thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--I’m Demisexual. Here’s What I Want You To Know

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I always thought I was broken.
Growing up, when friends always talked about a celebrity being “hot,” I went along with it but didn’t understand how they felt. I have never looked at a famous person, a friend or a stranger and thought “wow, you’re sexy.” Not once. I had crushes, sure, but they never had to do with someone’s appearance. I thought other people were cute only after I developed feelings for them because of their personality.
My friends would gush over the cute guys in school, and I played along. I trusted them entirely so I figured if they thought those boys were cute, they had to be. Right? I never fully understood what it was that was so appealing to them. They were usually nice but I had no idea why my friends wanted to kiss them. I knew close to nothing about most of them. There was no inkling of sexual or physical attraction to people I didn’t know very well even after puberty.
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And now, as an adult, I realise that’s exactly what demisexuality is.
I’m attracted to someone only after I develop a deeper emotional connection with them. I can count on one hand the number of men I’ve kissed in my life or have even been attracted to and I have no problem with that number. In no way do I feel that I’ve missed out because, to my body’s inclination, I’d much rather have a seven-hourlong conversation with someone than be physically intimate with them.
“The best way to describe it is I am attracted to a person’s personality before their body. I’m attracted to delectable details, not physical appearance.”
The best way to describe it is I am attracted to a person’s personality, not their physical appearance.
For a sexual person, there can be an immediate spark with another person when they first meet. A kind of sudden chemistry that draws two people together from the get-go. For asexual people, those sparks tend not to happen at all, even after time passes. For me, I have only ever gotten that butterflies in the stomach feeling when I’ve known someone really well, and we’ve both shown romantic interest in one another.
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I’m a romantic at heart. I’ve just never been a “lock eyes in the bar with a stranger” kind of romantic.
As a demisexual person, when I first meet someone, I just see them. I don’t see their physical characteristics as anything more than just part of who they are. You have great abs? Neat. You have a chiseled jaw? Okay, whatever. It isn’t until I start to get to know what is behind the eyes looking back at me that those physical features catch my eye. I knew I wasn’t asexual for that reason. I do feel attraction, it just takes me a while to get there.
I was 16 when I had my first boyfriend, my first kiss, my first real understanding of attraction. I had never wanted to kiss anyone before. He made me feel seen, beautiful and understood. For the first time in my life, someone was really invested in who I was to my very core and wanted to know everything about me. My first kiss was during a movie. He leaned in close to me, and suddenly my stomach was in knots. I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame, and it felt as natural as breathing. Everything my friends had been talking about now made sense. The more I got to know him, the more beautiful he became in my eyes.
Like any other naive high school girl in love, I doted on him. I finally thought I understood what my friends saw in their boyfriends or girlfriends. Maybe this was just my one person for life, I was just lucky enough to find him so young?
This school sweetheart was my partner for about six years. Our extremely ugly official breakup happened months after I started disconnecting emotionally because I knew in my gut he was cheating.
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“For me, I have only ever gotten that butterflies in the stomach feeling when I’ve known someone really well, and we’ve both shown romantic interest in one another.”
After this, I was thrown back into this whirlwind of not understanding who I was. Being attracted to someone, for me, involves a lot of personal emotional investment. And as a monogamous person, I have no interest in pursuing other people when I’m in a committed relationship. On top of being furious, I was more confused than I ever had been. The only person I had been attracted to was this partner. Regardless of how close I became to other people, I only had those feelings towards him. Demisexuals typically don’t do one-night stands or have flings. We build our physical relationships from pieces of our emotional ones.
I started to question everything about my sexuality: Was I broken? Is it normal to not find people attractive in general?
Having always been close to the LGBTQ+ community I have always had amazing friends to confide in about these feelings I had. They told me my feelings were normal, and they told me about asexuality, a few told me about their own asexuality.
“I’m not asexual,” I’d retort. “I do feel attraction, it’s just very rare.”
That’s asexuality too, they’d explain. Like so much else, sexuality is a spectrum. They told me I sounded like a demisexual, someone who exists in between asexuality and sexuality, someone who needs a strong emotional bond to feel attraction.
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A word. There was a word for it. There was this sudden feeling of relief to have a word for what I felt, what I’d been feeling. I was 23, and I finally knew how to explain myself to other people. Demisexual. I am and always have been demisexual. There was nothing wrong with me at all.
“There was this sudden feeling of relief to have a word for what I felt, what I’d been feeling. I was 23 and I finally knew how to explain myself to other people.”
That’s why as a monogamous demisexual person, the idea of a fling doesn’t compute. I need something deeper. I look at another human being and think, “Oh look, that’s a person. Okay, cool.” I might like their voice or their eyes or dig their hair or style, but no part of me is even remotely physically or sexually attracted to them whatsoever.
After that breakup and after finally understanding my demisexuality, I tried to meet people and seek out that feeling of attraction again. And OkCupid was a godsend. I enjoyed how full profiles were to other dating apps, and I spent a lot of time reading profiles, getting to know a guy before messaging them. I put a lot of time into reading through their likes and dislikes, and wondering if I would consider being their friend before I connected with them.
At first, their profile photos would just be intriguing. A kind smile, a glimpse into a favourite adventure or a goofy selfie with their pals. But once I read through the details of their life the smiles often looked a little kinder or, sometimes, they looked disingenuous. I only ever messaged a guy if I felt they were being truthful, and they sounded interesting. My initial hello was always more than just a “hello,” making it clear I read their info and wanted to connect about something.
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Online dating gave me the opportunity to get to know someone before even considering a date with them. If we hit it off for a while by messaging there was a much better chance we’d connect in real life. I had some unsuccessful attempts at dating. Then, I met the man I married on OkCupid.
“Online dating gave me the opportunity to get to know someone before even considering a date with them.”
By the time we met, we’d been messaging for a week, and I was very upfront about being demi. “Just so you know, I’m demisexual. I’m only attracted to people I have a deep emotional connection with,” I told him.
“That’s interesting! Okay!” He didn’t ask for more explanation. He didn’t pry. He didn’t even give a hint that what I had said was in any way out of the ordinary. My statement landed, and I didn’t feel weird. He made me feel secure in what I knew about myself. (He still does, every day.)
We talked for six hours on that first date. Our OkCupid compatibility score was 96%. He was the first person I ever kissed that gave me that butterflies feeling. When I have that random dream about having a new relationship or fling, oddly enough, it’s always with him. I never had those dreams before I met him. There are no weird random-celebrity sex dreams in my life anywhere, there never have been. And now, there never will be. That’s my personal demi bright side.
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As our relationship grew I learned more and more about demisexuality. I became more open to the idea of identifying that way. My social circles grew and so too did my understanding of myself in relation to the common experiences of others.
When 2019 was drawing to a close, I didn’t make a typical resolution for 2020 and beyond. I made a promise to myself. From 2020 onward, I would be more forthright about my truths as a human being. One of those truths is, undoubtedly, my demi identity.
Little by little, I’ve told friends as it seemed appropriate, and I’ve found it’s often something they have not heard of or are curious about. I’ve found it’s often something my friends have not heard of or are curious about. I’m grateful that, just like the wonderful man I married, it hasn’t changed how they’ve reacted to me. I’m especially grateful that it hasn’t stopped anyone from spilling their guts about crazy weekends.
Demi or not, I’m still me.
This piece first appeared on HuffPost US Personal.
Have a compelling personal story you want to tell? Find out what we’re looking for here, and pitch us on ukpersonal@huffpost.com


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--'My Daughter Wanted To Catch Her Brother When I Gave Birth – So We Practised'

