Housing secretary Robert Jenrick bowed to pressure from Labour to release documents about his approval of a £1bn property development involving recent Tory donor Richard Desmond.
The 129-page bundle included text messages between the pair about the decision which allowed Mr Desmond to avoid making a £45m payment to the local council. Two weeks later Mr Desmond gave the Conservative Party £12,000.
Meanwhile Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer claimed that Boris Johnson “has been found out” at PMQs, alleging he “either dodges the question or gives dodgy answers”, after the Children’s Commissioner’s office labelled the prime minister’s child poverty claims the week prior “mostly false” and “simply false”.
It came as Mr Johnson – a day after taking significant steps to ease England’s lockdown and scrapping the daily Downing Street briefing – was urged to publish a “transparent” and “forward-looking” review by October into whether the UK is prepared for the “real risk” of a second wave of coronavirus, in an open letter by 16 prominent health leaders.
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Priti Patel pledges to implement Windrush scandal review's recommendations 'in full'
The home secretary has promised that all 30 recommendations of the review into the Windrush Scandal will be implemented by the Home Office, and said she will speak to the report's author Wendy Williams this week about realising the Lessons Learned Review recommendations in full.
In a Commons statement, Ms Patel said: "I was clear when Wendy Williams published her Lessons Learned Review that I would listen and I would act. I have heard what she has said and I will be accepting the recommendations she has made in full.
"I am committed to ensuring that the Home Office delivers for each part of the community it serves and I will come back to update the House on how we will be implementing the recommendations before the summer recess."
She added: "My determination to right the wrongs and the injustices suffered by the Windrush generation is undiminished and I will do all I can to make sure that more people are helped and more people are compensated in full. And if additional resources are needed, they will be provided."
The review, which was published in March, was critical of the "hostile environment" policy operated by successive governments to tackle illegal immigration. Ms Williams' report concluded that the Home Office had shown "ignorance and thoughtlessness" on the issue of race when some people were incorrectly told that they did not have the right to be in Britain.
The Williams report made 30 recommendations, including that the government should host a programme of reconciliation events with members of the Windrush generation, ensure that Home Office staff undertake a comprehensive programme covering the history of the UK and its colonial history, and appoint a Migrants' Commission who would be responsible for speaking up for migrants and those affected by the system.
The home secretary has promised that all 30 recommendations of the review into the Windrush Scandal will be implemented by the Home Office, and said she will speak to the report's author Wendy Williams this week about realising the Lessons Learned Review recommendations in full.
In a Commons statement, Ms Patel said: "I was clear when Wendy Williams published her Lessons Learned Review that I would listen and I would act. I have heard what she has said and I will be accepting the recommendations she has made in full.
"I am committed to ensuring that the Home Office delivers for each part of the community it serves and I will come back to update the House on how we will be implementing the recommendations before the summer recess."
She added: "My determination to right the wrongs and the injustices suffered by the Windrush generation is undiminished and I will do all I can to make sure that more people are helped and more people are compensated in full. And if additional resources are needed, they will be provided."
The review, which was published in March, was critical of the "hostile environment" policy operated by successive governments to tackle illegal immigration. Ms Williams' report concluded that the Home Office had shown "ignorance and thoughtlessness" on the issue of race when some people were incorrectly told that they did not have the right to be in Britain.
The Williams report made 30 recommendations, including that the government should host a programme of reconciliation events with members of the Windrush generation, ensure that Home Office staff undertake a comprehensive programme covering the history of the UK and its colonial history, and appoint a Migrants' Commission who would be responsible for speaking up for migrants and those affected by the system.
'Extraordinarily risky' to lift lockdown measures now, warns ex-chief scientific adviser, cautioning move risks second wave
Lifting lockdown measures now risks a second wave during the winter, former chief scientific adviser Sir David King has warned, saying: “I think it’s extraordinarily risky.
“If we take the long view we know that the winter is a likely period when the virus takes off again. We must therefore aim to completely get rid of the virus from this country before the winter.”
His warning came a day after Boris Johnson announced that pubs and restaurants will reopen on 4 July, and that the two-metre rule will be eased.
