Top story: ‘Home is not a safe place’
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Lockdown in England and increased awareness about domestic violence and abuse led to a 61% surge in calls and contacts logged by the official helpline in the past year, according to Refuge, the charity that runs the service. Across the whole of 2020, 81% of callers described being controlled by their partner, 58% had been subjected to physical abuse, 24% were being stalked or harassed and 40% were subjected to economic abuse.
Almost one in five of the women to whom Refuge spoke had experienced death threats from their abusers, 10% had weapons used against them and 16% had experienced strangling. The most common age bracket of women calling in was 30-39. The charity referred thousands of women to secure refuges and specialist help, helped them create safety plans, and informed them of their rights. Lisa King from Refuge said: “For women and children experiencing domestic abuse, home is not a safe place. Lockdown measures, where women have been isolated and confined with their perpetrators more than ever, have compounded their exposure to violence and abuse.” A domestic abuse bill is passing through parliament before becoming law, and is currently with the House of Lords.
If you are experiencing domestic abuse you can contact the Refuge freephone 24-hour national domestic abuse helpline: 0808 2000 247 or visit www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk
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‘Tragedy and nightmare’ – A shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado has killed 10 people including a police officer, according to authorities. Police including Swat teams and at least three helicopters responded to reports of an “active shooter” on Monday afternoon at the King Soopers grocery store. A person of interest was taken into custody, police confirmed. Officers were seen escorting a shirtless man with blood running down his leg out of the store in handcuffs. The FBI said its agents were helping in the investigation. Victims’ families were being notified, said the Boulder county district attorney, Michael Dougherty: “This is a tragedy and a nightmare for Boulder county.”
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Dutch vaccine share plan – Ministers may raise the idea of sharing the output of a vaccine plant in the Netherlands as they seek to calm tensions over a potential EU ban on the export of Covid shots to the UK. Sources said the UK government was keen to offer support and expertise at the AstraZeneca plant in the Netherlands, run by the subcontractor Halix, to help scale up production. The European commission president has mooted blocking vaccine exports to the UK. On Thursday, EU leaders will discuss whether the commission should be granted new powers to seize control of distribution and production in EU territory. The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has said overnight: “I support Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. We have a problem with AstraZeneca.”
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‘Obviously relieved’ – Nicola Sturgeon has vowed to lead Scotland into the crucial May elections after being cleared of breaching the ministerial code over her dealings with Alex Salmond. James Hamilton, a former Irish prosecutor, rejected a series of allegations that the first minister deliberately misled Holyrood about when she knew about sexual harassment allegations against her predecessor being investigated by Scottish government civil servants.
Sturgeon said she was “obviously relieved” Hamilton had cleared her, and she wanted to focus on winning the May elections. “I’ll be putting myself forward as the candidate for first minister because there’s a big job of work to be done to continue to lead this country through a pandemic.” Sturgeon is braced for publication of a highly critical report by MSPs into the controversy on Tuesday morning, but Hamilton’s decision to clear her of wrongdoing now means she no longer faces losing a no-confidence vote in Holyrood.
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‘Stanley Johnson’ loophole – People will be allowed to leave the UK to prepare a second home abroad for sale or rent, according to coronavirus regulations coming into force later this month. Boris Johnson’s father, Stanley, last summer apparently breached Covid guidelines by travelling to his Greek villa to make it “Covid-proof”. The latest restrictions, applying from 29 March, will include a list of “reasonable excuses to travel” abroad including “in connection with the purchase, sale, letting or rental of a residential property”. The Labour MP Andrew Gwynne said the “Stanley Johnson” provision would “stick in the craw” of ordinary families who faced missing out on summer holidays. Other exemptions include study or competing in an elite sporting event. Ministers are meanwhile considering a traffic light system for international travel that could rate countries green, amber and red depending on vaccine passport agreements.
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‘How could we trust them?’ – Britain and the EU have joined the US and Canada to impose parallel sanctions on senior Chinese officials involved in the mass internment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. China hit back immediately, blacklisting MEPs, European diplomats and thinktanks. The UK foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said China’s treatment of the Uighur minority was “the largest mass detention of an ethnic and religious group since the second world war”. China said it was sanctioning 10 EU individuals and four entities. Guy Verhofstadt MEP said: “China just killed the EU-China Investment Agreement by sanctioning the people criticising slave labour [and] genocide in Xinjiang. How could we ever trust them to improve the human rights situation of the Uighurs if they simply call it ‘fake news’?”
