Boris Johnson has had another tough week tackling the double whammy of coronavirus and Brexit, with critics lining up to take aim at the government.
The prime minister faced a Tory rebellion over his controversial Internal Market Bill, which effectively breaks international law by overriding parts of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, but managed to secure victory in a Commons vote on Monday to push the legislation through to a second reading.
But Johnson had no time to celebrate, as nationwide shortages of coronavirus tests hit the headlines, with a total dearth of testing supplies in England’s top ten Covid hotspots. Amid reports that Downing Street was planning to crack down on “frivolous” tests, Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said it “beggars belief ministers didn’t use summer to build up testing capacity in time for children back at school and many returning to the workplace”.
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In further Covid chaos, speculation grew that the government was planning a two-week nationwide lockdown, in the wake of claims that England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty had advised the PM to implement the tough measure. As ministers jumped to dismiss the reports, Johnson told MPs that another national shutdown “would be completely wrong for this country” and that his government was “doing everything in our power to prevent it”.
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Experts are struggling to explain a mystery mass die-off of migratory birds in the southwestern US that biologists have described as “devastating”. Some experts believe the West Coast wildfires may be to blame, with other weather events linked to global warming also suggested as possible explanations.
Back in the UK, meanwhile, Confederation of British Industry (CBI) director-general Carolyn Fairbairn urged the government and businesses to seize the opportunity to create green jobs and boost the economy by becoming a “global leader” in the fight to tackle climate change.
The country’s film and tourism industries are already set to get a much-needed shot in the arm, with Pinewood Studios announcing plans to build a £450m development called “Screen Hub UK” featuring a visitor attraction for film fans. The company says the new complex, to be located on a 77-acre site located to the south of the world-famous film and television studio in Buckinghamshire, will create 3,500 new jobs and generate £230m a year for the economy.
