theweekuk--2020-05-26--Instant Opinion: Dominic Cummings’ contempt ‘makes the public feel like fools’

The Week’s daily round-up highlights the five best opinion pieces from across the British and international media, with excerpts from each.
1. Fintan O’Toole in The Guardian
on the double standard being exhibited by Downing Street
Cummings’ contempt for lockdown rules makes the public feel like fools
“If Cummings were half as smart as he is supposed to be, he would have shown in his press conference some glimmer of understanding that this kind of betrayal is of a completely different order to the one he and Johnson engage in so routinely. The ordinary treachery of saying one thing and doing another – there will be £350m extra every week for the NHS; there will never be a border in the Irish Sea – is mother’s milk to them. Perhaps because it is so habitual or because they are so used to getting away with it, their sense of how it works has become dulled. They missed the crucial fact that this time it’s different. This time it’s personal. The mundane duplicity that is Cummings’ and Johnson’s stock in trade comes with a knowing smirk: you didn’t really think we meant that literally, did you? It is part of an elaborate, highly performative, game. But the rules for collective survival in a pandemic are not ironic. They are intimate. They are embodied. They are the detailed texture of the lives we live every day.”
2. Robert Peston in The Spectator
on the growing public anger at the PM’s closest adviser
Dominic Cummings has become a symbol of a very British inequality
“The point is that this crisis has shone the brightest light on what many would see as the grotesque inequalities in this country. Cummings’s ability to convalesce on a property with at least three separate houses and extensive land, when many couples and single mothers with children who contracted the illness had no outside space at all, is by no means the worst manifestation of this unfairness. But his self-appointed mission in government – as someone who refused to join the Tory party – was to persuade those on lower incomes that Boris Johnson is not an ‘us and them’ PM. And if anything is causing him angst and self doubt (remember yesterday he said he has not for an instant contemplated resigning) it is that he – the supposed scourge of putative Tory self-entitlement – has become this epidemic’s symbol of very British inequality.”
3. James Kirkup in The Times
on making time spent on furlough time well-spent
Furloughed staff can do more for their money
“Here’s a blunt question: what do furloughed workers do all day? Put another way, how else other than furlough to explain the fact that many seaside towns were overrun with people late last week on what were, nominally at least, working days? This is just another measure of how strange these days are: the government is literally paying people to go to the beach, and that remains better than the alternatives, all of which involved mass unemployment. I don’t raise these questions to criticise those beachgoers for not working. That is precisely what the Treasury rules demand, and for quite sensible reasons. But the way the furloughed spend their time is more than a matter of social interest. Just as spending lockdown sitting on the sofa isn’t good for individual or public health, so spending these days and weeks economically inactive is unwise, and maybe unfair on those of us still working. Given the sheer scale of the spending involved, an honest conversation about furlough means addressing issues of fairness, and considering what the furloughed can give back to the society that is supporting them.”
4. Rosa Prince in The Daily Telegraph
on a risky route out of lockdown
Immunity passports risk becoming a reward for rule-breakers and risk-takers
“But what if in our delight at the freedom immunity passports could bestow, we allow them to become a reward for the feckless? We all know someone who has failed to abide by the rules, sometimes with disastrous consequences. You know, the kind of person who, when their wife says she feels sick, packs the family into the car to drive 260 miles to their parents’ house rather than ordering her to bed, disinfecting the house and leaving soup outside her bedroom door for the next fortnight. Or the type who tells everyone else to stay home to save lives, but believes they are so important that they are apparently immune to the disease and can carry on holding business meetings in cramped rooms in Victorian homes-turned-offices only to wind up in intensive care. I have one friend who, having refused to self-isolate after falling ill with a nasty bout of the disease, infected her husband and nanny and then expressed surprised that her mother-in-law had also become sick following an illicit visit. And yet if immunity passports are introduced, it will be the naughty kids such as Dominic Cummings and Boris Johnson and my rule-breaking friend who will be allowed to travel and visit hotels and return to work, while the good children who followed the quarantine remain stranded at home.”
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5. Sharmin Atker in The Independent
on the persecuted Rohingya women living through the pandemic
In a Bangladesh refugee camp, I'm worried about what lockdown means for the safety of Rohingya women
“Now that Covid-19 has reached the Rohingya refugee camps, there is a very real risk that the virus could spread like wildfire. More than 800,000 people are living here in homes that are small, close together and overcrowded. Typically, there are five to seven people living in one 10 x 15 foot shelter made out of bamboo and tarpaulin, and this makes social distancing incredibly difficult. The Rohingya refugees are also particularly vulnerable because their nutrition and health has been very poor after fleeing persecution, and now they are living in a very congested space with limited access to clean water. The risks are tremendous and women and girls will be impacted deeply. We are already seeing that gender-based violence has massively increased since the start of the pandemic and now a heightened fear of catching the disease will compound the situation.”


theweekuk--2020-05-26--Dominic Cummings: five unanswered questions about the Durham lockdown breach

The prime minister ’ s top adviser has said he has no regrets over his two breaches of Britain ’ s coronavirus lockdown laws .
Dominic Cummings told a Downing Street press conference yesterday that he had acted “ responsibly and legally ” , adding that he did not “ regret what I did ” even if “ reasonable people might disagree ” .
Some senior Conservative MPs remain “ aghast ” at Boris Johnson ’ s decision to sacrifice significant political capital to protect the unelected bureaucrat , says the BBC ’ s political editor Laura Kuenssberg .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appearance in front of the press appeared to raise as many questions as it answered .
Why could Cummings not stay in London ?
The prime minister ’ s adviser claimed that he left London because there was no one he could “ reasonably ” ask to take care of his four-year-old son if he and his wife became ill at the same time .
Cummings referred to that possibility as “ exceptional ” .
But with more than 260,000 confirmed cases of the virus in the UK , ill parents needing childcare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commonplace .
“ Given the sacrifices made by others , critics have queried why Mr Cummings , as someone involved in setting the lockdown rules , could not call on any friends or family in London to assist them in adhering to the restrictions , ” says ITV News .
Ultimately , Cummings “ made no reference to his son being looked after by family members ” , says the broadcaster .
The only reason to travel with coronavirus - which Cummings and his wife believe they had - was if there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cummings did not say he believed to be the case .
Why did he not tell Boris Johnson before he left ?
Cummings claims that he did not tell the prime minister about his trip to Durham , admitting that “ arguably this was a mistake ” .
“ I did not ask the prime minister about this decision .
He was ill himself and he had huge problems to deal with , ” Cummings said .
“ The prime minister ’ s time is just about the most valuable commodity that exists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about my job is that there are endless problems all day long , and I ca n't go to him all day , asking him ‘ what do you think about that ’ , ‘ what do you think about the other ’ , otherwise what 's the point of having people like me around ?
” Cummings said he told the prime minister of his trip a week after arriving in Durham , when they both had coronavirus .
He added that neither of them remember the conversation because they were both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Telegraph .
Why did he drive to Barnard Castle ?
While staying in Durham , Cummings drove 30 miles to Barnard Castle , a regional beauty spot , and got out of the car to sit by the river .
He was joined by his wife and son .
It was not until weeks later that the law changed to allow travel for exercise and outdoor pursuits .
However , Cummings claims that he took the trip to make sure he was fit to drive back to London , using the journey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were all going to go back , ” he said .
“ My wife said we should drive down the road and you should see if you can actually drive , and see if your vision is weird or if you ’ re okay .
She didn ’ t want to risk a nearly 300-mile drive with our child.
” But , “ if Cummings had concerns over whether his eyesight was good enough to drive to London , why was he confident enough to drive 30 miles to Barnard Castle , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” asks The Guardian .
Last night , Johnson insisted it was “ very , very plausible ” that Cummings went to Barnard Castle because of problems with his eyesight .
The prime minister added : “ I ’ m finding that I have to wear spectacles for the first time in years , because , I think , of the likely effects of this thing.
” Johnson told a Daily Mail interviewer in 2014 : “ I ’ m now so short-sighted , I ’ m blind !
My eyes used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The weekend that Cummings and family drove to Barnard Castle , a new government campaign was launched to remind people “ that even at a time when people might wish to spend time together , the rules still applied ” , says The Guardian .
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Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– How many places did he stop on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cummings said that he made the 260-mile trip to Durham without stopping , adding that he only stopped for petrol on the journey back to London .
This would mean he drove 260 miles to Durham , completed a 60-mile round trip to Barnard Castle , then drove 260 miles back to London - a total of 580 miles - and only stopped for petrol once .
Cummings did , however , admit to feeling sick on his trip to Barnard Castle , the day before the drove to London - saying that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he leave the house when he had coronavirus ?
Cummings admitted at the press conference that in addition to the Barnard Castle visit , he took a walk in the second week of his stay in Durham “ after I started to recover ” from coronavirus symptoms - not when he had fully recovered .
On 9 April , according to the government guidlines , all outdoor exercise was not permitted for people with coronavirus symptoms .
Cummings had also not been in self-isolation for a full 14 days at this point .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ place on his father ’ s land and that he was not at risk of bumping into the public .