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HuffPost UK
In HuffPost Birth Diaries we hear the extraordinary stories of the everyday miracle of birth. This week, Louise Harrison shares her story. If you’d like to share yours, email amy.packham@huffpost.com.
At 35 weeks pregnant, I had a car accident – and it started early labour. It happened so quickly – I was driving but stationary at a roundabout, waiting to go right, when an old man drove into the back of me. My two daughters – 10 and 12 at the time – were in the car.
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Nobody stopped. The old man didn’t even realise he’d been in an accident and tried to drive off, so I had to take his keys and hand them to the police once they arrived. It was the summer holidays and we’d been on the way to a theme park, but ended up in hospital instead.
I prepped for labour, as (what I thought were) my contractions started. The doctors thought my son could’ve been born that day, putting me on close monitoring and giving me a steroid injection. I was so upset – I hated hospitals and had planned to give birth at home, but of course I wanted my son to be okay. I stayed overnight so they could keep an eye on me, and the next day, they sent me home, confident everything was okay.
The labour we all thought had started had stopped.
I went into actual labour at 41 weeks on a Sunday evening, while I was on the sofa watching The Handmaid’s Tale. My waters came gushing out, as my husband was upstairs putting our daughters to bed. They’d both been born at home and wanted their brother Freddie to be, too.
We called the midwife, who advised me my contractions were likely to start soon. She headed over, but nothing happened. I’d sent my husband and daughters to bed, letting them know I’d wake them up if anything actually started happening. My midwife also headed home as things settled.
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At 4.30am, I woke up my partner to fill up the birth pool. Things seem to be moving, but the pain was bearable – I was using hypnobirthing techniques. My contractions were getting more regular at 7.30am, so two day shift midwives came over in the morning. We’d all been awake and had breakfast together when they arrived. That’s when they checked me and said I was 5cm dilated.
I spent most of the morning in the garden – it was nice, not too hot, and my family was around me. My daughters massaged my back when it was painful, even managing to get me on the trampoline! I stood on it, did a small bounce and thought: “No, this isn’t going to work”.
I didn’t understand why things weren’t moving more quickly. The midwives thought my waters may not have fully gone, so they told me to sit on the toilet – and when I did, more waters came flushing out, ramping up my contractions.
That’s when I got back in the birth pool. My two daughters were with me – one in the pool in a wetsuit and the other on the side filming. My daughter in the pool wanted to catch him – before I went into labour, we’d explained the cord to her and we even practised, with me on all fours, showing how she should pass him to me! We used a doll with a rope tied around to show her, that was funny.
HuffPost UK Supplied
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In the pool it was really intense, I didn’t think I could do it anymore. But then something in my brain clicked, and I remember reading something that when you hear women say that, they’re about to deliver. It felt good, it felt like I didn’t have long to go.
When I pushed him out I was sitting on my bum, so my daughter was able to lift him up. She was slightly in shock – she said she was expecting him to be slimy, but he was “lovely and soft”. Tears were in her eyes, it was the loveliest thing I’ve ever seen – she was so overwhelmed with emotion.
My other daughter was a little more scared when I was making noises, but afterwards took delight in recording the moments and showing it to our family.
They both love their brother, so very much.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--Killing Eve Season 3: From Air Date To Cast, Here's Everything We Can Possibly Tell You

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The countdown to the third series of Killing Eve has been on ever since the credits rolled on the last episode of series two – which, for some binge-watchers, was just eight hours after the whole lot was uploaded onto the BBC iPlayer on 14 September last year.
But luckily, there is not long to wait now, as the BBC has finally confirmed its UK airdate – and it’s a lot sooner than any of us were expecting.
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Here’s everything we can tell you about Killing Eve 3 so far...
BBC
First, lets rewind a little – how did series two end?
The latter part of series two of Killing Eve saw Eve and Villanelle team up to track down tech boss Aaron Peel, who MI6 believed was about to sell a lethal weapon.
Villanelle went undercover to live with Peel, while Eve monitored the pair from a hotel room in Rome.
However, the pair had strict instructions not to kill him, which proved to be a test for a bloodthirsty Villanelle.
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After hearing Villanelle’s safeword, Eve rushed to Peel’s mansion to rescue her, blowing her cover. He then tried to persuade Villanelle to kill Eve and team up with him, but she slit his throat.
Villanelle moved in with Peel while undercover BBC
Having gone against MI6′s instructions not to kill him, Eve’s boss Carolyn revealed that killing Peel had actually been their aim all along – they wanted him dead but without being directly responsible.
Villanelle’s handler Konstantin, who has a past relationship with Carolyn, also informed her that she the operation had been set up.
Back at the hotel, Villanelle was attacked by the 12’s Raymond. Witnessing this, Eve then killed him with an axe, much to to Villanelle’s delight.
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Eve then discovered that Villanelle was in possession of a gun the whole time, meaning she never had to kill Raymond.
After Eve ran out, Villanelle confessed her love to Eve, but she walked away, prompting an enraged Villanelle to shoot her in the back and leave her for dead.
Villanelle shot Eve in the series finale BBC
So, what will series three be about?
We could be wrong here, but we’d say there is a 99.99% chance Eve is not dead and will live to see another day.
Sandra Oh, who plays Eve, recently went as far as to spoil the cliffhanger in an interview with Porter magazine, saying: “So, obviously I didn’t die.”
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Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri BBC
While no longer in charge of the show, season two showrunner Emerald Fennell has also told how she sees the characters developing in the new series.
She recently told The Hollywood Reporter: “As a writer and as someone who’s obsessed with the show in general and with Jodie and Sandra and their electric chemistry, of course we all want them to do a Bonnie and Clyde and a sort of Natural Born Killers and go on a rampage wearing couture,” he said.
″[But] what ruins it for Eve, for both of them, really, is it becoming real...
“It remains to be seen to what extent Villanelle has been changed by Eve.”
Jodie Comer, who plays Villanelle, has hinted her actions in the series finale will lead her to reassess her relationship with Eve.
Jodie Comer as Villanelle BBC
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She told Entertainment Weekly: “It’s a question of: How much does Eve mean to Villanelle? Everyone who watches the show has a different view and their own interpretation, and they feel that it is love and it is deep and it is meaningful.
“And then there was another side to it that is very twisted. Does Villanelle understand the concept of love? She’s very warped in relationships and her connections to people.”
Jodie also said series three will delve into Villanelle’s past and show some of her “vulnerability”.
Speaking to British Vogue, she said: “The audience love what they love about her, but it’s been nice to show a different side to that. Maybe a little bit of vulnerability.”
It has also been reported that there will be a wedding in series three, with Villanelle walking down the aisle with a mystery Spanish bride.
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What else is new?
In keeping with the tradition of the last two series, this run of episodes has been headed up by a new female show runner.
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The first was obviously helmed by creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, with former Call The Midwife star Emerald Fennell taking over as head writer for series two.
Killing Eve creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge Chelsea Guglielmino via Getty Images
Series three will see fellow British writer Suzanne Heathcote take over, with Phoebe saying of her appointment in a statement: “I’m very excited that the Killing Eve baton is being passed onto another incredible writer for season three.
“We can sleep soundly knowing these characters are safe in Suzanne Heathcote’s hilariously murderous hands.”
Who is in the cast?
As mentioned, it is highly likely Sandra Oh is back as MI6 agent Eve Polastri, while Jodie Comer reprises her role as murderous Villanelle.
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Owen McDonnell, who plays Eve’s husband Niko, has also hinted he will be returning, despite his character being left in a rather bad way by Villanelle when we last saw him.
Having been central to the climax of series two, it’s highly likely Fiona Shaw will reprise her role as MI6 boss Carolyn Martens alongside Kim Bodnia as Villanelle’s handler Konstantin.
Fiona Shaw as MI6 boss Carolyn Martens BBC
It has also been confirmed Danny Sapani (The Crown, Harlots) and Harriet Walter (Succession, The Crown) have joined the cast in roles that are yet to be revealed.
When will it be on?
For the first time in the show’s history, new episodes of Killing Eve will air weekly – and just hours after they debut on BBC America.
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Until now, British fans had to wait until an entire series finished airing in the US until episodes hit the BBC iPlayer in the UK.
However, the BBC has confirmed series three will arrive here on 13 April 2020, with new episodes available every Monday from 6am.
They will then air regularly on BBC One each Sunday night from 19 April.
New episodes of #KillingEve will stream weekly at 6am from Monday 13th April on @BBCiPlayer, and then on Sunday nights on @BBCOne from 19th April. And you can watch Series 1-2 right now, right here: https://t.co/zW16n51NjJ
https://t.co/Qlz3Kid3FP — BBC One (@BBCOne) March 27, 2020
The series had originally been scheduled to begin in the US on 26 April, but this date was brought forward two weeks to 12 April, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“We know how adored this series is and we know how keen people are for great content right now,” said Sarah Barnett, president of AMC Networks Entertainment Group and AMC Studios, who make the show.
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Is there a trailer I can watch yet?
As luck would have it, yes there is, and it sees Villanelle and Eve sporting blood red dresses as the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah and Dies irae in Verdi’s Requiem plays.
Watch it below...
And what about series four?


