UK must use NHS creation, WW2 recovery as inspiration post-pandemic, Starmer says – follow live

The UK will have to “fight its way to the table” with US-president elect Joe Biden, according to a study.

A research paper by Robin Niblett, director of the think tank Chatham House, has set out how a “global Britain” can strike a new path post-Brexit and how the government can woo incoming administration figures in Washington.

The paper, titled Global Britain, global broker: A blueprint for the UK’s future international role, states: “The incoming administration of Joe Biden will seek to heal America’s relations with allies in Europe and Asia.

“But Brexit Britain will have to fight its way to the table on many of the most important trans-Atlantic issues, with the EU now the US’s main counterpart in areas such as China relations and digital taxation.”

The report suggests three areas ripe for Britain to tackle as a global broker in 2021, given the imminent arrival of the Biden administration.

It says: “First, the UK can leverage its world-leading commitments to carbon emissions reduction alongside its co-chairmanship of Cop26 to secure stronger national commitments on climate change from the US and China, the world’s two largest emitters.

“Second, the UK can leverage its strong position in Nato alongside a more trans-Atlanticist Biden administration to broker closer working relations between Nato and the EU, especially on cybersecurity and protecting space assets, critical new priorities for the safety of European democracies.

“Third, the UK can use its presidency of the G7 in 2021 to start making this anachronistic grouping more inclusive.”

A higher percentage of people think Boris Johnson should resign as prime minister than think he should continue, a poll has found.

My colleague Kate Ng has more details:

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi was unable to assure that the current “tough” lockdown restrictions are sufficient and raised concerns of people not sticking to the rules in supermarkets or when exercising outside.

Pressed on whether the current restrictions are enough, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We don’t want to use tougher measures, the lockdown is tough, schools are shut, but it is important to remember this virus loves social interactions.

“We’re reviewing all the restrictions, but these are pretty tough at the moment. I am worried about supermarkets and people actually wearing masks and following the one-way system, and making sure when it’s at capacity they wait outside the supermarket.

“I’m worried about some of the pictures I’ve seen of social interactions in parks, if you have to exercise you can go out for exercise only.”

In a separate interview, Mr Zahawi urged the public to follow the rules and wear masks and observe one-way systems in supermarkets.

He told Sky News: “We are concerned that, for example, in supermarkets, we need to make sure people actually wear masks and follow the one-way system rule, and when they are at capacity to operate safely for people to wait outside supermarkets.

“We don’t want to go any tougher because this is a pretty tough lockdown, but what we need is people to behave as if they’ve got the virus so we can bring this virus under control whilst we vaccinate.”

The UK’s business output has fallen to its lowest level despite a raft of Government support measures, a new study suggests.

Advisory firm BDO LLP said its research indicated a return to the tier system of restrictions last month failed to significantly increase business output.

A slow but steady trickle of job losses continued at the end of last year, with the latest lockdown likely to place further pressure on employment, said the report.

Kaley Crossthwaite of BDO LLP, said: “These figures reinforce just how stark the economic impact of the pandemic has been.

“As we enter a third national lockdown, crippling challenges will continue to plague businesses in the weeks and months ahead.

“Successful and rapid rollout of Covid-19 vaccines will be the single biggest driver of business recovery.”

England’s chief medical officer has warned the new few weeks will be the “worst weeks of the pandemic” for the NHS.

Professor Chris Whitty told BBC Breakfast: “The peak we had back in April last year, we had about 18,000 people in the NHS. We currently, as of yesterday, have over 30,000 people in the NHS.

“A week ago, all the four chief medical officers for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland said: ‘This is going to be a significant crisis for the NHS unless we take evasive action’.

“This new variant is really pushing things in a way that the old variant – which was already very bad – was not able to.

“So, we have a very significant problem … this is a serious problem and it is rising in every part of England.

“The next few weeks are going to be the worst weeks of this pandemic in terms of numbers into the NHS.”

Prof Whitty suggested that measures could be needed until “some time in the spring” to stem the spread of the virus.

“We’ve got to make this sustainable because we got to be able to maintain this for several more weeks now.

“We’re really going to have to do a significant action for all of us for several more weeks until probably some time in the spring for very much of what we have to do.

“So, we do obviously need to be able to do essential work which they can’t do from home. We fully accept that that’s necessary to keep society going because you’ve got to be able to do it over a period of time.

“So, the three things that people can leave home for are essential work where they can’t do it from home, when they are doing exercise – which is very important for people’s physical health, their mental health – and for essential things like shopping or medical intervention.”

Sir Keir Starmer will give a speech today in which he will lay out how Britain can rise up after the pandemic, using the creation of the NHS after the Second World War as inspiration.

The Labour leader will accuse Boris Johnson’s government of having the “wrong priorities for Britain”.

Sir Keir is expected to say: “This is the government that gave Dominic Cummings a £40,000 pay rise but won’t pay our carers a decent wage.

“This is the government that wasted £22bn of taxpayers’ money on a testing system that doesn’t work but now won’t find the money to support families.

“And this is the government that sprayed money on private contracts that didn’t deliver but won’t give councils the support they need.

“That’s why I’m calling on the government today to put families first during this lockdown.”

The former director of public prosecutions will recall the example of the Clement Attlee administration, which took over from Conservative prime minister Winston Churchill in 1945 after the Second World War, as evidence of how the country could bounce back from the devastating impact of coronavirus.

“There will be hard months ahead, but the seasons will turn,” Sir Keir will predict.

“A dark winter will give way to a brighter spring and when it does, I know that together we can build a better future.

“We can build a country worthy of the sacrifices of the British people. Just as we did in 1945 when Attlee’s government built the welfare state from the rubble of war.”

Musicians and other members of the culture sector are reacting with fury over the news that the UK government “rejected” an offer from the EU to waive touring visas for British musicians.

Roisin O’Connor has the full story: