The travel industry has called on the government to end "confusion" over summer holiday travel plans, after Spain was removed from the UK's quarantine exemption list over the weekend.
Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, described the move as an "error", saying that most areas in Spain currently have a lower incidence of coronavirus than the UK.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have told Boris Johnson that an inquiry into the government's handling of the pandemic should start immediately, so that lessons can be learned ahead of a possible second wave of the virus.
It came as Britain's oldest independent economic research group urged Rishi Sunak not to end the furlough scheme in October, calculating that doing so will see unemployment rise to 10 per cent this year - a rate not seen since 1993.
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research warned the Chancellor's current plans are a "mistake", reasoning that the relatively small cost of extending the job retention scheme may pay for itself by preventing a rise in long-term unemployment.
The researchers cautioned that the UK's economic outlook is "critically" dependent on effective government policy, as a report by MPs on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee warned hundreds of billions of pounds of taxpayers' money could be wasted on "white elephant" infrastructure projects as part of the prime minister's "levelling up" plans.
Hundreds of billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money could be spent on white elephants as part of Boris Johnson’s “levelling up” plans, MPs have warned.
::To view our account of how the day unfolded, please allow a moment for the liveblog to load below::
Boris Johnson announces cycling initiatives
Boris Johnson will try to boost the number of people cycling in the UK by promising cycle lessons and thousands of miles of new bike lanes, writes Kate Devlin.
Active travel will also be encouraged by making bikes available on the NHS and by offering £50 vouchers towards bike repairs.
This comes as the government launched its anti-obesity campaign on Monday.
Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, said this was a “once in a lifetime opportunity to create a shift in attitudes for generations to come”.
Government told to rectify holiday 'confusion'
Holiday firms have told the government to sort out the "confusion" over summer holiday travel plans, after the Balearic and Canary Islands were added to a list of places that should only be visited for essential travel.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) new travel advice is in line with its existing recommendations for mainland Spain, which has seen a surge in new coronavirus infections.
After a surprise announcement by the government on Saturday, travellers returning from Spain must self-isolate for 14 days.
Holiday firm TUI has now cancelled all its holidays to mainland Spain and the Balearic and Canary Islands.
The company said: "The UK Government must work closely with the travel industry as this level of uncertainty and confusion is damaging for business and disappointing for those looking forward to a well-deserved break."
Billions could be wasted on infrastructure projects, MPs warn
Hundreds of billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money could be spent on white elephants as part of Boris Johnson’s “levelling up” plans, MPs have warned.
In a report published on Tuesday, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee warned that a significant amount of money would be wasted on infrastructure projects unless there was better transparency, coordination and performance tracking.
William Wragg, the Conservative MP who chairs the committee, said that developing these projects “must not become an end in itself”.
Many Tory MPs have concerns over large-scale initiatives such as the much-delayed HS2 Crossrail in London and the HS2 railway.
Government ‘too slow’ to repatriate Brits during pandemic, inquiry finds
A parliamentary inquiry has found that cost cutting was partly responsible for the delay in rescuing Britons stranded abroad by the coronavirus pandemic, writes Andrew Woodcock.
A cross-party committee report described the government’s assistance operation as “too slow”, saying it relied too heavily on people booking their own flights home.
The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said some travellers faced a lack of “empathy and compassion” and had to contend with "misleading and outdated" advice.
As part of the inquiry, 1,250 travellers gave their accounts of the repatriation process to the committee.
Government asks for 'sensible and compassionate' approach to those self-isolating
The government has urged employers to implement "sensible steps" to support those who need to self-isolate after returning from travels abroad.
The message comes the day after people returning from Spain had to go into quarantine for 14 days, following the removal of the travel corridor between the UK and Spain over the weekend.
Local government minister Simon Clarke told BBC Breakfast: "We all feel deeply for everyone who's been affected by this.
"We very strongly encourage employers to take a sensible and compassionate approach to people who find themselves in this situation."
He added that those in need would find a "safety net" in the form of the new employment support allowance or Universal Credit.
Spanish PM criticises UK government’s quarantine decision
Pedro Sanchez has described the British government’s move to impose a blanket quarantine on Britons returning from Spain as an “error”.
Speaking to the Spanish television network Telecinco, Spain’s prime minister said the surge in Covid-19 cases in the country is centred on two regions, Catalonia and Aragon.
