NEW: Covid related absence in England’s schools continues to increase. On 15th July Covid related absence in English state schools was 14.3%. That’s up from 11.2% on 8th a July and 8.5% on 1st July.
Picture is even worse in secondary schools- was 17.9% on 15 July. This is up from 13.5% on 8 July and 10.4% on 1 July respectively. So going on for 1 in 5 English secondary school pupils off for Covid related absence (not necessarily nor likely because they actually had Covid).
You’ll see that demonstrated here. Vast majority of absence as a result of contact with Covid+ pupil (or suspected), not because they themselves had tested positive.
Overall attendance was even worse. Attendance in all state-funded schools adjusted for Y11-13 not expected to attend was 76.7% on 15 July. This is down from 80.4% on 8 July and 83.4% on 1 July.
As I said earlier in the week, this has the potential to be a monstrous political issue come autumn for the government.
.@columeastwood on the Protocol: “this is the second attempt in one week by this government to put distance between agreements they themselves have signed. Why does he think anyone in Northern Ireland or any other country would trust anything they say from this day forward?”
Eastwood asks this after reminding Brandon Lewis of his previous assurances that NI was uniquely placed to benefit from the Protocol and that there was no sea border between GB and NI.
Brandon Lewis says that it’s right that the govt listens to all of the voices who are saying the Protocol is a threat to the Belfast/GF agreement.
Liverpool becomes only the third place in the world to completely lose its UNESCO status. Quick googling tells me the other two were the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman and the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany.
That said some there will argue that UNESCO were saying Liverpool had to be frozen in aspic when the city wanted/needed to develop. It’s a tension which has been brewing for years.
Endless paradoxes with Cummings, as ever. He works to make a man he says is an incompetent prime minister. He does so because he thinks it would be dangerous not to honour democracy. Having been democratically elected with big maj,DC says days later he is discussing removing him.
Key exchange below
Laura K: "Some people will be listening to you saying you were thinking of getting rid of Boris Johnson and just wonder who you think you are?"
Cummings: "Possibly but the situation we found ourselves in was that within days the PM's gf is trying...
...to get rid of us and appoint clowns to certain key jobs. Do you just go, OK that's fine or do you say, OK that's a disaster and try and avoid that happening?"
So Mr Cummings believed the survival of he and his core team was more important than the survival of the just....
Doubtless Twitter is going to be flooded with people expressing concern about nightclubs. Whatever you think, do dial down any judgmental comments. Loads of young people have sacrificed a lot in the pandemic and now doing what the govt (rightly or wrongly) is saying they can.
Well all the replies to this demonstrated the grace, understanding and lack of judgment we’ve come to expect on here during this period.