That’s it from the UK blog team. You can continue to follow our global coronavirus coverage at -
A summary of today's developments
- More than 60% of England’s population - around 34 million people - will be living under tier 3 rules from Wednesday after London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire were placed under the harshest level of restrictions.
- On the new variant of the virus identified in South East England, Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, said there is no evidence the symptoms are different or are worse or testing has to be different. He added it is not clear the new variant actually spreads quicker.
- Professor Whitty said there is “no current evidence” that the Covid-19 vaccine has has impact on fertility.
- In the daily government press conference, Matt Hancock urged people to be “careful and responsible” when visiting loved ones during the Christmas period. He said “If you are planning to meet up with loved ones at Christmas, then being careful now, two weeks ahead, making sure you minimise the chance of both catching the disease and passing it on is the right thing to do - actually, that’s the right thing to do all the time.”
- Downing Street says schools should stay open after both Islington and Greenwich council in London move to online lessons.
- Hancock, the health secretary, said a ‘test and dine’ scheme is being piloted to help the hospitality sector.
- Three hospitals in Wales are operating at or near their maximum capacity while at the same time suffering staff shortages.
Three hospitals in Wales are operating at or near their maximum capacity while at the same time suffering staff shortages.
The three hospitals are all at what is known as “CritCon status 3B” - Critcon 3 means they are at full stretch with critical care expanding into the other areas of the hospital and routine procedures being suspended. The B highlights that staffing levels are down.
If a hospital reaches Critcon 4, resources are being overwhelmed, which opens up the prospect of staff having to choose which critically ill patients to treat.
A Welsh government spokesperson said: “We currently have three hospitals at CritCon status 3B. However, this is reviewed regularly and can change on a daily basis.”
The CritCon system is designed to represent the level of “stress” in the system, and any deviation required from usual practice.
Professor Fenton concludes by stressing the need for people to have the vaccine.
“It is high effective and we are working with faith and community organisations to ensure you all have the information to take the vaccine and encourage family members at risk.”
Whitty added there may be an issue long term with variants being immune to natural immunity or vaccines.
Matt Hancock:
— Olly Barratt (@ollybarratt) December 14, 2020
'The best way if you want to see elderly relatives at Christmas, is to be extremely careful now about who you see'#covid19UK
The final question is how common is the new variant.
Whitty says the virus will continue to produce mutations but many will just “die out”.
Some will be neutral and a few of them will have new properties.
Prof. Whitty reiterates a “minimalist, responsible” Christmas meeting families sticking to the rules, calling it a “limited relaxation”.
Hancock tells @Kate_M_Proctor he's repeatedly answered the question on whether the Christmas relaxation could be tightened up if cases rise
— Alan White (@aljwhite) December 14, 2020
Narrator: He has not answered the question on whether the Christmas relaxation could be tightened up if cases rise
Hancock cites Manchester, Newcastle, the Tees Valley, Bristol and Nottingham, areas where the rate of infections has fallen.
“We can do this together”, he added.
The Health Secretary appeared to sidestep a question on whether there were any circumstances in which the Christmas relaxation of Covid rules would be re-assessed.
Hancock said: “Our messages around Christmas are really clear. We understand why people want to see their loved ones, especially at this time of year, especially after this year.
“But it must be done in a way that is careful and responsible, and I think people understand that too.
“If you are planning to meet up with loved ones at Christmas, then being careful now, two weeks ahead, making sure you minimise the chance of both catching the disease and passing it on is the right thing to do - actually, that’s the right thing to do all the time.”
Prof Whitty denies that Tier 3 will be introduced in London and surrounding areas due to the variant of the virus.
"It all depends on people's behaviour" says a buck-passing Hancock poised to relax restrictions over Xmas.
— Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) December 14, 2020
On the variant, Prof Whitty said there is no evidence symptoms are different or worse or testing has to be different.
On Christmas, Prof. Whitty: “There is never a perfect time to go into any tier. The reality is it does reduce the virus, but it requires everyone to buy into that. Go to late and you risk spreading the virus, go too early and you damage business.
“What everyone is trying to do, is to try and get a balance that is reasonable between these two very difficult decisions.”
Prof. Fenton: “Londoners have been fantastic in responding to the pandemic from emerging from first wave, to keeping the infection low over the summer period.
Once again we’re asking Londoners to pull together to help us get ahead of the curve. It is difficult. We are making the right decisions at the right time.”
From 23-27 December rules are being relaxed to allow three households to mix.
Prof Chris Whitty said “it’s no secret... Christmas is a period of greater risk”. But he says they have tried to strike the balance of doing what is “least damaging” while keeping the virus under control. And he urged people to take the tiers seriously before Christmas to reduce the risk as much as possible.
Go no further than you have to,” he said.
Prof Fenton said “the actions we take now” will affect our ability to have a safe Christmas. “The restrictions in the tiers will still be in place. But the Christmas period allows us to meet those who are nearest and dearest to us but also taking care to prevent the transmission to them as well.”
But Hancock still hasn't replied whether any circs in which he wd cancel xmas relaxations
— Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) December 14, 2020
On the risk of Christmas mingling, Hancock said it “depends on people’s behaviour” and reiterated the need to be cautious when seeing loved ones.
Whitty there talking about "a strong sense from many people" that Xmas relaxation should be allowed. Kind of sounds like he is/was not among them.
— Rafael Behr (@rafaelbehr) December 14, 2020
There is a question about assurances that any vaccine will not affect fertility if the long-term side-effects have not been researched.
Whitty said: “No current evidence of an impact on fertility and it would be surprising if any of them [vaccines] did do.”
Updated
Whitty adds it is not clear the new variant actually spreads quicker.
Updated
On the new variant, Prof Whitty added: “It would be surprising, not impossible, but surprising if this had evolved to be able to get around the vaccine.”
Whitty says the current Covid-19 tests work with the variant of the virus.
Updated
"We do not rule out further action" says Hancock. But presumably only after December 27?
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) December 14, 2020
Hancock says it is important all of us are cautious over Christmas especially around those who are vulnerable, older people and those who have health problems.
Updated
Prof Kevin Fenton declares: “This is a pivotal moment for London and the south-east of England,” and that “quick and decisive action is needed”.
He says there is a strong connection in the increases in London and the south-east so it is important that officials work together across the region.
He says there were initially increases in infection rates especially in the north-east of the capital – which is connected to Essex – and the south-east, which is connected to Kent.
But more recently we are seeing exponential rises in a number of boroughs across the city, and this is of concern.
Updated
Prof Whitty added: “We must get on top of this [cases]. The most difficult period for the NHS every year is January and February and this will be even more difficult.”
Updated
When asked about the Christmas bubbles from 23 December, Whitty said: “The fact some relaxations have been made on people meeting does not mean they should go to the top of the licence for that.
“People have to be very careful and incredibly careful around vulnerable people.”
He added the vaccine would not give us a way out for Christmas.
