This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/apr/27/uk-coronavirus-live-news-boris-johnson-back-at-work-amid-talk-of-easing-lockdown

The article has changed 23 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 17 Version 18
UK coronavirus live: Hancock gives government briefing after Sunak unveils new loans for businesses UK coronavirus live: Hancock gives briefing as 360 new hospital deaths take overall toll to 21,092
(32 minutes later)
Deaths rise in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; Johnson says UK lockdown cannot yet end as second peak would be disaster Families of NHS staff who die from coronavirus to get £60,000; Johnson says lockdown cannot yet end as second peak would be disaster
Q: What explains the mismatch between what you said the death toll might be initially, and what the situation is now?
Whitty says he has always avoided putting a figure on the number of likely deaths. He repeats the point about how this has a very long way to go. He says it is a “big mistake” just to look at what is happening in the first wave.
Q: What would be a realistic figure for deaths now? We have missed the target of keeping deaths below 20,000?
Whitty says the hospital death figure is already above that. He says the all-cause mortality figure will be higher.
He says you have to look in the long run, “and this has got a very long way to run”, he says.
He says that is why he is very cautious about putting numbers on likely deaths.
Q: Will retired NHS staff who have come back to the NHS qualify for these new life insurance payments?
Hancock says this is for frontline staff in NHS and social care. And the government is looking at what other groups it might refer to.
Q: And if they take this money, that won’t stop people suing for compensation if they feel negligence has been an issue?
No, says Hancock.
Q: Why are you so keen to get the reproduction number down to 0.5. Prof Neil Ferguson says he thinks the number is between 0.6 and 0.7.
Whitty says he has never said the target is 0.5. He has said it is probably in a range between 0.5 and 1, probably around the mid point. He says he has said keeping it below 1 is essential. Above that, the disease will spread at an exponential rate.
Q: Are you on track to meet your testing target?
Hancock says he is broadly on target.
Home testing has been very popular, he says.
He says the government wants to make it as easy as possible for people to get these tests.
Hancock reads out the first question from a member of the public.
It is from Lynne, in Skipton, North Yorkshire. She has not recorded a message, so Hancock reads it out. She says she is missing her grandchildren. Will being able to hug grandchildren be one of the first steps out of lockdown?
Hancock invites Whitty to answer. Whitty says it will depend very much on whether Lynne is in a shielded group, and on her age.
Hancock says he understands how hard this is for people.
And he says this shows how questions from members of the public can be as hard to answer as questions from journalists.
Whitty is speaking now, and presenting the daily slides.
He starts with the five tests.
Next is a slide on transport use. The picture is broadly stable, he says.
Whitty says the number of coronavirus cases in hospital is falling.
But he says the number of people in critical care is not falling so quickly.
Hancock says that, from tomorrow, cancer treatments in the NHS that have been on hold will resume.
Hancock also said there had been 360 new coronavirus hospital deaths in the UK. That takes the total UK coronavirus hospital death toll to 21,092, he said.
Hancock says families of NHS staff who die during their coronavirus work will get payments worth £60,000.
And he says the government is looking at what can be done to help the families of other frontline workers who have died during the crisis.
Hancock starts by saying today, for the first time, a member of the public will ask a question. He says this is being introduced in response to strong demand for members of the public to be able to ask a question.
It will be selected by a polling organisation, he says. He says he does not know what the question will be.
More than 15,000 people submitted questions, he says.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has arrived for the daily government press conference. Prof Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, is also here, along with Stephen Powis, the medical director for NHS England.Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has arrived for the daily government press conference. Prof Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, is also here, along with Stephen Powis, the medical director for NHS England.
Here is an analysis from the Centre for Evidence-based Medicine at Oxford University of today’s coronavirus death figures for England.Here is an analysis from the Centre for Evidence-based Medicine at Oxford University of today’s coronavirus death figures for England.
And here is a chart from the report showing death figures on the day they occurred.And here is a chart from the report showing death figures on the day they occurred.
This is from Mel Stride, the Conservative chair of the Commons Treasury committee, on the Rishi Sunak loans announcement. (See 3.44pm.)This is from Mel Stride, the Conservative chair of the Commons Treasury committee, on the Rishi Sunak loans announcement. (See 3.44pm.)
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has already announced that he will extend the coronavirus job retention scheme, which pays firms to furlough staff on salaries of up to £2,500 per month, until the end of June. But the government has not said what it will do after that.Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has already announced that he will extend the coronavirus job retention scheme, which pays firms to furlough staff on salaries of up to £2,500 per month, until the end of June. But the government has not said what it will do after that.
In the Commons, Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, asked if Sunak would adjust the scheme to allow for a “gradual” return to work.In the Commons, Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, asked if Sunak would adjust the scheme to allow for a “gradual” return to work.
