Welsh Performer Michael Sheen Admits He Gave Back His OBE

Michael Sheen has risked a backlash after announcing that he gave back his OBE years after receiving it from the Queen.

The performer said he made the controversial move to avoid looking a hypocrite before giving a speech on the history of his native Wales, including past wrongs perpetrated by England.

And he called for the tradition of giving the heir to the throne the title of Prince of Wales to be discarded when Charles becomes king, saying it was an embarrassment for the Welsh.

The 51-year-old, whose acclaimed roles have included Tony Blair, football boss Brian Clough and commentator David Frost, accepted the recognition from the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2009.

However, he gave it back after researching Welsh history while preparing to give a lecture to students in 2017.

He said he realised it would be insincere for him to discuss the association between Wales and the British state while still having the OBE and Michael Sheen said reading up on the history of Wales for the annual Raymond Williams lecture, named after a Marxist intellectual, had opened his eyes to problems still resonate today.

He added that in his research to do that lecture he learnt a lot about Welsh history and that he was still standing at the foothills of an understanding of all that, but that was a crash course.

He said that by the time he’d finished writing the lecture, he recalled sitting there thinking to himself that he had a choice. Either he didn’t give the lecture and he could hold onto his OBE or he could give the lecture and he would have to give his OBE back.

He still wanted to give the lecture so he gave his OBE back.

He said he told the Palace at the time that he didn’t mean to be rude and felt extremely honoured to have received it back in 2009 and he said that he meant absolutely no disrespect by doing this and that he didn’t want to cause a big debate about it.

Father of two, Michael Sheen said the OBE had meant a lot to him and his family and had helped him in lots of ways and that people have asked why he’s got so upset about things that occurred hundreds of years ago, but he said it still has power here.

This was extremely commendable of him because we should never trade our beliefs to fit in with the norm and we should be true to ourselves, no matter what that is.

We might not be able to control history, but we can attempt to prevent these things from happening again in the United Kingdom, but the same can be said about every country because there are times when past bad behaviour isn’t taken into consideration so that we can move on.

But good for him and congratulations to all those who’ve laboured hard over the years to ensure that the Welsh language prevails.

Performers shouldn’t be given these awards anyhow, they only used to be given to people who deserved them.

People Are Seriously Arguing Whether Tom Hanks Has Ever Starred In A Great Film

Sparked by end of year lists and God knows what else, potentially boredom, people are beginning to wonder whether the beloved actor Tom Hanks has ever really been in a good movie.

Yes, he’s been in numerous classic movies, notably, romcoms like Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, but his breakout role was in Forrest Gump, but people on Twitter appear to be discussing whether Tom Hanks has had a good filmography or just a prolific one and after an end of year list from Vulture, Will Leitch and Tom Grierson ranked all of the movies that Tom Hanks has ever been in.

Some would suggest that Tom Hanks might be an adaptable performer, but he does tend to recreate a version of the same person, well-intentioned, everyman, in every movie and this tweet seemed to be the match that lit the fire, which has continued to rage for several days.

Of course, no one’s arguing that every single film that Tom Hanks has played a role in is perfect, there’s, after all, He Knows You’re Alone, Tom Hank’s film debut which was also a horror movie that knocked off Halloween very clearly.

But this star turns in films like A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, about Mr Rogers, which came out last year – A League of their Own, and of course, Cast Away, which would suggest he’s a fantastic performer who’s been in several splendid movies.

People disagreed, as they’re likely to do on Twitter, to varying degrees.

Some pointed out that great movies can also be entertaining and that they don’t have to be great in the most pretentious sense of the word.

Perhaps it’s not a bad idea. After all, if two people can’t decide on whether Toy Story was a good film or not, then maybe all of these discussions won’t lead us anywhere particularly useful.

Many of his movies were great, some were better than others though, and he’s pretty much just himself in all of his films.