The prime minister’s top adviser has said he has no regrets about his two breaches of Britain’s coronavirus lockdown laws, despite lingering questions about how he behaved.
Dominic Cummings told a Downing Street press conference yesterday that he had acted “responsibly and legally”, adding that he did not “regret what I did” even if “reasonable people might disagree”.
Some senior Conservative MPs remain “aghast” at Boris Johnson’s decision to sacrifice significant political capital to protect the unelected bureaucrat, says the BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg.
And many MPs, journalists and members of the public still have questions the would like answered.
Why could Cummings not stay in London?
The prime minister’s adviser claimed that he left London because there was no one he could “reasonably” ask to take care of his four-year-old son if he and his wife became ill at the same time.
Cummings referred to that possibility as “exceptional”. But with more than 260,000 confirmed cases of the virus in the UK, ill parents needing childcare solutions during the pandemic has been fairly commonplace.
“Given the sacrifices made by others, critics have queried why Mr Cummings, as someone involved in setting the lockdown rules, could not call on any friends or family in London to assist them in adhering to the restrictions,” says ITV News.
Ultimately, Cummings “made no reference to his son being looked after by family members”, says the broadcaster. The only reason to travel with coronavirus - which Cummings and his wife believe they had - was if there was an extreme risk to life, something Cummings did not say he believed to be the case.
Why did he not tell Boris Johnson before he left?
Cummings claims that he did not tell the prime minister about his trip to Durham, admitting that “arguably this was a mistake”.
“I did not ask the prime minister about this decision. He was ill himself and he had huge problems to deal with,” Cummings said.
“The prime minister’s time is just about the most valuable commodity that exists in the government. The honest truth about my job is that there are endless problems all day long, and I can't go to him all day, asking him ‘what do you think about that’, ‘what do you think about the other’, otherwise what's the point of having people like me around?”


theweekuk--2020-05-26--Reaction: Dominic Cummings ‘refuses to resign or apologise’ after lockdown breach

The government has this morning suffered its first resignation after the prime minister ’ s senior adviser Dominic Cummings said that he does not regret the decision to drive 260 miles from London to Durham during the coronavirus lockdown .
In an unprecedented step for a Downing Street adviser , Cummings yesterday read a statement and took questions at No .
10 , during which he revealed he had not consulted Boris Johnson before driving his family out of London after his wife developed Covid-19 symptoms .
Cummings said he believed he had acted “ reasonably ” and within the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't regret what I did.
” In response , Douglas Ross , the minister for Scotland , this morning announced his resignation , writing that he “ can not in good faith ” tell constituents who were unable to say goodbye to loved ones or see sick relatives that “ they were all wrong and one senior advisor to the government was right ” .
The Guardian , which alongside the Daily Mirror broke the story , says that the dispute over Cummings ’ s future has “ continued to rage unabated ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s political editor Heather Stewart writes that the intention of the press conference was to make “ Cummings appear more humble and the journalists prurient and bossy ” .
However , “ it might also have been easier for viewers to walk in Cummings ’ shoes had the story not been peppered with reminders of his privilege , ” Stewart adds .
The Times ’ s political reporter Esther Webber compares Cummings ’ s performance to an England football match , writing that “ it started quite promisingly… But there was also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ costing him later ” .
Comparing the scene to a “ socially-distanced bar brawl ” , the paper ’ s sketch writer Quentin Letts adds that Cummings “ managed the statement easily enough - betray [ ing ] no nerves - but was less fluent during questions , when he started stammering ” .
“ Sorry proved to be the hardest word for arrogant ” Cummings , according to the Daily Mirror , which adds that his “ pathetic groping for loopholes to justify his reckless 260-mile drive… will fool nobody ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ editor who broke the story alongside The Guardian , tweeted : As Boris Johnson says : % u201CPeople will have to make their minds up.
% u201D It comes down to this : there will be many people who stuck to lockdown rules , did n't see family , go out for drives , risk taking infection into work - irrespective of circumstances .
How do they feel right now ?
https : //t.co/7tGTCKx5O3 “ [ Cummings ’ s ] behaviour was a prime example of Downing Street ’ s elite acting as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t apply to them , ” the paper adds .
The Daily Telegraph notes that the press conference saw Cummings appear to “ defiantly insist ” that he had not broken the rules , but says the PM ’ s closest adviser also “ made a series of admissions likely to draw further scrutiny of his decisions ” .
Among these are his decision to leave London without informing Boris Johnson and his claim that he did not go public about the trip earlier to avoid “ causing confusion ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has also done “ nothing to silence the calls from opposition parties for him to resign ” .
A spokesperson for the Labour Party said that “ the British people were looking for at least an apology from Dominic Cummings for breaking the lockdown .
They got none ” .
They added that millions of people have made “ extraordinary sacrifices ” during the pandemic and that Boris Johnson ’ s support for Cummings shows “ the message from this Government is clear : it ’ s one rule for Boris Johnson ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ else ” .
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Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The Scottish National Party ’ s leader in Westminster , Ian Blackford , added that it is now “ beyond doubt Dominic Cummings broke multiple lockdown rules ” .
Labelling the events a “ Domnishambles ” , the Daily Mail reports that rebellious Conservative MPs are “ piling pressure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The paper says that Tory MPs have been inundated with messages from constituents , with one senior Conservative MP telling the paper the “ backbench WhatsApp group is full of pretty annoyed people ” .
“ We are getting thousands of angry emails every day , including hundreds of emails from Brexiteers and Boris cheerleaders , ” the MP added .
The criticism from the Daily Mail , which is usually supportive of Boris Johnson , added to the pressure mounting on Johnson calling for Cummings to resign in a move The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says “ poses [ a ] challenge to the PM ” .

The government has this morning suffered its first resignation after the prime minister’s senior adviser Dominic Cummings said that he does not regret the decision to drive 260 miles from London to Durham during the coronavirus lockdown.
In an unprecedented step for a Downing Street adviser, Cummings yesterday read a statement and took questions at No. 10, during which he revealed he had not consulted Boris Johnson before driving his family out of London after his wife developed Covid-19 symptoms.
Cummings said he believed he had acted “reasonably” and within the law, adding: “I don't regret what I did.”
In response, Douglas Ross, the minister for Scotland, this morning announced his resignation, writing that he “cannot in good faith” tell constituents who were unable to say goodbye to loved ones or see sick relatives that “they were all wrong and one senior advisor to the government was right”.
The Guardian, which alongside the Daily Mirror broke the story, says that the dispute over Cummings’s future has “continued to rage unabated” since the press conference.
The paper’s political editor Heather Stewart writes that the intention of the press conference was to make “Cummings appear more humble and the journalists prurient and bossy”.
However, “it might also have been easier for viewers to walk in Cummings’ shoes had the story not been peppered with reminders of his privilege,” Stewart adds.
The Times’s political reporter Esther Webber compares Cummings’s performance to an England football match, writing that “it started quite promisingly… But there was also some sloppy defending which might end up costing him later”.
Comparing the scene to a “socially-distanced bar brawl”, the paper’s sketch writer Quentin Letts adds that Cummings “managed the statement easily enough - betray[ing] no nerves - but was less fluent during questions, when he started stammering”.
“Sorry proved to be the hardest word for arrogant” Cummings, according to the Daily Mirror, which adds that his “pathetic groping for loopholes to justify his reckless 260-mile drive… will fool nobody”.
Pippa Crerar, the Daily Mirror political editor who broke the story alongside The Guardian, tweeted:


theweekuk--2020-05-26--Bolivian orchestra stranded in ‘haunted’ castle surrounded by wolves

A Bolivian pan flute orchestra has been stranded in the grounds of a “ haunted ” German castle since the start of the coronavirus crisis .
More than 20 members of the Orquesta Experimental de Instrumentos Nativos , which arrived in Germany 77 days ago , have been unable to leave the Rheinsberg Palace after the country banned large gatherings and implemented a nationwide lockdown .
Since then , the musicians have been holed up in the buildings and grounds of the moated castle , a Renaissance-style estate an hour and a half from Berlin , which is “ haunted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , according to the New York Post .
“ We all joke that Frederick ’ s ghost is following us and trying to trip us up , ” said Camed Martela , a 20-year-old member of the orchestra .
“ I don ’ t usually believe in such things but it does feel as if there are ghosts on the grounds.
” Complicating their stay yet further , the 600-acre estate is also surrounded by more than two dozen packs of wolves .
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine .
Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Tracy Prado , who joined the orchestra in December , said she saw three wolves while out for a walk .
“ I froze in fear but they were just play fighting and moved on , ” she said .
The group is also running up a huge accommodation bill and is becoming increasingly desperate to get home , the BBC says .
“ People back home think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ ve had hundreds of messages telling me to stop complaining , and that I ’ m living like a princess in a German castle , ” a member of the orchestra named Carlos said .
“ We feel abandoned.
” The Bolivian embassy hopes to get the musician home in early June , the BBC reports .

