This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jan/18/uk-covid-live-coronavirus-vaccine-boris-johnson-keir-starmer-universal-credit-latest-news-updates
The article has changed 21 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 11 | Version 12 |
|---|---|
| UK Covid live: Dido Harding rejects claims test and trace only having marginal impact on transmission | UK Covid live: Dido Harding rejects claims test and trace only having marginal impact on transmission |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Latest news: Dido Harding facing questions from public accounts committee | Latest news: Dido Harding facing questions from public accounts committee |
| At the Welsh government’s coronavirus briefing earlier Kirsty Williams, the education minister, claimed there was no delay in the distribution of vaccines in Wales. She said: | |
| Earlier in the day Mark Drakeford, the first minister, said doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine were being used gradually so that supplies would last six weeks. (See 1.19pm.) | |
| A man who travelled 30 miles to take pictures for a photography competition and nine people who got together for a “gender reveal party” were among those who were issued with fixed penalty notices this weekend by South Wales police. | |
| The force received almost 400 reports of possible breaches to Covid regulations and stopped 143 cars in three hours on the Gower peninsula with “the vast majority of people found to have travelled without reasonable excuse.” | |
| Other rule breakers included parents who drove to test out their daughter’s quad bike at fields in Bridgend and a group who got together to watch football in Swansea. | |
| Officers have also warned a group of up to 30 young people to stop “free running” over rooftops in Barry. | |
| Boris Johnson has been speaking to broadcasters on a visit to the Oxford BioMedica plant at Oxford. (See 3.16pm.) Here are some of his main points. | Boris Johnson has been speaking to broadcasters on a visit to the Oxford BioMedica plant at Oxford. (See 3.16pm.) Here are some of his main points. |
| Johnson said the future of the £20-per-week universal credit beyond March was still under review. Asked about tonight’s vote on the Labour motion saying the uplift should remain, he said: | Johnson said the future of the £20-per-week universal credit beyond March was still under review. Asked about tonight’s vote on the Labour motion saying the uplift should remain, he said: |
| He also claimed Labour would abolish universal credit. He said: | He also claimed Labour would abolish universal credit. He said: |
| Earlier Sir Keir Starmer said this claim was a “completely false point”. (See 1.34pm.) According to today’s Financial Times, one option being considered by the government is to abolish the weekly uplift by replace it with a one-off payment of £500, or perhaps even £1,000. But the Resolution Foundation’s Torsten Bell has argued that one-off payments would not be the right solution. | Earlier Sir Keir Starmer said this claim was a “completely false point”. (See 1.34pm.) According to today’s Financial Times, one option being considered by the government is to abolish the weekly uplift by replace it with a one-off payment of £500, or perhaps even £1,000. But the Resolution Foundation’s Torsten Bell has argued that one-off payments would not be the right solution. |
| Johnson said that four million people have now been vaccinated. He said: | Johnson said that four million people have now been vaccinated. He said: |
| According to the figures published yesterday afternoon, 3.8 million people in the UK had then had a first dose. Today’s full figures will be available later. | According to the figures published yesterday afternoon, 3.8 million people in the UK had then had a first dose. Today’s full figures will be available later. |
| Johnson stressed that the easing of restrictions would be “gradual”. He said: | Johnson stressed that the easing of restrictions would be “gradual”. He said: |
| He dismissed claims there was an element of postcode lottery in provision of the vaccine. “I think actually the whole of the UK is going very well,” he said. “And, overall, the pace of the rollout is very encouraging.” | He dismissed claims there was an element of postcode lottery in provision of the vaccine. “I think actually the whole of the UK is going very well,” he said. “And, overall, the pace of the rollout is very encouraging.” |
| He said a £23m compensation fund was available to help fish suppliers who have genuine buyers available in the EU. He said: | He said a £23m compensation fund was available to help fish suppliers who have genuine buyers available in the EU. He said: |
| Harding says the service is more than reaching the target set by Sage, that it should reach more than 60% of contacts within 72 hours. | Harding says the service is more than reaching the target set by Sage, that it should reach more than 60% of contacts within 72 hours. |
| The system has got better “very, very fast”, she says. | The system has got better “very, very fast”, she says. |
| Q: How many care homes are getting two tests a week for staff, and one test a week for residents? | Q: How many care homes are getting two tests a week for staff, and one test a week for residents? |
| Harding says she thinks 100% of care homes have been doing weekly PCR tests since September. She says lateral flow tests, which give rapid results, have now been rolled out too. And she says since early December care homes have been able to do twice weekly lateral flow testing, in addition to the PCR testing. | Harding says she thinks 100% of care homes have been doing weekly PCR tests since September. She says lateral flow tests, which give rapid results, have now been rolled out too. And she says since early December care homes have been able to do twice weekly lateral flow testing, in addition to the PCR testing. |
| She says care homes are also testing staff daily if there is an outbreak. | She says care homes are also testing staff daily if there is an outbreak. |
| NHS England has announced 532 further coronavirus hospital deaths. The details are here. | NHS England has announced 532 further coronavirus hospital deaths. The details are here. |