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--Flybe 'On The Brink Of Collapse After Failing To Secure Government Loan'

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Struggling airline Flybe has said coronavirus “made a difficult situation worse” after it went bust in the early hours of Thursday.
The carrier was saved from going out of business earlier this year but has been unable to obtain a £100 million loan from the government.
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A drop in demand caused by coronavirus has added to Flybe’s long-standing woes and administrators announced it had ceased trading with immediate effect.
Crisis talks were held throughout the day on Wednesday to try to secure a rescue package, but no deal was agreed.
The end of the Exeter-based airline, which employs 2,000 staff, will threaten thousands of jobs and the future of a number of regional airports.
Belfast City Airport is one of those airports worst hit by the collapse, with 81% of its flights operated by the carrier.
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In a statement, Flybe chief executive Mark Anderson said the company had been “unable to overcome significant funding challenges”.
“The UK has lost one of its greatest regional assets,” Anderson said.
“Flybe has been a key part of the UK aviation industry for four decades, connecting regional communities, people and businesses across the entire nation.”
The company said all Flybe flights were immediately grounded and advised all passengers not to travel to airports unless alternative flight arrangements had been made.
As part of the January rescue deal, Flybe agreed an arrangement to defer tax payments of “less than £10 million” with HM Revenue and Customs.
Ministers also agreed to hold a review into Air Passenger Duty (APD).
The structure of APD – which adds £26 to the price of most return domestic flights such as those operated by Flybe – could be altered in next week’s budget.
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Flybe serves around 170 destinations and has a major presence at UK airports such as Aberdeen, Belfast City, Manchester and Southampton. It flies the most UK domestic routes between airports outside London.
A series of issues have affected the airline’s finances, including rising fuel costs, falling demand, competition from road, rail and other airlines, plus a weakening of the pound.
But the firm said in a statement: “(Significant funding challenges) have been compounded by the outbreak of coronavirus which in the last few days has resulted in a significant impact on demand.”
It was bought by a consortium comprising Virgin Atlantic, Stobart Group and Cyrus Capital in February 2019, but has continued to make losses.
Amid reports UK airline Flybe is close to collapse, its website has stopped working and an error message says the link is “no longer live”. Full story: https://t.co/IE5ncHm3Gz pic.twitter.com/pV1cb42wcA — Graeme Demianyk (@GraemeDemianyk) March 4, 2020
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Unions and politicians have reacted with fury over the collapse.
Unite national officer Oliver Richardson told the PA news agency: “Unite members and the entire staff at Flybe, will be feeling angry and confused about how and why the airline has been allowed to collapse.
“It is simply outrageous that the government has not learned the lessons following the collapse of both Monarch and Thomas Cook that the much promised airline insolvency review has still not materialised.
“While other European countries are able to introduce measures to keep airlines flying when they enter administration, the UK remains unable or unwilling to do so.”
A Flybe flight departs from Manchester Airport ASSOCIATED PRESS
Andy McDonald, shadow transport secretary, said the loss of Flybe would cause “real anxiety” throughout the country.
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He said: “The Civil Aviation Authority is sadly very well practised, following the collapse of Monarch and Thomas Cook, at responding to airline failure and looking after passengers. No doubt they will do that once more.
“Yet again more airline workers face an anxious future and the government has to respond and provide them with all necessary support.”
On Thursday morning, transport secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News: “We’re all a bit gutted – Flybe is a household name, we’ve been flying with them for 40 years and we really tried to do everything we could back at the turn of the year.
“Unfortunately, with the situation that has developed with [coronavirus], an already weak company, I’m afraid, just hasn’t been able to survive.”
He added: “The concern is for people who have found themselves stranded and we’ve got people at the airport to be able to assist and we’re writing to all the other companies – coach companies, train companies – and asking them to assist.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--Can Boris Johnson’s Defence Of Priti Patel Really Save Her?

Home Secretary Priti Patel and Prime Minister Boris Johnson during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons. PA
Priti vacant
‘Contain, delay, research and mitigate’. That’s the government’s strategy for dealing with coronavirus. But could it also end up being Boris Johnson’s approach to the growing and urgent problem of allegations of Priti Patel’s bullying?
Today, we saw the contain phase in full flow as the PM stood by his home secretary, literally and metaphorically. “I’m sticking by her,” he told Labour’s Matt Pennycook. She was doing “an outstanding job and I have every confidence in her”, he told Jeremy Corbyn. Handwashing may be his favourite activity right now, but Johnson was not going to turn Pontius Pilate in his dealings with an early disciple of the Vote Leave faith.
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Yet as each day passes, it seems that Patel is a superspreader when it comes to bullying allegations. The problem first emerged in the Home Office but outbreaks have since been identified in DfID and DWP. For all the PM’s efforts at containment, the next phase of delay looks nearly upon us.
With more claims mounting up (today Corbyn’s spokesman said civil servants in the Home Office and ‘other departments’ had been in touch with new allegations), Johnson has tried to buy some time by agreeing to a Cabinet Office inquiry. As Patel has not been suspended and remains in post, it feels like a key way to take the heat of the situation and put off a day of reckoning.
Some MPs whisper that if only Patel can hang on to the Easter recess just four weeks away, the world will move on in the meantime. Some even suggest Patel may well be granted some extra new cash in the Budget to help her hit that target of 20,000 more police officers that’s such a central Tory election pledge (even though it is simply replacing those lost since 2010).
But the delay can shift seamlessly into the ‘research’ phase of the Cabinet Office inquiry itself. Don’t forget that the probe into Damian Green started on November 1 and its outcome emerged seven weeks later. And the claims against Patel are even more thorny and legally fraught than those Green had to face. Johnson confirmed for the first time today that Sir Alex Allan, the semi-autonomous adviser on the ministerial code, would be investigating.
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Given that former permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam has decided not to be bought off with a payoff, as many staff are forced to do in these circumstances, there is however the parallel process of an industrial tribunal, at which Patel will be called to give evidence on oath. That could be politically very embarrassing indeed, especially if special advisers and No.10 are dragged into it.
Which is why ‘mitigate’ may end up being the phase that Johnson least likes but may slowly accept as inevitable. Will Patel be allowed to resign, with glowing testimonies, to fight the tribunal? Johnson will almost certainly offer a route back to high office (though it seems he does that to every minister he sacks). It’s not beyond the bounds of possibility that she could return to the Home Office if cleared by the public court.
The PM and others in No10 are determined not to see their plans stymied by what they see as ‘No Minister’ civil servants. It’s true that the real factor that may ensure Patel never returns is her competence. The stories coming out of Whitehall about basic errors and off-the-wall plans don’t bode well for her political future.
Yet ultimately it’s the PM who knows the buck stops with him on much of this. He is the one who approved what many felt was an administrative nightmare in fast-tracking the points-based immigration system to the end of this year (rather than the end of 2022 as May planned). He is the one who wanted tough action of the deportation flight. And he is the one who gave Patel one of the most important jobs in the land, despite her record elsewhere.
Mitigating his way out of that may prove harder than tackling Covid-19.
Quote Of The Day
“I loathe bullying”
Boris Johnson
Wednesday Cheat Sheet
The prime minister promised to pay statutory sick pay “from the very first day” someone self-isolates for coronavirus, instead of the fourth day under the current rules. The TUC and others want to know what happens to gig economy workers and the self-employed.
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Rebecca Long-Bailey admitted to Andrew Neil that she had worked on NHS PFI projects for a firm of solicitors. Keir Starmer refused to reveal who all his campaign donors were.
Lisa Nandy told me she was ‘confident’ she would pull off a shock victory in the Labour leadership race, with ‘undecided’ members her main hope of a late surge. She also attacked deselection rows for costing MPs like Jo Platts her seat in the election. Read more HERE.
Environment secretary George Eustice predicted that Brussels will ditch any attempt to make an EU-UK trade deal conditional fishing rights being granted. He admitted fishermen will ‘probably’ need to fill in export certificates.
The government bowed to pressure and changed its stance on insurance to cover firms for coronavirus losses in England. It will be classed formally as a “notifiable disease”, a move required by many insurance policies before they will pay out.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--Rebecca Long-Bailey Admits Working On Controversial NHS PFI Deals