A Bolivian pan flute orchestra has been stranded in the grounds of a “haunted” German castle since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
More than 20 members of the Orquesta Experimental de Instrumentos Nativos, which arrived in Germany 77 days ago, have been unable to leave the Rheinsberg Palace after the country banned large gatherings and implemented a nationwide lockdown.
Since then, the musicians have been holed up in the buildings and grounds of the moated castle, a Renaissance-style estate an hour and a half from Berlin, which is “haunted by the ghost of Frederick the Great”, according to the New York Post.
“We all joke that Frederick’s ghost is following us and trying to trip us up,” said Camed Martela, a 20-year-old member of the orchestra. “I don’t usually believe in such things but it does feel as if there are ghosts on the grounds.”
Complicating their stay yet further, the 600-acre estate is also surrounded by more than two dozen packs of wolves.
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Tracy Prado, who joined the orchestra in December, said she saw three wolves while out for a walk. “I froze in fear but they were just play fighting and moved on,” she said.
The group is also running up a huge accommodation bill and is becoming increasingly desperate to get home, the BBC says.
“People back home think we’re in a fairytale land. I’ve had hundreds of messages telling me to stop complaining, and that I’m living like a princess in a German castle,” a member of the orchestra named Carlos said. “We feel abandoned.”
The Bolivian embassy hopes to get the musician home in early June, the BBC reports.


theweekuk--2020-05-26--Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 26 May 2020

Volunteering in community has been soaring during the coronavirus crisis , with 10 million UK adults taking part .
A @ @ @ @ @ five UK adults has volunteered their time for community activities since the start of the @ @ @ @ @ that Brits have spent £1bn on services and goods that they knew they would never @ @ @ @ @ including payments to home cleaners and gardeners .

Volunteering and local support soar during the lockdown
Volunteering in community has been soaring during the coronavirus crisis, with 10 million UK adults taking part. A study found that one in five UK adults has volunteered their time for community activities since the start of the lockdown. It also discovered that Brits have spent £1bn on services and goods that they knew they would never be able to use, including payments to home cleaners and gardeners.


theweekuk--2020-05-26--India captures ‘spying’ pigeon on Kashmir border

A pigeon suspected of being trained to “ spy ” by Pakistan has been captured in India along the Kashmir border .
Indian officials say the bird was carrying a “ coded message ” which they are trying to decipher .
In 2016 , police in India found a bird with a note attached to it inscribed with an alleged threat to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi .
As scientists scramble to find a vaccine for the coronavirus , the Daily Star notes that during the Black Death , doctors believed that inhaling the farts of people with the disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This led to people keeping jars of infected wind in their homes that would be opened in case the deadly plague reappeared .
An 84-year-old alligator believed to have once been a pet of Adolf Hitler has died .
The creature died at the Moscow Zoo , where it had lived since being discovered by British soldiers and presented to Russia in the 1940s at the end of the Second World War .
The zoo said animals shouldn ’ t be judged based on who they might have had as an owner .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine .
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A pigeon suspected of being trained to “spy” by Pakistan has been captured in India along the Kashmir border. Indian officials say the bird was carrying a “coded message” which they are trying to decipher. In 2016, police in India found a bird with a note attached to it inscribed with an alleged threat to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.
People jarred farts during the Black Death
As scientists scramble to find a vaccine for the coronavirus, the Daily Star notes that during the Black Death, doctors believed that inhaling the farts of people with the disease could make you immune to it. This led to people keeping jars of infected wind in their homes that would be opened in case the deadly plague reappeared.
Adolf Hitler's alligator dies in Moscow
An 84-year-old alligator believed to have once been a pet of Adolf Hitler has died. The creature died at the Moscow Zoo, where it had lived since being discovered by British soldiers and presented to Russia in the 1940s at the end of the Second World War. The zoo said animals shouldn’t be judged based on who they might have had as an owner.
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theweekuk--2020-05-26--Research reveals link between dementia gene and ‘severe Covid-19’

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theweekuk--2020-05-26--Coronavirus: how contact tracing helped Germany out of lockdown

As restaurants reopen in Berlin ( pictured above ) and confidence returns to corporate Frankfurt , Germany seems to be blazing a trail out of the coronavirus crisis with a comprehensive track-and-trace system .
“ The German economy is beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel , ” Reuters reports , with one regional leader saying that he plans to lift all lockdown restrictions within two weeks .
The UK , now busy recruiting its own army of contact tracers , is hoping to follow Germany ’ s lead .
From the early days of the outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarantine anyone who came into contact with a carrier of the Covid-19 coronavirus .
“ Epidemiologists say the effort has been essential to the country ’ s ability to contain its coronavirus outbreak and avoid the larger death tolls seen elsewhere , even with a less stringent shutdown than in other countries , ” says The Washington Post .
Germany , with a population of 83 million people , has recorded just over 8,000 deaths from Covid-19 .
In the UK , which has a population of 66 million , the official death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The corona detectives are not the only reason for this relatively low mortality rate , ” says The Times , “ but it could not have been achieved without them.
” Patrick Larscheid , a public health official in Berlin , agrees .
He says it was Germany ’ s contact-tracing programme rather than its extensive and much-praised testing system that checked the spread of the virus .
“ Testing is nice , but if you ’ re tested or not tested and are in quarantine , it makes no difference , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ has carried out a rigorous test and trace programme since the first case of the virus was registered in late January ” , says The Guardian .
Although it was initially “ hampered by a lack of staff ” , the paper reports , hundreds of medical students , firefighters , military health workers and social workers were quickly trained as “ containment scouts ” .
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ magazine .
Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Under the system , every patient who tests positive for Covid-19 is contacted by a scout , who asks for the names and phone numbers of anyone the patient has met .
The scout then contacts all those people and asks them to go into quarantine .
Unless they have symptoms of the coronavirus , they are not tested .
The tracing programme appears to be working well , but as restrictions are lifted it will face a new challenge .
“ Under lockdown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to each case fell to about five , ” says The Times .
“ But greater freedom means more contacts .
And more contacts mean more work.
” The UK went into the coronavirus outbreak with a similar track-and-trace approach , but abandoned it in early March .
Now , the government is seeking to restart the programme on a much larger scale .
“ On paper , the UK ’ s plan to conduct coronavirus contact tracing is every bit as ambitious as Germany ’ s , ” says Buzzfeed .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recruit 18,000 people by the middle of May - a number broadly similar per capita to the German government ’ s own targets.
” However , the website says , while “ Germany ’ s contact tracing programme is already solidly in place ” , it is still unclear how many trackers have been recruited in the UK .
Germany , like the UK , has had difficulties developing a high-tech solution to speed up the contact-tracing process .
“ Germany ’ s app has been delayed , ” says the Washington Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course on one that would have involved centrally stored data .
Instead , to be mindful of privacy concerns , data will be completely anonymised and won ’ t be available to health officials.
” Larscheid , the Berlin-based health official , said that compromise would limit the app ’ s usefulness to his team .
The UK , meanwhile is pressing ahead with a centralised NHS app - although the government is “ also hedging its bets by developing in parallel another app ” based on the decentralised model adopted by most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The two countries ’ apps have other differences , too : Germany ’ s will alert people only if they have had contact with someone who tests positive for Covid-19 , whereas the UK app will accept self-diagnoses .
It ’ s a “ big gamble ” , says BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones .
“ It could make the app fast and effective , or it could mean users become exasperated by a blizzard of false alarms.
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theweekuk--2020-05-26--‘Project Birch’: behind the government plan to take stakes in key British industries

The government is drafting wide-ranging plans to rescue large British firms at risk of collapse due to the coronavirus outbreak .
The Treasury has said support could be made as a “ last resort ” if a business ’ s failure could “ disproportionately harm the UK economy ” .
There are concerns that some large firms could be at risk of folding despite various measures put in place to support business , such as the furloughed worker scheme and deferring of tax payments .
Project Birch is the name given to the bailout plan under which government funding would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the financial impact of the pandemic .
It could involve the UK government buying a stake in companies , says the BBC , though the Treasury would initially seek to offer support in the form of loans .
Under Project Birch , Chancellor Rishi Sunak has given approval for the Treasury to handle tailored bailouts of “ viable companies which have exhausted all options ” , including other government loan schemes .
Aviation , aerospace and steel firms are among those in dire straits , and Jaguar Land Rover has also asked the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Financial Times .
Virgin Atlantic and Loganair are also in talks with the government , while Tata Steel is seeking information about what support might be available , adds the paper .
Energy suppliers are among those calling for a state bailout , as businesses have needed less power and unemployed workers are more likely to be unable to pay their bills , reports The Telegraph .
“ In exceptional circumstances , where a viable company has exhausted all options and its failure would disproportionately harm the economy , we may consider @ @ @ @ @ @ @ basis , ” the Treasury said .
“ As the British public would expect , we are putting in place sensible contingency planning and any such support would be on terms that protect the taxpayer.
” ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine .
Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– What has the reaction been ?
Unions have welcomed the news , but urged the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jobs .
“ There is no more time to lose if we are to prevent a tsunami of job losses from sweeping through communities this summer , ” said Unite assistant general secretary for manufacturing , Steve Turner .
“ We still need to ensure that proposed changes to the job retention scheme do not undermine a plan to recover and rebuild and that workers continue to get their wages.
” Business leaders have signalled support for the plan , says The Guardian , but only “ if they were confined to being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for whom borrowing more was not an option ” .
Labour ’ s shadow chancellor , Anneliese Dodds , said support “ must be focused on retaining and increasing employment .
It must also build value for our country – with companies receiving support prevented from engaging in share buybacks and dividend payments ” .
Tej Parikh , chief economist at the Institute of Directors , which represents company bosses , told The Guardian : “ If key firms do fail it could have a knock-on impact on businesses throughout the supply chain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to consider plans to support them , based on economic impact.
” Any plan would inevitably prove complex , he added .
“ Deciding who receives investment won ’ t be straightforward , while many firms will be less than keen to cede decision-making to a state body.
” The Daily Mail ’ s business editor Ruth Sunderland said Sunak “ probably has no choice but to help them out ” and he will “ need commercial astuteness as well as compassion to make this call ” .
Not all companies will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a difference between being approached for support and agreeing to it , ” a source close to the Treasury told MarketWatch .


