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Coronavirus UK live: Tory MPs accuse teaching unions of obstructing school reopening
Coronavirus UK live: Boris Johnson faces Keir Starmer at PMQs
(31 minutes later)
Government to write to 2.2m people shielding in England ‘very shortly’ after charities call on Johnson for clarity amid confusion over end to measure
PM questioned by Labour leader; Hancock says government to write to 2.2m people shielding in England ‘very shortly’ amid confusion over end to measure
This is what the Conservative MP Jonathan Gullis said at the Commons education committtee as he started posting questions to the union leaders giving evidence. He was the most critical MP, although he was not the only Tory on the committee to accuse the union leaders of being obstructive. Gullis said:
Labour’s Stephen Timms asks the PM to suspend the “no recourse to public funds” rule, so that people covered by it can take advantage of the new school voucher scheme announced yesterday.
In response Patrick Roach from the NASUWT and Mary Bousted from the NEU accused him of misrepresenting their unions’ positions. See 10.39am.
Johnson says this group should be able to take advantage of the school voucher scheme.
The UK is refusing to negotiate defence and security in Brexit talks, the EU ambassador to UK, João Vale de Almeida, has said.
And he says there are other funds available to help people covered by the “no recourse to public funds” rule.
“The UK has chosen not to open that table of discussion,” he told Bloomberg on the eve of a meeting between French president Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson at which the issue is expected to be raised. “My experience tells me that relationship and co-operation between the EU and the UK is absolutely critical, important, very relevant for world stability,” he said.
Johnson says the government will soon bring in legislation to protect veterans from vexatious prosecutions.
At the Commons transport committee hearing Tim Bowles, the Conservative mayor for the West of England, said that changing the two-metre social distancing rule to one metre would only boost bus capacity by one passenger per vehicle. He explained:
Labour’s Tulip Siddiq asks about furlough support for newly-shielding people. She says the PM said people who were newly-shielding should be able to apply. But the government has not confirmed that, she says. Has there been a U-turn?
Bowles also said the demand for bus services has increased in recent days. On June 8 it was up to 15% of normal levels, rising to 19% on Tuesday.
No, says Johnson. He says the scheme should be available.
At the end of the Commons education committee hearing Robert Halfon, the Conservative committee chair, paid tribute to the work done by teachers.
Labour’s Christian Matheson asks the PM to confirm that his advisers did not have any discussions with Robert Jenrick about the Richmond Desmond planning application.
But he said 4m children from disadvantaged backgrounds were getting very little contact with teachers. Why was that, he asked. He said his “huge worry” was the state of vulnerable children.
Johnson says he did not have any discussions with Jenrick about this, and as far as he is aware is officials did not either. But he says the cabinet secretary will respond to Matheson’s letter on this.
He stressed that he did not mean the question as a criticism.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, a Conservative, asks the PM to support a summer programme for pupils, and a catch-up plan for the autumn.
Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said she thought vulnerable children should have been a priority this term. They should have taken priority when pupils were going back, she said. She said schools knew who these pupils were.
Johnson agrees. And he says all MPs should say schools are now safe. He accuses Labour of “wibble, wobble” on this.
Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said her members had been trying hard to help this group. But these children often had complex and difficult home lives, she said. It could be difficult to engage with work at home even when that work was set.
Sir Ed Davey, the acting Lib Dem leader, asks the PM to accept the need for an extension of the Brexit transition.
It was “incredibly difficult” to learn if you were at home with a large family, little space and no technology, she said, particularly if your parents were having a difficult time too.
Johnson says Brexit will bring benefits. The government should get on with it, he says.
At the education committee Robert Halfon, the chair, asked Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, if the NEU supported the reopening of schools in Wales from 29 June.
Bim Afolami, a Conservative, asks Johnson if he will look at the ideas Afolami published in a report today to help business.
Bousted said the NEU were still in negotiation about this. But she stressed that the union had been consulted as the decision was being taken.
Johnson says he has studied the report. Afolami should wait for what the chancellor has to say, he says.
Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 through the national testing programme will be asked to join a blood plasma trial, PA Media reports. A major trial is ongoing to assess whether convalescent plasma donations can be transfused into patients who are struggling to develop their own immune response. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), which is collecting the plasma for the trial, said people confirmed with the virus through the “Pillar 2” national testing programme will receive a text message 21 days after their result to see whether they are willing to donate plasma. The text messaging service started this week and saw more than 10,000 people enrol in the trial.
The SNP’s leader at Westminster, Ian Blackford, says Macus Rashford has shown more “moral leadership” on child poverty in days than the government has in a decade. Will the government uplift the child element of child tax credit and universal credit by £20 a week?
