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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2020/sep/21/uk-coronavirus-news-latest-whitty-and-vallance-to-present-data-showing-how-trend-in-uk-heading-in-wrong-direction
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| UK coronavirus live news: Whitty and Vallance to present data showing 'trend in UK heading in wrong direction' | UK coronavirus live news: Whitty and Vallance to present data showing 'trend in UK heading in wrong direction' |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Rolling coverage of the latest UK coronavirus developments, including the briefing from Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance | Rolling coverage of the latest UK coronavirus developments, including the briefing from Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance |
| We are definitely getting a Commons statement from Matt Hancock, the health secretary, at 3.30pm. | |
| Most of the questions directed at Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, during his broadcast interviews this morning were about coronavirus, not the rail system. Here are the main points he was making. | Most of the questions directed at Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, during his broadcast interviews this morning were about coronavirus, not the rail system. Here are the main points he was making. |
| Shapps rejected claims that there was a row in cabinet about how strict further restrictions should be. But there had been a debate, he said: | Shapps rejected claims that there was a row in cabinet about how strict further restrictions should be. But there had been a debate, he said: |
| He also refused to say on which side of the debate he stood himself. | He also refused to say on which side of the debate he stood himself. |
| He said Boris Johnson would be addressing the public “very soon” following today’s briefing from Prof Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance to say what would be happening next. But the PM wanted “to allow scientists to set out the picture to the country” first, without politicians present, Shapps said. | He said Boris Johnson would be addressing the public “very soon” following today’s briefing from Prof Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance to say what would be happening next. But the PM wanted “to allow scientists to set out the picture to the country” first, without politicians present, Shapps said. |
| He defended the government’s decision to rely so much on emergency legislation, involving regulations coming into force with minimal parliamentary scrutiny, during the pandemic. He said: | He defended the government’s decision to rely so much on emergency legislation, involving regulations coming into force with minimal parliamentary scrutiny, during the pandemic. He said: |
| The UK government has extended emergency funding measures for rail companies for the next six to 18 months to help them get through the Covid-19 crisis, as a first step towards a complete overhaul of the railway system, my colleague Julia Kollewe reports. | The UK government has extended emergency funding measures for rail companies for the next six to 18 months to help them get through the Covid-19 crisis, as a first step towards a complete overhaul of the railway system, my colleague Julia Kollewe reports. |
| Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, who was doing a round of interviews this morning, has described this as the end of the rail franchising system that has been in place for quarter of a century. He said: | Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, who was doing a round of interviews this morning, has described this as the end of the rail franchising system that has been in place for quarter of a century. He said: |
| One of Boris Johnson’s ministers has denied a report in the Italian media that the UK prime minister made a secret trip to the country less than a fortnight ago, a claim Downing Street has also rejected as “completely untrue”, my colleague Peter Walker reports. | One of Boris Johnson’s ministers has denied a report in the Italian media that the UK prime minister made a secret trip to the country less than a fortnight ago, a claim Downing Street has also rejected as “completely untrue”, my colleague Peter Walker reports. |
| Good morning. Last night No 10 sent out a short press release with the title “CSA and CMO to give coronavirus data briefing”. In Whitehall it is often the case that the blander the title, the more significant the announcement, and today’s should be very important indeed. CSA is the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, and CMO is the chief medical officer for England, Prof Chris Whitty (also the UK government’s chief medical adviser), and they are going to tell the nation how serious they think the risk is from the recent rise in coronavirus cases. | Good morning. Last night No 10 sent out a short press release with the title “CSA and CMO to give coronavirus data briefing”. In Whitehall it is often the case that the blander the title, the more significant the announcement, and today’s should be very important indeed. CSA is the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, and CMO is the chief medical officer for England, Prof Chris Whitty (also the UK government’s chief medical adviser), and they are going to tell the nation how serious they think the risk is from the recent rise in coronavirus cases. |