He has an extremely unique voice and presence and I’ve enjoyed most of his movies, he’s a fantastic performer, but in my view, his role in Philadelphia was his best career performance, but even then, I believe Denzel Washington’s performance was even better and more Oscar-worthy.

Nonetheless, Tom Hanks has starred in many amazing films and many have been critically acclaimed and Saving Private Ryan transformed the genre of war films and to think this is not a fantastic movie would be daft, but Philadelphia was a hugely influential movie.

Here’s the debate though. Tom Hanks has starred in some really good movies – yes – end of debate!

Veganuary Predicts Biggest Year As COVID Lockdown Boosts Diet Overhaul

Organisers of Veganuary are gearing up for their biggest ever year next month since the meat-free pledge was launched seven years ago, thanks to a wave in consumers tucking into more plant-based foods during the lockdown and greater concern about health and the environment.

The UK based campaign, which since 2014 has asked people to pledge to follow a diet free of animal products in January, has set a target of 500,000 signatories worldwide and hopes to reach 350,00 by today.

A record 400,000 people signed up to the campaign last year, compared with 250,000 participants in 2019 and 170,000 in 2018.

Marco Settembri, the chief executive of Nestlé (Europe, Middle East and North Africa) said that a well-planned plant-based diet could meet nutritional needs during all stages of life where there are environmental and health benefits too.

He said that this year he was passing the baton and encouraging all employees to partake in Veganuary and signup to the challenge and that he was happy to be part of this campaign as it expanded across Europe and beyond.

Among other large companies whose leadership teams are supporting the campaign are the leading accountancy firms PwC and EY, the media company Bloomberg, Marks & Spencer and the UK’s largest meat-free brand, Quorn.

Philip Watson, Quorn’s UK and Europe commercial director said that their goal was to provide healthy food for people and the planet by backing Veganuary 2021 and they aim to get nearer to their 2030 target of 8 billion meat-free servings a year worldwide.

April Preston, the director of product development at Marks & Spencer, said the retailer would be also expanding its vegan own label Plant Kitchen range.

She said the M&S food leadership team was getting fully involved and would be creating a sequence of fun, weekly videos that will be shared internally, comparing different Plant Kitchen products and their meat counterparts and discovering which come out on top.

Even before the pandemic UK manufacturers, supermarkets, restaurants and pub chains were scrambling to tap into not only the burgeoning vegan market but also the large number adopting flexitarian diets for people who enjoy meat and dairy but want to eat less of it.

Many people go vegan, although don’t believe that they’ll like it and they genuinely do. So, for all those sceptics out there, do some research.

The thing is if you picture this in your head. There are two burgers on your plate, one is plant, and the other is a chunk of dead flesh – why choose the flesh when the plant tastes the same when prepared correctly – it could also make you healthier and feel much better.

Vegan food tends to be trial and error. I prefer Quorn, but some people prefer plant-based. Just cook them as if you were cooking meat and don’t be scared to add extras like pepper and seasoning.

It’s quite straightforward really. There are lots of people who enjoy vegan meals, but some also enjoy the taste of meat but don’t want to eat a dead animal, so they get something like it that’s made out of plant and that tastes like it.

And are you aware of all the hormones and antibiotics that your meat is full of? Are you aware of the chemicals used to prevent your meat from going green on the shelves?

There are a lot of people that have moved to a plant-based diet. Most probably won’t ever give up meat 100 per cent, but I know that I’m feeling better for the change.

The United Kingdom And Turkey To Sign Free Trade Deal

The United Kingdom and Turkey are set to sign a free trade deal today, the first since Boris Johnson secured a new trade agreement with the EU.

The two countries have completed the text of a continuity agreement that replicates current trading terms between Ankara, which has a customs union agreement with Brussels, and London.

And according to the Department for International Trade, the Bilateral trade between the countries was worth almost £19 billion last year.

The agreement is expected to be signed on a video call this week by delegates from each side and exchange of diplomatic notes will then permit the deal to come into force even though there’s not enough time for it to be approved by the two countries’ parliaments before the United Kingdom exits the EU single market on December 31.