“If we move too quickly, which is what I think is being proposed here, the risk of running into a second wave becomes very significant,” Sir David told Sky News.
“If we take the long view we know that the winter is a likely period when the virus takes off again. We must therefore aim to completely get rid of the virus from this country before the winter.”
His warning came a day after Boris Johnson announced that pubs and restaurants will reopen on 4 July, and that the two-metre rule will be eased.
“If we move too quickly, which is what I think is being proposed here, the risk of running into a second wave becomes very significant,” Sir David told Sky News.
MPs oppose Commons debates on bullying and harassment complaints against them
Bullying and harassment complaints against MPs will not be debated in the House of Commons after a controversial proposal was amended, Richard Wheeler, Sophie Morris and Lewis McKenzie report.
MPs voted by 243 votes to 238, majority five, in favour of Labour former minister Chris Bryant’s amendment, which ruled out debating complaints against them in the chamber.
Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg had tabled a motion to establish an independent expert panel to determine complaints of bullying or harassment under the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS).
Part of the motion would have enabled a constrained debate to take place, but it raised fears that complainants could be “re-victimised” if MPs were given the chance to speak about the case in public and stop victims coming forward.
An independent complaints process was developed following a major report on bullying and harassment in the House of Commons by Dame Laura Cox, who also expressed concerns about the possibility of allowing debates.
MPs voted by 243 votes to 238, majority five, in favour of Labour former minister Chris Bryant’s amendment, which ruled out debating complaints against them in the chamber.
Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg had tabled a motion to establish an independent expert panel to determine complaints of bullying or harassment under the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS).
Part of the motion would have enabled a constrained debate to take place, but it raised fears that complainants could be “re-victimised” if MPs were given the chance to speak about the case in public and stop victims coming forward.
An independent complaints process was developed following a major report on bullying and harassment in the House of Commons by Dame Laura Cox, who also expressed concerns about the possibility of allowing debates.
MPs on the home affairs committee will today question the National Police Chiefs' Council chair over the disproportionate targeting of black people and ethnic minorities.
Chris Whitty says he expects UK to remain at 'significant' levels until the spring of 2021 at least
The public has been urged by Boris Johnson and his chief scientific advisers to proceed with caution despite the reopening of pubs and restaurants from 4 July, Andrew Woodcock reports.
Announcing relaxations to lockdown rules in the Commons, the prime minister said “our long national hibernation” was over and agreed with a Tory MP who said people should “do their patriotic best for Britain” by going to pub as they reopen.
But at the daily Downing Street briefing later, chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance warned that the PM’s package – which will also see hotels open, friends and families allowed to meet in their own homes and the two-metre social distancing rule cut to a minimum of one – was “not risk-free”.
And chief medical officer Chris Whitty predicted that Covid-19 would still be circulating at “significant” levels at least until the spring of 2021.
Both stressed that two metres remains the general rule for social contacts outside of the home, and that people should approach more closely only if they have taken mitigating steps like wearing face coverings, sitting side by side and keeping interactions brief.
The public has been urged by Boris Johnson and his chief scientific advisers to proceed with caution despite the reopening of pubs and restaurants from 4 July, Andrew Woodcock reports.
Announcing relaxations to lockdown rules in the Commons, the prime minister said “our long national hibernation” was over and agreed with a Tory MP who said people should “do their patriotic best for Britain” by going to pub as they reopen.
But at the daily Downing Street briefing later, chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance warned that the PM’s package – which will also see hotels open, friends and families allowed to meet in their own homes and the two-metre social distancing rule cut to a minimum of one – was “not risk-free”.
And chief medical officer Chris Whitty predicted that Covid-19 would still be circulating at “significant” levels at least until the spring of 2021.
Both stressed that two metres remains the general rule for social contacts outside of the home, and that people should approach more closely only if they have taken mitigating steps like wearing face coverings, sitting side by side and keeping interactions brief.
Health leaders urge UK nations to review readiness for second wave
Writing in the BMJ, 16 health leaders - including the presidents of the Royal Colleges of Physicians, Nursing, GPs and Surgeons, and the editors of the BMA, BMJ and The Lancet - have called on the four UK governments to urgently review their preparedness for a second wave of coronavirus, by October.