Updated
Hancock reiterates that areas in the south-east of England will be moving into tier 3 from 00.01 on Wednesday.
“I know this news is not what people want to hear,” he says. “It is a blow to so many people and businesses.”
But we know from experience that the best thing to do in the face of the virus is to act fast.
“We do not rule out further action.”
Updated
Hancock and Whitty laying out very alarming rise in cases expected in run up to Christmas. Add to that five days of mixing and widespread rule breaking likely over Christmas and what will this look like in January?
— Krishnan Guru-Murthy (@krishgm) December 14, 2020
Hancock said: “When cases rise the pressure on hospitals mounts and so do the number of people who die.
“To stop this we need to act fast.”
With the vaccine, he added: “Help is on its way, but we are not there yet.”
Updated
Whitty added that occupied hospital beds for Covid patients had also increased in London and the surrounding areas.
He said in the north of country and the Midlands, “communities came together to achieve that and the rates came down”.
“Look at what has happened in Manchester, Liverpool and parts of the north-east.”
Updated
Prof Whitty said the rate of cases “has increased substantially” in London and parts of Essex, Kent and Hertfordshire.
Updated
Hancock said tens of thousands of people have had the vaccine in the first week.
He added: “Everyone should minimise their social contact because that’s how we control the spread of this disease.”
Hancock said there has been an increase of 14% in Covid-19 cases in a week.
He said he was particularly worried about rises in coronavirus cases among over-60s.
Updated
Matt Hancock begins on a sombre note, saying there have been 18,000 cases on average a day, and 420 deaths on average daily.
Both figures are higher than last week.
Updated
The daily government press conference is due to begin in the next few minutes with Matt Hancock, the health secretary, Prof Chris Whitty and Prof Kevin Fenton, London regional director for Public Health England.
Updated
The British Medical Association, which represents most of Britain’s doctors, said London going into Tier 3 would save lives.
“With the case numbers rising at an alarming rate across the capital, the move into Tier 3 restrictions is absolutely crucial to protect lives, reduce the spread of the virus and limit the impact on an already overwhelmed NHS”, said Dr Gary Marlowe, the BMA’s London regional council chair.
“The escalation in London shows how quickly progress to control the virus has been undone and with the vaccination roll out still in its infancy, there is now no option other than to move London into the highest Tier.
As a GP working in London, I have seen, first-hand, the sharp rise in the numbers of my patients testing positive in the last week. The reality is that some patients testing positive in London will require hospital admission – to an NHS already buckling under the strain. Even with Christmas round the corner, now is not the time to let down our guard.”
Marlowe urged Londoners to keep practising recommended infection control procedures to try and limit the spread of the virus.
“We need to see consistent and widespread mask wearing - where people are less than two metres apart - and clear measures to monitor, support and enforce compliance of infection control measures.”
Here is the full text of Matt Hancock’s statement to parliament.
And here is an extract from the government’s press release explaining why London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire are moving into tier 3.
The London weekly case rate at 225 per 100,000 people is already the highest regional rate in the country. Havering has the highest rates in London, at 471 per 100,000. These rates do not include the most recent days of incomplete data which show the sharpest rises.
In South Essex, case rates are greater than 200 per 100,000 in 10 out of 14 local authorities and are increasing across the area, with cases in Basildon reaching 563 per 100,000. In South Hertfordshire case rates are greater than 150 per 100,000 in 4 out of the 5 local authorities bordering London and have increased by 10% or more over the last 7 days. Broxbourne’s cases have reached 358 per 100,000.
As of 11 December there were 2,212 hospital beds occupied by Covid-19 patients and 261 mechanical ventilation beds occupied by Covid-19 patients in London, up from 1,766 occupied hospital beds and 242 occupied ventilation beds on 6 December. Daily hospital admissions in London for Covid-19 have increased from 179 on 6 December to 277 on 11 December.
That’s all from me for today. My colleague Nadeem Badshah is taking over now. He will be covering the Matt Hancock press conference starting at 6pm.
London moving into tier 3 shows 'current strategy isn't working', says Tory Covid Recovery Group
Mark Harper, chair of the Covid Recovery Group, which represents anti-lockdown or lockdown-sceptic Conservative MPs, says London’s move into tier 3 shows the current strategy is not working. In a statement he said:
Covid is a dreadful disease that has taken thousands of lives, and we must do everything we can to minimise its spread. However, I’m afraid that London and other parts of the South East moving into Tier 3 shortly shows that the current strategy to combat Covid isn’t working.
We had a national lockdown in November, and since early December, 99% per cent of the country has been under the heightened restrictions of tiers 2 and 3.
If this strategy was working at breaking the transmission of Covid, we would today be talking about areas moving down the tiers, or developing an exit strategy from repeated lockdowns.
We must end the devastating cycle of repeated restrictions and lockdowns, recapture the public’s support and confidence and start living in a sustainable way again.
A good start would be for the government to produce better data, modelling and regional cost-benefit analyses, and for MPs to be trusted with the information they need to make such important judgments and decisions on behalf of their constituents.
MPs will not get a vote on today’s decision. But if, as seems inevitable, the government wants to renew the tiering restrictions in the new year, it will have to hold a vote before 3 February. Fifty five Tory MPs rebelled in the last vote on 1 December. Next time that total could get larger.
From Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary
I know moves into Tier 3 have huge impact on arts, heritage & sport
— Oliver Dowden (@OliverDowden) December 14, 2020
But rising cases are deeply concerning & govt must act quickly
Remaining £400m Culture Recovery Fund will be there to help those affected by changes, along w/other schemes like Sport Winter Survival Package
These are from James Gallagher, the BBC’s health and science correspondent, on the news that a new variant of the coronavirus has been associated with the fast spread of the virus in the south of England. (See 3.45pm.)
Going to repeat my personal rule for judging all "new strain" or "new variant" stories... Viruses mutate all the time so it's important to ask whether the behaviour of the virus has changed. We've been given the "scare" but not the "answer".
— James Gallagher (@JamesTGallagher) December 14, 2020
What @MattHancock said is: "Over the last few days...we have identified a new variant of coronavirus, which may be associated with the faster spread in the South East of England."
— James Gallagher (@JamesTGallagher) December 14, 2020
He adds: "Initial analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than the existing variants" and that over 1,000 cases have been detected in 60 areas.
— James Gallagher (@JamesTGallagher) December 14, 2020
Important phrase is "may be associated" rather than "is causing". Matt Hancock did not say this virus has evolved to spread from person-to-person more readily.
— James Gallagher (@JamesTGallagher) December 14, 2020
New strains can become more common for reasons that have nothing to do with the virus. One explanation for the emergence of the "Spanish strain" over the summer was tourism.
— James Gallagher (@JamesTGallagher) December 14, 2020
So at the moment the UK press have the scary headlines, but no scientific detail from @PHE_uk or @uksciencechief to know how significant this is.