theweekuk--2020-05-26--MPs caught parroting party lines in reaction to Dominic Cummings scandal

MPs from both sides of the political divide have been caught parroting similarly phrased statements as the major parties rolled out their reactions to the Dominic Cummings scandal .
Four Conservative MPs used identical wording as they told their constituents : “ rest assured I ’ ve conveyed the strength of local feeling to relevant colleagues.
” The tweets were sent in reply to people who had criticised Boris Johnson ’ s top aide Dominic Cummings for violating the coronavirus lockdown to travel 260 miles from his London home to his parents ’ property in Durham .
The identical tweets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other , prompted “ suspicion that they had received the same instruction from the party to make the statement ” , The Times says .
Tim Farron , the MP for Westmorland & Lonsdale and former Liberal Democrat leader , called the carbon-copy phrasing “ hapless amateurism ” .
Labour MPs were also caught using “ identikit ” language on social media , deploying variations of the phrase “ there ’ s one rule for Dominic Cummings and another for everyone else ” .
Both parties ’ copycat replies came at the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Conservatives , during which ministers rushed to defend Cummings before all the information about his violations had been revealed by the press .
“ The sight this weekend of elected ministers rushing to the defence of an unelected official was humiliating , ” says The Guardian ’ s columnist Martin Kettle , “ not just for them but for British politics.
” ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

MPs from both sides of the political divide have been caught parroting similarly phrased statements as the major parties rolled out their reactions to the Dominic Cummings scandal.
Four Conservative MPs used identical wording as they told their constituents: “rest assured I’ve conveyed the strength of local feeling to relevant colleagues.”
Today's magic words are "rest assured I’ve conveyed the strength of local feeling to relevant colleagues" pic.twitter.com/whSC1BKH0Q — Alex Selby-Boothroyd (@AlexSelbyB) May 25, 2020
The tweets were sent in reply to people who had criticised Boris Johnson’s top aide Dominic Cummings for violating the coronavirus lockdown to travel 260 miles from his London home to his parents’ property in Durham.
The identical tweets, posted within 70 minutes of each other, prompted “suspicion that they had received the same instruction from the party to make the statement”, The Times says.
Tim Farron, the MP for Westmorland & Lonsdale and former Liberal Democrat leader, called the carbon-copy phrasing “hapless amateurism”.
Labour MPs were also caught using “identikit” language on social media, deploying variations of the phrase “there’s one rule for Dominic Cummings and another for everyone else”.
Both parties’ copycat replies came at the end of a damaging long weekend for the Conservatives, during which ministers rushed to defend Cummings before all the information about his violations had been revealed by the press.
“The sight this weekend of elected ministers rushing to the defence of an unelected official was humiliating,” says The Guardian’s columnist Martin Kettle, “not just for them but for British politics.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


theweekuk--2020-05-27--How chimpanzee ‘lip smacking’ can unlock mystery behind human speech

Researchers are a step closer to solving one of the greatest puzzles of evolution , after discovering that chimpanzees smack their lips in a rhythm like that of spoken language .
That monkeys use vertical jaw movements to communicate with each other was already known , but now a new study focusing on chimpanzees has revealed that the great apes ’ mouth signals follow “ the same pace as humans speaking ” , Sky News reports .
The scientists believe their findings , outlined in a newly published paper in the journal Biology Letters , prove that human language has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
According to ScienceAlert , “ no matter what language we are speaking , humans around the world are known to open their mouths two to seven times per second while talking ( 2 Hz to 7 Hz ) ” .
Although this rhythm has been seen in other monkey species such as gibbons , orangutans and macaques , “ the lip smacks of the closest species to humans - the African great ape - had never been studied ” until now , adds Sky News .
The researchers studied video recordings of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zoos and two in the wild in different parts of Uganda - and discovered that they produced lip-smacks at an average speech-like rhythm of 4.15 Hz .
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine .
Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Study author Dr Adriano Lameira , from Warwick University department of psychology , said the results “ prove that spoken language was pulled together within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that were already available and in use by other primates and hominids ” .
“ This dispels much of the scientific enigma that language evolution has represented so far , ” Lameria said , adding that “ our ignorance has been partly a consequence of our huge underestimation of the vocal and cognitive capacities of our great ape cousins ” .
The scientists are calling for future research across primate species in order “ to find out how these human-like rhythms arise in both individuals and populations ” , says ScienceAlert , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tell us more about the evolution of our own language ” .


theweekuk--2020-05-27--Instant Opinion: it is time for powerful political advisers to ‘come out of the shadows’

The Week ’ s daily round-up highlights the five best opinion pieces from across the British and international media , with excerpts from each .
on casting some light on the power behind the throne Top advisers should come out of the shadows “ Who advises the prime minister is one of the most consequential choices the occupant of No 10 ever makes .
Probably the biggest change in the policy and outlook of any modern administration came about when Theresa May ’ s chiefs of staff , Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill , were replaced by the more liberal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his senior adviser was one of Boris Johnson ’ s biggest calls ...
Appearing in his own press conference was probably against the adviser ’ s code .
And by convention senior advisers are not called by select committees .
In America senior presidential advisers can appear on the media , speak on the record and appear before congressional committees .
They have real power and that power can be scrutinised .
We should have that here .
There should be limits but it is absurd that the first chance most people got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most powerful people in the government was in a press conference answering questions about when his son needed to go to the toilet.
” on the slow sell-off behind the pandemic planning Tory privatisation is at the heart of the UK ’ s disastrous coronavirus response “ Amid the smog of lies and contradictions , there is one question we should never stop asking : why has the government of the United Kingdom so spectacularly failed to defend people ’ s lives ?
Why has ‘ this fortress built by Nature for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described our islands , succumbed to a greater extent than any other European nation to a foreseeable and containable pandemic ?
Part of the answer is that the government knowingly and deliberately stood down crucial parts of its emergency response system .
Another part is that , when it did at last seek to mobilise the system , crucial bits of the machine immediately fell off .
There is a consistent reason for the multiple , systemic failures the pandemic has exposed : the intrusion of corporate power into public policy .
Privatisation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ severely compromised the UK ’ s ability to respond to a crisis.
” 3 .
John Longworth , former Brexit Party MEP , in The Daily Telegraph on the question of why the UK locked-down at all How can lockdown be justified in the first place ?
“ The government has delivered a socialist-style spending programme that they said would have bankrupted the country under a Corbyn administration , coupled with a curtailment of liberty that the fascist government from whence this virus originated would be proud .
A country incidentally who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the further limiting of the role Huawei in our 5G Network , not because they are a dangerous dictatorship , for whom the economy is an arm of the military and who don ’ t play by the rules .
Topsy-turvy .
The government have boosted idleness , squeezed the private sector and promoted the state , even when the state was plainly failing in its centralised control , for example track and trace , modelling the risk , laboratory testing and predicting hospital capacity .
While Scandinavian countries have exhibited the grit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Commonwealth VE generation were famous , our 21st Century government , the health and safety first authorities and the woke media have scared the country witless into avoiding economic activity.
” 4 .
Steve Jeffels , doctorate of business administration at The University of Manchester , on HuffPost on offering a lifeline to those worst hit by the pandemic slump Universal Basic Income Is The Way Forward “ Chancellor Rishi Sunak ’ s policies – notably the furlough scheme – are set to be eye-wateringly expensive .
Latest estimates suggest that the number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is about half the workforce .
Inevitably , Universal Credit applications have soared .
However , there are many gaps and more problems to come .
Those who are only recently self-employed do not qualify , nor those on higher salaries or those who are remunerated in other ways .
The chancellor is yet to announce his changes to the furlough scheme but they are likely to involve a requirement for employers to bear more of the cost which in turn is likely to lead to more redundancies .
The number of hardship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tipping point that UBI has been waiting for .
The rules of the game that dictate government social security policy have changed as a result of Covid-19 , creating the opportunity to conduct a comprehensive but time-limited experiment.
” ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine .
Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 5 .
Hartosh Singh Bal , political editor of New Dehli-based magazine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times on the fatal shortcomings of the Indian government ’ s coronavirus strategy “ The starkest failure of Mr. Modi ’ s coronavirus strategy has been the devastation and misery it imposed on India ’ s informal sector workers , mostly people from impoverished villages , who work in Indian cities , without a safety net .
Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers were left without wages after the lockdown imposed with a four-hour notice closed factories and businesses .
They couldn ’ t pay rent ; they didn ’ t have enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ villages , where they could find shelter and food by relying on extended family .
With the public transport suspended , the workers set out on foot , walking hundreds of miles in temperatures as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit .
In May alone more than 150 migrant workers walking back home have been killed in road or train accidents .
As the lockdown is being partially eased , the migrant workers are now making the same journey they could have made two months ago when the cases in India numbered fewer than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are serving as unwitting carriers of the virus to areas of low prevalence , they are greeted with alarm and apprehension in their villages .
”