They call for the review to be "forward-looking" rather than attribute blame, and to focus on:
- Governance, including parliamentary scrutiny and involvement of regional and local structures and leaders
- Procurement of goods and services
- Coordination of existing structures, in a way designed to optimise the establishment of effective public health and communicable disease control infrastructure, the resilience of the NHS as a whole, and the shielding of vulnerable individuals and communities
- The disproportionate burden on black, Asian, and minority ethnic individuals and communities
- International collaboration, especially to mitigate any new difficulties in pandemic management due to Brexit
Writing in the BMJ, 16 health leaders - including the presidents of the Royal Colleges of Physicians, Nursing, GPs and Surgeons, and the editors of the BMA, BMJ and The Lancet - have called on the four UK governments to urgently review their preparedness for a second wave of coronavirus, by October.
They call for the review to be "forward-looking" rather than attribute blame, and to focus on:
- Governance, including parliamentary scrutiny and involvement of regional and local structures and leaders
- Procurement of goods and services
- Coordination of existing structures, in a way designed to optimise the establishment of effective public health and communicable disease control infrastructure, the resilience of the NHS as a whole, and the shielding of vulnerable individuals and communities
- The disproportionate burden on black, Asian, and minority ethnic individuals and communities
- International collaboration, especially to mitigate any new difficulties in pandemic management due to Brexit
Government faces further challenge over complicity in property development involving Tory donor
Labour is to attempt to force the Government to release all documents relating to a controversial approval by housing secretary Robert Jenrick for a major property development involving a Tory Party donor.
The party said that it would use an opposition day debate in the Commons on Wednesday to stage a vote requiring the government to release all correspondence involving ministers and their special advisers concerning the Westferry Printworks Development in east London.
With a Conservative majority of 80, the government is unlikely to be defeated, but it represents a further opportunity for the opposition to press Mr Jenrick - who denies any impropriety - over an issue which will not go away.
The housing secretary has faced accusations of "cash or favours" after it emerged the developer, former Daily Express owner Richard Desmond, had personally given the Conservative Party £12,000 two weeks after the scheme for 1,500 homes was approved.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday's debate, shadow communities secretary Steve Reed said: "The Secretary of State has admitted he knew his unlawful, biased decision to approve Richard Desmond's property deal would save the Conservative Party donor up to £150 million, but there are still far too many questions left unanswered.
"It is essential the Government maintains public trust during the coronavirus crisis. Dominic Cummings and now Westferry have severely tested this - the Government's moral authority hangs by a thread. If the Secretary of State has nothing to hide then he has nothing to fear from publishing these documents."
PA
Labour is to attempt to force the Government to release all documents relating to a controversial approval by housing secretary Robert Jenrick for a major property development involving a Tory Party donor.
The party said that it would use an opposition day debate in the Commons on Wednesday to stage a vote requiring the government to release all correspondence involving ministers and their special advisers concerning the Westferry Printworks Development in east London.
With a Conservative majority of 80, the government is unlikely to be defeated, but it represents a further opportunity for the opposition to press Mr Jenrick - who denies any impropriety - over an issue which will not go away.
The housing secretary has faced accusations of "cash or favours" after it emerged the developer, former Daily Express owner Richard Desmond, had personally given the Conservative Party £12,000 two weeks after the scheme for 1,500 homes was approved.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday's debate, shadow communities secretary Steve Reed said: "The Secretary of State has admitted he knew his unlawful, biased decision to approve Richard Desmond's property deal would save the Conservative Party donor up to £150 million, but there are still far too many questions left unanswered.
"It is essential the Government maintains public trust during the coronavirus crisis. Dominic Cummings and now Westferry have severely tested this - the Government's moral authority hangs by a thread. If the Secretary of State has nothing to hide then he has nothing to fear from publishing these documents."
PA
Plans to ‘check in’ to pubs to be monitored by information commissioner over data fears
The information watchdog is monitoring plans to require pubs to keep a register of punters, amid fears personal data could be misused, Kate Devlin and Andrew Woodcock report.
The information will help track individuals in the event of an outbreak.