Here are some more lines from the Commons education committee hearing.
Johnson says it has already been increased. But he says he is “fully aware” that there will be tough times a week.
At the Commons education committee Tom Hunt, another Conservative MP, also strongly accused the teaching unions of resisting school reopening. He said people felt the teaching unions “had actively obstructed the reopening of schools”. And he said you could not blame people for thinking that. As an example, he cited what Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT, said in early May that suggested that schools should not open until September. Roach said:
Blackford says £20 a week to help families with children is what he is asking for. that would make the difference between families having to pay bills or feed their children. He says the PM is more interested in spending money on vanity projects, like a VIP plane. Is he saying he won’t spend £20 a week to help families survive?
And yet this morning the teaching unions were presenting themselves as constructive, he said.
Johnson says that is not the case. He says the government has put its arms around people to support them.
Roach said he stood by the quote cited by Hunt. He said he wanted the government at that point to end speculation. The speculation was damaging, he said. He said he was not opposing reopening in principle.
Starmer repeats the point about it being Johnson’s job to answer the questions.
Hunt said, in the light of the Roach quote, the claim that his union wanted schools to go back was “difficult to swallow” for people.
He turns to the NHS surcharge. Migrant health workers are still having to pay it, even though the government was supposed to abolish it for health and care workers. When will it go?
Dominic Hook, Unite national officer, said: “The question that must be asked today is ‘Why now HSBC?’
Johnson says it is vital NHS or care workers get helped. If they have had to pay it since May, it will be reimbursed.
It comes as the banking giant said it will resume plans to cut around 35,000 jobs worldwide over the next few years.
Starmer says Johnson does not recognise how serious this is. Councils have done everything asked of them. The government hasn’t. Will the PM do something?
“At present, vast numbers of HSBC staff are making massive sacrifices working from home or taking risks travelling into offices and bank branches to help customers,” Hook said. He added: “Since the start of the Covid-19 crisis colleagues across HSBC have worked tirelessly as key workers to ensure that consumers continue to access financial services to meet their banking needs. “Now is the time for HSBC to stand by its workforce and recognise these mighty efforts, and see that the bank’s strength lies within its workforce.”
Johnson says the government is supporting councils. But some councils are not doing that. Labour councils won’t open schools. Will Starmer says schools are safe?
At the Commons education Jonathan Gullis, a Conservative MP and former teacher, is asking the questions now and he starts with a fierce attack on the teaching unions. He says he used to respect Patrick Roach from the NASUWT. But he says the union’s five conditions for opening schools sound like five tests. And he accuses the NEU of campaigning to keep schools closed. That was “utterly disgraceful”, he says.
Starmer says if Johnson wants to swap places, he is welcome.
He quotes from an email sent by the NEU to members saying they should not engage with headteachers on the wider opening of schools. He goes on:
Johnson mentioned £3.2bn going to councils. But councils say they need £10bn, he says. He says Tory council leaders have said this. Why has Johnson been so slow to act?
Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT, says his union has not been campaign to keep schools closed.
Johnson says he has acted. He says he wants kids to go back to schools. The teaching unions won’t let Starmer say schools are safe, he says.
Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, says the ASCL did not campaign against schools opening.
Gullis says there may not have a formal campaign. But this was the impact of the stance its members were taking, he claims.
Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, confirms that at one stage her members were told not to engage with headteachers on school re-opening. But at that point there was no government guidance. When that guidance was produced, the NEU did tell members to engage, she says.
UPDATE: See 11.55am for a longer version of the opening quote from Gullis.
At the Commons education committee Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said it is “close to a national scandal” how little access some pupils have to online learning.
She accepts that the government has set up a scheme to provide laptops to some disadvantaged year 10 pupils. But she says this is only helping a “tiny” proportion of those pupils who need help with this.
At the Commons education committee Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, says the vast majority of her members have been setting online learning for their pupils.
But she says some pupils do not have access to the internet. Sometimes the technology does not work, she says. And she says it is hard for teachers to know if the work has actually been done.
She says schools need a better offer from the government on digital learning. And she says more pupils need to be provided with laptops.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has said that he is taking a 10% pay cut as a contribution to addressing the funding crisis facing City Hall. But he said London needed more help from central government. He said:
Khan is paid £152,734, and he will lose almost £15,300. He has also frozen pay for senior figures at City Hall. Our colleague Rajeev Syal has more details here.
In the education committee Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, says her union wants schools to go back as soon as possible. But she says there is a need for a recovery plan.
One problem is that England has very high pupil/teacher ratios, she says.
She suggests that other public buildings could be used. And she says the government should explore plans for blended learning, she says.
If the government retains its social distancing rules, schools will not be able to open as normal in September, she says.
