Health Secretary Steve Barclay has addressed claims that there is a ‘shortage’ of antibiotics amid the ongoing outbreak of bacterial infection Strep A.
Barclay appeared on Sky News this morning, where he told Kay Burley that there was a ‘good supply’ of antibiotics.
It comes after pharmacy director Zeshan Rehmani claimed that ‘there’s no drugs’ when the schools minister Nick Gibb proposed giving out antibiotics to children in schools.
Rehmani said: “Today, we haven’t been able to get any penicillin in stock at all.”
But Barclay has now refuted those claims and says he’s been assured that the country has a ‘good supply’ of Penicillin.
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He added that stock may need to be moved around if there are surges in demand in certain areas.
'Are we worried about the supply of antibiotics or not?' – #KayBurley
Antibiotics can be prescribed to treat infections linked to Strep A, including tonsillitis, pharyngitis, scarlet fever, impetigo and cellulitis, which ‘rarely become serious’.
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Nine children have now died from an illness linked to the infection.
The rise in infections is thought to be linked to that fact that children mixed less during the Covid pandemic and therefore their systems aren’t immune to a number of different infections.
Barclay said today: “I checked with the team last night – we have an established team in the department that does this on a permanent basis – and they reassured me we have good supply.
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Strep A
“The medical suppliers are required to notify us if they’ve got shortages.
“Now, sometimes, GPs can have particular surges if they’ve got a lot of demand in an area, and that’s quite routine, we can move the stock around our depots.
“As of last night, when we checked (with suppliers), they said they could reassure us that they’ve got good stock and were moving that around to meet demand.”
your child is feeding or eating much less than normal
your child has had a dry nappy for 12 hours or more or shows other signs of dehydration
your baby is under 3 months and has a temperature of 38C, or is older than 3 months and has a temperature of 39C or higher
your baby feels hotter than usual when you touch their back or chest, or feels sweaty
your child is very tired or irritable
Call 999 or go to A&E if:
your child is having difficulty breathing – you may notice grunting noises or their tummy sucking under their ribs
there are pauses when your child breathes
your child’s skin, tongue or lips are blue
your child is floppy and will not wake up or stay awake
Featured image: Sky News
UK News
Wigan Warriors make history with first-ever Women’s Challenge Cup win
Danny Jones
Wigan Warriors have done it: they’ve officially lifted the 2025 Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup for the first time in their history following an emphatic victory over serial champions, St Helens.
The Greater Manchester club managed not only to finally win the tournament but also to put a stop to St Helens’ hugely successful streak and what would have been five consecutive wins.
Spurred on by some smart tactics from club legend and boss, Dennis Betts – who won the competition seven times with Wigan as a player himself – the Warriors put in an imperious performance, leading by 18 at half time. Now that’s how you start a match.
Here’s the moment they finally got their hands on it:
Not only was the first-ever Challenge Cup win for Wigan Warriors Women, but it also ended a fairly significant silverware drought that has felt even longer for the supporters.
The last time a female Wigan Warriors squad won a major trophy was in the Super League back in 2018, when they also managed to win a maiden Grand Final against Leeds Rhinos by just 18-16.
Cut to this weekend, and the team fielded was much more impressive, not just when it comes to taking an early lead but by stretching and consolidating it to continue controlling the game.
In fact, Wigan were up by 24 before the opposition coaching duo Derek Hardman and Craig Richards’ side even got points on the board.
Full-back Grace Banks pipped her teammates to the Player of the Match award, but there were star showings all over the pitch, including a prolific Isabel Rowe and a wonderful run from Eva Hunter.
— Wigan Warriors 🍒⚪️ (@WiganWarriorsRL) June 7, 2025
Truth be told, it was a bit of a thrashing and one of their best scorelines of the season – kind of them to save it for an epic conclusion at Wembley Stadium.
As for Salford-born Betts, who was once a prospect at Manchester United, playing with the B team alongside the likes of Mark Robins and Clayton Blackmore, this was his first trophy in charge of the women’s team in what has already been a remarkable career.
What a success story his sporting switch turned out to be
Congratulations to a local club with a very bright future ahead.
Featured Images — BBC Sport/Wigan Warriors (screenshots via X/IG)
UK News
Hawksmoor issues statement after ‘kicking out’ Tommy Robinson from one of its restaurants
Daisy Jackson
Hawksmoor has issued a statement after a viral video captured far-right activist Tommy Robinson being asked to leave one of its restaurants.
In the video, staff at the acclaimed British steak house told Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – that he would have to go because members of staff feel uncomfortable serving you’.
The supervisor then politely told the party not to worry about the drinks and that they had been paid for, also handing over a business card for Hawksmoor CEO Will Beckett in case they wanted to discuss the matter further.
Robinson was dining in one of the group’s London restaurants with former prominent EDL member Guramit Singh Kalirai who challenged the staff and asked: “Is it because of the colour of my skin?”
The supervisor responded: “No, no, no. We have a duty of care to our members of staff. We like to look after our people, as I’m sure you can understand.”
After the video went viral on X, Hawksmoor went on to share a statement in response, saying that guests and staff ‘felt uncomfortable and complained’.
The statement, signed by CEO Will Beckett, added that the Hawksmoor team has faced ‘a huge amount’ of ‘quite concerning’ fallout from the Tommy Robinson incident.
He added that ‘this was not about politics or beliefs’.
Hawksmoor’s statement reads: “Our focus is always to give the best restaurant experience to the most people possible.
“On Thursday, a public figure was asked to leave one of our restaurants because guests and staff felt uncomfortable and had complained. The party left peacefully and politely on request.
“This was not about politics or beliefs. Hawksmoor is not a political organisation; we’re a group of restaurants. We want to welcome as many people as possible, regardless of background or views, to our teams or as our guests.
“We’re not trying to engage in a public debate. The team has had to deal with a huge amount of fallout from this, some of which is quite concerning. We would like to get back to focussing on looking after those people, and our guests. Thank you to them, and the many of you who have been so supportive.”
Daisy Jackson -
7th December 2022 