— James Gallagher (@JamesTGallagher) December 14, 2020
Hancock says 'test and dine' scheme being piloted to help hospitality sector
Robbie Moore (Con) asks if the government will consider a “test and dine”, that could be used to help the hospitality industry by allowing people to eat in areas where that is not normally allowed if they had tested negative.
Matt Hancock replies:
A test and dine scheme is being piloted and it’s something that we’re looking at to see what we can do to support the hospitality industry, whilst keeping the virus under control.
Hancock was probably referring to some of the mass testing (or community testing, as the government now calls it) pilots. A prospectus for councils on community testing (pdf) published last month floated this idea. It said:
We are keen to explore ways we could potentially relax restrictions on a limited basis for those that test negative, but there will, rightly, be limits to what can be responsibly done. Therefore, this needs to be considered very carefully. Should local areas want to use community testing as a route to providing a relaxation of restrictions that would otherwise not be available in tier 3, these proposals will need to have an assessment of impact and risks and be agreed with local directors of public health, national public health advisers and the secretary of state.
Updated
This is from Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, on the announcement that a new variant of Covid may be associated with the virus spreading more quickly. (See 3.45pm.)
This is clearly a potentially concerning development. Our CMO @DrGregorSmith has given me an initial briefing this afternoon and @scotgov will be monitoring closely. We will also consider whether any additional precautions are required meantime https://t.co/0PEkZvbanM
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) December 14, 2020
London is going into tier 3. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/AFP/Getty Images
All primary schools in the London borough of Waltham Forest are being closed from tomorrow as Covid-19 cases continue to rise, parents in the north London borough have been told.
Secondary schools are also expected to be affected by the move, which runs the risk of government action to ensure schools remain open.
The move sets the Labour controlled council on a potential collision course with the government, which could use Covid-19 emergency legislation to keep schools open.
The first, most likely, action would be for the Department for Education to issue letters of warning to schools, before potentially going to the high court to seek injunctions.
The number of cases in Waltham Forest has nearly doubled over the last month, the council said at the weekend, adding that 1,065 people tested positive in the last seven days.
The move to cut short the term ahead of the Christmas break caught parents who received letters totally by surprise, meaning that today will have been their children’s last day in school before Christmas.
Only children whose parents are both key workers, as listed in statutory guidance, will be able to continue to attend schools.
Tobias Ellwood (Con) says he thinks lifting restrictions over Christmas for five days could be “very dangerous”. The rules were drawn up some time ago, he points out. He urges Hancock to revise them.
2020 has been the most testing of years, 2021 should be different because of that vaccine. My concern is letting down our guard for five days during Christmas could be very dangerous indeed.
Could I ask the secretary of state to review those conditions which I think were put together some time ago, come back to the House and present an updated version, so we don’t begin the new year with a third wave?
Hancock says the government is urging people to act with restraint. People should not treat the rules “as a something to push against”, he said. Instead people should “act well within them as much as possible”.
Updated
David Finch, the Conservative leader of Essex county council, said he was “very disappointed” that parts of the county were moving into tier 3. He said:
We have worked tirelessly to reduce the spread of infection in our county, but unfortunately the numbers continue to go in the wrong direction, especially in those areas that the government have decided should move to tier 3.
We know that for these areas, moving to tier 3 will inevitably impact businesses, particularly in the hospitality trade at what would normally be their busiest time of the year.
We will lobby the government to ensure our Essex businesses have all the support they need, during this very challenging time.
Updated
Back in the Commons Felicity Buchan, the Conservative MP for Kensington, asked why London could not be split into different tiers. Matt Hancock replied:
Unfortunately central London case rates are rising and we know if an area is surrounded by other areas where there are significant increases, then those tend to move into an area if it’s left out of a set of restrictions.
The theatre industry has described the decision to put London in tier 3 as disastrous. Jon Morgan, director of the Theatres Trust, said:
It is a disaster for London’s theatres that the capital and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire will move into tier 3. Theatres have worked incredibly hard to create safe environments for audiences and through no fault of their own will now face enormous financial losses. They have done so at great risk as it is currently impossible to secure production insurance.
And Julian Bird, the chief executive of the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, said:
The past few days have seen venues beginning to reopen with high levels of Covid security, welcoming back enthusiastic, socially distanced audiences.
Theatres across London will now be forced to postpone or cancel planned performances, causing catastrophic financial difficulties for venues, producers and thousands of industry workers - especially the freelancers who make up 70% of the theatre workforce.
We urge government to recognise the huge strain this has placed on the sector and look at rapid compensation to protect theatres and their staff over Christmas in all areas of the country under tier 3 restrictions.
Updated
Earlier BernardsCastle in the comments BTL (below the line) asked this.
In the Commons Matt Hancock has just told MPs that “of course” the government would be publishing data on the number of people getting vaccinated. But he did not say if this would come out daily, weekly, or less frequently.
London decision will put 60% of England's population in tier 3 from Wednesday
More than 60% of England’s population - around 34 million people - will be living under tier 3 rules from Wednesday after London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire were placed under the harshest level of restrictions.
Matt Hancock’s announcement means around 10.5 million people will be moved from tier 2 to tier 3. Just over 1% of England’s residents are in tier 1, the lowest level of restriction, while 38% remain in tier 2.
Updated
Thousands of jobs in London are at risk from the decision to put the capital into tier 3, the CBI said. Eddie Curzon, the CBI’s London director, said:
Businesses - particularly those in sectors like retail and hospitality - will have been counting on a festive fillip to help mitigate months of hardship, and further restrictions now will come as a devastating blow. Thousands of jobs and livelihoods could be at risk.
It’s vital that any tightening of measures anywhere across England is shaped by clear evidence, consistently applied, and accompanied by increased support for businesses in the worst-hit sectors.
Vaccinations are now under way and offer tangible reasons for optimism in 2021 - the government must do everything possible to help businesses survive until risks recede and trade returns.
In response to Matt Hancock Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said he was worried that in some areas tier 3 restrictions were not bringing down the virus. He said:
Across London cases have increased 30%, across the east of England 36%, so none of us are surprised at the action [Hancock] is taking today. Indeed, he was warned tier 2 would not be enough to contain the spread of the virus in many places. Indeed it looks like in some areas, such as Kent, tier 3 isn’t enough to contain the spread either.
Ashworth also said England was going into Christmas with “diminishing headroom”. He said:
The increasing areas are rising faster than the decreasing areas are falling, and as things stand we’re heading into the Christmas easing with diminishing headroom. The buffer room these tiers were supposed to provide is getting much thinner.
Munira Wilson (Lib Dem) asks if the government will reconsider the Christmas rules. She says there is a risk of extra deaths after Christmas.
Hancock says he is recommending caution at Christmas.
Hancock suggests people from outside tier 3 should not come to London for Christmas shopping
Jeremy Hunt, the chair of the Commons health committee, asked if London going into tier 3 meant people should not come into the capital to shop in Oxford Street.
Hancock said it was recommended that people should minimise travel, unless it was necessary, within a tier 3 area, and that people should minimise travel, unless it was necessary, to a tier 3 area.
