‘Bingo!’ as 20m have first dose of vaccine
Staff praised for jab milestone
MORE than 20million people in the UK have now been given their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
Boris Johnson said on social media it was a ‘huge national achievement’ and praised the NHS staff, volunteers and Armed Forces personnel for their work in the vaccine rollout.
The Prime Minister tweeted: ‘20million people across the UK have now got the jab – a huge national achievement and a testament to the tireless work of NHS staff, volunteers, the Armed Forces & many more.
‘I urge everyone to get the jab when called. Every jab makes a difference in our battle against Covid.’
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi tweeted: ‘BINGO! One Score over
‘What a team! Proud to be with you’
20,000,000 people have had the vaccination (1st dose).
‘What an achievement for February 2021. What a team! Proud to be with you on this journey.’
Chris Hopkins, NHS Providers chief executive, has also praised the milestone as a ‘great credit to everyone involved’ in delivering the vaccines including trusts and volunteers – but warned that ‘now is not the time to let down our guard’.
‘It’s important to remember there’s a long way to go – we’re not even close to half way through this programme,’ he said. ‘As we set out in our recent briefing, we need to see more progress on vaccines, lower Covid-19 case numbers, much less pressure on the NHS and plans in place to contain future outbreaks before easing restrictions.’
In Scotland, 1,593,695 people have received the first dose of a Covid vaccine and 76,512 have received a second dose. That means 35.1 per cent of the Scottish population have had their first dose and 1.7 per cent have had a second dose.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Rishi Sunak told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show the Government should reach its conclusion on vaccine passports in ‘a few months’. He said the Prime Minister had taken a ‘cautious but irreversible approach’ with his road map but there was a ‘sense of confidence and optimism about the future’.
Asked if the data was better than expected, the PM’s road map could happen quicker, he told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday: ‘What we want is a cautious but irreversible approach. That’s why we’ve taken the approach we have and those will be the earliest dates we think we can do the various things we’ve laid out.’
He added: ‘What businesses don’t want is a stop-start approach to this, we want to know that it’s a one-way road and that’s why it’s cautious. We’ve given the earliest of dates to give a sense of timing and direction and obviously we might have to adjust those if things are not going exactly as we would like, but the early signs are promising.
‘We’re seeing great news with the rollout of the vaccine, not just the take-up of it but also the efficacy of the vaccine. The data that we’re getting is showing us that it is working, so I think that should give us all a sense of confidence and optimism that we can make progress on that road map and hopefully slowly get our lives back to normal.’
The Duke of Cambridge has also urged people to keep on getting the Covid-19 vaccination so ‘younger generations’ will feel ‘it’s really important for them to have it’.
William also warned against ‘misinformation’ on social media about coronavirus jabs, as he and Kate talked by video call with two clinically vulnerable women who have been shielding since last March.
His comments came after the Queen encouraged those hesitant about vaccination to ‘think about other people rather than themselves’.
‘The early signs are promising’
RISHI Sunak put Britain on standby for tax rises yesterday – as he warned we cannot afford to keep borrowing record sums.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s Budget, the Chancellor all but confirmed that the £50billion furlough scheme and other Covid support measures will continue until the end of June.
The measures are likely to cost at least £15billion, and will be supplemented by other short-term support, including a £5billion fund for high streets.
But in a series of interviews, Mr Sunak indicated that he plans to make this week’s giveaway Budget the last of its kind.
The Chancellor is said to be already planning a second Budget in the autumn in the hope an economic recovery will allow him to set out a more detailed plan for tax rises to restore the battered public finances.
This could include increases to capital gains tax, hikes in national insurance for the self-employed and cuts to pension tax relief.
It is understood the Chancellor will also delay the publication of new ‘fiscal rules’ governing tax and spending until that point.
But Whitehall sources confirmed he will start the process of closing the huge black hole in the nation’s finances this week by freezing income tax thresholds for at least three years.
The move, which will raise £6billion and drag 1.6million people into higher tax bands, prompted an outcry from Tory MPs last night.
Mr Sunak is also set to raise corporation tax from 19 per cent to 20 – and set out a ‘pathway’ to increase it to 23 per cent.
The Chancellor said he had to ‘level with people’ about the scale of the economic challenge.
‘I think in the short-term what we need to do is protect the economy and keep supporting the economy through the roadmap, and over time what we need to do is make sure our public finances are sustainable,’ Mr Sunak said. ‘That isn’t going to happen overnight.’
Treasury insiders believe the pandemic could leave a long-term deficit of more than £40billion – equal to about 8p on the basic rate of income tax. The crisis has also led to record borrowing of almost £400billion, pushing the national debt to £2.1trillion.
The Chancellor said an ‘honest and fair’ plan was needed and the huge borrowing had left the UK vulnerable to even a small rise in interest rates.
Treasury sources said even a onepoint rise could require an extra £25billion in interest payments.
Mr Sunak will make jobs a priority and is considering a National Insurance holiday for employers who take on new staff. But in the short-term he made clear the costly package of economic support credited with propping up millions of jobs will continue. ‘We went big, we went early and there’s more to come and people should feel reassured by that,’ he said.
Tory MPs last night stepped up pressure on the Chancellor to avoid any tax rises.
Former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said that even freezing income tax thresholds would be a ‘mistake’ that would punish thousands of ordinary families.
Under the Treasury plan, the starting point for paying income tax would be frozen at £12,500, while the 40p rate would continue to start at £50,000. Government sources insisted that such a move would not break Boris Johnson’s ‘triple lock’ on tax, which pledged no increase in the headline rates of income tax, national insurance or VAT.
But Sir Iain said: ‘You will end up dragging more people like teachers and senior nurses into a 40p rate that was originally meant for the rich.’
In a letter to the Chancellor, 45 Tory MPs from the Northern Research Group called for business rates to be reduced from 50 per cent of market rents back down to 35 per cent.
Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds said yesterday: ‘The Chancellor is threatening to hike taxes on struggling businesses and families now so he can cut them before the next election. He’s putting party politics before the economy.’
‘Rate originally meant for the rich’
RISHI Sunak has the unenviable task of setting out his plans for Britain’s economic emergence from the worst health crisis in a century during Wednesday’s Budget.
It is a treacherous tightrope. The Chancellor must tame the horrendous deficit and debt incurred, while stimulating spending, galvanising growth and creating employment.
But by treating the public like grown-ups, and communicating the drastic – but sensible – measures that need to be taken, he can reassure the country that matters are firmly in hand.
The Mail has no time, typically, for Big State largesse. But it is fair to continue pumping billions more to struggling families and businesses until restrictions are lifted.
We are pleased, though, he is not deploying immediately the thumbscrew of punitive tax rises.
Yes, the bill must be paid. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
But by deferring measures to claw back revenue until at least the autumn, Mr Sunak avoids stunting the ‘coiled spring’ of recovery. The only way back to prosperity is a thriving private sector.
Countless firms are teetering close to oblivion. If he can pull them back from the edge, he will save jobs and rake in taxes from them – saving the Treasury money on benefits payments in the long run.
For a Chancellor who had to learn fast on the job, Mr Sunak has had, as people used to say, a pretty ‘good war’.
Tough challenges lie ahead. The toughest will be ending this experiment in pandemic socialism, and burnishing the Tories’ reputation for economic competence.