Liz Truss, international trade secretary, said that the deal they expect to sign this week locks in tariff-free trading arrangements and will help support their trading relationship, worth £18.6 billion last year.

It will provide certainty for thousands of jobs across the United Kingdom in the manufacturing, automotive and steel industries.

The United Kingdom is Turkey’s second-biggest export market but Ankara’s customs union with the EU meant that a free trade agreement could not be completed until a Brexit agreement was in place.

That increased fears among Turkish producers of white goods, automobiles and textiles that their products could face hefty import tariffs and UK borders delays if Britain crashed out of the 27 member bloc.

One British official said there was an instantaneous sense of relief at the agreement, adding that both Turkish manufacturers and their British counterparts had been nervous about the possibility of a no-deal Brexit.

Hakan Bulgurlu, chief executive of Turkish manufacturers Arcelik, which trades under the name of Beko in Europe said that the United Kingdom was the largest export market for home appliances that are manufactured in Turkey.

He said that they welcome the efforts to quickly conclude a free trade agreement between Turkey and the United Kingdom that will preserve the essence of their no tariff, no quota partnership.

The deal aims to replicate the trading terms that presently exist between the United Kingdom and Turkey, with tariff-free trade on all non-agricultural goods, according to British officials.

The United Kingdom has also agreed to roll over the preferential tariffs that Turkey enjoys on some agricultural products under its customs union with the EU.

But there’s so much frustration among people with everyone imposing their ideological opinions, but everyone should chill out, it’s all about business.

Most of the furniture and clothes you find on eBay comes from Turkey, so we should stop being naive minded and accept it as a blessing and there’s too much hostility these days.

But it appears that Brits are on a mad scramble to complete trade deals, particularly over the years where they’ve made deals with much worse tyrants and our Government have very few morals where money is concerned.

And we seem to whinge about everything and it seems it’s only Brits that excel at this, whinging about everything and anything for the sake of it and we should get a grip because it’s done and now we just have to get on with it.

Britons Overseas Have No Right To Our Help

The Foreign Office said British nationals arrested overseas through no fault of their own have no right to the Government’s help or protection, even if they’re tortured or held as diplomatic leverage against their country.

That stark judgment was given in a letter to lawyers for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who asked the department to lay out the Government’s view of its responsibility towards her.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British Iranian mother of one child, was apprehended at Tehran airport in 2016 and condemned to five years on trumped-up charges of sowing dissent against the Iranian government.

A second case, that Iran has aimed to justify with erroneous statements made by Boris Johnson, was presented against her in October.

In a letter to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s lawyers, the Government said it was under no legal obligation to assist citizens who were falsely charged with a crime while travelling with a British passport.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 41, a charity worker with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was apprehended in April 2016 at Tehran airport as she was returning home to London with her then 22-month-old daughter, Gabriella, following a family visit in 2016.

The British Iranian dual national was imprisoned for five years on allegations that she conspired to destroy the Iranian government.

She’s always repudiated the claims, and is presently under house arrest in Tehran, after being freed from jail earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter seen by a news outlet, the head of consular affairs at the Foreign Office, Sarah Broughton, explained that the Government had no responsibility to protect British Citizens who’d been arrested overseas through no fault of their own.

Responding to the letter Ms Zaghgari’s Radcliffe’s lawyers wrote: ‘If it is the government’s position that it has no obligations even in the extreme and unique circumstances of Nazanin’s case, then that sends an extremely alarming message to the rest of the British public.’

In 2019, former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt granted diplomatic protection for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe in response to Iran’s treatment of her, but despite the move, Sarah Broughton said the decision to summon the seldom-used diplomatic device didn’t confer any clear legal obligations upon them.

And she added that the Government couldn’t investigate torture or mistreatment allegations and didn’t recognise her arrest as hostage-taking.

