First from the BBC Local News:

Cornwall needs ‘triple effort’ to combat Covid-19 spike

Dr Ruth Goldstein, from Cornwall Council’s public health department, said the majority of cases were the Delta variant and warned that the numbers were expected to rise.

“It is not a situation that Cornwall has found itself in in the last 18 months,” she said.

Dr Goldstein said public health officials had started to see a rise around 10 days ago among people aged 16 to 25, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

“Initially it started around the Penryn campus [of the University of Exeter],” she said.

“That combined with the half-term break, where we have people from Cornwall going up country to see family and friends and we had visitors coming to Cornwall.”

Dr Goldstein added that Cornwall had a higher number of restaurants and bars per person compared to other parts of the country, which could also be contributing.

A number of hospitality venues have had to close in places such as St Ives, Falmouth and Newquay in recent days due to staff self-isolating.

Dr Goldstein said venues were being responsible by testing staff and isolating them where necessary….

…”We know we will have a lot of people coming into Cornwall, which we want and is fantastic for our businesses,” she said.

“But this situation we are in now, we all have to triple our efforts if we are going to stop this rise in cases.”

(When does Simon Jupp intend to start his pub crawl? – Owl)

G7 towns are centre of Cornwall’s spike in Covid cases

Aaron Greenaway www.cornwalllive.com

The latest UK Government coronavirus data reveals that areas of Cornwall which played host to the G7 Summit and students are primarily driving the large increase in cases.

The areas of Falmouth, where G7 media were based, and Penryn, home to Cornwall’s university campus, in addition to St Ives and Carbis Bay, which hosted the gathering of world leaders, are together registering more than half – 53 per cent – of cases in Cornwall for the seven days ending June 12. This was the middle day of the three-day summit.

Falmouth and St Ives were also the focus of protest groups, with thousands of people taking to the streets.

It comes amid a spike of the Delta variant – first identified in India – of the coronavirus across the UK, which led to Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing a delay in the final release of lockdown restrictions until at least July 19.

The largest outbreak in Cornwall is currently in the Ponsanooth, Mabe Burnthouse and Constantine area, home to the Penryn Campus shared by Falmouth University and the University of Exeter, with 57 cases, followed by Falmouth North with 38 cases, Falmouth East with 37 cases, Penryn with 16 cases as well as Falmouth West and South which has 10 cases.

The coronavirus case map for mid and West Cornwall, which represents the majority of Cornwall’s coronavirus outbreak (Image: UK Government)

In St Ives and Carbis Bay, home to the G7 summit, there were 44 cases reported in St Ives and Halsetown and 19 cases in Towednack, Lelant and Carbis Bay.

There were 411 cases reported in Cornwall for the seven days to June 12, with the totals for the above-listed areas representing 53 per cent of the total.

A heatmap on the coronavirus dashboard which provides a breakdown for cases per 100,000 for different age groups also reveals that the age group with the largest number of infections covers those aged between 20 and 24 years old, with 461.5 cases per 100,000 people, closely followed by 15 to 19-year-olds with 267.5 cases per 100,000 people.

It represents two age groups which are yet to be mass vaccinated against the disease and comes as the Government has announced that all those over 18 can now book their vaccinations.

In comparison, older age groups which represent those more vulnerable to death and serious illness from the coronavirus and who are mostly vaccinated, are currently reporting significantly fewer cases, which, in turn, has led to a less noticeable impact on Cornwall’s hospitals.

Ruth Goldstein, from Cornwall Council’s public health department recently revealed that the spike seen in coronavirus cases started with an outbreak at the Penryn campus of the University. She said: “Initially it started around the Penryn campus (of the university) and it was easy to understand how that happened as this was the area in Cornwall where we have the highest density of young people.

“That combined with the half-term break, where we have people from Cornwall going upcountry to see family and friends and we had visitors coming to Cornwall.

Government heat map of coronavirus cases in Cornwall by age group (darker colour represents more cases) (Image: UK Government)

“All these things combined have led to this increase in positive cases.”

Cornwall Council’s public health team has also called on people working in the hospitality industry, which also predominantly features younger people, to ensure they take their twice-weekly coronavirus tests to keep themselves and others safe.

Director of public health for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Rachel Wigglesworth, explained that while Cornwall’s case rate is still below the national average, it has risen sharply and now is “the time to act and bring the rate back down”.

She said: “We’re asking anyone working in the hospitality industry to help themselves stay safe and protect their work colleagues by testing twice weekly using rapid lateral flow tests.

“While our case rate is still below the national average it has risen sharply.

“Now is the time to act to bring the rate back down. I would urge everyone to make twice-weekly testing part of their routine so we can identify cases even when people have no symptoms. Rapid Lateral Flow Tests are free of charge and can be picked up from your local pharmacy or ordered online.”

(Online article contains more detailed data)

A correspondent writes:

We could not have views more diametrically opposed than Owl’s and Paul S’s on the subject of the political affiliation of long-distance EDDC councillor Susie Bond.  I am firmly in the Owl camp.

Ms Bond was elected around the time of the Graham Brown scandal, at a time when calling yourself a Tory would have been a vote loser.  It made sense to be an independent.  Especially as she was identifying strongly with her ward and its appalling flooding problems.

However, as time went on, it was obvious that Ms Bond was closer in political terms to Tories than other Independents. This is fair enough – independents are on a spectrum just as party councillors are.  She made it quite clear that she did not feel close to other independent councillors (particularly East Devon Alliance) – always being careful to distance herself from them when it was needed – again, fair enough. But indicative of her lack of identification with other independents.

After the rout of Tories in the last election however, she joined the caucus around Ben Ingham.  Yes, other independents did too, but most of them saw the (blue) light quite quickly and abandoned his cabinet and sought to distance themselves from him – I do not recall Ms Bond doing this or criticising his increasing identification with Tories (of which he is one again after being Independent then East Devon Alliance (Leader) , then Independent again).

Note, too, that, as she says, she did not vote for Andrew Moulding (Con) bit DID vote for another Conservative councillor, not an Independent.

As for councillors not living in their constituency – true the pandemic made it impossible to hold a by-election for some of the time but one has to say that not living in the ward means she has had no ear to the ground in what goes on there – it was perhaps disingenuous to say nothing about her move until quite recently, and travelling from Berkshire for one physical meeting where she  supported Tories.

I think Ms Bond did right by her community on many hyper-local issues -but on non-local issues she showed a different side.

A union is demanding a 12.5 per cent pay rise for NHS nurses after finding the increase in average house prices over the last decade had been six times that of an experienced practitioner’s pay.

www.independent.co.uk

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) accused the government of perpetuating an injustice against nurses and said it should instead “tip the scales” in their favour. A planned 1 per cent basic pay hike was not enough, the union said.

The RCN cited analysis by the consultants London Economics, which found the total pay of a nurse in the NHS’s band five with seven years’ experience had risen only 9 per cent since 2011, from £32,440 to £35,340. Meanwhile, average house prices had gone up 55 per cent, from £165,600 to £256,400.

Total pay includes overtime, unsociable hours and on-call pay.

Experienced healthcare assistants and practitioners in lower bands – three and four – saw their pay rise by 12 and 9 per cent respectively over the decade, well below the increase in retail price index inflation, which was 31 per cent.

Graham Revie, chair of the RCN’s trade union committee, said: “The government needs to tip the scales in nursing’s favour to stop this injustice.

“The proposed 1 per cent pay rise won’t come close to remedying the suppression of nursing salaries over the past 10 years. It is officially a pay cut now that inflation has risen above 1 per cent as expected.”

