6:52 am, September 19, 2021
Invites sent out for booster jabs to strengthen ‘wall of defence’
Booster jab invites are being sent out to more than a million people to ‘strengthen the wall of defence’ against coronavirus created by the vaccines.
People will receive texts from Monday, while letters will be sent to those who are eligible later in the week, NHS England said.
Some 1.5m people will be contacted and encouraged to use the National Booking Service.
Boris Johnson accused of taking ‘casual’ approach to national security
Boris Johnson has been accused of adopting a ‘more casual’ approach to Britain’s national security as MPs warned the Whitehall machine was unable to cope with more than one major crisis at a time.
The Joint Committee on National Security Strategy – made up of senior MPs and peers – said the fall of Afghanistan had shown the current system was ‘inadequate to the task’.
However, it said that reforms to the National Security Council meant the Prime Minister would slash the time he spent leading its meetings by around two-thirds.
BBC did not properly search for murder victim’s lost clothes – report
The BBC failed to conduct a proper search for a murdered schoolgirl’s clothes which were taken by journalist Martin Bashir and never returned, a Mail on Sunday investigation has claimed.
Michelle Hadaway says Bashir obtained the clothes for DNA testing for BBC Two’s Public Eye programme 30 years ago, but the investigation did not air and her calls to the broadcaster were ignored.
Ms Hadaway’s daughter Karen and her friend Nicola Fellows were found sexually assaulted and strangled in a woodland den in Brighton in October 1986 in what became known as the Babes in the Wood murders.
Michael Gove heads rebranded ‘Department for Levelling Up’
Michael Gove has dramatically expanded his Whitehall empire after emerging as one of the big winners in Boris Johnson’s Cabinet reshuffle.
Mr Gove, who was given the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, has seen his department renamed the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities – underlining its central role in delivering the Government’s agenda.
At the same time former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane has been appointed head of a new levelling up taskforce formed jointly by Mr Gove and the Prime Minister.
Saturday’s Car Dealer headlines you might have missed
- Proposal for car dealership that had no sales area or customer parking is rejected
- Fiat introduces new soft-top version 500X crossover
- Kia Sorento crowned UK’s best tow car by What Car? and Camping and Caravanning Club
- Osprey announces introduction of 150 high-powered EV charging hubs
France accuses Britain of hiding in ‘American lap’ in submarine row
A French minister has accused Britain of returning to the ‘American lap’ in the increasingly bitter diplomatic row over the UK’s new defence pact with the US and Australia.
Paris reacted with fury after the Australians announced that as a result of the agreement, they were pulling out of a £30bn deal for the French to supply them with a new fleet of submarines.
Instead, the Australian navy is to acquire a more capable fleet of nuclear-powered – although not nuclear-armed – vessels with US and UK assistance.
Harry reveals grandfather Philip was a great listener
The Duke of Sussex has spoken for the first time about how the Duke of Edinburgh gave him the space to talk about serving in Afghanistan.
Harry was twice deployed to Helmand province during the UK’s military operations, and in a BBC tribute programme to Philip he describes how his grandfather would ‘never probe’ but listen.
In lighter moments Philip’s passion for barbecues is recounted by his children and grandchildren, and his love of cookery shows is revealed, with the Hairy Bikers among his favourites.
Thick cloud and heavy rain expected
This morning will be dull and damp for much of Britain, but N Ireland will have a fine start. This afternoon will see heavy, thundery downpours in the east, but western areas will see sunny spells, says the BBC.
Tonight, cloud and rain will linger in eastern England. Elsewhere will be dry with chilly, clear skies, but N Ireland and western Scotland may see cloud build towards dawn, bringing a chance of rain.
Tomorrow, it will start dry and sunny for many, with just a few spots of rain in the southeast. However, cloud will build in northwestern areas through the day, with spells of light rain likely.