But critics have called for guarantees the data will not be shared more widely, and the industry itself has expressed concerns.
It is understood ministers are consulting on how businesses should record customer information to help support the new test and trace system to fight the global pandemic.
The information watchdog is monitoring plans to require pubs to keep a register of punters, amid fears personal data could be misused, Kate Devlin and Andrew Woodcock report.
The information will help track individuals in the event of an outbreak.
But critics have called for guarantees the data will not be shared more widely, and the industry itself has expressed concerns.
It is understood ministers are consulting on how businesses should record customer information to help support the new test and trace system to fight the global pandemic.
‘Gaping lack of oversight’: UK Border Force doesn’t know how many detention facilities it runs, says report
UK Border Force doesn’t know how many detention facilities it runs, according to a new report which also highlights that children and pregnant women are being held in poor conditions for “far too long”, our social affairs correspondent May Bulman reports.
An inspection by the prisons watchdog warns of an “alarming lack of oversight and accountability” in Britain’s short-term holding facilities, with staff telling inspectors they felt as though they had been “forgotten” and that there had no national guidance as to how they should be run.
The report — the first national inspection of UK Border Force-run short-term holding facilities, where newly arrived unauthorised migrants are held — warns of “inadequate oversight” of detention practices for children, with youngsters handcuffed and searched by adults of the opposite sex.
It found that some vulnerable detainees had been held for “far too long”, including one pregnant woman who was held for nearly 28 hours in Harwich, Essex, with “little meaningful engagement” beyond the offer of food and drink.
UK Border Force doesn’t know how many detention facilities it runs, according to a new report which also highlights that children and pregnant women are being held in poor conditions for “far too long”, our social affairs correspondent May Bulman reports.
An inspection by the prisons watchdog warns of an “alarming lack of oversight and accountability” in Britain’s short-term holding facilities, with staff telling inspectors they felt as though they had been “forgotten” and that there had no national guidance as to how they should be run.
The report — the first national inspection of UK Border Force-run short-term holding facilities, where newly arrived unauthorised migrants are held — warns of “inadequate oversight” of detention practices for children, with youngsters handcuffed and searched by adults of the opposite sex.
It found that some vulnerable detainees had been held for “far too long”, including one pregnant woman who was held for nearly 28 hours in Harwich, Essex, with “little meaningful engagement” beyond the offer of food and drink.
'Real teeth' to enforce rules on unsafe workplaces, business secretary says
Alok Sharma has insisted that protections are in place for staff who feel unsafe while working under the new "one metre-plus" restrictions when pubs and restaurants open again in July.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "There is a legal duty requirement for businesses to keep their workers safe, for those who interact in those businesses to keep them safe."
Mr Sharma added: "If people are ignoring the rules and they are not keeping a workplace safe, then there are clearly measures that can be followed and it is possible for there to be enforcement notices, there are going to be checks that are carried out, spot checks by the Health and Safety Executive, which they are already doing.
"And in the case where someone is not following an enforcement order and not fixing things in a workplace, then, for the most serious offences, people can go to prison for up to two years. These are real powers and real teeth that are in place."
The minister said concerned employees should get in touch with their local Health and Safety Executive and local authority as a first port of call.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "There is a legal duty requirement for businesses to keep their workers safe, for those who interact in those businesses to keep them safe."
Mr Sharma added: "If people are ignoring the rules and they are not keeping a workplace safe, then there are clearly measures that can be followed and it is possible for there to be enforcement notices, there are going to be checks that are carried out, spot checks by the Health and Safety Executive, which they are already doing.
"And in the case where someone is not following an enforcement order and not fixing things in a workplace, then, for the most serious offences, people can go to prison for up to two years. These are real powers and real teeth that are in place."
The minister said concerned employees should get in touch with their local Health and Safety Executive and local authority as a first port of call.
Responding to footage of chief medical officer Chris Whitty at the government's final daily briefing saying he expects the virus to be prevalent "into next spring" and believes it is optimistic for science to fully "come to the rescue" before then, Independent Sage member Gabriel Scally said: "This is unacceptable!"