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Labour leadership candidate Rebecca Long-Bailey has admitted working on controversial NHS private finance (PFI) deals that handed millions of pounds-worth of property to private companies.
Long-Bailey admitted PFI deals were “the only game in town” in the NHS when she was working as a corporate lawyer for Hill Dickinson.
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She has previously criticised the contracts and claimed that she worked as “a solicitor for the NHS” before becoming an MP, but on Wednesday conceded “you couldn’t not work on PFI”.
PFI deals were a Conservative policy to use private sector cash to invest in schools and hospitals and other infrastructure schemes, and were adopted by New Labour under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
They have been heavily criticised for saddling taxpayers with huge long-term costs while handing out enormous profits for some firms.
Long-Bailey’s close ally John McDonnell pledged in 2017 that a Labour government would scrap new PFI deals for all public services and review existing contracts, bringing them back into public ownership “if necessary”.
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Long-Bailey has now admitted that she worked for a team at Hill Dickinson responsible for drawing up PFI contracts.
Rebecca Long-Bailey on her work as a solicitor: “You couldn’t not work on PFI” as it was “the only game in town” @afneil asks how was she defending the NHS, as she claimed, while working on private finance initiative (PFI) deals#AndrewNeilShow https://t.co/8XcBz7ltqz pic.twitter.com/CFz2h8R1GP — BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) March 4, 2020
BuzzFeed News has reported that the deals handed ownership of £190m of NHS property to investment firms based in Luxembourg, which is often described as a tax haven.
Quizzed about her career by the BBC’s Andrew Neil, Long-Bailey admitted working in commercial property where she first “experienced the intricacies and the insidious nature of PFI”.
“You couldn’t not work on PFI,” she added.
Asked by Neil how she was “defending the NHS” if she was working on PFI, Long-Bailey appeared to explain how PFI contracts worked.
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Asked again how she was defending the health service, Long-Bailey insisted she had “always been vehemently against PFI contracts” and that she “understands how wrong they are”.
Put to her that she was part of a legal team that handed £190m-worth of NHS assets to a Luxembourg investment vehicle, Long-Bailey replied: “I defended the NHS on a daily basis on a whole range of issues.
“Commercial property was one aspect of the work that I did, I worked on comprising local authority contracts to provide joint services of vital necessity to our communities.
“But on the issue of PFI, unfortunately for the NHS it was the only game in town and unfortunately that was the fault of the Conservative government and previous Labour governments.
“Any NHS manager in that NHS at the time - if they wanted to build a new health centre or a new hospital they were only allowed to use PFI and that was wrong.”
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In a wide-ranging interview, Long-Bailey also said she regretted failing to directly challenge a Labour member at a recent event in Liverpool over his “anti-Semitic” comments.
The man claimed “members of the Israeli lobby” including Jewish Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge had the greatest responsibility for preventing Jeremy Corbyn from becoming prime minister.
“In my response I thought at the time that I had been implicit in explaining why this particular gentleman was wrong but with retrospect I should’ve called that out directly because it was anti-Semitic,” she said.
“I should have challenged that specific element of that gentleman’s contribution directly and I wish I had done that because it was an anti-Semitic statement to make.”
Long-Bailey was appearing on the show after the overwhelming favourite to win the leadership, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer.
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Starmer declined to identify all of his donors, after coming under pressure to disclose who is funding his Labour leadership campaign.
Why has Keir Starmer not named all of his donors?
The leadership contender says he is “following the rules” agreed ahead of the campaign and “not hiding behind the process”
His funders are “unions, crowdfunding and individual donations"#AndrewNeilShow https://t.co/8XcBz7ltqz pic.twitter.com/wRuHEEKGsx — BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) March 4, 2020
But he said the biggest donation he has received was £100,000 from fellow lawyer Robert Latham, which was published on parliament’s register of interests on Tuesday.
Starmer criticised “this line of attack” when repeatedly pressed to reveal all of his donors by Neil.
“How can you say I’m hiding behind process when it’s the Labour party process,” he said when pressed on who his five biggest donors are.
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“I’ve got a compliance team in place who are checking every donation is in accordance with the rules,” Starmer said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--Coronavirus: England's Six Nations Matches In Italy To Be Played Behind Closed Doors

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England’s men’s and women’s Six Nations matches in Rome will be played behind closed doors after Italy’s government ordered all sporting events to take place without fans until April 3 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The matches had been due to take place on March 14 and 15.
All Serie A games will also be played without fans. The move is likely to see the Italian soccer league resume in full this weekend after the calendar was pushed back a week.
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The decision follows an outbreak of Covid-19 in Italy, where 3,090 people have been diagnosed with the virus and 107 people have died.
The Italian government issued a new decree on Wednesday evening, with measures it hopes will help contain the spread of the virus.
It is still unclear whether the Six Nations matches will go ahead at all.
Italy’s match against Ireland, which was scheduled for March 7, had already been postponed.
Brendan Moran via Getty Images
The Italian soccer league’s governing body has yet to release a revised schedule, but reports say the six Serie A matches that were postponed last week will now be played this weekend.
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That includes one of the biggest matches of the season, the Juventus-Inter game, known as the Derby d’Italia, or Italy’s derby.
Four Serie A matches went ahead last weekend with fans present as they were taking place in areas that had not been affected by measures to control the outbreak.
A decree on Sunday extended the suspension of all sporting events in Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna until March 8.
The region of Lombardy is the epicentre of Italy’s outbreak and there are further clusters in the other two northern regions.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--Parliament May Have To Shut Down To Fight Coronavirus Spread

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Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell.
Parliament may be forced to shut down if the coronavirus outbreak gets significantly worse, it has emerged.
Downing Street confirmed discussions are ongoing between the parliamentary authorities and scientific and medical advisers about whether the Houses of Commons and Lords may need to shut down to stop the virus spreading.
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The revelation was sparked by an MP’s concern that politicians could become “part of the problem” as 650 of them travel between Westminster and every part of the country every week, meeting people from across the world.
The SNP’s Carol Monaghan suggested electronic voting and conference calls as ways of allowing parliament to continue to operate while reducing the risk of infection.
Responding, Boris Johnson said the government was still trying to contain the virus, but would soon be moving to the “delay phase”, when there would be “a lot more detail about what we propose to do with large gatherings in places such as parliament”.
Speaking after prime minister’s questions, Johnson’s official spokesman confirmed: “Discussions are already taking place with the parliamentary authorities and the scientific and medical advisers.
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“It’s not for me to speak for parliament, but I’m sure parliament will itself be led by the experts in terms of taking the steps it needs in order to protect the people who work there.”
There are 650 MPs from all corners of the UK and thousands of staff and others working in the Palace of Westminster PA
HuffPost UK understands Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle is speaking to experts including the chief medical officer every day to monitor the situation but there are no imminent plans to close parliament.
MPs and Lords are needed to pass the emergency powers the government may need to use as the power gets worse.
It is understood the government wants to get these into law by the end of the month.
But shutting down parliament is a potential option if the outbreak turns into a full-blown crisis or if the building becomes a hotspot for the virus.
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Earlier, Monaghan asked at PMQs: “Every week, 650 of us come here from every part of the UK, spend several days operating in close proximity and meeting people from all over the world.
“We then return to our constituencies, potentially becoming the very vectors that we’re trying to shut down.
“Parliament must stay open.
“But what plans does the prime minister have to utilise systems such as conference calls and electronic voting to ensure we do not become part of the problem?”
Johnson replied: “She’s raising a very important point and the chief medical officer and the chief scientific adviser, together with the health secretary, will say a little bit more in the next couple of days about what we’re going to do to delay the advance of coronavirus in parliament and at other large gatherings.
“We’re still at the containment stage ... when we come to the delay phase, she’ll be hearing a lot more detail about what we propose to do with large gatherings in places such as parliament.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--Lisa Nandy Discusses Labour Leadership Bid | The Waugh Zone

Lisa Nandy Discusses Labour Leadership Bid | The Waugh Zone
Wigan MP Lisa Nandy discusses with HuffPost UK’s Paul Waugh her bid to become leader of the Labour party. Lisa Nandy has been one of the most vocal critics of the political party’s over-centralisation during her decade as an MP and given her stark assessment of why Labour has been losing traditional working class and northern voters. Here she sets out the ways she would plan on winning them back from Conservative MPs.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--James Bond Film No Time To Die Release Postponed By Seven Months Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

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James Bond bosses have confirmed that they’re postponing the release of new film No Time To Die by seven months.
Originally slated for release next month, the film will now hit UK cinemas on 12 November, and will arrive in the US just shy of two weeks later.
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The news comes as a number of countries – including Italy, Japan and China – have closed cinemas completely, in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
In a statement published on Wednesday, Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli revealed they were pushing back the release after a “thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace”.
They said: “MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced today that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of No Time To Die will be postponed until November 2020.”
MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced today that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of NO TIME TO DIE will be postponed until November 2020. pic.twitter.com/a9h1RP5OKd — James Bond (@007) March 4, 2020
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The film will be released in the U.K. on November 12, 2020 with worldwide release dates to follow, including the US launch on November 25, 2020. — James Bond (@007) March 4, 2020
This setback is the latest in a long line of difficulties faced by No Time To Die during production, which has also included the departure of the film’s original director Danny Boyle, and a crew member acquiring a “minor injury” after a controlled explosion on set went wrong.
Daniel Craig as James Bond Universal
No Time To Die will be Daniel’s final outing as James Bond, having first debuted in the role in Casino Royale back in 2006.
The upcoming instalment in the hit film franchise will see Oscar-winning star Rami Malek playing Bond’s new adversary, while Lashana Lynch will play a new character, who has succeeded the titular character as agent 007.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--A Man Brought A Llama To His Sister's Wedding And Her Reaction Was Priceless

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A man’s unlikely date to his sister’s wedding last weekend has made him a viral sensation.
During a 2015 drive from Ohio to Indiana, Mendl Weinstock promised his sister Riva that he would only attend her future wedding if he could bring along a llama. Riva, who was then 17 and single, rolled her eyes and balked at the suggestion.
“She was talking about her wedding almost as if it was going to happen the next day,” Mendl, now a 21-year-old student at the University of Akron in Ohio, told HuffPost. “Sitting in a car for five hours listening to this was driving me crazy. So I wanted to see if I could get a reaction out of her.”
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Courtesy of Mendl Weinstock Mendl Weinstock of Cleveland (left) vowed five years ago he'd bring a llama to his sister Riva's wedding. Last weekend, he kept his promise.
In the end, Mendl said, his sister reluctantly agreed.
“She said, ‘Forget it, the llama is invited to the wedding,’” he recalled. “And those were the magic words.”
After Riva got engaged in October 2019, Mendl began researching llama farms in Ohio. Eventually, he settled on Shocky, a male llama used in county fairs and shows.
Courtesy of Mendl Weinstock Riva (left) didn't appear to be especially amused by her brother's gesture.
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He said the rental set him back $400, while a co-worker supplied Shocky with a custom-designed tuxedo and yarmulke. Having the llama turn up at Riva’s nuptials on Sunday, however, was priceless.
Shocky and Mendl greeted wedding guests as they entered the banquet hall, posing for photos for about 30 minutes. When the blushing bride made her entrance, however, she didn’t appear to be amused, as evidenced by one snapshot in which she appears to be giving her brother a bit of side-eye and a snarl.
Wedding guests were in on the joke, too, placing inflatable llamas near the sweetheart table inside the venue where Riva and her new husband would be seated.
Mendl uploaded the photo of him, Riva and Shocky to Reddit, where it promptly went viral. As of Tuesday afternoon, it had garnered more than 155,000 upvotes.
Courtesy of Mendl Weinstock Shocky appeared outside the banquet hall for about 30 minutes, posing with the wedding party and guests as they entered the venue.
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And the photo ― and the heartwarming Weinstock sibling story behind it ― have been featured in a host of major media outlets, including BuzzFeed and CNN.
Ultimately, Mendl would like to reframe the tongue-in-cheek narrative his story has inspired and remind viewers that his is a story of perseverance.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--The Rise And Fall Of Priti Patel: Can She Survive Another Scandal?

