Top story: poorer students at risk of ‘digital poverty’
Morning everyone: I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top stories to start your week.
Boris Johnson has been urged not to go ahead with cuts to universal credit affecting 6 million families if he is serious about his “levelling up” agenda. The Resolution Foundation thinktank joined opposition parties, anti-poverty campaigners and many Conservative MPs in urging the government to extend the £20-a-week uplift introduced during the first wave of the pandemic. It says the increase was critical in protecting the poorest households from the worst economic impacts of Covid in 2020, and refusing to extend it would contribute to a 730,000 increase in the number of children in poverty. MPs will debate the issue in the Commons today. A generation of university students could be lost amid a wave of “digital poverty” if they are not given financial help to maintain access to the internet during remote learning, a group of vice-chancellors warns today. Figures from the ONS published today show that people aged over 50 who lose their jobs are significantly more likely to suffer long-term unemployment than other age groups.
Coronavirus – Millions of people over 70 and those who are clinically vulnerable in England will begin receiving invitations for them to have the coronavirus vaccine from today as ministers pledged that all adults in the UK would be offered the jab by September. The latest group numbers about 5.5 million and ministers believe 15 million in total will have been offered the vaccine by mid-February. The chief executive of the NHS, Sir Simon Stevens, also talked up the pace of the vaccination programme, saying 140 doses were being administered every minute in England. But he nevertheless warned that the health service was in the most precarious position in its 72-year history. Nearly half of doctors working in high-pressure conditions during the first wave of coronavirus face ongoing distress, research out today suggests. A ban on quarantine-free travel into the UK came into force at 4am this morning meaning that all arrivals will need to self-isolate for 10 days or receive a negative Covid test taken at least five days after they enter the UK.
A nurse in the Brazilian city of São Paulo received the Chinese-made CoronaVac on Sunday as the rollout began in the hard-hit nation amid political recriminations. The city’s mayor accused president Jair Bolsonaro of revelling in the “stench of death” and said the vaccination scheme was a “triumph of science and life against the denialists”. Joe Biden’s plan to vaccinate 100 million Americans within 100 days of assuming the presidency on Wednesday week is “doable” but another 100,000 deaths could be added to the country’s shocking toll in the first five weeks of his administration. Catch up with all the developments in the pandemic at our live blog.
A United States? – Stopping the spread of the disease will be Biden’s immediate priority when he is inaugurated but he will also use his speech to try to unite his bitterly divided country. As the US braces for possible violence from far-right groups in Washington and state capitals, the incoming president will deliver a message of “forward” after four years of rancour and chaos under Donald Trump, his chief of staff said on Sunday. He will also immediately return the US to the Paris climate agreement and the Iran nuclear deal, and end the immigration ban on Muslim-majority countries. Around 25,000 National Guard troops being deployed to keep the peace in Washington are being vetted amid fears of an insider-inspired attack on the inauguration, army secretary Ryan McCarthy said last night. Twitter has suspended the account of republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, who has expressed support for the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory.
Call of duty – House prices fell in December and early January ahead of the end of the stamp duty holiday at the end of March, Rightmove has said. Prices for houses and flats for sale between early December and early January were down by 0.9% from the previous month, slowing the annual pace of growth to 3.3% from 6.6% a month earlier. The number of sellers had risen 12% and Rightmove said they were probably trying to find buyers before March.
‘Justice’ for Navalny – Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy has led calls for action after the arrest of Russia’s most prominent opposition leader. Alexei Navalny was detained at an airport in Moscow on Sunday after spending five months in Germany recovering from nerve agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Nandy said he “must be released immediately and his attackers brought to justice”, while Commons defence committee chairman Tobias Ellwood said he hoped ministers were monitoring events closely. The US, EU and Canada called for his release, with some in the EU urging new sanctions against Moscow.
Delayed departure – A man has been charged with criminal trespass after living in a secure area of Chicago’s O’Hare international airport undetected for three months. Aditya Singh was due to fly home to Los Angeles in October but told police he had decided not to return because he feared he would contract coronavirus if he did.
Today in Focus podcast
As the latest wave of Covid infections hits hospitals, wards are nearing capacity and oxygen supplies are straining at the volume of new patients. Helen Pidd spent a day at Milton Keynes University hospital to witness the crisis up close.
Inside an NHS hospital
Lunchtime read: Noel Clarke – ‘I got lucky’
Noel Clarke has played a pivotal role in bringing black drama to British screens – but he still finds that he has to battle for recognition. As his hit show Bulletproof returns to Sky this week, he talks about fighting prejudice, the possibility of playing Dr Who – and why he doesn’t want to work in America.
Sport
England wrapped up the first Test against Sri Lanka a short time ago, knocking off the remaining runs without further loss to claim a seven-wicket win in Galle. Jürgen Klopp defended his misfiring champions after Liverpool failed to knock Manchester United off their Premier League perch but admits his side now face a battle to stay in the top four. Manchester City are timing their title challenge perfectly after a 4-0 win over Crystal Palace moved them into second with 35 points, two behind United with a game in hand. Goals from Serge Aurier, Harry Kane and Tanguy Ndombele took Tottenham to a 3-1 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. The Kansas City Chiefs lost Patrick Mahomes to a concussion but their Super Bowl hopes are still alive after a 22-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns secured a place in the AFC championship game.
A halt to relegation for two seasons followed by the introduction of a playoff between the Premiership’s bottom side and the winners of the Championship is among the options being explored by top-flight rugby clubs. Yan Bingtao was crowned the youngest Masters champion since Ronnie O’Sullivan in 1995 after sinking John Higgins 10-8 in Milton Keynes. Tennis players landing in Melbourne for the Australian Open have expressed frustration after around 70 of them were placed in strict 14-day quarantine, unable to leave their hotel rooms for practice. And Sarah Fuller, the first woman to score in the Power Five conferences, the elite level of college football, says she has been invited to attend president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.
Business
The gambling watchdog has accused firms of concocting a “dodgy dossier” to exaggerate the scale of black-market betting as they lobby ministers to go easy on regulatory changes for the industry. Gambling Commission chief executive Neil McArthur said the dossier written by PwC was “not consistent with the intelligence picture”. Shares on Asian markets had a mixed session on Monday despite data showing that China’s economy had bounced back in the final quarter of 2020. The FTSE100 is expected to open flat in London later as the public holiday in the US on Monday dampens trade. The pound is on $1.357 and €1.124.
The papers
Hopes for more vaccinations dominate the front pages this morning with the Times proclaiming “Full speed ahead with vaccination of over 70s” and the Telegraph saying “PM hail milestone as 5m more offered jab”. The Mail says there is “Hope in the post for 5m” and the Express hails “Vaccines for over-70s start today”. The Sun just says “Bingo” as it celebrates news that Mecca has thrown its weight behind the vaccine volunteer scheme. “Jab done by September” is the splash in the Mirror. It’s the same in Scotland, where the Record has “Jabs for every adult by autumn” and the Scotsman reports “Army to set up 80 Covid vaccine sites in Scotland”.
The Guardian leads on “Scrap benefits cut to stop millions plunging into poverty, PM is told”, while the FT has “Biden poised to reverse Trump policies on first day as president”.
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