Matt Hancock unlawfully failed to publish details of more than 500 Covid contracts within the required time, the High Court has confirmed. The Good Law Project took legal action against the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for its "wholesale failure" to disclose details of contracts agreed during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Government is required by law to publish the details within 30 days of them being awarded. At a hearing last month, Mr Justice Chamberlain said that "in a substantial number of cases, the Secretary of State breached his legal obligation to publish contract award notices within 30 days of the award of contracts". And in a further ruling today, the judge said the DHSC "acted unlawfully by failing to publish contract award notices for relevant contracts for supplies and services relating to Covid-19 within the 30-day period required... in respect of 504 of the 535 contracts awarded on or before October 7 2020 - i.e. 94%". He added: "The defendant … [Read more...] about Matt Hancock unlawfully failed to publish more than 500 Covid contracts in time, High Court confirms
Party tory
Beijing declares only ‘patriots’ should rule Hong Kong as elections delayed again
Beijing has declared that only "patriots" should rule Hong Kong - and unveiled plans to change the city's electoral system to ensure just that. Candidates for election to the Legislative Council - Hong Kong 's parliament - will be vetted, according to the proposed changes. And elections scheduled for 2020, already postponed for a year, will be pushed back to 2022. "The rioting and turbulence that occurred in the Hong Kong society reveals that the existing electoral system in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has clear loopholes and deficiencies," said Wang Chen, vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, according to state media. The NPC, China 's annual parliament, is meeting in Beijing this week. The changes to Hong Kong's electoral system are only a proposal but will almost certainly be approved given the rubber stamp nature of the NPC. "Loopholes" is one of Beijing's favourite terms for describing aspects of … [Read more...] about Beijing declares only ‘patriots’ should rule Hong Kong as elections delayed again
Britney Spears’ playful tribute to her boyfriend Sam Asghari on his 27th birthday
Britney Spears has shared a playful tribute to her boyfriend Sam Asghari on his 27th birthday. Taking to her Instagram account on Thursday, the pop songstress, 39, posted two video clips set to her classic 2003 single Toxic. The first video shows Britney dancing in the shower while wearing a white bathrobe. As the iconic strings of the track come in, Britney wipes her face on the shower's glass door. The second clip shows fitness model Sam repeat the same routine whilst also dressed in a white bathrobe. Britney's account captioned the post: "Happy birthday to the man that always makes me laugh [laughing emoji, confetti emoji, balloon emoji] !!!!! Who did it better ???? @samasghar" ." The fun post prompted some amused comments from one of Britney's celebrity pals. The Black Eyed Peas star will.l.am , who previously collaborated with Britney on the single Scream and Shout, penned: "love this!!! [lauging emojis] You did it better...!!!! [red heart emojis, raised … [Read more...] about Britney Spears’ playful tribute to her boyfriend Sam Asghari on his 27th birthday
Married At First Sight Australia’s Jessika insists producers ‘tricked’ her into hitting on Nic after giving her booze
MARRIED At First Sight Australia's Jessika Power has said she felt "tricked" into making a move on Nic Jovanovic, saying she was plied with booze. The reality TV star, 29, was famously encouraged by co-star Martha Kalifatidis to make a move on Nic , who was married to Cyrell Paule. And now Jessika has claimed the show "massively manipulated" her journey to make it seem as though she hit on two guys in the one night; Nic and Dan Webb. Speaking to MailOnline, she said of their "flirtation": "It was actually nothing. That was probably the only part of my journey on the show that was massively manipulated; they made it look like I had hit on two guys. "It really annoys me – it is the one thing I am constantly explaining to people. Nic's like 'how can you even be bothered?' and I'm like 'because it's my character, I look like a f***ing s**t!' "A lot of it got edited so I looked like this banshee that's like 'give me your husband!' It wasn't really like that. I'm not this … [Read more...] about Married At First Sight Australia’s Jessika insists producers ‘tricked’ her into hitting on Nic after giving her booze
Meet the cast of Love Island Australia series two with an OnlyFans model, football star and international DJ
LOVE Island Australia is here and the series is about to grace us with some of the finest minds the country has to offer. Just kidding, it's a parade of sex-mad reality stars, musclebound blokes and bikini-wearing beauties as usual - and it all kicks off this week. Here we reveal the characters we can look forward to seeing on ITV2 each night - from a born-again Christian to an X-rated Only Fans star. What could possibly go wrong in the villa this year? And what is the Australian word for "mugged off"? Let the trouble begin... THE GIRLS Cartier, 19 This lifeguard and born-again Christian has only one man in her life - Jesus. But she's looking for another. She says: "I love Jesus, he has changed the way I see things." However, she's also on the lookout for a "sexy and rugged" bloke to entertain her between bible study sessions. It's fair so say she might not be used to the Love Island chat-up techniques, admitting: "When I’m out, they just stare at me and that’s … [Read more...] about Meet the cast of Love Island Australia series two with an OnlyFans model, football star and international DJ