Junior health minister Edward Argar and Tory backbencher Sir Charles Walker are among several MPs self-isolating over concerns about contact with Nadine Dorries, who tested positive for the coronavirus this week.
It comes as Boris Johnson is set to move the UK into the “delay” phase. Criticising the government’s staggered response, former regional director of Public Health England John Ashton accused the “superficial” prime minister of having “no grasp of public health”.
Rishi Sunak has defended his Budget amid warnings of a recession, and questioned the usefulness Donald Trump’s move to shut down travel from Europe. The chancellor said the UK would not impose a similar ban, saying there was “no evidence” such measures work.
UK expected to enter ‘delay’ phase to stem Covid-19
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of events at Westminster.
Boris Johnson holds another Cobra emergency committee meeting in Whitehall on the coronavirus crisis today, and is expected to approve plans to move the country from the “containment” phase to “delay” – which could see measures to encourage “social distancing”.
But it won’t yet signal an end to all public events, with health secretary Matt Hancock telling MPs “there are some things that feel right and don’t have an impact at all”.
In parliament MPs will continue to debate the Budget. And over in the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, where the BBC’s director-general Lord Hall is giving evidence.
UK expected to enter 'delay' phase to stem coronavirus outbreak after Cobra meeting
New measures could include school closures, cancelling large public gatherings and encouraging people to work from homeRaab tests negative for virus – as more Tory MPs self-isolate
The impact of Nadine Dorries’ coronavirus diagnosis is beginning to make itself felt in Westminster.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab was reportedly tested for the virus after concerns were raised about his repeated coughing during the Budget – but his result is thought to have come back negative last night.
Junior health minister Edward Argar and Tory MP Sir Charles Walker and have all gone into self-isolation – as has Labour MP Rachael Maskell – after holding meetings with Dorries last week.
According to The Telegraph, a total of six MPs are now in self-isolation. Walker told the newspaper he was “really fine” but after an “engaged discussion” with Dorries he decided to stay at home.
The Treasury was reportedly “deep-cleaned” overnight after the partner of an official tested positive. And Dorries told a WhatsApp group one of her staffers has also “come down” with the virus.
Cabinet minister among two more Tory MPs self-isolating over coronavirus
Senior Tory minister one of several MPs now being tested for Covid-19Households will lose almost £600 a year, says think tank
Every household will suffer a £575 annual blow due to the slump in the economic growth forecast, even before the impact of the coronavirus is factored in, a respected think-tank has warned.
The Resolution Foundation said the GDP markdown from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) financial watchdog was both “incredibly grim and yet still unbelievably optimistic”.
The OBR warned that a “recession this year is quite possible” if the virus causes “widespread economic disruption”, and predicted falling growth even before the coronavirus impact is reflected.
In its overnight assessment, the Resolution Foundation living standards think-tank delivered a stark warning over the OBR assessment, warning of “more difficult budgets ahead” for the Chancellor.
Chief executive Torsten Bell said: “The OBR managed to deliver an incredibly grim, and yet still unbelievably optimistic, pre-pandemic markdown to the UK’s economic outlook - dealing a £600 a year hit to every household in Britain.
“In reality, once we take the economic impact of coronavirus into account, this is the weakest official growth outlook on record.”
Chancellor rejects Trump’s coronavirus travel ban
Rishi Sunak has questioned the usefulness of a travel ban imposed by Donald Trump after the US shut down all travel from Europe – with the exception of the UK.
The chancellor told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Here in this country we are determined to take the right steps at the right time. We haven’t believe that’s the right thing to do. The evidence here doesn’t support that.”
He added: “The advice we’re getting is that there isn’t evidence that interventions like closing the borders or travel bans are going to have a material effect on the spread of the infection.”
Sunak also said he was taking a “prudent” approach to the public finances despite a Budget that amounted to the biggest giveaway since 1992.
He said: “I make absolutely no apology for responding in the short term in scale to the immediate threat that we face from coronavirus.”
Sunak admitted growth forecasts even before the impact of coronavirus is taken into consideration are weak, but he insisted sustained investment can fix this.
He told Today: “I want to see higher growth in this country, and that’s why we set out an economic plan yesterday which involves a significant step change in the amount of money we invest in capital and infrastructure in this country.”
UK will not impose Trump-style travel ban in bid to tackle coronavirus, says chancellor
Restrictions on travel unlikely to a 'material effect' on the spread of the infection, says Rishi SunakChancellor defends lack of sick pay cover for gig economy workers
Rishi Sunak has defended not extending statutory sick pay (SSP) to those who are ineligible as part of efforts to tackle coronavirus.
He insisted some in the so-called gig economy will have access while others can claim welfare payments.
“For those that don’t (have access to SSP), we’ve strengthened the working of our welfare system so that it works quicker, more responsibly and more generously for those people,” he told Today.
Sunak also denied Labour’s allegation that he only needed to boost NHS spending to tackle coronavirus because of the damage caused by successive Conservative leaders to the health service.