| A week ago today the figure was 489, and two weeks ago today the figure was 376. | A week ago today the figure was 489, and two weeks ago today the figure was 376. |
| The Labour MP Nick Smith goes next. | The Labour MP Nick Smith goes next. |
| Q: How effective is test and trace? | Q: How effective is test and trace? |
| Harding says you can measure that in a number of ways. | Harding says you can measure that in a number of ways. |
| She says in October test and trace was reducing R, the reproduction number, by between 0.3 and 0.6. | She says in October test and trace was reducing R, the reproduction number, by between 0.3 and 0.6. |
| And she says by March that should be a reduction of between 0.5 and 0.8. | And she says by March that should be a reduction of between 0.5 and 0.8. |
| She says the service is breaking chains of transmission. | She says the service is breaking chains of transmission. |
| She says that every minute 965 people are being swabbed. | She says that every minute 965 people are being swabbed. |
| She says every minute of the working day 198 people a minute are being successfully traced. | She says every minute of the working day 198 people a minute are being successfully traced. |
| And she says the test-and-trace infrastructure is helping to provide the analysis as to how the disease is spreading. | And she says the test-and-trace infrastructure is helping to provide the analysis as to how the disease is spreading. |
| Q: How does that square with Sage saying a few months ago that your impact on transmission was “marginal”? | Q: How does that square with Sage saying a few months ago that your impact on transmission was “marginal”? |
| Harding says Sage said that a while back. She does not accept that. She thinks the service is having a “material” impact. | Harding says Sage said that a while back. She does not accept that. She thinks the service is having a “material” impact. |
| Meg Hillier, the Labour chair of the committee, asks about mass testing in schools, and why the MHRA has not approved the approach being adopted by the government. | Meg Hillier, the Labour chair of the committee, asks about mass testing in schools, and why the MHRA has not approved the approach being adopted by the government. |
| Harding says it is not quite right to say the MHRA do not approve. | Harding says it is not quite right to say the MHRA do not approve. |
| She says schools have been doing this on a pilot basis. The evidence is being shared with the MHRA. | She says schools have been doing this on a pilot basis. The evidence is being shared with the MHRA. |
| The Commons public accounts committee has just started taking evidence in a hearing on NHS Test and Trace. The witnesses are Dido Harding, head of the organisation; Sir Chris Wormald permanent secretary, at the Department of Health; David Williams, the second permanent secretary at the department; and Jonathan Marron, director general for community and social care at the department. | The Commons public accounts committee has just started taking evidence in a hearing on NHS Test and Trace. The witnesses are Dido Harding, head of the organisation; Sir Chris Wormald permanent secretary, at the Department of Health; David Williams, the second permanent secretary at the department; and Jonathan Marron, director general for community and social care at the department. |
| There is a live feed at the top of the blog. | There is a live feed at the top of the blog. |
| Harding says she was asked by the PM at the start of May to launch a test and trace service by the end of the month. She was already chair of NHS Improvement, she says. Asked why she accepted, she says: | Harding says she was asked by the PM at the start of May to launch a test and trace service by the end of the month. She was already chair of NHS Improvement, she says. Asked why she accepted, she says: |
| Asked about the main lesson she has learned, she says that you can only deliver a service like this as part of an integrated network of different organisations. Everyone has to play their part, she says. | Asked about the main lesson she has learned, she says that you can only deliver a service like this as part of an integrated network of different organisations. Everyone has to play their part, she says. |
| Sir Keir Starmer accused the government of trying to blame fishing communities for the issues caused by Brexit. Referring to today’s protests at Westminster, he said: | Sir Keir Starmer accused the government of trying to blame fishing communities for the issues caused by Brexit. Referring to today’s protests at Westminster, he said: |
| In the Commons last week George Eustice, the environment secretary, suggested the problems being encountered by the fishing industry would ease once they got used to dealing with the new paperwork. | In the Commons last week George Eustice, the environment secretary, suggested the problems being encountered by the fishing industry would ease once they got used to dealing with the new paperwork. |
| At the lobby briefing this morning the Downing Street officials talking to journalists spent quite a lot of time trying to defend two particularly provocative statements from ministers yesterday. | At the lobby briefing this morning the Downing Street officials talking to journalists spent quite a lot of time trying to defend two particularly provocative statements from ministers yesterday. |
| The PM’s press secretary, Allegra Stratton, claimed that Boris Johnson was not comparing activists using Twitter to criticise Tory MPs over universal credit to the mob that stormed the US Capitol in a message yesterday. In a WhatsApp message to MPs explaining why the Conservatives would abstain in tonight’s vote (see 9.20am), Johnson wrote: | The PM’s press secretary, Allegra Stratton, claimed that Boris Johnson was not comparing activists using Twitter to criticise Tory MPs over universal credit to the mob that stormed the US Capitol in a message yesterday. In a WhatsApp message to MPs explaining why the Conservatives would abstain in tonight’s vote (see 9.20am), Johnson wrote: |
