The UK government was accused of a “shambolic” response to the coronavirus pandemic as it lifted its travel quarantine for 59 countries and further eased lockdown restrictions.
Scottish and Welsh leaders both described the new policy for arrivals in England as a “mess” as police forces braced for the “perfect storm” of pubs reopening for “Super Saturday”.
However chief medical officer Chris Whitty said there was no “perfect” way to reopen Britain’s economy after the lockdown. Meanwhile Boris Johnson indicated he would not take the knee in support for Black Lives Matter – saying he does not believe in such “gestures”.
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of events at Westminster and beyond.
Unions unhappy about plans for school ‘bubbles’
The teaching unions aren’t exactly bowled over by Gavin Williamson’s plan for “bubbles” to keep classes and year groups apart from September.
The education secretary, setting out his plan for the “mandatory” autumn return of all schools, said separate start, finish and break times should be put in place.
“The logistics of keeping apart many different ‘bubbles’ of children in a full school is mind-boggling,” said Geoff Barton, the ASCL head teachers’ union leader.
Deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries has also been receiving some flak on social media for saying said parents should “control their teenagers in their social interactions outside of school as well”.
Parents should 'control their teenagers' to prevent second coronavirus wave, top medical adviser urges
Future pandemic spike cannot be ruled out, deputy chief medical officer warns at Downing Street briefingEngland scraps quarantine requirements for top holiday destinations
The Department of Transport (DfT) has confirmed people can head for Spain, Italy, France and Germany from 10 July without having to quarantine when they get back.
Roughly 60 countries will on the full list of “reduced risk” countries exempt from restrictions published soon, according to the BBC.
The Foreign Office will lift its no-go warning from dozens of holiday and business destinations – setting out new guidance on Saturday.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps suggested the Scottish government was to blame for delays in getting to this point. With Nicola Sturgeon thought to be reluctant to agree to the plan, the DfT said last night that devolved administrations “will set out their own approach to exemptions”.
England scraps quarantine requirement for top holiday destinations
Self-isolation rule from some countries will be lifted from Friday 10 July – but only to EnglandExtend furlough arrangements in areas with local lockdowns, Labour urges
Chancellor Rishi Sunak must extend furlough arrangements in areas like Leicester which are forced into local lockdowns and offer targeted support for businesses and sectors threatened with mass redundancies as his job retention scheme winds down, Labour has said.
In a speech in London on Friday, shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds will accuse the government of delivering “an exit without a strategy” from the £60bn package of support for business offered during the coronavirus pandemic.
She will say that Sunak must present a “back-to-work budget focused on jobs, jobs, jobs” in his emergency economic statement next week, telling the chancellor that for workers forced to stay home by government lockdown rules “the reward for months of sacrifice cannot be a redundancy notice”.
Our political editor Andrew Woodcock has more details:
Rishi Sunak must extend furlough arrangements in areas like Leicester with local lockdowns, Labour urges
Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds to call for a 'jobs, jobs, jobs' economic plan from the governmentCars produced in Japan to be stamped ‘Made in Britain’ PM plans
Products from Japan or South Korea would be stamped “Made in Britain”, under Boris Johnson’s plan to save the domestic car industry after Brexit.
The proposal is an attempt to prevent punishing tariffs driving away the likes of Nissan and Toyota.
The idea is that goods made solely from foreign parts, but assembled in the UK – most notably vehicles, but also prepared foods and other manufactured goods – would be granted the same exemptions from tariffs as those from UK components.
It also means the UK is effectively asking the EU for the benefits of a customs union, a new analysis says – despite the PM insisting the UK is leaving the trading arrangement.
One trade expert said it will sound “ridiculous” to voters promised huge benefits from leaving the EU.
Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has more:
Cars produced in Japan to be stamped ‘Made in Britain’ under Boris Johnson's Brexit plans
Exclusive: Voters promised a Brexit boon will consider bid to keep Nissan and Toyota as ‘ridiculous’, prime minister warnedList of 60 countries and territories exempt from quarantine out today
Grant Shapps has explained travellers to England from around 60 countries and overseas territories will no longer have to quarantine when they arrive in the UK – and said the government will be publishing a full list of countries that will be exempt later on Friday.
The transport secretary said: “There will be a list of 50-plus countries. If you add in the overseas territories (there will be) 60-something-or-other that will be announced later today. France, Germany, Italy and Spain will be on that list.”
Shapps also told the BBC said the countries people will be able to travel to England from without facing quarantine restrictions will be split into two groups, divided into either a green or amber category.
