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UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson to announce plans to reopen pubs, restaurants, cinemas and museums UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson to announce plans to reopen pubs, restaurants, cinemas and museums
(32 minutes later)
Reopenings expected to be accompanied by changes to social distancing rulesReopenings expected to be accompanied by changes to social distancing rules
Boris Johnson is due to start his Commons statement within the next few minutes.
Here is our overnight preview story.
Local outbreaks of Covid-19 could grow undetected because the government is failing to share crucial testing data, council leaders and scientists have warned.
More than a month after being promised full details of who has caught the disease in their areas, local health chiefs are still desperately lobbying the government’s testing tsar, Baroness Harding, to break the deadlock and share the data.
The situation was described by one director of public health as a “shambles”, while a scientist on the government’s own advisory committee said it was “astonishing” that public health teams are unable to access the information.
The prime minister said on Friday the country was moving from “a huge one-size-fits-all national lockdown programme to one in which we’re able to do more localised responses”, and ministers have told councils and their public health directors to take the lead.
You can read the full story here –
Sir David King, the former government chief scientific adviser, has told the BBC that he thinks it is “far too early” for the government to be relaxing the two-metre rule, as it is proposing to do for England.
King chairs Independent Sage, the group of independent scientists set up as an alternative to Sage, the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, and he was reiterating the argument made be Independent Sage in a report at the weekend saying that the two-metre rule should stay. At the time King said:
Until now the government’s official scientific advisers on Sage have backed the exiting two-metre rule, although that may change today. Prof Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, who co-chair Sage, are appearing at the PM’s press conference later, and they are likely to give some approval to the government’s decision to abandon the two-metre rule - although journalists will be listening carefully for any evidence that they might be more hesitant about this move than Boris Johnson.
This paper (pdf) from late April, from the Sage environmental and modelling group, is a good example of what Sage used to say about the two-metre rule. It says:
These are from the Financial Times’ Chris Giles, who has been using published data to produce an estimate for the overall UK excess deaths figure.These are from the Financial Times’ Chris Giles, who has been using published data to produce an estimate for the overall UK excess deaths figure.
The coronavirus crisis has highlighted the huge benefits immigration has brought to the UK, a report has argued.The coronavirus crisis has highlighted the huge benefits immigration has brought to the UK, a report has argued.
In a new publication, the race equality thinktank the Runnymede Trust says the country’s reliance on low-paid, often migrant workers in frontline services during the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the immigration system as “dysfunctional, cruel and in need of reform”.In a new publication, the race equality thinktank the Runnymede Trust says the country’s reliance on low-paid, often migrant workers in frontline services during the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the immigration system as “dysfunctional, cruel and in need of reform”.
The report, From Expendable to Key Workers and Back Again: Immigration and the Lottery of Belonging in Britain, criticises the immigration bill going through parliament.The report, From Expendable to Key Workers and Back Again: Immigration and the Lottery of Belonging in Britain, criticises the immigration bill going through parliament.
The legislation will bring to fruition the promise of an “Australian-style points-based system”, pledged by Boris Johnson as part of the Vote Leave campaign during the EU referendum, and will make it harder for “low-skilled” workers to come to the UK.The legislation will bring to fruition the promise of an “Australian-style points-based system”, pledged by Boris Johnson as part of the Vote Leave campaign during the EU referendum, and will make it harder for “low-skilled” workers to come to the UK.
The trust said the bill would close the doors on people such as those “who have been working for the NHS, in care homes, for public transport services and in supermarkets, playing a vital role on the frontline of keeping the country moving in an unprecedented national crisis”.The trust said the bill would close the doors on people such as those “who have been working for the NHS, in care homes, for public transport services and in supermarkets, playing a vital role on the frontline of keeping the country moving in an unprecedented national crisis”.
A recent ICM poll for British Future found that the Covid-19 pandemic had shifted public opinion to be more supportive of those labelled “low-skilled” workers. Two-thirds of the public (64%) agreed that “the coronavirus crisis has made me value the role of ‘low skilled’ workers in essential services such as care homes, transport and shops, more than before”.A recent ICM poll for British Future found that the Covid-19 pandemic had shifted public opinion to be more supportive of those labelled “low-skilled” workers. Two-thirds of the public (64%) agreed that “the coronavirus crisis has made me value the role of ‘low skilled’ workers in essential services such as care homes, transport and shops, more than before”.
The trust is calling on the government to scrap the no recourse to public funds policy, which denies some arrivals to the UK access to the welfare safety net, and lift the ban on working while asylum claims are processed. It said there should be a maximum 28-day time limit for immigration detention and an automatic judicial oversight of decisions to detain.The trust is calling on the government to scrap the no recourse to public funds policy, which denies some arrivals to the UK access to the welfare safety net, and lift the ban on working while asylum claims are processed. It said there should be a maximum 28-day time limit for immigration detention and an automatic judicial oversight of decisions to detain.