And the union’s acting general secretary, Pat Cullen, added: “The impact of nursing staff being priced out of the neighbourhoods where they work is devastating not just for them but their patients and patients’ families.

“Communities in which nursing staff can’t afford to live are communities at risk of poor health and patient care.”

All UK nursing staff should get a 12.5 per cent pay rise, the union insisted.

The Independent has contacted the Department of Health and Social Care and the Treasury for comment.

Ministers have faced widespread criticism for their decision to implement only a 1 per cent pay rise for NHS staff, having spent more than a year expressing their thanks and admiration for health workers’ efforts in tackling the coronavirus crisis.

In March, more than 250,000 NHS employees reported having been made ill by work-related stress during the pandemic, while one in five said they had considered leaving the service.

NHS bands – what do they mean?

Here’s what duties the RCN says these staff can expect to perform

• A band three healthcare assistant may have an important role in the accident and emergency department or the operating theatre
• A band four assistant practitioner’s job can involve administering catheters and managing wounds
• Most nurses are in band five, and their seniority is on the level of administrators who run GP practices, according to the NHS website. They may work in intensive care, mental health or another area, and can be responsible for monitoring patients and administering medicine

Meanwhile, one of the country’s biggest unions is warning that health workers employed by private companies may miss out on that 1 per cent rise promised by ministers to NHS staff.

Unison said in a statement: “Unison is calling on all private companies running health service contracts to pledge at least to match any government pay rise for workers directly employed by the NHS.

“Ministers should also increase funding to trusts to end the growing gap between the salaries of NHS staff and colleagues employed by private firms. Unison wants NHS trusts and boards to grant new contracts only to companies that pledge to equal health service pay rates.”

Outsourcing giants “must also improve sick pay, overtime payments and annual leave allocation in line with NHS terms and conditions”, the union said.

Sidmouth’s notorious crumbling cliffs have once again been pictured crashing into the sea.

Chloe Parkman www.devonlive.com

The town’s red cliffs are well-known for tumbling onto the ground below with the coastguard issuing a number of warnings to the public, urging them to avoid the area.

The most recent cliff fall took place yesterday (June 16) at around 4pm and was captured by Daryl Dudley Photography.

Daryl says he did not hear any sound prior to the landslide as he was stood quite a distance away, but he spotted the rest dust cloud shortly after it happened.

In the last three weeks, there have been at least four cliff collapses in the East Devon town, all of which on land which is owned and managed by the District Council.

The spate of recent falls prompted Beer Coastguard team to issue a warning to the public.

They posted: “Another cliff fall just happened to the East of the last one between Sidmouth and Salcombe Regis.

“Stay away from the cliffs, DO NOT go on the beach below Salcombe hill.”

Last week, DevonLive reported that no immediate work will be carried out on Sidmouth’s crumbling cliffs which have seen a spate of collapses in recent weeks.

Cliff falls in Sidmouth (Image: Daryl Dudley Photography.)

While long term work on the Sidmouth and East Beach Management Plan scheme, which aims to reduce the rate of erosion, is being carried out, the cabinet recently voted to pause the current working option to review other possible options now that the scheme is eligible for more government funding.

A spokesman for East Devon District Council (EDDC) said that the risk of cliff falls is well signed in this area, so members of the public should adhere to warnings to stay well clear of the cliffs and not access East Beach as it is closed for safety reasons, but that no immediate work was planned to address the recent cliff falls.

They added: “The locations of the recent cliff falls at East Beach/Pennington Point are outside land owned and managed by East Devon District Council.

“The risk of cliff falls is well signed in this area, so members of the public should adhere to warnings to stay well clear of the cliffs and not access East Beach as it is closed for safety reasons.

“Cliff falls are a natural and unpredictable occurrence along the East Devon coast, this is because the rock from which the cliffs are formed is soft and therefore prone to rock falls and landslides, which can happen at any time, although heavy rainfall can trigger incidences.

“We recommend that people enjoy East Devon cliffs from a distance and do not climb or sit directly beneath them. Please always follow the warning signs.

“Work on the Sidmouth and East Beach Management Plan (BMP) scheme continues. It aims to reduce the risk of flooding to Sidmouth by maintaining the standard of defences along Sidmouth beach and to reduce the rate of erosion to the cliffs east of the town (and therefore the rate of exposure of the east side of Sidmouth to coastal conditions).

“The EDDC Cabinet recently voted to pause the current working option to review other possible options now that the scheme is eligible for more government funding.

“A sub group is currently reviewing the scope for this and will report back at the next BMP advisory group in July.

“A temporary rock revetment on East Beach and planning permission for this will be explored if the new scheme means a delay to work starting.”

Simon Jupp is lobbying hard for the hospitality sector. But wasn’t last year’s “Eat out to help out” campaign thought to have been a significant factor in fuelling the second wave? – Owl

Simon Jupp Conservative, East Devon

East Devon is back open for business, but step into any pub, café, hotel or restaurant and it is clear that it is struggling with the impact of social distancing. Does my right hon. Friend agree with me that social distancing in hospitality must go next month to give these businesses a fighting chance of survival?

Steve Barclay The Chief Secretary to the Treasury

My hon. Friend is right to highlight the importance of the review of social distancing that the Government are committed to undertaking, and that will obviously shape the approach. We have said that we will have a review, and we are very committed to that. The future beyond step 4 will therefore need to be taken in the round, shaped by the data in that review.

Anyone spotted our mystery man on his mission: as we head towards summer and hopefully some more fine weather, I plan to visit as many pubs as possible in the patch.?

After experiencing a stint of warm weather across the county over the last few days, many of us have flocked to our local beauty spots in order to take advantage of the glorious sunshine.

Chloe Parkman www.devonlive.com

Beaches and parks have been packed out across Devon with people settling down for picnics and barbecues.

However, it appears that after their outing, some groups have left decided to leave a little more than just their footprints in the sand.

On Saturday, June 12, one Exmouth resident – who wishes to remain anonymous – discovered mounds of litter left by louts on the Maer including 300 hippy crack canisters.

The anonymous litter picker says that the waste was likely a result of a ‘party’ the group had the night before.

The rubbish pile was a mixture of plastic bottles, glass bottles and empty cardboard boxes as well as the canisters.

And it’s not the first time these silver bullet-like canisters have been spotted strewn across parks and public spaces in Devon.

Last year, Devon Live reported that these Nitrous Oxide canisters or what is more commonly referred to as “nos”, ”hippy crack” or “laughing gas” was increasingly prevalent throughout lockdown.

Although they may look harmless, they are the evidence of a drug-craze that frequently sweeps the country in the sunny months.

Mounds of rubbish found on the Maer in Exmouth (Image: Anonymous)

The drug is sold cheaply online making it easily accessible. It is often sold supposedly to make soda or whipped cream.

In 2015 Devon and Cornwall Police issued a warning to youngsters about the dangers of inhaling the gas after finding cannisters littered around a Devon town.

Police said some people have been taking to the gas for a “cheap and quick high, starving the brain of oxygen.”

A spokesperson for the police said at the time: “We have noticed an increase in used Nitrous Oxide canisters scattered around the town.

“They can cause instantaneous death through cardiac arrest or other life threatening conditions. Fainting, dizziness and a decrease in mental performance are minor side effects but the risk of ongoing health issues is well documented.”

Is this another Orpington moment as the Liberal Democrats take the safest of safe Conservative seats?

The constituency of Chesham and Amersham has been Tory ever since it was formed in 1974. A conservative majority of 16,223 has been swept away and replaced by a Lib Dem majority of 8,028.

Owl thinks this is a vote of no confidence in the Tory planning reforms.

