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Feb 22 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
Sir Patrick Vallance was right: Covid feeds off inequality and drives inequality.

.@BorisJohnson's 'moment of pride' in lifting restrictions is overshadowed by a decade of shame on the growing health gap between rich and poor

Tonight's #WaughOnPolitics
inews.co.uk/opinion/boris-…
A new report this month by the University of Manchester found that England’s North West, North East and West Midlands had all suffered disproportionately more deaths from Covid than richer areas. Yes, that's the Red Wall.
inews.co.uk/opinion/boris-…
Even before the pandemic, 10 years of austerity had begun to bite. Public health expert Sir Michael Marmot found that life expectancy in the UK had stalled for the first time in a century, and for poorer women it had actually gone backwards.

inews.co.uk/opinion/boris-…
Only last week, new analysis by the @FT of @ONS figures had even more alarming findings. The ONS now expects male life expectancy 25 years from now to be 82.2 years: in 2014 it was projected to be 84.1.

inews.co.uk/opinion/boris-…
.@sajidjavid at least recognises the problem and has set up the new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID). But does it have the clout or cash needed to work?
Should we have a Minister for Health Equality in the next reshuffle?

inews.co.uk/opinion/boris-…

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More from @paulwaugh

Paul Waugh Profile picture
Feb 24
I understand that all 11 Labour MPs who signed the Stop The War statement (which criticised Nato) have been written to by the Shadow Chief Whip and asked to withdraw their signatures.
Sounds like if they refuse to do so, they will all lose the whip.
The signatories are:
Diane Abbott
John McDonnell
Richard Burgon
Ian Lavery
Beth Winter
Zarah Sultana
Bell Ribeiro-Addy
Apsana Begum
Mick Whitley
Tahir Ali
Ian Mearns
The Stop The War Coalition statement they signed is here:
stopwar.org.uk/article/list-o… Image
Latest: the 11 MPs are minded to pull their signatures as requested, to avoid giving Starmer any excuse to withdraw the whip.
But some of the PLP are pushing for a vote on the whole issue, so this may not be over yet.
Read 4 tweets
Paul Waugh Profile picture
Feb 24
.@TomTugendhat withering on @BBCr4today about @BorisJohnson Brexit boasts:
"One of the reasons I was were given for leaving the European Union was that we could do independent sanctions. That's what I was told by the then Foreign Secretary in 2018. Well let's see them."
The EU imposed sanctions on 351 Russian MPs yesterday but the UK didn't.
More on the UK's delayed response here:
inews.co.uk/opinion/boris-…
.@TomTugendhat also made clear he had long objected to Russian linked donations to the Tory party.
Read 6 tweets
Paul Waugh Profile picture
Feb 23
I'm confused again about govt's position. MPs asked @BorisJohnson yday if further sanctions needed fresh trigger of Putin invasion. Cleverly seemd to say no.
Now @trussliz: "We are very clear there’s a further list of oligarchs" to be imposed *“in the event of a full invasion”*
After both Tory and Labour MPs failed to get straight answer yday from the PM, @JamesCleverly later clarified the position: "We intend to escalate these sanctions, to ratchet up these sanctions, *in response to what has already happened* in order to deter further aggression."
The assumption was that the UK was waiting for other allies to agree strategy on stronger sanctions before going ahead, not that they depended on 'a full invasion'.

Of course, there will be a gradation of sanctions at each stage. But govt position is unclear again. One for #PMQs
Read 6 tweets
Paul Waugh Profile picture
Feb 22
Adopts #Gogglebox Craig Cash voice "Meanwhile, in London...Boris and his little sister Partygate"
Not much of a 'Freedom bounce' or 'Ukraine bounce' in latest poll either.
Govt competence rating has fallen, and PM personal rating falls again..
'Operation Fightback' may be working on Tory MPs but not working on voters yet.
And with that poll showing health tops voter priorities (above even the economy), the govt's record + policy on health inequalities is more important than ever.

inews.co.uk/opinion/boris-…
Read 4 tweets
Paul Waugh Profile picture
Feb 22
Exlnt question from @Mark_J_Harper, following up on @hilarybennmp.
Will the UK impose further sanctions, even if Putin only limits his invasion to Donbass regions?

.@BorisJohnson: "It’s inevitable that we will be coming forward with a much bigger package of sanctions"
The PM's answer was carefully crafted tho. Full quote: "I think it is inevitable, given what is happening in Ukraine and on the borders of Ukraine, that we will be coming forward with a much bigger package of sanctions."
In answer to @LaylaMoran, the PM says it's inevitable that Putin will 'continue' with his invasion. Wonder if that means 'continue' to stay in Donbass or 'continue' by invading other parts of the country?
Read 4 tweets
Paul Waugh Profile picture
Feb 22
Multiple times now, @BorisJohnson has been asked to implement the Intelligence and Security Committee's 'Russia Report' in full.
Multiple times he's refused to agree to that.

Instead, PM says: "We are going further than the 'Russia Report' in implementing sanctions in Russia…"
Suspect there may be more on 'the Russia Report' in #PMQs, and the slow progress govt has made in carrying out its recommendations.

Ahead of that, more here on sanctions messaging:

inews.co.uk/opinion/boris-…
Margaret Hodge raised risk of muddled messaging in #PMQs, particularly on sanctions on Duma members.
But messaging still unclear re whether new Russian aggression needed to trigger next 'barrage' of sanctions
Read 4 tweets

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