And on the subject of care homes (see 10.42am), for the first time on Thursday MPs will hold a debate triggered by e-petitions in the main House of Commons chamber, instead of in the Westminster Hall annex, where debates on petitions are normally held. The debate has been prompted by four petitions, including one saying NHS staff should be paid more (signed by 162,000 people) and one saying social care should get parity of esteem with the NHS (signed by 43,000 people).And on the subject of care homes (see 10.42am), for the first time on Thursday MPs will hold a debate triggered by e-petitions in the main House of Commons chamber, instead of in the Westminster Hall annex, where debates on petitions are normally held. The debate has been prompted by four petitions, including one saying NHS staff should be paid more (signed by 162,000 people) and one saying social care should get parity of esteem with the NHS (signed by 43,000 people).
Debates on petitions have no direct effect - MPs don’t vote to approve specific policies - but they do raise the profile of some causes.Debates on petitions have no direct effect - MPs don’t vote to approve specific policies - but they do raise the profile of some causes.
Catherine McKinnell, the MP who chairs the Commons petitions committee, said:Catherine McKinnell, the MP who chairs the Commons petitions committee, said:
And these are from Nick Stripe, head of the health analysis and life events division at the ONS, on today’s figures.And these are from Nick Stripe, head of the health analysis and life events division at the ONS, on today’s figures.
This is from my colleague Pamela Duncan on the ONS figures today.This is from my colleague Pamela Duncan on the ONS figures today.
The Commons health and social care committee has been taking evidence this morning from staff in the care home industry. Sue Ann Balcombe, registered manager at the Priscilla Wakefield House Nursing Home in north London, told MPs on the committee that care staff were seen as “underdogs and the Cinderellas”. She explained:The Commons health and social care committee has been taking evidence this morning from staff in the care home industry. Sue Ann Balcombe, registered manager at the Priscilla Wakefield House Nursing Home in north London, told MPs on the committee that care staff were seen as “underdogs and the Cinderellas”. She explained:
She also said that her home, which is mostly funded by the local authority or clinical commissioning groups, could only pay staff at the minimum wage because of the amount of funding they received. But that did not reflect the value of the work done by staff, she said.She also said that her home, which is mostly funded by the local authority or clinical commissioning groups, could only pay staff at the minimum wage because of the amount of funding they received. But that did not reflect the value of the work done by staff, she said.
The Treasury has revealed loans to businesses hit by the coronavirus lockdown have totalled more than £40bn up to June 21, including £28.1bn in bounce-back loans, £10.5bn through the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILS), £2.1bn in coronavirus large business interruption loan scheme (CLBILS) to larger firms and £236.2m as part of its future fund. The full details are in a Treasury release here.The Treasury has revealed loans to businesses hit by the coronavirus lockdown have totalled more than £40bn up to June 21, including £28.1bn in bounce-back loans, £10.5bn through the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILS), £2.1bn in coronavirus large business interruption loan scheme (CLBILS) to larger firms and £236.2m as part of its future fund. The full details are in a Treasury release here.
The government, which is guaranteeing the vast majority of the loans, should they not be repaid, added that 9.2m jobs were covered by the furlough scheme, operated by HM Revenue and Customs, with 1.1m businesses claiming a total of £22.9bn up to June 21.The government, which is guaranteeing the vast majority of the loans, should they not be repaid, added that 9.2m jobs were covered by the furlough scheme, operated by HM Revenue and Customs, with 1.1m businesses claiming a total of £22.9bn up to June 21.
Today’s figures from the ONS (see 9.48am) mean the number of deaths directly involving coronavirus in the UK has now passed 54,000.
As PA Media reports, the ONS new figures show that 48,866 deaths involving Covid-19 had occurred in England and Wales up to June 12 (and had been registered by June 20).
Figures published last week by the National Records for Scotland showed that 4,070 deaths involving Covid-19 had been registered in Scotland up to June 14.
The latest figures from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, also published last week, showed 802 deaths involving Covid-19 had occurred in Northern Ireland up to June 12 (and had been registered up to June 17).
Together these figures mean that so far 53,738 deaths have been registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, including suspected cases.
As PA Media reports, between June 13 and June 21, a further 317 hospital patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 died in England, according to NHS England; while a further 29 people in hospital and care homes who had tested positive for Covid-19 died in Wales, according to Public Health Wales.
And in Northern Ireland, a further five people who had tested positive for Covid-19 died between June 13 and June 21, according to the Northern Ireland Department of Health.
These add up to a further 351 deaths that have occurred since June 13, and together with the total figure of 53,738 registered deaths, means the overall Covid-19 death toll for the UK is now just over 54,000, at 54,089.
The headline UK death figures published by the Department of Health and Social Care every afternoon (which yesterday recorded a cumulative total of 42,647 deaths) only include deaths where the person tested positive for coronavirus. The ONS figures are more comprehensive because they include all deaths where coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate.