The Week’s daily round-up highlights the five best opinion pieces from across the British and international media, with excerpts from each.
1. Daniel Finkelstein in The Times
on casting some light on the power behind the throne
Top advisers should come out of the shadows
“Who advises the prime minister is one of the most consequential choices the occupant of No 10 ever makes. Probably the biggest change in the policy and outlook of any modern administration came about when Theresa May’s chiefs of staff, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, were replaced by the more liberal Gavin Barwell. And making Dominic Cummings his senior adviser was one of Boris Johnson’s biggest calls... Appearing in his own press conference was probably against the adviser’s code. And by convention senior advisers are not called by select committees. In America senior presidential advisers can appear on the media, speak on the record and appear before congressional committees. They have real power and that power can be scrutinised. We should have that here. There should be limits but it is absurd that the first chance most people got to take the measure of one of the most powerful people in the government was in a press conference answering questions about when his son needed to go to the toilet.”
2. George Monbiot in The Guardian
on the slow sell-off behind the pandemic planning
Tory privatisation is at the heart of the UK’s disastrous coronavirus response
“Amid the smog of lies and contradictions, there is one question we should never stop asking: why has the government of the United Kingdom so spectacularly failed to defend people’s lives? Why has ‘this fortress built by Nature for herself against infection’, as Shakespeare described our islands, succumbed to a greater extent than any other European nation to a foreseeable and containable pandemic? Part of the answer is that the government knowingly and deliberately stood down crucial parts of its emergency response system. Another part is that, when it did at last seek to mobilise the system, crucial bits of the machine immediately fell off. There is a consistent reason for the multiple, systemic failures the pandemic has exposed: the intrusion of corporate power into public policy. Privatisation, commercialisation, outsourcing and offshoring have severely compromised the UK’s ability to respond to a crisis.”
3. John Longworth, former Brexit Party MEP, in The Daily Telegraph
on the question of why the UK locked-down at all
How can lockdown be justified in the first place?
“The government has delivered a socialist-style spending programme that they said would have bankrupted the country under a Corbyn administration, coupled with a curtailment of liberty that the fascist government from whence this virus originated would be proud. A country incidentally who are now seemingly being punished for coronavirus through the further limiting of the role Huawei in our 5G Network, not because they are a dangerous dictatorship, for whom the economy is an arm of the military and who don’t play by the rules. Topsy-turvy. The government have boosted idleness, squeezed the private sector and promoted the state, even when the state was plainly failing in its centralised control, for example track and trace, modelling the risk, laboratory testing and predicting hospital capacity. While Scandinavian countries have exhibited the grit and phlegm for which our British and Commonwealth VE generation were famous, our 21st Century government, the health and safety first authorities and the woke media have scared the country witless into avoiding economic activity.”
4. Steve Jeffels, doctorate of business administration at The University of Manchester, on HuffPost
on offering a lifeline to those worst hit by the pandemic slump
Universal Basic Income Is The Way Forward
“Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s policies – notably the furlough scheme – are set to be eye-wateringly expensive. Latest estimates suggest that the number of people being paid by the government is about half the workforce. Inevitably, Universal Credit applications have soared. However, there are many gaps and more problems to come. Those who are only recently self-employed do not qualify, nor those on higher salaries or those who are remunerated in other ways. The chancellor is yet to announce his changes to the furlough scheme but they are likely to involve a requirement for employers to bear more of the cost which in turn is likely to lead to more redundancies. The number of hardship cases will increase. Perhaps this is the tipping point that UBI has been waiting for. The rules of the game that dictate government social security policy have changed as a result of Covid-19, creating the opportunity to conduct a comprehensive but time-limited experiment.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
5. Hartosh Singh Bal, political editor of New Dehli-based magazine The Caravan, in The New York Times
on the fatal shortcomings of the Indian government’s coronavirus strategy
How Modi Failed the Pandemic Test
“The starkest failure of Mr. Modi’s coronavirus strategy has been the devastation and misery it imposed on India’s informal sector workers, mostly people from impoverished villages, who work in Indian cities, without a safety net. Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers were left without wages after the lockdown imposed with a four-hour notice closed factories and businesses. They couldn’t pay rent; they didn’t have enough to eat. They looked toward their villages, where they could find shelter and food by relying on extended family. With the public transport suspended, the workers set out on foot, walking hundreds of miles in temperatures as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In May alone more than 150 migrant workers walking back home have been killed in road or train accidents. As the lockdown is being partially eased, the migrant workers are now making the same journey they could have made two months ago when the cases in India numbered fewer than 1,000. Since some of the workers are serving as unwitting carriers of the virus to areas of low prevalence, they are greeted with alarm and apprehension in their villages.”


theweekuk--2020-05-27--How powerful is Dominic Cummings - and does Boris Johnson need him?

Boris Johnson will be grilled by senior MPs today amid growing calls for his chief adviser to resign .
The Commons Liaison Committee will question the prime minister over both his handling of the coronavirus crisis and Dominic Cummings ’ alleged breach of lockdown laws .
The showdown comes after a new YouGov poll for The Times found that the Conservatives ’ lead over Labour has been cut by nine points in just a week .
Many senior Conservatives are “ aghast at how much political capital the prime minister has burned through ” to protect Cummings , says the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With 39 Tory MPs publicly calling for the top aide to quit , the row has fuelled speculation about who really holds the power in No .
10 .
Born in Durham and educated at Oxford University , Cummings began his work life in Soviet Russia dabbling in what refers to as “ various projects ” , before returning to the UK and entering the world of politics .
His unique management style led him to be described by former prime minister David Cameron as a “ career psychopath ” , while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ management problems ” .
Cummings was appointed campaign director for Vote Leave when the campaign launched in October 2015 , and has been hailed as a key player in the Brexit movement .
He coined the “ take back control ” catchphrase , and later admitted that his side had won the EU referendum through Brexiteers ’ anti-immigration rhetoric and false claims about reclaiming £350m a week for the NHS , as The London Economic reported at the time .
He was one of Johnson ’ s first appointments following the Tory leadership @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PM ’ s closest ally and most senior special adviser ( SpAd ) .
Cummings “ is referred to as the prime minister ’ s ‘ chief adviser ’ and seems to have a wide but unspecified brief ” , says the Institute for Government .
What does a special adviser do ?
Special advisers are hired to give political advice to ministers that it would be inappropriate for the civil service , a politically neutral body , to offer .
Cabinet ministers appoint their special advisers , but the PM has to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Cummings are technically employed as temporary civil servants , but unlike normal civil servants , they are exempt from the rules that ban involvement in party political matters .
They are paid out of public funds and together cost just under £10m to employ in the 2018-19 financial year .
“ The latest data release in December 2019 revealed there were 109 special advisers in government – the highest amount for at least a decade .
Of those , 58 were new to government – the largest influx since the beginning of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 63 joined , ” says the Institute for Government .
SpAds are accountable to their ministers for their conduct - meaning that when an adviser like Cummings makes a mistake , the buck stops with the PM .
Yet thanks to Johnson ’ s reliance on him , Cummings has a particularly powerful place at the heart of Westminster .
Indeed , he is “ one of the most influential figures in Johnson ’ s government… the power behind Good King BoJo ’ s huge inflatable throne ” , says The Irish Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine .
Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Does Johnson need him ?
Cummings doesn ’ t just advise Johnson on policy direction and political strategy , he also holds an “ operational grip ” over the government , “ commanding more loyalty among a number of key officials and ministers than the prime minister does himself ” , says Politico .
“ The whole operation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
10 is staffed by Dom proteges , ” a source who worked at Vote Leave with Johnson and Cummings told the website .
“ Ministers , secretaries of state and special advisers are only in place if he says so… If he doesn ’ t want to go , it would be meltdown for Boris to try to make him.
” How Johnson handles the issue has become “ all about the PM himself and how he governs ” , says ITV News ’ s Robert Peston .
What Tory MPs want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of why Cummings matters so much to the way his government operates and why his cabinet seemingly matters so little ” .
“ We won ’ t insist on Cummings being sacked , ” said an unnamed Tory MP .
“ If the PM feels he can not manage this crisis without him , so be it.
” But not everyone in the party agrees .
Bob Neill , Tory MP for Bromley and Chislehurst , told BBC Radio 4 ’ s Today programme that while Cummings had “ real talents and abilities… @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support for Cummings , Johnson and the Conservatives plummeting over the scandal , the PM may be forced to dispense of his right-hand man .
However , “ so far , Cummings and Johnson show no sign of giving in to what they used to dub ‘ the will of the people ’ ” , says Politico .

