Backdoor lockdown
The government is facing the wrath of residents from eight areas of the UK where the Indian variant is thriving, as it bats away accusations of trying to impose a local lockdown on the sly.
New guidance was published on the government website on Friday evening, advising those living in Bedford, Blackburn with Darwen, Bolton, Burnley, Kirklees, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside to avoid meeting indoors and travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is for essential purposes.
Crucially, the change in guidance was made without consulting – or even notifying – local authorities, local MPs or public health officials in the regions.
Those affected aren’t too pleased about being kept in the dark. Yasmin Qureshi, Labour MP for Bolton South East, says she is “gobsmacked” that the government is “making such an important announcement and they don’t even have the decency to tell us or our constituents.”
Is the lack of communication down to poor organisation, or was the government really trying to sneak back towards a tier system? It has fiercely denied the latter.
Of course, Boris Johnson would have reason to be nervous about announcing any regional restrictions – the likes of Andy Burnham have made it very clear where they stand on the matter of local lockdowns, and did not take too kindly to the last one.
Yet the crucial difference this time round is that the guidance for the eight regions is just that: guidance. The government will not be legally enforcing these new measures – in line with Johnson’s unlocking speech, where he shifted some responsibility back onto individuals – and social distancing became a matter of ‘personal choice’.
What this may well mean is that the advice results in little meaningful action. Indeed, Leicester city council, which claims “No one from the DHSC or Public Health England contacted us” about the update, has already told residents to be sensible but, effectively, to ignore the new guidance.
So unlike the local lockdowns over the winter, it seems the update may not impact heavily on the lives of those in the targeted regions. But the issue has become less about the reality of these new rules and more a matter of principle: failure to consult local government has left them feeling angry and alienated.
Will sanctions fly?
The EU has taken the decision to ban Belarusian airlines from European skies, as it presses ahead with new punitive measures to hold President Lukashenko accountable for Sunday’s plane hijacking – and pile pressure on him to release the journalist Roman Protasevich.
Major European airlines have begun rerouting flights away from Belarusian airspace and the UK has suspended the operating permit for Belarusian state airline Belavia.
The bloc has promised to toughen existing economic sanctions on Belarus. Details will be announced in the coming days, but it’s likely the sanctions will target oligarchs so as to hurt Lukashenko and his allies while avoiding more sweeping sanctions that could harm ordinary Belarusians. Lucrative oil and potash sectors are crucial providers of revenue for Lukashenko’s regime.
The new measures come after a video surfaced on Telegram last night, in which a dishevelled Protasevich, with bruises on his face, makes what appears to be a forced confession to organising mass anti-government protests – a charge he has hitherto denied.
How effective will the penalties be?
Lukashenko’s brazen interception has highlighted his confidence in the patronage of Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggests that current EU sanctions on dozens of Belarusian officials, including the President himself, have had little impact.
Barring Belarusian airlines from flying over EU territory or accessing EU airports is undoubtedly a big financial blow to Minsk – and it will cause major travel obstacles for the country.
But as long as Lukashenko has Putin’s unwavering support, he will not be easily deterred. And sanctions are likely to drive Belarus even closer to Moscow.
Fistful of dollars
Joe Biden has dispatched his top diplomat to the Middle East in an attempt to cement the fragile ceasefire reached on Friday between Israel and Hamas.
Antony Blinken arrived this morning in Tel Aviv for the first leg of his trip, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in West Jerusalem and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank. He will then head to neighbouring Egypt and Jordan.
Blinken says Biden sent him to reiterate the administration’s staunch support of Israel’s right to defend itself as well as to address the urgent humanitarian and reconstruction needs in the Gaza Strip.
The US has already committed to helping Israel refortify its defenses. Today Blinken announced an extra $75 million for Palestinians this year, and $5.5 million in immediate disaster assistance for Gaza.
But Biden’s longer-term strategy remains unclear. In lieu of a plan, he seems to have chosen to throw money at the problem for the time being.
Caitlin Allen,
Reaction Reporter