Depending on who you speak to, Priti Patel is either “not very bright” and doomed for the sack, or a “force of nature” who will survive, having shrugged off political storms and risen to a great office of state “essentially on willpower”.
One thing is for certain – the home secretary’s ability to attract controversy hasn’t stopped her meteoric rise since being elected as MP for Witham in 2010.
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From being taken on as employment minister after co-authoring a book which described Britons as “among the worst idlers in the world”, to landing cabinet jobs at the international development department she wanted to abolish and heading the Home Office despite once supporting the death penalty, Patel’s career has raised eyebrows.
And while the bullying allegations mounting against her could be genuinely career-ending, many would still be reluctant to bet against a woman dubbed a “piranha” by her own husband (because she is “small and combative”).
Patel, 47, has of course been here before – forced to quit as development secretary in 2017 after freelance meetings with senior Israeli government figures including PM Benjamin Netanyahu while on a summer holiday in the country.
She attempted to ride out that storm but was rumbled when failing to disclose the full extent of the meetings to Theresa May.
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Despite the rolling Brexit chaos that characterised May’s slow motion car-crash of a premiership, it was this incident that made the then-PM snap.
As her former press secretary Paul Harrison wrote recently: “May never succumbed to foul language even under the greatest of stress.
“However, the news I had just delivered – that ultimately saw Penny Mordaunt appointed international development secretary – led to probably the fruitiest expression I ever heard her say.”
It wasn’t the first time Patel had enraged a prime minister, either, having been given a furious dressing down by David Cameron for her role in Vote Leave in the run-up to the 2016 EU referendum, which catapulted her into the limelight.
HuffPost UK understands that Cameron was exasperated with Patel’s role in the campaign because she was repeatedly attacking policies that featured in the Tory manifesto on which she had been elected just a year previously.
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It eventually cost her promotion to the cabinet – as employment minister she would have been a natural replacement for Iain Duncan Smith as work and pensions secretary when he quit – because Cameron did not want to reward bad behaviour.
Priti Patel with Boris Johnson and Michael Gove visiting Farmhouse Biscuits in Nelson, Lancashire, during the Vote Leave campaign. PA
But Patel, true to form, was elevated to the cabinet by May within months.
This brings us to the latest debacle, which had its early peak with Home Office permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam’s explosive resignation on Saturday.
Like May swearing, Rutnam’s decision to turn down the offer of a six-figure payout in favour of quitting on camera and vowing to sue for constructive dismissal was unprecedented – and provoked by Patel.
Rutnam accused her of bullying staff, briefing against him, and lying about her role in it.
"I have been the target of a vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign"
Top civil servant in the Home Office, Sir Philip Rutnam, quits and says he intends to sue the government for constructive dismissal https://t.co/9m4hL9nUcp pic.twitter.com/U23fXTJnLT — BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) February 29, 2020
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It came after HuffPost UK reported that Patel had attempted to sack the Home Office director of communications Andy Tighe on Christmas Eve and had Rutnam’s staff cut out of meetings.
Allegations that Patel is “brutal” with some staff at the Home Office, “berating and insulting” officials and branding them “useless and a joke” have also been raised with HuffPost UK.
She is said to have created a culture of fear that means officials are now afraid to challenge her or speak their minds because they are worried about being forced out like Rutnam.
And the claims show no sign of stopping, with the BBC reporting that a former aide to Patel received a £25,000 payout after taking an overdose following bullying by the then-employment secretary in 2015.
Fresh allegations have also emerged of Patel bullying staff around the time of her resigning from the department for international development.
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As those new claims emerged, a spokesman for the home secretary said she “categorically denies” them.
But one senior former government adviser believes Patel’s position is now untenable.
“No.10 told everyone to call off the dogs of war on Rutnam on Monday but she was still actively encouraging it,” they say.
“The problem for her is the machine will probably do her in in the end.
“She’s not that bright and, as you know, at the Home Office you get blamed for all kinds of things that aren’t your fault.”
The ex-adviser concedes that in her desire to replace Rutnam, seen by some in Whitehall as a “nightmare” who “unnecessarily blocks stuff”, Patel was probably “on the right side of the argument” but was “going about it the wrong way” with her briefing campaign.
“In her defence I have not heard a single good thing about Rutnam from a variety of people – from other ministers who worked at the department who are measured individuals. Spads [special advisers] think he’s a complete arsehole and quite vindictive,” they say.
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But with Rutnam now out of the picture, Patel’s former chief of staff James Starkie believes Boris Johnson, who launched a full-throated public defence of the home secretary at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, and his aide Dominic Cummings will not want to lose her.
Patel sat next to Johnson as he defended her at PMQs on Wednesday PA
Starkie, who says he has never seen Patel bullying staff, says: “Of course she’s going to survive – I don’t think there’s any doubt.
“Boris backs her 100%. Dom gets on with her really well.
“I don’t understand on what basis she would go right now.
“It’s unfortunate the way it’s panned out, but equally I don’t see why you would now get rid of her. I think that she’s done everything that’s been asked of her [and] I think she’s done it well so I don’t see her going any time soon.”
Allies, meanwhile, believe the home secretary’s “ballsy” and “clear ideological” approach make her a “target”.
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Advisers are said to have been surprised at how Patel has defied their expectations and got across a complex and demanding brief at the Home Office – where she has dealt with terror attacks, post-Brexit immigration policy, controversial deportations and more.
She is said to work “very hard” seven days a week, save for the odd week off with the family.
But ultimately friends feel the Witham MP is treated unfairly.
A former adviser told HuffPost UK: “Because she uses quite simplistic language that common people use, she has that Essex twang, I think people judge her.
“If you sit in a meeting she will be pushy with officials – ‘what’s happening with this?’, ‘why haven’t I got this?’, ‘I need this now’.
“But that’s from the Cummings school of thinking – officials are sat around the table with the home secretary, people’s safety is in their hands, if they are asked to do something they should just do it.”
‘She’s like Thatcher’ Despite her humble beginnings as the daughter of Ugandan Asian refugees who went to a comprehensive school, Patel has always been reluctant to hold herself up as a role model for young women or ethnic minorities. As one ally says, she believes she has succeeded “essentially on willpower” and does not like people using their background “as an excuse”. “She’s like Thatcher – you should just pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get on with it,” they said. The daughter of Gujarati Indians who fled Uganda for the UK as refugees in the 1960s, Patel was born in London on March 29, 1972. She was educated at the comprehensive Watford Grammar School before studying economics at Keele University followed by postgraduate study in government and politics at the University of Essex. Patel spent a number of years in lobbying and public affairs with Weber Shandwick, where her clients controversially included British American Tobacco, and later worked as a policy adviser for Diageo. Patel was elected as Witham MP in 2010 and appointed a Treasury minister in 2014, employment minister in 2015, and international development secretary in 2016 before quitting the following year. She returned to the cabinet under Johnson as home secretary in July 2019.
If she survives the sack this time, what comes next?
“I think she’s definitely thinking about having a tilt at the leadership,” the ex-advisor said.
“When she resigned from DfID she spent the whole time going around the country on the rubber chicken circuit [appearing at local party events] and there’s only one reason why you are doing that.
“The party love her because of her very strident pro-Brexit views and ‘hang ’em and flog ’em’ attitude.”
This also makes her a useful asset for Tory PMs.
“But Boris Johnson has got such a thumping majority – does he need her?”
One close ally does not believe Patel harbours leadership ambitions, claiming: “She’s one of the only people in cabinet who believes Boris does a better job of being PM than she could.”
There is also a feeling that she has an inner steel that may come from being an ethnic minority woman who has risen almost to the top of the white, male-dominated world of Westminster that helps her recover from setbacks more easily than others.
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Starkie says: “She’s a force of nature – she just doesn’t stop. She’s got a real belief in herself, so I think once she has a knock or two she keeps going.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--Greta Thunberg Calls Out EU Green Deal