Hancock says it is 'highly unlikely' that vaccine won't work with new variant of Covid
Hancock says, as further tests are conducted on the new variant of Covid-19 at Porton Down, it will be seen whether or not it is resistant to the vaccine.
But he says the medical advice is that it is “highly unlikely” that the vaccine won’t work on the new variant.
Hancock confirms London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire moving into tier 3
Hancock confirms that London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire are moving into tier 3.
I need to tell the house that over the last week, we’ve seen very sharp, exponential rises in the virus across London, Kent, parts of Essex and Hertfordshire.
We do not know the extent to which this is because of the new variant but no matter its cause we have to take swift and decisive action which unfortunately is absolutely essential to control this deadly disease while the vaccine is rolled out.
The parts of Essex covered included: Basildon, Brentwood, Harlow, Epping Forest, Castle Point, Rochford, Malden, Braintree and Chelmsford, Thurrock and Southend on Sea.
And the parts of South Hertfordshire covered include: Broxbourne, Hertsmere, Watford and the Three Rivers local authority area.
Summing up what the new rules mean, he says:
This means that people can only see friends and family they don’t live with, or are in a support bubble with, in outdoor public places. And of course, in line, with the rule of six, hospitality settings must close, except takeaway delivery. And people should avoid travelling outside their area and reduce the number of journeys they make wherever possible ...
These restrictions will come into force at midnight on Wednesday morning.
Updated
Hancock says new variant of Covid may explain fast spread of virus in south of England
Hancock says a new variant of Covid has been identified.
He says this may explain the fast rise in cases in the south.
We have identified a new variant of coronavirus, which may be associated with the faster spread in the south-east of England. Initial analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than the existing variants. We’ve currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant, predominantly in the south of England, although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authority areas, and numbers are increasing rapidly.
The WHO has been notified, he says.
He says there is nothing to suggest this will cause a more serious illness, and nothing to suggest it won’t respond to treatment.
Updated
In the Commons Matt Hancock is making his statement now.
He says hospital admissions in England are up 13%, and cases are up 14% on the previous week’s.
There has been a particularly sharp rise in south Wales, in London and in parts of the east and south-east of England.
Updated
Downing Street has said that it still thinks a no-deal Brexit is the most likely outcome of the trade talks. A spokesman issued a clarification after the No 10 lobby briefing suggested otherwise. (See 1.24pm).
And the spokesman has confirmed MPs will get a vote on the deal. He said:
If a deal is agreed, it will require legislation to come into force. MPs will therefore of course get a vote on any deal before this legislation receives. Royal assent and becomes law.
Matt Hancock's statement to MPs
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is about to make a statement to MPs about London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire going into tier 3.
Labour MPs criticise Starmer for response to LBC caller who claims whites now victims of racial inequality
Sir Keir Starmer has been criticised by two Labour MPs for his response to a caller on his LBC phone-in who claimed that white people were now victims of racial inequality.
The exchange started when the caller asked Starmer what he thought of the way players who took the knee out of solidarity with Black Lives Matter were booed at Millwall. She said her husband was one of those booing. Starmer criticised the booing, saying that taking the knee was a “recognition of injustice that has gone on for many, many years in relation to racial inequality”.
The caller suggested that white people should now start “playing identity politics” and in her final comment she said:
If anything the racial inequality is now against the indigenous people of Britain because we are set to become a minority by 2066 ... We just have to look across to the Middle East. You know, Israel has a state law that they are the only people in that country to have self-determination. Well, why can’t I, as a white British female, have that same right?
Starmer replied:
Gemma, we all have those rights. This is about recognising some injustice that has gone on for a very, very long time and I think people were genuinely moved this year and want to make sure that that injustice is dealt with and, you know, people will look at it in different ways. But, I think the vast majority of people do want a more equal society.
The Labour MP Clive Lewis said it was “appalling” that Starmer did not challenge the woman more forcefully.
For neither the presenter nor Keir to, at the very least, explore further, unpack and robustly challenge such an extreme statement is frankly appalling. https://t.co/4zKHbRmkfq
— Clive Lewis MP (@labourlewis) December 14, 2020
And another Labour MP, Zarah Sultana, made the some point on Twitter, without referring to Starmer directly.
When white supremacist conspiracy theories and racist undemocratic laws are promoted on national radio, they must be called-out and vigorously challenged.
— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) December 14, 2020
That's a duty on presenters and on politicians.
Updated
From the BBC’s Helen Catt
MPs on a call with Health Secretary Matt Hancock have been told London, parts of Essex and Hertfordshire will go into Tier 3 at 00.01 on Wednesday
— Helen Catt (@BBCHelenCatt) December 14, 2020
New rules for London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire coming into force from Wednesday
The new restrictions for London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire are coming into force from Wednesday, Lewis Goodall reports.
Am told this will be from Wednesday.
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) December 14, 2020
Parts of Essex and Hertfordshire also moving into tier 3
Parts of Essex and Hertfordshire are also moving into tier 3, Matt Hancock told MPs on a call. This is from Newsnight’s Lewis Goodall.
I understand that in a call with London MPs Matt Hancock has confirmed that T3 will be extended to London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire.
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) December 14, 2020
Obviously most readers in the north of England will not need a reminder, but for London readers here is the government’s guide to what being in tier 3 means.
London moving into tier 3, Hancock says in call with MPs
London is moving into tier 3, my colleague Jessica Elgot reports. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has revealed the news in a call with MPs.
New - I understand Hancock confirmed on call to MPs that London will move into Tier 3
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) December 14, 2020
An opera about former prime minister Tony Blair is to be staged in London, PA Media reports. Tony! (A Tony Blair Rock Opera) will be performed at the Turbine theatre, at Battersea Power Station, next year. Comedian Harry Hill helped write song lyrics for the production.
Updated
The Welsh government has published its new coronavirus control plan (pdf), which sets out what life will be like under its new four-alert system.
At the moment Wales is at level 3 - the strictest restrictions short of a firebreak or lockdown.
The government has said that unless Covid rates fall, the country is likely to be at alert level 4 (very high risk) soon after Christmas.
Under level 4 schools and colleges will remain open “as far as possible”, as will places of worship “with strict mitigations”.
But people will be required to stay at home, non-essential shops will be closed, except for click and collect, and hospitality will be closed, except for takeaways. Travel will be banned without reasonable excuse.
Updated
NHS England has recorded 179 further coronavirus hospital deaths. The details are here.
A week ago today the equivalent figure was 190.
Burnham says there is 'good case' for Greater Manchester to move down into tier 2
While London is braced for going into tier 3, in the north of England council leaders and MPs are pushing for restrictions in their areas to be eased in the first full review of the tiering system this week.
Barry Lewis, the Conservative leader of Derbyshire county council, said he would be writing to the government to make the case for Derbyshire to move into tier 2. If that doesn’t succeed, he will be demanding “more support for hospitality and tourism”, warning that important parts of Derbyshire’s heritage and high streets could “disappear for good”.