Heather Stewart http://www.theguardian.com 

The Liberal Democrats have pulled off an extraordinary victory in the Buckinghamshire constituency of Chesham and Amersham, taking the formerly safe seat from the Tories in a byelection.

In a shock result, Lib Dem Sarah Green secured 21,517 votes, leaving the Conservative Peter Fleet trailing with 13,489, and giving the Lib Dems a majority of 8,028.

The contest was called after the death of the local MP Cheryl Gillan, who had represented the constituency since 1992 and held it in 2019 with a majority of 16,223.

Ed Davey’s party will hope the surprise win shows that a swath of seats across the home counties could now be within their grasp at the next general election.

Davey said his party secured a huge swing of 25 points to win Chesham and Amersham, claiming: “The Tory ‘blue wall’ is beginning to crumble … This is a huge victory for the Liberal Democrats. The people of Chesham and Amersham have sent a shockwave through British politics.

“We were told it was impossible for any party to beat the Tories here in Buckinghamshire. We were told this seat was too safe and the Tories too strong. This Liberal Democrat win has proved them utterly wrong.”

Green said she was “humbled by the faith you have placed in me” and promised she would hold the government to account.

“This Conservative party has taken people across the country for granted for far too long,” she said.

Senior Conservative figures including party co-chair Amanda Milling had poured into Chesham and Amersham to canvass in recent days, determined to show that the “blue wall” across the home counties remains intact.

Boris Johnson also made a visit to the area to back Fleet earlier this month, telling local paper the Bucks Free Press (BFP): “I think he’s a superb candidate, he’s a local man, he’s lived here for a while and has a long career in business. He has a huge amount to offer parliament and the constituents.”

The prime minister highlighted hopes of turning the nearby Chilterns into a national park, and ensuring that development takes place on brownfield land, not the green belt. And he claimed that if Fleet won, he would be the tallest Tory MP. The BFP said the MP, who towered over Johnson as they toured the streets, was “around 6ft 9in”.

The result will alarm Tory strategists at Conservative HQ. Johnson has made significant gains in former Labour-held areas in the Midlands and the north-east, including snatching the Hartlepool seat from Keir Starmer’s party last month in a rare gain for a governing party in a byelection.

But he also needs to avoid alienating his party’s more traditional supporters.

Some home counties Tory MPs, including former prime minister Theresa May, who represents Maidenhead, and Damian Green, whose seat is Ashford, in Kent, have recently been highly critical of Conservative policies, including Johnson’s planning reforms and his cuts to overseas aid.

The Lib Dems appear to have succeeded in picking off disenchanted Conservative voters in Thursday’s byelection, and Davey will hope it marks the beginning of a renaissance for his party after a very disappointing performance in the 2019 general election.

At last month’s local elections, the Lib Dems took control of Amersham town council.

Lib Dem activists on the ground had insisted the race for the seat looked “neck and neck”, with former Tory voters on the doorsteps complaining they felt neglected by the governing party.

The Lib Dems said the government’s proposed planning reforms had also featured heavily in the campaign.

Turnout in the byelection was just over 52%. Green candidate Carolyne Culver got 1,480 votes, with Labour’s Natasa Pantelic receiving 622.

(Owl hopes Simon Jupp keeps testing himself before he goes on his well publicised pub crawl)

Chloe Parkman www.devonlive.com

According to the latest figures, there are currently 37 coronavirus clusters across Devon, with one area of the county containing more cases than any other.

Figures released by the Government on June 16, relating to positive coronavirus cases between June 5 and June 11, show that Exeter has nine areas reporting a cluster.

A cluster is when more than two positive coronavirus cases are recorded in the same seven-day-period in one area.

Central Exeter has the highest case rate across the city, which is divided into 15 Middle Layer Super Output Areas [MSOA], with 15 cases recorded between June 5 and 11, with a rate of 124.1 cases per 100,000 people.

The figures released today (June 16) show Exeter recorded two new clusters, along with one in West Devon, one in Torbay and two in Plymouth.

The MSOA areas which currently contain the most cases in Devon are Exeter Central with 15 cases, Pennsylvania and University with 12 cases and Teignmouth South with 6 cases.

The Government’s coronavirus cluster map splits the country into areas of roughly 7,500 people, based on the 2011 census, known as Middle Super Output Areas (MSOAs).

The map highlights areas where three or more coronavirus cases have been reported for a week period, with the numbers coming off of the map a week after being confirmed positive.

Areas not highlighted do not necessarily have no coronavirus cases in them, as the data does not highlight or count areas with less than three cases in order to protect individuals privacy – meaning that if an area has one or two cases, it will display as 0 to 2 cases.

Below we take a look at the current coronavirus clusters across Devon: New Positives 05-June to 11-June

Note: The figure on the left is how many Covid cases there currently are in the area and the figure in () is how many Covid cases there were in the area yesterday.

Areas in Devon that are not listed below are not currently showing a cluster, but could have up to two positive cases in the seven-day-period.

Exeter / East Devon

East Devon Honiton South & West 3 (0)

Exeter Pennsylvania & University 12 (10)

Exeter Mincinglake & Beacon Heath 4 (4)

Exeter St James’s Park & Hoopern 5 (4)

Exeter Heavitree West & Polsloe 3 (4)

Exeter Heavitree East & Whipton South 5 (4)

Exeter Central Exeter 15 (11)

Exeter St Leonard’s 4 (4)

Exeter St Thomas East 3 (0)

Exeter Middlemoor & Sowton 4 (3)

Mid Devon

Mid Devon Bampton, Holcombe & Westleigh 4 (3)

Mid Devon Cullompton 5 (3)

Mid Devon Crediton 3 (3)

North Devon

North Devon Woolacombe, Georgeham & Croyde 3 (3)

North Devon South Molton 4 (3)

South Hams

South Hams Kingsbridge 4 (4)

Teignbridge

Teignbridge Tedburn, Shillingford & Higher Ashton 3 (3)

Teignbridge Teignmouth South 6 (6)

West Devon

West Devon Okehampton 5(5)

West Devon Lifton, Lamerton & Bridestowe 3 (0)

West Devon Tavistock 3 (3)

Torbay

Torbay Brixham Town 3 (0)

Plymouth

Plymouth Glenholt & Widewell 6 (4)

Plymouth Higher Compton & Eggbuckland 5 (5)

Plymouth North Prospect 3 (3)

Plymouth Keyham 5 (4)

Plymouth Plympton St Mary 3 (3)

Plymouth Plympton Underwood 3 (0)

Plymouth Ford & Blockhouse Park 3 (3)

Plymouth Efford, Laira & Crabtree 4 (3)

Plymouth Plympton St Maurice 3 (3)

Plymouth Mutley 6 (6)

Plymouth Lipson 4 (4)

Plymouth City Centre, Barbican & Sutton Harbour 4 (4)

Plymouth Cattedown & Prince Rock 3 (0)

Plymouth Millbay & Stonehouse 5 (6)

Plymouth Plymstock Hooe & Oreston 3 (3)

“I’d encourage anyone currently looking for work to take advantage of the opportunities available. Everyone else can do their bit by visiting their local pubs, restaurants, cafés, bars and hotels and supporting them by enjoying a drink or a meal.”

(With scary photo)

No mention of the hospitality industry being seasonal and poorly paid. An example of “I’m all right Jack”? – Owl

Banging the drum for hospitality in East Devon is such an important thing to do

Simon Jupp www.devonlive.com

I have always enjoyed the comforting surroundings of a traditional British boozer. The ambiance, the local chatter, the chance to catch up with friends over a pint and a decent plate of homecooked food. Our pubs are something to be proud of and must be protected.