Greta Thunberg Calls Out EU Green Deal

Greta Thunberg Calls Out EU Green Deal
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg addresses the environment committee at the European Parliament in Brussels as they unveil their Green Deal. Thunberg criticised the new plan, that would see the European Union be carbon neutral by 20250, calling it a ‘surrender’ and ‘pretending’.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--UK Coronavirus Outbreak Jumps To 87 Confirmed Cases

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A total of 87 people in the UK have now been diagnosed with coronavirus, the Department of Health said – a jump of 34 in just a few hours.
The figures represent the biggest day-on-day increase, with 32 positive tests emerging in England and two in Northern Ireland.
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Three of the 32 new cases recorded in England were passed on in the UK, raising fears that community transmission may now be taking hold.
England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said: “As of 9am this morning 32 further patients in England have tested positive for Covid-19.
“Twenty-nine patients were diagnosed who had recently travelled from recognised countries or from recognised clusters which were under investigation.
“Three additional patients contracted the virus in the UK and it is not yet clear whether they contracted it directly or indirectly from an individual who had recently returned from abroad. This is being investigated and contact tracing has begun.
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“The total number of confirmed cases in England is now 80. Following previously reported confirmed cases in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, the total number of UK cases is 85.”
Earlier, Prof Whitty told the BBC there could be a need to do “extreme things” to protect the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions.
He added: “At this point in time we think it is likely, not definite, that we will move into onward transmission and an epidemic here in the UK.”
But he stressed that for most people, “this will be a mild or moderate disease, anything from a sniffle to having to go to bed for a few days, rather like with mild flu”.
On the NHS, Prof Whitty said: “The NHS will always cope because the NHS is an emergency service which is very good at adapting to what it finds itself with.”
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But he said if the UK sees a very large epidemic, “then it will put very high pressure on the NHS”, and there could be “several weeks which could be very difficult” for the health service and wider society.
Prof Whitty suggested that shutting down cities in the UK would not be effective now.
He said: “Closing cities is really only appropriate if you have a significant epidemic in one particular place and almost nothing anywhere else.
“It made sense for China to respond in the way it did but it would be very unlikely here … This is now in multiple places in Europe and around the world.”
As cases in the UK climb, the Department of Health said it would no “longer be tweeting information on the location of each new case”.
It said: “Instead, this information will be released centrally in a consolidated format online, once a week. We are working on this now and plan to share on Friday.”
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But it is known that of the new cases reported, two people are from Carlisle and both had recently returned from a trip to northern Italy.
One is a member of healthcare staff at the Cumberland Infirmary.
Another patient who was admitted to Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester has also tested positive for Covid-19.
Northern Ireland later confirmed two more cases, taking the UK total to 87.
Liverpool City Council said the first case of coronavirus had been confirmed in the city.
The resident became infected while in Italy and was receiving specialist treatment, according to the council.
Elsewhere, the release date for No Time To Die has been pushed back from April to November following “careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace”, James Bond producers have announced.
The London Book Fair at Olympia from March 10 to 12 was cancelled after major publishers pulled out amid coronavirus fears.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--Prince William Jokes About Spreading Coronavirus During Royal Engagement

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Prince William cracked what some critics considered to be an insensitive joke about the deadly coronavirus outbreak during a royal engagement in Dublin on Tuesday.
“I bet everyone’s like ‘I’ve got coronavirus, I’m dying’, and you’re like, ‘No, you’ve just got a cough,’” the Duke of Cambridge was caught on camera telling first responder Joe Mooney at a reception at the Guinness Storehouse.
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William also asked Mooney if he thought the crisis that has killed more than 3,000 people worldwide was being “a little bit hyped up” by the media.
In separate footage, William was seen saying: “By the way, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are spreading coronavirus, Sorry. We’re keeping an eye on that, so do tell us if we need to stop.”
The context of those apparently joking comments is not entirely clear.
Check out the full video above.
Prince William was heard speaking about coronavirus to emergency workers during a visit to Dublin's Guinness Brewery with wife Kate.
"I bet everyone's like, 'I've got coronavirus, I'm dying,' and you're like, 'no, you've just got a cough'," he said. pic.twitter.com/bLN7ztXEIw — NBC News World (@NBCNewsWorld) March 4, 2020
William’s overall tone drew scorn from some people on Twitter, who accused him of being “out of touch” and “insensitive.”
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A royal source told the Evening Standard that William and his wife Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, were being briefed about the virus threat posed by their public schedules and it was currently “business as usual” for the couple. They shook hands with people on the first day of their three-day tour of the Emerald Isle.
Queen Elizabeth II, meanwhile, on Tuesday took the rare step of wearing gloves to hand out honors at Buckingham Palace, although sources would not confirm whether it was prompted by the outbreak.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--How Not To Be A Dick During The Coronavirus Outbreak

Tensions are high as the nation sizes itself up, with everyone wondering if the person who just sneezed on the bus actually intends to pull out any hand sanitiser – or why your colleague is glowering at you in the work loos.
As coronavirus continues to spread, the population appears increasingly divided into two camps: those who are worried and taking every precaution available, and those who are blasé, or some might say, throwing caution to the wind.
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If your friendship groups are anything like ours, the growing ‘corona caution’ gap is taking its toll. That ceaselessly-positive housemate who’s determined to “keep calm and carry on” while you’re dousing yourself in anti-bac is a recipe for passive aggression. Or let’s face it, just aggression.
So how do you navigate coronavirus without falling out with your friends, colleagues or total strangers? Being optimistically sensible – but not selfish – seems to be the solution.
In this new era, this is the social etiquette we suggest you follow:
ajijchan via Getty Images
Do the Wuhan Shake
If someone swerves your handshake, follow Angela Merkel’s lead and don’t take offense. Instead, get down with Mutti and the kids and do the “Wuhan Shake”, aka bumping ankles – or if you’re more worried, simply wave in a friendly fashion as you enter the room, then put your hands firmly back in those pockets.
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This lack of contact might sound like a disaster if you’ve got a hot first date lined up (in fact, we hear some people have been cancelling theirs). But if you must cheek-kiss hello, keep it to air kisses, darling.
High-class and healthy in one fell swoop.
Be a good housemate
And by ‘good’ we mean absent. If you’ve been told to self-isolate after potential contact with the virus or that nice trip to Italy, please, please, take it seriously.
Sure, you may roll your eyes if you feel perfectly fine, but the incubation period for the virus is anything between one to 14 days.
For those living in house- or flat-shares, self-isolating can be tricky, but Public Health England says there are steps you can take to limit the risk of contamination. These include using your own kitchen equipment, staying in your room where possible with the window open, cleaning the bathroom thoroughly after you’ve used it and taking your dinner to your bedroom to limit contact.
You’ve got a free pass to be anti-social for a bit. Take it.
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Shop sensibly
Again, don’t be a selfish Sally at the supermarket. Before filling your trolly up with a shelf-load of hand sanitiser, think about how your stockpiling might impact those who are chronically ill or have compromised immune systems.
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Other forms of unacceptable shopping behaviour include buying every tin in sight, touching the self-service touch screens if you’re feeling poorly and pulling a knife over some toilet paper. Yes, really.
Wash your hands
Twitter is awash with outraged comments like “just seen someone sneeze on the tube and touch the rail” or “no one in my office toilet is washing their hands!”
There’s no excuse people: PHE has advised that regular hand washing is key to stopping the spread of the virus. If soap and water aren’t available, use some hand gel.
Don’t let FOMO spread the Coron-o
Been invited to a party but your girlfriend is showing signs of symptoms? This one’s a no brainer: don’t go.
People who have, or might have, been exposed to coronavirus either because they’ve been to a high-risk country, show symptoms, or have been in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus, are being told to self-isolate for 14 days.
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While the official government advice isn’t to hit the panic button just yet, if in doubt, keep your distance. Really, is it worth it?
Best not to take it personally


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--Boris Johnson, You Must Recognise That Domestic Abuse Is A Specific Kind Of Violence

