LONDON: The UK government has come under fire for appointing Trevor Phillips to an inquiry examining why ethnic minorities in the country are being disproportionately harmed by COVID-19.
Phillips, former head of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, has been criticized for past remarks about British Muslims, whom he described as a “nation within a nation.”
On another occasion, he suggested that a Christian child being placed into Muslim foster care was “like child abuse.”
Sixteen black and minority ethnic (BAME) medical organizations wrote to Public Health England (PHE) and Health Secretary Matt Hancock urging them to “withdraw the participation of Mr.Phillips” in the inquiry.
Phillips’ appointment comes amid reports that 25 out of 26 UK doctors and two-thirds of overall National Health Service staff who have died from COVID-19 have been from BAME backgrounds.
Harun Khan, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), said the appointment of Phillips “sends a clear signal to British Muslims that Public Health England is not taking this matter seriously.” The MCB said the appointment is “insensitive” and “wholly inappropriate.”
But Prof. Kevin Fenton, PHE’s regional director in London, said Phillips and Prof. Richard Webber “have been asked to support this critical work as their specialist consultancy has the right skills and experience.”
UK government slammed over coronavirus inquiry
https://arab.news/m6tu2
UK government slammed over coronavirus inquiry
- Phillips, former head of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, has been criticized for past remarks about British Muslims
EU should consider forming combined military force: defense chief
- Kubilius floated creating a “powerful, standing ‘European military force’ of 100,000 troops” that could eventually replace US forces
- Trump has heightened fears among NATO allies over Washington’s reliability by insisting he wants to take over Greenland
BRUSSELS: EU countries should weigh whether to set up a combined military force that could eventually replace US troops in Europe, the bloc’s defense chief said Sunday.
EU defense commissioner Andrius Kubilius floated creating a “powerful, standing ‘European military force’ of 100,000 troops” as a possible option to better protect the continent.
“How will we replace the 100,000-strong American standing military force, which is the back-bone military force in Europe?” he asked in a speech in Sweden.
The suggestion comes as US President Donald Trump has heightened fears among NATO allies over Washington’s reliability by insisting he wants to take over Greenland.
Worries over Trump’s commitment to Europe have already spurred countries to step up efforts to bolster their militaries in the face of the threat posed by Russia.
Ideas about establishing a central European army have floated around for years but have largely failed to gain traction as nations are wary of relinquishing control over their militaries.
The US has pushed its European allies to increasingly take over responsibility for their own security, and raised the prospect it could shift forces from Europe to focus on China.
“In such times, we should not run away from the most pressing questions on our institutional defense readiness,” said Kubilius, a former Lithuanian prime minister.
In his speech Kubilius also advocated for the creation of a “European Security Council” of key powers — including potentially Britain — that could help the continent take decisions over its own defense quicker.
“The European Security Council could be composed of key permanent members, along with several rotational members,” he said.
“In total around 10-12 members, with the task to discuss the most important issues in defense.”
He said the first focus of such a body should be trying to change the dynamics in the war in Ukraine to ensure that Kyiv does not end up losing.
“We need to have a clear answer — how is the EU going to change that scenario?,” he said.
“This is the reason why we need to have a European Security Council now!“
