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UK coronavirus live: Rishi Sunak to give government briefing as OBR says lockdown could shrink GDP by 35% UK coronavirus live: Rishi Sunak gives government briefing as OBR says lockdown could shrink GDP by 35%
(32 minutes later)
UK hospital deaths rise by 778 to 12,107 amid questions over care home figures; forecast says unemployment could soar by 2 millionUK hospital deaths rise by 778 to 12,107 amid questions over care home figures; forecast says unemployment could soar by 2 million
Q: The economic fallout from this will disproportionately hit the young. So is it fair to keep policies like the triple lock on pensions?
Sunak says he cannot write future budgets today. But he will pay tribute to the young, whether it is people at school missing out on exams, or young people in the labour market. Young people have been volunteering, he says. He says this amounts to society coming together.
He says, whatever age people are, the government’s job is to provide economic opportunity. That might mean giving opportunities to start your own business. He will look at the plans in place to make sure they are the right ones, and he will turbo-charge them.
Q: How many coronavirus infections are acquired in hospital?
Powis says the UK has a good record of dealing with hospital-acquired infections.
But he says there will be some coronavirus infections acquired in hospitals.
Hospitals are doing what they can to avoid this. He says the NHS is actively looking at this now.
Sunak says the government remains very committed to its levelling up agenda.
That can be a critical part of getting back to normal, he says.
He says the levelling up agenda, and investing in infrastructure, will only become more important.
Q: Can you confirm that no company has been told not to supply PPE to Scotland?
Sunak says the national clinical director in Scotland dismissed this story as “rubbish”. He says there has been close collaboration between the four countries of the UK.
Doyle says the four chief medical officers in the UK work closely. They want to make sure each country gets what it needs. She says Public Health England has not directed any of the countries to be at a disadvantage.
(This answer is hard to square with the claim on the Gompels website. See 4.41pm.)
Q: Have people in care homes been forgotten?
Absolutely not, says Sunak.
He says the government wants to speed up the publication of care home data.
Doyle says she would like to have the best possible data on a daily basis. The care sector is seen as part of the care home family, she says.
But it is a very dispersed sector, she says.
Powis says there are fewer hospitals than care homes. And they are used to providing information to government quickly. Those are two reasons why hospital figures come out more quickly.
Sunak says there are 200 NHS trusts. But there are tens of thousands of social care sectors.
Q: Your slides include figures for France, which include care home data. So isn’t it unfair to compare those to the UK figures, which do not include care home data?
Doyle says different countries report data in different ways. She says the UK is trying to learn from that.
Q: Tonight there are warnings of 2m extra people losing their jobs. Will we feel the costs of this crisis for a generation?
Sunak says he is troubled by these numbers. This is not an abstract things. People are going to feel the results.
But he says the measures the government has implemented will make a difference.
He says he does not accept that people will be affected for a generation. It will be difficult in the short term, he says. But he says we will be able to “recover quickly and strongly”.
Q: Do you really think we can just shake this off in a few months?
Sunak says he thinks it will be possible to have “a reasonably fast bounce back”.
But the OBR is right to say borrowing will increase, he says.
He says that should allow the public finances to return to a reasonably stable position reasonably soon.
Q: When will you include care home deaths in the daily figures?
Doyle says the government is working with the ONS to speed up the reporting of care home deaths.
Powis is now presented the latest slides with data about the lockdown strategy.
Transport use is down, he says.
He says the number of new cases is plateauing, although he accepts that, because not everyone is being tested, these figures do not show all new cases.
But the number of hospital admissions is stabilising, he says.
On the death figures, Powis says these are the numbers that will be the last to level off.
Sunak says taking action to save lives now is also the right thing to do for the economy. He says it is a common sense approach.
He says the health secretary, Matt Hancock, will make an announcement about social care tomorrow.
Sunak reads out the latest UK figures. The data is here.
Sunak says the OBR has said that the policies followed by the government will allow the economy to bounce back. Without those policies, the situation would be much worse, he says. He says this means the OBR is saying the government plan is the right plan.
Sunak starts by talking about the OBR report.
The OBR report is not a forecast or a prediction, Sunak says. He says it is just one scenario.
He says the economic impact of the lockdown will be significant.
But it will also be temporary, he says.
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is about to hold the government’s daily coronavirus press conference. He is appearing with Stephen Powis, the medical director of NHS England, and Yvonne Doyle, medical director of Public Health England.
