Fines issued over No 10 lockdown parties
Twenty fines will be issued as part of the police inquiry into Downing Street parties which breached Covid rules. The police will not be saying who is fined or confirming which events the fixed penalty notices relate to. However, Downing Street will say if the prime minister is among the recipients. Twelve parties were investigated and over a hundred people questioned under caution, resulting in officials being found guilty of breaking the law at No.10. Fixed penalty notices will need to be paid within 28 days, or contested. If someone chooses to contest the fine, the police will review the case and decide whether to withdraw the fine or take the case to court. The police say there is still a significant amount of material to be assessed, and more fines could come in the future.
Covid infections climb by a million in a week
Covid cases in the UK climbed by a million in the week ending 19 March: just under 4.3 million, up from 3.3 million the week before. Rates were up in England and Wales, and Scotland reached a new high of one in 11 Scots having Covid. Infections have started decreasing in Northern Ireland. A high number of infections means hospitalisations rising, although vaccines are still helping to stop many severe cases, said experts. Most of the remaining Covid restrictions in the UK come to an end on 3 April, with a few rules remaining for now in Wales and Scotland until 1 May. After that, people with symptoms will just be advised to stay at home until they feel better, Physical test sites will close, and contact tracing will end. See also
Economic crime bill
Ground-breaking legislation introduced to Parliament recently could provide a major boost to Britain’s defences against illicit wealth. Transparency International (TI) said that the bill introduces much-needed reforms on property ownership, transparency, strengthening UK asset recovery powers, and sanctions. But there are some gaps within it. An 18-month transition period is far too long, and risks massive levels of asset flight. TI recommends the Government implement transitional provisions to stop property from being sold before the register comes into force and the proceeds transferred overseas. Overseas companies owning UK property should declare their beneficial ownership information; and the legislation should be implemented at the earliest opportunity to empower Companies House to introduce verification checks, query, investigate and remove false information.
Ukraine: Refugees’ ‘bubble of safety’
Elżbieta Jarmulska, a feisty Polish entrepreneur, is the founder of the Women Take The Wheel Initiative to provide Ukrainian refugees with a ‘bubble of safety’. She says, ‘Those women have been through so much already, walking or driving their way through a war zone and now are exposed to fear and exploitation here? I have no words for what that must be like’. Elżbieta has recruited 650+ Polish ‘amazing women’, as she describes them, driving backwards and forwards as often as they can to the Polish-Ukrainian border, in order to offer refugees safe passage. They show their ID card and proof of residence to officials, before asking if anyone wanted a lift to Warsaw. The car is full in moments. Small children are given water, chocolate and motion-sickness tablets if they need them. The women are so relieved when they see they have a female driver to help them to safety.