| This message implies that intimidation was a reason for the Conservative party abstaining, instead of voting against the Labour motion, but Stratton said the party was abstaining because now was not the day for the government to be announcing how it would replace the universal credit uplift when it ends in March. She claimed the Labour motion was a “stunt” because Labour knows the chancellor will be coming forward with an alternative plan. (That is true, but the crucial point is that it has not said yet what the alternative is. Labour says it should just continue with the £20-per-week uplift.) | This message implies that intimidation was a reason for the Conservative party abstaining, instead of voting against the Labour motion, but Stratton said the party was abstaining because now was not the day for the government to be announcing how it would replace the universal credit uplift when it ends in March. She claimed the Labour motion was a “stunt” because Labour knows the chancellor will be coming forward with an alternative plan. (That is true, but the crucial point is that it has not said yet what the alternative is. Labour says it should just continue with the £20-per-week uplift.) |
| Stratton said the PM’s message yesterday referred to the abuse some MPs received after they voted against extending free school meals last year. Asked if the PM felt that the intimidation of MPs on social media was being encouraged by Labour, she said that was not something she had heard the PM say. Asked if the PM was saying that the criticism of MPs on Twitter was like the storming of the Capitol in the US, she said: | Stratton said the PM’s message yesterday referred to the abuse some MPs received after they voted against extending free school meals last year. Asked if the PM felt that the intimidation of MPs on social media was being encouraged by Labour, she said that was not something she had heard the PM say. Asked if the PM was saying that the criticism of MPs on Twitter was like the storming of the Capitol in the US, she said: |
| Asked if the PM regretted some of his own inflammatory language during the last parliament, when he accused anti-Brexit MPs of wanting to “surrender” to Brussels, she just said the key thing was that he wanted people to be civil in future. | Asked if the PM regretted some of his own inflammatory language during the last parliament, when he accused anti-Brexit MPs of wanting to “surrender” to Brussels, she just said the key thing was that he wanted people to be civil in future. |
| Downing Street was unable to provide any evidence to back up Robert Jenrick’s claim in an article yesterday that “town hall militants and woke worthies” are pulling down statues without public support. (See 10.56am.) Asked to provide an example of this, the prime minister’s spokesman just made a broad point about the government being in favour of educating people about Britain’s heritage, not taking down statues. Asked why Jenrick criticised Birmingham council for giving new streets names like “Diversity Grove” and “Humanity Close”, and whether that was wrong, the spokesman said Jenrick’s article was mainly about statues. The naming of streets was a matter for councils, the spokesman said. When it was pointed out to him that Birmingham council chose these names after a consultation with the public, and when he was asked if the council was wrong to do this, the spokesman just urged reporters to read Jenrick’s article. At this point the briefing got faintly comic. | Downing Street was unable to provide any evidence to back up Robert Jenrick’s claim in an article yesterday that “town hall militants and woke worthies” are pulling down statues without public support. (See 10.56am.) Asked to provide an example of this, the prime minister’s spokesman just made a broad point about the government being in favour of educating people about Britain’s heritage, not taking down statues. Asked why Jenrick criticised Birmingham council for giving new streets names like “Diversity Grove” and “Humanity Close”, and whether that was wrong, the spokesman said Jenrick’s article was mainly about statues. The naming of streets was a matter for councils, the spokesman said. When it was pointed out to him that Birmingham council chose these names after a consultation with the public, and when he was asked if the council was wrong to do this, the spokesman just urged reporters to read Jenrick’s article. At this point the briefing got faintly comic. |
| Speaking to reporters on a visit to Streatham in south-west London, Sir Keir Starmer said Conservatives like Boris Johnson were making a “completely false point” when they accused him of wanting to abolish universal credit, as they have been doing repeatedly in recent days. (We heard that line again from Allegra Stratton, the prime minister’s press secretary, at the No 10 lobby briefing today – more on that coming up soon.) Starmer said: | Speaking to reporters on a visit to Streatham in south-west London, Sir Keir Starmer said Conservatives like Boris Johnson were making a “completely false point” when they accused him of wanting to abolish universal credit, as they have been doing repeatedly in recent days. (We heard that line again from Allegra Stratton, the prime minister’s press secretary, at the No 10 lobby briefing today – more on that coming up soon.) Starmer said: |
| Labour is committed to replacing universal credit with a supposedly better system – not just abandoning the payment of benefits, as some of the Tory comments imply. | Labour is committed to replacing universal credit with a supposedly better system – not just abandoning the payment of benefits, as some of the Tory comments imply. |
| As my colleague Steven Morris reports, Mark Drakeford, the Welsh first minister, has defended his government’s decision to string out the use of tens of thousands of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine until new supplies become available - instead of using them as quickly as possible. | As my colleague Steven Morris reports, Mark Drakeford, the Welsh first minister, has defended his government’s decision to string out the use of tens of thousands of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine until new supplies become available - instead of using them as quickly as possible. |
| But the BMA Cymru Wales, which represents doctors, has said it is “extremely concerned” about the policy. | But the BMA Cymru Wales, which represents doctors, has said it is “extremely concerned” about the policy. |