London’s Nightingale hospital has remained largely empty, with just 19 patients being treated at the facility over the Easter weekend, the Health Service Journal understands.London’s Nightingale hospital has remained largely empty, with just 19 patients being treated at the facility over the Easter weekend, the Health Service Journal understands.
The temporary Docklands facility was designed to hold 2,900 intensive care beds, plus 750 additional beds, but internal data seen by the HSJ suggested established hospitals have been able to double their ICU capacity on their existing estates and are so far coping with the surge in demand.The temporary Docklands facility was designed to hold 2,900 intensive care beds, plus 750 additional beds, but internal data seen by the HSJ suggested established hospitals have been able to double their ICU capacity on their existing estates and are so far coping with the surge in demand.
The low numbers at the Nightingale are also likely to be influenced by the tight criteria that was agreed for patients to be admitted there, which excluded the most frail patients.The low numbers at the Nightingale are also likely to be influenced by the tight criteria that was agreed for patients to be admitted there, which excluded the most frail patients.
Read the HSJ story here.Read the HSJ story here.
As the Daily Record reports, a firm called Gompels, which makes PPE (personal protective equipment), has got a notice on its website saying that it can only sell certain items, like surgical masks and aprons, to customers in England. It says:As the Daily Record reports, a firm called Gompels, which makes PPE (personal protective equipment), has got a notice on its website saying that it can only sell certain items, like surgical masks and aprons, to customers in England. It says:
This will fuel claims that, contrary to assurances from No 10, Scottish organisations trying to buy PPE are at a disadvantaged compared to their English counterparts.This will fuel claims that, contrary to assurances from No 10, Scottish organisations trying to buy PPE are at a disadvantaged compared to their English counterparts.
This may well come up at the government press conference, which is due to start at 5pm.This may well come up at the government press conference, which is due to start at 5pm.
A total of 207 prisoners have tested positive for coronavirus in 57 prisons in England and Wales as of 5pm on Monday, the Ministry of Justice said.A total of 207 prisoners have tested positive for coronavirus in 57 prisons in England and Wales as of 5pm on Monday, the Ministry of Justice said.
Some 62 prison staff have tested positive for Covid-19 in 28 prisons as well as five prisoner escort and custody services staff.Some 62 prison staff have tested positive for Covid-19 in 28 prisons as well as five prisoner escort and custody services staff.
Just four prisoners have been released since the government announced plans 10 days ago to release up to 4,000 inmates to combat the spread of the coronavirus, MPs have heard, but a “few hundred” will be temporarily freed tomorrow.Just four prisoners have been released since the government announced plans 10 days ago to release up to 4,000 inmates to combat the spread of the coronavirus, MPs have heard, but a “few hundred” will be temporarily freed tomorrow.
Lucy Frazer, the justice minister, told a remote session of the justice committee 14 pregnant women or female inmates held in mother and baby units have now been released, out of a potential 70, while four men had been released early under broader plans announced on 4 April. Frazer said:Lucy Frazer, the justice minister, told a remote session of the justice committee 14 pregnant women or female inmates held in mother and baby units have now been released, out of a potential 70, while four men had been released early under broader plans announced on 4 April. Frazer said:
Pressed on what “a significant number” means, Frazer said:Pressed on what “a significant number” means, Frazer said:
Penal reform campaigners and charities working with offenders have called on the government to speed up releases from prison as well as to go further and release more than currently proposed. As well as releasing prisoners, the Ministry of Justice is building 500 temporary cells across the existing prison estate to increase single cell occupancy.Penal reform campaigners and charities working with offenders have called on the government to speed up releases from prison as well as to go further and release more than currently proposed. As well as releasing prisoners, the Ministry of Justice is building 500 temporary cells across the existing prison estate to increase single cell occupancy.
The government is expected to resume post-Brexit talks with the European Union next week, in a coronavirus-era experiment with negotiations by video link.The government is expected to resume post-Brexit talks with the European Union next week, in a coronavirus-era experiment with negotiations by video link.
The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier is due to speak to his opposite number David Frost on Wednesday, where they are expected to agree a timetable for talks in April and May, including several days next week.The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier is due to speak to his opposite number David Frost on Wednesday, where they are expected to agree a timetable for talks in April and May, including several days next week.