He said there are 7,700 more nurses on wards than last year, telling the Today programme: “So that’s just not right.
“And more generally, it’s because of the way we’ve managed the economy over the past several years that I’m in a strong position today to be able to sit here and say to you I will do what it takes to help get us through this.”
‘Why not just have a test?’
Rishi Sunak has been challenged by Kay Burley why he hasn’t been tested for the coronavirus yet, as he continues his round of interviews with an appearance on Sky News.
The chancellor said he following the advice of health experts that because he hadn’t been in close contact with stricken minister Nadine Dorries for more than 15 minutes, he didn’t need to test.
Burley said: “We needs you, as a nation, to a well. Surely the responsible thing to do is to have a test. It takes seconds.”
After saying he had followed the advice, the Sky News host said she was “sure” he had spent more than 15 minutes with people who have potentially got Covid-19 – and asked the chancellor again: “Why not just have a test?”
Sunak replied: “With the greatest respect I'll take my advice from the Chief Medical Officer and not you.”
PM set to reveal Irish Sea bridge-tunnel plan
Boris Johnson is poised to announce a feasibility study into a new road crossing between Scotland and Northern Ireland, according to his Scottish secretary.
Alister Jack said the UK should be “ambitious in its approach to new infrastructure – claiming the country is “lagging behind” other nations.
Asked why there had been no money for the project in Rishi Sunak’s Budget, Jack said: “Watch this space.”
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme, he said: “The prime minister I expect will announce a feasibility study into the link to Northern Ireland, I hope the Scottish government will back it.”
Johnson has repeatedly spoken about the prospect of a bridge linking the south of Scotland with Northern Ireland - although Jack suggested it could instead be a tunnel, or a combination of the two.
He said: “I think we should be ambitious … We are lagging behind in this country and we believe we should look at all options.”
Experts have warned the depth of the Irish Sea and the presence of dumped munitions would cause problems for any crossing. The project could cost a reported £20bn, although Johnson has previously said it would “only cost about £15bn”.
Meanwhile sarcastic economic experts at the Fraser of Allander Institute said a new crossing would neither boost the economy nor improve connectivity.
In a damning assessment of the proposal, it stated: “In short, it won’t deliver the economic boost some claim, it isn’t a priority, it would go to the wrong location, it wouldn’t be consistent with climate change objectives and the money could be better spent on other things. Apart from that, it’s a cracking idea.”
MPs launch inquiry into police and border force readiness for Covid-19
The Commons Home Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry into whether police, the Border Force and other agencies are prepared for the impact of coronavirus.
MPs will look at how Home Office agencies were responding to the outbreak, and dealing with the impact on their own staff.
Committee chair Yvette Cooper said: “It’s very important that all of our public services are prepared for coronavirus.
The Labour MP added: “We need to know what preparations the Home Office is and should be making and what practical consequence there will be for police and border force as coronavirus continues to spread.”
Will the coronavirus crisis derail Brexit talks?
Cabinet minister Michael Gove suggested on Wednesday that the second round of trade negotiations with the EU – due to take place in London next week – might be postponed because of the virus.
He told the Commons Brexit select committee: “It is a live question ... We have had indications from Belgium that there may be specific public health concerns.”
Our commentator Andrew Grice has taken a closer look at the possible impact on the post-Brexit talks, and what it might mean for that self-imposed deadline of December 2020 for an ambition free trade deal.
Does the coronavirus crisis make no-deal Brexit more likely?
With a 31 December deadline coming ever closer, Michael Gove has suggested negotiations may have to be postponedHealth minister seen coughing in the Commons
The junior health minister Edward Argar – a colleague of Nadine Dorries currently in the spotlight after he went into self-isolation – was seen coughing in the Commons on Tuesday.
A clip shared by Business Insider’s Adam Bienkov shows Argar spluttering slightly at the dispatch box and taking a glass of water.
Dorries tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday. According to The Telegraph the pair dined together last week.
Keeping parliament open to public ‘irresponsible’, says Labour MP
Bell Ribeiro-Addy has claimed the decision to keep parliament open to members of the public is “simply irresponsible”.
The Labour MP stated: “As we continue to meet hundreds of people weekly, I am concerned that we are potentially spreading the virus. My biomedical training tells me that a number of members in this House probably already have the virus.
“I am genuinely concerned about older members, older constituents and those with underlying health conditions.”
Ribeiro-Addy called for electronic voting or automatic pairing for any member who may wish to self-isolate at home.
It comes as video footage emerged of health minister Edward Argar, currently in self-isolation after contact with Nadine Dorries, coughing and touching his face at the despatch box on Tuesday this week.
Emily Thornberry declares herself in ‘good health’
The Labour MP (and former party leadership contender) has announced she is in “good health” after receiving “concern and well wishes”.
The shadow foreign secretary has posted a tweet saying she is “following all official advice” for coronavirus – but is “not currently experiencing any symptoms that would require me to self-isolate”.
The Labour MP (and former party leadership contender) has announced she is in “good health” after receiving “concern and well wishes”.
