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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jul/07/uk-covid-live-minister-isolation-rules-fully-vaccinated-august-boris-johnson-coronavirus-latest
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| UK Covid live: Boris Johnson signals he favours longer school day to help pupils catch up | UK Covid live: Boris Johnson signals he favours longer school day to help pupils catch up |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Latest updates: prime minister faces questions from liaison committee; Labour leader condemns Johnson’s ‘reckless’ unlocking in England | Latest updates: prime minister faces questions from liaison committee; Labour leader condemns Johnson’s ‘reckless’ unlocking in England |
| Boris Johnson has signalled that he favours an extension of the school day in England to help pupils catch up after Covid. (See 4.34pm.) He made the comments in evidence to the Commons liaison committee in which he defended the government’s Covid policy, while not totally ruling out bringing forward from 16 August the date at which fully vaccinated people will no longer have to isolate if they have been in contact with someone testing positive. (See 4.20pm.) | |
| The country faces a “summer of chaos and confusion” amid spiralling Covid infection rates because Boris Johnson has buckled to pressure from his MPs and is reopening the economy in a reckless way, Keir Starmer has told MPs. | |
| Johnson has declined to apologise to a Labour MP who condemned the “absolute disgrace” of ministers defending Dominic Cummings’ breach of lockdown rules, while other people missed the funerals and last moments of loved ones. | |
| Johnson’s decision to lift a vast swath of Covid restrictions on 19 July is “a very dangerous experiment” that will disproportionately affect a host of people already susceptible to coronavirus, according to experts involved in the People’s Covid Inquiry. | |
| As England moves towards an anticipated “big bang” lifting of coronavirus restrictions on 19 July, a senior World Health Organization official has warned countries to lift their Covid-19 restrictions slowly so as “not to lose the gains that [they] have made”. | |
| Johnson’s plan to scrap most of England’s Covid-19 restrictions has prompted alarm, wariness and perhaps even a hint of envy around the world. | |
| England’s current five Covid hotspots are home to some of the largest student populations as the Delta variant rips through young, largely unvaccinated communities. | |
| The work and pensions minister, Thérèse Coffey, has confirmed that the pandemic universal credit uplift of £20 a week will be withdrawn as planned at the end of September despite widespread public and cross-party opposition to the move. | |
| That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here. | |
| The Covid-19 Actuaries Response Group has posted a disheartening Twitter thread about hospital admissions in Engtland. It starts here. | |
| And this is how it ends. | |
| Sir Bill Cash (Con), chair of the European scrutiny committee, asked the final set of questions. | Sir Bill Cash (Con), chair of the European scrutiny committee, asked the final set of questions. |
| Q: Do we need more sensible decisions from the EU? | Q: Do we need more sensible decisions from the EU? |
| Yes, said Johnson. He said the three-month extension of the grace period for chilled meats was just a “stay of execution”. | Yes, said Johnson. He said the three-month extension of the grace period for chilled meats was just a “stay of execution”. |
| He said the UK agreed the protocol as an act of neighbourliness with the EU. But unfortunately the UK also agreed to give the EU a say in how it operates, he said. | He said the UK agreed the protocol as an act of neighbourliness with the EU. But unfortunately the UK also agreed to give the EU a say in how it operates, he said. |
| As an example of problems with the Northern Ireland protocal, Johnson says Asda goods have to be checked going from Britain to Northern Ireland, even though there are no Asda stores in Ireland (and hence no risk of those goods crossing the border into Ireland). | As an example of problems with the Northern Ireland protocal, Johnson says Asda goods have to be checked going from Britain to Northern Ireland, even though there are no Asda stores in Ireland (and hence no risk of those goods crossing the border into Ireland). |
| He also says only yesterday he heard Jews complaining about the difficulty of obtaining kosher food now in Northern Ireland because of the protocol. Some Jews are thinking of leaving as a result, he says. | He also says only yesterday he heard Jews complaining about the difficulty of obtaining kosher food now in Northern Ireland because of the protocol. Some Jews are thinking of leaving as a result, he says. |
| I have updated some of the earlier posts with full quotes from Boris Johnson’s evidence to the committee. You may need to refresh the page to get the updates to appear. | I have updated some of the earlier posts with full quotes from Boris Johnson’s evidence to the committee. You may need to refresh the page to get the updates to appear. |
| Simon Hoare (Con), chair of the Northern Ireland affairs committee, goes next. | Simon Hoare (Con), chair of the Northern Ireland affairs committee, goes next. |
| Q: There are people in Northern Ireland who want to hear you affirm your support for the union. Will you? | Q: There are people in Northern Ireland who want to hear you affirm your support for the union. Will you? |
| Yes, says Johnson. He points out that Pete Wishart called him an unthinking unionist. Johnson says he would prefer to see himself as a passionate unionist. | Yes, says Johnson. He points out that Pete Wishart called him an unthinking unionist. Johnson says he would prefer to see himself as a passionate unionist. |