While quarantine measures will be lifted, passengers arriving in the UK will still need to fill out a “locator form” Shapps said. “That asks where you’ve been and where you’re coming back to. It is a criminal offence not to complete that form accurately and there are quite substantial fines.”
He also said he hoped the list would be adopted by all four nations in the UK.
PM’s father ‘ignored travel advice’, says transport secretary
Transport secretary Grant Shapps has been asked about Boris Johnson’s father Stanley jetting off to Greece during lockdown.
“He will have ignored travel advice, not restrictions,” Shapps told Sky News – pointing out that quarantine rules forcing people to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return would still apply to Johnson.
He also said “everyone can decide what to do with the advice.”
Asked whether the advice is “optional”, he said: “Yeah, the clue is in the name, but the quarantine isn’t [optional].”
The Foreign Office advice will be changing from Saturday, and quarantine restrictions will lifted for around 60 countries and territories from 10 July.
Will Scotland scrap quarantine restrictions on UK list?
A Scottish government spokesman has responded to the news quarantine rules will changed for around 60 countries and overseas territories from 10 July by saying ministers in Edinburgh were still “actively considering the public health impact of these proposals”.
He added: “Once they have done that they will announce any changes in relation to Scotland.”
The spokesman said: “It is disappointing that the UK government have chosen to make an announcement on the countries they intend to exempt before a four-nations agreement has been reached.
“We would still like to reach a four-nations approach if possible but that is difficult when the UK government change proposals and give us last-minute sight of them.”
US will be on ‘red-list’ of banned travel destinations
Passengers arriving into England from the US will not be exempted from quarantine rules, transport secretary Grant Shapps said on Friday.
Asked whether the US would be on a ‘red-list’ of countries to which a 14-day quarantine period will apply, Shapps said: “I’m afraid it will be.”
“The US from a very early stage banned flights from the UK and from Europe so there isn’t a reciprocal arrangement in place,” he told the BBC.
UK confirms US will be on 'red-list' of banned travel destinations over high coronavirus infection rate
The IndependentTransport minister says US has ‘got very high numbers of infections’Scottish government ‘frustrated’ by No 10’s travel plan
Scotland’s justice secretary Humza Yousaf criticised the UK government’s approach to quarantine easing, saying the Scottish government was not given adequate consultation.
Speaking on BBC Scotland’s Reporting Scotland programme, he said he wants to take a “swift” decision and is “all for” a four-nations approach.
“That’s why it is so frustrating that the information that the UK wanted us to consider has either been given to us the night before they intend to make an announcement, including last night, or indeed given to us 30 minutes before a meeting with substantial changes, and of course that is no way to get any kind of agreement,” he said.
“There’s some countries that may not be as high-risk as England or a lower risk than England but, clearly, coming into Scotland, if they are a higher risk – France, Italy, Spain all have a higher prevalence point than Scotland does – then clearly that’s going to have a different potential impact in Scotland than it does in England,” he added.
“If our chief medical officer’s advice is such that the impact could be really negative in relation to the progress that we are making then ultimately we will have to take a different approach but it’s not something I would do lightly.”
PM says he would not take the knee: ‘I don’t believe in gestures’
Boris Johnson has said he would not take the knee, a symbol of support for Black Lives Matter protests, saying he does not believe in such “gestures”.
Speaking on LBC on Friday morning, the prime minister said, “I do not believe in gestures, I believe in substance.”
“I don’t want people to be bullied into doing things that they don’t want to do,” he added – saying police officers had been pressured into doing it.”
Extend furlough scheme, says Anneliese Dodds
Labour’s shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds has called on the chancellor to extend furlough arrangements to areas forced into local lockdowns and offer targeted support for businesses and sectors threatened with mass redundancies as his job retention scheme winds down
“Today we call on government to lay out plans to extend support schemes for business and people in areas like Leicester that are forced into local lockdown,” she said.
She said extended schemes could as a “economic sandbags” to make sure a second wave of coronavirus doesn’t “wash away” jobs.
Calling for a “back to work” budget, Dodds said the government must abandon its “one size fits all” approach to the withdrawal of business support schemes like the furlough.
“What we have now is an exit, not a strategy.”
PM refuses to comment on father breaking travel advice
Boris Johnson – asked on LBC if he was disappointed in his father Stanley for jetting off to Greece during lockdown – the PM said: “You should ask him [Stanley]. I’m not going to get into family conversations.”
