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| UK Covid live: minister defends keeping isolation rules for fully vaccinated until 16 August | UK Covid live: minister defends keeping isolation rules for fully vaccinated until 16 August |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Latest updates: Kwasi Kwarteng says government is striking balance between opening up and trying to limit infections | Latest updates: Kwasi Kwarteng says government is striking balance between opening up and trying to limit infections |
| Michael Mansfield QC, who has chaired the People’s Covid Inquiry, which has been run by the Keep our NHS Public campaign, has just started speaking at the press conference where he is announcing the inquiry’s interim findings. | |
| In a statement released in advance he said: | |
| I will post more from the inquiry’s interim findings when the press conference is over, after PMQs. | |
| Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, told MPs this morning that the Covid pandemic has not made the government rethink is plans for big investment in transport infrastructure. He told the Commons transport committee: | |
| When the Labour MP Grahame Morris suggested the decision to continue with projects must be based on “more than a feeling” and that it would be “sensible to pause work” until the Department for Transport has a more complete understanding of behavioural changes caused by the pandemic, Shapps replied: | |
| Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative party leader, has joined those complaining about the government’s decision to keep the isolation rules for the fully vaccinated until 16 August. He told the Daily Telegraph (paywall) that the decision “makes a mockery” of claims that 19 July will mark the end of restrictions in England. He said: | |
| The Queen Elizabeth cruise liner has sailed into port in Southampton after a number of crew members tested positive for Covid-19, PA Media reports. PA says: | |
| Dr Katherine Henderson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, told Times Radio this morning that she expected people to have to carry on wearing masks in hospitals even after 19 July, when the government plans to stop them being compulsory in England for public transport and shops. She said: | |
| Ministers find it hard to get through an interview at the moment without being asked what their personal approach to wearing a face covering will be after 19 July, when the government plans to stop making them compulsory in England for public transport and shops. This is what Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, said when asked about this on Sky News this morning. | |
| Scotland’s health secretary has hit back after the Scottish Tories claimed he had “disappeared” during the latest Covid surge because he took his family on a long-promised trip to Harry Potter Studios. | Scotland’s health secretary has hit back after the Scottish Tories claimed he had “disappeared” during the latest Covid surge because he took his family on a long-promised trip to Harry Potter Studios. |
| The Scottish Sun mocked up Humza Yousaf as “the invisible health chief” this morning on its front page splash, which revealed that the MSP had dared to take his kids to a theme park for the weekend. | The Scottish Sun mocked up Humza Yousaf as “the invisible health chief” this morning on its front page splash, which revealed that the MSP had dared to take his kids to a theme park for the weekend. |
| Yousaf retorted on Twitter that he wouldn’t apologise for the very limited time he gave his family, before revealing - as he had told the Scottish Sun too - that he had bumped into the Scottish Tories’ shadow public health minister on the trip. | Yousaf retorted on Twitter that he wouldn’t apologise for the very limited time he gave his family, before revealing - as he had told the Scottish Sun too - that he had bumped into the Scottish Tories’ shadow public health minister on the trip. |
| The story in the Scottish Sun includes a quote from Stephen Kerr, the Scottish Conservatives’ chief whip, who claimed that families in Scotland would be “appalled” by what Yousaf had done. A spokesman for Yousaf said the Scottish Tories were guilty of “jaw-dropping hypocrisy”. | The story in the Scottish Sun includes a quote from Stephen Kerr, the Scottish Conservatives’ chief whip, who claimed that families in Scotland would be “appalled” by what Yousaf had done. A spokesman for Yousaf said the Scottish Tories were guilty of “jaw-dropping hypocrisy”. |
| The Office for National Statistics has published its latest figures for the percentage of adults in the four nations of the UK who would test positive for Covid antibodies. Here are the figures. | The Office for National Statistics has published its latest figures for the percentage of adults in the four nations of the UK who would test positive for Covid antibodies. Here are the figures. |
| England: 89.8% (up from 86.6% the previous week) | England: 89.8% (up from 86.6% the previous week) |
| Wales: 91.8% (up from 88.7%) | Wales: 91.8% (up from 88.7%) |
| Northern Ireland: 87.2% (up from 85.4%) | Northern Ireland: 87.2% (up from 85.4%) |
| Scotland: 84.7% (up from 79.1%) | Scotland: 84.7% (up from 79.1%) |
| These figures are cover the week beginning 14 June. They are central estimates and they are subject to 95% credibility intervals, set out in the report. | These figures are cover the week beginning 14 June. They are central estimates and they are subject to 95% credibility intervals, set out in the report. |
| Testing positive for Covid antibodies means that someone has either been vaccinated or infected. Eventually their level in the body declines to the point where they cannot be detected, but scientists are unsure how long this takes. | Testing positive for Covid antibodies means that someone has either been vaccinated or infected. Eventually their level in the body declines to the point where they cannot be detected, but scientists are unsure how long this takes. |
| The figures are going up mainly because of the vaccination programme, and also because of rising cases. Scotland has lower antibody rates than the rest of the UK because it had a lower rate of Covid infection in the earlier waves, which partly explains why it has seen particularly high rates recently. | The figures are going up mainly because of the vaccination programme, and also because of rising cases. Scotland has lower antibody rates than the rest of the UK because it had a lower rate of Covid infection in the earlier waves, which partly explains why it has seen particularly high rates recently. |
| Scotland’s education secretary has refused to confirm whether her government will adopt England’s sweeping plans to abandon protective bubbles and self-isolation for school pupils over the summer. | Scotland’s education secretary has refused to confirm whether her government will adopt England’s sweeping plans to abandon protective bubbles and self-isolation for school pupils over the summer. |
| Shirley-Anne Somerville said that at the end of the Scottish school term – which finished at the end of June - the absence rate within schools was around 4%, but only 3% had Covid and the vast majority of the rest were self-isolating. She added that schools were not seeing large outbreaks but rather community transmission coming into the education environment. | Shirley-Anne Somerville said that at the end of the Scottish school term – which finished at the end of June - the absence rate within schools was around 4%, but only 3% had Covid and the vast majority of the rest were self-isolating. She added that schools were not seeing large outbreaks but rather community transmission coming into the education environment. |
