Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

UK’s Sunday shows round-up: Steve Baker says liberty ‘dies like this’ over Coronavirus Act

UK’s Sunday shows round-up: Steve Baker says liberty ‘dies like this’ over Coronavirus Act

Steve Baker - Liberty 'dies like this' with 'draconian powers' unchecked

The government has come under fire from its own side this morning as it prepares to renew the Coronavirus Act six months after it was first put into effect. Graham Brady, the chair of the influential 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers, is spearheading an amendment to the act which would ensure that Parliament could vote on the emergency measures that ministers wish to take. Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister, gave his reasons for supporting this amendment:


SB: I doubt really anyone understands what [the] law is... We're in an environment where you really can't know whether you're a criminal or not with this much law... Liberty...dies like this, with government exercising draconian powers without parliamentary scrutiny in advance.

'Plenty of MPs' will back our amendment


Baker continued by saying that he was confident that the amendment had enough support on the Conservative benches to pass, if the other opposition parties joined forces with them:


SB: There are plenty of MPs who would vote for this amendment if it is selected... It's really down to Labour, the SNP and the Liberal Democrats if it comes to it... Let's have policy which enjoys our consent.

I'd be 'delighted' to see Dacre at Ofcom and Moore at the BBC


Ridge asked Baker about the rumours that the longstanding former editor of the Daily Mail, Paul Dacre, was being strongly considered as the new chairman of Ofcom, the arms length overseer and regulator for television and other media industries. Baker gave his vote of confidence not only to Dacre, but also to the possibility of the Spectator's own Charles Moore as the new Chairman of the BBC:


SB: I'd be delighted... They're Conservatives, and they might actually start to look at the way that the media functions and ensure there's some impartiality... I forward to them being appointed.

David Lammy - Students have been 'done over' by the government


The government also attracted criticism from the Shadow Justice Secretary David Lammy over the plight faced by this year's batch of university students. Lammy told Andrew Marr that the Education Secretary had a lot of questions to answer:


DL: Students have been done over on their A Levels, they've been done over on Fresher's Week. The government's now threatening to lock them up at university, and... we may be looking at long term youth unemployment... Gavin Williamson needs to come to the House tomorrow and explain what he's going to do to make sure that our young people can receive their education.

Oliver Dowden - Students shouldn't 'have to give up a year of their life'


The Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden defended the government's drive to get students back to university despite the high number of restrictions that have been imposed on them, including the reality of many having to take lectures online only. Dowden said that it was important to ensure that university courses continued throughout the pandemic:


OD: In respect of universities, young people have paid a huge price during this crisis... It's important for students not to have to give up a year of their life by not going to university, and they are going to university and paying the fees accordingly.

'I want students to be able to go home for Christmas'


Dowden was non-committal about the likelihood of students being able to return to spend the Christmas holidays with their families, suggesting that this would hinge strongly on the UK's ability to suppress the virus in the coming months:


OD: Of course, I very much want students to be able to go home at Christmas, and if we all pull together and observe these new rules... then we will be able to get to a point where that should be possible... I'd rather Labour was urging everyone to work together to achieve this outcome.

We're looking for a 'strong, big person' to oversee the BBC


Ridge questioned Dowden about Charles Moore's candidacy for the role of BBC Chairman. It is thought that Moore is the preferred choice of the Prime Minister, but Dowden stressed that a decision had not yet been made:


OD: What we're looking for is a strong, big person who can hold the BBC to account... ensuring that the BBC is up to the challenges of the future [and] ensuring that the BBC represents all part of our nation, not just narrow metropolitan areas.


Ofcom should tackle 'online harms'


Dowden also told Ridge that it was the government's preference that Ofcom should be given the powers to address internet safety for young people, especially to tackle online bullying or radicalisation, and to hold the relevant online companies to account:


OD: This is a very important area of government policy. At a time when we've seen how reliant we are on online... we need to ensure that we... protect the most vulnerable... Ofcom is our preferred regulator and we'll make that decision shortly.

Premier League is ready to help smaller clubs


Ridge asked Dowden about the plight of football clubs, which the government has mandated will not be able to see any supporters taking their seats at the grounds, however socially distanced they may be. With many smaller clubs in jeopardy as a result, Dowden said that help from the larger clubs could be on its way:


 
OD: We have said we stand ready to support clubs... The first thing we need to look to is the Premier League... They're having intensive discussions with the EFL about how they can support those clubs, so they stand ready to play their part.


Jo Stevens - Lack of Covid compliance stems from 'lack of communication'


Labour's Shadow Culture Secretary Jo Stevens criticised the government's messaging on Covid-19 after the revelation from a study by King's College London that fewer than 20% of people with symptoms of the virus opted to self-isolate:


JS: Part of the reason we're not seeing high levels of compliance comes back to the lack of clear communication from the government... It is very confusing. There are lots of people telling me every week... that people aren't clear about what they are not, and they are, allowed to do.

Carolyn Fairbairn - Restrictions hitting businesses 'really hard'


The Director-General of the CBI Carolyn Fairbairn told Ridge that while she understood the reasons for the government's latest wave of virus-related restrictions, the impact was taking its toll the on businesses up and down the country:


CF: The hospitality restrictions, the 10pm curfew, these are all hitting businesses really, really hard. And the instruction for office workers to work from home where they can, that is really affecting our city centres, and the small businesses that depend on the hustle and bustle.

Mark Woolhouse - Lockdown only defers the problem


And finally, Professor Mark Woolhouse of the University of Edinburgh told Marr that he felt that the government had prioritised a lockdown without fully considering the alternatives, and that the current wave of restrictions was a direct result of that:


AM: Did the government model anything other than a lockdown, right at the start?

MW: Basically, no. And that is a worry because when we started modelling this way back in March... it was very apparent... that all a lockdown ever did was defer the problem... It doesn't actually solve the problem in the long term, it doesn't make the virus go away.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×