The hospitality sector has faced almighty challenges over the last year or so. Pubs, bars, cafés, hotels and restaurants have all endured a rollercoaster of a ride as restrictions were put in place to tackle the pandemic.

Venues across East Devon have shown flexibility, ingenuity, and vigour in adapting to the temporary rules to ensure a safe and secure experience for us all.

We have a part to play too. We should be patient when it comes to table service and to understand that staff are doing the best they can to take and deliver orders in good time.

MPs Neil Parish and Simon Jupp at The Greyhound Country Inn at Fenny Bridges.

Being asked to use your smartphone to register being in a venue or reminded to use a face covering when moving around might annoy some customers, but the staff are simply doing what is being asked of them until the restrictions are removed. Sadly, as we learnt earlier this week, these rules will be in place for a few more weeks.

I have spoken to several owners and managers in the hospitality sector locally and I know finding staff is becoming another challenge that needs to be overcome.

Next time you are out in your part of Devon, look at the recruitment signs on display outside pubs and restaurants seeking staff. Local online websites are also carrying adverts from businesses looking to hire people. It’s not until you start looking that you see the demand is quickly growing.

Hospitality is the backbone of East Devon. Its prominence and contribution to the local economy is vital. I sometimes feel that we do not properly acknowledge the importance of this sector in terms of how staff are viewed or valued. By this, I don’t necessarily mean by their employers, but by us as customers.

In countries such as France or Spain, working as serving staff or behind a bar is viewed as a lifelong vocation. Sadly, I think some people in the UK wrongly view such jobs as simply menial or a stopgap. They simply aren’t. A lifelong rewarding career is possible. We need to change the perception and recognise how hospitality staff are not only necessary to have a vibrant and successful local economy, but also act as ambassadors for East Devon whenever they interactive with a customer or a tourist.

My door is always open to any business in the constituency that requires support or assistance. I am keen to hear of any ideas of how we can beat the challenge of finding and retaining staff in the hospitality sector.

As we head towards summer and hopefully some more fine weather, I plan to visit as many pubs as possible in the patch. I will also be launching a dedicated website featuring all the pubs in East Devon which I hope will allow you to discover a gem or two that you currently may not be aware of.

I am committed to doing what I can to support any hospitality venue or business of any nature in my constituency as I’m acutely aware many financial support schemes taper off soon. If you would like to speak with me or organise a visit, please make contact via my website www.simonjupp.org.uk

Banging the drum for hospitality in East Devon is such an important thing to do. I’d encourage anyone currently looking for work to take advantage of the opportunities available. Everyone else can do their bit by visiting their local pubs, restaurants, cafés, bars and hotels and supporting them by enjoying a drink or a meal.

We have some of the best hospitality businesses in the country, so let’s come together and give them a helping hand when they need it most.

Bruising and deliciously embarrassing, but does this amount to a “smoking gun”?

The big question is why Boris (and Michael Gove before that) hired him in the first place – Owl

Jessica Elgot www.theguardian.com

Dominic Cummings has delivered yet more incendiary claims – backed up with some new evidence – in an attempt to tackle what he says is an “Orwellian” rewriting of history by the government about mistakes made during the Covid pandemic.

In a more than 7,000-word essay published on the online platform Substack, he made a series of allegations under the broad headline: “The PM on Hancock: ‘totally fucking hopeless’”.

Just as he did during his testimony to MPs three weeks ago, Cummings repeatedly accused the health secretary of talking nonsense, being slippery and blaming others for his own mistakes – claims the health secretary has strenuously denied.

Cummings’s key claims included:

Lockdown modelling: late and chaotic

Cummings published three key Cobra documents from meetings in early March which he said showed the government intended to pursue a herd immunity strategy by September.

The first document said the government “seeks to avoid” a high second peak of the virus in the autumn when the NHS would be overstretched and that that would be exacerbated by “very stringent social and behavioural interventions like China” because the virus would surge after lockdown ended.

The second document showed the interventions the government were considering and its effect on intensive care unit capacity. It reveals the most stringent intervention that was modelled was case isolation and social distancing for over-70s. It did not show any modelling for a full “stay at home” lockdown.

A final document suggested there would be 250,000 dead after the “optimal single peak strategy”, with herd immunity by September.

Cummings also published “whiteboard” plans shown to the PM urging a shift to a lockdown strategy on 14 March, as well as mass testing and increasing NHS capacity. Cummings insisted this was the first time a lockdown scenario had been modelled.

He said both Hancock and the Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, had wanted to delay the introduction of quarantining those with symptoms because a helpline was not ready and were overruled. “Both of them have misled the public about this,” he said.

Hancock told MPs that a plan for suppression had been published on 3 March – the contain-delay-mitigate strategy, a document Cummings called “embarrassingly awful”.

Testing: ‘Hancock “hopeless”, but PM does nothing’

In his blogpost, Cummings said Hancock’s select committee hearing had “muddied the waters” about the goal – suggesting he had opposed it – and disclosed text messages to prove he had pushed to ramp up testing. “I was pushing the system on testing weeks before Hancock’s announcement and to build a system for 1m per day,” he said.

What he had opposed, he said, was the “chaos” where Hancock “blurted out his 100k target to the media” and said the health secretary had taken the opportunity while both Cummings and Johnson were ill with Covid.

In a text message to a WhatsApp group including the prime minister, Hancock, Chris Whitty, Patrick Vallance and the then director of communications, Lee Cain, Cummings raised the goal of 100,000 tests a day.

Cummings said Hancock had misled the meeting when the goal was agreed, including saying that the current hold-up was with the Treasury. On 26 March, Cummings texted the PM saying that Hancock was falling behind on his testing promises and it would mean tens of thousands of NHS staff could be absent.

The prime minister texted back saying: “Totally fucking hopeless.”

However, Cummings said Johnson never confronted Hancock – “he would never say to him, despite dozens of requests from two cabinet secretaries, me and other ministers and officials”.

Cummings said the 100,000 goal had distracted from other crucial issues including care homes during April – “distorting priorities across the system so that he [Hancock] could hold a successful press conference”.

Care homes: Hancock’s ‘new version of reality’

One of the biggest scandals of the first Covid wave was that hospital patients were being discharged into adult social care homes without being tested for Covid – seeding the virus into vulnerable and elderly people.

Cummings accused Hancock of “creating a new version of reality” by claiming the government “threw a protective ring” around care homes. He said the health secretary “neglected” care homes throughout April 2020 because he was “trying to focus effort on his press conference” at the end of the month, where he wanted to triumphantly declare his testing target had been met.

Having returned to work on 13 April following his Covid illness and trips to Durham and Barnard Castle, Cummings said that despite Hancock’s assurance that people would be tested before being moved from hospitals to care homes, that was not happening and “there was still no plan to do so”.

Two days later, Cummings said, No 10 was told that a lot of tests were not being used because Hancock’s department had “left in place rules that were limiting those eligible for tests, despite care homes screaming”.

Despite this, “the care homes nightmare continued”, said the former No 10 aide.

Then on 3 May, Cummings recalled he wrote to Johnson: “I think we are negligently killing the most vulnerable who we are supposed to be shielding and I am extremely worried about it.” A few days later, Cummings said, he and No 10 dug into Hancock’s denial of any problem – and ended up concluding the health secretary’s “failures and dishonesty made him unfit for his job” given “there was still no serious testing in care homes and this was killing people”.

PPE: the system collapsed

Also vital to stopping the virus spreading in hospitals and care homes, and ensuring staff did not go off sick, was personal protective equipment (PPE).

“The lack of PPE killed NHS and care home staff in March-May,” was Cummings’s blunt assessment. He said Hancock had given a “fictitious” account of the procurement of items such as aprons, gloves and face shields.

