Over a fifth of NHS suppliers providing items including surgical instruments, gloves, gowns and face masks are at “high risk” of using modern slavery, according to a government review. Nearly half of all NHS suppliers of gowns and uniforms are based in China, which also provides the bulk of all masks. The finding is included in a review of 1,361 suppliers to the NHS, conducted by the Department of Health and Social Care, following a government commitment to eradicate modern slavery from the healthcare system. The review highlighted specific areas…
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Keir Starmer says ‘vast majority’ of Labour leadership pledges still stand as he backs away from abolishing tuition fees – UK politics live
From 3h ago Starmer claims ‘vast majority’ of his Labour leadership pledges still stand In his Today interview Keir Starmer said he was no longer committed to the promise to abolish tuition fees that he made when standing for the Labour leadership because “we are in a different economic situation”. But he claimed the “vast majority” of the promises he made in that contest, most famously set out in a list of 10 pledges, still applied. He told Today’s Justin Webb: We are in a different economic situation. You and…
Rishi Sunak unveils £5bn extra defence spending ahead of US Aukus summit – UK politics live
From 3h ago Rishi Sunak unveils £5bn extra defence spending ahead of Aukus summit in US Good morning. Rishi Sunak is in San Diego, California, where today he will meet Joe Biden, the US president, and Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, for an Aukus meeting. Aukus is the Australia/US/UK security pact, primarily focused on providing Australia with nuclear-powered submarine capacity. It was set up when Boris Johnson was prime minister, and now provides him with the material for one of his most over-used jokes. The meeting will coincide with…
Strikes hit ‘strongman’ Sunak – Politics Weekly UK | podcast
Nurses, rail staff and royal mail workers are expected to strike this winter. Will Rishi Sunak’s ‘Operation Get Tough’ have any impact? And as protests continue to rage in China, the PM used the lavish Lord Mayor’s Banquet earlier this week to announce the ‘golden era’ of relations with China is over. The Guardian’s John Harris is joined by Rafael Behr and Zoe Williams, and will be speaking on China to the Guardian’s former China correspondent Tania Branigan How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know The Guardian
Covid live: France confirms 130 Omicron cases; South Korea has deadliest day of pandemic
At the Commons science committee, Dr Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association has accused the UK of a “knee jerk response” in bringing in a travel ban within 24 hours of Omicron being announced in South Africa last month. It would have been better to get people to wear masks, socially distance and keep away from large gatherings, she added. While proof of vaccination or a negative lateral flow test for certain events could help reduce the spread of the virus, Dr Coetzee said lockdowns were too…