Scientists accuse PM of 'dithering' over Covid rules

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( December 21, 2021 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / [Boris Johnson accused of ‘dither’ after delaying Covid restrictions]( Boris Johnson has delayed the introduction of new Covid restrictions in England, despite warnings from scientific advisers of a coming wave of infection threatening to overwhelm the NHS. Scientists warned that “dither” in imposing curbs on social gatherings and travel ahead of the Christmas weekend will allow the highly contagious Omicron variant to spread more fiercely, with one member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) warning of “tens of millions” of infections this winter. And Labour said the prime minister was “too weak to stand up to his own backbenchers” following the rebellion of 99 Tory MPs against limited plan B restrictions last week, making him “unfit to lead” during the coronavirus crisis. 2 / [Doctors who mourned Covid victims on day of No 10 garden ‘party’ hit out at Boris Johnson]( PM pictured with wine and cheese at ‘most challenging time’ for hospitals 3 / [Liz Truss: UK’s new Brexit negotiator said leaving EU would spell economic disaster]( Leaving EU would leave Britain worse off, foreign secretary said in 2016 as she campaigned for Remain 4 / [‘I’ll never get over it’, says mother of four twin boys killed in Sutton fire]( Kyson and Bryson, 4, and Leyton and Logan, 3, died in incident 5 / [All sporting events in Wales to be held behind closed doors from Boxing Day]( New measures announced in a bid to slow the spread of the Omicron variant The Big Question What social restrictions were in place on the date of Boris Johnson’s Downing Street garden party? A new photograph has emerged showing Boris Johnson and his staff sitting down for a glass of wine in the garden of No 10 Downing Street during the first lockdown last year at a time when strict social restrictions were still being imposed on the public to tackle the first wave of coronavirus infections. The picture shows the prime minister sat beside his wife, Carrie Johnson, accompanied by two other advisers - and a cheeseboard - on the balmy early summer evening of Friday 15 May 2020. A further table of four is nearby, as well as a ring of nine people conversing on the lawn, plus two more sat down on the grass, with little evidence of social distancing being observed among the group. A Downing Street spokesperson has moved to downplay this latest controversy but, for many, this is just the latest example of Mr Johnson and his team breaking the same rules they expected others to follow. So which side is right and what was the official guidance in place at the time? [Read the full story >]( Watch / [Queen cancels Christmas at Sandringham]( NUMBER OF THE DAY £10,000 Television presenter Rachel Riley has been awarded £10,000 in damages by a High Court judge after suing a former aide to Jeremy Corbyn for libel. QUOTE OF THE DAY “There are a lot people angry, a lot of people sharing memories from that time." – Dr Ajay Verma, a consultant gastroenterologist at Kettering General Hospital, said he and colleagues held a minute's silence on 15 May in memory of Covid victims, the same day Boris Johnson and his staff drank wine and ate cheese in the garden of Downing Street during lockdown Other stories you might like [Alien lifeforms ‘unlike anything we’ve seen’ could be hiding in the clouds of Venus, scientists suggest]( [Millipedes ‘as big as cars’ once roamed Northern England, rare fossil discovery reveals]( [Man charged with murder of 18-year-old woman found near pond]( Articles available exclusively to subscribers Samuel Lovett, The Independent: ["There can be no denying it now – the government is no longer following the science over Covid"]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.