The bereaved daughter of a Wigan man who died just a few days before the alleged Downing Street ‘drinks party’ has called for the Prime Minister to resign.
55-year-old Shaun Brady from Hindley died just four days before the “bring your own booze” garden party hosted at 10 Downing Street on 20 May 2020 after having contracted COVID-19 on the way to his job as a key worker at the Kraft Heinz factory in Wigan, despite him being fit and healthy and his family doing “everything they could” to keep him safe during lockdown.
Now, his daughter Hannah Brady has been speaking out to share her emotional story, saying that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is “a walking public health hazard” and that there is a “moral duty” for him to be removed.
Hannah said her dad’s death certificate was signed on the day the government “partied”.
“Key workers like my dad who died during the pandemic because he went to work to serve this country did not break the rules and paid the ultimate price,” she told the BBC.
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She also revealed in an appearance on BBC Breakfast this morning that the Prime Minister had “got five minutes more to socialise and ‘bring his own booze’ than I did for my dad’s funeral”, which was just 20-minutes long.
"He got 5 minutes more to socialise and 'bring his own booze' than I did for my dad's funeral"
Hannah Brady's dad Shaun died days before the Downing St garden party.
Ms Brady’s calls for the Prime Minister’s resignation of course come after on Monday, ITV published a leaked email from Mr Johnson’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, which appeared to invite 100 staff to “socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden” at a time when lockdown rules in England banned large outdoor gatherings from taking place.
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The invitation encouraged people to “make the most of the lovely weather” after what had been an “incredibly busy period”.
After garnering mass critique for refusing to confirm or deny the existence of the event for several days post the surfacing of the leaked email, Mr Johnson yesterday confirmed his attendance and publicly apologised to MPs during what was heated Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons yesterday.
Mr Johnson said that he “takes responsibility” for the gathering, but continued to say he believed it was “a work event”, and in hindsight, should have sent everyone back inside.
Hannah told ITV she felt “sick” at the idea the Prime Minister was “making the most of the lovely weather” while her father’s death certificate was being signed.
Ms Brady’s story was highlighted in the House of Commons by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during PMQs, who described the Prime Minister as a “man without shame”, before telling MPs: “Her father died just days before the drinks trolley was being wheeled through Downing Street, and last year Hannah met the Prime Minister in the Downing Street garden.
“She looked the Prime Minister in the eye and told him of her loss.
“The Prime Minister told Hannah he had done everything he could to protect her dad.
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"The PM is a man without shame", says Sir Keir Starmer, as he recounts the story of Hannah Brady's father who died with #COVID19. He asks Boris Johnson, 'do you understand why it makes her feel sick to think about the way you've behaved?'https://t.co/eG4ufHEz5tpic.twitter.com/Tnk6GWU4jz
“Looking back, what Hannah told me last night was she realises the Prime Minister had partied in that same garden the very day her dad’s death certificate was signed, so what Hannah wants to know is this – does the Prime Minister understand why it makes her feel sick to think about the way he’s behaved?”
Mr Johnson then replied: “I sympathise deeply with Hannah, with people who have suffered up and down this country during the pandemic, and I repeat that I wish things had been done differently on that evening, and I repeat my apology for all the misjudgments that may have been made, that were made on my watch in No 10 and across the government.
“I want to reassure the people of this country, including Hannah and her family, that we have been working to do everything we can to protect her and her family.”
In a heartfelt statement responding to the Prime Minister, Hannah – who is also a spokesperson for campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice – said: “The Prime Minister’s lies have finally caught up with him.
“Not content with kicking bereaved families like mine in the teeth by breaking the rules he set and then lying to us about it, he’s now taking the British public for fools by pretending he ‘didn’t know it was a party’. Every time he lies to us, he pours more salt into the wounds of those who have already lost so much to this pandemic, but that doesn’t stop him.”
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"An apology needs to come from someone sincere, owning up to something they've done before they get caught"
Hannah Brady's dad Shaun died just days before the Downing Street garden party.
“He’s incapable of telling the truth and he needs to go,” Hannah continued.
“The Prime Minister is now a walking public health hazard, who has lost the trust, respect and good faith of the public.
“If restrictions are needed to protect lives in the future, people will simply laugh at him. He has no moral authority and will cost lives. He has broken his own rules and if he had any decency, he would now resign, rather than hide behind an internal ‘inquiry’.
“If he doesn’t, his MPs should remove him – they have a moral duty to do so.”
Oasis finally confirm ‘private ballot’ ticket information for reunion tour
Daisy Jackson
Oasis have just announced more information about how tickets will be sold through a ‘private ballot’ for their extra reunion tour dates.
The group added two additional shows at Wembley Stadium after their initial 17 gigs across London, Manchester, Dublin, Edinburgh and Cardiff generated huge demand and sold out in a day.
Oasis and Ticketmaster came under fire though for the use of dynamic pricing, which saw ticket prices shoot up by hundreds of pounds by the time people made it through the online queues.
For these additional reunion tour dates at Wembley, ticket sales will look a little different.
They’ll be using a ‘private ballot’, which will give first dibs to those who missed out on the first ticket sale.
You’ll only be invited to register for the sale if you signed into your Ticketmaster account on Saturday 31 August, and joined a queue for a specific show.
And you’ll only receive an invitation if you DIDN’T manage to bag tickets the first time round.
THEN you’ll be able to register for the actual ballot, which still doesn’t guarantee you a ticket but does at least get you into a (hopefully less lengthy) queue.
“Invitations to enter the private ballot will be sent overnight tonight (Saturday) to eligible fans we have been able to identify.
“If you signed into your Ticketmaster UK account on Saturday, 31st August, and were able to join a queue for a specific show, but didn’t get a ticket-then you may be eligible to take part and will receive an email on how to register for the ballot.
“Keep an eye on the inbox associated with your Ticketmaster account, and don’t forget to check your junkmail.
“Once successfully registered, you will be entered into the ballot for a code for access to the final Wembley on sale.
“Due to the demand for the shows and to avoid last week’s long queues, codes will be strictly limited. Entry to the ballot does not guarantee you will receive a code.
“The ballot is only open to invited fans. You must register with the email to which your invitation was sent and which is registered with your Ticketmaster account.
“All other entries will be discounted. If you do not receive an email then unfortunately you will not be eligible for the ballot.
“You will be automatically discounted from the ballot, even if you go through the registration process.”
Featured image: Simon Emmett
News
Manchester Airport named UK’s worst in annual Which? survey for third year running
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has officially been declared the worst airport in the UK, according to a new survey by Which?… yet again.
The summer travel season may be drawing to a close now, with hundreds of flights having taken off and landed in our region over the last couple of months, but for any Greater Manchester holidaymakers who are still yet to jet off, an annual ranking by consumer choice group Which? has proved to be pretty grim reading.
That’s because several terminals at the UK’s third largest airport have found themselves at the bottom of the list in Which? latest findings.
Manchester Airport has hit back at the survey and defended itself, saying its own passenger surveys suggest people are “much more positive” about the airport, adding that it was “proud to give people in all parts of the North easy and affordable access to nearly 200 different destinations across the world”.
For its annual survey, Which? spoke to nearly 7,000 passengers to gather feedback about their experiences of flying from UK airports over the last 12 months, and asked them to score the airports across 11 categories.
Manchester Airport has been named the worst in the UK for the third year running / Credit: The Manc Group
Some of these categories including seating, staff, toilets, and of course, the queues we all dread at check in, bag drop, passport control, and security.
And just like in both 2022 and again in 2023, it was Manchester Airport Terminal 3 that ranked right at the bottom, receiving the lowest customer satisfaction score of 37%.
Manchester Terminal 1 ranked one place above that with a score of 40%, while Manchester Terminal 2 was a little further up the the list with a score of 51%, and just saw Luton Airport, London Stansted, and Belfast International Airport sandwiched in between it.
According to Which?, some of the complaints it received about Manchester Airport from passengers who responded to the survey this year was that older people struggled with long walks due to travelators being broken since 2021, difficulties with finding a seat, and “horrendous” queues with people apparently being “corralled like cattle”.
As mentioned though, Manchester Airport has slammed Which?’s findings in a formal statement.
The UK’s third largest airport has hit back at the survey results and defended itself / Credit:
Describing the survey as “disappointing to see”, Manchester Airport’s statement reads: “We understand not every experience is perfect and want all passengers to feel able to raise their concerns directly with us. That is why we speak to them on a daily basis, surveying hundreds of people a month to get in-the-moment feedback from a full range of perspectives.
“That is in stark contrast to Which?, which conducted a tiny and unrepresentative survey of its members six months ago, asking them to recollect airport experiences that could have been as far back in time as April 2023.
“Which? fully understands that its readers form a narrow group of passengers whose views cannot in any way be taken to represent those of the travelling public at large, but chooses to promote its survey findings as if they do.”
Manchester Airport says it’s disappointing see Which? “chase cheap headlines” with its “sensational and over-simplified characterisation of airports” and the different roles they play, adding: “To make matters worse, it has printed inaccurate statements about our facilities and security waiting times that paint a more negative picture than reality.