| He says the Northern Ireland protocol is not a threat to the union. But there is a problem in the way it is being applied, he says. | He says the Northern Ireland protocol is not a threat to the union. But there is a problem in the way it is being applied, he says. |
| Sir Bernard Jenkin asks the PM to send the committee a note saying how much higher hospital admissions would be if isolation for fully vaccinated people ended on 19 July, not 16 August. Johnson says he will respond. | Sir Bernard Jenkin asks the PM to send the committee a note saying how much higher hospital admissions would be if isolation for fully vaccinated people ended on 19 July, not 16 August. Johnson says he will respond. |
| Q: Did you raise with Germany the case for a visa-waiver for musicians wanting go tour in the EU? | Q: Did you raise with Germany the case for a visa-waiver for musicians wanting go tour in the EU? |
| Johnson says Germany is one of the better countries. | Johnson says Germany is one of the better countries. |
| He says they are making progress on this. | He says they are making progress on this. |
| But he says a visa-waiver would be problematic, because it would be hard to know where to draw the line. He says Bernard Jenkin campaigned for Brexit. | But he says a visa-waiver would be problematic, because it would be hard to know where to draw the line. He says Bernard Jenkin campaigned for Brexit. |
| Johnson claims it is in the EU’s interests to sort this out, because they gain from these exchanges too. | Johnson claims it is in the EU’s interests to sort this out, because they gain from these exchanges too. |
| Jenkin says the UK is losing talent as a result. | Jenkin says the UK is losing talent as a result. |
| Neil Parish (Con), chair of the environment committee, asks about trade deals. He calls for more trade officials in embassies abroad. | Neil Parish (Con), chair of the environment committee, asks about trade deals. He calls for more trade officials in embassies abroad. |
| Johnson says he loves Parish’s attitudes. And Scottish beef can benefit too, he tells Pete Wishart. | Johnson says he loves Parish’s attitudes. And Scottish beef can benefit too, he tells Pete Wishart. |
| Parish says there should be more food counsellors in embassies to advise the industry on opportunities. | Parish says there should be more food counsellors in embassies to advise the industry on opportunities. |
| Johnson says he agrees. | Johnson says he agrees. |
| Q: Will you put resources in to make sure embassies have these people? | Q: Will you put resources in to make sure embassies have these people? |
| Johnson says in more than 100 embassies there are people doing these jobs. | Johnson says in more than 100 embassies there are people doing these jobs. |
| Pete Wishart (SNP), chair of the Scottish affairs committee, goes next. | Pete Wishart (SNP), chair of the Scottish affairs committee, goes next. |
| He asks about Dominic Cummings’ claim that Johnson does not support devolution. | He asks about Dominic Cummings’ claim that Johnson does not support devolution. |
| Johnson says that is not true. He was a beneficiary of devolution, he says. He became mayor of London. And in that job he did not spend his time attacking central government. | Johnson says that is not true. He was a beneficiary of devolution, he says. He became mayor of London. And in that job he did not spend his time attacking central government. |
| Q: But you did say devolution was a “disaster”. | Q: But you did say devolution was a “disaster”. |
| Johnson says he thinks aspects of how the SNP has government have been disastrous. | Johnson says he thinks aspects of how the SNP has government have been disastrous. |
| He wants Scotland to be brilliantly governed, he says. But it is not happening. | He wants Scotland to be brilliantly governed, he says. But it is not happening. |
| Q: What are your top three achievements as minister for the union? | Q: What are your top three achievements as minister for the union? |
| Johnson says it would be invidious to list them. | Johnson says it would be invidious to list them. |
| Then he cites the role of the army in the vaccine rollout, and he says the vaccine roll was a success. | Then he cites the role of the army in the vaccine rollout, and he says the vaccine roll was a success. |
| Testing has been a success too, he says. He visited a centre in Glasgow where they were testing samples from Kent. | Testing has been a success too, he says. He visited a centre in Glasgow where they were testing samples from Kent. |
| Q: Will you come back to Scotland for a holiday this summer? | Q: Will you come back to Scotland for a holiday this summer? |
| Wild horses would not keep me away, Johnson says. | Wild horses would not keep me away, Johnson says. |
| Meg Hillier asks about housing in London. | Meg Hillier asks about housing in London. |
| Johnson start to attack Sadiq Khan’s record. | Johnson start to attack Sadiq Khan’s record. |
| Hillier cuts him off. As mayor, Johnson defined affordable homes as those with rents at 80% of the private level. Does he know what that level is? | Hillier cuts him off. As mayor, Johnson defined affordable homes as those with rents at 80% of the private level. Does he know what that level is? |
| Johnson says as mayor he built more homes than were built under Labour. | Johnson says as mayor he built more homes than were built under Labour. |
| He says he support social housing. But he thinks people want to own their own homes. | He says he support social housing. But he thinks people want to own their own homes. |
| Hillier says she is not against home ownership. She just thinks people cannot afford to buy. | Hillier says she is not against home ownership. She just thinks people cannot afford to buy. |