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Cladding relief voted down – Leaseholders living in dangerously clad high-rise homes could be left with fire safety bills of up to £100,000 each after MPs voted against a proposal to protect them from the costs. Amendments intended to stop building owners passing on the costs were backed by Labour but failed to attract sufficient Tory rebels to pass. After the Grenfell Tower fire, similar combustible cladding was discovered on thousands of high-rise blocks. Freehold owners have been holding leaseholders liable, leading to standoffs. There are about 700,000 private leasehold flats in England over 11 metres in height that require safety certification before the flats can be sold, according to the government’s estimates. But only a minority are covered by a £5bn fund to replace combustible cladding.
Today in Focus podcast: One year on the inside
The first national lockdown began in Britain a year ago today, but for those identified as clinically vulnerable, the restrictions often mean total isolation. Frances Ryan reports on what it has meant for those who have been shielding.
Lunchtime read: Travel in the time of Covid
Travel as we knew it stopped a year ago – and is unlikely to return in the same form. But from the cycling boom, to UK adventure and wilderness holidaying, new trends are already emerging.
Sport
On the eve of Tuesday’s first one-day international, Virat Kohli has questioned whether England acted “in the spirit of the game” when claiming a controversial low catch during the fourth Twenty20 in Ahmedabad last Thursday. Dan Scarbrough, the former England rugby international, admits to feeling conflicted as he reveals he is joining a legal action after being diagnosed with early onset dementia. England players are set to have a significant say over whether Eddie Jones keeps his job as head coach with the squad invited to give their feedback into the dismal Six Nations campaign as part of the Rugby Football Union’s review.
The Chelsea manager, Emma Hayes, has said the new historic broadcast rights deal for the Women’s Super League – worth in the region of £24m over three years – was “vindication for all the work done over a number of years”. Sergio Pérez lines up alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull this year, and the Mexican driver feels he has the chance to challenge at the front of F1. Ben Chilwell has said he is looking forward to meeting up with the England squad this week and to battling it out with Luke Shaw over who becomes the first-choice left-sided defender at the summer’s European Championship. Hall of Fame forward, Lakers legend and longtime Clippers executive Elgin Baylor has died of natural causes in Los Angeles, aged 86. And in Australia, up to 75,000 fans will be able to pack the MCG to watch Aussie Rules football this week after health officials further lifted crowd limits.
Business
Asian stocks have reversed earlier gains, weighed by Chinese markets as investors took profit on a recent rally in some mainland firms, although ebbing inflation fears helped shore up broader sentiment in the region. Investors await a congressional appearance by the US Fed chairman, Jerome Powell, and the treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, today. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dropped 0.57%, hurt by a 1.5% fall in Chinese blue chips. The FTSE is also expected to open lower. A pound is worth $1.384 and €1.160 at time of writing.
The papers
The Guardian leads today on Nicola Sturgeon being cleared of breaching Holyrood’s ministerial code. We also have major coverage marking one year since the UK first went into lockdown. “One hundred and twenty six thousand dead,” writes Sirin Kale. “A decimated economy. The reckoning will take decades to pick over.” And a landmark review by the British Academy has foreshadowed a “Covid decade” of social and cultural upheaval marked by growing inequality and deepening economic deprivation. The report calls for major investment in public services to repair “profound social damage” caused or exacerbated by coronavirus to the economy, mental health, public trust and education.
“£5,000 fine for holidays abroad” says the Mail, while the Express and the Mirror give us one of the reasons for rules being tightened: “Boris warns Europe’s 3rd wave will hit UK” and “New coronavirus alert: 3rd wave fears”. The Times this morning has “Overseas travel ban extended until July” and a portrait slot is given to Clive Myrie, the next presenter of Mastermind. The Telegraph leads with “Care home staff to face compulsory vaccination”, which we have followed up here.
“Never lock back” – the Sun says the PM has vowed to “end lockdown once and for all” but warns the European third wave will “wash up on our shores”. The i has “Irish PM backs UK on vaccine exports” after Micheál Martin told his fellow EU leaders that restricting supply to Britain would be a “very retrograde step”. The Metro has “Astra nought – no deaths or serious Covid after Oxford jab”, reporting the results of a US trial. “Western sanctions on China over Uyghurs spark instant retaliation” – that’s the FT with a story you read up above.
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