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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Josh Halliday (now) and Caroline Davies (earlier)

UK coronavirus: Downing Street unable to back up PM's test-and-trace claim — as it happened

Summary

We’re wrapping up this liveblog for today, so I’ll end with this summary. Have a good evening and thanks for reading.

  • Boris Johnson for the first time committed to an “independent inquiry” into the coronavirus pandemic. The prime minister said it was not right to devote “huge amounts of official time” to an inquiry when the UK was “in the middle” of a pandemic. However, in response to a question from the acting Lib Dem leader Ed Davey, he said there would “certainly” be in inquiry “in the future”.
  • Johnson indicated that he had not read a government-commissioned report setting out urgent measures needed to prepare for a possible second wave of coronavirus, telling the Commons only that he was “aware” of it. Johnson was questioned at length by Keir Starmer about the study by 37 senior doctors and scientists, published this week, and the need for an effective test-and-trace system to mitigate any new outbreak.
  • The prime minister claimed the government’s test-and-trace system was “as good as or better than anywhere else in the world” – a claim Downing Street later failed to substantiate with evidence. The claim was made during a testy PMQs in which Johnson accused Starmer of “knocking the confidence” of the British people.
  • A further 85 people in the UK have died of coronavirus in the latest 24-hour period, according to government figures. It takes the official death toll to 45,053, although the true figure is much higher when including excess deaths.
  • Kemi Badenoch, the equalities minister, has said she was “deeply unhappy” with the much-criticised Public Health England report last month that failed to explain the reasons why people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds were disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.
  • The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, described as “frankly ridiculous” the government’s insistence that face coverings do not need to be worn in takeaway shops – after Michael Gove was photographed leaving a Pret a Manger without wearing one on the day the government announced that face coverings would be mandatory in England’s shops from 24 July. Khan urged people to wear a face covering in all shops and takeaways:
  • Stormont’s health minister, Robin Swann, will recommend to the Northern Ireland executive that the wearing of face coverings in shops in the region becomes mandatory. Swann said “everything possible must be done” to encourage the wearing of face coverings in shops and other indoor spaces.
  • Chris Grayling, the former minister who is no stranger to career mishaps, has failed in his bid to become chairman of parliament’s intelligence and security committee. He had been widely expected to be elected to the post.
  • Pubs in Ireland that do not serve food are set to remain closed until 10 August. Currently only bars that provide a substantial meal are allowed to sell alcohol.

Updated

A week after the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced VAT cuts on food and drink in the hospitality sector, some well-known names have set out how they will reflect the changes.

McDonald’s, Nando’s, Pret a Manger and Starbucks are among the brands promising price reductions on their menus, my colleague Rebecca Smithers reports.

While for some this will mean only result in a 50p discount on some foods – a Nando’s quarter chicken, for example, will now cost £3.70 instead of £4.25 – it amounts to a saving of more than £5 on a £45 family meal out, according to Deloitte.

As the famous Tesco slogan goes, every little helps.

Ireland's pubs to remain closed until 10 August

Pubs in Ireland that do not serve food are set to remain closed until 10 August, PA Media reports.

Currently only bars that provide a substantial meal are allowed to sell alcohol.

Ministers are expected to delay plans to fully reopen the industry from next week over concerns about the number of young people who have contracted Covid-19.

Face coverings are also set to be made mandatory in shops following Wednesday evening’s cabinet meeting.

Updated

Here’s my colleague Dan Sabbagh’s story on Chris Grayling failing to become the intelligence committee chair - to the surprise, it seems, of almost everyone in Westminster.

One source said Grayling “didn’t see it coming”. The nine members of the MPs’ committee voted five to four in favour of Tory MP Julian Lewis:

Updated

This from Tom Newton Dunn, of Times Radio, on Grayling’s stumble at the finishing line:

Chris Grayling misses out on top committee post

Chris Grayling, the former minister who is no stranger to career mishaps, has failed in his bid to become chairman of parliament’s intelligence and security committee – having been widely expected to be elected to the post.

Chris Grayling leaves the Houses of Parliament on 4 September 2019
Chris Grayling leaves the Houses of Parliament on 4 September 2019 Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

The ex-transport secretary was Boris Johnson’s pick for the chairmanship of the influential committee, which scrutinises the work of the UK’s intelligence agencies, and was thought to be a shoo-in for the job.

But it was not to be. The Tory MP Julian Lewis, a former chair of the defence select committee, has been appointed instead.

