PM under pressure amid new claim he said let Covid ‘rip as lockdowns mad’ – follow live

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Medical equipment sent by the UK to India to help the country cope with its huge surge in Covid-19 cases is merely a “political gesture” and will have little impact, a leading Indian doctor has claimed.

The UK’s Foreign Office said it was sending 600 pieces of life-saving kit to India – including ventilators and oxygen concentrators – with the first plane-loads arriving on Tuesday, writes The Independent’s Adam Forrest

Labour MP Tulip Siddiq said there is a direct “correlation” between debt hearings being postponed and Iran taking action against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was sentenced to an additional year’s imprisonment yesterday and a further year-long ban on leaving Iran.

Ms Siddiq, who is Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her family’s MP, told Sky News on Tuesday: “Whether she is called back into court, whether she’s told there’s another charge against her, or whether she’s told there’s one more year of prison time ahead of her, there seems to be a direct link between it, and there’s no point in the Government burying their heads in the sand and saying there’s no link.”

The Hampstead and Kilburn MP also said the link between the case and the money the UK owes Iran has never been acknowledged by ministers.

“Bear in mind that I have now raised this issue with three prime ministers and five foreign secretaries and no-one has ever admitted that there’s a link between the money we owe Iran, which is a historic debt, and the fact that Nazanin is still in prison,” she said.

Boris Johnson has broken electoral law if he received a gift or loan for his expensive flat makeover and failed to declare it within one month, he has been warned.

The strict rules were set out amid claims that the Conservative Party secretly approved paying the £58,000 bill as long as nine months ago – a payment then covered by a Tory donor, according to a leaked email.

The Independent’s deputy political editor Rob Merrick has the details

Boris Johnson has reportedly again compared himself to the feckless mayor in the film Jaws, during a row over Covid lockdowns last year.

In September, in the middle of intense debate within Downing Street over whether to introduced a second lockdown, Mr Johnson is said to have expressed regret over the first lockdown.

The prime minister likened himself to Larry Vaughn, the mayor of Amity in Jaws who orders the beaches to stay open despite the shark attacks.

Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey defended the refurbishment of Boris Johnson’s flat and said it was “no surprise” that he wanted to make changes as he has a young family.

“The Prime Minister has probably spent more time in the Number 10 flat than prime ministers normally would,” she told LBC.

“Also, the birth of his young son, having his family there, so I think it’s no surprise if people with a different sort of family atmosphere moving into a private residence in Number 10 want to make changes.”

Asked if she would spend £5,900 on an armchair, Ms Coffey said: “The point is that the Prime Minister has paid for those.

“I think it’s perfectly acceptable for people to spend their money how they wish, when they are considering their family in the residence where they spend a lot of time.”

Boris Johnson has today been hit with a fresh set of allegations over his conduct after reportedly telling aides he would rather let coronavirus “rip” than impose a second lockdown.

The prime minister argued during a government debate in September that lockdowns were “mad” as he raised concerns about the economic harm they cause, as reported by The Times.

The allegation came to light after a growing number of sources were reported to have told how Mr Johnson said he was prepared to let “bodies pile high” rather than order a third shutdown.

The Prime Minister said that allegation was “total rubbish”, before further details surfaced of how he is said to have paid for expensive refurbishments to his Downing Street flat.

A No 10 spokesman said: “These are gross distortions of his position. Throughout this pandemic we’ve done everything we can to save lives and protect livelihoods.”

Labour’s shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Rachel Reeves said: “This is yet another panicked attempt by the Conservatives to cover up the truth behind the original donors for the luxury refurbishment of the Downing Street flat.”

Covid-19 fines are “muddled, discriminatory and unfair”, according to a group of MPs and peers who have called for a review of all of those issued under lockdown laws.

The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) said the system “criminalises the poor over the better-off” and no Covid-19 fine should result in a criminal record.

“Significant concerns” about the validity of the fines, the inadequacy of the review and appeal process, the size of the penalties and the criminalisation of those who cannot afford to pay, were set out in a report.

Committee chairman Harriet Harman said: “Swift action to make restrictions effective is essential in the face of this terrible virus.

“But the Government needs to ensure that rules are clear, enforcement is fair and that mistakes in the system can be rectified.

“None of that is the case in respect of Covid-19 fixed penalty notices.”

Ministers have been urged to implement a clear recovery plan to bring down the country’s patient waiting lists that have ballooned to record-breaking levels as a result of disruption from the pandemic.

Labour has warned that thousands of people waiting for hospital treatment are at risk of permanent disability and losing their livelihoods and has demanded government action.

The Independent’s science correspondent Samuel Lovett has the details

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