So, do these laws no longer exist to safeguard the interests of the British people at home and abroad? And I hazard a guess that if you were Eton educated or related to Lord or Lady whoever, or a Tory contributor the case would be much different.

This woman allegedly didn’t do anything, yet she’s being kept as a political prisoner, but it seems that dual nationals are fair game, although this case is especially sad.

This is all about dual nationality and the significance of having it within the jurisdiction of those countries, but times have changed because it used to be taken for granted that if a British Citizen abroad got into trouble, the Foreign Office would usually help.

But now we have Brexit and our Government, particularly Boris Johnson only wants to negotiate with our own, or should I say his own – welcome to Brexit, although last time I checked, Europe was nowhere near Iran, so it just goes to show that Boris Johnson doesn’t want to trade with anyone or anything unless it concerns his Schmekel.

And perhaps when our own Prime Minister has had a hand in keeping someone overseas and locked up, he really should help, but then this is another Boris moment of stupidity that destroys lives.

Hundreds Of British Tourists Flee Quarantine At Swiss Ski Resort

About 420 people from the United Kingdom were made to self-isolate after the Swiss Government imposed a 10-day retroactive quarantine for any who arrived from the United Kingdom since December 14.

But staff at the luxury Verbier resort began to notice guests were missing after trays of food left outside their rooms were left uneaten.

Jean-Marc Sandoz, a spokesperson for the Bagnes municipality in the canton of Valais, told a local newspaper SonntagsZeitung that about 50 tourists instantly fled, and as of the weekend, less than a dozen remain.

He told the ATS news agency that many of the Verbier resort’s British guests remained in quarantine for a day before they set off unseen under the cloak of darkness.

Jean-Marc Sandoz added that it was when they saw the meal trays remained untouched that the hoteliers noticed that the customers had gone and he said that they couldn’t blame them and that in most circumstances, quarantine was untenable – visualise four people staying in a hotel room of 20 square metres.

He said the tourists left feeling slightly infuriated with Switzerland, with the sense of having been trapped and Mr Sandoz said the entire situation was the worst week their community had ever encountered.

A news outlet reported some guests later contacted their hotels to find out whether they still had to pay for the nights they’d booked.

It came after fears of the spread of a new mutant strain of coronavirus had caused enormous swathes of countries to prohibit travel from the United Kingdom, which has been dubbed ‘Plague Island’ as a result.

But because flights from Switzerland had also been withdrawn, it was unclear where the tourists had fled to and Swiss authorities said on Sunday it was probable some people would materialise in France.

And according to authorities, two cases of the new COVID 19 variant have been detected in Switzerland and one in neighbouring Liechtenstein so far.

The Verbier resort is known as Little London for its popularity with British visitors, particularly after Christmas.

It’s been voted Switzerland’s best ski resort for the last two years, with Verbier markets offering adrenalin-packed delights, simple pleasures and trendy lifestyle and British tourists usually make up 21 per cent of its clientele.

There seems to be a sense of entitlement here, which is especially robust. We can’t leave our locations to go to the capital or see family but look at these people who appear to be doing what they like and most people will be raging at the predicament.

This is the worst case of selfishness I have seen in a long time, but it will catch up with them because they’ve given their names, contact details and bank details.

Perhaps the authorities should freeze their bank accounts so they can’t travel, then they will soon appear.

They’re putting so many people’s lives at risk, so should they pay heavily for this? Or would have you done the same thing?

Good old British exceptionalism right there – Rule Britannia, Britannia waives the rules.

But this story makes no sense.

How did they flee under the cover of darkness? On foot? Certainly not by bus and if they drove in their cars with UK plates they would have been picked up at the border.

The ski resort was taking a risk in the first place by being open for business during a pandemic and since Britain has had a high rate of infection for a long time, just letting its citizens visit in the first place was a mistake.

And everyone is going to have to make a difficult judgment call about whether human life and controlling a pandemic is more important than profit.

But it does sound a tad ridiculous at this point, to panic over a new strain of COVID – The strain we knew about and was killing people, but people are still taking holidays like it’s any other day.