"In most of Spain, the incidence is very much inferior to even the numbers registered in the United Kingdom,” he added.
Under the new travel regulations, holidaymakers returning to the UK from Spain are required to go into self-isolation for two weeks, with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office warning against all but essential travel to the country.
Holidaymakers told to be aware of possible quarantine upon return
People who travel overseas should do so in the knowledge they may be asked to go into quarantine upon their return to the UK, ministers have said.
Simon Clarke, the local government minister, said that the government had to act to prevent the risk of coronavirus cases being brought into the country from abroad.
"By all means go on holiday, but understand that there is a chance that you might be asked to self-isolate on your return," he said.
His comments follow the government's announcement on Saturday that tourists returning from Spain would have to self-isolate for 14 days.
The abrupt move led to complaints from tourists and travel firms alike, who expressed their disappointment at the decision.
Majority of Britons do not trust government’s coronavirus advice
A new poll has suggested that more than half of the UK does not trust the government’s coronavirus advice during its relaxation of lockdown, writes Peter Stubley.
The joint survey by King’s College London and Ipsos Mori discovered that 52 per cent of people aged between 16 and 75 were sceptical about the advice.
The poll also showed that 42 per cent of those surveyed believed Boris Johnson’s government had handled the coronavirus badly, while 36 per cent thought they had handled it well.
Government ‘dragging feet’ on anti-racism strategy, says EHRC boss
The government is failing to take action against racism and is instead dragging its feet” on the issue, according to the head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
David Isaac, who will leave his role next week, told the BBC that the government was failing to treat the problem as a top priority.
“I do believe the government is dragging its feet. They seek to understand it [racism] but are they taking action and is this a top priority? I don’t believe so,” Mr Isaac said.
After saying that the time for recommendations was over, he added: “A coherent race strategy is a top priority and I call upon the government to act urgently.”
My colleague Adam Forrest has more on the story here:
Bike repairs voucher scheme to be launched just before midnight
The government’s delayed bike repairs scheme will start shortly before midnight on Tuesday, allowing people in England with an unused bike to get £50 off a service.
The £25 million initiative, which will give up to half a million vouchers away, aims to “drag bikes out of retirement” to encourage an alternative to cars and public transport.
Customers can register their details on the Department of Transport website, with vouchers available from 11.45 pm on Tuesday.
The scheme was originally supposed to be launched in June.
Suspicious object left outside Sinn Fein office was hoax, police say
Police in Northern Island have said that a suspicious object left outside a Sinn Fein office in Belfast was a hoax, after bomb experts were called to the scene.
West Belfast MP Paul Maskey criticised those responsible for leaving the object outside the building on Monday evening.
A spokesman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said that the suspect device was reported to the force at around 10.15pm.
Inspector Robert Jeffers said: "Thank you to the local community and anyone who was impacted last night as we dealt with the incident."
Hockney calls Johnson ‘bossy-boots’ over obesity campaign
David Hockney has criticised the prime minister over the government’s campaign to address the country’s obesity problem, calling Boris Johnson “bossy-boots”.
In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, the 83-year-old artist hit out at the plans, which include banning junk food adverts before 9pm on television.
"If no-one smokes, eats chocolate or butter, cheese and bacon, they might live to be 104. Call that living?” Mr Hockney grumbled.
The artist also took aim at Matt Hancock in his letter, while referring to the health secretary's remark that the NHS would save more than £100 million in five years if every overweight person were to lose five pounds.
PM says there are signs of second wave in Europe
The prime minister has said that Europe is showing signs of a second wave of coronavirus, as he defended his government’s decision to remove the UK’s travel corridor with Spain.
Boris Johnson said that “swift and decisive action” was needed when risks appeared.
"Let's be absolutely clear about what's happening in Europe, amongst some of our European friends, I'm afraid you are starting to see in some places the signs of a second wave of the pandemic,” he said.
Echoing the words of local government minister Simon Clarke earlier on Tuesday, Mr Johnson added that people would have to weigh up the risk of travelling abroad during the pandemic.
Public coronavirus inquiry should start immediately, Lib Dems say
The Liberal Democrats have called for an immediate public inquiry into the government's handling of the pandemic, saying that the country must learn its mistakes before a possible second wave.
Acting leader Sir Ed Davey has written to the prime minister suggesting that Martin Forde QC, who advised the government on the Windrush compensation scheme, should be in charge of the inquiry.