Boris Johnson will be grilled by senior MPs today amid growing calls for his chief adviser to resign.
The Commons Liaison Committee will question the prime minister over both his handling of the coronavirus crisis and Dominic Cummings’ alleged breach of lockdown laws.
The showdown comes after a new YouGov poll for The Times found that the Conservatives’ lead over Labour has been cut by nine points in just a week.
Many senior Conservatives are “aghast at how much political capital the prime minister has burned through” to protect Cummings, says the BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg. With 39 Tory MPs publicly calling for the top aide to quit, the row has fuelled speculation about who really holds the power in No. 10.
Who is Dominic Cummings?
Born in Durham and educated at Oxford University, Cummings began his work life in Soviet Russia dabbling in what refers to as “various projects”, before returning to the UK and entering the world of politics.
His unique management style led him to be described by former prime minister David Cameron as a “career psychopath”, while Nick Clegg said he had “anger management problems”.
Cummings was appointed campaign director for Vote Leave when the campaign launched in October 2015, and has been hailed as a key player in the Brexit movement. He coined the “take back control” catchphrase, and later admitted that his side had won the EU referendum through Brexiteers’ anti-immigration rhetoric and false claims about reclaiming £350m a week for the NHS, as The London Economic reported at the time.
He was one of Johnson’s first appointments following the Tory leadership contest last year and has remained the PM’s closest ally and most senior special adviser (SpAd).
Cummings “is referred to as the prime minister’s ‘chief adviser’ and seems to have a wide but unspecified brief”, says the Institute for Government.
What does a special adviser do?
Special advisers are hired to give political advice to ministers that it would be inappropriate for the civil service, a politically neutral body, to offer. Cabinet ministers appoint their special advisers, but the PM has to sign off each appointment.
Advisers such as Cummings are technically employed as temporary civil servants, but unlike normal civil servants, they are exempt from the rules that ban involvement in party political matters. They are paid out of public funds and together cost just under £10m to employ in the 2018-19 financial year.


theweekuk--2020-05-27--Queen allowing Boris Johnson to exercise in Buckingham Palace grounds

The Queen has granted Boris Johnson permission to get his daily dose of exercise at Buckingham Palace as the prime minister ups his post-coronavirus fitness regime .
Johnson has been given the green light to jog in the royal grounds , which also feature a large outdoor tennis court , “ amid security concerns over his habit of running in public spaces ” , says The Telegraph .
He was photographed yesterday arriving at a side entrance to the Palace in an armoured Range Rover , the newspaper adds .
A royal source confirmed that Johnson had been given permission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from time to time ” she had also allowed previous PMs to make use of the facilities .
A government insider added : “ It ’ s obviously important that the prime minister is able to take exercise.
” The London Evening Standard reports that Johnson has also been snapped exercising in the grounds of Lambeth Palace , after being granted permission by the Archbishop of Canterbury .
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Week magazine .
Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The Mail on Sunday reported last weekend that Johnson is launching a battle against obesity in Britain and is on a personal “ keep-fit mission ” , with the mantra : “ Do n't be a fatty in your 50s.
” He should have plenty of privacy at Buckingham Palace , where the usual practice of “ welcoming tourists at this time of year ” has “ been halted due to the coronavirus ” , says the Evening Standard .
The Queen and Prince @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up residence at Windsor Castle for the duration of the pandemic .

The Queen has granted Boris Johnson permission to get his daily dose of exercise at Buckingham Palace as the prime minister ups his post-coronavirus fitness regime.
Johnson has been given the green light to jog in the royal grounds, which also feature a large outdoor tennis court, “amid security concerns over his habit of running in public spaces”, says The Telegraph.
He was photographed yesterday arriving at a side entrance to the Palace in an armoured Range Rover, the newspaper adds. A royal source confirmed that Johnson had been given permission by the Queen, adding that “from time to time” she had also allowed previous PMs to make use of the facilities.
A government insider added: “It’s obviously important that the prime minister is able to take exercise.”
The London Evening Standard reports that Johnson has also been snapped exercising in the grounds of Lambeth Palace, after being granted permission by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The Mail on Sunday reported last weekend that Johnson is launching a battle against obesity in Britain and is on a personal “keep-fit mission”, with the mantra: “Don't be a fatty in your 50s.”
He should have plenty of privacy at Buckingham Palace, where the usual practice of “welcoming tourists at this time of year” has “been halted due to the coronavirus”, says the Evening Standard.
The Queen and Prince Philip are absent too, having taken up residence at Windsor Castle for the duration of the pandemic.


theweekuk--2020-05-27--Dominic Cummings: which alleged crimes will police be investigating?

The police investigation into Dominic Cummings is being “ overseen at the highest levels ” and is considered a “ critical incident ” , according to reports .
The prime minister ’ s most senior aide is under investigation by Durham Constabulary not only for alleged breaches of lockdown laws but also claims that he may have broken the Highway Code by driving to “ test his eyesight ” after developing coronavirus symptoms , according to The Times .
The newspaper report that sources said investigating the allegations “ properly and promptly was a matter that had a bearing on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Officers are to use number-plate tracking software in order to follow the movements of a vehicle used by Cummings .
And two detectives from Durham police this week interviewed witness Robin Lees , a retired chemistry teacher who blew the whistle after seeing Cummings and his family at County Durham beauty spot Barnard Castle on 12 April , The Guardian reports .
The Times say that Lees was interviewed approximately two hours after Cummings ’ press conference on Monday , at which the No .
10 aide said he did not regret his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his parents ’ home in Durham and then later to Barnard Castle .
Lees told the newspaper that the detectives “ were very thorough , asking every detail of what I saw ” .
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine .
Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The Guardian notes that investigators face the “ competing pressures ” of trying to avoid being “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure “ their actions are proportionate ” .
A spokesperson for the force said : “ We can confirm that , over the last few days , Durham Constabulary has received further information and complaints from members of the public and we are reviewing and examining that information.
” If Cummings is found to have breached the lockdown regulations , he could face a £100 fine that would be reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days .
According to the Highway Code , the punishment for “ careless and inconsiderate driving ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sight - ranges from an unlimited fine and three to nine points on person ’ s driving licence , to being disqualified from driving .

The police investigation into Dominic Cummings is being “overseen at the highest levels” and is considered a “critical incident”, according to reports.
The prime minister’s most senior aide is under investigation by Durham Constabulary not only for alleged breaches of lockdown laws but also claims that he may have broken the Highway Code by driving to “test his eyesight” after developing coronavirus symptoms, according to The Times.
The newspaper report that sources said investigating the allegations “properly and promptly was a matter that had a bearing on public confidence in the force”.
Officers are to use number-plate tracking software in order to follow the movements of a vehicle used by Cummings.
And two detectives from Durham police this week interviewed witness Robin Lees, a retired chemistry teacher who blew the whistle after seeing Cummings and his family at County Durham beauty spot Barnard Castle on 12 April, The Guardian reports.
The Times say that Lees was interviewed approximately two hours after Cummings’ press conference on Monday, at which the No. 10 aide said he did not regret his decision to drive 260 miles from London to his parents’ home in Durham and then later to Barnard Castle.
Lees told the newspaper that the detectives “were very thorough, asking every detail of what I saw”.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The Guardian notes that investigators face the “competing pressures” of trying to avoid being “drawn into politics” while also making sure “their actions are proportionate”.
A spokesperson for the force said: “We can confirm that, over the last few days, Durham Constabulary has received further information and complaints from members of the public and we are reviewing and examining that information.”
If Cummings is found to have breached the lockdown regulations, he could face a £100 fine that would be reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days.
According to the Highway Code, the punishment for “careless and inconsiderate driving” - which could include driving with impaired sight - ranges from an unlimited fine and three to nine points on person’s driving licence, to being disqualified from driving.


theweekuk--2020-05-27--The Week Unwrapped bonus episode: 25 Years of The Week

In a special edition for the 25th anniversary of The Week , current editors Theo Tait and Caroline Law and @ @ @ @ @ Grady join Olly Mann to talk about how the magazine began - and how it @ @ @ @ @ to the news .
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– To get six free issues of The Week magazine and @ @ @ @ @ and enter promo code : pod25 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped on @ @ @ @ @ podcasts , SoundCloud or wherever you get you get your podcasts .

In a special edition for the 25th anniversary of The Week, current editors Theo Tait and Caroline Law and founding editor Jeremy O’Grady join Olly Mann to talk about how the magazine began - and how it has developed a unique approach to the news.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––To get six free issues of The Week magazine and a moleskine notebook visit theweek.co.uk/offer and enter promo code: pod25–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped on the Global Player, Apple podcasts, SoundCloud or wherever you get you get your podcasts.


theweekuk--2020-05-27--Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 27 May 2020

A tweet by Donald Trump has been slapped with a fact-check label by Twitter for the first time .
The @ @ @ @ @ post by the US president that said : “ There is NO WAY ( ZERO @ @ @ @ @ will be anything less than substantially fraudulent.
” Criticising the move , Trump accused the @ @ @ @ @ completely stifling free speech ” and of interfering in the 2020 presidential election .

