What Britain Talks About This Week – Mason Greenwood | NHS Staff Vaccine Mandate | Energy Bills | Lunar New Year | Sue Gray Verdict

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Manchester United star Mason Greenwood accused of sexual & physical assault by ex-girlfriend

In the news that took Manchester United’s fans by a storm, Mason Greenwood’s now ex-girlfriend Harriet Robson posted an audio clip where the footballer was purportedly heard attempting to force himself on her and several images showing injuries of domestic violence.

Although Robson deleted the Instagram posts and stories soon after, the clip and images were widely shared by social media users calling the footballer’s actions ‘sickening to hear’.

 

Harriet Robson’s father released a statement the next day expressing the family’s anguish on learning about the events adding that ‘her phone had been hacked.

Manchester United football club has made its stance clear that they do not condone violence of any kind and that Mason Greenwood will not train with or play for the club, until further notice.

Renowned Sports Journalist Fabrizio Romano shared the official statement of the club.

 

The Greater Manchester Police are investigating the charges. Greenwood was arrested and is now out on bail. He has not issued any statement yet, addressing the allegations.
Harriet Robson has since shared a post thanking everyone for their support.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by HARRIET ROBSON (@hasrobson)

Nike has announced a suspension of their relationship with Greenwood, Manchester United has removed his merchandise from their website and EA Sports have removed him from the FIFA 22 squad.

In a U-turn, the UK Government plans to scrap the Covid vaccine mandate for NHS staff

The mandate that required health and social care workers in England to be vaccinated against Covid is set to be scrapped by the government following a consultation.

The news comes after the Government faced immense pressure and calls to delay the policy due to fear of mass resignations of NHS staff at a time when patient volumes are still running high.

Earlier in January, the NHS staff had thrown their uniforms on Downing Street as part of protesting the vaccine mandate.

 

NHS workers who had face-to-face contact with patients had to take the first dose before 3rd February or be dismissed. This threatened an exodus of as many as 60,000 NHS staff, while 40,000 staff working in care homes had already been pushed out.

Some have also launched legal action against the UK Government.

 

Health Secretary Sajid Javid called the jab requirement ‘no longer proportionate’ as he addressed the House of Commons on 31st January 2022 and said it is ‘only right to review it since the Delta Variant has been replaced by the less severe Omicron’.

Many have hailed this change in policy as ‘a win’ and Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell tweeted that the jobs of ‘free-thinking NHS workers are saved’.

 

However, NHS GP Dr. Renee Hoenderkamp said that the NHS is going to introduce this vaccine mandate ‘by the back door’.

British homes set to see an ‘extremely worrying’ rise of over 50% in energy bills

A drastic increase in energy bills across the UK is expected since the country’s energy regulator Ofgem announced that the price cap would be raised by 54% due to elevated natural gas prices.

This record-breaking rise means many households could end up paying almost £ 700 more per year.

 

Labour MP Jon Trickett called it a ‘robbery in broad daylight’.

Conservative MP Rishi Sunak announced an Energy Bills Rebate plan for helping the citizens deal with the sudden price rise.

 

However, many criticized it as a ‘loan’ rather than a rebate. Many Labour MPs also questioned PM Boris Johnson’s Brexit promises that included reduced energy bills.
Novelist and Journalist Tony Parsons tweeted about feeling cheated.

Distressed citizens have taken to social media to raise their voices against this cost-of-living crisis. A Twitter user asked why the dividends to shareholders were so high, while the energy prices are to rise and pointed out that France has capped their price rise to 4% only.

Lunar New Year 2022 celebrations begin with traditional dances, wishes, and good luck.

This year’s most important day in the Chinese Calendar, February 1, 2022, is the start of the Lunar New Year, the rise of the second new moon after the winter solstice, and ‘Year of the Tiger’ – a symbol of bravery, wisdom, and strength.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted a video wishing those celebrating, a very happy Lunar New Year.

The Chinese New Year festivities go on for more than two weeks with celebrations that include parades, chants, prayers, and dragon dance across countries.

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, visited Chinatown in Central London wearing the lucky red-coloured scarves they were gifted, ready to embrace this year as ‘the year of action’.

With the oldest Chinese community in Europe, Liverpool has a long tradition of vibrant performances and colourful celebrations in the city centre. After two years of the pandemic, the community is back with in-person celebrations like never before.

 

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, shared pictures of Trafalgar Square lit up beautifully to mark the beginning of the Lunar New Year.

The Sue Gray verdict exposes ‘failures of leadership’ and blames a wider office culture

A 12-page partial version of the Sue Gray report on the alleged No. 10 Downing Street parties was released finding ‘serious failures in leadership and judgment’ and behaviour that is ‘difficult to justify.

The report urges PM Boris Johnson to get on with widespread reforms based on learning drawn from the events.

 

The slimmed-down version of the report, due to ongoing police investigation, has drawn widespread anger from UK citizens and the opposition parties.
In the events that followed, PM Boris Johnson has apologized and was allowed him to publish a second ‘full’ report.

The Metropolitan Police says Ms. Gray had given them, “well over 500 pieces of paper, about a ream and a half, and over 300 photographs”.

Allegations surrounding the parties have gravely affected the Prime Minister’s approval ratings. A recent snap poll by Opinium found that 64% of voters want Boris Johnson to resign following the Sue Gray report.

 

In a recent turn of events, a string of resignations from the PM’s team of aides has rocked Downing Street. This includes 4 senior staff members and policy advisor Elena Narozanski.

Energy Minister Greg Hands, in an interview with Sky News, referred to the departures as the PM ‘taking charge’.

And that’s a wrap for another week of controversy, decisions and trending discussions.

Post curated by Nidaa Koreishi & Manuela Willbold

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