"Thousands of new cases each day and significant daily death toll is where England is today. We need to eliminate the virus. That's happening in Ireland and Scotland," said the visiting professor of public health at the University of Bristol.
"Proper local case finding, testing, tracing, isolation and support needs to be in place."
"Thousands of new cases each day and significant daily death toll is where England is today. We need to eliminate the virus. That's happening in Ireland and Scotland," said the visiting professor of public health at the University of Bristol.
"Proper local case finding, testing, tracing, isolation and support needs to be in place."
Speaking ahead of a Labour push in the Commons to get the government to reveal all documents relating to a Tory donor's controversial property development approved by the housing secretary, Alok Sharma has called for the issue to be brought to a close.
Pressed on the issue, the Cabinet minister added: "I think the key issue is that you follow the rules and you ensure you do that in absolutely the right way. That is what the housing secretary has done - as I've said, he has answered questions on this and I am not sure I can really add any more to this discussion."
The business secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think the key thing is how you act and that you act in all propriety. And that is precisely what the Housing Secretary has done.
"He has answered questions on this and I really do think that should be the end of the matter."
"He has answered questions on this and I really do think that should be the end of the matter."
Pressed on the issue, the Cabinet minister added: "I think the key issue is that you follow the rules and you ensure you do that in absolutely the right way. That is what the housing secretary has done - as I've said, he has answered questions on this and I am not sure I can really add any more to this discussion."
The housing secretary has faced accusations of "cash or favours" after it emerged the developer, former Daily Express owner Richard Desmond, had personally given the Conservative Party £12,000 two weeks after the scheme for 1,500 homes was approved.
'True' coronavirus death toll passes 65,000, ONS statistics show – but death rate slows
Samuel Osborne reports that the total number of excess deaths during the coronavirus outbreak in the UK has passed 65,000, although deaths involving Covid-19 in England and Wales either fell or stayed the same for the first week since the pandemic began, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Figures from the office show 59,252 excess deaths in England and Wales between 21 March and 12 June, following figures released last week showing the equivalent numbers for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The National Records of Scotland found there were 4,877 excess deaths in Scotland between 16 March and 14 June, while the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency put the figure for Northern Ireland at 972 excess deaths between 28 March and 12 June.
Read the full report here:
Samuel Osborne reports that the total number of excess deaths during the coronavirus outbreak in the UK has passed 65,000, although deaths involving Covid-19 in England and Wales either fell or stayed the same for the first week since the pandemic began, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Figures from the office show 59,252 excess deaths in England and Wales between 21 March and 12 June, following figures released last week showing the equivalent numbers for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The National Records of Scotland found there were 4,877 excess deaths in Scotland between 16 March and 14 June, while the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency put the figure for Northern Ireland at 972 excess deaths between 28 March and 12 June.
Read the full report here:
Cornwall theatre brands government decision to keep venues closed 'ludicrous'
Speaking on the continuous ban on staging live performances, the open-air Minack Theatre, near Land's End in Cornwall, said: "How about where you can socially distance performers? Or stage monologues?"
"We have shows ready to come back to our stage. It is ludicrous not to be allowed to perform in a Covid-safe environment to socially-distanced audiences. It's not as if we can wait quietly until the autumn or winter when we are open-air."
"We have shows ready to come back to our stage. It is ludicrous not to be allowed to perform in a Covid-safe environment to socially-distanced audiences. It's not as if we can wait quietly until the autumn or winter when we are open-air."
Government announces more money in bid to stop rough sleepers returning to streets next month
Peter Stubley reports that rough sleepers and those at risk of losing their accommodation will be helped to secure their own tenancies under the new scheme, according to housing minister Robert Jenrick.
Charities had warned that almost 15,000 people were at risk of being evicted at the end of June, when contracts between hotels and local authorities in England ran out. Around 7,000 of these had been on the street, and 2,000 were in communal night shelters, before the coronavirus lockdown.
Mr Jenrick said: “In recent months, I have seen a huge effort across the country to keep almost 15,000 vulnerable people off the streets. The additional funding announced today will allow us to continue to support these individuals — giving them access to the accommodation and support they need now while we continue with plans to deliver thousands of long-term homes in the coming months.”