Donald Trump lashes out after being fact-checked by Twitter
A tweet by Donald Trump has been slapped with a fact-check label by Twitter for the first time. The warning was added under a post by the US president that said: “There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent.” Criticising the move, Trump accused the social media website of “completely stifling free speech” and of interfering in the 2020 presidential election.


theweekuk--2020-05-27--Did beards evolve to help men absorb punches?

Beards evolved to help men safely absorb blows to the head , according to a new study .
Researchers say their tests discovered that beards acted as shock absorbers that dispersed the energy from a punch enough to prevent the jaw from fracturing .
“ We found that fully furred samples were capable of absorbing more energy than plucked and sheared samples , ” say biologists Ethan Beseris , Steven Naleway and David Carrier .
Bed gets impaled on house in Leeds A woman says she thought she was hallucinating when she saw that a bed was impaled on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Emily Beattie , 25 , was putting the bins out when she spotted a bed attached to the side of home .
“ I thought what the hell is going on here , ” she said .
“ It ’ s just such a bizarre thing to happen I can ’ t explain it , ” she said .
Jet tries to fly to closed airport A Eurowings flight had to turn around mid-journey as the airport it was flying to wasn ’ t open .
The flight had set off from Dusseldorf @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Olbia , but just 90 minutes before landing , the pilot was informed that the airport was closed due to coronavirus restrictions .
The disruption wasn ’ t enormous – there were only two passengers on board .
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Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Beards evolved to help men safely absorb blows to the head, according to a new study. Researchers say their tests discovered that beards acted as shock absorbers that dispersed the energy from a punch enough to prevent the jaw from fracturing. “We found that fully furred samples were capable of absorbing more energy than plucked and sheared samples,” say biologists Ethan Beseris, Steven Naleway and David Carrier.
Bed gets impaled on house in Leeds
A woman says she thought she was hallucinating when she saw that a bed was impaled on the side of her home in Leeds. Emily Beattie, 25, was putting the bins out when she spotted a bed attached to the side of home. “I thought what the hell is going on here,” she said. “It’s just such a bizarre thing to happen I can’t explain it,” she said.
Jet tries to fly to closed airport
A Eurowings flight had to turn around mid-journey as the airport it was flying to wasn’t open. The flight had set off from Dusseldorf in Germany to the Sardinian airport of Olbia, but just 90 minutes before landing, the pilot was informed that the airport was closed due to coronavirus restrictions. The disruption wasn’t enormous – there were only two passengers on board.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––


theweekuk--2020-05-27--Why everyone’s talking about Newcastle United’s Saudi takeover

The Saudi-funded takeover of Newcastle United football club has been cast into doubt as a result of the country ’ s alleged involvement in the illegal streaming of sports fixtures .
A draft report from the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) reportedly concludes that the oil-rich kingdom is behind beoutQ , a pirate satellite TV and streaming service that is in breach of international law .
What is the beoutQ dispute about ?
The world ’ s leading football authorities including the Premier League have been trying for years - unsuccessfully - to block beoutQ in Saudi Arabia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ firms declined to take on the copyright case , a case against the kingdom was taken to the WTO , “ the highest judicial body that could rule on the matter ” , which has now issued its ruling , reports The Guardian .
Although “ the WTO ’ s 130-page final report will not be published until mid-June , it is understood that the independent ruling firmly establishes that the Saudi government is behind beoutQ ” , says the newspaper .
The verdict is likely to threaten the £300m Newcastle United takeover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fund , which was purchasing an 80 % stake in the English club .
Doubts have been raised as to whether the prospective owners can pass the Premier League ’ s owners and directors test , which can be failed if a crime is committed overseas that would also be illegal under UK law .
The chief executive of beIN Media Group , which holds rights to the Premier League in the Middle East and North Africa regions , recently wrote to Premier League chiefs urging them to block the controversial takeover .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arabia ’ s alleged “ theft of clubs ’ intellectual property and commercial rights for nearly three years ” , reports SportsBusiness .
The British government has also taken the issue of Saudi piracy seriously , according to The Guardian .
Liam Fox , the then secretary of state at the Department for International Trade , contacted a colleague last July to say that he had “ written to Dr Majed Al Qasabi , the minister for commerce and investment in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and [ that ] the Chancellor of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ministers in Saudi Arabia ” .
The Saudi authorities have repeatedly denied being involved with beoutQ .
Why is Newcastle being sold ?
Newcastle United is currently owned by Sports Direct billionaire tycoon Mike Ashley , who has had a strained relationship with the club ’ s fans .
Despite initial optimism when Ashley bought the club 13 years ago , his years at the helm have marked “ one of the most disastrous ownerships in English football ” , says FourFourTwo .
He first indicated that he was willing to sell the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held on since through a string of failed deals , the football news site adds .
With the Saudi takeover plan , Ashley appeared to be on the verge of finally ending his toxic relationship with Newcastle United - but may now see that hope kicked into touch too .
What other concerns have raised about the takeover ?
Saudi Arabia ’ s alleged involvement in the illegal streaming platform is just the latest in a series of objections to the proposed deal .
Amnesty International wrote to Premier League chief executive Richard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into consideration the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia as part of his organisation ’ s owners and directors test .
The rights group ’ s UK director , Kate Allen , warned that the Premier League risked becoming “ a patsy ” and a vehicle to distract from the kingdom ’ s abuses , reports The Independent .
“ So long as these questions ( concerning Saudi Arabia ’ s human rights record ) remain unaddressed , the Premier League is putting itself at risk of becoming a patsy of those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Premier League football to cover up actions that are deeply immoral , ” Allen wrote .
The Independent ’ s chief football writer Miguel Delaney also argues that the takeover is an attempt at “ sportswashing ” , adding that it is simply a “ more sophisticated ” version of PR that is “ nakedly political ” .
Amnesty lists the ways in which Saudi Arabia violates human rights on its website , with practices including : torture , executions , bans on free speech and protests , discrimination against women , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human rights organisations .
The country has also been widely criticised over the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi , an outspoken critic of the Saudi regime and of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman .
Khashoggi was murdered after going to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain papers that he needed to marry his fiancee .
The Saudi authorities said the killing was the result of a “ rogue operation ” by a team of agents sent to persuade him to return to the kingdom , but most of the international community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crown prince .

The Saudi-funded takeover of Newcastle United football club has been cast into doubt as a result of the country’s alleged involvement in the illegal streaming of sports fixtures.
A draft report from the World Trade Organization (WTO) reportedly concludes that the oil-rich kingdom is behind beoutQ, a pirate satellite TV and streaming service that is in breach of international law.
What is the beoutQ dispute about?
The world’s leading football authorities including the Premier League have been trying for years - unsuccessfully - to block beoutQ in Saudi Arabia.
In 2018, after nine local legal firms declined to take on the copyright case, a case against the kingdom was taken to the WTO, “the highest judicial body that could rule on the matter”, which has now issued its ruling, reports The Guardian.
Although “the WTO’s 130-page final report will not be published until mid-June, it is understood that the independent ruling firmly establishes that the Saudi government is behind beoutQ”, says the newspaper.
The verdict is likely to threaten the £300m Newcastle United takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which was purchasing an 80% stake in the English club.
Doubts have been raised as to whether the prospective owners can pass the Premier League’s owners and directors test, which can be failed if a crime is committed overseas that would also be illegal under UK law.
The chief executive of beIN Media Group, which holds rights to the Premier League in the Middle East and North Africa regions, recently wrote to Premier League chiefs urging them to block the controversial takeover.
Yousef al-Obaidly’s letter revealed Saudi Arabia’s alleged “theft of clubs’ intellectual property and commercial rights for nearly three years”, reports SportsBusiness.
The British government has also taken the issue of Saudi piracy seriously, according to The Guardian.
Liam Fox, the then secretary of state at the Department for International Trade, contacted a colleague last July to say that he had “written to Dr Majed Al Qasabi, the minister for commerce and investment in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and [that] the Chancellor of the Exchequer has recently raised beoutQ with ministers in Saudi Arabia”.


