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| UK coronavirus live: Birmingham, Kent, Greater Manchester, Newcastle among regions in tier 3 measures | UK coronavirus live: Birmingham, Kent, Greater Manchester, Newcastle among regions in tier 3 measures |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Government website crashes as regions placed in to tier system; weekly infection survey suggests prevalence of coronavirus is declining in England | Government website crashes as regions placed in to tier system; weekly infection survey suggests prevalence of coronavirus is declining in England |
| Boris Johnson has appointed a chief of staff. He is Dan Rosenfield, a former Treasury civil servant and banker. | |
| Rosenfield will replace Sir Edward Lister (now Lord Udny-Lister) who has recently been serving as acting chief of staff. But in practice Rosenfield will replace Dominic Cummings, who effectively was Johnson’s chief of staff while he served in Downing Street until his resignation earlier this month - although he resisted taking the role formally. | |
| This is what No 10 said about Rosenfield in a briefing for journalists. | |
| And Conor Burns, the Conservative MP for Bournemouth East, has also criticised the Bournemouth decision. | |
| The Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood represents Bournemouth East, which is in tier 2. He says he will not be backing the government in the vote on the new measures. | The Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood represents Bournemouth East, which is in tier 2. He says he will not be backing the government in the vote on the new measures. |
| From Damian Green, the Conservative MP for Ashford in Kent | From Damian Green, the Conservative MP for Ashford in Kent |
| From the Times’ Chris Smyth | From the Times’ Chris Smyth |
| Tax increases and spending cuts totalling £40bn will be needed to balance the books as a combination of weak growth and pressure on the NHS and welfare budgets leads to worse than expected public finances in the coming years, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said. My colleague Larry Elliott has the story here. | Tax increases and spending cuts totalling £40bn will be needed to balance the books as a combination of weak growth and pressure on the NHS and welfare budgets leads to worse than expected public finances in the coming years, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said. My colleague Larry Elliott has the story here. |
| Stephen Brady, the leader of Hull city council, has defended the decision to put his city in tier 3. Earlier this month it had the highest coronavirus rate in England, at 785 cases per 100,000, but that has now fallen to 530 cases per 100,000. | Stephen Brady, the leader of Hull city council, has defended the decision to put his city in tier 3. Earlier this month it had the highest coronavirus rate in England, at 785 cases per 100,000, but that has now fallen to 530 cases per 100,000. |
| Brady said: | Brady said: |
| This is from Sacha Lord, Greater Manchester’s night-time economy adviser. | This is from Sacha Lord, Greater Manchester’s night-time economy adviser. |
| “Lockdown must not become limbo,” says Dan Jarvis, the Labour mayor for the Sheffield city region. He says he wants the region to come out of tier 3 “as a matter of urgency”. | “Lockdown must not become limbo,” says Dan Jarvis, the Labour mayor for the Sheffield city region. He says he wants the region to come out of tier 3 “as a matter of urgency”. |
| Boris Johnson will be joined by Prof Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, at his No 10 press conference this afternoon. | Boris Johnson will be joined by Prof Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, at his No 10 press conference this afternoon. |
| This is useful – a map showing which parts of England are in which tiers. | This is useful – a map showing which parts of England are in which tiers. |
| Nicola Sturgeon was challenged at FMQs about “confusing” messaging around Christmas, with UK-wide relaxations accompanied by extreme caution from the first minister and warnings from Scottish public health experts about the dangers of a subsequent third wave. | Nicola Sturgeon was challenged at FMQs about “confusing” messaging around Christmas, with UK-wide relaxations accompanied by extreme caution from the first minister and warnings from Scottish public health experts about the dangers of a subsequent third wave. |
| Sturgeon said that Christmas presented a “really complex situation” and that the agreed cross-UK relaxation was “a recognition of reality” that some people would feel unable to stay within the rules as they are now. She said that rather than allowing people to break those irules in a “haphazard” way, it was better to set out fresh guidance, but with default advice to stay at home. | Sturgeon said that Christmas presented a “really complex situation” and that the agreed cross-UK relaxation was “a recognition of reality” that some people would feel unable to stay within the rules as they are now. She said that rather than allowing people to break those irules in a “haphazard” way, it was better to set out fresh guidance, but with default advice to stay at home. |