| According to the news release, Whitty will say: | According to the news release, Whitty will say: |
| Whitty and Vallance are speaking ahead of an announcement expected soon, possibly tomorrow, about further measures being imposed to counter the spread of coronavirus. But Boris Johnson will not be joining them, and it appears that, although ministers have been discussing what new measures might be imposed - nationally as well as locally - no final decisions have yet been taken. | Whitty and Vallance are speaking ahead of an announcement expected soon, possibly tomorrow, about further measures being imposed to counter the spread of coronavirus. But Boris Johnson will not be joining them, and it appears that, although ministers have been discussing what new measures might be imposed - nationally as well as locally - no final decisions have yet been taken. |
| How bad could it get? The Times splash (paywall) today, attributing its information to an unnamed senior government figure, starts: “Britain faces a further six months of ‘very difficult’ lockdown restrictions, Downing Street has warned.” No 10 has been playing this down, but it’s worth remembering that right at the start of the first lockdown government scientists were stressing that it was unlikely to be a one-off. This is what SPI-M-O, the scientific pandemic influenza group on modelling, a sub-committee of the government’s scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage), said in a statement (pdf) on 16 March, the day soft lockdown measures were announced: | How bad could it get? The Times splash (paywall) today, attributing its information to an unnamed senior government figure, starts: “Britain faces a further six months of ‘very difficult’ lockdown restrictions, Downing Street has warned.” No 10 has been playing this down, but it’s worth remembering that right at the start of the first lockdown government scientists were stressing that it was unlikely to be a one-off. This is what SPI-M-O, the scientific pandemic influenza group on modelling, a sub-committee of the government’s scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage), said in a statement (pdf) on 16 March, the day soft lockdown measures were announced: |
| The Imperial College paper (pdf) published the same day (the one that persuaded Johnson to commit to the lockdown) included this graph showing one possible scenario for the future involving restrictions being imposed, then lifted, then imposed again (as cases increased), running until the end of 2021. | The Imperial College paper (pdf) published the same day (the one that persuaded Johnson to commit to the lockdown) included this graph showing one possible scenario for the future involving restrictions being imposed, then lifted, then imposed again (as cases increased), running until the end of 2021. |
| Here is the agenda for the day. | Here is the agenda for the day. |
| 10.35am: Anneliese Dodds, the shadow chancellor, delivers a speech to Labour’s online conference. As my colleague Heather Stewart reports, Dodds will accuse the Conservatives of wasting billions of pounds of public money through botched outsourcing and poorly-designed job schemes. | 10.35am: Anneliese Dodds, the shadow chancellor, delivers a speech to Labour’s online conference. As my colleague Heather Stewart reports, Dodds will accuse the Conservatives of wasting billions of pounds of public money through botched outsourcing and poorly-designed job schemes. |
| 11am: Prof Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, hold a briefing. | 11am: Prof Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, hold a briefing. |
| 12pm: Downing Street is due to hold its lobby briefing. | 12pm: Downing Street is due to hold its lobby briefing. |
| 12.15pm: The Scottish government is due to hold its daily coronavirus briefing. | 12.15pm: The Scottish government is due to hold its daily coronavirus briefing. |
| 3.30pm: Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is expected to give a Commons statement on coronavirus. | 3.30pm: Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is expected to give a Commons statement on coronavirus. |
| 4pm: Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, delivers a speech to Labour’s online conference. | 4pm: Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, delivers a speech to Labour’s online conference. |
| After 4.30pm: MPs debate amendments to the internal market bill. | After 4.30pm: MPs debate amendments to the internal market bill. |
| Politics Live has been doubling up as the UK coronavirus live blog for some time and, given the way the Covid crisis eclipses everything, this will continue for the foreseeable future. But we will be covering non-Covid political stories too, and where they seem more important and interesting, they will take precedence. | Politics Live has been doubling up as the UK coronavirus live blog for some time and, given the way the Covid crisis eclipses everything, this will continue for the foreseeable future. But we will be covering non-Covid political stories too, and where they seem more important and interesting, they will take precedence. |
| Here is our global coronavirus live blog. | Here is our global coronavirus live blog. |
| I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone. | I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone. |
| If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow. | If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow. |