| “The Scottish government is looking very seriously at whether we can make changes to the self isolation advice as we go into the next academic year,” she told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland. | “The Scottish government is looking very seriously at whether we can make changes to the self isolation advice as we go into the next academic year,” she told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland. |
| Asked whether she would consider the English changes, she said: | Asked whether she would consider the English changes, she said: |
| Good morning. Yesterday Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said the UK could be facing 100,000 Covid cases a day by the summer. His announcement coincided with the government saying that until 16 August people who are fully vaccinated will still have to isolate if they have been in contact with someone testing positive, and the two developments have triggered fears that millions of people face a summer of being pinged and having to isolate at home. | Good morning. Yesterday Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said the UK could be facing 100,000 Covid cases a day by the summer. His announcement coincided with the government saying that until 16 August people who are fully vaccinated will still have to isolate if they have been in contact with someone testing positive, and the two developments have triggered fears that millions of people face a summer of being pinged and having to isolate at home. |
| We’ve splashed on this story, written by my colleagues Peter Walker and Heather Stewart. | We’ve splashed on this story, written by my colleagues Peter Walker and Heather Stewart. |
| And here’s an extract. | And here’s an extract. |
| The Daily Telegraph has splashed on the same topic. Its story (paywall) quotes analysis by the Adam Smith Institute saying rising infection rates could force up to 4.6 million people a week into self-isolation by the start of August. | The Daily Telegraph has splashed on the same topic. Its story (paywall) quotes analysis by the Adam Smith Institute saying rising infection rates could force up to 4.6 million people a week into self-isolation by the start of August. |
| And the Financial Times is in the same territory. Its lead (paywall) says that business and health chiefs are warning that England faces “weeks of workplace chaos” because two people are asked to isolate for 10 days per Covid case, suggesting that if 700,000 a week were infected a further 1.4 million could be asked to self-isolate. | And the Financial Times is in the same territory. Its lead (paywall) says that business and health chiefs are warning that England faces “weeks of workplace chaos” because two people are asked to isolate for 10 days per Covid case, suggesting that if 700,000 a week were infected a further 1.4 million could be asked to self-isolate. |
| Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, has been giving interviews this mornings and, speaking to Sky News, he suggested that some of the reports were exaggerating the situation. “I don’t think you can necessarily conclude there will be millions [of people having to isolate],” he said. But generally he defended the rules. Pointing out that the government is also being accused of opening up too much, he told the Today programme: | Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, has been giving interviews this mornings and, speaking to Sky News, he suggested that some of the reports were exaggerating the situation. “I don’t think you can necessarily conclude there will be millions [of people having to isolate],” he said. But generally he defended the rules. Pointing out that the government is also being accused of opening up too much, he told the Today programme: |
| Kwarteng also suggested there was little chance of the government changing its decision to keep isolation requirements for fully vaccinated people in England until August. | Kwarteng also suggested there was little chance of the government changing its decision to keep isolation requirements for fully vaccinated people in England until August. |
| Here is the agenda for the day. | Here is the agenda for the day. |
| 9.30am: Thérèse Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, gives evidence to the Commons work and pensions committee. | 9.30am: Thérèse Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, gives evidence to the Commons work and pensions committee. |
| 9.30am: Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, gives evidence to the Commons transport committee. | 9.30am: Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, gives evidence to the Commons transport committee. |
| 11am: The committee on standards in public life publishes a report on election finance rules. | 11am: The committee on standards in public life publishes a report on election finance rules. |
| 11.30am: Michael Mansfield QC, chairman of the People’s Covid Inquiry, which has been run by the Keep our NHS Public campaign, holds a press conference to publicise the inquiry’s interim findings. | 11.30am: Michael Mansfield QC, chairman of the People’s Covid Inquiry, which has been run by the Keep our NHS Public campaign, holds a press conference to publicise the inquiry’s interim findings. |
| 12pm: Boris Johnson faces Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs. | 12pm: Boris Johnson faces Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs. |
| 12pm: Voting closes in the election for the chairmanship of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee. Sir Graham Brady, the current chair, is facing a challenge from Heather Wheeler, a former minister seen as someone who would be less antagonistic towards No 10. | 12pm: Voting closes in the election for the chairmanship of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee. Sir Graham Brady, the current chair, is facing a challenge from Heather Wheeler, a former minister seen as someone who would be less antagonistic towards No 10. |
| 2.30pm: Liz Truss, the international trade secretary, gives evidence to the Commons international trade committee. | 2.30pm: Liz Truss, the international trade secretary, gives evidence to the Commons international trade committee. |
| 3.30pm: Johnson gives evidence to the Commons liaison committee. He will face questions on Covid, Brexit and Cop26. | 3.30pm: Johnson gives evidence to the Commons liaison committee. He will face questions on Covid, Brexit and Cop26. |
| Politics Live has been a mix of Covid and non-Covid news recently and that will probably be the case today. For more coronavirus developments, do follow our global Covid live blog. | Politics Live has been a mix of Covid and non-Covid news recently and that will probably be the case today. For more coronavirus developments, do follow our global Covid 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. |
| Alternatively, you can email me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com | Alternatively, you can email me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com |