theweekuk--2020-05-27--High drama: India and China square up in the Himalayas

Soldiers from nuclear-armed China and India have fought hand-to-hand high up in the Himalayas , as a border dispute threatens the uneasy truce between the world ’ s most populous nations .
India ’ s military commanders are meeting today to discuss the escalating tensions , which came to a head when stone-throwing and fist fights broke out between the Indian and Chinese armies near Pangong Lake ( pictured above ) , which straddles the border , on 5 May .
Another brawl , involving 150 soldiers , erupted a few days later , and Indian TV station NDTV yesterday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese military jets at a recently expanded airport near the disputed territory .
Although such incidents are not uncommon , “ we should be worried ” about these latest skirmishes , says Foreign Policy .
“ The theory that Sino-Indian clashes are flashes in the pan and unlikely to lead to more extensive fighting has become a widely held consensus , ” the news site reports .
“ Recent events , however , suggest that escalations are highly possible.
” As The Economist explains , “ thanks in part to slapdash colonial cartography @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is undefined ” .
The two sides fought a “ brief but bloody border war in 1962 , ending in a ceasefire that established the Line of Actual Control demarcating the boundary ” , says Newsweek .
However , India and China “ have different views about the exact location ” of the de facto border they now patrol , adds The Economist .
As a result , their soldiers often encounter each other high in the Himalayas , on icy mountain passes that each regard as their own territory .
“ Sometimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and throwing stones at each other , ” reports the BBC .
In 2017 , a serious military clash appeared to be “ a distinct possibility ” , when the two armies squared up to each other across a remote mountain pass for 73 days , before “ that particular crisis abated ” , says Foreign Policy .
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The latest dispute has been brewing for some time , as both China and India flex their muscles on the world stage .
“ While Beijing has asserted its vast claims to the South China Sea , ” says Newsweek , “ New Delhi has consolidated control over semi-autonomous Kashmir ” , changing the region ’ s legal status to bring it into line with other Indian states .
This move has “ infuriated rival Pakistan and also angered China ” - two antagonists of India that have close “ economic , political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reports .
India , meanwhile , is “ building strong strategic partnerships with China ’ s other rivals , especially the United States and Japan ” , says Foreign Policy .
“ Beijing sees New Delhi as the principal impediment to the realisation of its ambitions to dominate Asia.
” The coronavirus pandemic has also contributed to the renewed tensions , and drawn Nepal into the dispute between its two giant neighbours .
Nepalese Prime Minister K.P .
Sharma Oli told his parliament this week it was “ very difficult to contain Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside ” , adding that the “ Indian virus looks more lethal than Chinese and Italian now ” .
The same day , India accused Oli ’ s government of an “ unjustified cartographic assertion ” after it published a map laying claim to a patch of land that India considers its own .
Without directly mentioning China , the head of the Indian army said Nepal might be acting “ at the behest of someone else ” .
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine .
Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Despite all the posturing in Beijing and New Delhi , “ no bullet has been fired over the border in the last four decades ” , says the BBC .
And many observers believe both sides are willing to maintain their imperfect truce .
China said today that the situation at the border was “ stable and controllable ” , The Times of India reports .
India has characterised the situation as “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not everyone is convinced by such diplomatic language .
India ’ s Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week met with his three top military officials to discuss “ bolstering India ’ s military preparedness to deal with external security challenges ” , according to government sources .
“ Both sides have substantial - and growing - military deployments along a mostly disputed border , ” says Foreign Policy .
“ Peace can no longer be taken for granted .
”

Soldiers from nuclear-armed China and India have fought hand-to-hand high up in the Himalayas, as a border dispute threatens the uneasy truce between the world’s most populous nations.
The clashes were the first to result in fatalities in the border area, in the disputed Kashmir region, in at least 45 years. Although smaller incidents are not uncommon, “we should be worried” about these latest skirmishes, says Foreign Policy.
“The theory that Sino-Indian clashes are flashes in the pan and unlikely to lead to more extensive fighting has become a widely held consensus,” the news site reports. “Recent events, however, suggest that escalations are highly possible.”
What happened in the latest incident?
At least 20 Indian and five Chinese soldiers were killed in hand-to-hand combat in the mountains, when the two sides clashed with iron sticks, bats and bamboo sticks studded with nails.
Indian media says some of its army’s soldiers were “beaten to death”, while others fell or were pushed into a river.
“Even unarmed men who fled into the hillsides were hunted down and killed,” one Indian officer told News 18. “The dead include men who jumped into the Galwan river in a desperate effort to escape.”
A senior Indian military official told the BBC there were 55 Indian soldiers versus 300 Chinese, whom he described as “the Death Squad”. “They hit our boys on the head with metal batons wrapped in barbed wire. Our boys fought with bare hands,” the officer said.
Each side has blamed each other for the clashes. India said China had tried to “unilaterally change the status quo”, while Beijing accused Indian troops of “attacking Chinese personnel”, reports the BBC.
Indian government sources say at least another two dozen soldiers are battling life-threatening injuries, and over 110 required treatment. “The toll will likely go up,” a military officer with knowledge of the issue told News 18.
A long, cold border war
As The Economist explains, “thanks in part to slapdash colonial cartography, the boundary between India and China is undefined”.
The two sides fought a “brief but bloody border war in 1962, ending in a ceasefire that established the Line of Actual Control demarcating the boundary”, says Newsweek.


theweekuk--2020-05-27--Reaction: Boris Johnson plummets in polls as Tory MPs turn on Dominic Cummings

The Conservatives ’ polling lead over Labour has fallen by nine points in a week as the Dominic Cummings scandal triggers fury both among voters and MPs .
A new YouGov poll for The Times found that support for the Tories has declined by four points to 44 % , while Labour has jumped by five points to 38 % .
And separate polling shows that Boris Johnson ’ s personal approval rating has plunged by 20 points in just four days .
According to The Times , the drops “ will sharpen criticism that Mr Johnson is spending the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aide who critics say cares little for the party ” .
William Wragg , chair of the Commons Public Administration Committee , is among a growing number of Tory MPs who have publicly criticised the government ’ s decision to back Cummings despite claims that he breached lockdown laws .
“ We can not throw away valuable public and political goodwill any longer , ” Wragg tweeted .
“ It ’ s humiliating and degrading to their office to see ministers put out agreed lines in defence of an adviser.
” When the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first emerged , Downing Street suggested that “ Cummings was being targeted by left-wing journalists opposed to Brexit as a way of settling scores ” , says The Telegraph .
But while Downing Street hoped the “ Dominic Cummings row would be a culture war , criticism is crossing tribal divides ” , the newspaper continues .
In a snap poll by YouGov on Tuesday , 71 % of the more than 1,150 respondents said they thought Cummings had broken the rules .
A total of 59 % said he should resign - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tory voters and 52 % of Leave voters .
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise , refreshing and balanced take on the week ’ s news agenda - try The Week magazine .
Start your trial subscription today ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Opposition parties have been unanimous in their condemnation of the Downing Street aide ’ s actions , and the chorus of criticism from within the Conservative Party is growing louder .
Indeed , 39 Tory MPs have publicly called for Cummings to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of angry messages from constituents ” , The Guardian reports .
Meanwhile , junior minister Douglas Ross Douglas Ross has resigned from the Scotland Office in protest .
Ross , who remains Conservative MP for Moray , said : “ I have constituents who didn ’ t get to say goodbye to loved ones… because they followed guidance of the government .
I can not in good faith tell them they were all wrong and one senior adviser to the government was right.
” Johnson “ looks like a man whose judgment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , says Jonathan Lis of the British Influence think-tank in an article for The Washington Post .
“ Even if Cummings does finally bow to pressure , the damage may well have been done .
”

The Conservatives’ polling lead over Labour has fallen by nine points in a week as the Dominic Cummings scandal triggers fury both among voters and MPs.
A new YouGov poll for The Times found that support for the Tories has declined by four points to 44%, while Labour has jumped by five points to 38%. And separate polling shows that Boris Johnson’s personal approval rating has plunged by 20 points in just four days.
According to The Times, the drops “will sharpen criticism that Mr Johnson is spending the Conservatives’ political capital on defending an aide who critics say cares little for the party”.
William Wragg, chair of the Commons Public Administration Committee, is among a growing number of Tory MPs who have publicly criticised the government’s decision to back Cummings despite claims that he breached lockdown laws.
“We cannot throw away valuable public and political goodwill any longer,” Wragg tweeted. “It’s humiliating and degrading to their office to see ministers put out agreed lines in defence of an adviser.”
We cannot throw away valuable public & political good will any longer. It’s humiliating & degrading to their office to see ministers put out agreed lines in defence of an advisor. This is a time of national emergency and our focus must be unrelenting. We owe it to the nation. — William Wragg MP (@William_Wragg) May 26, 2020
When the allegations against Johnson’s right-hand man first emerged, Downing Street suggested that “Cummings was being targeted by left-wing journalists opposed to Brexit as a way of settling scores”, says The Telegraph.
But while Downing Street hoped the “Dominic Cummings row would be a culture war, criticism is crossing tribal divides”, the newspaper continues.
In a snap poll by YouGov on Tuesday, 71% of the more than 1,150 respondents said they thought Cummings had broken the rules. A total of 59% said he should resign - a call backed by 46% of Tory voters and 52% of Leave voters.
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Opposition parties have been unanimous in their condemnation of the Downing Street aide’s actions, and the chorus of criticism from within the Conservative Party is growing louder.
Indeed, 39 Tory MPs have publicly called for Cummings to go, “many citing inboxes overflowing with hundreds of angry messages from constituents”, The Guardian reports.
Meanwhile, junior minister Douglas Ross Douglas Ross has resigned from the Scotland Office in protest. Ross, who remains Conservative MP for Moray, said: “I have constituents who didn’t get to say goodbye to loved ones… because they followed guidance of the government. I cannot in good faith tell them they were all wrong and one senior adviser to the government was right.”
Johnson “looks like a man whose judgment is failing and authority fading away”, says Jonathan Lis of the British Influence think-tank in an article for The Washington Post. “Even if Cummings does finally bow to pressure, the damage may well have been done.”