who is— security run by doctorjenny harris who is sometimes been known over the past months _htly hard to accept, i'm sure it's quite hurtful for her — accept, i'm sure it's quite hurtful for her this _ accept, i'm sure it's quite hurtful for her. this is an extraordinary crisis _ for her. this is an extraordinary crisis where _ for her. this is an extraordinary crisis where everybody is going through — crisis where everybody is going through. you do sometimes wonder, when _ through. you do sometimes wonder, when is _ through. you do sometimes wonder, when is the — through. you do sometimes wonder, when is the government going to get its messaging sorted so there are simpler— its messaging sorted so there are simpler messages for everybody? you have this _ simpler messages for everybody? you have this morass of figures as i say so often, _ have this morass of figures as i say so often, without a context. yes, ou're so often, without a context. yes, you're right _ so often, without a context. yes, you're right about _ so often, without a context. yes, you're right about context

that morning on the radio doctorjenny harris, the uk health security agency chief, had suggested thatple might want to be a bit careful about how they socialise at christmas and cut back on that in the coming weeks because of the obviously the emergence of the omicron variant. and with that in the back of our minds we were all asking questions of the pm spokesman about whether we should be having christmas parties, whether it was wise to follow her advice and what the official guidance was. and he made it quite clear that the official guidance at that time was not to cut back on christmas parties, these things could ahead. it was really quite clear about that. some interpreted that as a bit of a slapdown in fact ofjenny harris. i remember sitting there thinking "my goodness, people are talking about christmas parties again, we have the uncertainties of what happens in the next few weeks with omicron coming up, this is going to be on people's minds again, now is the moment to do this story." so you decided to run the story on tuesday of last week. were you ready to go with it quite a l

and then the kind of slightly mixed messages from ministers or doctorjenny harries, the senior health, about how we should behave on top of the rules that stipulate behaviour around face coverings and self isolation. to be clear at the moment, the government are saying, go ahead, don't cancel things. don't overreact, but also, we are in this waiting game until we have more information about whether this new variant will be something that is extremely serious, omicron, or whether actually we can still carry on as you were. the government's reinstituted and urging caution, same scotland, cardiff ans stormont, but we're sort of in this holding pattern. so, yeah, put your mask back on on the trains, for example. in scotland that was the case already. they're holding off going back to something really draconian, and that means until we have more information, there will be room for misinterpretation. what is the phrase, the only thing to fear is fear itself. the government is fearing that concept because as soon as you see people saying cut back on socialising, you think how many hundreds o

— ministers or doctorjenny harry's about how we should behave — harry's about how we should behaveviour around face coverinus. ., , . ., stipulate behaviour around face coverinus. . ., ., coverings. to be clear at the moment. — coverings. to be clear at the moment, the _ coverings. to be clear at the moment, the government . coverings. to be clear at the l moment, the government are saying, go ahead, don't cancel things. don't overreact, but also, we are in this waiting game until we have more information about whether this new variant will be something thatis new variant will be something that is extremely serious, omicron, orwhetherwe omicron, or whether we can still carry on as you were. the government's reinstituted and urging caution, saying scotland, cardiff... but we're sort of in this holding pattern. put your mask back on on the trains, for example. they're holding off going back to something really draconian, and that means until we have more information, there will be room for misinterpretation. the onl thin room for misinterpretation. the only thing to — room for misint

i think it was doctorjenny harry's who put the statement out about ten days ago saying everyone shouldinterviews on the friday before last weekend, and itjust all unraveled. there's nothing in there about business rates today. is there any package of measures that can actually help?— package of measures that can actuall hel? , �* , ,, ., , actually help? yes. business rates are at 5096, _ actually help? yes. business rates are at 5096, the _ actually help? yes. business rates are at 5096, the came _ actually help? yes. business rates are at 5096, the came back- actually help? yes. business rates are at 5096, the came back in - actually help? yes. business rates are at 5096, the came back in from are at 50%, the came back in from july. now we are still in a hole from the first few lockdowns, i'm not sure if people know that — obviously the furlough scheme was wonderful for the staff, for the business owners and allowed us to not have to get rid of anybody, but we had to pay p a y not have to get rid of anybody, but we hadto paypayeon not have to get rid of anybody, but we had to pay p a

—hour period, so a very sharp rise in the number of cases and omicron, we were hearing from doctorjenny harrieses in covid in the coming days. just a few more seconds we think until we hear from boris johnson, the prime minister. of course still smarting from that defeat in the comments were 100 or so conservative mps voted against his covid pass measures. he got the measure through anyway because of labour support. and various other measures, restrictions, which were also approved last night in the comments. but no word yet from the government or whether they feel there is going to be a need for further guidance or further restrictions in the light of what is clearly going to be a very sharp increase in cases in the next few days. here is the prime minister so we can listen in to the news conference.— we can listen in to the news conference. good afternoon, everybody- _ conference. good afternoon, everybody- as _ conference. good afternoon, everybody. as of _ conference. good afternoon, everybody. as of today, i conference. good afternoon, | everybody. as of today, every eligible adult in engl

this is a comment made by doctorjenny harries, the chief executive of the centre xhaka uk health securityas told mps that omicron is probably the most significant threat since the most significant threat since the start of the pandemic. probably the start of the pandemic. probably the most significant threat since the most significant threat since the start of the pandemic. that is the start of the pandemic. that is the assessment of the uk health security agency, speaking to mps about the omicron variant of covid, giving evidence to the transport committee, she said the growth rate, the doubling time, was now under two daysin the doubling time, was now under two days in most regions of the uk. the initial thoughts, the data coming from south africa and elsewhere, the transmission rate of the virus, that it was more transmissible, it certainly seems to be the case. dr jenny harries saying the growth rate of omicron, the doubling time, was under two days in most regions of the uk. the uk is in a "race between the virus and the vaccine" over the spread of omicron — that's the warning from t

but doctorjenny harries said yesterday it might be a good idea to limit christmas socialising and gathering to these and take a proportionate approach and that is what we have done. i think the guidance we have got out there is right. it already says when you get darker and colder days, you remind people the virus likes that and so does the flu. we want to protect ourselves against that also. it is about taking account of the current guidance. about taking account of the current ruidance. ., ., ., ,., about taking account of the current ruidance. ., ., ., ., ., . ., guidance. you are also announcing an action lan guidance. you are also announcing an action plan on — guidance. you are also announcing an action plan on hiv. _ guidance. you are also announcing an action plan on hiv. why _ guidance. you are also announcing an action plan on hiv. why is _ guidance. you are also announcing an action plan on hiv. why is that - guidance. you are also announcing an action plan on hiv. why is that so - action plan on hiv. why is that so important?— action plan on hiv. why is that so imortant? ., _.,