“I’m not going into any details ... I’m very pleased that the overwhelming majority of the nation have understood what needs to be done.”
Boris Johnson refuses to comment on father breaking travel restrictions to fly to Greece
PM says he will not get into the detail of family conversationsGyms to reopen in ‘couple of weeks’, says PM
Boris Johnson has revealed gyms will be able to reopen in a “couple of weeks”.
Speaking on LBC, the prime minister said: “We are going to reopen gyms as soon as we can do it in a Covid-secure way and I think that the date for reopening gyms at the moment, if we can do it, is in just a couple of weeks’ time.”
He also vowed to try to get theatres going “as fast as we possibly can”.
|Johnson told host Nick Ferrari he’s got a Florence Nightingale face mask that he wears when he has to, saying it made him look like “Hannibal the Cannibal” and looks “pretty scary”.
Boris Johnson says gyms can reopen 'in a couple of weeks'
‘We are going to reopen gyms as soon as we can do it in a Covid-secure way,’ says prime minister‘I love China’ says PM – but promises to ‘stick up for our friends in Hong Kong’
Boris Johnson has vowed to “stick up” for Hong Kong citizens’ “right to freedoms” during his LBC interview.
“I’m not a Sinophobe. I love China – I’ve been to China several times … It’s a great rising power. China is going to be part of our lives for the rest of our lives. So let’s not get things out of proportion.”
He added: “But there are serious issues. Hong Kong is a very special place … We have to stick up for our friends in Hong Kong. We have to stick up for their right to freedoms, their rights to association, to free speech.”
Describing his path to citizenship offer for those with British national (overseas) status as a “powerful signal of our loyalty and our support” – but said he couldn’t say how many Hong Kongers may come to Britain. “I can’t give you a figure.”
He added: “They’ve proved to be fantastic contributors to society. They’re brilliant, highly educated.”
White House-style press briefings on the way
Boris Johnson has confirmed plans for Downing Street to televise daily press briefings with Westminster journalists.
The PM told LBC: “People have liked a more direct, detailed information from the government about what is going on - and I think that they’ve actually particularly liked our brilliant scientific and medical advisers, possibly more than the politicians to be frank.
“We do think that people want direct engagement and want stuff from us, and so we’re going to have a go at that.”
Boris Johnson to introduce White House-style TV press briefings
The IndependentDowning Street expected to recruit experienced broadcaster to front questions from pressXR should be ‘jumping for joy’ at our climate policies, says PM
Boris Johnson said Extinction Rebellion (XR) should be “jumping for joy” at his government’s climate change policies.
“Look at our plans for a green recovery, look at the amazing things we're going to do to get this country making wind turbines, making batteries, the ambition I announced for a ‘jet zero’ - to be the first country to produce a zero-emission long-haul passenger jet,” said the prime minister on LBC.
“I mean, Extinction Rebellion should look at some of the things this government is doing to tackle climate change and support us.”
‘Huge relief’ for travel sector following quarantine easing
The travel sector has largely welcomed the government’s plan to lift quarantine restrictions for people returning to or visiting England from destinations such as Spain, France, Italy and Germany from July 10.
Travel trade organisation Abta said: “The government announcement today that lifts quarantine restrictions for returning passengers from 10 July in England will be greeted with huge relief by the travel industry, which can now plan ahead and take summer holiday bookings.”
Huw Merriman, who chairs the Commons’ transport select committee, said: “The aviation sector, tourism industry and UK economy will be relieved by this news and we welcome it.”
PM will ‘inevitably face public inquiry, says Starmer
Labour leader Keir Starmer said that an inquiry into Boris Johnson’s government's handling of the coronavirus crisis was inevitable.
“I think an inquiry is inevitable,” Starmer told Sky News. “There will be an inquiry in due course.”
“At the moment, I think it is important that we focus on the job in hand,” he said when asked why he was not calling for an immediate inquiry.
Asked about his assessment of the government’s handling, he said: “Too slow, asleep at the wheel and they really need to up their game.”
On Johnson, he said the prime minister was good at rhetoric but poor at governing.
The PM said during his LBC interview this morning that it wasn’t the right time for an inquiry.
PM does like some gestures, suggests David Lammy
After Johnson indicated he wouldn’t take the knee for Black Lives Matter as he didn’t believe in “gestures”, Labour MP David Lammy responded: “Says the man who brandished a smoked kipper on stage in the Tory leadership hustings which led to him becoming Prime Minister.”