"The Prime Minister confirmed to me weeks ago that there would be an independent inquiry, but we have seen no action from the Government since," Mr Davey said.
The Liberal Democrat leader added that a second wave "could be even more deadly and damaging than the first".
Government could give further quarantine orders, PM says
Boris Johnson has suggested that further European countries could be removed from the UK’s quarantine exemption list if cases on the continent surge.
His comments came three days after the government announced that it was imposing a two-week period of self-isolation on travellers returning from Spain, after an increase in the number of infections there.
Mr Johnson said on Tuesday: "It's vital that when people are coming back from abroad, if they are coming back from a place where I'm afraid there is another outbreak, they must go into quarantine.”
"That's why we have taken the action that we have and we will continue, throughout the summer, to take such action where it is necessary,” he added.
UK should be 'vigilant' against risk of second wave, PM says
The country must be “vigilant” against the threat posed by a second wave of coronavirus, the prime minister has said.
Speaking in Nottingham on Tuesday, Boris Johnson said that the top priority was for people to “heed the advice” before restrictions can be eased.
The prime minister expressed also his sympathy for leaders in Leicester, the first place in the UK to go into a local lockdown.
Referring to lockdown measures in Leicester, he said: "Where you can do local easing, local easements, then of course you should but we'll see what the review says.”
A peer has been warned he could face “severe sanctions” if he does not continue with specialist training following complaints about harassment.
The Lords Conduct Committee has told Lord Stone of Blackheath to carry on with “bespoke training and behaviour coaching sessions” and warned further breaches of the parliamentary behaviour code could lead to a “much more severe sanction”.
The former Labour peer was suspended by his party in October over allegations he sexually harassed parliamentary staff.
The Lords Commissioner for Standards, Lucy Scott-Moncrieff, upheld four complaints about the conduct of Lord Stone, a former joint managing director of Marks and Spencer, in October.
They included allegations of unwanted physical contact, personal remarks about the appearance of female staff and transphobic comments.
The Lords Conduct Committee has said it supports Ms Scott-Moncrieff's recommendation that Lord Stone continue to take part in the behaviour change training and that it should be adapted to reflect the specific aspects of the complaints against him.
A spokesperson for the committee said: “We have also made clear that if Lord Stone were to commit further similar breaches of the code in the future, the committee would be inclined to apply a much more severe sanction.”
The UK government is facing growing pressure over its imposition of a blanket quarantine on travellers returning from Spain after Germany issued advice to its nationals only to avoid areas experiencing coronavirus spikes.
The advice from the German government does not restrict travel to the Balearic and Canary Islands, where infection rates are actually lower than in the UK and Germany.
Our political editor, Andrew Woodcock, has the full story below:
Acting Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said it is “extremely worrying” that Boris Johnson has not acted upon the risk of a second wave of coronavirus in the UK.
Sir Ed’s comments came after the prime minister warned parts of Europe were showing signs of a second wave of the pandemic.
“The prime minister is right... to warn that some countries face the possibility of a second wave of coronavirus,” the Lib Dem leader said.
“However, it is extremely worrying that he has not acknowledged or acted upon the risk of a second wave here in the UK.”
Sir Ed added: “Yesterday, I met with families who had lost loved ones due to Covid-19. Many just want the prime minister to start an independent inquiry immediately, so that the government does not make the same mistakes that cost so many lives earlier this year.
“Back in March, as the coronavirus wreaked havoc across Spain and Italy, Boris Johnson acted too slowly.
“The UK was not immune and it still is not. That is why the prime minister must take immediate action and begin an independent inquiry, so that we have learned the lessons should there be a second wave of the virus.”
PM tells motorists to be 'courteous' towards cyclists
Boris Johnson has encouraged drivers to be "courteous" towards cyclists on the day that he launched a package aimed at promoting active travel.
Motorists should understand that they will be "sharing the roads" with cyclists, the prime minister said.
As part of the government initiative, bikes will be available on the NHS and £50 vouchers towards bike repairs will be given out from Tuesday evening.
People can claim the scheme's first 50,000 vouchers from 11.45pm at https://fixyourbikevoucherscheme.est.org.uk/ .
GPs will be urged to prescribe cycling in areas of poor health in England, with bikes set to be accessible though local surgeries.