UK COVID Restrictions Could Ease In February

The UK Government has been told restrictions could ease as early as the end of February if enough people are vaccinated in time.

Reports claim officials have been advised once the most vulnerable population numbering about 12 to 15 million people at risk of dying from the coronavirus are vaccinated, the need for further restrictions will drastically lower.

However, at the present rate, the rollout is not near to achieving the milestone that could end lockdowns in months.

So far, more than 600,000 have received Pfizer jabs in the first three weeks of the rollout.

Britain has ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine and every recipient needs two jabs for it to work and the UK’s elderly and most clinically vulnerable people and front line health and care workers are first in the queue.

Oxford and AstraZeneca have said each dose of their vaccine candidate costs about as much as a cup of coffee, as scientists work to ready the jab for the masses.

Several million doses of the jab have been manufactured and are ready to be deployed from January 4.

The Government has ordered 100 million doses, with most expected to be rolled out by March.

It has reportedly set a target of 2 million of both vaccinations to be administered within a fortnight.

A source close to the Government told a news outlet that officials have been given estimates that once the 12 to 15 million most vulnerable people have received a COVID 19 vaccine, the NHS could no longer be at risk of being overwhelmed by hospital admissions.

The source argued that the virus would continue to spread throughout the wider population who are less at risk from severe infection, but the easing of pressure on the NHS would remove the argument for further shutdowns.

It’s hoped Oxford University and AstraZeneca’s jab could soon be ready, in another boost to the UK’s vaccine effort.

But even as the mass vaccination programme starts in earnest, new mutant strains of coronavirus were found circulating in the United Kingdom a short time later.

A new variant emanating in the South East has been blamed for rapid spreading in the region and London.

The finding of the mutant strain tearing through Kent and the capital prompted the UK Government to axe its Christmas mixing plans.

Households in tier 4 areas were barred from spending Christmas together, and for everyone else, the plans to allow five days of celebrations were drastically lowered.

Vaccines delivered are vaccines administered, so the best possible method would be to see a million doses given a week, as everyone needs two jabs and there are over 66 million people in the country, and people need to be a tad more realistic.

And the Government shouldn’t be so callous as to dangle the carrot of normalcy in front of people when there’s no real chance of it being achieved, and this Government needs to earn every penny’s worth of popularity to make up for all they lost with their blundering and dishonest assertions and incompetence since they came into office.

It’s easier to proclaim the wonder of some new project before it takes place than the harsh reality of its function after it takes place, but not everyone wants it and not everyone can have it.

As it is, we go into lockdown and then the numbers decline, and then we’re permitted to go out and the carriers spread it, so we end up back at step 1.

Years ago when I was a child, we didn’t need a vaccine, the germs were carried from playing outside and eating mud pies – that would have scared COVID away!

But the Government shouldn’t be giving people hope, nothing will ease and it’s going to be a ragged ride for a long time, and even a decent number of people being vaccinated, it won’t stop restrictions – welcome to the new normal.

RATMAGEDDON

Rats that are resistant to poison could infest homes across the United Kingdom over Christmas and New Year after a breeding boom during the lockdown.

Experts have warned that Christmas waste and food debris could entice ravenous vermin into homes to chow on leftover turkey and gathered discarded wrapping paper.

An expert from Pest.co.uk said vermin are now trying to enter homes as there’s less food waste from pubs and cafes due to stringent tier constraints across the country.

Data shows how the rat population swelled by 25 per cent during the lockdown as swathes of pest controllers warned back in the summer how the national lockdown created an ideal storm for the rat population boom.

Deserted urban areas and an upsurge in residential food waste during the lockdown saw the UK’s rat population skyrocket to a horrendous 180 million, that’s 2.2 rats for every one person in Britain.

And with Brits restricted to their homes, people took matters into their own hands, leaving out rat poison for the critters rather than call in the professionals, Pest.co.uk experts theorised.

