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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 EnglandLatest updates: prime minister faces questions from liaison committee; Labour leader condemns Johnson’s ‘reckless’ unlocking in England
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?
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.
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?
Johnson says Germany is one of the better countries.
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.
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.
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.
Parish says there should be more food counsellors in embassies to advise the industry on opportunities.
Johnson says he agrees.
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.
Pete Wishart (SNP), chair of the Scottish affairs committee, goes next.
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.
Q: But you did say devolution was a “disaster”.
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.
Q: What are your top three achievements as minister for the union?
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.
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?
Wild horses would not keep me away, Johnson says.
Meg Hillier asks about housing in London.
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?
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.
Hillier says she is not against home ownership. She just thinks people cannot afford to buy.
Johnson says there has been a 50% increase in women on FTSE 100 boards in the last five years. That is encouraging, he says.
But Nokes says he cannot point to a single policy that will help the government build back in a more feminine or gender-neutral way.
Johnson says the pay gap is at an all-time low.
And he says all the top ambassador jobs in the Foreign Office are now held by women.
He complains Nokes would find fault whatever he was doing.
Jenkin says the committee’s job is to find fault so he can do things better.
Caroline Nokes (Con) goes again.
Q: What are you doing to build back better after the recovery in a more feminine and gender-neutral way?
Johnson says he wants to help everyone.
He says more women have benefited from furlough than men, “which is positive”.
Nokes says that is evidence that more women work in sectors where their jobs are vulnerable.
She also says the government has not published economic impact assessments for furlough.
Q: When will redundancy protection for new mothers happen, as promised by the government?
Johnson says he cannot say.
Jenkin asks Johnson to write to the committee with an answer to the question.
Back at the liaison committee Catherine McKinnell (Lab), chair of the petitions committee, asks which parents nurseries should prioritise if they have to turn children away because too many staff are off because of Covid.
Johnson says he hopes this phase of the crisis will not last long.
The UK has recorded 32,548 new coronavirus cases, and 33 further deaths, according to the latest update to the government’s dashboard. That is the highest daily total for new cases since January.The UK has recorded 32,548 new coronavirus cases, and 33 further deaths, according to the latest update to the government’s dashboard. That is the highest daily total for new cases since January.
Q: Shouldn’t there be a long-term plan for education, covering sport and wellbeing? Isn’t a longer school day worth supporting?Q: Shouldn’t there be a long-term plan for education, covering sport and wellbeing? Isn’t a longer school day worth supporting?
Johnson says they are looking at the evidence.Johnson says they are looking at the evidence.
Some of the evidence initially supported was not powerful enough, he says.Some of the evidence initially supported was not powerful enough, he says.
He seems to be referring to the submission from Sir Kevan Collins, the former education recovery commissioner, for a longer school day.He seems to be referring to the submission from Sir Kevan Collins, the former education recovery commissioner, for a longer school day.
But that does not mean this is not worth doing.But that does not mean this is not worth doing.
Robert Halfon (Con), the education committee chair, is asking the questions now.Robert Halfon (Con), the education committee chair, is asking the questions now.
Johnson says the move from bubbling to testing will enable them to keep more children in school.Johnson says the move from bubbling to testing will enable them to keep more children in school.
Stephen Timms (Lab), chair of the DWP committee, goes next.Stephen Timms (Lab), chair of the DWP committee, goes next.
Q: How do you respond to calls for the £20 per week universal credit uplift to be permanent?Q: How do you respond to calls for the £20 per week universal credit uplift to be permanent?
Johnson says other measures are in place to help the low paid.Johnson says other measures are in place to help the low paid.
But he says he wants to see a “strong, jobs-led recovery”.But he says he wants to see a “strong, jobs-led recovery”.
Q: If this cut goes ahead, unemployment support will be at its lowest level for 30 years. Half a million peope will be pushed into poverty. Can that be justified?Q: If this cut goes ahead, unemployment support will be at its lowest level for 30 years. Half a million peope will be pushed into poverty. Can that be justified?
Johnson says the answer is to get people into work. The UK has lower unemployment than most G7 countries.Johnson says the answer is to get people into work. The UK has lower unemployment than most G7 countries.
There are 2 million people still on furlough. But the problem is a shortage of labour, rather than a shortage of jobs.There are 2 million people still on furlough. But the problem is a shortage of labour, rather than a shortage of jobs.
He says he wants to get people into more higher-paid jobs.
