Daily briefing being led by Priti Patel

The UK missed three chances to be part of an EU scheme to bulk-buy personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers, according to reports.
Britain failed to utilise opportunities to get items such as masks, gowns and gloves under an EU initiative, the Guardian stated.
The availability of PPE has been a major issue in the coronavirus outbreak.
European medical staff are set to receive the first of £1.3 billion-worth of PPE within days or a maximum of two weeks under the EU scheme involving 25 countries, according to the Guardian.

They knew about it in 2017. They chose to ignore it.

On sky news one of the medical advisors said that about 7 million pieces of PPE were needed EVERY single day. How the hell do you think any government could magic that up!!! I wonder how many, of all those here who are eager to criticise, have ever put themselves forward for any national political position-it's open to all, you know- with or without practising your smirk!

?

...did you want to question me further on that; oh dear the link has just broken up...

I'll just pass this to my colleague if I may...

Don’t forget “stretching every sinew”

From facebook..

True, and on a personal level considered charming...so there you go.

Yes, true.

Hitler was a brilliant public speaker, so I've read.

That was levelled at T May all the time wasn't it? However some people appear warm and charming ( Tony Blair, David Cameron) but it doesn't automatically make them better people.We are all different, some will sob at the drop of a hat and others appear indifferent, even when they're not.
Some politicians are good at putting on an act when needed, others less so, and not all are great public speakers either.

Exactly the same as I thought.
She just seemed so cold.

I thought she was very impersonal showing no real sympathy for those who had passed due to the pandemic. She was like a robot most of the time and I just couldn't take to her.

Exactly - which means that the money saved on travel could go on funding this ‘additional’ expense instead - in addition to the £26k they already have for this purpose. Conveniently the rules on evidence required to prove it’s being spent on office equipment etc are being relaxed...

Sir that doesn’t make sense. They have to claim travel costs so if they’re not travelling there’s no claim.

Travel costs savings that they could offset against the cost of these (already in their possession) laptops and printers? Again, as the rest of us are doing...

I agree with suzie though. MPs haven't just been given a £10k handout. Just think how much they'll be saving on travel!

Thanks for reminding me SirChenjin. I'm one of the self-employed who isn't eligible for any government help :-(.

I've had to change to working online rather than face to face (and still only retained about a third of my business). I had to buy a webcam, microphone and upgrade my broadband.

I've started doing my 2019/20 tax return and must remember to include them. I must admit it would have been nice to have been given a couple of hundred pounds to cover the cost.

We’re expected to believe that they don’t already have laptops or printers for working at home? What about the rest of us who now have to work in that way for essential services - do we get £10k for ‘expenses’? Of course we don’t - we include it in our tax returns as Im sure they will also do.

It’s not a pay rise, IPSA have said that if necessary MPs can increase claims for their office / working from.home expenses upto £10000. On. example given was that of constituency office workers working from home needing a printer or lap top, Constituents need help more than ever at the moment and it’s good that this will help that to continue.

Well what is this
metro.co.uk/2020/04/09/mps-given-extra-10000-work-home-coronavirus-pandemi-12531786/

And this

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'Now is not the time to discuss pay rise for nurses', says health secretary

Grany your post is nowhere near accurate.

All MPs get 10k pay rise for expenses during covid crisis And said now is not the time to give nurses a pay rise says Prti Patel And the way she avoided apologising for the lack of PPE She is just a snout in the trough. Cow

I agree growstuff. While I’m rolling my eyes at the absurdity of Patel’s delivery I am incredulous that she chose to qualify her lacklustre apology - medical staff are dying, the nursing, care and medical professions have repeatedly raised serious concerns and she still can’t bring herself to hold her hands up and say ‘we are truly sorry’. As for Hancock’s comments about PPE - it absolutely beggars belief that he could be so insulting. Their disdain for the NHS shines through loud and clear.

I think she probably meant 344,974. It was a strange mistake to make because I remember my children being taught place values at primary school.

I don't believe it's spiteful to criticise Patel for her response to the question about the shortage of PPE. Over 30 NHS staff have now died from Covid-19, including one doctor who had previously complained about the lack of PPE.

Patel couldn't even bring herself to acknowledge the problem or even apologise. She said "I'm sorry if some people think …" as though the shortage is a matter of opinion rather than fact.