But as rats and mice ingested small quantities of poison over long periods, they mutated and became resistant to the effects, with the only way to destroy them now is rat traps smeared with peanut butter or to call in the professionals.

Rodent removal specialist Jonathan Ratcliffe of Pest UK told a news outlet that mice and rats reproduce like mad, so when you see one there’s more and it’s normally an indication of some kind of problem.

Jonathan Ratcliffe has worked in pest control for more than five years and said that vermin are moving their nests into residential properties after the first five-month national lockdown left them hunting for grub.

He said that once they’ve consumed everything around the back of the cafe or a pub, they’re on the lookout for more.

Pest.co.uk is a UK wide pest control company with more than 200 professionals located across the country, and with tier 3 restrictions now enforced across nearly two-thirds of the country, Jonathan Ratcliffe fears rats and mice will be driven into people’s homes to munch on Christmas scraps as they’ll be starving with thousands of pubs closed.

He said any garbage bags with lots of Christmas stuff in will be a Michelin starred feast, and they will be starving by then with pubs shut, and now rats have developed a genetic mutation allowing them to endure all the usual poisons.

Sit up and take notice, they may well already be on the streets where you live, and now there’s research showing there are now more of them in more areas of Britain than earlier thought.

Now it looks like every house in England will be singing ‘there’s a rat in my kitchen, what am I going to do, as opposed to the traditional auld lang syne.

There have been recent reports about rodents being sold for food in markets and restaurants in Southeast Asia being contaminated with coronaviruses, which may have boosted concern about rodents transmitting the virus.

During the COVID 19 lockdown, there have been numerous cases of rats and mice becoming bolder as their sources of food have disappeared, even turning to cannibalism and creating a risk of infestations.

Homeowners have reported more sightings of rats and call-outs to pest controllers have increased, but these reports of infected rats will only add to people’s concerns about keeping safe from the virus.

Anything can invite rats into your home, even boxes from toys, wrapping paper and pieces of wood. Anything that can be used for nesting material needs to be put inside a bin.

Royal Family LIVE

Royal fans have hit out at Channel 4 after they broadcast a deepfake video of the Queen, showing her mocking Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and Prince Andrew.

The doctored video was broadcast as a parody of the Queen’s annual Christmas message, with the legitimate version shown on BBC yesterday.

In the fake performance, however, the Queen mocks other members of the Royal Family before dancing on her desk.

The light-hearted video, which was intended in part to demonstrate the dangers of what you see online sparked a furious backlash.

Brexiteer Nigel Farage wasn’t impressed by the video, tweeting before its broadcast “how dare they” in an irate response to the deepfake video.

Supporters of Nigel Farage also expressed their rage on Twitter.

One said that it was appalling and that the Queen had been true in her duty and was still going strong. God save the Queen.

Another exacerbated Briton on Twitter and wrote that they were no royalist really but that the Queen gets it right every time and that the people rightly respects and admires her.

Another Twitter user said that Channel 4’s ludicrously smart deepfake alternative message was a million miles away from the public mood and not nearly as clever or humorous as they believe it is.

In the video the deepfake version of the Queen, she said that one thing that has sustained many of us is our families, which was why she was saddened by the departure of Harry and Meghan.

She then quipped about knowing she would at least have Prince Andrew by her side.

The deepfake was created using computer-generated imagery that showed a digitally animated version of the Queen played by actress Debra Stephenson.

The brief film was loaded with gags about the irrational rush for toilet rolls at the start of the pandemic and showed the Monarch preparing for a dance on Tik Tok, but some people said they didn’t know why such disrespectful trash was even allowed to be aired at all.

However, the Royal Family have always had jokes made about them – remember Spitting Image?

I saw the short film and I thought it was rather entertaining, but of course, if I’d thought otherwise I could have always switched the damn TV off or changed it over to another channel.

But I must confess, it’s good to see the seasonal spirit of goodwill flourishing, and come on, she may be our amazing Queen and respected, but at the end of the day, she’s a Brit, and I’m sure she has a sense of humour, and I bet she had a little smirk on her face.

