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UK coronavirus live: Rishi Sunak announces support package for tier 2 business and workers UK coronavirus live: Rishi Sunak announces support package for tier 2 business and workers
(32 minutes later)
Latest updates: Chancellor announces measures after pressure to help hard-hit companies in lockdown-affected regionsLatest updates: Chancellor announces measures after pressure to help hard-hit companies in lockdown-affected regions
From Sky’s Sam Coates
“Job support scheme open” and “job support scheme closed” are two different versions of the same scheme (according to whether or not the premises is legally required to close) - not two phrases that contradict each other, as some readers might assume.
Caroline Ansell, a Conservative MP who defied her party to support Labour’s vote for free school meals during school holidays, has resigned from her government post as a parliamentary private secretary, my colleague Heather Stewart reports.
These are from Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, which represents businesses in the hospitality sector.
During the Manchester public health briefing (see 1.25pm) the city council’s director of public health, David Regan, warned that the infection rate among older people was high and rising.
There are currently 339 cases per 100,000 people among the over-60s, he said, adding:
Regan said there had been a marked drop in the infection rate among those aged 17 to 21 – falling from 3,350 cases per 100,000 people on 3 October to 568 cases per 100,000 currently.
This was due to the influx of 74,000 university students into Manchester in September, he said, although they had been able to bring the virus under control in part by quarantining at least 1,700 younger people in halls of residence – a measure which led to criticism at the time.
Regan urged Mancunians to abide by tier 3 restrictions that come into force overnight but said the evidence was “isn’t there fully yet” that local lockdowns had worked. He went on:
Nicola Sturgeon has suggested that children should avoid going guising, or trick-or-treating, during Hallowe’en this year, because it was unsafe for people to have unnecessary contact with others.
She said the Scottish government was issuing guidance for Hallowe’en over the weekend, and urged families to devise different ways of celebrating. She said:
Sturgeon also backed up Jason Leitch’s warnings about Christmas being abnormal this year (see 9.39am), but said the intensity of any controls in force in December rested largely on how well people observed the current restrictions, suppressing the spread of the virus. She said:
Earlier this month Downing Street was non-committal at a briefing when asked if trick-or-treating would have to be abandoned this year in England, although the Department of Health and Social Care later said it should not happen in places where household mixing is banned.
Manchester’s Nightingale hospital will reopen “towards the end of next week” to help relieve the strain on the NHS from a second wave of coronavirus, senior health figures have confirmed.Manchester’s Nightingale hospital will reopen “towards the end of next week” to help relieve the strain on the NHS from a second wave of coronavirus, senior health figures have confirmed.
Prof Jane Eddleston, Greater Manchester’s medical lead on the coronavirus, said the huge makeshift facility would take recovering Covid patients from hospitals across the badly-hit northwest of England.Prof Jane Eddleston, Greater Manchester’s medical lead on the coronavirus, said the huge makeshift facility would take recovering Covid patients from hospitals across the badly-hit northwest of England.
In a briefing designed to counter some of the “selective statistics” released by Downing Street earlier this week, Eddleston said 35% of critical care beds in the region were currently occupied by Covid patients.In a briefing designed to counter some of the “selective statistics” released by Downing Street earlier this week, Eddleston said 35% of critical care beds in the region were currently occupied by Covid patients.
During the April peak there were more than 300 patients filling critical care beds in Greater Manchester, of whom 260 had coronavirus. The latest figures, for Wednesday this week, showed 218 patients in critical care beds, of whom 95 are being treated for Covid.During the April peak there were more than 300 patients filling critical care beds in Greater Manchester, of whom 260 had coronavirus. The latest figures, for Wednesday this week, showed 218 patients in critical care beds, of whom 95 are being treated for Covid.
Eddleston, who appeared alongside Boris Johnson at a Downing Street press conference last week, said that although this number was “significant”, the region was “in a different position now” and would bring in additional capacity where needed.Eddleston, who appeared alongside Boris Johnson at a Downing Street press conference last week, said that although this number was “significant”, the region was “in a different position now” and would bring in additional capacity where needed.
She said that during the April peak there was capacity for more than 400 critical care patients and that the service could reach this figure again. She said:She said that during the April peak there was capacity for more than 400 critical care patients and that the service could reach this figure again. She said:
Eddleston said, however, that the number of non-critical Covid patients in Greater Manchester was approaching the level of the first peak. There are currently just over 600 coronavirus patients in acute hospital beds, she said, compared to just under 900 in April.Eddleston said, however, that the number of non-critical Covid patients in Greater Manchester was approaching the level of the first peak. There are currently just over 600 coronavirus patients in acute hospital beds, she said, compared to just under 900 in April.