South Derbyshire currently has rates of 201 cases per 100,000, while in the more rural Derbyshire Dales, cases are running at just 76 per 100,000, half the English average.
Robert Largan, the Conservative MP for High Peak, in north-west Derbyshire, where there are 122 cases per 100,000, said:
I’m making the case for us to go into tier 2 and I’m making the argument to ministers that there is unique geography which means it makes sense to treat us separately.
Many of Largan’s constituents work and socialise in Greater Manchester, next door, where Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, is also pushing for the region to be moved down from tier 3. He said:
There’s a good case for Greater Manchester to go into tier 2, looking at our figures and how they compare with those in London when they went into tier 2. What we are asking for is equal treatment, based on the evidence.
He said Liverpool had shown that it was possible to go into tier 2, with hospitality reopening, without infection rates soaring. Cases in the Liverpool city region are now down to just 88.9 cases per 100,000 people.
Six out of 10 Greater Manchester boroughs are now under the English average. “We are on a different path from London. We’re on a different trajectory,” said Burnham.
Behind the scenes, the Guardian understands that the leaders of Trafford, Stockport, Manchester and Bolton are all pushing hard for their districts to be treated separately from the rest of Greater Manchester and be put into tier 2. Though the government has indicated it is willing to look at tiering on a more granular level, the fact that many of Greater Manchester’s 2.8 million residents work and travel regularly between boroughs makes the region harder to split up.
Burnham said that the government needed to think carefully about what would happen on New Year’s Eve in tier 3 areas, warning that if hospitality remained closed “there will be a lot more gatherings in homes”.
Updated
Nicola Sturgeon has said it would be “pouring petrol on smouldering embers” to have relaxed Edinburgh’s Covid control level last week, as she defended her government’s decision to keep the city on the second highest tier.
The first minister said the latest Covid infections data for Edinburgh showed a surge in cases since Tuesday’s decision to keep the city in tier 3, with cases increasing 33% in the last week, and the test positivity rate nearly at 5%.
Sturgeon was pressed to justify her decision after the Telegraph disclosed NHS Lothian officials urged the Scottish government to put Edinburgh into tier 2 last Tuesday because its Covid case forecast then was “now very low”. (See 11.58am.)
Their advice was deleted from the publicly disclosed papers justifying the Scottish government’s tiers announcement last week; Edinburgh councillors and businesses were furious, claiming the science did not justify keeping the city in tier 3.
Sturgeon said she had to “apply context and judgment to these decisions”. She explained:
[The decision was] tough and unpopular. I don’t shy away from that. But if you look at the data since last Tuesday, [the] decision not to take Edinburgh down a level was the right one.
She said that was backed by a judge on Friday who upheld the government’s decision as “rational” after he rejected a legal challenge by Edinburgh hospitality businesses.
The latest Covid data showed there had been no deaths reported in the last 24 hours of people with confirmed Covid infections, but another 734 positive tests were reported, with 1,012 people in hospital, three down on Sunday’s figure.
Updated
Welsh government refuses to rule out tightening Covid restrictions over Christmas
The Welsh health minister, Vaughan Gething, has said it is possible the rules around Christmas may be changed or a lockdown could be imposed before the festive break.
Asked at the Welsh government’s press conference if Wales could reconsider the four-nations approach to Christmas, Gething said:
You can never say never ... nothing is off the table it depends on the choices each of us is prepared to make.
On the prospect of a lockdown before Christmas, he said: “Every option is still available for us.” He added that ministers would discuss the situation at cabinet today.
Gething confirmed that two hospital boards in south Wales, Swansea Bay and Aneurin Bevan, had suspended some surgery and outpatient appointments.
He said on Friday the number of people with coronavirus symptoms in Welsh hospitals passed the 2,000-mark for the first time.
Gething said the NHS was not overwhelmed at the moment and denied the coronavirus crisis was out of control but added he could not give an “absolute guarantee” that the system would not be overwhelmed as he could not determine the number of Covid-19 cases to come.
From the New Statesman’s Stephen Bush
It's incoherent to shift London into Tier 3 - which does not appear to have been effective in the capital during national lockdown - while planning to shift us into Tier 0 on 23 December.
— Stephen Bush (@stephenkb) December 14, 2020
No 10 rejects call for London schools to close early before Christmas
And this is what came out of the Downing Street lobby briefing on coronavirus.
- Downing Street rejected the proposal from Sadiq Khan for schools in London to close early ahead of Christmas. (See 11.18am.) Asked about this, the prime minister’s spokesman said:
We’ve consistently said that not being in school has a detrimental impact on children’s learning as well as their own personal development and mental health.
Which is why we expect all schools and colleges to remain open until the end of term on Thursday, as schools have remained open throughout the pandemic.
- The spokesman said there were no plans to change the guidance for Christmas in response to claims that it is too lax and that it will lead to a surge in Covid cases. Asked about this, the spokesman said:
There are no plans to review the Christmas guidance. What we’ve said alongside that is that the public should continue to be cautious. I think the prime minister said it’s the season to be jolly careful and we would emphasise that we should continue to do that.
We’ve been clear that it’s a limited easement to allow families to bubble over the Christmas period after what has been a very difficult year for many people. But it remains important for the public to follow the guidance.
The Downing Street lobby briefing is over. Here are the key points on Brexit.
- No 10 appears to have downgraded the chance of a no-deal Brexit from “very, very likely” to “possible”. Asked if the government still thought, as it was saying last week, that no deal was the most likely outcome of the negotiations, the prime minister’s spokesman said:
Obviously no deal is a possible outcome, as the prime minister has said himself. We’ve been clear that we will continue to work and hope to reach a free trade agreement. That’s what the prime minister set out yesterday in his call to Ursula von der Leyen.
When it was pointed out that even yesterday Johnson was describing no deal as “most likely”, the spokesman told journalists that they had the words from the PM. But he went on:
Obviously no deal is a potential outcome, but the general point remains that we are still committed to trying to reach an FTA [free trade agreement].
On Friday Johnson claimed that no deal was “very, very likely”.
- The spokesman would not comment on reports that the UK has made a concession to the EU on the level playing field issue. (See 12.35pm.) Asked about this, the spokesman just said he would not comment on the detail of the negotiations.
- The spokesman refused to confirm that MPs would be given a vote on any post-Brexit trade deal. Asked repeatedly if there would be a vote, the spokesman just said it was for Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, to set out parliamentary business. When it was put to him that this would be interpreted as No 10 refusing to guarantee MPs a vote, the spokesman said:
I didn’t say that, I just made the clear point that it’s for the leader of the house to set out the business of the house in the usual way.
The spokesman was probably just being unduly cautious. As this Institute for Government briefing explains, the government can ratify a treaty without a vote in parliament. But it would need to pass legislation to implement a new trade deal, and even if it tried to do everything via secondary legislation (which would be impractical), there would still need to be votes.
