Plus, the gay MPs attacked for opposing Nazi appeasement
   
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By Andrew McFarlane

 
 

Talks over fresh curbs in parts of England

 
 
A bar tender in a pub in Manchester puts away chairs at the end of the evening

Talks between regional leaders and Downing Street are continuing, in the light of warnings from health officials that restrictions should be tightened in many areas. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, whose region - along with Lancashire - is at risk of being placed under the highest level of restrictions, is due to meet the prime minister's team later. He's arguing instead for a "circuit-breaker" approach - a short, limited lockdown - to bring the virus under control. A variation on that approach was announced for Northern Ireland yesterday. In London, however, Mayor Sadiq Khan is backing an increase to the second highest level of restrictions, saying the move is likely "very soon, possibly this week". However, both are demanding greater financial support for businesses affected by the curbs on activity.

Health officials from the Joint Biosecurity Centre have recommended placing much of north-east and north-west England and parts of Yorkshire and the Midlands under the top level of the government's three-tier system of restrictions. This involves a ban on households mixing - indoors or out - at homes or hospitality venues, a "rule of six" in public spaces, closures of bars that don't serve meals and guidance against travelling out of the area. However, national and regional politicians are still weighing up the decision. Health Secretary Matt Hancock is due to update MPs on the latest measures in a Commons statement later.
 

 
 
 

Families 'face destitution'

 
 

With the prospect of increased restrictions comes additional concern for businesses and their employees. The government promises to pay two-thirds of wages from 1 November for workers at firms forced to close under tougher Covid restrictions, saying its priority is to protect jobs and incomes. However, the government's former homelessness adviser says this support - a reduction from the current furlough scheme which sees workers able to claim up to 80% of monthly pay up to £2,500 - will not "cut it". Dame Louise Casey warns: "We are looking at a period of destitution. Do we want to go back to the days where people can't put shoes on the children's feet?" Our political editor Laura Kuenssberg says ministers may find her "haunting" message hard to ignore.

 
 
 

Rashford presses again over free meals

 
 

Ministers face fresh pressure from Marcus Rashford, the England footballer whose campaign prompted a Westminster government U-turn over the provision of free meals over the summer holidays, securing him an MBE in the process. Now he's calling for a further expansion in holiday provision  and free school meals to be available for every child from a household on Universal Credit or equivalent. This would mean meals reaching an additional 1.5 million children aged seven to 16 across England, his campaign said. Many children are "back in school, struggling to concentrate due to worry and the sound of their rumbling stomachs", he argues. The UK government  says its "substantial action" has already included extending free school meals, providing £9.3bn in additional welfare support and funding councils' emergency assistance to families.

 
 
 
 

The gay MPs persecuted for opposing Nazi appeasement

 

In his book, The Glamour Boys: The Secret Story of the Rebels who Fought for Britain to Defeat Hitler, Labour MP Chris Bryant tells of a group of gay or bisexual MPs whose opposition to appeasement exposed them to persecution. Mr Bryant became fascinated by their stories when researching for a book on the history of Parliament. 

"Every sentence I read about Jack Macnamara was intriguing," he says of the Conservative MP for Chelmsford 1935-1944. "His researcher was Guy Burgess [later uncovered as a Soviet spy], he went on sex trips to Nazi Germany and he ended up being a colonel in the London Irish Rifles. "Who's not going to be intrigued by that?"

 
 
 
 
 
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Kate Whannel

BBC News

 
 
 
 
 

What the papers say

 
 
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The prospect of tougher coronavirus restrictions leads many front pages. The i says the prime minister is being urged to extend the strictest restrictions across north-west and north-east England and large parts of Yorkshire and the Midlands. London could also soon be under local lockdown, says the Times, adding that Boris Johnson is working on plans to adopt a version of a short "circuit-breaker" lockdown timed to coincide with England's half-term. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is quoted by the Daily Mirror arguing against the highest level of restrictions for his area. He accuses ministers of pressuring regions to accept a "fundamentally flawed" system without sufficient financial support, says the Guardian. The Daily Telegraph carries a warning from Chancellor Rishi Sunak that a national lockdown would "cause needless damage to parts of our country where virus rates are low".

 
 
 

Daily digest

 
 
   

Long Covid Illness "could be four different syndromes"

 
   

Christmas Morrisons and Waitrose ditch glitter

 
   

NHS Staff testing "dismantled" in Covid hotspots

 
   

Quality Street Boxes "missing the Chocolate Brownie one"

 
 
 

If you watch one thing today

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Coronavirus: Are some soaps better than others?
 
 
 
 

If you listen to one thing today

You Work, Your Money podcast logo
Is my bar better off in Tier 3? Plus, student rents...
 
 
 
 

If you read one thing today

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Wake up to Brexit: what have you missed?
 
 
 
 

Need something different?

 
 

Since Bury FC collapsed last August, the BBC has been following a group of fans who made it their mission to bring football back to the town. See our report. Or you can read how the story of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg is being translated to the big screen.

 
 
 

On this day

 
 
   

2011 "Occupy" demonstrations take place in more than 80 countries in protest at economic inequality - watch our report on the demonstrations.

 
 
 

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