That doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing, there are plenty of ways that we can turn that to the advantage of both sides in the conversation.”
There are several reasons to think that is one enormous attempted bluff, albeit a reckless one. First are the theatrics. Johnson said the word “strong possibility” twice. He seemed to smirk when he said the word “Australian”. He tweeted this most inflammatory bit of the clip, warning it was time to get ready for “the Australian option”.
Furthermore, if he was serious about no-deal, why not say so straight after the talks with Ursula von der Leyen last night? It’s possible that Johnson’s media blitz – timed exactly for the six-o’clock news – was a retaliation for the European Commission president tweeting her own no-deal bluff this morning (she repeated the four areas where the EU thinks mini-deals could be struck to keep planes flying and trucks rolling on January 1).
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There was other circumstantial evidence that this was sabre-rattling rhetoric rather than sword-plunging reality. Jacob Rees-Mogg refused to rule out a Christmas sitting of MPs to allow any last-minute deal to be rammed through the UK parliament. Dominic Raab talked about Sunday night’s “deadline” being “a moment of finality”, yet said “I can’t categorically exclude” the talks going on after it. Wriggle room? You betcha.
And cynics would point to the plain fact that even as Johnson was delivering his pooled broadcast clip, British Brexit negotiators were in Brussels round a table talking to their EU counterparts. Why would David Frost and Michel Barnier even be talking, if there was no hope from the Johnson-Von der Leyen dinner?
Johnson’s claim that a no-deal could be turned “to the advantage of both sides in the conversation” was itself perhaps a giveaway too. There would be no “conversation”, if there no deal really was his aim. Just as importantly, the EU hasn’t ever said that there is an “advantage” in going down the no deal route.
It was Donald Tusk who famously said “there are no winners, only losers” from Brexit. Referring to Johnson’s infamous line about post-Brexit Britain being able to “have the EU cake and eat it too”, Tusk was pretty frank: “There will be no cakes on the table for anyone. There will only be salt and vinegar. The words uttered by one of the leading campaigners for Brexit . . .[were] pure illusion.”
The economic downsides of no deal are well rehearsed (the OBR estimates it would lop a further 2% off UK GDP, on top of the 4% already lost from a thin deal). In security terms (which everyone seems to forget), the party of law and order could suffer badly too if terrorists or criminals slip through the net because of a lack of European cooperation.
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But politically, a no deal makes no sense for Johnson either. It would gift Keir Starmer’s Labour a lasting chance to ram home his “incompetent Tories” narrative (“oven ready” promises half baked, “monumental failure of statecraft” etc etc). Even if some former Labour voters liked the frisson of flicking a V-sign at Brussels, polling suggests that many others fear the job losses it entails.
And the impact on other areas of England could be damaging for the Conservatives too. Don’t forget Starmer wants to win back not just the Red Wall but the Blue Bricks of Tory seats in the south. Nicola Sturgeon’s independence campaign would also get a massive shot in the arm, leaving Johnson the unenviable legacy as the Tory PM who broke up the UK.
One other possible clue to current Johnson’s mindset came during the Tory leadership hustings when he tried the no-deal bluff. “It is absolutely vital that we prepare for a no-deal Brexit if we are going to get a deal,” he said. And then he gave the game away by blurting out: “I think it is a million-to-one against – but it is vital that we prepare.”
There’s still time to draw back from the cliff, and as the Gove deal on Northern Ireland proves, both sides can find technical ways round the thorniest of problems. On fish, there could be a compromise on timetabling. On level playing field there could be a compromise on an independent panel and how quickly both sides impose tariffs.
Of course, the real problem for the EU right now is that Johnson seems to be enjoying himself as he floats the “Australia” [aka Afghanistan] option. In nuclear deterrence, Nixon’s madman theory was fine in scaring the Russians into thinking he could do anything, but everyone knew that it would be disastrous if the madman actually went mad. The PM’s talk of touring Paris and Berlin, when neither Merkel nor Macron wants to undermine EU unity, will certainly sound bonkers to many in France and Germany.