These are from Daniel Tomlinson, an economist at the Resolution Foundation thinktank. They explain why the new measures should make it more worthwhile financially for employers to retain staff.These are from Daniel Tomlinson, an economist at the Resolution Foundation thinktank. They explain why the new measures should make it more worthwhile financially for employers to retain staff.
The Scottish Retail Consortium, which represents the country’s largest shopping chains, has urged people to “shop early, start wrapping” after Nicola Sturgeon’s public health adviser warned Christmas would be severely impacted by the Covid crisis. (See 9.39am.)The Scottish Retail Consortium, which represents the country’s largest shopping chains, has urged people to “shop early, start wrapping” after Nicola Sturgeon’s public health adviser warned Christmas would be severely impacted by the Covid crisis. (See 9.39am.)
The SRC, the Scottish wing of the British Retail Consortium, said Jason Leitch’s warning that large family gatherings would be highly unlikely to be approved this year added to its anxieties about the impact coronavirus controls were having on shops.The SRC, the Scottish wing of the British Retail Consortium, said Jason Leitch’s warning that large family gatherings would be highly unlikely to be approved this year added to its anxieties about the impact coronavirus controls were having on shops.
David Lonsdale, the director of the SRC, said:David Lonsdale, the director of the SRC, said:
From my colleague Richard PartingtonFrom my colleague Richard Partington
And this is from Frances O’Grady, the TUC general secretary, on Rishi Sunak’s beefed-up economic support package. She said:And this is from Frances O’Grady, the TUC general secretary, on Rishi Sunak’s beefed-up economic support package. She said:
Business groups have welcomed Rishi Sunak’s beefed-up support package for firms and workers.
In a statement the CBI director general, Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, said:
Jonathan Geldart, the director general of the Institute of Directors, said:
And the British Chambers of Commerce said in its response:
Nicola Sturgeon said she welcomed the chancellor’s new funding of the job and self-employed support schemes but said the Scottish government would press the Treasury to increase the subsidies given to support jobs.
“There’s still an argument [it] should go further, particularly on levels of wage support for businesses,” she said at her daily coronavirus briefing. There was “a need to try to get improvements there, and get that back up to levels we saw earlier in the pandemic”.
Sturgeon said she had yet to study the detail of Rishi Sunak’s new measures but “on the face of it, they look positive – any additional support for jobs right now is positive”.
The Scottish government is pressing the Treasury for clarity on whether recent funding announcements for England, specifically for councils and businesses, would lead to extra money for Scotland.
UK government sources said there could yet be additional Treasury funding. However it had already given Scotland £7.2bn in extra funding over the summer, part of which, they said, was a forward payment to cover future spending.
Sturgeon announced 17 further Covid-19 deaths overnight, and said 1,712 new positive cases had been recorded, slightly down on Wednesday’s 1,739, with 74 people now in intensive care, one more patient than on Wednesday.
She said current estimates of Scotland’s R number, the rate at which the virus is spreading, suggested it was as high as 1.5.
This is from Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, criticising Rishi Sunak for what he said earlier (see 12.27pm) about the need to “balance” protecting jobs against protecting lives.
Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, will hold a press conference at 4pm, No 10 has announced.
Alison Thewliss, the SNP’s Treasury spokeswoman, told the Commons that the new Treasury support package was “a sign of panic”. She said:
Labour’s Chris Byrant told Sunak in the Commons that he welcomed the measures. But he wanted to know what the Barnett consequentials would be for Wales (ie, how much will go to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as their share of the spending for England).
Sunak said he could not put a figure on that because these were “demand-led schemes” and so it was not clear what the final cost would be.
In the Commons Mel Stride, the Conservative chair of the Treasury committee, asked Rishi Sunak for an assurance that in future the government’s chief economist would appear at Covid press conferences, so that economic concerns are taken into account as well as health concerns.
Sunak said the government was aware of the importance of both. He told Stride:
These are from Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
This is from Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester. He says he would have backed moves for his region to be placed under the tier 3 restrictions if he had been told about these measures two days ago.
Perhaps this explains why Boris Johnson was being so evasive on Tuesday night when asked to quantify what extra support would be available to Greater Manchester as he forced it into tier 3.
Whoever manages Rishi Sunak’s Twitter feed has been posting about the new measures.
As the Daily Mail’s Jason Groves reports, there has been a modest change to Sunak’s branding.