UPDATE: Later No 10 issued a clarification on two of these points. It says that it still thinks no deal is the most likely outcome and that MPs will get a vote on the deal. See 3.39pm.
Updated
From Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London
Today I saw some of the free rapid COVID-19 testing happening at Waltham Forest College, which I’m urging Government to roll out for pupils across our city.
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) December 14, 2020
With cases rising, these rapid tests can help slow the spread of the virus - but Londoners must keep following the rules. pic.twitter.com/4MQJxymCuV
Matt Hancock’s statement to MPs at 3.30pm is expected to cover tighter restrictions for London, and possibly other areas, PA Media is reporting.
Hancock will also be speaking at the No 10 press conference later. That is expected to start at 5pm, but it may be later if the Commons statement takes longer than expected.
Care home residents in Wales will begin to be vaccinated from Wednesday, Vaughan Gething, the Welsh government’s health minister, has announced. At a briefing Gething said the injections would be administered in north Wales, with a rollout to those in other areas of the country before Christmas. He said:
We started vaccinating people last week, giving us real hope that next year will be different, and better, than 2020.
In the first few days, more than 6,000 people received the first dose of the vaccine. Clinics will continue this week and we will start vaccinating people living in care homes, starting in north Wales from Wednesday.
We are starting this phase of the programme slowly. We need to make sure we can safely transport the vaccine to people who can’t come to clinics.
This vaccine has to be stored in ultra-low temperatures. Repackaging the vaccine into smaller quantities for use in care homes has to be done under strict conditions set by the regulator. There’s a risk that it becomes less potent if it is moved too much once it’s been thawed.
This week we will check we can repackage and deliver the vaccine without wasting any and, crucially, that it still protects people.
If all goes well this week, we will roll out care home vaccination at much greater pace ahead of Christmas, bringing a new level of protection to some of our most vulnerable people.
Updated
Brexit trade deal possible within days after Johnson concession, says EU
A post-Brexit trade and security deal could be sealed as early as this week after Boris Johnson made a key concession over the weekend, the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, has told the bloc’s ambassadors in Brussels. My colleague Daniel Boffey has the story here.
And here’s an extract.
Barnier said the prime minister’s acceptance of the need for a treaty-level mechanism to ensure fair competition as regulatory standards diverge over time had unlocked the talks. His comments came despite suggestions from Downing Street that a no-deal exit remains likely.
Barnier warned, however, that the negotiations on EU access to British fishing waters had gone backwards. The UK tabled a paper on fisheries Monday only to take it off the negotiating table on Thursday, he claimed.
Updated
London likely to enter tier 3 Covid restrictions to curb surge in cases
Here is my colleague Jessica Elgot’s story about how London is likely to find itself under the toughest, tier 3 restrictions this week.
Von der Leyen says there has been 'movement' in trade talks, which is 'good'
Here is a clip of Ursula von der Leyen, the European commission president, saying that the UK would have to play by EU rules for seamless access to the single market or pay a price in the form of tariffs. She also said there had been “movement” in the talks, which was “good”. (See 12.09am.)
General mood music from VDL Brexit quote at #OECD60 good on deal/ level playing field “there is movement, that is good” “this is just what we are sorting out at the very end” etc “just the details” happy with general architecture of level playing field etc... pic.twitter.com/vrk2kP5dti
— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) December 14, 2020
Katya Adler, the BBC’s Europe editor, also has a useful Twitter thread on the state of play in the trade talks. It starts here.
What does it mean "to go the extra mile"? That's the distance Boris Johnson and the European Commission chief have promised to travel over next days. Will the road take them to deal or no-deal? And who will compromise on what to get there? #Brexit /1
— Katya Adler (@BBCkatyaadler) December 14, 2020
UK has to 'play by our rules' for seamless access to single market or pay price, says Von der Leyen
Ursula von der Leyen, the European commission president, has said that the UK has to “play by our rules” if it wants seamless access to the EU’s single market or pay a price. She was speaking this morning at an OECD event via video link. The BBC’s Katya Adler has the quotes.
NEW: European Commission Chief “What is essential now is to finalize the one and only important question that is if the UK wants a seamless access to the single market, and the single market of the EU is the largest one in the whole world, they are welcome but .. #Brexit /1
— Katya Adler (@BBCkatyaadler) December 14, 2020
“they have either to play by our rules, because this is a matter of fairness for our companies in the single market or the other choice is there is a price on it and the price is border and tariffs. And this is what we are sorting out at the very end.” /2
— Katya Adler (@BBCkatyaadler) December 14, 2020
“we are on the very last mile to go. But it’s an essential one and we want the level playing field not only at the start but also over time..These are crucial points because again it’s a matter of fairness, of fair competition and we want to ensure that. “ /3
— Katya Adler (@BBCkatyaadler) December 14, 2020
Updated
Nicola Sturgeon is facing heightened pressure to explain her decision to keep Edinburgh in Scotland’s second-toughest tier of Covid restrictions after it emerged public health officials recommended a lighter level of controls last week.
Richard Leonard, the Scottish Labour leader, said the city’s businesses “deserve an explanation” after the Telegraph disclosed NHS Lothian said Edinburgh should be moved from level 3 to level 2 as its Covid case forecast was “now very low”, with a “low hospital forecast”.
Sturgeon faced angry complaints from the city’s SNP-led council for keeping Edinburgh in level 3, which forbids hospitality businesses to stay open later than 6pm and bans them serving alcohol, last week. She insisted it was not being singled out: relaxing Edinburgh’s controls would mean Christmas shoppers might flock there from other council areas, spreading the virus, she argued.
All councillors, from every political party backed this emergency motion today; to insist that the Scottish Government follows scientific evidence which shows Edinburgh should be in tier 2 and not in tier 3.
— Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP🔶 (@agcolehamilton) December 10, 2020
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/YKQf8E2diK
The full details of the public health advice to Sturgeon was released by lawyers acting for Edinburgh hospitality firms, who failed to get an emergency court ruling on Friday night to overturn Sturgeon’s decision. The judge ruled it was a political decision, and not unlawful.
It emerged too that 46 hotels in Edinburgh, more than in any other area of Scotland, have applied for emergency Scottish government funding. Fergus Ewing, Scotland’s tourism secretary, told Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader, nearly 300 hotels across the country had applied for a bail-out but his £14m fund was only intended to help 60.
The documents released by the Scottish government to justify its Covid restrictions decision last week were edited to remove the public health directors’ advice, the Telegraph reported.
Leonard said this was yet more evidence of “a real lack of transparency ... Business owners and workers in Edinburgh deserve an explanation from Nicola Sturgeon as to why they are still forced to live under these restrictions, despite expert public health advice to the contrary.”
Updated
The Conservative MP Sir Roger Gale, who voted remain in the 2016 referendum, has said Boris Johnson should resign if he fails to get a trade deal with the EU. Gale told PA Media:
If an acceptable deal is not agreed then the prime minister will have failed. I believe his position would then be untenable. Then an honourable man would make way for somebody else to give the country the leadership it needs. That is precisely what David Cameron did when he failed to win the referendum.