Westminster scribes are hammering the phones to find out what went wrong for Grayling.

Updated

Equalities minister 'deeply unhappy' with Public Health England report on BAME communities and Covid-19

Kemi Badenoch, the equalities minister, has said she was “deeply unhappy” with the much-criticised Public Health England report last month that failed to explain the reasons why people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds were disproportionately affected by the coronavirus.

Her frank admission came at the tail end of a hearing of the Commons women and equalities committee, when she was asked whether the data collected on the the impact of coronavirus on BAME communities was good enough. (You can watch it back here.)

She replied:

Certainly, I was deeply unhappy with the PHE report that we commissioned because what I was expecting was the information around co-morbidities and other factors, occupational information for example.

So from the perspective of the equalities minister after waiting six weeks to then have that report which, while helpful in confirming what we knew rather than it being anecdotal, did not actually explain the why, which is the work that I’m taking forward.

So from that perspective, no [the data is not good enough], because if it was then I wouldn’t have to be doing the work that I am doing. I was very unhappy with that. But as the minister, the responsibility at the end of it lies with me, so that’s why I’m very focused on getting the data rather than just complaining that it’s not there.

Kemi Badenoch answering a question in the House of Commons
Kemi Badenoch answering a question in the House of Commons. Photograph: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA

Updated

Some breaking news from Westminster: Labour is poised to make a formal apology to antisemitism whistleblowers as part of a settlement designed to draw a line under allegations made during the Jeremy Corbyn era.

The whistleblowers sued the party for defamation in the wake of a BBC Panorama investigation last year. No final settlement has been reached but sources said an agreement was imminent.

My colleagues Jessica Elgot, Heather Stewart and Lisa O’Carroll have the full story:

Updated

Mayor of London blasts 'frankly ridiculous' government line on face coverings

Earlier today Downing Street said there would be an exemption on mask use for takeaway purchases, following pictures yesterday of Michael Gove leaving Pret a Manger without a face covering.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said the government’s approach was “frankly ridiculous” and urged people to wear a face covering in all shops and takeaways:

Updated

On this week’s Politics Weekly podcast, Heather Stewart and Polly Toynbee discuss the latest news from Westminster.

Dan Sabbagh breaks down yesterday’s Huawei decision and why it spells trouble for the Tories.

Plus, Rajeev Syal talks to Vaughan Gething about the Covid-19 response in Wales and Welsh independence.

You can listen here:

Updated

Further 85 Covid 19-related deaths in the UK

A further 85 people in the UK have died of coronavirus in the latest 24-hour period, according to government figures.

It takes the official death toll to 45,053, although the true figure is much higher when including excess deaths.

Face coverings should be mandatory in Northern Ireland shops, says assembly's health minister

Stormont’s health minister, Robin Swann, will recommend to the Northern Ireland executive that the wearing of face coverings in shops in the region becomes mandatory.

According to PA Media, Swann said he did not want to pre-empt decisions by the country’s executive but that “everything possible must be done” to encourage the wearing of face coverings in shops and other indoor spaces.

He added:

The chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser agree. It is also the case that making it mandatory would provide clarity and reassurance for members of the public.

We need to promote every available measure to stop the spread of Covid-19, both now and into the autumn and winter, given the risk of further waves of infection. Wearing face coverings in enclosed spaces will have to become second nature if we are to keep each other safe.

Swann said making the wearing of face coverings mandatory would also “show solidarity” with those who are due to come out of shielding from 31 July.

Updated

This from Sky News reporter Inzamam Rashid on the Public Health England report on why black, Asian and minority ethnic people (BAME) are disproportionately contracting and dying from Covid-19:

Well, well, well. Rishi Sunak’s team (it must have been his advisers, as the man himself is currently being quizzed by MPs) has tweeted a picture of the chancellor leaving a Pret a Manger wearing a snazzy-looking face mask.

Only yesterday, Sunak’s government colleague Michael Gove was photographed leaving a Pret without wearing a face covering, prompting some opprobrium following his stance on Sunday that it was not necessary to make such masks mandatory in England’s shops. The government announced yesterday that it would be mandatory for people to wear face coverings in England’s shops from 24 July, following the same move in Scotland.

Updated

Greater Manchester has announced plans to hold an online interfaith memorial service for all those who have died from coronavirus.

Rogers Govender, the dean of Manchester, will tomorrow lead a socially distanced service at Manchester Cathedral which will be streamed on its Facebook page.

