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| UK coronavirus live: George Eustice urges furloughed workers to pick fruit; death toll rises by 545 | UK coronavirus live: George Eustice urges furloughed workers to pick fruit; death toll rises by 545 |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Official total now at to 35,341; UK facing ‘severe recession the likes of which we haven’t seen’, says Rishi Sunak | Official total now at to 35,341; UK facing ‘severe recession the likes of which we haven’t seen’, says Rishi Sunak |
| Here are the main points from the press conference. | |
| Prof Dame Angela McLean, the government’s deputy chief scientific adviser, said that scientists have told ministers that they should only relax the lockdown when a proper contact tracing system is in place. She said: | |
| Downing Street has implied that the lockdown could be relaxed further without a contact tracing system being rolled out across England. A contact tracing app is being trialled on the Isle of Wight, and the government has hired 21,000 people to do contact tracing. But the government has not been able to commit to having a countrywide contact tracing system up and running by 1 June, which is when it wants to move to the next stage of easing the lockdown, including with some primary school pupils returning to school in England. McLean’s comment is unlikely to be welcomed by No 10. These are from my colleague Peter Walker. | |
| McLean said scientific advisers were due to be told this Thursday when the government would be able to roll out the “track and trace” contact tracking system. (See 5.29pm.) | |
| She said that the government had to limit the extent of testing in March because it did not have the capacity to test everyone with suspected coronavirus. She said: | |
| It is only recently that officials have said explicitly that capacity was the problem; previously it was claimed that there were policy reasons for the decision to abandon widespread testing. But even at this press conference George Eustice, the environment secretary, was not quite as open about capacity being the problem as McLean. (See 5.23pm.) | |
| Eustice dismissed as a “caricature” claims that the government did not protect people in care homes from coronavirus. But he accepted that some patients with coronavirus were discharged into care homes. He said: | |
| Eustice urged Britons to apply for jobs as fruit pickers to compensate for the fact that only a third of the eastern Europeans who normally come to the UK to do this work are expected to arrive. But he advised people interested to try a new Pick for Britain website that has not been working this afternoon. He said: | |
| This is from LBC’s Ben Kentish. | |
| McLean said government advisers were looking in detail at whether lockdown measures should be eased at different times in different places. Asked if there was a case for treating remote island communities differently, she replied: | |
| MSPs have voted to repeal controversial measures which gave the Scottish government and public bodies the right to take up to three months to answer freedom of information requests. | |
| To the dismay of civil rights groups and opposition MSPs, the Scottish government pushed through emergency legislation in April which gave public bodies up to 60 working days to answer requests. | To the dismay of civil rights groups and opposition MSPs, the Scottish government pushed through emergency legislation in April which gave public bodies up to 60 working days to answer requests. |
| Ministers claimed the coronavirus pandemic was an exceptional case which put the public sector under too great a strain to respond to requests within 20 days, even though no other government in the UK or Europe followed suit. | Ministers claimed the coronavirus pandemic was an exceptional case which put the public sector under too great a strain to respond to requests within 20 days, even though no other government in the UK or Europe followed suit. |
| MSPs on the Scottish parliament’s Covid-19 committee backed amendments to a further emergency bill, Coronavirus (Scotland) (No 2), from the Scottish Greens on Tuesday to return to the original rules under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. | MSPs on the Scottish parliament’s Covid-19 committee backed amendments to a further emergency bill, Coronavirus (Scotland) (No 2), from the Scottish Greens on Tuesday to return to the original rules under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. |
| The Greens’ measures were supported by Scottish National party MSPs on the committee, after SNP amendments were voted down, implying that the SNP minority government will back the amendments when the bill is finally voted on on Thursday. Ross Greer, a Scottish Green MSP, said: | The Greens’ measures were supported by Scottish National party MSPs on the committee, after SNP amendments were voted down, implying that the SNP minority government will back the amendments when the bill is finally voted on on Thursday. Ross Greer, a Scottish Green MSP, said: |
| The Labour party has cancelled its conference this autumn, according to Sienna Rodgers from LabourList. | The Labour party has cancelled its conference this autumn, according to Sienna Rodgers from LabourList. |
| McLean says it is important to have a rapid and reliable testing system. | McLean says it is important to have a rapid and reliable testing system. |
| Q: Are you confident that we have got one? | Q: Are you confident that we have got one? |
| It is getting better, says McLean. | It is getting better, says McLean. |
| And that’s it. The press conference is over. | And that’s it. The press conference is over. |
| Eustice says the government has provided extra funding for coronavirus. He says he accepts they will say they need more. But they have funds set aside, he says, referring to reserves. And he says he thinks the £3.2bn already allocated is the right decision. | Eustice says the government has provided extra funding for coronavirus. He says he accepts they will say they need more. But they have funds set aside, he says, referring to reserves. And he says he thinks the £3.2bn already allocated is the right decision. |
| Q: What will you prioritise in the Brexit talks? The City, which contributes greatly to the UK economy, or the fishing industry, which contributes much less? | Q: What will you prioritise in the Brexit talks? The City, which contributes greatly to the UK economy, or the fishing industry, which contributes much less? |
| Eustice says the government wants the UK to be an independent country. He says the EU expects the UK, uniquely, to give it unlimited access to its waters. | Eustice says the government wants the UK to be an independent country. He says the EU expects the UK, uniquely, to give it unlimited access to its waters. |
| He says the government should not go into the negotiation planning to sacrifice one industry to help another. | He says the government should not go into the negotiation planning to sacrifice one industry to help another. |
| Q: Are you considering easing the lockdown in island communities more quickly? | Q: Are you considering easing the lockdown in island communities more quickly? |
| McLean says she cannot comment on policy, but she says whether to treat islands differently is an interesting issue. | McLean says she cannot comment on policy, but she says whether to treat islands differently is an interesting issue. |