He added this was another subject on which Hancock and No 10 were “creating a new version of reality”, saying that the government’s procurement operation had “collapsed” and stuck to old rules when it should have been operating on a “wartime mentality”.

The health secretary insisted PPE was “all under control” on 26 March – leading to wasted weeks where problems were not solved, Cummings said, adding Hancock sought to blame the chancellor, Cabinet Office and chief executive of NHS England, Simon Stevens.

“The cabinet secretary [Mark Sedwill] told the PM’s office that Hancock’s claims were false,” Cummings said. “The lack of PPE killed NHS and care home staff in March-May.”

Hancock “had to be removed from crucial decisions”, said Cummings, meaning procuring PPE was handed to Lord Deighton – a Tory peer who was judged to have led well the 2012 London Olympics organising committee.

Officials were flatly contradicting Hancock’s insistence that PPE was not running short, Cummings said, with civil servants telling him most deliveries of the items would only arrive after the first wave in April.

By 20 April, Cummings said, Hancock’s department had only just set up a 24/7 payments system for procurement with Asia. “Imagine if NHS staff wearing bin bags had realised that DHSC had not even set up a round-the-clock system at this point, imagine the rage in No 10 when we discovered this,” the ex-aide said.

“At this time NHS staff were screaming for PPE. The dashboard daily meetings showed we were running out of critical items such as gowns. Reports flooded in of hospitals having run out or on the brink of running out and begging for supplies. Hancock caused further chaos by repeated briefing to the media about how new loads were flying in, bluffing his way through meeting after meeting – his whole routine.”

Cummings also teased the release of further information, saying Hancock had given “a fictitious account of what happened on masks” but that he would “leave that to another day”.

Boris Johnson: wants to ‘make money and have fun’

Hancock may have been the main target of Dominic Cummings’s ire, but the spurned former adviser also levels a series of charges at the prime minister. He claimed Johnson’s administration could not be trusted, and would “unravel”, urging Johnson’s opponents to start preparing now for “what comes next”.

Cummings was particularly preoccupied with what he claimed were No 10’s efforts to rewrite the history of the early days of the pandemic, by claiming “herd immunity” was never the government’s plan A.

He lays the blame for what he saw as these lies firmly on Johnson’s shoulders, accusing him of “trying to influence officials/advisers to support the rewriting of history” and “encouraging ministers to give false accounts to parliament”.

Cummings also claimed that what he saw as Johnson’s protection of Hancock sent a damaging signal: that “a secretary of state will be rewarded despite repeated incompetence and dishonesty and the government machine will seek to rewrite history in Orwellian fashion because the PM thinks it in his personal interests to do so”.

Of course, many at Westminster felt Johnson’s protection of Cummings over his lockdown-busting trip to Durham a year ago sent a pretty strong signal, too.

Cummings also said the prime minister had a “clear plan”, not to “go on and on” but to step down two years after the next general election, to “make money and have fun”.

Finally, Cummings gave an excruciating account of the way Johnson chairs meetings – claiming he told rambling stories and jokes and avoided any difficult issues, urging colleagues to “take it offline”, before shouting “forward to victory”, doing a thumbs-up and fleeing the room before anybody could disagree.

Despite Cummings’s lengthy and occasionally rambling analysis, the health committee chair, Jeremy Hunt, pointed out in a Twitter thread that he has yet to produce any evidence that definitively shows Hancock lied to the prime minister.

Following on from yesterday’s post on main parties in three-way fight for two East Devon by-elections.

A Progressive Alliance between Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens would see 58 seats wiped from the Conservative’s majority, new polling figures have revealed.

By Unibeez www.thelondoneconomic.com 

Electoral Calculus research run on behalf of the Constitution Society found Boris Johnson’s party would return just 307 MPs if the three parties joined forces.

That’s down significantly from the number of MPs they currently have following a landslide election victory in December 2019.

— Election Maps UK (@ElectionMapsUK) June 15, 2021

Oxfordshire

In the local elections in May, Liberal Democrat, Labour and Green councillors in Oxfordshire agreed to “put their differences aside” in the interest of local residents to form a coalition.

With no party winning the 32-seat majority required leaders from the parties have formed the Oxfordshire Fair Deal Alliance that is anchored in “the principles shared across our manifestos, with climate change and the environment at their heart.”

It echoes a similar allegiance struck in Stroud, which was renewed after the May 6th election.

Cllr Doina Cornell said the alliance has “achieved so much for the district over these last nine years, protecting and investing in our communities instead of cutting back.”

Labour drubbings

On the national front, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has embarked on some serious soul searching following drubbings for the party across the regions.

Labour lost control of eight councils and shed some 326 councillors all told, with the biggest defeats coming in Hartlepool, where a Conservative MP was elected for the first time in 62 years, and in County Durham, which saw Labour lose overall control of the council for the first time since 1925.

It follows on from the 2019 general election which saw Labour suffer one of its worst results in living memory.

The election saw much of the so-called Red Wall turn blue, with seats such as Workington, Tony Blair’s former constituency of Sedgefield and Bolsover, which had been Dennis Skinner’s seat since 1970, fall to the Conservatives.

The scale of the defeat, which was underpinned by ongoing Brexit issues, has led many people to suggest that the only way forward for Labour is through an alliance with other parties.

Boris Johnson described Matt Hancock as “totally fucking hopeless” during the early stages of the pandemic, concerned by the health secretary’s promises on testing, text messages published by Dominic Cummings have revealed.

Jessica Elgot www.theguardian.com 

Writing on Substack, the prime minister’s former chief aide published a slew of texts and documents from emergency Cobra meetings that he said would combat what he called “lies” from Downing Street and the health secretary about the initial handling of the pandemic.

Cummings had been asked to hand over documents to a select committee inquiry into the pandemic but did not meet the committee’s deadline before Hancock gave evidence last week.

In his post, Cummings said:

• Johnson considered removing all responsibility for PPE from Hancock and putting Michael Gove in charge.
• No strategy for full lockdown was modelled until 14 March, and he published documents predicting 250,000 deaths in the first wave.
• Johnson told “rambling stories and jokes” during emergency meetings and refused to ask awkward questions from officials.
• Johnson intends to quit after the next election in order to make more money.

Cummings said Hancock had come up with a “new version of reality” that he had been responsible for pushing the increase in testing capacity, and that the health secretary had been pursuing the abandoned single-peak, herd immunity strategy until 16 March.

“Testing, like vaccines, was removed from his control in May because of his incompetence and dishonesty,” Cummings wrote on Substack.

He said Hancock told No 10 that the supply of PPE was “all under control” in the week of 23 March, which Cummings said was a false assurance and meant weeks were wasted that could have been used to source equipment.

“If No 10 is prepared to lie so deeply and widely about such vital issues of life and death last year, it cannot be trusted now either on Covid or any other crucial issue of war and peace,” he wrote.

“Hancock continues to have direct responsibility for things like dealing with variants and care homes. Having such a secretary of state in a key role is guaranteed disaster. It is urgent for public safety that he is removed.”

He said Johnson had been “encouraging ministers to give false accounts to parliament” and that the public inquiry would not sufficiently hold the prime minister to account. He said Johnson intended to quit two years after the next election in order to “make money” and move on from politics.

“So we either live with chronic dysfunction for another five years or some force intervenes,” he wrote.

WhatsApp messages published by Dominic Cummings. Photograph: https://dominiccummings.substack.com/

Cummings said he had been torn about publishing private WhatsApp messages but Hancock had challenged him at the select committee to provide evidence and suggested his account was false.