Faced with a choice between higher welfare payments and more higher-paid jobs, he would go for the jobs.
Q: Will you review this?Q: Will you review this?
Johnson says they keep everything under review. But he says he has given the committee a “pretty clear steer” as to what his instincts are.Johnson says they keep everything under review. But he says he has given the committee a “pretty clear steer” as to what his instincts are.
Q: Prof Sir John Bell says if people can get out of isolating by testing, they will have an incentive to test.Q: Prof Sir John Bell says if people can get out of isolating by testing, they will have an incentive to test.
Johnson says they are moving towards using testing rather than isolation.Johnson says they are moving towards using testing rather than isolation.
Q: Before 16 August?Q: Before 16 August?
Johnson says that is the date they have, but they keep this under review.Johnson says that is the date they have, but they keep this under review.
Q: Will people have to isolate until 16 August even if they have had a negative test if they have been in contact with someone testing positive?Q: Will people have to isolate until 16 August even if they have had a negative test if they have been in contact with someone testing positive?
Johnson says they are asking people to follow the advice.Johnson says they are asking people to follow the advice.
Q: But why?Q: But why?
Johnson says this is a highly contagious disease.Johnson says this is a highly contagious disease.
Clark says they could end up with 5 million people isolating.Clark says they could end up with 5 million people isolating.
Greg Clark (Con), chair of the science committee, goes next.
Q: Why can’t people who are fully vaccinated return from amber list countries without having to quarantine? And will the government stop telling people not to travel to amber countries?
Johnson says Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, is due to make an announcement tomorrow. He urges Clark to contain his impatience.
Meg Hillier (Lab), chair of the public accounts committee, asks how the government will make up for the lost revenue from fuel tax as people consume less carbon.
Johnson says he would not like to see other fuel bills go up.
Q: So where will the money come from? The government could lose £37bn?
Jenkin suggests a major statement from the chancellor on this.
Johnson says the chancellor makes lots of statements.
Tom Tugendhat (Con), chair of the foreign affairs committee, goes next.
Q: At the G7 you did not get our six closest allies to abandon investment in coal production. How will you get China to do this?
Johnson says the UK has to engage with China.
Q: Why did you not call in the Chinese purchase of Newport Wafer Fab?
Johnson says he has asked the national security adviser to look at this again.
He says they have to judge whether there are real national security implications.
Caroline Nokes (Con), chair of the women and equalities committee, goes next.
Q: Will there be any gender-specific commitments from Cop26.
Johnson says Cop26 will benefit everyone. Tackling climate change will help tackle inequality, and that will help women, he says.
Q: Will the cuts to aid help women?
Johnson says the government has put more money into women’s education.
Clive Betts (Lab), chair of the housing committee, goes next.
Q: Where can we read the government’s plan to get to net zero?
Johnson says he does not accept Betts’ claim there has been minimal progress.
Betts says he was talking about minimal progress in the last few years.
Johnson says decarbonising homes is very difficult. The government is working on this with the market, he says.
But it would be unreasonable for people to be faced with unreasonable costs for something like a heat pump.
Q: Last year just 38,000 heat pumps installed. But by 2033 everyone will need one, or a hydrogen boiler, which does not exist.
Johnson says heat pumps cost about £10,000. He says the government can meet this target. But at the moment the price is too high, he says.
Q: We were shocked to see reports of Amazon destroying unsold computers. What will you do about this?
Johnson says he was shocked by this, although he says Amazon has denied the story as reported.
At the G7 they got an agreement to set a minimum level of tax for companies like Amazon, he says.
Johnson says, when the UK took over running Cop26, only 30% of the world was committed to net zero by 2050. Now it is 70%, he says.
This is from my colleague Peter Walker.
And this is from the Daily Mail’s Jason Groves.
Q: Why do you rarely correct the record when you say wrong things in parliament?
Johnson asks for examples.
Bryant says there are many examples.
Johnson turns to the Brexit £350m claim. He starts defending it.
Johnson refuses to accept claim he often misleads parliament.
Bryant asks Johnson if he sacked Matt Hancock.
Johnson carries on defending the £350m figure.
Bryant asks again about Hancock,
On Hancock, Johnson says he read about the Hancock story on the Friday and there was a new health secretary on a Saturday. That was “quite fast going”, he claims.
Bryant says there are four different registers for MPs and ministers to comply with.
And he asks why Johnson has not registered everything in connection with his ministerial flat.
Johnson does not accept that. He says he has registered everything necessary.