However, it is not clear whether homeless people who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF) because of their immigration status can be helped by the new money. London Councils, which represents local authorities in the capital, previously said that at least 900 of the almost 5,000 rough sleepers in London’s emergency accommodation are subject to NRPF restrictions.
Jon Sparkes, chief executive of homeless charity Crisis, said: “This funding is a real step forward towards tackling homelessness across England, but money alone will not provide a guarantee of safe and secure accommodation during and after this public health crisis.
Peter Stubley reports that rough sleepers and those at risk of losing their accommodation will be helped to secure their own tenancies under the new scheme, according to housing minister Robert Jenrick.
Charities had warned that almost 15,000 people were at risk of being evicted at the end of June, when contracts between hotels and local authorities in England ran out. Around 7,000 of these had been on the street, and 2,000 were in communal night shelters, before the coronavirus lockdown.
Mr Jenrick said: “In recent months, I have seen a huge effort across the country to keep almost 15,000 vulnerable people off the streets. The additional funding announced today will allow us to continue to support these individuals — giving them access to the accommodation and support they need now while we continue with plans to deliver thousands of long-term homes in the coming months.”
However, it is not clear whether homeless people who have no recourse to public funds (NRPF) because of their immigration status can be helped by the new money. London Councils, which represents local authorities in the capital, previously said that at least 900 of the almost 5,000 rough sleepers in London’s emergency accommodation are subject to NRPF restrictions.
Jon Sparkes, chief executive of homeless charity Crisis, said: “This funding is a real step forward towards tackling homelessness across England, but money alone will not provide a guarantee of safe and secure accommodation during and after this public health crisis.
Nearly half of home coronavirus test kits not sent back or returned void, government admits
The revelation casts further doubt on ministers' claims about how many people they are testing for Covid-19, with home tests making up a substantial chunk of the total, our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports.
The government's testing figures count a test as soon as it is sent out rather than when results are obtained, with the effect of inflating the numbers in time to meet deadlines.
But new statistics released by the Department of Health and Social Care show that 39 per cent of kits are not being sent back, with a further 4.8 per cent of those – 9,761 – returned void.
It means that over 4 in 10 of the home testing kits are not actually providing results, a total of around 42 per cent. The statistics were released by the government in response to a written parliamentary question on Tuesday.
Ministers have previously been coy about releasing the exact figures, but Public Health England told a parliamentary committee last month that "certainly more than half" were being returned.
The revelation casts further doubt on ministers' claims about how many people they are testing for Covid-19, with home tests making up a substantial chunk of the total, our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports.
The government's testing figures count a test as soon as it is sent out rather than when results are obtained, with the effect of inflating the numbers in time to meet deadlines.
But new statistics released by the Department of Health and Social Care show that 39 per cent of kits are not being sent back, with a further 4.8 per cent of those – 9,761 – returned void.
It means that over 4 in 10 of the home testing kits are not actually providing results, a total of around 42 per cent. The statistics were released by the government in response to a written parliamentary question on Tuesday.
Ministers have previously been coy about releasing the exact figures, but Public Health England told a parliamentary committee last month that "certainly more than half" were being returned.
Housing charity urges government to support all rough sleepers 'regardless of immigration status'
"We're glad to hear that the government is committing £105m in new funding to make sure that no-one housed under the 'Everyone In' scheme will be returned to the streets," London-based Glass Door CEO Lucy Abraham said.
"We are facing an historic opportunity to build on the progress made in the past three months, and we hope this commitment of funding will support thousands of people into longer-term housing.
"Many people we work with have not been eligible for support in the past, despite living and working in the UK legally. We hope this announcement will usher in a new commitment to support all, regardless of immigration status.
"I think the progress made in the last few months has shown us that sifting and sorting people based on complicated criteria wastes precious time and resources. Everyone is worthy of safe housing.
"And while this commitment will hopefully offer a lifeline for many facing eviction from hotels, we also need to remember the hundreds of people who are becoming newly homeless every week and all those who are still on the street."
"We're glad to hear that the government is committing £105m in new funding to make sure that no-one housed under the 'Everyone In' scheme will be returned to the streets," London-based Glass Door CEO Lucy Abraham said.