The shadow foreign secretary has posted a tweet saying she is “following all official advice” for coronavirus – but is “not currently experiencing any symptoms that would require me to self-isolate”.
Green groups slate ‘truly awful’ Budget
Academics and environmentalists have warned the spending splurge unveiled by the government makes it more difficult for the UK to meet its net-zero carbon target to combat climate change.
The chancellor froze fuel duty yet again – making it even cheaper to drive compared with public transport fares, and announced a £27bn, 4,000-mile road-building programme compared with just £1bn for green transport.
Friends of the Earth’s head of policy, Mike Childs, said it “destroys any pretence of UK government leadership ahead of this year’s crucial climate summit … a truly awful Budget.”
Our own editorial today condemns the “abject failure to face up to the climate change emergency”.
Editorial: The Tories have recognised the public spending crisis – and ignored the climate crisis
For all his Budget triumphalism, the chancellor could not disguise his failure to deal with the transcendent question of climate changeEU chiefs condemn Trump travel ban
The heads of the EU Commission and EU Council have criticised Donald Trump’s ban on travel from Europe to the US – claiming the decision was made without any consultation.
In a joint statement Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel suggested it could be counterproductive. “The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action,” they said.
“The European Union disapproves of the fact that the US decision to improve a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation.”
EU presidents hit out at Trump's travel ban and say tackling coronavirus 'requires cooperation'
Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel say the EU disapproves of 'unilateral' actionPlaid Cymru scraps spring conference
The Welsh party has cancelled its upcoming conference, set to take place 20 and 21 March, citing concerns over the coronavirus and “the health and wellbeing of our members”.
It follows a decision by the Lib Dems to cancel their spring conference. Elsewhere, the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) has urged the government to consider the legal grounds for postponing May’s local elections.
In a letter to the cabinet office, the AEA said sickness could force polling station closures and raised concerns about whether there would be enough staff to organise the ballot.
‘We’ve wasted a month’
There is growing anger among scientists and experts that the government has acted too slowly to combat the coronavirus.
John Ashton, a former regional director of Public Health England, raged at what he labelled a “wooden” and “complacent” response to Covid-19. He warned: “We’ve wasted a month, when we should have been engaging with the public”.
“If this now spreads the way it looks as though it’s likely to spread, there will not be enough hospital beds and people will have to be nursed at home.”
Richard Horton, editor of the Lancet medical journal accused ministers of “playing roulette” with people’s lives.
Johnson did not talk to Trump about travel ban
Boris Johnson did not discuss the US flight ban with Donald Trump before it was announced on Wednesday night, Downing Street has said.
The PM’s official spokesman said there was no plan for the UK to impose its own travel ban.
“It is not the current position of the UK, based on medical and scientific advice, that we should halt flights,” said the spokesman.
“We have been following the advice of the chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser in relation to all parts of our response to this virus. The advice we have been given is that that is not a step that they recommend in the UK.”
The spokesman added: “In terms of the US measure itself, it is for individual countries to detail their own responses.”
‘Incredibly grim and yet still unbelievably optimistic’
Our economics editor Ben Chu has more on the latest Budget analysis showing that weaker UK economic growth head will hit average household earnings by almost £600 a year.
The Resolution Foundation think tank noted that the latest pay growth projections from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) show a weakening in every year of the forecast, stemming from its downgrade for the UK productivity growth outlook.
And this is even before accounting for the potential for the coronavirus crisis to send the UK into recession, which was not factored into the OBR’s numbers.
The Resolution Foundation also described the GDP markdown from the official financial watchdog as both “incredibly grim and yet still unbelievably optimistic”.
All the details here:
Households facing £600 per year hit to earnings due to weaker economy
The Resolution Foundation think tank noted that the Office for Budget Responsibility's latest pay growth projections show a weakening in every year of the forecast
Johnson chairs emergency Cobra meeting
Boris Johnson is due to chair an emergency Cobra meeting in the next hour during which he is expected to approve moving to the “delay phase” of the coronavirus response, after the outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Moving from the containment to the delay stage could mean social distancing measures may be enacted, including restricting public gatherings and issuing more widespread advice to stay at home.
It comes after eight people with Covid-19 were confirmed to have died in the UK, as the total number of positive cases rose to 460.
Boris Johnson is due to chair an emergency Cobra meeting in the next hour during which he is expected to approve moving to the “delay phase” of the coronavirus response, after the outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Moving from the containment to the delay stage could mean social distancing measures may be enacted, including restricting public gatherings and issuing more widespread advice to stay at home.
It comes after eight people with Covid-19 were confirmed to have died in the UK, as the total number of positive cases rose to 460.
Sturgeon says she is minded to cancel events with 500+ people
The Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has suggested she expects a "sharp rise in cases" ahead of today's announcement at 2pm on the most up to date number of contractions in Scotland.
She also said she is minded to cancel events involving crowds of over 500 people in response to the outbreak, but would await further details of today's Cobra meeting at Westminster.
