Home Office ignored warnings on diphtheria

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( December 01, 2022 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / [Home Office ignored warnings on diphtheria weeks before Manston outbreak]( The government failed to act on a warning that asylum seekers in reception centres should be vaccinated against diphtheria, weeks before a man held at the overrun Manston site died, The Independent can reveal. A major refugee charity has called for an independent inquiry into the facility, as the home secretary was accused of “putting anti-asylum rhetoric above safety” while Labour slammed a “chaotic” response. A risk assessment issued by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on 6 October said the illness was spreading among migrants and a “severe outcome” was possible for those living in crowded facilities.   2 / [Brexit has cost UK households £5.8bn in higher food bills, study finds]( Leaving EU added average of £210 to Britons’ shopping costs over two years 3 / [Charity boss accuses Buckingham Palace of institutional racism over royal aide's remarks]( Exclusive: ‘This is bigger than one individual,' Ngozi Fulani says 4 / [Fleetwood Mac star Christine McVie dies aged 79]( ‘There are no words to describe our sadness,’ the band writes 5 / [Fears of Christmas chaos as more workers vote to strike]( Ambulance workers, railway staff and security officers plan industrial action in festive season     The Big Question Why won't Balenciaga be cancelled? There are a lot of ways to sell a handbag. You could [partner with a high-profile celebrity](. Shoot a magazine campaign in the desert. Or, if you’re [Balenciaga](, you could dress it up in bondage gear and give it to a child, writes Olivia Petter. Last week, the luxury Spanish label released two photographs of child models holding the brand’s plush bear bags, which were fashioned to look like toys but seemed to be wearing leather harnesses and other [BDSM]( apparel. They were promptly accused of sexually exploiting [children](. As if that wasn’t concerning enough, the brand’s website featured another questionable image from a separate campaign promoting its recent collaboration with Adidas. In it, a bag is positioned on top of a poorly disguised document from a US Supreme Court ruling related to indecent images of children. [A viral tweet shone a spotlight on both images, and the uproar began](. People have called for a boycott. Some are burning their Balenciaga products. And the photographer behind the BDSM bear photos has issued a statement distancing himself from the brand. Celebrities are also taking action, with Bella Hadid appearing to have deleted photos of herself wearing the brand’s clothes on Instagram. Kim Kardashian, who has regularly worn Balenciaga looks in recent months, has also said she is “re-evaluating” her relationship with the brand. As for Balenciaga itself, the label has removed the campaign imagery and apologised, issuing a statement to say it strongly condemns child abuse and blaming the photos on a “series of grievous errors”. [For the full story click here >](   Enjoying this newsletter? Unlock unlimited, ad-free reading on the website and in The Independent app when you subscribe – plus, benefit from our [welcome offer when you join today](. Watch/ [Raging Mauna Loa eruption captured in stunning aerial footage](   NUMBER OF THE DAY 66.7m A re-analysis of a 66.7 million-year-old fossilised bird skeleton found on the Dutch-Belgian border in the 1990s has “upended” one of the core assumptions about the [evolution]( of modern [birds](. [Read more here](   QUOTE OF THE DAY “She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure. She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life.” – The surviving members of [Fleetwood Mac]( have led tributes to bandmate [Christine McVie, who has died aged 79.]( [Read more here](       Other stories you might like   [Princess of Wales backs The Independent’s Christmas cost of living campaign](   [Lionel Messi and Argentina overcome Poland’s anti-football as both sides advance in Qatar](   ['Every second felt like eternity': Inside the torture chambers of Ukraine's occupied northeast](       Articles available exclusively to subscribers John Rentoul, The Independent -[We’ve now had a depressing preview of the next election](   Other newsletters you might like [The Race Report] The Race Report Fortnightly, 7am (UK time) Written by Nadine White [Sign up]( [Inside Politics] Inside Politics Weekdays, 8am (UK time) Written by Matt Mathers [Sign up](   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. 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