Sunak said Brady was making a very interesting suggestion. Sunak said the PM said this morning that there would be “gradual refinements” to the rules, and Sunak said that was how the government would proceed when it removed economic interventions, he said.Sunak said Brady was making a very interesting suggestion. Sunak said the PM said this morning that there would be “gradual refinements” to the rules, and Sunak said that was how the government would proceed when it removed economic interventions, he said.
That seemed a clear hint that, after June, instead of being removed altogether, the furlough scheme might be gradually scaled down.That seemed a clear hint that, after June, instead of being removed altogether, the furlough scheme might be gradually scaled down.
It has been estimated that the scheme will end up costing more than £10bn per month.It has been estimated that the scheme will end up costing more than £10bn per month.
Here is reaction to the Rishi Sunak loans announcement. (See 3.44pm.)Here is reaction to the Rishi Sunak loans announcement. (See 3.44pm.)
From Ed Miliband, the shadow business secretaryFrom Ed Miliband, the shadow business secretary
From George Osborne, the former Tory chancellorFrom George Osborne, the former Tory chancellor
From the Conservative MP Sir Bernard JenkinFrom the Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin
From the Institute of DirectorsFrom the Institute of Directors
A coalition of more than 20 justice organisations has written to the lord chancellor asking for the strict, three-month deadline to lodge employment tribunal claims on the grounds of harassment and discrimination to be relaxed during the coronavirus crisis.A coalition of more than 20 justice organisations has written to the lord chancellor asking for the strict, three-month deadline to lodge employment tribunal claims on the grounds of harassment and discrimination to be relaxed during the coronavirus crisis.
In a letter to Robert Buckland QC, who is also the justice secretary, the directors of Liberty, Justice, the Law Centres Network, Advice UK, the Centre for Women’s Justice, the Runnymede Trust and other groups are seeking a temporary extension of the time limit to six months. The letter states:In a letter to Robert Buckland QC, who is also the justice secretary, the directors of Liberty, Justice, the Law Centres Network, Advice UK, the Centre for Women’s Justice, the Runnymede Trust and other groups are seeking a temporary extension of the time limit to six months. The letter states:
The pandemic is making it difficult for those who allege they have been unfairly discriminated against or dismissed to pursue claims. Many law firms have furloughed staff and advice agencies have had to restrict or halt advice clinics during lockdown. The letter adds:The pandemic is making it difficult for those who allege they have been unfairly discriminated against or dismissed to pursue claims. Many law firms have furloughed staff and advice agencies have had to restrict or halt advice clinics during lockdown. The letter adds:
The letter has been coordinated by Suzanne McKie QC, of Farore Law, an expert in employment litigation. She said she had already been contacted during the health crisis by employees who feel they have been chosen unfairly to be furloughed on the basis of race or nationality, and by women who suspect they are not being allowed to work from home because it is alleged they could be distracted by domestic chores.The letter has been coordinated by Suzanne McKie QC, of Farore Law, an expert in employment litigation. She said she had already been contacted during the health crisis by employees who feel they have been chosen unfairly to be furloughed on the basis of race or nationality, and by women who suspect they are not being allowed to work from home because it is alleged they could be distracted by domestic chores.
Here are the latest daily coronavirus death figures from Northern Ireland. There have been 10 more deaths, taking the total in Northern Ireland to 309.Here are the latest daily coronavirus death figures from Northern Ireland. There have been 10 more deaths, taking the total in Northern Ireland to 309.
A foul clump of wet wipes and other unflushable items as heavy as a rottweiler has been dragged from a Thames Water sewer, as the number of blockages the company has to deal with has increased by 8% during lockdown.
The grim 40kg bundle had snarled up a temporary pipe in Maidenhead, Berkshire, where Thames Water, the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, has been repairing a collapsed sewer. Engineers are clearing such blockages at least once a week, with each operation taking at least two hours and using up valuable repair time.
Releasing the new figures today, Thames Water said it had seen an increase of about 10 sewer blockages per day compared to normal. Many shoppers have been bulk-buying toilet roll as a result of the pandemic, leaving others turning to seemingly harmless alternatives such as wet wipes, tissues, kitchen roll and even newspapers.
But these unflushables – which include nappies, sanitary products and cotton buds – don’t biodegrade like toilet paper, causing blockages that can lead to flooding and pollution. They can also combine with fats, oils and grease – increased with people doing more cooking at home – to create “fatbergs”.
The Treasury has posted these tweets from Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, on his new loan scheme.
Scientists are aiming to have a Covid-19 antigen test – which can identify whether people have had the virus – ready within three months.
A consortium of researchers striving to develop a test is working to a three-month timescale to have a test ready for mass production.
It comes after a team at Oxford University identified an antigen that is being used as “the basis of the test”, Dr Mario Gualano, chief executive of BBI Solutions, which is part of the consortium, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. He said:
On the antigen identified by the Oxford team, he added: “We believe the antigen is good at picking up convalescent sera, ie serum from people that have been identified and are therefore are assumed to have some sort of immunity. It typically takes nine to 12 months to develop a test like this and we’re looking at really driving that development in a much shorter timeframe.”