We Can't Consent To This, Women's Aid, Refuge & Others

The domestic abuse commissioner must be included in the government's violent crime taskforce. Getty Creative
Dear Prime Minister,
We are writing to you as organisations from the domestic abuse and violence against women and girls (VAWG) sector to ask you to include the UK’s first designate Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs, in your violent crime task force.
We know your Government is committed to tackling violent crime and you have pledged to cut it by 20%. We are therefore concerned, as reported in the Observer, that the Domestic Abuse Commissioner is not yet included in your violent crime roundtables.
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A third of all violent crime in the UK is domestic abuse.
Last month, the annual UK Femicide Census reported that 149 women were killed by men in 2018. The number of women killed by a current or former partner has risen by nearly a third and is at its highest level since 2006.
Worryingly more than half of the perpetrators were found to have a previous history of violence towards women. Six of the men claimed “rough sex gone wrong” as a defence to murder.
This is a national crisis. We urgently need a detailed examination at the highest level of government of the action that is required to protect women and children from domestic abuse and to hold perpetrators to account.
Domestic abuse is a specific form of violence. It is not gender neutral. It needs to be represented in its own right in your taskforce.
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The question of how we stop men killing women and children will be fundamental to the success of your commitment to reduce serious violence. Including the Domestic Abuse Commissioner will not only provide a vital evidence basis for your work, it would send a strong message that this Government understands the nature and scale of the violence women and girls face, and will not tolerate it.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
We Can’t Consent To This
Centre for Women’s Justice
Women’s Aid Federation England
Welsh Women’s Aid
End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW)
Southall Black Sisters
IRISi
Refuge
Respect
Rights of Women
SafeLives
Standing Together Against Domestic Violence
Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance
Solace
Latin American Women’s Rights Service
FORWARD
Surviving Economic Abuse


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--Italy 'Could Close All Schools And Universities Over Coronavirus Outbreak'

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The Italian government is hours away from deciding whether to close all schools and universities across the country until mid-March in a further attempt to contain the worst coronavirus outbreak in Europe.
The government shuttered schools and universities in the worst-affected regions in northern Italy some 10 days ago and quarantined a handful of towns at the centre of the outbreak.
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On Wednesday afternoon, Ansa news agency said the closures decision had been taken but Italian education minister Lucia Azzolina said the final word was due “in the next few hours”.
At least 79 people have died and more than 2,500 been infected with the illness in Italy.
The region of Lombardy has been the epicentre of Italy’s outbreak, registering the first positive test. Alarmingly, 10% of Lombardy’s doctors and nurses are out of commission, because they tested positive for the virus and are in quarantine, said the region’s top health official, Giulio Gallera earlier this week.
A woman wearing a protective face mask to prevent contracting the coronavirus sits inside a train at a subway station in Milan, Italy Guglielmo Mangiapane / Reuters
Lombardy’s regional government has asked the central government to reactivate retired doctors and nurses and get them back on the payroll.
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The country is also likely to order all top-flight Serie A soccer games to be played behind closed doors in efforts to curb the outbreak, the sports minister said on Wednesday.
“We are heading towards that decision,” Vincenzo Spadafora told reporters when asked if the government was thinking of barring fans.
The government last month banned sporting events in the worst-affected northern regions. So far, 10 Serie A matches have been postponed as well as two in the Coppa Italia.
As of Wednesday, 51 people in the UK had been diagnosed with the virus. One Brit has so far died abroad.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--Police Won’t Be Investigated Over Caroline Flack’s Death

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A watchdog has decided there is no need to investigate police contact with Caroline Flack before her death.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said there was “no indication of a causal link between the actions or omissions of the police and Caroline Flack’s tragic death”.
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Metropolitan Police officers last had contact with the 40-year-old television presenter on December 13, 2019 when she was in custody following an alleged assault.
Concerns were subsequently raised by her loved ones over the handling of the assault charge.
Caroline Flack PA Wire/PA Images
On Wednesday, the IOPC announced that it would not be investigating the Metropolitan Police, which had referred itself to the watchdog.
It is standard practice for a referral to be made to IOPC when a person who has had recent contact with police dies.
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“Having considered a mandatory referral from the Metropolitan Police, we decided the matter did not require investigation by the IOPC because there was no indication of a causal link - directly or indirectly - between the actions or omissions of the police and Caroline Flack’s tragic death,” a spokesperson said.
“Officers last had contact with Ms Flack on 13 December 2019, when she was in custody, nearly two months before her death.
“While in custody on 13 December, officers arranged for her to see a health care professional and relevant policy and procedure was followed to give her further guidance.
“On this basis, we have returned this referral to the Met’s Department for Professional Standards for them to deal with the matter in whatever manner they decide.”
The Love Island presenter died after taking her own life last month.
Useful websites and helplines:
Mind , open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393
, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.)
offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.) The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email: help@themix.org.uk
is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email: help@themix.org.uk Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0300 5000 927 (open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on www.rethink.org.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--Spitting Image Is Back, And It Has An Offer For The PM's Adviser Dominic Cummings

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Satirical puppet show Spitting Image is making a return to TV with Boris Johnson, Greta Thunberg and Donald Trump among its new victims.
The series will air this autumn on the BBC and ITV’s subscription streaming service BritBox, with Beyonce, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and the Duke of York also set to be ridiculed in puppet form.
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Others who can expect the Spitting Image satirical treatment include RuPaul, Adele, Kim Kardashian and James Corden.
Some of the new puppets of Spitting Image BBC/ITV
Programme makers have also made an offer to the prime minister’s chief adviser, with co-creator Roger Law saying: “When Dominic Cummings gets the boot, Spitting Image will give him a job.
“We’ve always employed weirdos and are sure Dom will be a great asset, he seems to hate politicians as much as we do.”
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A sketch of the Dominic Cummings puppet BBC/ITV
Spitting Image originally ran for 18 series between 1984 and 1996 and was watched by 15 million viewers in its heyday.
It cost £300,000 an episode to produce, making it TV’s most expensive light-entertainment show.
Of the decision to revive the show – which will be BritBox’s first original commission – bosses said: “With the world getting smaller and more turbulent, the time couldn’t be more appropriate for an iconic British satirical take on global events.”
Co-creator Roger said it will be the “people’s programme”, adding: “I’ve refused to resuscitate Spitting Image for years but when my pension ran out and my palm was crossed with silver what could an old man do?
“The new Spitting Image will be global through a uniquely British eye, it will be more outrageous, audacious and salacious than the previous incarnation.
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“With scandalous scripts and A-list characters, it will be the people’s programme!”
Spitting Image famously featured Margaret Thatcher in a man’s suit treating her cabinet – “the vegetables” – with contempt, John Major as a grey puppet and the Queen Mother slugging from a gin bottle.
Ronald Reagan was featured in bed with two red call buttons, one marked Nurse, the other Nuke.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-04--Coronavirus Latest: 5 Things You Need To Know About The Covid-19 Outbreak