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And as the clock ticks away, that’s perhaps the biggest danger of all here: an accidental no deal. In some ways this may be history repeating itself. The grim expression on Johnson’s (and Gove’s) face the morning after the referendum looked like that of a man who had bluffed on a future leadership ploy, only to wake up stunned that people had taken him at his word.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--Brexit Special: More Deadlines Than Hot Dinners

Brexit Special: More Deadlines Than Hot Dinners
Brexit talks were on, then off, then back on again after another crunch week of negotiations passed without Boris Johnson or the EU deciding to compromise and get a deal, or go for no deal. The prime minister’s dinner in Brussels with Ursula von der Leyen failed to break the deadlock and fears of no deal are rising with just weeks left until the end of the transition.Joining Arj Singh and Paul Waugh, Anand Menon of the UK In A Changing Europe think-tank and Maddy Thimont-Jack of the Institute for Government try to read the tea leaves and work out where the country is heading after Christmas, and what it means for the PM.Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell every weekday evening.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--Root Of The Recipe: ‘If You Love Food, You Love Life - That's My Motto’

Root Of The Recipe: ‘If You Love Food, You Love Life - That's My Motto’
In this episode of Root Of The Recipe, Malaysia boorn Hui Thoh found inspiration for recipes via her mother and secondhand cookbooks in UK charity shops. Telling the story of her culture, life and the healing properties of food - Hui makes a Peranakan dish, a fusion between Malay and Chinese.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--Boris Johnson Says There's A 'Strong Possibility' Of A No-Deal Brexit

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Boris Johnson has said that the public and businesses should prepare for a no-deal Brexit as the prime minister shifted his tone on securing a trade deal with the EU.
The PM said there is a “a strong possibility – a strong possibility – that we will have a solution that’s much more like an Australian relationship with the EU than a Canadian relationship with the EU”.
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An “Australia-style” agreement is another way of saying leaving the the bloc without a bespoke trade deal.
He added: “That doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. There are plenty of ways as I’ve said to turn that to the advantage of both sides. There are plenty of opportunities for the UK.
“But yes, now is the time for the public and businesses to get ready for January 1, because believe me there’s going to be change either way.
“There will be change whether there’s a Canada-style deal or an Australia-style deal.”
The prime minister said the “deal on the table is really not at the moment right”, saying it would leave the UK vulnerable to sanctions or tariffs if it did not follow the bloc’s new laws.
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He said the current proposals would keep the nation “kind of locked in the EU’s orbit”, but insisted negotiators would “go the extra mile” to get a treaty in time for December 31.
But Johnson said he told his Cabinet on Thursday evening to “get on and make those preparations” for a departure without a deal in place, or in an “Australian relationship” as he puts it.
Now is the time for the public and businesses to get ready for the Australian option on January 1st. pic.twitter.com/lLJfmIy9XI — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 10, 2020
In a pooled interview with broadcasters, the prime minister claimed that in the late stages the EU had renewed the notion of “equivalence” between the UK and the EU – arguing new laws brought in by Brussels would have to be followed in the UK.
He explained: “And it was put to me that this was kind of a bit like twins and the UK is one twin the EU is another and if the EU decides to have a haircut then the UK is going to have a haircut or else face punishment.
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“Or if the EU decides to buy an expensive handbag then the UK has to buy an expensive handbag too or else face tariffs… Clearly that is not the sensible way to proceed and it’s unlike any other free trade deal. It’s a way of keeping the UK kind of locked in the EU’s orbit – in their regulatory orbit.”
The prime minister’s warning came after his dinner with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Wednesday failed to produce a breakthrough.
As the negotiators resumed talks, von der Leyen set out no-deal plans for emergency legal agreements to keep planes flying to the UK and lorries crossing Europe.
