Boris Johnson makes important televised address to the nation as alert level raised

Published

4 years ago

December 12, 2021

Tom Sinclair

BORIS JOHNSTON made a televised address to the nation.

Downing Street said Mr Johnson would deliver “a recorded statement to provide an update on booster vaccines”.

The address was broadcast at 8pm – key points are below on what the Prime Minister had to say.

The urgent broadcast comes after a rapid rise in the number of cases of the Omicron variant being recorded, which has led to the UK’s Covid alert level being raised to Level 4 from Level 3.

The country’s four chief medical officers and NHS England’s national medical director recommended the change to ministers.

A further 1,239 confirmed cases of the Omicron mutation were recorded in the UK as of Sunday, according to UK Health Security Agency figures.

It brings the total number of UK cases of Omicron to 3,137, a 65 per cent increase from Saturday’s total of 1,898 UK cases.

The key points from Boris Johnson’s address are as follows:

“There is a tidal wave of Omicron coming, and I’m afraid it is now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need,” the Prime Minister said
A “national mission unlike anything done before in the vaccination programme” is to be launched to tackle Omicron
The target for giving every adult in England a booster jab has been brought forward by a month to before the New Year
From Monday in England, the booster is being opened up to every adult over 18 who has had a second dose of the vaccine at least three months ago. The NHS Booking System will be open for these younger age groups from Wednesday.
The operation will be assisted by deploying 42 military planning teams across every region, standing up additional vaccine sites and mobile units, extending opening hours so clinics are open 7 days a week, with more appointments early in the morning, in the evening, and at weekends, and training thousands more volunteer vaccinators.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WALES?

New restrictions are likely “in the next few weeks” in Wales to deal with the new Omicron variant, the health minister has said.

Eluned Morgan said the Welsh government wanted “to act proportionately”, but a spike in cases of the variant was expected “quickly.”

She said there would come a point when ministers could advise people against going to Christmas parties.

The Welsh Tories want vaccine boosters ramped up “to a war-like footing”.

Ms Morgan said, with 15 Omicron cases currently identified in Wales, she expected the number to “change very quickly in a very short space of time”.

“We are still learning about this new variant,” she added.

Wales’ coronavirus rules are now being reviewed weekly instead of every three weeks in response to the new variant.

On Saturday, officials at Cardiff and Vale health board “strongly discouraged” going to Christmas parties in light of the variant and “increasing pressures”.

Meanwhile, the Welsh government has urged people to take a lateral flow test before going out.

Latest Covid-19 update from Leader of Pembrokeshire County Council

BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story

Published

32 minutes ago

December 4, 2025

Staff Writer

THE BBC has issued a formal apology and amended a six-year-old article written by BBC Wales Business Correspondent Huw Thomas after its Executive Complaints Unit ruled that the original headline and wording gave an “incorrect impression” that Herald editor Tom Sinclair was personally liable for tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

The 2019 report, originally headlined “Herald newspaper editor Tom Sinclair has £70,000 debts”, has now been changed.

The ECU found: “The wording of the article and its headline could have led readers to form the incorrect impression that the debt was Mr Sinclair’s personal responsibility… In that respect the article failed to meet the BBC’s standards of due accuracy.”

Mr Sinclair said: “I’m grateful to the ECU for the apology and for correcting the personal-liability impression that caused real harm for six years. However, the article still links the debts to ‘the group which publishes The Herald’ when in fact they related to printing companies that were dissolved two years before the Herald was founded in 2013. I have asked the BBC to add that final clarification so the record is completely accurate.”

A formal apology and correction of this kind from the BBC is extremely rare, especially for a story more than six years old.

Business

First wind turbine components arrive as LNG project moves ahead

Published

3 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE FIRST ship carrying major components for Dragon LNG’s new onshore wind turbines
docked at Pembroke Port yesterday afternoon last week, marking the start of physical
deliveries for the multi-million-pound renewable energy project.

The Maltese-registered general cargo vessel Peak Bergen berthed at Pembroke Dock on
shortly after 4pm on Wednesday 26th November, bringing tower sections and other heavy
components for the three Enercon turbines that will eventually stand on land adjacent to the
existing gas terminal at Waterston.

A second vessel, the Irish-flagged Wilson Flex IV, has arrived in Pembroke Port today is
due to arrive in the early hours of this morning (Thursday) carrying the giant rotor blades.
The deliveries follow a successful trial convoy on 25 November, when police-escorted low-
loader trailers carried dummy loads along the planned route from the port through
Pembroke, past Waterloo roundabout and up the A477 to the Dragon LNG site.

Dragon LNG’s Community and Social Performance Officer, Lynette Round, confirmed the
latest movements in emails to the Herald.

“The Peak Bergen arrived last week yesterday with the first components,” she said. “We are
expecting another delivery tomorrow (Thursday) onboard the Wilson Flex IV. This will be
blades and is currently showing an ETA of approximately 03:30.”

The £14.3 million project, approved by Welsh Ministers last year, will see three turbines with
a combined capacity of up to 13.5 MW erected on company-owned land next to the LNG
terminal. Once operational – expected in late 2026 – they will generate enough electricity to
power the entire site, significantly reducing its carbon footprint.

Port of Milford Haven shipping movements showed the Peak Bergen approaching the Haven
throughout Wednesday morning before finally tying up at the cargo berth in Pembroke Dock.

Cranes began unloading operations yesterday evening.

The Weather conditions are currently were favourable for this morning’s the arrival of
the Wilson Flex IV, which was tracking south of the Smalls at midnight.

The abnormal-load convoys carrying the components from the port to Waterston are
expected to begin early next year, subject to final police and highway approvals.

A community benefit fund linked to the project will provide training opportunities and energy-
bill support for residents in nearby Waterston, Llanstadwell and Neyland.
Further updates will be issued by Dragon LNG as the Port of Milford Haven as the delivery
programme continues.

Photo: Martin Cavaney

Crime

Banned for 40 months after driving with cocaine breakdown product in blood

Published

3 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Sarah-Jane Absalom

A MILFORD HAVEN woman has been handed a lengthy driving ban after admitting driving with a controlled drug in her system more than ten times over the legal limit.

SENTENCED AT HAVERFORDWEST

Sally Allen, 43, of Wentworth Close, Hubberston, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Dec 4) for sentencing, having pleaded guilty on November 25 to driving with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the prescribed limit.

The court heard that Allen was stopped on August 25 on the Old Hakin Road at Tiers Cross while driving an Audi A3. Blood analysis showed 509µg/l of Benzoylecgonine, a breakdown product of cocaine. The legal limit is 50µg/l.

COMMUNITY ORDER AND REHABILITATION

Magistrates imposed a 40-month driving ban, backdated to her interim disqualification which began on November 25.

Allen was also handed a 12-month community order, requiring her to complete 10 days of rehabilitation activities as directed by the Probation Service.

She was fined £120, ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £114 surcharge. Her financial penalties will be paid in £25 monthly instalments from January 1, 2026.

The bench—Mrs H Roberts, Mr M Shankland and Mrs J Morris—said her guilty plea had been taken into account when passing sentence.