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UK coronavirus live: Grant Shapps leads daily briefing amid calls for No 10 to sack Dominic Cummings - latest updates | |
(32 minutes later) | |
Pressure for prime minister’s top adviser to go follows report he breached lockdown rules in March. Follow the latest developments as they happen | Pressure for prime minister’s top adviser to go follows report he breached lockdown rules in March. Follow the latest developments as they happen |
Dr Jenny Harries is going through the slides now. | |
Use of parks has gone up, in line with national guidance, she says. | |
Using parks is good for mental and physical health but please observe social distancing – stay two metres away from people from outside your household and only meet one person at a time – she says. | |
She adds that 86% of adults have left their home in accordance with national guidance, i.e. for essentials or exercise. | |
The Covid outbreak must be the catalyst for “levelling up” the country, Shapps says. | |
Journeys should be staggered and people should avoid rush hour, Shapps says. | |
Shapps announces £283m to start moving public transport back to a full timetable. | |
However, those who can should still work from home, and those who can should still avoid all forms of public transport, he says. | |
Even a fully restored service will only be capable of carrying, at best, one fifth of normal capacity, to allow for social distancing, he adds. | |
The transport secretary is speaking now. | |
He is going through the daily numbers on testing, positive cases, hospitalisations and deaths. | |
He says that 36,675 people have now died across all settings, an increase of 282 fatalities since yesterday. | |
Amid continued calls for the prime minister’s top aide to resign, the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, appears to have drawn the short straw – he will be fronting this afternoon’s press conference, which is due to begin shortly. | |
All eyes, however, will be on the deputy chief medical officer for England, Dr Jenny Harries, and what she will make of the government’s insistence that Dominic Cummings’ travelling 260 miles across country during lockdown to stay with his parents, while symptomatic, for childcare was the right thing to do. | |
This is from Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner | |
The attorney-general, Suella Braverman, is the latest senior politician to support Dominic Cummings’ actions. The most senior law officer in the government, Braverman has effectively gone against what Durham police have said on the matter (see 11.14am.). | |
She suggested the matter should have been considered closed with No 10’s statement (see 10.25am.) and the issue was being “politicised”. | |
Her language echoes that of her senior cabinet colleagues, including Michael Gove and Dominic Raab (see 11.08am.), who have said Cummings was only taking care of his family. If reactions on social media are anything to go by, the government’s defence of Cummings has left a sour taste in the mouths of parents across the country who are now asking, is No 10 saying I am a bad parent for following the rules? | |
One Twitter user, David Penney, wrote: | One Twitter user, David Penney, wrote: |
Another user, Cat Wallis, tweeted: | Another user, Cat Wallis, tweeted: |
And Sean Brady, also wrote on Twitter: | And Sean Brady, also wrote on Twitter: |
As the row over Dominic Cummings continues to unfold, calls for his resignation continue to mount, and government ministers defend his actions, members of the public have many questions. | As the row over Dominic Cummings continues to unfold, calls for his resignation continue to mount, and government ministers defend his actions, members of the public have many questions. |
Among them, why is Cummings being excused for reportedly breaching lockdown rules due to needing help with childcare, when for the last nine weeks parents up and down the country have struggled without help while they suffered symptoms because they didn’t feel they could seek or accept help because it was against the rules? And if it was indeed fine all along, why wasn’t clear guidance on this subject given to the broader population? | Among them, why is Cummings being excused for reportedly breaching lockdown rules due to needing help with childcare, when for the last nine weeks parents up and down the country have struggled without help while they suffered symptoms because they didn’t feel they could seek or accept help because it was against the rules? And if it was indeed fine all along, why wasn’t clear guidance on this subject given to the broader population? |
The government has insisted that Cummings was well within the rules when he travelled 260 miles from London to Durham during lockdown. Cummings said he wanted help from his family caring for his young son if he and his wife became too ill to do so alone. | The government has insisted that Cummings was well within the rules when he travelled 260 miles from London to Durham during lockdown. Cummings said he wanted help from his family caring for his young son if he and his wife became too ill to do so alone. |
When Alex Duell and his wife began experiencing coronavirus symptoms, they turned down the offer of help from her mother, who lives 30 minutes away and was desperate to help looking after their two young children, because it went against government advice. Duell said: | When Alex Duell and his wife began experiencing coronavirus symptoms, they turned down the offer of help from her mother, who lives 30 minutes away and was desperate to help looking after their two young children, because it went against government advice. Duell said: |
Another couple who fell ill with symptoms in mid-March, said they did not travel the half mile to take their primary-aged children to their grandparents or the 50 miles to take them to an aunt and uncle, because they, too, were mindful of the “stay at home” message. They said it never occurred to them that they could or should do differently. | Another couple who fell ill with symptoms in mid-March, said they did not travel the half mile to take their primary-aged children to their grandparents or the 50 miles to take them to an aunt and uncle, because they, too, were mindful of the “stay at home” message. They said it never occurred to them that they could or should do differently. |
The government’s guidelines at the time stated: | The government’s guidelines at the time stated: |
Here is the moment Dominic Cummings told reporters he did the “right thing” by travelling 260 miles from London to Durham to be near relatives during the lockdown. | Here is the moment Dominic Cummings told reporters he did the “right thing” by travelling 260 miles from London to Durham to be near relatives during the lockdown. |
Cummings is facing calls to quit over the journey, which he made when his wife had Covid-19 symptoms. Downing Street has defended Cummings’ actions (see 10.25am.). | Cummings is facing calls to quit over the journey, which he made when his wife had Covid-19 symptoms. Downing Street has defended Cummings’ actions (see 10.25am.). |
NHS England has announced 157 new deaths of people who tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 25,544. | |
Of the 157 new deaths announced on Saturday:- 30 occurred on 22 May - 81 occurred on 21 May - 19 occurred on 20 May | Of the 157 new deaths announced on Saturday:- 30 occurred on 22 May - 81 occurred on 21 May - 19 occurred on 20 May |
The number of deaths of patients with Covid-19 by region are as follows: | The number of deaths of patients with Covid-19 by region are as follows: |
East of England 17 | East of England 17 |
London 19 | London 19 |
Midlands 30 | Midlands 30 |
North East & Yorkshire 36 | North East & Yorkshire 36 |
North West 23 | North West 23 |
South East 22 | South East 22 |
South West 10 | South West 10 |
Total 157 | Total 157 |
The figures also show 24 of the new deaths took place between 1 and 19 May, and the remaining three deaths took place in April with the earliest new death on 22 April. | The figures also show 24 of the new deaths took place between 1 and 19 May, and the remaining three deaths took place in April with the earliest new death on 22 April. |
NHS England releases updated figures each day showing the dates of every coronavirus-related death in hospitals in England, often including previously uncounted deaths that took place several days or even weeks ago. This is because of the time it takes for deaths to be confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19, for postmortem examinations to be processed and for data from the tests to be validated. | NHS England releases updated figures each day showing the dates of every coronavirus-related death in hospitals in England, often including previously uncounted deaths that took place several days or even weeks ago. This is because of the time it takes for deaths to be confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19, for postmortem examinations to be processed and for data from the tests to be validated. |
The figures published today by NHS England show 8 April continues to have the highest number for the most hospital deaths occurring on a single day, with a current total of 891. | The figures published today by NHS England show 8 April continues to have the highest number for the most hospital deaths occurring on a single day, with a current total of 891. |