There will be no choir or singing, in line with current restrictions. An online book of remembrance will also be launched as a permanent tribute to those who have died in Greater Manchester.

Updated

If you want to follow Rishi Sunak’s appearance before the Treasury committee, you can head to my colleague Graeme Wearden’s business liveblog. As I said, I’ll have any breaking news lines here.

Updated

The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is facing the Treasury committee. I’ll cover any breaking news but will keep this blog focused on coronavirus.

For what it’s worth, Sunak played the opening exchanges with a very straight bat, refusing to comment on any “future fiscal policy” such as tax rises. MPs will have difficulty learning anything substantially new from the chancellor this afternoon.

Downing Street unable to back up PM's claim on test-and-trace system

Downing Street was unable to provide any evidence to back up Boris Johnson’s claim (see 12.12pm) that the test-and-trace service is “as good as or better than” any other system in the world, PA Media reports.

When pressed, the prime minister’s official spokesman instead said: “We’ve talked in recent weeks about the number of people who test and trace have been identifying.

“As of last Thursday, it had reached more than 144,000 close contacts of people who tested positive for coronavirus who might have otherwise unknowingly have spread the virus.”

Updated

The Welsh government has said it fast-tracked more than 50 new laws to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Measures ranged from introducing the lockdown restrictions to changes to the planning system to enable field hospitals to be quickly built.

At its daily press conference, the government announced changes to its coronavirus testing regime.

The health minister, Vaughan Gething, said care home staff would be offered weekly tests for the next four weeks - as they are now – but this would then drop to fortnightly tests.

He said that where care homes were identified as higher risk, for example due to local outbreaks, “bespoke testing regimes” would be implemented.

Updated

I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news if you’re heading to Magaluf.

Authorities are closing the the party strip of Punta Ballena after footage (below) of drunken British tourists flouting coronavirus regulations while dancing on cars prompted an outcry. The Mirror has the story.

Updated

My colleague Peter Walker has this post-PMQs story on Boris Johnson indicating he has not read a government-commissioned report setting out urgent measures needed to prepare for a possible second wave of coronavirus.

Read the full story here:

Sir Bernard Jenkin, the Conservative MP and chair of the liaison committee, said the UK should never have allowed China to have a role in building nuclear power stations.

Following the government’s decision to ban Huawei from the UK’s 5G network over security concerns, Jenkin said China should also not be allowed to “take control of other critical national infrastructure like nuclear power”.

He has submitted a paper to the government – which he said had received “more smiles than grimaces” – calling for a British company to take control of plans for the Bradwell power station in Essex.

He told BBC Radio 4’s World at One:

I was absolutely aghast when a Chinese reactor design, controlled and operated by the Chinese, was proposed for Bradwell. The whole ‘golden age’ policy I was always opposed to.

What this is about is a complete strategic blindness about the nature of the Chinese regime, its long-term strategy where we seem to have no strategy, no statecraft involved in this.

Updated

No new Covid deaths in Scotland for seventh day

Nicola Sturgeon has set out new plans for surveillance of coronavirus, as she confirmed there had been no further deaths of people testing positive for the virus for the seventh day running.

Data from the National Records of Scotland indicated that this is the 11th week in a row that the number of deaths where Covid is mentioned on the death certificate has fallen.

The Scottish government has published a paper setting out its latest approach to surveillance of the virus and the management of outbreaks.

Sturgeon said:

As we all go out and about more it becomes increasingly important that we are very alert, hyper-vigilant, to any early warnings that case numbers might be starting to increase again.

She said responding quickly when cases arise was important, and the test-and-protect system was “absolutely vital”, but added that other sources of information were being used for early warnings, including NHS 24 call data and Covid-19 genome sequencing.

Health Protection Scotland has updated its guidance on the management of public health incidents to allow for a rapid response to outbreaks.

Updated

Captain Sir Tom Moore has said being knighted by the Queen in his own personal open-air ceremony will be “the most special of days for me”.

The 100-year-old second world war veteran will travel to Windsor Castle on Friday with members of his family for the unprecedented investiture.

He raised almost £33m for health service charities by walking laps of his Bedfordshire garden, and won the hearts of the nation for his determination, after originally setting out to raise just £1,000.

In a message on his official Twitter account, Moore said: “I could never have imagined this would happen to me. It is such a huge honour and I am very much looking forward to meeting Her Majesty the Queen. It is going to be the most special of days for me.”