And I’m sure that the Queen isn’t such a sensitive creature – we had Spitting Image back in the day, and I think if the Queen hadn’t liked that, then it would have been taken off our screens immediately.

And we should all get over it because people are entitled to mock the Queen – she isn’t beyond a joke being made of her, and if she can take the joke, I’m sure everyone else can.

What has the Queen actually done, apart from her job, and she gets paid far in excess for waving and being waited on hand and foot, and what a well-paid job it is too, and what wonderful benefits come with it, and the best thing is, you’ve only got to be pushed out of a specific womb to get the position.

And Royal work, well you have to put that into perspective, don’t you? I mean they’re not exactly on zero-hour contracts and they’re not on minimum wage or doing 12-hour split shifts, and why do the Royal fanatics always suggest that the Royals work tirelessly, when really what they do is nothing to what most people have to endure every day, yet they’re work comes with extraordinary benefits and the best of everything life has to offer.

Shoppers Begin Queuing At 4 AM For Boxing Day Sales

Shoppers began queuing at 4 am today for the Boxing Day sales, but the amount spent is predicted to dive by 26 per cent on last year despite a £1.8 billion spending splurge online.

Britons were spotted lining up outside Next stores in Liverpool, Birmingham and North Tyneside as they hunted for bargains at the retail colossus.

Around 200 people had formed a socially distanced queue by 5.50 am outside Next in Leicester, which is under Tier 3 constraints, but sales at stores are still expected to drop by 56 per cent to £1.4 billion, according to the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) and VoucherCodes.co.uk.

Footfall for shopping is down 57 per cent in the United Kingdom up to 10 am compared with last year, primarily due to stores being closed in places under Tier 4 constraints, figures from the retail intelligence agency Springboard have established.

In the meantime, a survey has discovered that consumers are planning to spend £162 on average online in the post-Christmas sales, with clothes and shoes topping wish lists, followed by food and drink, homeware and stationery.

It comes as millions of people move into Tier 4 today, meaning they will not be able to visit shops in person as all non-essential stores and businesses must close.

Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire will move into Tier 4, created in response to a variant of COVID 19 discovered in the United Kingdom, from Saturday.

The parts of Essex still in Tier 2, Waverly in Surrey and Hampshire including Portsmouth and Southampton, except the New Forest, will also move into the toughest tier.

The additional six million going into Tier 4 takes the total number of people under the toughest restrictions to 24 million, 43 per cent of England’s population – a further 24.8 million will be in Tier 3.

Trade is predicted to fall by 26 per cent to £3.2 billion, plunging for the third year in a row, despite the rise in online sales.

Anna Naik, VoucherCodes.co.uk’s lifestyle editor, told a news outlet that the post-Christmas sales are always one of the busiest times for retailers and that while this is still the case, it’s not unexpected to see a plunge in sales for the third year in a row, especially due to the new regulations in place for most of the country.

Boxing Day spending is predicted to plunge by more than a quarter compared with last year, as part of a downward trend in recent years and due to the effect of coronavirus restrictions.

I can remember when all the shops were closed Boxing Day because surely staff deserve a rest – I would rather stay wrapped up warm in bed, thank you.

So, we weren’t permitted to spend Christmas with our loved ones, but we can stand in a line for hours on end with a complete stranger, it really does make my blood boil.

Nevermind that our freedoms are being trimmed, so long as people have their material goods, I really do despair, and Next only put out the junk they’ve got in store that they won’t be putting out on display next year.

The good stuff, which there is very little of is right at the front and pricey, and I certainly wouldn’t queue to go into Next on Boxing Day, plus there’s usually always a sales rail in clothes shops, so this just doesn’t make any sense.

This is very sad, and if the wind blows and the rain pours, it will make fantastic entertainment for those normal people sat in the warm with their feet up – pass the Quality Street, please.

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