The EU and UK only managed one round of talks before coronavirus crashed the negotiations, leading to two cancelled sessions and putting the lead players into isolation.The EU and UK only managed one round of talks before coronavirus crashed the negotiations, leading to two cancelled sessions and putting the lead players into isolation.
Barnier is now recovered, after coming down with coronavirus last month. Frost, who had “mild symptoms” of the virus, has now passed the recommended period for self isolation.Barnier is now recovered, after coming down with coronavirus last month. Frost, who had “mild symptoms” of the virus, has now passed the recommended period for self isolation.
Last week, scores of EU and UK officials took part in multiple overlapping conference calls, where they quizzed each other on rival legal texts for a future draft agreement. The exchanges were said to be slowed by the voice-call only format.Last week, scores of EU and UK officials took part in multiple overlapping conference calls, where they quizzed each other on rival legal texts for a future draft agreement. The exchanges were said to be slowed by the voice-call only format.
Officials plan to run next week’s talks by video link. They hope to replicate the format of the first round of talks: parallel talks on eleven different negotiation themes from trade to transport, fisheries to security, with opening and closing sessions led by Frost and Barnier.Officials plan to run next week’s talks by video link. They hope to replicate the format of the first round of talks: parallel talks on eleven different negotiation themes from trade to transport, fisheries to security, with opening and closing sessions led by Frost and Barnier.
During recent phone calls, neither side discussed the fraught question of extending talks, with a 1 July deadline to agree a delay looming on the horizon.During recent phone calls, neither side discussed the fraught question of extending talks, with a 1 July deadline to agree a delay looming on the horizon.
If the UK wants to extend post-Brexit talks, it cannot bank on an eleventh-hour deal, as it will need to agree ongoing contributions to the EU budget to cover any time after 2020.If the UK wants to extend post-Brexit talks, it cannot bank on an eleventh-hour deal, as it will need to agree ongoing contributions to the EU budget to cover any time after 2020.
In the latest episode of our Science Weekly podcast, the Guardian’s science correspondent Nicola Davis speaks to Dr Andy Whittamore about the effects of Covid-19 on people with asthma and what they can do to protect themselves. You can listen to the episode here.In the latest episode of our Science Weekly podcast, the Guardian’s science correspondent Nicola Davis speaks to Dr Andy Whittamore about the effects of Covid-19 on people with asthma and what they can do to protect themselves. You can listen to the episode here.
As the Press and Journal reports, Donald Macaskill, CEO of Scottish Care, which represents the care home sector in Scotland, claimed on BBC Radio Scotland that suppliers of PPE (personal protective equipment) were prioritising customers in England. Last week a care home owner in Wales made the same allegation.As the Press and Journal reports, Donald Macaskill, CEO of Scottish Care, which represents the care home sector in Scotland, claimed on BBC Radio Scotland that suppliers of PPE (personal protective equipment) were prioritising customers in England. Last week a care home owner in Wales made the same allegation.
Downing Street has rejected the claim that England is taking precedence. (See 2.27pm.) As our colleague Libby Brooks reported earlier (see 1.07pm), the Scottish government is more reluctant to dismiss it outright.Downing Street has rejected the claim that England is taking precedence. (See 2.27pm.) As our colleague Libby Brooks reported earlier (see 1.07pm), the Scottish government is more reluctant to dismiss it outright.
The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 among prison staff in England and Wales has more than doubled in five days, according to the most recent update from the Ministry of Justice.
There were 62 prison staff across 28 prisons who had tested positive for the coronavirus as of 5pm on Monday, compared to the last available figures for 8 April, when 28 prison staff had tested positive across 17 prisons.
The number of confirmed infected prisoners rose by 38% in the same period to 207 inmates across 57 prisons. The number of infected prisoner escort and custody services (Pecs) staff remained at five.
There are 83,000 prisoners in England and Wales across 117 prisons. The number of prisoners who have contracted Covid-19 and died currently stands at 13, while the number of staff who contracted the disease and died is three.
The Ministry of Justice has announced plans to build 500 temporary cells on the current prison estate to increase single-cell occupancy, while up to 4,000 risk-assessed prisoners who are within two months of their release date are to be temporarily released from jail.