The two leaders agreed that a decision on the future of the negotiations will be taken by the end of the weekend.
On Thursday, von der Leyen said at a summit of EU leaders that negotiations are “difficult”.
In his first interview since the dinner, Johnson said the UK will do “everything we possibly can” to get a deal when asked if it would be a failure of politics not to strike one.
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He said he would be willing to return to Brussels, or head to Paris or Berlin to get a deal over the line, in a clear reference to French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel, who are seen as two figures adamant not to cave to British demands.
“We’re not stopping talks, we’ll continue to negotiate, but looking at where we are I do think it’s vital that everyone now gets ready for that Australian option,” Johnson added.
“At the moment, I have to tell you in all candour that the treaty is not there yet and that is the strong view of our Cabinet as well.”
The Office for Budget Responsibility financial watchdog has suggested that a no-deal outcome could wipe 2% off gross domestic product – a measure of the size of the economy – in 2021, which experts have indicated could be around £45 billion.
As stock markets in Europe closed the pound was down 1.18% against the euro and down 0.84% against the dollar, with traders nervous as time for a deal to be agreed slipped away.
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Meanwhile, the EU contingency proposals for no deal included for Europe’s fishing boats to continue having access to UK waters next year.
The EU’s leaders were being updated by von der Leyen on the state of play during the summit in Brussels.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-10--Secondary School Children In London, Essex And Kent To Be Tested For Covid

Health secretary Matt Hancock during a media briefing on coronavirus PA
All secondary school aged children in parts of London, Essex and Kent will be tested for coronavirus, Matt Hancock has announced.
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference on Thursday, the health secretary said “targeted action” was needed “immediately”.
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Hancock said this was due to a “sharp rise” in infection rates in those areas among teenagers.
He warned the public not to “blow it” by abandoning social distancing rules just because the vaccine rollout had begun.
HuffPost UK understands MPs expect London to be moved into the toughest tier 3 coronavirus restrictions from December 19.
In a call with MPs from the capital, health minister Helen Whately stressed that no decision had been made to move the city up from tier 2.
But MPs who saw data presented by London public health director Kevin Fenton are expecting tighter restrictions to be imposed as London now has the highest case rate in England.
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London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has said the harshest tier 3 coronavirus restrictions would be “catastrophic” for the capital.
Hancock said the tiering decision for London was “not inevitable”, and urged people to change their behaviour in order to keep case rates down.
He said: “By far the fastest rise is among secondary school age children 11-18 years old, while the rate among adults in London is broadly flat.
“But we know from experience that a sharp rise in case in younger people can lead to a rise among more vulnerable age groups later.
“We need to do everything we can to stop the spread among school age children in London right now – we must not wait until the review, which will take place on December 16. We need to take targeted action immediately.”
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Hancock said the government wanted to keep schools open as that was “both right for education and for public health”.
The testing will be conducted in the seven worst affected boroughs of London, in parts of Essex that border the capital and parts of Kent.
More details about how secondary school children will be tested would be announced on Friday, Hancock said.
Speaking at the press conference on Thursday, chief medical officer for England Chris Whitty warned that people must be “very, very sensible” over Christmas during a highly risky period for coronavirus.
“A third wave is not inevitable,” he said. But added: “The way we prevent it is everybody, all of us, coming together and deciding we want to try and stick to the guidance that’s there.”
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Whitty said: “People should really be very, very sensible over that period and over this whole period of risk because this is a very risky period for us. But it’s definitely not inevitable that things will get substantially worse, that’s something we all need to work together on.”
The weekly rate of new Covid-19 cases in the London borough of Havering has risen above 400 cases per 100,000 people, making it one of the highest rates in England.
A total of 1,040 new cases were recorded in Havering in the seven days to December 6 – the equivalent of 400.7 cases per 100,000.
This is up from 753 new cases in the previous seven days, or 290.1 per 100,000.
Havering now has the eighth highest rate of any local authority area in England.