Latest updates: health secretary explains Tory MPs reluctance to wear masks by saying they aren’t meeting with strangers
- Bring in measures or risk 7,000 daily Covid hospitalisations, Sage warns
- Coronavirus – latest global updates
- See all our coronavirus coverage
The Commons culture committee has urged the government to block Paul Dacre, the former Daily Mail editor, from re-applying to be chair of Ofcom.
In a statement issued this morning, the Conservative MP Julian Knight, who chairs the committee, said it was “extremely alarming” that the government was minded to let Dacre apply again after his application was rejected earlier this year by an application board.
The DCMS [Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport] committee has once again had to raise important concerns around the appointments process for the new chair of Ofcom. The recruitment process is being re-run despite the absence of any adequate explanation being provided by government on the need to do so.
Where a previous candidate has been deemed to be unappointable for a post, they should be ruled out of re-applying. However, this crucial line is missing from the campaign information to recruit Ofcom’s next chair. It would be extremely alarming if this was a deliberate omission rather than an oversight and we are seeking clarification.
In his morning interviews Sajid Javid, the health secretary, also said Covid restrictions would return if the virus got “out of control” again this year. My colleague Aubrey Allegretti has the story here.
Related: Javid: Covid curbs will return in England if cases get out of control
Continue reading…