The total number of excess deaths in the UK linked to coronavirus is more than 64,000. This figure includes not just deaths directly attributed to coronavirus, but other deaths occurring as a consequence of the pandemic (for example, because someone who might normally have gone to A&E had it not been for the coronavirus died at home).
The Office for National Statistics has just published its latest weekly death figures for England and Wales. They cover the period up to the week ending Friday 12 June (week 24, as the ONS calls it).
The figures show that the number of coronavirus deaths continues to decline. And in Wales, in week 24, there were no excess deaths. In fact, the death rate that week was below the five-year average.
But in England every region apart from the north-east recorded excess deaths (ie, more deaths than you would expect) in week 24. That includes London, where the death rate was below average in week 23.
Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, joining the blog for the day.
Here is the agenda, showing what’s coming up.
9.30am: The ONS publishes its weekly death figures for England and Wales.
9.30am: Care home industry staff and officials give evidence to the Commons health committee.
9.30am: Michael Russell, the Scottish government’s constitution secretary, and Jeremy Miles, the Welsh government’s Brexit minister, give evidence to the Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee.
10am: Boris Johnson chairs cabinet.
11am: The Lords science committee takes evidence from Oxford and Imperial College scientists working on a coronavirus vaccine.
12.30pm: Johnson makes a statement to MPs about the next phase of easing the lockdown.
12.30pm: The Scottish and Welsh governments hold their daily coronavirus briefings.
2.30pm: Robert Buckland, the justice secretary, gives evidence to the Commons justice committee on coronavirus and the courts and prison service.
3pm: Food industry executives give evidence to the Commons environment committee on coronavirus and the food supply.
5pm: Johnson holds the UK government daily press conference.
Northern Ireland has signalled that it will be issuing new lockdown guidelines soon. Brandon Lewis, Northern Ireland secretary, said: “I appreciate many people do want to see things starting to get back to whatever that new normal will be.”
Pressed on how social distancing would be enforced in reopened pubs, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “If we are able to say to pubs and other establishments that they are able to open in the near future, we will be issuing guidelines as well.
“So that they can have some confidence about what is expected of them to create a safe environment.”
He added: “I think the reality is we are all going to have to get used to this new kind of normal as we go forward, where we have to take some self-responsibility.”
The mayor of the West Midlands has unveiled a blueprint seeking £3.2bn of investment to kickstart the region’s economy following the Covid-19 lockdown.
The three-year plan, announced today, is being put to central government and sets out “immediate actions” needed to stimulate the economy in the short term, in ways that will also support a long-term sustainable recovery.
Drawn up by the area’s political, business and trade union leaders, the blueprint urges the government to work with them to “reset, rebuild and recharge” the region.
The Conservative mayor, Andy Street, and Ian Brookfield, the West Midlands combined authority’s portfolio holder for economy and innovation, are seeking £3.2bn of investment over the next three years.
Street said: “The West Midlands economy was in good shape before the coronavirus pandemic first struck, and we need to do everything we can to get back on our feet quickly, learning the lessons of our rebound from the financial crash of 2008-09.”
Measures to create green manufacturing jobs by harnessing electrification, and to invest in healthcare innovation are included in the blueprint.
Hello, I am looking after updates on the blog this morning. As ever, if you have any tips, stories or things which you think we should be covering please send them across to my email: nazia.parveen@theguardian.com or follow me on Twitter to send me a direct message.
A World Health Organization (WHO) expert has warned that the UK needs to be careful as lockdown measures are eased.
Dr Margaret Harris said the country had done well in bringing the number of coronavirus infections down, but added: “The lesson is for people to understand this is the year of living differently. Not, ‘OK, it’s over’. You haven’t just been let out of school.”
In the interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said:
Former chancellor Sajid Javid has called for national insurance to be cut to boost recovery, warning that an immediate economic bounce-back from the coronavirus crisis is unlikely.
In a joint report with the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), a right-leaning thinktank, Javid called for national insurance to be given a “significant, temporary” reduction to make it cheaper for employers to take on staff.
The former cabinet minister, who resigned from the Treasury in February, said early hopes of a V-shaped recovery had “proved optimistic”.
He predicted “some long-term damage to the economy” had become unavoidable, with as many as 2.5 million people out of work due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
But in order to speed up the rate of people re-entering employment, Javid argued in the report, After The Virus (pdf), published on Tuesday, that ministers must make it easier for businesses to hire workers.
Other recommendations made in the report include temporarily cutting VAT and bringing forward “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects, with Javid arguing the “only way out of this crisis is growth”.
Boris Johnson is to set out plans to allow pubs, restaurants, museums and cinemas to begin reopening in the latest easing of the coronavirus lockdown in England.
Johnson is publishing the government’s keenly awaited review of the 2-metre social-distancing rule on Tuesday, amid widespread expectations it will be cut to 1 metre.
He will brief the cabinet on the proposals – due to take effect from 4 July – before setting out details in a Commons statement.
The move follows intense pressure from some Conservative MPs who have said easing the 2-metre requirement is key to reopening the hard-pressed hospitality sector.