| Q: In February a WHO report said community tracing was the best way to combat coronavirus. So why was that not followed? And who takes ultimate responsibility - the politicians or the scientists? | Q: In February a WHO report said community tracing was the best way to combat coronavirus. So why was that not followed? And who takes ultimate responsibility - the politicians or the scientists? |
| McLean says the advice in March was based on the testing capacity available. It was not acceptable not to test people in hospital, she says. | McLean says the advice in March was based on the testing capacity available. It was not acceptable not to test people in hospital, she says. |
| Eustice says the government has been increasing capacity. And he says it was right to prioritise hospital testing. | Eustice says the government has been increasing capacity. And he says it was right to prioritise hospital testing. |
| Q: So are you saying that the advice given in March was the best advice possible in the context at the time. | Q: So are you saying that the advice given in March was the best advice possible in the context at the time. |
| McLean says that is what she is saying. | McLean says that is what she is saying. |
| In his opening remarks Eustice urged people interested in fruit picking work to use a pickforbritain website. | In his opening remarks Eustice urged people interested in fruit picking work to use a pickforbritain website. |
| As my colleague Fran Lawther points out, it does not seem to be working. | As my colleague Fran Lawther points out, it does not seem to be working. |
| Q: Can you understand why teachers don’t trust the government on the safety of re-opening schools? | Q: Can you understand why teachers don’t trust the government on the safety of re-opening schools? |
| Eustice says he does not accept that the government has mishandled the crisis. | Eustice says he does not accept that the government has mishandled the crisis. |
| On schools, he says the government is working closely with unions and school leaders. He says countries like Denmark have shown it is possible to re-open schools. | On schools, he says the government is working closely with unions and school leaders. He says countries like Denmark have shown it is possible to re-open schools. |
| Q: Track and trace won’t be in place by 1 June. Does that affect the decision? | Q: Track and trace won’t be in place by 1 June. Does that affect the decision? |
| McLean says there will be an update on Thursday as to what will be in place (in terms of track and trace) and when. | McLean says there will be an update on Thursday as to what will be in place (in terms of track and trace) and when. |
| Q: Do you accept this is a political decision? | Q: Do you accept this is a political decision? |
| Eustice says the government is following the science. | Eustice says the government is following the science. |
| But he says we will have to live alongside this virus for some time to come. | But he says we will have to live alongside this virus for some time to come. |
| Q: You say you are inspired by contact tracing in South Korea. Do you regret the decision to abandon it in March? | Q: You say you are inspired by contact tracing in South Korea. Do you regret the decision to abandon it in March? |
| Eustice says the government is ramping it up now. More than 20,000 people have been recruited to help, he says. | Eustice says the government is ramping it up now. More than 20,000 people have been recruited to help, he says. |
| McLean says in March it was right to focus the testing capacity that was available on the people who really needed it in hospital. | McLean says in March it was right to focus the testing capacity that was available on the people who really needed it in hospital. |
| Q: So you admit that capacity, not need, was the issue? | Q: So you admit that capacity, not need, was the issue? |
| Eustice says they have been building capacity. | Eustice says they have been building capacity. |
| Another member of the public asks if the government will extend payment holidays on mortgages and loans for people who lose work. | Another member of the public asks if the government will extend payment holidays on mortgages and loans for people who lose work. |
| Eustice says the government has offered unprecedented help. Those schemes will evolve, he says. The Treasury will be thinking about how the job retention scheme can evolve. | Eustice says the government has offered unprecedented help. Those schemes will evolve, he says. The Treasury will be thinking about how the job retention scheme can evolve. |
| The first question comes from a member of the public who wants to know what the government is doing to learn lessons from other countries about how to ease the lockdown. | The first question comes from a member of the public who wants to know what the government is doing to learn lessons from other countries about how to ease the lockdown. |
| Eustice says the government is looking at the experience in other countries. | Eustice says the government is looking at the experience in other countries. |
| McLean says two countries stand out. South Korea has used contact tracing particularly well to drive numbers down. They now just have a handful. The UK would like to emulate that, she says. And she says she would like to learn from Germany’s record on testing. | McLean says two countries stand out. South Korea has used contact tracing particularly well to drive numbers down. They now just have a handful. The UK would like to emulate that, she says. And she says she would like to learn from Germany’s record on testing. |
| McLean is now introducing the daily slides. | McLean is now introducing the daily slides. |
| She starts with one about transport use. | She starts with one about transport use. |
| Here are the hospital figures. She says the hospital admissions figures are falling, but not as quickly as people might have expected. | Here are the hospital figures. She says the hospital admissions figures are falling, but not as quickly as people might have expected. |
| And here are the regional hospital figures. | And here are the regional hospital figures. |
| Here are the death figures. | Here are the death figures. |
| Eustice is now talking about the availability of foreign labour for the harvest. | Eustice is now talking about the availability of foreign labour for the harvest. |
| Normally workers from countries like Romania and Bulgaria come. | Normally workers from countries like Romania and Bulgaria come. |
| But only around a third of them are here, he says. | But only around a third of them are here, he says. |
| He says the government is encouraging Britons to take these jobs. | He says the government is encouraging Britons to take these jobs. |
| He says staff who are furloughed may want to supplement their income with a second job. | He says staff who are furloughed may want to supplement their income with a second job. |
| Eustice starts by reading out the latest figures. | Eustice starts by reading out the latest figures. |
| He says there have been a further 545 UK deaths, taking the total to 35,341 | He says there have been a further 545 UK deaths, taking the total to 35,341 |