In text messages published on the blog, Cummings said Hancock had told the morning meeting on 24 March there would be 10,000 tests a day by 30 March and 100,000 a day within a month.

On 26 March, the day Johnson tested positive for Covid, Cummings texted the prime minister saying Hancock’s testing plans were in chaos and that the health secretary would not meet his 10,000 tests pledge.

According to the picture on Cummings’ blog, Johnson wrote: “Totally fucking hopeless.”

The prime minister repeated his view of Hancock’s performance in a number of other messages, according to Cummings.

Cummings said that when he returned to work on 13 April 2020 following his own Covid illness and trips to Durham and Barnard Castle, it became clear that Hancock’s promise that people would be tested before being moved from hospitals to care homes had not been implemented, and that “there was still no plan to do so”.

A similar “nightmare” was also under way with the procurement of ventilators, according to Cummings. He said a health department official told him they had been turning down machines because prices were rising. Attaching a WhatsApp purportedly from Johnson, he said the prime minister pointed the finger of blame at Hancock, saying “he has been useless”.

Whatsapp messages purportedly between Johnson and Cummings. Photograph: https://dominiccummings.substack.com/

In another series of WhatsApp messages released by Cummings, Johnson apparently told his aide on 27 April that PPE procurement was a disaster, adding: “I can’t think of anything except taking Hancock off and putting Gove on.”

Cummings said he told Johnson on 3 May: “I think we are negligently killing the most vulnerable who we are supposed to be shielding and I am extremely worried about it,” because testing was still not being properly distributed to care homes. He said the prime minister agreed Hancock’s “failures and dishonesty made him unfit for his job” but refused to take any action.

Even by the start of May, Cummings said, the government had still not adopted a “wartime mentality” and when the prime minister chaired important meetings, Johnson would ramble and tell jokes.

“As soon as things get ‘a bit embarrassing’ [he] does the whole ‘let’s take it offline’ shtick before shouting ‘forward to victory’, doing a thumbs up and pegging it out of the room before anybody can disagree.”

As well as text messages from Johnson, Cummings also published a Cobra document from early March that argued for herd immunity by September to avoid a second peak in the winter and more pressure on the NHS.

The document did not include the possibility of a full “stay at home” lockdown strategy and suggested there would be 250,000 people dead after the “optimal single peak strategy”, with herd immunity by September.

Cummings said he told Johnson on 14 March 2020 that many more than 250,000 would die. “I said the public would march up Downing Street and lynch him,” Cummings wrote.

He published whiteboard plans shown to the PM by himself and Ben Warner, a data scientist, urging a shift to a lockdown strategy on 14 March as well as mass testing and increasing NHS capacity. Cummings said that was the first time a lockdown scenario was modelled.

Hancock told MPs that a plan for suppression was published on 3 March – the contain-delay-mitigate strategy. Cummings said the document was based on the logic that the UK would not implement any suppression measures.

“Obviously this embarrassingly awful document, which will be remembered as a case study in failure for decades to come, in no sense set out what we actually did, as everybody can see,” he said. “That ‘plan’ was sending us to catastrophe so we ditched it.”

Dear Supporter

The Campaign has written to the chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee asking the Committee to investigate the role of the Cabinet Office in relation to the Freedom of Information Act and the wider problem of enforcement of the Act’s timeliness requirements.

The letter states:

“We understand that a number of organisations have written to you expressing concern about the FOI clearing house’s role in light of the First-tier Tribunal’s recent decision in Cabinet Office v ICO and Jenna Corderoy. We share that concern. We also think the requirement that departments consult the clearing house about sensitive FOI requests may contribute to the unacceptable delays experienced by many FOI requesters. We documented these in our recent evidence to the Committee’s Greensill inquiry.

The Corderoy decision highlighted significant failings by the Cabinet Office. It failed to correctly describe the contents of its ‘round robin’ lists, misleading its own minister, the Information Commissioner and the tribunal by suggesting the information was more sensitive than it actually was. It took eight months instead of 20 working days to carry out the required internal review and two and a half years to identify one of the exemptions it ultimately relied on. The tribunal has responded by effectively inviting the parties to apply for the Cabinet Office to be ordered to pay their legal costs. Such failings are not new – see: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40189828. It is a matter of concern that the Cabinet Office, which deals with its own requests so negligently, is responsible for advising other departments on their requests.

We hope the Committee will also examine the wider question of whether the Information Commissioner could do more to address the chronic delays that prevent the timely release of information. Although the ICO’s data protection role has been regularly examined by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, its FOI role has not been subject to parliamentary scrutiny since the Justice Committee’s post legislative scrutiny of the FOI Act in 2012.”

Read the full letter here.

Katherine Gundersen

Campaign for Freedom of Information

Construction industry experts warn that an exodus of skilled EU workers is increasingly leading to serious staff shortages and therefore damage the sector and delay a range of projects, primarily as a result of Brexit as well as Covid-19.

Michiel Willems www.cityam.com

The ONS said recently that the non-British resident population declined in the year through June 2020, with the biggest decrease among citizens of EU8 countries at -135,000 people.

This groups include migrants from Poland, Estonia and Slovenia, which make up 26 per cent of the UK’s construction sector.

Jason Tema, director of property development firm Clearview Developments, said immediate government intervention is needed to avoid further staff shortages.

“Whilst the departure of EU-born construction professionals might only marginally open up job opportunities for some British workers, a drop of qualified industry staff of this scale will inevitably lead to severe staff shortages,” Tema told City A.M.

“As a result, project completions could face major delays. It’s yet another hurdle for the UK’s construction sector to overcome at a time when the industry is already behind target to build new private market as well as affordable homes,” he added.

Fewer homes

The BBC’s Housing Briefing last year estimated that the UK has built 1.2m fewer homes than it should have, and the need for more homes continues to rise.

The calculations suggest it will take a minimum of 15 years at current building rates to close the gap and that not enough of what is being built is affordable.

The Migration and Construction report, published by the Construction Industry Training Body (CITB), previously warned that recruitment agencies believe the UK’s new, point-based immigration system will lead to a 40 per cent decrease in the number of skilled construction workers coming to the UK.

At the same time, the report forecasted a decrease in the number of ‘low skilled’ construction workers working in the UK of 58 per cent.

“The government needs to reconsider the newly proposed visa process and allow construction workers a concession, given the characteristics of the sector. For example, staff are self-employed, paid under CIS and given the nature of project-based positions, the need for spoken and written English does not need to be on par with sectors that are delivering a professional service or are people-facing,” Tema continued.

“For years, thousands of temporary EU workers have shaped construction sites with the provision of their labour and the government needs to recognise and give support to that for the sector to continue to flourish,” he concluded.

The US is investigating claims that China responded to a leak at a nuclear power station that posed an “imminent radiological threat” by raising the safety limit to keep it open.

[This story coincides with: “Fire confirmed at Hinkley Point after smoke cloud seen from afar” www.somersetlive.co.uk]

Adam Sage, Paris | Didi Tang, Beijing www.thetimes.co.uk 

Instead of shutting the new generation European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) at Taishan in the southern province of Guangdong, Chinese officials increased the authorised level of radiation, EDF, the French state energy group, is said to have told Washington.

EDF, which designed the new reactors, is also involved in a joint venture with China General Nuclear Power Group to build two EPRs at Hinkley Point in Somerset.

Officials are said to have concluded that there was no severe safety threat to workers or people living near the plant. The Biden administration has decided that the incident at Taishan has yet to reach “crisis level”.

However, EDF hinted that information was being withheld by the Chinese. In a statement the French state group demanded an extraordinary meeting of the joint venture running the plant “to present all the data and the necessary decisions”.

This is the headline of the Devon Live article (see below) announcing the candidates for the Feniton and the Honiton St Michaels ward by-elections.

Unfortunately, a macho three-way “bare fist, winner takes all” fight is the way the national political parties would like to see it play out. 

But two of them are misguided to the point of deluded naivety if they really think this is the way to give the voters the choice of an alternative to the Tories. 

Repeatedly taking part in local elections, just for the sake of it, splitting the opposition vote and losing, isn’t the way, in Owl’s opinion, to increase your credibility with the electorate.

In fact, there is no natural majority support for the Tories here in East Devon local politics. Since 2019 the Tories only have just over a third of the seats in East Devon and despite having won two thirds of the Devon County seats this May, they did so on only 42% of the votes. But splitting the opposition vote will assuredly let them in.

Historically, the strong influence of religious nonconformity coupled with the independent nature of rural industries such as fishing and farming has produced a radical streak in Devon politics. For years it was the bedrock of liberalism. It could be again.

However, we live in strange times, in a fragmented political landscape, with no real prospect, under the first past the post system, that either Labour or the Liberal Democrats could win the next general election. 

The gradual emergence of alliances and coalitions in Local politics, is being chronicled on East Devon Watch. They are locally led and gaining momentum. So why do Labour and the Lib Dems insist on fielding a candidate  in every election? Where is any sign of them working together? 

This is the politics of self-indulgence, not politics for the people.

Unashamedly in this post, Owl is going to try to knock some sense into Labour and Lib Dem heads with a no-holds review of their candidates. Two are strong but two are weak no-hopers. Their parties should be smart enough to see this for themselves. If it’s any consolation to them, Owl thinks both Tory candidates are also weak. But with a split opposition they are likely to win. This would be an awful outcome for both wards.

Feniton

This ward is vacant following Cllr Susie Bond’s move to Berkshire to be closer to family and the end of virtual meetings, meaning it is no longer practical for her to carry on in the role. (How long has she been telecommuting from Berkshire?). However, she did return to vote at the annual meeting, supporting Cllr Andrew Moulding for Leader. Someone about as old and stale a member of the “Old Guard” as you can find. Inexplicable behaviour for a supposed Independent councillor.

Privately, Owl has always thought she was one of those councillors who were “really-not-very-independent-at-all-but-I probably-wouldn’t have-got-in-if-I-still-called-myself-Tory”.

This ward will be contested between Linda Baden (Labour), Alasdair Bruce (Conservatives), and Todd Olive (Liberal Democrats).

Alasdair Bruce (brother of Fiona) stood against East Devon Alliance Paul Hayward for Yarty, in the Tory rout of 2019 and lost by a substantial margin. Not exactly a strong candidate.

Todd Olive came a close second to the Tories in this May’s by-election for the district council seat formerly held by Kathy Mclauchlan (Independent Whimple and Rockbeare), where he received 44% of the vote and is learning how to campaign fast.

Against these, Linda Baden looks to be a candidate in name only with simply no chance of success.

Honiton St Michaels

This ward is vacant after Cllr Luke Jeffery, Lib Dem, stepped down to focus on his University course.

The ward will be contested between Jake Bonetta (Labour), Jules Hoyles (Liberal Democrats) and Jenny Brown (Conservatives).

Here the picture Owl sees is very different.

Jenny Brown is the wife of Cllr. Colin Brown (current leader of EDDC Tory group). She has been a previous councillor but was rejected by Seaton voters in 2015. Owl places her in the mould or supporter of former EDDC councillor Sarah Randall-Johnson (SRJ) who, when leader of EEDC, was defeated by Claire Wright in 2011. A defeat that started the decline in Tory fortunes in EDDC.

SRJ’s style of abrasive Conservatism is amply chronicled in the EDW archive. See how she ignored a motion to debate hospital bed closures in 2017 – a Tory hardline policy we are living to regret.

Tory husband and wife teams aren’t new in EDDC. Sasha Swire outrageously described one pair as “toilet seats”, demonstrating that there is often little love lost between fellow Tories. 

The Conservatives look to be scraping the barrel in choosing Jenny Brown. She isn’t the candidate for the testing times of the post-covid years.

Jake Bonetta came a close second in the May 2021 County Council elections for the Feniton and Honiton Division with 38% of the vote. In this contest he is fighting directly on his home patch. He was born and bred in Honiton and has taken an active part in Honiton Forward which, amongst other things, seek better governance in Honiton Town Council.The “goings on” there are also well recorded in EDW.

An “impressive head on young shoulders”, Owl believes he is the sort of young blood local government needs more of. The 2019 election did see a welcome change in this direction amongst newly elected councillors, long may this trend continue.

Jules Hoyles was the spoiler candidate in the Axminster County election gaining 5% of the vote and could reprise the same role.

Spoiler alert on another race for second place with potentially dire consequences

Here is another example of just how potentially dangerous this tit-for-tat competition for second place can be.

Owl understands that Labour is putting up a candidate for the Upper Culm Valley Mid Devon District by-election, again splitting the vote. The Lib Dems currently hold Mid Devon, but if Conservatives win this seat, they take back Mid Devon. 

Owl hopes for the best but fears the worst. 

Main parties in three-way fight for two East Devon by-elections

Daniel Clark www.devonlive.com

The candidates for a pair of by-elections being held in East Devon have been announced – with both being a three-way fight between the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

Vacancies on the council have arisen in the Feniton and the Honiton St Michaels ward, with polls taking place on Thursday, July 8.

One of the Honiton St Michaels seats became available after Cllr Luke Jeffery stepped down to focus on his University course, while the Feniton seat is vacant following Cllr Susie Bond having moved to Berkshire to be closer to family and the end of virtual meetings, plus the allowing of by-elections again, meaning it is no longer practical for her to carry on in the role.

The list of candidates nominated in both seats have now been announced, with the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats all fielding a candidate in both wards.

In Feniton, the seat, which was held by an Independent, will be contested between Linda Baden (Labour), Alasdair Bruce (Conservatives), and Todd Olive (Liberal Democrats).

In Honiton St Michaels, which was held by the Liberal Democrats, the seat will be contested between Jake Bonetta (Labour), Jules Hoyles (Liberal Democrats) and Jenny Brown (Conservatives).

The by-elections will both take place on Thursday, July 8, with anyone wishing to vote needing to be registered by Tuesday, June 22.

Following the two resignations, the composition of East Devon District Council consists of Conservatives (21), East Devon Alliance (13), Independents (12), Liberal Democrats (7), Cranbrook Voice (3), and Green Party (2), with two seats vacant.

The council is currently run by a coalition of the East Devon Alliance, Liberal Democrats, Greens, and some of the Independents.

Ministers could be banned from lobbying for up to five years after leaving office and also face possible penalties if they break the rules, the anti-corruption watchdog has said.

Rajeev Syal www.theguardian.com 

Jonathan Evans, the chair of the committee on standards in public life, made the proposal in an emergency review published on Monday in the wake of the Greensill scandal.

The intervention by Lord Evans, a former head of MI5, is a response to claims that the rules continue to be flouted by former ministers, special advisers and senior civil servants once they leave office. His report demands an overhaul of the rules in an attempt to stop the revolving door in Whitehall that allows them to use their contacts and expertise for private gain.

Under current rules, ministers and senior civil servants are in effect banned from lobbying their former colleagues for two years after leaving their post.

The committee has also raised concerns that the system of appointing to public bodies may be leaning towards ministerial patronage and away from “merit”, following rows over Boris Johnson’s attempts to impose the former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre as the head of Ofcom.

No 10 is expected to wait until the final report from the committee later this year before saying which recommendations it might accept.

The report names David Cameron, the former prime minister under whom Evans served for three years as head of MI5, in concluding that the current rules are inadequate, and says ministers should disclose informal lobbying over WhatsApp and text messages in future.

Cameron texted Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, on behalf of Greensill Capital, a finance firm that employed him as a lobbyist and the collapse of which has put thousands of jobs at risk. He asked the government to change the rules to allow it to receive Covid corporate financing facility loans.

It has since emerged that he subjected Matt Hancock, the health secretary, and other ministers to a deluge of WhatsApp messages and texts, including 56 messages over a single Covid loan scheme.

As there were more than two years between his resignation as prime minister and taking up his role at the failed financial firm, Cameron’s actions were permissible under current rules.

Lex Greensill, an Australian financier, was given access to 11 Whitehall departments, having previously been appointed as an official government adviser without any transparency.

Cameron told MPs last month there was “absolutely no wrongdoing” in his lobbying attempts, but accepted that former prime ministers must “act differently”.

The report forms part of the committee’s “landscape review of standards”.

The committee also proposes: introducing anti-lobbying clauses into the employment contracts of ministers, special advisers and civil servants; designing a system of possible civil penalties for rule-breakers; banning ministers from taking jobs for two years in sectors over which they had direct responsibility in office; and giving the appointments watchdog the power to apply tailored restrictions, including banning ex-ministers from taking certain jobs for up to five years “where appropriate”.

It also calls for new rules so that the government releases details of lobbying every four weeks, rather than quarterly; and regulating the appointment of non-executive directors to Whitehall departments amid fears politicians are appointing “cronies”.

In a foreword to the report, Evans says: “We have found that four areas of standards regulation require significant reform: the ministerial code and the independent adviser on ministers’ interests, the business appointment rules and the advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba), transparency around lobbying, and the regulation of public appointments.”

The report says the powers of the commissioner for public appointments, a position occupied by Peter Riddell, need to be strengthened if the integrity of the process is to be upheld.

“Reforms are necessary to ensure the commissioner has sufficient powers to uphold the integrity of the process by which a list of appointable candidates is produced, from which ministers can make their choice,” it says.

It also criticises the unregulated appointments of non-executive directors (NEDs). Michael Gove was criticised last year after appointing three close Vote Leave allies, Baroness Finn, Henry de Zoete and Gisela Stuart, to roles in the Cabinet Office.

“There is an increasing trend amongst ministers to appoint supporters or political allies as NEDs. This both undermines the ability of NEDs to scrutinise the work of their departments, and has a knock-on effect on the appointments process elsewhere, as NEDs are often used on the assessment panels for other public and senior civil service appointments. The appointment process for NEDs should be regulated,” the report says.

To start, let us remember why “Freedom Day” has been postponed:

Just when you think you’ve got it beat, Covid-19 somehow comes back stronger. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger but without the charm, this Terminator of a virus has an “I’ll be back” menace that risks undoing all the hard work of the UK’s stunning vaccine rollout.

Paul Waugh www.huffingtonpost.co.uk 

The epic battle between the vaccines and the virus certainly has high stakes. Perhaps that’s why Boris Johnson sounded unusually nervous as he announced he would indeed be postponing ‘Freedom Day’ by another four weeks. Instead of the sunshine of Midsummer Merrie England, there was a blizzard of scary charts of projected hospitalisations.

Fluffing his lines, the PM referred to “the adults of this company” (he meant “country”) and then wrongly declared the new unlocking date was July 29th (correcting it later to July 19th). Polling shows most of the public are relaxed about a delay, but Johnson is acutely aware that the 24% who are unhappy include several of his own backbenchers, and it showed.

Nowhere was this more telling than in his repeated reassurance that the Freedom Day Mk II was the real deal. He was “pretty confident” that July 19 will be “the terminus date” (he said “terminal date” too). June 21 was always a “‘not before’ date”, whereas this was much firmer, he suggested. This was not a defeat for lockdown sceptics, it was a victory, he seemed to imply.

That spin may or may not work on Tory MPs, but it could paint the PM into a corner for the first time in months. Ever since he bowed to Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance’s plan for a cautious roadmap, he has been able to fall back on their insistence that all four tests have to be met (the new variant test was particularly shrewd) and that “data not dates” will drive his decisions.

But now with talk of “terminal” and fixed timelines, it feels like dates not data is the new approach. Steve Baker, Mark Harper and Sir Charles Walker, who will probably vote against the delay, have much more concrete evidence of a breach of faith should that July 19 date somehow slip again.

Whitty and Vallance gave the PM invaluable backing at the press conference. The chief medical officer in particular pointed out that even without the Indian variant, the very restoration of unrestricted indoor mixing of “households that are unrelated” was always going to lead to an uptick in cases. He added there had to come a point where fatalities switched from “deaths averted” to deaths delayed”, as with flu.

Patrick Vallance even suggested that locking down beyond July 19 would be counter-productive. And he made the case for that date containing the Goldilocks calculation of just how hot or cold to make the roadmap porridge. Giving over-18s their first jab and pushing unlockdown closer to the school holidays certainly added some sugar, as did a lifting of the cap on wedding numbers.

Still, for Keir Starmer, the talk of 19 July as a “terminal” date is an opportunity for a Judgement Day on Johnson’s competence. If the vaccination programme can’t sufficiently flatten the Delta variant spike, he is sure to step up his own attack line that Johnson’s failure to stop flights from India is the real culprit. Already today, the Labour leader hardened his rhetoric to say it was a “pathetic” border policy that had postponed freedoms.

Starmer’s clear aim is to drive a big wedge between the excellence of the NHS vaccine rollout and the government’s wider failures. It’s unclear whether it was the PM’s desire to keep alive post-Brexit trade talks with Narendra Modi that prompted his inaction, but the suggestion that he recklessly undermined both the NHS’s programme and public sacrifices is a toxic one.

Today’s failure to offer extra financial support to businesses added extra political risk too. Those firms which were hanging on by their fingertips will now face having to pay their share of furlough bills, with no extra income to fund them. Add in the self-employed already upset and an Opposition that was pro-enterprise could make inroads.

To oversee one Covid wave is a misfortune, to allow two begins to look like carelessness. But to trigger a third wave, squandering all the good work of your own vaccine success story, could be seen as unforgivable by a public which has to date been incredibly forgiving of its prime minister.

Story goes national.

Police have issued a stark warning to visitors after they were forced to throw 100 drunken yobs off a beach in Devon.

Lorraine King www.mirror.co.uk 

Officers from Exmouth Police were called to Orcombe Point following complaints of anti-social behaviour on Saturday.

The rowdy mob were then dispersed, and police are now warning others to behave when visiting the area during high temperatures, Devon Live reports.

In a statement on their Facebook, a spokesperson for Exmouth Police said: ”On Saturday late afternoon, around 100 drunken youths were seen causing a disturbance on the beach below Orcombe Point. Police officers attended and youths were dispersed.

”Exmouth currently has a public space protection order (PSPO) in parts of the town.

”East Devon District Council are currently running a consultation process to extend the PSPO to cover the beach and seafront. The PSPO restricts certain activities linked to anti-social behaviour […]

”We welcome all visitors to the town but would like to remind people to behave appropriately.

”We don’t want to stop people from having fun but please take your litter home, use the toilets provided and drink responsibly.”

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police added: ”A Section 35 Dispersal Order of the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act was authorised for Exmouth seafront, following concerns of the anti-social behaviour.”

Police were called to Exmouth beach amid reports of a large group of ‘drunken youths’ causing a disturbance.

They found roughly 100 youngsters behaving anti-socially and took action to disperse them. No one was arrested, officers said.