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LINE of Duty's Ted Hastings and the AC-12 unit are needed to hold an inquiry and root out "sleaze" after the David Cameron Greensill row, Sir Keir Starmer joked today. The Labour boss caused chuckles in the House of Commons when he called for the police squad in the hit BBC drama to be brought in to "get to the bottom" of what happened. Ex-PM David Cameron is under fire for his lobbying links after leaving No10 to work for Greensill Capital Finance. Boris Johnson has ordered an investigation but Labour are heaping on pressure for a full-blown inquiry instead. They will force a vote on the issue tonight, but the PM has ordered Tory MPs to vote against it. Sir Keir said at PMQs today: "The more I listen to the PM, the more I think Ted Hastings and AC12 are needed to get to the bottom of this one!" He said the Greensill "scandal" was "just the tip of the iceberg" and ministers were presiding over "dodgy contracts, privileged access, and jobs for their mates - this is … [Read more...] about Sir Keir Starmer jokes Line of Duty’s AC-12 needed for ‘sleaze inquiry’ after David Cameron row

Rolling Stones legend Mick Jagger has teamed up with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl for a surprise lockdown-themed track. The thumping rock-song written by Jagger is called Easy Sleazy, and features the performer on vocals and lead guitar, backed by Grohl on drums, bass and backing guitar. A video released alongside the song shows both stars performing the track remotely in what looks to be separate studios. I wanted to share this song that I wrote about coming out of lockdown, with some much needed optimism - thank you to Dave Grohl @foofighters for jumping on drums, bass and guitar, it was a lot of fun working with you on this-hope you all enjoy Eazy Sleazy! https://t.co/7FoI5T36aU — Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) April 13, 2021 The track is about the coronavirus -enforced lockdown, with the lyrics referring to Zoom calls, "football's fake applause" and "stupid" TikTok dances. The song goes on to cover the amount of food and drink consumed over … [Read more...] about Rolling Stones legend Mick Jagger teams up with Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl for surprise lockdown-themed track

Over 100 million COVID-19 vaccinations have now been given in the EU - and a major extension to the European Commission's contract with Pfizer-BioNTech has been announced. European Union countries will receive 50 million more coronavirus vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech in the second quarter of 2020, head of the commission Ursula von der Leyen said, as deliveries expected at the end of the year will be brought forward. Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Today we have reached 100 million vaccinations in the EU. A milestone we can be proud of! #StrongerTogether https://t.co/eK09vYhcnG — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 14, 2021 Ms von der Leyen said the earlier deliveries, which will start this month, will take total supplies to the EU from Pfizer to 250 million doses in the second quarter of this year. She also confirmed the Commission was in talks with the two companies for a new contract for 1.8 billion … [Read more...] about COVID-19: EU hits 100 million vaccine doses – and announces major extension to Pfizer deal

Easyjet's boss said he expected popular destinations such as Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal to be on the government's "green" list when foreign travel resumes next month. Foreign holidays will be subject to a traffic light system if they resume as hoped on 17 May, with some experts expecting the lowest-risk list of countries could be limited to the likes of Iceland, Malta and Israel. But easyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said he expected all major European nations would be among "green" destinations meaning travellers will not need to self-isolate on their return. Those entering the UK from "amber" locations will have to quarantine for 10 days while arrivals from "red" countries will have to isolate in hotels, under government plans. The Department for Transport has said it will categorise countries "by early May". Advertisement Mr Lundgren has been critical of the plans because they will mean even passengers from "green" countries having … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Most European countries should be on ‘green’ travel list next month, says easyJet boss

Hundreds of British Gas engineers lost their jobs on Wednesday as a bitter row between the company and its staff deepened. The engineers had refused to sign up to new contracts that would force them to work longer hours, after being told to accept tougher conditions or lose their jobs. Hundreds more engineers have already agreed to the new deals, a key issue in the nine-month contract deadlock that began last summer when the company announced it would axe more than 5,000 jobs . In July, the owner of British Gas told more than 21,000 staff to accept new contracts or potentially lose their jobs. Britain's largest energy supplier said it was trying to restructure its employment contracts to shore up its financial position following years of shrinking customer numbers and declining profits. Advertisement The company has seen its market value plunge by more than 75% in the last five years alone. The job losses are the latest development in a … [Read more...] about Hundreds of British Gas staff laid off after refusing new contracts