Coronavirus is dominating the headlines as the number of cases grow each day. The latest official figures show 373 people in the UK have tested positive for the virus while six people – all with underlying health conditions – have died after contracting it.
Here are the main developments you need to know today.
Situation in Italy, under lockdown, is getting worse
Italy reported another sharp rise in deaths as a result of the outbreak as all of the country was put on lockdown due to the spread of coronavirus.
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The death toll has jumped by 168 to 631, an increase of 36%, the Civil Protection Agency said on Tuesday,
It represents the largest rise in absolute numbers since the contagion came to light on February 21.
The total number of cases in Italy, the European country hardest hit by the virus, rose to 10,149 from a previous 9,172, an increase of 10.7%.
On Sunday, the stay-at-home decree had been placed on 16 million people in the north of the country – more than a quarter of its population – for nearly a month to halt the relentless march of the new coronavirus across Europe.
But the hardline move has now been extended to the entire country.
Weddings and museums, cinemas and shopping centres are all affected by the new restrictions.
Italian premier Giuseppe Conte said all people in Italy would need to demonstrate a need to work, health conditions or other limited reasons to travel outside the areas where they live.
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British Airways said it has cancelled all its flights to and from Italy on Tuesday. The airline is allowing passengers booked to travel on flights to and from northern Italy up to April 4 to change travel dates or obtain a refund.
BA grounded all flights to and from Italy on Tuesday Steve Parsons - PA Images via Getty Images
Jess Nicholls, 43, an enterprise change consultant, told PA she felt “dumped” by the airline after it notified her by email that her flight from Rome to London would be cancelled.
She said she was seeking an “acknowledgement that they just stranded loads of passengers when they said they would get us home”.
“Their website was down, their call centres are overloaded and we got an email after midnight saying our flight was cancelled. It’s putting more passengers in danger.”
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Meanwhile easyJet has grounded most of its flights to and from northern Italy but is continuing to serve locations such as Milan, Venice and Bologna.
It is advising customers who do not want to fly that they would only be due a refund of “any government tax you may have paid”.
Ryanair has announced it has cancelled all international flights to and from Italy from Saturday until April 9.
Passengers who need to return home can switch to one of the flights operating up to the end of the day on Friday.
Britain at start of peak?
The start of the UK peak of the coronavirus epidemic is expected within the next fortnight, England’s deputy chief medical officer has said, as cases rose to 373 and a sixth death was announced.
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Dr Jenny Harries defended the government’s decision to delay closing schools and the introduction of other stringent tactics, saying experts are assessing new cases on an hourly basis to achieve a “balanced response”.
But new measures – including those aimed at protecting the elderly and vulnerable – are expected shortly as cases rise more rapidly across the UK.
The latest figures show that 373 people in the UK are now confirmed to have Covid-19 as of 9am on Tuesday, up from 319 the day before, and six people have died in British hospitals.
The increase is the second biggest day-on-day rise, and mirrors Monday’s 17% increase.
The most recent patient death took place on Monday night at Watford General Hospital, part of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
The patient, who is believed to have contracted the virus in the UK, was in their eighties and had underlying health conditions.
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French minister contracts coronavirus
French President Emmanuel Macron has warned the country is just the start of a health epidemic as the coronavirus outbreak crept closer to the heart of French political power.
Culture minister Franck Riester said late on Monday he had tested positive for the virus, and Macron’s chief of staff is self-isolating after contact with an infected person, said an official at the Elysee Palace, the presidential residence.
Measures are in place to protect Macron: meetings are kept to a minimum, video conference calls are being encouraged and non-essential visitors are being turned away.
“Don’t start thinking we’re creating a bubble,” the Elysee official said, adding that “we’re still in line with the kind of advice we’re giving to the whole French population”.
Macron visited a paediatric hospital on Tuesday and urged the French people to stay calm after signs of panic buying of staple goods in and around Paris.
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But he cautioned: “We’re only at the beginning of this epidemic.”
The coronavirus has now infected 1,784 people in France and killed 33, the head of the country’s public health service, Jerome Salomon, said on Tuesday evening.
Army called in to New York suburb
The US National Guard has been sent into a New York City suburb to help fight what is believed to be the nation’s biggest cluster of coronavirus cases — one of the most dramatic actions yet to control the outbreak in the US.
The move came as health authorities contended with alarming concentrations of the disease on both sides of the country and scattered cases in between.
Schools, houses of worship and large gathering places will be shuttered for two weeks in a “containment area” centreed in New Rochelle, and the troops will scrub surfaces and deliver food to the zone, which extends a mile in all directions from a point near a synagogue connected to some of the cases, New York governor Andrew Cuomo said.
New Rochelle is at the centre of an outbreak of 108 cases in Westchester County, out of 173 identified statewide. New York City has 36 cases, while its population is more than 100 times that of New Rochelle.
NHS targets fake coronavirus news online
A health care worker holds a surgery mask SIPA USA/PA Images
Official NHS guidance will appear at the top of internet search results about coronavirus as part of a bid by health authorities to stop the spread of disinformation.
The move comes after someone pretended to be the official account for a UK hospital on Twitter and posted inaccurate information about coronavirus cases.
The account – pretending to be a hospital in Andover – said the centre had received a number of patients with Covid-19 symptoms. It has now been suspended.
In response and as part of a new range of features for internet platforms, the health service said it had worked with Google, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram on ways to help promote “good advice” when people were searching online for information.
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The range of new online tools will also include Knowledge Panels – prominent pop-out boxes of information – in Google search results on mobile devices.
The boxes are part of a new partnership between the NHS and Google, and will offer easy access to official information about more than 250 conditions, including Covid-19.
Elsewhere in the UK:
– Health minister Jo Churchill said some patients can expect to wait longer for NHS treatment as doctors prioritise those with more serious illness and multiple underlying health conditions first
– Some air passengers have complained of being stranded in Italy after airlines including British Airways and Ryanair cancelled flights to and from Italy
– The Foreign Office said it was in contact with Britons in Vietnam after reports of nine new cases confirmed among travellers on board the same flight from London to Hanoi on March 2, including seven British citizens
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– Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that “wherever clinically and practically possible, people can access and should access” GP appointments “through phones and digital means”
– There were no handshakes from the Queen as she held an audience at Buckingham Palace, while food banks warned of a drop in donations as stockpiling continues
– NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland mortgage customers affected by coronavirus could get to defer repayments for up to three months
– A healthcare worker at Great Ormond Street was diagnosed with coronavirus, leading to the children’s hospital postponing all non-essential cardiac procedures for two weeks.
Passengers have started leaving the quarantined Grand Princess cruise ship
Passengers aboard the Grand Princess celebrate as they arrive in Oakland, California ASSOCIATED PRESS
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On Monday, passengers who have been stuck onboard a cruise ship off the coast of California because of coronavirus were finally allowed to start disembarking.
Video footage shot by one of the guests on the Grand Princess cruise showed jubilant passengers cheering from their balconies and open windows, some shouting, “We’re home!” as the vessel passed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge.
The 2,400 passengers on the Grand Princess cruise – who have largely been confined to their rooms since Thursday – started leaving for quarantine stations or hospitals, depending on their condition.
On Friday, 21 people – who were mostly crew – tested positive for coronavirus after around 45 people were tested.
Except for those who are ill, the 1,100 crew members are to remain onboard the Grand Princess, which will depart the Port of Oakland as soon as possible to be quarantined for two weeks in an as-yet undisclosed location outside San Francisco Bay, officials said.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-05--Gordon Brown Backs Keir Starmer For Labour Leader

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Former prime minister Gordon Brown has publicly backed Keir Starmer’s bid to be the next Labour leader.
In a video message, Brown said that while Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy were worthy candidates, only Starmer had “all the qualifications that are necessary” to take the party back into government and to take the helm at No.10.
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“A vote for Keir Starmer is a vote for hope. It’s a vote for the future. It’s a vote for the values that all of us believe in deeply,” he said.
The move is another major endorsement for Starmer, with a month to go in the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn.
PA
Corbyn himself has so far steered clear of showing direct support for any of the candidates, but he has appeared alongside Long-Bailey and offered his “absolute support” for her green industrial policy package.
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Tony Blair has refused to back any leadership contender, although he has given a full-throated endorsement for deputy leadership candidate Ian Murray.
In his message, Brown said: “We have three worthy candidates in the election for Labour leader. Rebecca Long-Bailey has emphasised the importance of a Green New Deal. Lisa Nandy has talked rightly about the importance of empowering our communities.
“But there is one candidate with the expertise, with the eloquence, with the dedication, with the commitment and indeed with the values that are necessary for Labour to return to power.”
Labour in government can do - and has done - incredible things.
Privileged to have the support of Gordon Brown. pic.twitter.com/3B7h0uknvJ — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) March 5, 2020
Starmer has been careful since his leadership launch to say that Labour should not “trash” the record of the Blair-Brown governments while also not rejecting all the changes Corbyn oversaw.
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Brown pointed to his and Blair’s record in office on “the minimum wage, tax credits, Sure Start, so many major reforms doubling the amount of money spent on the health service - and restoring it for the people of Britain”.
In 2015, he endorsed Yvette Cooper for the leadership and in 2010 he intervened behind the scenes to support Ed Miliband.
The most recent YouGov/SkyNews poll of party members put Starmer in first place, with enough support to win the contest on first preference votes.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-05--'Urgent Advice' Needed To Protect Rough Sleepers Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

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Charities say they need “urgent advice” from experts to help protect rough sleepers and homeless people against the spread of coronavirus.
With more cases being confirmed in the UK every day, organisations who work with those who spend time on the streets want to do everything they can to keep them safe.
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Two of the biggest charities, Shelter and Crisis, say they have contacted health officials to ask for advice, but are still awaiting official guidance.
Greg Beales, campaigns director at Shelter, said: “Obviously the situation with coronavirus is very serious and changing every day.
“There is a need for rapid advice, and we are urgently waiting for Public Health England to issue clear guidance on what people who are sleeping rough or living in shared hostel accommodation should do if they might be affected. We will provide an update as soon as we know more.”
Charities want to protect rough sleepers from coronavirus Peter Summers via Getty Images
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The UK government announced on Thursday it had moved into the “delay” phase of response, after failing to simply “contain” the disease.
Pathway, a charity which offers healthcare support to homeless people and rough sleepers, said: “People who are unhoused are more at risk when a public health or natural disaster emergency occurs.
“The spread of communicable disease can be swift for people without adequate access to hygiene facilities or a safe home.”
It added in a statement: “Pathway is aware, from UK public health authorities, that the current outbreak of Covid-19 spreads in much the same way as flu – through person to person contact, especially through droplets in the air produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The disease can be spread by touching an object that has been infected and then touching your nose, mouth, or eyes. It is believed people are most contagious when exhibiting symptoms.”
Two women walk past a sign providing guidance information about novel coronavirus in London. ISABEL INFANTES via Getty Images
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Pathway has called on the government to ensure there are “adequate contingency plans in place” if the virus spreads further, “specifically for homeless people sleeping rough and people housed in hostels, that can be rapidly acted upon”.
“Local authorities will need to provide quarantine accommodation as well as adequate support and advice,” it added.
“Reiterating transmission advice and initiating extra cleaning, and distribution of hand sanitisers to protect others could also become necessary. This would need to be adequately coordinated and funded.”
Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty told the Commons’ health and social care committee on Thursday that at the beginning, it was hoped that the virus could have been contained mainly within China with a few outbreaks elsewhere and once the authorities got on top of it the Covid-19 would go away.
But he said: “That is becoming an extraordinarily unlikely long-term outcome.
“We are not completely there and it is important to acknowledge that for ‘contain’ we need to have an international view about what we do about this.
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“This is something which we should, in a sense, take the views of other nations as well as our own.
“But I think we need to be realistic about the fact that with so many different outbreaks, containing looks pretty optimistic.”