News Round-Up

• “Boris Johnson pictured hosting Number 10 Christmas quiz ‘in breach of Covid laws’” – Boris Johnson faces more questions over a Downing Street quiz he hosted while London was under Tier Two “no mixing” restrictions, reports the Mirror.
• “Gove leads push for ‘Plan C’ Covid restrictions” – Gove’s push for ‘Plan C’ comes after scientists advising the British Government said tougher Covid restrictions may be needed to prevent Omicron causing upwards of 75,000 deaths, reports the Mail on Sunday.
• “Boris Johnson faces Cabinet revolt over Covid rules” – Ministers threaten to ‘resist’ if restrictions are tightened further in move to ‘Plan C’, reports the Sunday Telegraph.
• “We must end this disastrous assault on liberty” – It is plain wrong for the party of enterprise and choice to spread dystopian fear and curtail freedoms, writes Graham Brady in the Sunday Telegraph.
• “‘We can’t survive another lockdown’: Inside the industries where Christmas is cancelled early” – ‘Plan B’ restrictions are hitting hospitality and entertainment hard – with both business owners and staff being pushed to the brink, reports the Sunday Telegraph.
• “It’s time for Boris to go” – He has served his purpose – and taken us all for fools, writes Giles Fraser in UnHerd.
• “NHS staff ready to give Covid vaccines to children as young as five” – Healthcare staff have been told to start preparing for the mass vaccination of primary school children in anticipation of approval by regulators, reports the Sunday Times.
• “Keep campus open” – Richard Johnson writes on why universities must never return to online learning in Spiked.
• “Vaccine passports may prove a pointless distraction from Omicron” – “The premise of vaccine passports – that the double-jabbed are less likely to be infectious than the unjabbed – has collapsed,” writes Fraser Nelson in the Spectator.
• “Scotland facing ‘tsunami of infections’ from Omicron variant, warns Nicola Sturgeon” – Scotland is facing a “tsunami of infections” from the new Omicron variant, Nicola Sturgeon has warned.
• “Can ‘Plan B’ stop Omicron and how long will it last?” – Scientists advise that booster jabs and sensible precautions can play a key role in limiting the new variant’s impact, reports the Times.
• “Victoria Derbyshire reveals her triple-vaccinated brother has caught Covid” – Victoria Derbyshire’s brother has caught Covid at a Christmas meal with friends despite being triple-vaccinated, reports MailOnline.
• “Labour races to nine-point lead in polls in wake of sleaze controversies at No 10” – Labour has its biggest lead since 2014 while a large majority of voters now think Johnson should resign, reports the Observer.
• “Pentagon May Make Covid Booster Shots Mandatory for Troops” – High-level Department of Defense officials are mulling whether to make Covid vaccine booster shots part of the mandate for U.S. troops, reports the Epoch Times.
• “South Africa’s Omicron outbreak slows, figures suggest” – Nationally 17,154 cases were reported in the past 24 hours, around 1,000 more than the tally on the previous Saturday, South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases said.
• “Boris Johnson’s overreaction to Omicron variant is squandering the goodwill and trust of voters” – Today’s Conservative Party is in the wrong place and heading in the opposite direction of conservatism, writes Steve Baker in the Sunday Telegraph.
• “Don’t rage about No 10’s party – be angry that you couldn’t enjoy one too” – “To save Alexander Johnson’s face, we must all cover our faces. I won’t repeat here all the many objections I have made before to compulsory masking, or explain yet again why these measures are of doubtful value, to put it mildly,” writes Peter Hitchens in the Mail on Sunday.
• “Boris Johnson makes life far too easy for his enemies in the Westminster village” – The PM’s fumbling excuses about a party taking place last year in Downing Street gave the press all the ammunition they needed, writes Charles Moore in the Telegraph.
• “The Power of Natural Immunity” – A new Israeli study confirms the superiority of natural Covid immunity, reports Swiss Policy Research.
• “The Long Read: Jacinda Ardern, science, and Covid mandates events, facts, and fallacies” – Guy Hatchard investigates facts and fallacies in the Government’s approach to Covid vaccine adverse events.
• “Journalism is now a crime” – Julian Assange’s extradition is bad news for press freedom, writes Fraser Miles in Spiked.
• “Eric Zemmour and the French Right-Wing Primary” – The eighth episode of Bournbrook Magazine’s The Political Tipster, in which Julien Yvon and a ‘Mr Frexit’ discuss the French presidential election and the sudden arrival of Eric Zemmour.
• “Why satire gave up on politics” – Power is no longer wielded by our hapless politicians, writes Dorian Lynskey in UnHerd.
• “DeSantis Leads Florida Military Into Germany To Liberate Unvaccinated Concentration Camps” – Babylon Bee won’t have to produce satirical pieces soon. The real news is ridiculous enough!