well, it's blockbusters, however you want, you're connected with your office, where ever you happen to be. this is the story of as sales as sales, space to deliver, your vision will be the hero, the world needs right? ah, washer dryer. ah, forest johnson titans, the you case cove, it restrictions hours after apologizing for a video showing his staff, joking about holding a christmas party during last year's lockdown. i can understand how infuriating it must be to think that the people who've been setting the rules have not been following the rules. ah,

hello, i'm barbara sarah. this is al jazeera life from london, also coming up. all of schoultz promises a new beginning as he sworn in as german chancellor ending angular miracles of 16 year old india's defense chief and 12 others are killed in a helicopter crash and coming now do state and australia, canada, and the u. k. join the u. s. is diplomatic boycott of china's winter olympics? ah, hello, welcome to the program. the british prime minister of boris johnson has announced that covert restrictions are being tightened again to help combat the spread of the new on the chron variant. but there are big questions over his authority coming. i was after he was forced to apologize for a video showing his staff,

joking about holding a christmas party during last year's lockdown. jonah whole has the latest deny, deny, deny has been the strategy at number 10 downing street over reports of a staff christmas party last year when they were banned on the cobra rules. the government says no rules were broken, leaked video recorded 2 days later, during rehearsals by senior staff for a news briefing offers damning evidence to the contrary. i went home, old and all that is changed to see from mine. all right. this is, this is recorded. inspection of policy with a business means it's not just one of those involved has now resign. it recalled and perhaps eclipse to previous pandemic rule. breaches like chief advisor, dominic cummings, lockdown family road trip,

the former health secretary mat hancock's office affair, and the prime minister's own failure to wear a mask on a recent hospital visit. at prime minister's questions on wednesday for his johnson was under extreme pressure to step up his response, saying, i can understand how infuriating it must be to think that the people who have been setting the rules have not been following the mississippi. because i was also curious to see that and i apologize, i apologize unreservedly to the effect that it is caused up and down the country. and i apologize to the impression that it gave it to the position for much the, the queen since alone, which she marked the passing of the man should be married to for 73 years leadership sacrifice. that's what gives leaders of moral authority to lee.

i just the prime and to think he has the moral authority to leave off the purchase people to stick to the wrong. yeah, that question would be put to the test later. at a news conference, baris johnson announced new public health measures in response to the highly transmissible omit crohn variant. i know this will be hard for many people. they include mosque, wearing in more indoors settings, guidance to work from home, where possible, and the use of vaccine passports in large public settings. it is for the public now to decide if they will listen things by making his statement offering his apology in parliament virus. johnson will have hoped to move events on in a story that has the potential to do him great damage. the problem is that a new conversation may now emerge, one about the public's willingness to follow new measures in the face of the army

kron variant. and whether this government has the moral authority to enforce them. joan, a whole al jazeera london and our correspondent and with simmons is in following the story, enjoins me. now there's a lot to and pick here, andrew. so let's start with the new measure is, i mean if this is plan b, this is really just tinkering around the edges of what was of any place. well, that's right. so i mean that what we're seeing is a follow on from what the rest of europe's doing, but in a much more severe way. this is pretty lightweight, in terms of restrictions. it's better than before. what the, as far as the scientists are concerned, what we're seeing is a list of really upgrades to things like the mask wearing is now going to be in most public places. or i'll include restaurants and bars. there will be of the passport, the vaccine passport than national health service. passport. most people have got these. they will be required in going into our clubs and venues or where

people are gathering in any great numbers or indeed outside venues. there's graded system there, but there's not really a big across the board move being made apart from the, the issue of going of actually working from home. but the even last is, is this is really voluntary in terms of well do pennies. still have people working from home, well, that's right. and, and so, so the whole has been to there. but really, that the tone of this news conference was of a different bras, johnson than the one in the commons. you saw in journals report. he was under attack from many directions, but particularly by from obviously the leader of the labor opposition party. yes. thomas, who the performed not surprisingly well with all the meat that he had to roast. and he was pushing hard on making the point that johnson should not be allowed to get away with this. he said that his statement in which he announced the inquiry,

was not sufficient. it was putting up more questions than it was answers. and in the, the news conference afterwards, it was put to him several times how, how can you really be a moral authority guiding the public? what on what to do when you have active in this way? or in terms of dodging all the issues and denying this party ever took place, however, he sidestepped back throughout. i think the overwhelmingly, the, the public see are the importance of the, the messages that they are getting via this medium. it is imperfect or we do what we can to explain. ah, what we think is, is necessary. i know it's contentious. i know it's difficult. and i know that sometimes the, the messages are a confusing or we do our absolute best to make it as, as clear as possible. and we do everything that we can do to protect public health

. that's what we're, we're, we're driven by and or you mentioned moral authority earlier. i mean, that really is the question. if for whatever reason the u. k. had to impose strict restrictions. 11 to his advice, johnson would have the moral authority to impose that on, on the population. well, i think that's the question. if you ask the british public right now, there might be a negative response from the majority because we've seen from bottom to top of the country, scotland, northern ireland, wales, england, we've seen not just anger, but incredibly sad people thinking my goodness it to see that set of senior, stifles from downing street, joking, laughing it. and then in one case, one woman whose mother died alone, she couldn't get through to her. on this day, december, the 18th, 3 days after the lockdown, effective lockdown was imposed in london. that woman died and,

and with it without her daughter and her daughter tweeting on the day, this happened that this was just not was repulsive. now that there's a real feeling, it's not just like the dominant cummings, the special adviser to, to the prime minister who drove all the way out to northumberland and, and, and, you know breached every guideline. you can think of that. this is bigger than that . it would seem so we may see a different prime minister spelling out new restrictions on cove it, but he hasn't been able to dodge this. the still long way to go in may only have been a christmas party, as in terms, but it was abusive offensive towards the british public at a time of need at a time of great sadness. when many people were dying and still are upset. it's a story that is not going to go away any time soon, and remains for the moment. thank you. why pfizer meanwhile,

says preliminary tests show that 3 shops of its cobit 900 vaccine, are likely to provide protection against the on the con variant. the pharmaceutical giant says 2 doses still offer protection against severe illness, but a booster remains the best course of action. pfizer has started to develop a normal specific vaccine, which it says it should be available by march. people vaccinated with a 3rd boost generate a robust lever law, neutralizing antibody against the new highly mutated omicron variant. this is a common 4th thing and a very positive message that we now have a plan that will induce immunity that is likely to protect from infection. symptomatic illness and severe disease from now crossed entire winter season. as we learn more about this illness,

ah.