| She confirmed to MSPs that initial guidance on Christmas had been published this morning, but reiterated “the safest way to spend Christmas is in our own home, with our own household in our own local area”. | She confirmed to MSPs that initial guidance on Christmas had been published this morning, but reiterated “the safest way to spend Christmas is in our own home, with our own household in our own local area”. |
| She said that there should be no more than more than 8 people over the age of 12 in any festive bubble, and it should include only one extended household. The advice is also that those wanting to visit someone in a care home over Christmas should not form a festive bubble. | She said that there should be no more than more than 8 people over the age of 12 in any festive bubble, and it should include only one extended household. The advice is also that those wanting to visit someone in a care home over Christmas should not form a festive bubble. |
| She took FMQs as she announced a further 1,225 positive cases overnight, with 1,125 people in hospital with the virus, 31 fewer than yesterday, 90 in intensive care, six more than yesterday, and a further 51 deaths. | She took FMQs as she announced a further 1,225 positive cases overnight, with 1,125 people in hospital with the virus, 31 fewer than yesterday, 90 in intensive care, six more than yesterday, and a further 51 deaths. |
| She said that Scotland’s R number estimate is expected to remain slightly below 1. | She said that Scotland’s R number estimate is expected to remain slightly below 1. |
| In the Commons Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, is now making a statement on development spending. He has just told MPs that the government will legislate to allow it to abandon the 0.7% target for overseas aid spending as a share of national income. But he insisted that the UK was still determined to remain an international leader in this field. | In the Commons Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, is now making a statement on development spending. He has just told MPs that the government will legislate to allow it to abandon the 0.7% target for overseas aid spending as a share of national income. But he insisted that the UK was still determined to remain an international leader in this field. |
| In a joint statement on Leicester being placed in tier 3, the three local Labour MPs, Liz Kendall, Jonathan Ashworth and Claudia Webbe, issued a joint statement saying: | In a joint statement on Leicester being placed in tier 3, the three local Labour MPs, Liz Kendall, Jonathan Ashworth and Claudia Webbe, issued a joint statement saying: |
| Schools who used reserves to pay for mounting pandemic costs while poorer performing ones have been bailed out will have to “just lump it,” parliament’s public accounts committee has heard. | Schools who used reserves to pay for mounting pandemic costs while poorer performing ones have been bailed out will have to “just lump it,” parliament’s public accounts committee has heard. |
| Cases of schools who have racked up large extra bills were raised with the Department for Education’s most senior civil servant by Tory MP Richard Holden, who said one of his local schools would spend an extra £100 per pupil on cleaning this year. | Cases of schools who have racked up large extra bills were raised with the Department for Education’s most senior civil servant by Tory MP Richard Holden, who said one of his local schools would spend an extra £100 per pupil on cleaning this year. |
| Some schools who had dipped into their reserves and felt they were being punished while others were being bailed out wanted to know if they would be reimbursed. | Some schools who had dipped into their reserves and felt they were being punished while others were being bailed out wanted to know if they would be reimbursed. |
| He was told by Susan Acland-Hood, the DfE’s permanent secretary, that she completely understood the feelings of head teachers who had managed schools well and built up reserves. But she added: | He was told by Susan Acland-Hood, the DfE’s permanent secretary, that she completely understood the feelings of head teachers who had managed schools well and built up reserves. But she added: |
| Meanwhile, the average size of bubbles of children and others who had to come home and self isolate after a case of covid-19 had started to come down “quite significantly” since the start of September after collaboration between the DfE and the Department of Health, said Acland-Hood. | Meanwhile, the average size of bubbles of children and others who had to come home and self isolate after a case of covid-19 had started to come down “quite significantly” since the start of September after collaboration between the DfE and the Department of Health, said Acland-Hood. |
| The first port of call for schools should be the DfE helpline, she added, and it would be rare for advice to be given for entire year groups to be sent home. Rather, it would be more a case of examining who the particular pupil or member of staff had been in contact with. | The first port of call for schools should be the DfE helpline, she added, and it would be rare for advice to be given for entire year groups to be sent home. Rather, it would be more a case of examining who the particular pupil or member of staff had been in contact with. |