He said it was difficult to put a specific timeline on the availability of the test, but added: “We’re certainly working to a timeline of three months, and hoping that we would be able to develop the test and have something available to go into production at that time.”
In the Commons, Sunak is summing up what the government has done so far.
It has already provided an extra £16bn for the NHS, he says.
He says around 500,000 employers have used the coronavirus job retention scheme to pay the wages of more than 4 million workers. And another scheme for the self-employed is being implemented, he says.
He lists all the business support schemes already implemented.
And he announces a new scheme.
Sunak announces new micro-loan scheme for businesses
Firms will be able to get loans worth up to 25% of turnover, with a maximum payment of £50,000. The government will pay the interest for the first 12 months, he says. And the government will back them 100%. He describes them as “bounce back” loans, and he says people will be able to apply from Monday next week. There will be no forward-looking eligibility test, he says.
Other coronavirus loans offered by the government are only 80% backed by the government. That still exposes banks to 20% of the risk, and it has led to complaints that banks are not lending.
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is now making a Commons statement about the economic response to the coronavirus crisis.
He is in the Commons chamber, but most of the MPs asking questions will be appearing via Zoom.
These are already tough times, and there will be more to come, he says.
Sunak says his interventions have saved millions of jobs. But not every job can be saved, he says.
He says the most important thing to help the economy is to avoid a second peak, he says.
He says the government needs to provide a bridge to the future for business “to maintain the productive capacity of the economy”.
He says the IMF has described the government’s response as “right”. He says it has been one of the most comprehensive of any government around the world.
Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, has been giving evidence to the Commons Brexit committee. Here are some of the main points so far.
Gove claimed that the coronavirus crisis could increase the chances of the UK and the EU striking a trade deal this year because it should “concentrate the minds of EU negotiators”. Responding to a question from Hilary Benn, the committee chairman, about whether the coronavirus crisis altered the chances of the UK and the EU negotiating a trade deal by the end of this year, Gove said:
He also said that reaching a deal by the end of the year was “entirely possible”. He described the statement put out by Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, at the end of last week’s round of negotiations as “relatively downbeat” (an understatement - you can read it here) and he said he thought the odds on a deal being struck were 2 to 1.
He refused to say whether the UK still planned to walk away from the talks if it had not made good progress towards a deal in June. Asked about this, he said he did not want to pre-empt the government’s response.
He signalled that David Frost, the PM’s chief Europe adviser, would be willing to give evidence to the committee.
They have lost their lives in the duty of helping others stricken by Covid-19. Tomorrow, the nation will fall silent in tribute to key workers, including NHS staff, who have died in the pandemic.
Boris Johnson, who survived the disease after being treated in intensive care, will be among those observing a minute’s silence at 11am tomorrow.
It is hoped the tribute will be followed nationwide, with government workers asked to take part. It comes after Unison, the largest trade union in the UK, the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Nursing launched a campaign last week for the nation to take a moment to honour frontline staff who have died during the Covid-19 crisis. Between them, the organisations represent more than a million NHS and public service workers including porters, refuse collectors and care staff.
According to PA Media, more than 90 frontline NHS workers have died since 25 March, with other lives lost in other key sectors, including private social care and transport. The Guardian has also been chronicling the Covid-19 deaths of healthcare staff.
On Monday, the PM’s official spokesman said: “We will be supporting the minute’s silence. We will be asking everybody who works in the Government to take part and we would hope that others will take part nationwide as well.”
Dame Donna Kinnair, the chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “This moment will bring together a sombre but grateful nation. Whether in nursing or driving buses, our heroes kept going to work when many had the luxury of staying at home. Nobody should go out to work and risk their life.
The Unison general secretary, Dave Prentis, said: “Boris Johnson has seen first-hand how NHS staff are going to remarkable lengths to keep us all safe. The least we can all do tomorrow is spare a moment to pay our respects and show our gratitude to all the key workers who have lost their lives.”
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has been answering coronavirus questions on Instagram.
He will get more questions at 5pm, when he is leading for the government at the daily press conference.
The country’s biggest betting firms will remove all TV and radio advertising for games and products during the Covid-19 lockdown, amid concern over problem gamblers.
Industry body, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), said firms have voluntarily agreed to remove all their gaming product advertising for at least six weeks.
It comes a week after the government wrote to gambling firms asking them to provide regular updates on how they are tackling problem gambling during the lockdown. It also follows a survey revealing that people who gamble regularly online are doing so just as often or more frequently during the lockdown, despite the lack of sporting fixtures.
The BGC said existing TV and radio advertising slots will be replaced by safer gambling messages, donated to charities or removed from broadcast where contracts allow. The BGC chief executive, Michael Dugher, said: