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Boris Johnson resigns as Prime Minister of Great Britain.
After being plagued by numerous scandals, Boris Johnson has confirmed his resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The BBC has reported that he will continue as Prime Minister for a few months, with one source saying there will be an official replacement by October.
The conservative Tory leader a formal announcement about his resignation on Thursday morning in the UK (Thursday night AEST).
In his address, he said:
"There should be a new leader and a new Prime Minister. The process of choosing that leader will begin next week. I want to say to the millions of people who voted for us in 2019, thank you for that incredible mandate. The biggest share of a vote since 1979. The reason I have fought so hard to deliver, was not because I wanted to do so, but because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation to do."
He credited his government by listing their achievements and saying, "I am immensely proud of this government for what it's done with Brexit and getting us all through the pandemic with the fastest vaccine roll out."
From his speech, it was clear Johnson felt as though he had been forced out of the top job, referring to the "herd mentality" being his downfall. He is also aware that, ultimately, "in politics, no one is indispensable," and so promises to help prepare the country for a new Prime Minister.
Chants of "LIAR, LIAR" and boos could be heard during the broadcast, potentially from protestors in and around Downing Street.
Johnson ended the speech by stating: "Thank you to you, the British public, I know there will be many who will be relieved and some that may be disappointed. But I want you to know how incredibly sad I am to be leaving this job."
"Thank you for the immense privilege you have given me. Being the Prime Minister is an education in of itself."
He resigns after more than 40 ministers quit his government and told him to go. It comes after a series of scandals surrounding his leadership, including illegal parties held throughout the pandemic lockdowns – now known as partygate – to handing a plum job to a colleague he knew was under investigation for sexual misconduct.
As for what happens next, it will come down to a leadership contest to see who among the conservative MPs will take over as Prime Minister.
More to come.
Over 30s are now eligible for a fourth-dose vaccine for COVID-19.
Australians over 30 will be able to get a fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot as soon as Monday, after the country’s leading immunisation group updated its recommendations.
From July 11, eligibility for a fourth vaccine dose – or second booster – will be expanded to include 7.4 million more people.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommended those over 50 receive a second booster. The group also said those aged between 30 and 49 would be able to receive an additional booster if they chose to, but this was not a formal recommendation. The vaccine group did not extend eligibility for the fourth dose to those under 30 because it is not known whether the benefits outweighed the risks among the population group.
The decision follows a spike in COVID cases across the country, driven by a more transmissible strain of the Omicron variant, which has led to increased deaths and hospitalisations from the virus.
Previously only those over 65, in aged or disability care, or those who are immunocompromised were able to get a fourth dose. ATAGI said the timing between vaccine doses or prior infection, whichever came first, would also be reduced from four months to three months.
Health Minister Mark Butler said while there wasn’t a set target as to how many over-30s would get the fourth dose, a big uptake would be needed ahead of spiralling winter cases.
“This decision ... will reduce severe disease and will relieve pressure from our hospital system,” he said. “There’s almost 10,000 points of primary care, pharmacies and GP surgeries where you can go and get this fourth dose. We have lots of capacity in the system.”
As of Thursday, 60 per cent of people over 65 have had a fourth COVID-19 shot. The vaccine body also said it was concerned the take-up of booster doses had not been high enough.
Listen to The Quicky unpack this news below:
With AAP.
Image: Getty.
Celebrities lead Balenciaga’s Paris Couture Fashion Week runway.
At this year’s Couture Fashion Week in Paris, plenty of designers are showcasing their collections on the runway.
But the one making the most headlines is Balenciaga – where there were just as many celebrities walking in the show as the amount in the audience!
Notable highlights included Kim Kardashian, Bella Hadid, Naomi Campbell, Dua Lipa, Selling Sunset’s Christine Quinn, and Nicole Kidman.
You can get a vibe of the show below:
The forgotten tragedy behind Hayden Panettiere.
In exciting news, the cast for the Stan Original Series RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under Season 2 has just been announced and there are some pretty exciting names and faces in the mix.
Plus, we need to talk about Balenciaga’s runway show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week because it was crawling with celebrities keen to put on a show for us. But while we were entertained by the antics of Dua Lipa and Nicole Kidman, it’s Kim Kardashian who we really need to have a debate about.
And when her career kicked off more than two decades ago, Hayden Panettiere was seen as the ultimate child star. Then she disappeared from our screens and the tabloids began chronicling her ‘off the rails’ life. Now she’s given a tell-all interview about what really happened, but the most haunting part of her tragedy has almost been forgotten.
Listen to The Spill below!
Baby rescued from NSW floods, and all the news you need to know this morning.
Morning all,
Yesterday, news broke that 12 people have been charged with the murder of eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs, who died in her Queensland home earlier this year. You can read more about the story here.
But first, these are the top news stories you need to know today.
1. 10-month-old baby rescued from NSW floods.
A 10-month-old baby has been rescued from floods in New South Wales' Hunter Valley, experiencing breathing difficulties.
In photos obtained by The Australian, the boy, who was unable to be taken to hospital due to the rising flood water, was rescued with his mother by a group of volunteers in a boat yesterday.
The family are one of more than 6,000 Hunter residents who have fled floodwaters to move to higher ground, as the wet weather moves to the region and the state's north.
The Bureau of Meteorology says river levels at the town of Singleton are likely to exceed the March 2022 flood level of 13.15 metres, and may reach 13.80 metres.
The flood emergency that has wreaked havoc across Sydney is this morning shifting north, as thousands begin yet another heartbreaking clean-up. #9Today pic.twitter.com/fw4MFcoHpK
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) July 6, 2022
Electricity provider Ausgrid is warning residents that power could be cut off from the town as it battles to restore electricity to approximately 3,000 customers in parts of the Central Coast, Lake Macquarie and pockets of Sydney.
With rain easing in Sydney, and as the clean up and assessment of significant damage begins, residents have been told they can return to their homes in Lansvale, Moorebank and Chipping Norton in the city's southwest.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who visited deluged parts of the Hawkesbury yesterday with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, has announced disaster recovery payments of $1000 for eligible adults and $400 for children. Applications for the support will open at 2pm today.
2. PM says COVID boosters a matter of urgency as fourth dose possible for over 30s.
Australia is expected to follow other parts of the world in expanding eligibility for a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose to the wider population.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says immunisation experts will look at available evidence before making a recommendation on a broader fourth dose rollout.
"The pandemic isn't over, so my view is that (Australia) will inevitably follow what has occurred in other parts of the world and roll out a further booster shot," he told reporters in Sydney yesterday.
"I'd encourage people who haven't had their booster shots to go out there if they're eligible and do it as a matter of urgency."
COVID-19 Boosters: "We know well that the pandemic isn't over. So my view is that we will inevitably follow what has occurred in other parts of the world, and roll out a further booster shot" - Prime Minister @AlboMP. https://t.co/Rql2Eda0bd #Coronavirus #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/BSN6NZp2k6
— 7NEWS Australia (@7NewsAustralia) July 6, 2022
A fourth dose is currently available for Australians aged 65 and older and vulnerable people. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) was expected to discuss the benefits of expanding the fourth dose eligibility at its meeting yesterday.
The Australian reported last night that ATAGI will recommend fourth doses for anyone over the age of 50, and allow anyone over the age of 30 to have another booster shot if they wish to have one.
But federal Health Minister Mark Butler told Radio 3AW he did not expect to get ATAGI's official advice on extra booster shots until Friday after the group had worked on the details of their decision.
There were 3781 people with COVID-19 in hospitals across the country yesterday, the highest level since the height of the Omicron wave in February.
3. Youth satisfaction most affected by COVID.
Young people have had the largest drop in life satisfaction since the start of the pandemic, according to a new study.
Analysis by the Australian National University's COVID-19 Impact Monitoring Survey found those aged 18 to 24 had a drop of 0.5 points for their average life satisfaction levels, which now sits at 6.3 out of a possible 10.
The survey of more than 3500 people, which assessed how the pandemic affected their lives, found men and women experienced a similar drop in satisfaction since the start of COVID.
Those over 55 were less likely to suffer a drop in their life satisfaction levels compared to those under 55.
The study's co-author Nicholas Biddle said while satisfaction levels among young people were higher than at the height of the pandemic in 2020, it was still below pre-COVID rates.
"Young Australians are still at the highest risk of suffering the worst mental and wellbeing effects of COVID-19," he said.
"Clearly we need to make sure our young people are given the right support and care to help them deal with the ongoing impacts of the pandemic."
4. Better care for QLD kids impacted by DV.
The emotional toll on children affected by domestic homicide will be better managed in Queensland as part of major reforms aimed at ending violence against women and girls.
A need to improve the support given to families, particularly children, was a key recommendation in a report exploring domestic and family violence deaths in the state.
Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman has committed to do better in response to the Domestic and Family Violence Death Review Board's findings.
"We will be undertaking targeted consultation with services who support victims of homicide...as well as people with lived experience, to shape how we can improve our response to loved ones of (domestic and family violence) homicide victims," she said yesterday.
All six of the report's recommendations were either accepted or accepted in principle, with the remaining five aligning closely with work done by the Women's Safety and Justice Taskforce.
The commitment comes as the state announces a new specialist domestic and family violence court to be established in the far north.
Attorney-General @ShannonFentiman is announcing a new specialist Domestic and Family Violence Court for Cairns. https://t.co/9uUoxQfWLy
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) July 6, 2022
5. Boris Johnson says he won't step down, as dozens of MPs resign.
Cabinet ministers have gathered in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's official residence to tell him to quit as UK leader after he insisted he would not stand down in the face of a mounting rebellion within his party.
With over 30 government resignations and many MPs in his Conservative Party in open revolt, some senior ministers in Downing Street told the prime minister he needed to go, a source said, according to AAP. At least one was there to back him if he decided to fight on, another source said.
However, Johnson said he had a mandate from the 2019 general election, which he won with a large majority, to plough on.
"I am not going to step down and the last thing this country needs, frankly, is an election," he told a parliamentary committee, refusing to answer whether he would try to stay in the job even if he lost a confidence vote from his own MPs.
Breaking News: Over two dozen junior ministers and aides have quit as Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain vows to hang on. Here’s the latest. https://t.co/Gkp4Dk8RYo
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 6, 2022
Johnson's leadership has been mired in scandals over the last few months.
He was fined by police for breaking COVID-19 lockdown laws while a damning report laid bare breaches of those rules by Downing Street officials and a committee is investigating whether he then lied to parliament about it.
There have also been policy U-turns, an ill-fated defence of an MP who broke lobbying rules and criticism he has not done enough to tackle inflation, with many in the UK struggling to cope with rising fuel and food prices.
That's it, you're all up to speed. We'll keep you updated with more of the top news stories throughout the day.
- With AAP.
Get Up, Stand Up, Show Up: How to face up to white privilege.
It's NAIDOC Week 2022 and this year's theme is: Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! So how can non-Indigenous Australians recognise their white privilege and help make systemic change to keep rallying around First Nations Australians?
The Quicky speaks to two well-known First Nations women to find out how white privilege continues to hurt Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and what we can all do to help progress the cause of reconciliation in this country.
READ:
- What women were talking about on Wednesday
- What women were talking about on Tuesday
- What women were talking about on Monday
Feature Image: Getty.
A New Theory Emerges At William Tyrrell Inquest
The Quicky