George Osborne, the former Conservative chancellor who now edits the Evening Standard, told the World at One that the Office for Budget Responsibility assessment of how the lockdown might damage the economy (see 12.16pm) was “staggering” and that some people who lost their jobs would not get them back. He said:
Osborne also said that the Treasury should “tweak” its loan scheme offering support to businesses. Instead of the Treasury saying it would guarantee 80% of the loan for small businesses, or for loans worth up to £250,000, the government should guarantee 100% of the loan, Osborne said (meaning banks would not risk losing 20% if a loan were not repaid). Osborne said that if the government did not do this, some small businesses might just “shut up shop”.
Here is our colleague Richard Partington’s story about the OBR report.
There is mounting anger in Northern Ireland over authorities’ failure to disclose the number of coronavirus-related deaths in care homes.
The health minister, Robin Swann, said on Tuesday that 32 care homes had been affected but their death toll remains unclear, prompting protests from politicians and advocacy groups.
Dr Michael McBride, the country’s chief medical officer, said the process of registering deaths was complicated, involving death certificates, the General Register Office and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. “Every death counts. Behind every death is a person. It is wrong to create an impression that those lives lost don’t matter,” McBride told BBC Radio Ulster.
Northern Ireland’s official death toll – 134 – relates only to hospital deaths. Northern Ireland has 484 care homes, with 16,000 beds.
The pandemic has wrought a severe toll on nursing homes across the border in the Republic of Ireland, accounting for around half of the country’s 365 deaths.
The Medical Protection Society (MPS) has called on the government to introduce emergency laws to safeguard doctors from claims against their decisions during the coronavirus crisis.
It is calling on the UK to support new laws, already adopted in New York state, to ensure healthcare professionals are not exposed to “criminal and regulatory investigations following decisions they may have to make in terms of when emergency treatment can be withheld or withdrawn”.
Decisions on whether to administer or withdraw life-prolonging treatments are normally made on a basis of what is in the best interest of the patient, the MPS said, but “that normal decision-making processes will be put under enormous strain during a pandemic, especially when surges in demand temporarily exceed supply”.
The society points to lack of clarity when it comes to whether it would be lawful for a ventilator to be withheld or removed from one patient in order to sustain the life of another.
Dr Rob Hendry, medical director at the Medical Protection Society, said:
The number of offenders being sentenced to short-term prison sentences will outstrip the number of prisoners set to be released early as part of plans to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, MPs have been told.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Justice announced plans to release up to 4,000 risk-assessed prisoners who are within two months of their release date will be temporarily released from jail.
During a remote session of the justice committee broadcast online, Katie Lomas, national chair of rehabilitation charity Nacro, said:
Justice reform campaigners have long called for the government to introduce a presumption against short sentences of six months or less as evidence has shown the jail terms do little to reduce reoffending. In Scotland, there is a presumption against sentences of 12 months.
Scotland’s Care Inspectorate has confirmed at least two deaths at the Wastview Care Centre in Shetland, as the Scottish government prepares to publish what first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has promised will be “full and robust” data on care home deaths on Wednesday.
Jeane Freeman, the Scottish health secretary, said on Sunday that the Care Inspectorate had been told of Covid-19 cases in 406 adult care homes, 37% of the total, amidst growing anxiety about a surge in deaths, with clusters including 13 reported dead after contracting coronavirus at a care home in Glasgow last week.
On Wednesday, National Records of Scotland will publish weekly data on all registered deaths from Covid-19, which includes deaths where the virus was a suspected or probable cause.
This week for the first time those figures will be broken down by the location of someone’s death, indicating whether an individual dies in hospital, in a care home, at home or at another location.
Amid continuing speculation about when schools will reopen in England, the National Education Union (NEU) has written to the prime minister expressing that its members were “disturbed” by the continuing speculation and called for the government to share its modelling, evidence and plans for any return to school as a matter of urgency.
Last Wednesday, Number 10 intervened to clarify that schools would not be reopening straight after the Easter holidays after media speculation based on comments said to have been made by an unnamed minister.
Then on Friday, two other unions representing headteachers suggested that schools should reopen for a number of weeks ahead of the summer holidays instead of waiting until September, if the scientific evidence said it was safe to do so.The NEU’s letter said:
In the letter, the NEU asked whether plans to reopen schools would address problems with social distancing in schools, testing of children staff and availability of personal protective equipment.
It also asked about children and staff in vulnerable health categories and called on the government to share its modelling of the increased number of cases and deaths among children, their families, teachers and support staff as a result of reopening schools.