"We are facing an historic opportunity to build on the progress made in the past three months, and we hope this commitment of funding will support thousands of people into longer-term housing.
"Many people we work with have not been eligible for support in the past, despite living and working in the UK legally. We hope this announcement will usher in a new commitment to support all, regardless of immigration status.
"I think the progress made in the last few months has shown us that sifting and sorting people based on complicated criteria wastes precious time and resources. Everyone is worthy of safe housing.
"And while this commitment will hopefully offer a lifeline for many facing eviction from hotels, we also need to remember the hundreds of people who are becoming newly homeless every week and all those who are still on the street."
'Real concern' data on ethnicity of coronavirus fines not being revealed to avoid scrutiny, home affairs committee chair says
The home affairs committee has asked for force-by-force data on ethnicity of those given fixed penalty notices under Covid-19 arrangements, which police chiefs have today refused to publish until mid-July, citing a need to "contextualise" the data.
"I know last week when you heard evidence there were complaints that black and minority ethnic people were seven times more likely to receive a fine, and I think there is some real complexity to understanding the data we have, and that's why we have commissioned a piece of work to look at that," said Martin Hewitt, chair of National Police Chiefs' Council.
The data referred to last week didn't take into account the fact that many FPNs were given to people who were not in the area where they are residents, Mr Hewitt said.
He added that the requested force-by-force data will only be published once it has been properly compiled by government statisticians and peer-reviewed, hopefully in mid-July, adding: "It is really important the data is contextualised, and ultimately each force has to account for the way that they ran the operation through the pandemic."
Committee chair Yvette Cooper replied: "This is a very long time to wait for what seems to be some extremely basic data, that actually seems to be really important in the policing decisions that need to be made.
"I'm really shocked that you don't have this data, that you haven't got a system for collecting this data built in from the beginning, and that it is taking so long. I do appreciate that these were completely new regulations that you had to enforce but I don't understand why this data wouldn't be collected normally anyway."
She added: "I think there's a real concern that this isn't just being made public so that everybody can debate and discuss the context publicly, as opposed to the police spending a very long time doing so."
The home affairs committee has asked for force-by-force data on ethnicity of those given fixed penalty notices under Covid-19 arrangements, which police chiefs have today refused to publish until mid-July, citing a need to "contextualise" the data.
"I know last week when you heard evidence there were complaints that black and minority ethnic people were seven times more likely to receive a fine, and I think there is some real complexity to understanding the data we have, and that's why we have commissioned a piece of work to look at that," said Martin Hewitt, chair of National Police Chiefs' Council.
The data referred to last week didn't take into account the fact that many FPNs were given to people who were not in the area where they are residents, Mr Hewitt said.
He added that the requested force-by-force data will only be published once it has been properly compiled by government statisticians and peer-reviewed, hopefully in mid-July, adding: "It is really important the data is contextualised, and ultimately each force has to account for the way that they ran the operation through the pandemic."
Committee chair Yvette Cooper replied: "This is a very long time to wait for what seems to be some extremely basic data, that actually seems to be really important in the policing decisions that need to be made.
"I'm really shocked that you don't have this data, that you haven't got a system for collecting this data built in from the beginning, and that it is taking so long. I do appreciate that these were completely new regulations that you had to enforce but I don't understand why this data wouldn't be collected normally anyway."
She added: "I think there's a real concern that this isn't just being made public so that everybody can debate and discuss the context publicly, as opposed to the police spending a very long time doing so."
My colleague Ashley Cowburn has more detail on Labour's push to force ministers to reveal all documents pertaining to housing secretary Robert Jenrick's "unlawful" approval of a £1bn property development involving Tory donor Richard Desmond.
Opposition MPs hope to use an opposition day debate to force a vote on whether the government should publish the documents. Mr Jenrick has insisted he acted in “good faith” - a sentiment echoed earlier this morning by business secretary Alok Sharma.
Opposition MPs hope to use an opposition day debate to force a vote on whether the government should publish the documents. Mr Jenrick has insisted he acted in “good faith” - a sentiment echoed earlier this morning by business secretary Alok Sharma.
