Boris Johnson news – live: Vaccine sceptics called 'nuts' by PM as ministers target junk food ads in obesity crackdown

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Boris Johnson says on opponents of Coronavirus vaccination: anti-vaxxers 'they are nuts'

Boris Johnson has hit out at anti-vaccination conspiracy theorists, describing them as “nuts”, as he set out his government’s plan for an extra 30 million people to get the flu jab this winter.

The prime minister also called on the public to lose weight this summer, saying it was one of the ways “you can reduce your own risks from Covid”. He is set to propose a ban on TV junk food ads before 9pm in a bid to tackle Britain’s obesity problem.

And in an interview with the BBC, Mr Johnson admitted the UK could have handled the coronavirus pandemic better - saying there were "open questions" over the timing of his decision to send the country into lockdown. He added: "I think it's fair to say that there are things that we need to learn about how we handled it in the early stages”.

It comes exactly a year after Mr Johnson assumed his role in Downing Street, a 365 stretch that has seen him win an outright majority in the commons during the 2019 election, trigger the start of the Brexit process on New Year’s Eve and launch a response to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Elsewhere in a stinging attack on the nation’s readiness to split from Brussels, a former national security adviser claimed ministers are refusing to admit to the threat from terrorists and crime gangs if there is no Brexit deal.

In a report to the House of Lords, Lord Peter Ricketts said “Without a deal, the loss of operational effectiveness for UK law enforcement agencies – including in Northern Ireland – will be profound, undermining modern intelligence led policing and putting the safety of the public at risk.”

And UK and US defence chiefs have accused Russia of launching an anti-satellite space weapon. Defence secretary Ben Wallace claimed Britain remained “deeply vulnerable” to the “weaponising” of space.

Key Points

• Boris Johnson admits UK could have handled pandemic better
• PM overheard calling anti-vaxxers ‘nuts’
• Britain ‘deeply vulnerable’ to Russian space weapon, says minister
• Patel promises bill bringing in new sanctions against spies
• Tory donor claims wealthy Russians have ‘zero’ political influence
• PM ‘to announce ban on junk food ads before 9pm’ 

[24 July 2020 17:29 · Peter Stubley]

Responding to the BBC interview, Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said Boris Johnson "has finally admitted the Government has mishandled its response to the coronavirus".

He said: "This finally puts to bed the prime minister's previous claim his Government 'took the right decisions at the right time'.

"It was too slow to acknowledge the threat of the virus, too slow to enter lockdown and too slow to take this crisis seriously.

"The threat of a second wave is still very real.

"It is imperative the government learns the lessons of its mistakes so we can help to save lives."

[24 July 2020 17:40 · Vincent Wood]

Public health bodies welcome curb on fast food advertising

Public health bodies have welcomed the curbs on "relentless advertising and promotion of unhealthy food" due to be announced next week, but doctors say real change will need "firm commitment" from ministers.

Junk food adverts are expected to be banned on television before the 9pm watershed, and online entirely, and promotions on snacks will be curbed in an attempt to tackle the nation's waistlines when the Government launches a campaign on obesity next week.

The Obesity Health Alliance has since welcomed the reported curbs on "relentless advertising and promotion of unhealthy food". Caroline Cerny, lead at the organisation said: "There is overwhelming evidence that junk food advertising works.

"So when adverts for unhealthy food and drinks dominate prime-time TV and social media, while the nation struggles to maintain a healthy weight, this is a problem."

She believes the "incentive to the food industry to reduce sugar, fat and salt from their products" would "benefit everyone".

[24 July 2020 17:50 · Vincent Wood]

A third of gyms and leisure centres  expected to remain shut despite government drive to relaunch

Gyms and leisure centres will be allowed to reopen in England on Saturday, but at least a third of public facilities are expected to remain shut due to financial hardship.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has also confirmed that indoor gyms, swimming pools and other sport and exercise facilities will not reopen in Luton or Blackburn with Darwen due to an increase in coronavirus cases in those areas.

Earlier this month, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden announced that gyms and leisure centres will be able to reopen from July 25, with strict hygiene and social-distancing measures.

But Community Leisure UK, the members' association that specialises in representing charitable leisure and culture trusts across England, Scotland and Wales, estimate that 48 per cent of all public leisure facilities face closure, meaning as many as 1,300 could disappear by the end of the year, along with more than 58,000 jobs.

"We're expecting at least 35% not to open tomorrow," Mark Tweedie, chief executive of Community Leisure UK, told the PA news agency. "The main reason is financial viability, because as with all of the high streets and services - zero income since the end of March," he said.

[24 July 2020 17:59 · Peter Stubley]

PM admits 'open questions' over timing on lockdown

Boris Johnson has admitted his government could have handled the coronavirus crisis differently as he said there were "open questions" over the timing of his decision to send the country into lockdown.

The prime minister said the global pandemic was poorly understood in its early stages.

Asked whether lockdown came too late, he said: "When you listen to the scientists, the questions that you've just asked are actually very open questions as far as they are concerned.

[24 July 2020 18:20 · Vincent Wood]

Ministers refusing to admit to terror threat from no-deal Brexit, warns ex-security adviser

Ministers are refusing to admit to the threat from terrorists and crime gangs if there is no Brexit deal, says a former national security adviser in a stinging attack.

Lord Peter Ricketts warned the likely fallbacks will be “putting the safety of the public at risk”, even as the UK and the EU both admitted an agreement is currently “unlikely”, as their talks falter.

In a damning report, the House of Lords committee headed by Lord Ricketts lambasts the security minister’s claim that “the UK has well-developed and well-rehearsed plans in place”.

More below:

[24 July 2020 18:31 · Vincent Wood]

Boris Johnson is fortunate to have survived a year – but he is good at being lucky | John Rentoul

In the days before Boris Johnson’s arrival at Buckingham Palace to accept the invitation of the Queen to form a government, a year ago - John Rentoul writes - I ran a sweepstake online on how many days he would be prime minister.

He adds: "Of the 500 entries, the average guess was that he would last 409 days, which, given that he has now done 366 (yes, this is a leap year), he looks set to exceed.

"He just has to make it through the first week of September to outlast the collective expectation of the admittedly biased sample of people on my part of Twitter."

More on the fair fortunes of the PM below:

[24 July 2020 18:37 · Vincent Wood]

That's all from us, thanks for following.

[24 July 2020 18:55 · Vincent Wood]

Johnson says there were 'open questions' about the timing of his lockdown decision