Gale was one of only two Tory MPs to vote against the government’s internal market bill earlier this month.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, also told Sky News that he thought putting the whole of the capital into tier 3 might be too much of a blunt instrument. He said:
It’s worth looking where the virus is spreading faster and it’s worth looking at the areas where we have seen the biggest increase.
It’s worth them asking themselves the question whether a move to tier 3 is a blunt instrument that doesn’t really address in a laser-like fashion where we are seeing the biggest problems.
London mayor says decision to move capital into tier 3 could come today
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is making a statement to MPs at 3.30pm about coronavirus.
Two statements today from 3.30pm:
— Labour Whips (@labourwhips) December 14, 2020
1. Covid-19 update - @MattHancock
2. Energy White Paper - @KwasiKwarteng
In an interview with Sky News a few minutes ago Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, was asked about speculation that the government may announce today that London is being placed in tier 3, where the restrictions are toughest.
The government has said it is reviewing all the tiering allocations for England on Wednesday, and until today the expectation had been that if London were to move up from tier 2, the announcement would be made on Thursday, with the new rules coming into force on Saturday.
Khan told Sky News that he had been told a cabinet committee was meeting this morning to discuss this. Asked if he thought London could be ordered into tier 3 today, he replied:
It’s possible, because we’ve seen over the last few days a big increase in the virus.
Updated
London MPs were told in a briefing this morning that coronavirus cases in the capital are expanding exponentially, ITV’s Shehab Khan reports.
NEW: London MPs were told the city is moving towards a phase of “exponential growth” of #COVID19 cases.
— Shehab Khan (@ShehabKhan) December 14, 2020
The MPs had a virtual briefing from health ministers and officials this morning - here's the full outline of what happened at that briefing: https://t.co/iHzw9IWeo2
London MPs took part in a virtual briefing with health minister Helen Whatley, and Deputy CMO Jenny Harries this morning where they were informed the potential for COVID19 spread has now “escalated” with rates rising in all parts of London. They were shown this graph: pic.twitter.com/cwhfNoSPYh
— Shehab Khan (@ShehabKhan) December 14, 2020
And this is from Wes Streeting, the Labour MP for Ilford North.
London is showing exponential growth in #covid19. Given the situation in Redbridge, I'd urge residents to exercise caution, follow the rules and prepare for tier three.
— Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) December 14, 2020
We haven't been told explicitly that tier 3 is coming in words, but the numbers don't lie. #covid19
Sadiq Khan urges government to consider closing schools in London early and extending Christmas holiday
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, is urging the government to consider closing schools in the capital early before Christmas, and extending the holiday, because of the “deeply concerning” surge in coronavirus cases. In a statement he said:
With significant outbreaks among 10- to 19-year-olds, the government must consider asking schools and colleges to close early and re-open later in January, with extra resource provided to support online learning. Face coverings should also be made mandatory in busy outdoor public spaces, given the numbers on our high streets in the run up to Christmas.
He also said that the government should cover the full cost of statutory sick pay for people forced to self-isolate, and that it should compensate businesses if London has to go into tier 3. He said:
If the government does decide to introduce further restrictions in London this week, the economic impact on businesses could be catastrophic with hundreds of thousands of livelihoods at stake. I am asking ministers urgently to put in place a compensation scheme for all lost income for any businesses affected by any further restrictions during this crucial festive period based on last year’s returns. The government must also cover the full cost of statutory sick pay for workers who have to self-isolate.
As my colleague Clea Skopeliti reports, schools in Greenwich, south-east London, have already been asked to close after the council said “exponential growth” of coronavirus demanded “immediate action”.
Updated
Family doctors across England are to begin vaccinating their patients against Covid-19, PA Media reports. GP practices in more than 100 locations are to start administering the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine this afternoon, with the over-80s among those called up to receive the jab. Care home residents in Scotland will also start receiving the vaccine today, while those in England’s care homes can expect to see roving teams administer the jab from later this week.
Updated
SNP to vote against any Brexit deal, Scottish government minister says
Scottish National party MPs will vote against any Brexit deal and will reject Labour’s claims Westminster has to accept it and move on, the Scottish government’s Brexit secretary, Michael Russell, has said.
Russell agreed a “low deal” was better than no deal but said the package being negotiated by Boris Johnson would still be extremely damaging to Scotland’s economy and industries. He told BBC Radio Scotland:
Boris Johnson was trying to build up expectation yesterday of something wonderful happening, and that is simply untrue.
Responding to indications from Rachel Reeves, Labour’s shadow Cabinet Office minister, that Labour would vote for a deal, Russell said SNP MPs, who are the third largest group in the Commons, had never voted for any pro-Brexit policy. He said:
I doubt any deal will be sufficient for Scotland; we voted against this. [What] we should be doing is saying is this is utter folly. Even at this moment look at this, and imagine what a huge mistake you are making.
Why on earth would we vote for the first time ever for a Brexit solution which is utterly the wrong thing for Scotland?
He insisted again there should be a “period of grace” between the deal being struck and its implementation to allow businesses and the public sector to adjust and prepare - a measure being offered to Northern Ireland, but rejected for the rest of the UK by ministers in London.
“We should not be in this position; we never voted for it and it is an extraordinary and very damaging position to find ourselves in,” he said.
Russell denied the Scottish government was failing to spend the full £200m in Brexit readiness funding from the UK government, insisting ministers in Edinburgh were spending more than given on preparedness. He said:
They have to own this disaster: nobody should let them off that hook but we should work very hard, and we are, to do everything we can for the people of Scotland.
Barnier suggests PM's 11-month timetable for trade talks has made getting deal harder
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, has just posted these on Twitter. He is suggesting that, if the trade talks fail, that will partly be because Boris Johnson rashly insisted on trying to conclude one in 11 months.
Under the original withdrawal agreement negotiated by Theresa May, the transition period would have lasted 21 months - which even then was regarded as leaving little time to negotiate the sort of trade deal that normally takes several years. It ended up as nine months because Brexit was delayed, but Johnson did not want to delay the point at which the UK would no longer be bound by EU rules (31 December).
Johnson’s withdrawal agreement did allow the option of extending the transition for up to two years, if both sides agreed before 1 July. But Johnson said that, even if the EU proposed this, the UK would refuse.
There is a modest element of blame-gamery in what Barnier is saying, although it is dwarfed by some of the things being said by the UK government claiming that Brussels is responsible for the impasse.
It is our responsibility to give the talks every chance of success.
— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) December 14, 2020
Never before has such a comprehensive agreement (trade, energy, fisheries,transport, police & judicial cooperation, etc) been negotiated so transparently and in such little time. [1/2]
The next few days are important, if a 🇪🇺🇬🇧 is to be in place on 1 January 2021.
— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) December 14, 2020
Fair competition, and a sustainable solution for our fishermen and women, are key to reaching a deal. [2/2]
Starmer ended his LBC interview by saying that he had written to Boris Johnson urging him to do something to tackle rough sleeping this Christmas. He said:
This year there’s a real problem because all of the shelters have to be Covid-safe, understandably, which means that the space available is much less, and therefore there are lots of people on the streets this year who wouldn’t be in an ordinary year. It’s a very obvious, practical problem.
So I’ve written to the prime minister say we must be able to solve this, we must do something about it, we need to support these people into shelters.
Q: Do you agree with Oliver Dowden that the Crown should carry a disclaimer saying it is fiction?
No, says Starmer. He says that suggestion is “a bit over the top”.
Q: Do you agree with Kate Green, the shadow education secretary, that the term “British empire” should be taken out of the honours system? She says it’s offensive and divisive. You have a knighthood. Do you find that offensive and divisive?
No, says Starmer. He says Green is a very thoughtful woman. He says being recognised by the honours systems means the “world” to people. And he says he partly took a knighthood because that reflected well on his staff at the Crown Prosecution Service, and not just on him.
Q: Do you support foreign criminals being deported?
Starmer says it was a Labour government that introduced the idea that, for very serious offences, people could be deported. So, he says, the principle is fine. But he says the concern in recent cases has been whether the right people are being targeted, and whether there is fairness in the system.
He says people have been taken off planes because they should not have been there in the first place. That should be a cause of concern for everybody, he says.
Q: But you support the principle, if the necessary checks are carried out?
Starmer says he does, for very serious offences. He says he upheld this when he was director of public prosecutions.
Q: Should Labour’s Bill Esterson have posted a tweet comparing Boris Johnson to the Nazis?
No, says Starmer. He says that his office made Esterson take it down quickly.
Starmer says, in any vote on a deal, Labour will act in the national interest, not just in his party’s interest.
Q: Under what circumstances could you see Labour not voting for a deal?
Starmer says he will have to look at a deal. He says he cannot give a commitment without having read it.
But if it is a choice between a deal and no deal, he will act in the national interest, and no deal is not in the national interest, he says.
Starmer says the £500 payment for people who need to self-isolate sounds generous, but only one in eight people qualify.
Q: Do you support closing schools early before Christmas in London?
Starmer says he is very reluctant to back this.
But he is very worried about what is happening in London.
He says he said that he was not sure tier 2 was strong enough to hold off the virus. If people are being asked to self-isolate, they need more support, he says.
Q: What do you think of the booing of the players who took the knee at Millwall? My husband was there and took part in the booing.
Nick Ferrari, the presenter, asks the caller why her husband booed. The caller says she is concerned that white people are being excluded from identity politics.
Starmer says he thinks the booing was wrong. He says taking the knee is an expression of support for racial equality.
Q: Hasn’t this become a hollow gesture?
Starmer says he does not accept this.
Updated
Keir Starmer's LBC phone-in
Sir Keir Starmer is starting his LBC phone-in.
He says this is his “first day of freedom” after having to isolate at home because a member of his staff tested positive.
Q: I bring trucks into the UK bringing in goods from Europe. Brexit is going to be hugely disruptive.
Starmer says he hopes next year will not be as disruptive as the caller fears. That is why a deal is so important, he says. He says he understands how important it is for goods to arrive in the country on time. Just-in-time manufacturing processes rely on this, he says.
Q: If you had been PM, would you have signed a deal by now?
Starmer says he thinks there would have been a deal by now.
Q: What would you have done on fish?
Starmer says there would have been a bargain.
Q: Would you have given the EU a 10-year extension?
Starmer says he is not in the room. But he thinks there is a deal to be done.
Q: And what about on the level playing field? How is your position different from Lord Frost’s?
Starmer says on this he wants the government to succeed. Boris Johnson gave the impression at the election he had a deal. He needs to get it done, he says.
There is a link to the LBC Keir Starmer phone-in here.
From the Times’s Steven Swinford
Sadiq Khan is calling for London secondary schools to close early & for masks to be made compulsory in high streets
— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) December 14, 2020
Shaun Bailey, Tory mayoral candidate, is calling for reopening of schools after Christmas holidays to be delayed by a weekhttps://t.co/KK0CXQTxua
Updated
EU ambassadors told of 'some limited progress' in trade talks at meeting with Barnier
Good morning, and it feels like another Groundhog Day in the UK-EU trade talks as the latest deadline passes and the talks plough on. There are some hints of progress, although reporting of this story is handicapped by the fact that very little has emerged about what is actually on the table in the talks (we’re only getting generalised briefings from both sides, which are not always consistent; no one has seen text of the most contentious proposals) and by the fact that the UK government in particular seems to be engaged in mammoth exercise of expectation management. (Expectation management is much less of an issue for the EU, partly because Brexit is not a priority for the public in most EU countries and partly because, as the Brexiters liked to remind us in 2016, the commission is unelected anyway.)
Here is our overnight story by Daniel Boffey and Jessica Elgot.
This morning Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, told journalists a deal was still possible. He said:
We are going to give every chance to this agreement ... which is still possible. A good, balanced agreement.
Two conditions aren’t met yet. Free and fair competition ... and an agreement which guarantees reciprocal access to markets and waters. And it’s on these points that we haven’t found the right balance with the British. So we keep working.
Barnier was speaking before a private meeting, where he updated EU ambassadors on the process. Reuters has recently filed this account of what was said.
Britain and the EU made some limited progress in their trade talks, the bloc’s Brexit negotiator said on Monday, but remain at odds over state aid provisions and have moved further apart again on fisheries, according to a senior Brussels diplomat.
The diplomat spoke under condition of anonymity after the negotiator, Michel Barnier, updated the 27 national envoys to the EU hub Brussels on Monday morning.
The diplomat said there had been “some limited progress” on the enforcement mechanism but there had been disagreement over state aid and “backtracking” on fisheries.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9am: Sir Keir Starmer hosts his ‘Call Keir’ phone-in on LBC.
9.30am: The ONS publishes a report on the impact of coronavirus on different ethnic groups.
9.30am: The ONS publishes figures on deaths among homeless people.
10.30am: Prof Sir Michael Marmot publishes a report covering the impact of Covid on health inequalities.
12pm: Downing Street is expected to hold its daily lobby briefing.
12.15pm: Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, is expected to hold her daily coronavirus briefing.
12.15pm: The Welsh government is expected to hold a coronavirus briefing.
2.30pm: Priti Patel, the home secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
2.30pm: Senior civil servants give evidence to the Commons public accounts committee about PPC procurement during the pandemic.
After 3.30pm: MPs debate Lords amendments to the internal market bill.
Politics Live is now doubling up as the UK coronavirus live blog and, given the way the Covid crisis eclipses everything, this will continue for the foreseeable future. But we will be covering non-Covid political stories too, like Brexit, and when they seem more important or more interesting, they will take precedence.
Here is our global coronavirus live blog.
I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.
If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.
Updated