Updated

Here is some reaction from Westminster journalists to that episode of PMQs. Our Peter Walker says Labour have a fruitful line of attack in exposing Johnson’s “lack of attention to detail”.

The Daily Mirror’s Pippa Crerar says Johnson’s Calvin Kleins gag, which came in response to a question from Starmer about meeting families whose relatives had died from coronavirus, was “misjudged”.

Francis Elliott, political editor of the Times, highlights the significance of Johnson committing to an independent inquiry into the UK’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic:

'Troubling' that home secretary can't give number of UK arrivals with coronavirus

The home secretary, Priti Patel, has been told it is “troubling” that she is unable to provide an assessment of the number of travellers entering the UK with coronavirus as quarantine measures are eased.

Appearing before the home affairs select committee, Patel said the advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) continued to suggest that the number of cases brought in from overseas was about 0.5% of all cases in the UK.

But under repeated questioning from Yvette Cooper, the chair of the committee, Patel, along with chief civil servants Matthew Rycroft and Shona Dunn, was unable to provide a figure for the number entering the country with the virus.

The home secretary revealed there were now around 50,000 people coming into the country across all modes of transport. This is up from about 9,000 to 10,000 in April.

Cooper told the home secretary:

It’s quite troubling that none of you seem able to explain just an assessment of the number of people likely to be coming into the country with coronavirus or a proportion of the 50,000.

The efficacy of the 0.5% measure has been challenged by the committee in the past and its members have repeatedly asked for an estimate of the number who entered the UK with the virus. Estimates suggest between 1,300 and 10,000 were brought into the country before 23 March, predominantly from Spain and Italy.

Cooper questioned how the 0.5% figure had not changed since 23 March, when it was the same level.

Rycroft, the permanent secretary at the Home Office, said: “The home sec has asked and received updated estimates of the proportion in the UK that come in from overseas, that number continues to be up to 0.5%. It happens to be the same upper limit as the number from 23 March but it is refreshed advice from Sage.”

Patel was unable to say how many individuals were in forced quarantine after entering the country from overseas but said between 6 June and 12 July there were 383,000 spot checks to assess compliance.

The majority of checks, however, were completed at the border. Dunn, the second permanent secretary, said about 20% of the checks were in the community.

Cooper said that in Spain cases are rising, and asked Patel what the threshold would be for placing Spain back on the quarantine list, meaning arrivals from Spain would have to self-isolate for 14 days.

Patel said she was not involved in the process and deferred to other departments including the Department of Health and Social Care.

Updated

That’s the end of this week’s PMQs.

Helen Hayes (Lab) says the scourge of knife crime is continuing. Will the prime minister implement a cross-government approach to tackling serious violence?

Johnson says he has sympathy with the families of all victims of knife crime. He says there should be a cross-departmental medical approach focused on the needs of the bereaved, but also a “tough policing solution”.

In London, we have not seen the approach we saw under the previous mayor (himself), Johnson says, adding that there should be zero-tolerance on knife carrying.

John Stevenson (Con) asks Johnson to support with financial backing the building of nuclear power-generating facilities in Cumbria.

Johnson says Cumbria should continue its tradition as a pioneer of nuclear technologies.

Updated

Hannah Bardell (SNP) asks the prime minister to commit to implementing all the recommendations in a recent report on vaginal mesh implants.

Johnson says he’s had direct representations on this issue and that this government takes it extremely seriously. He or the department of health will meet with campaigners, he says.

Graham Brady (Con) says some people are anxious to return to work in the office but some are not. Will Johnson be revising blanket government advice that recommends all but essential workers work from home, Brady asks?

Johnson says employers should decide along with workers whether it is safe for employees to go into work or work from home.

Updated

Kirsten Oswald (SNP) asks Johnson to raise awareness of childhood brain stem cancers following the suffering of one of her constituents.

Johnson says he will do everything he can and ensure that Oswald can make submissions to the Department of Health and Social Care.

Updated

Heather Wheeler (Con) asks the prime minister to acknowledge the importance of hybrid vehicles.

Johnson says they’re an important part of the government’s transition to zero-emission vehicles.

Tracy Brabin (Lab) says businesses and local authorities face costs from local lockdowns. Can we have daily postcode data, and a package of support for firms that have to close for extended periods?

Johnson says ministers are committed to sharing “as much data as we have” with local authorities.

Updated

Katherine Fletcher (Con) asks the prime minister to confirm that the government is “throwing the kitchen sink” at tackling Covid-19.

Yes indeed, says Johnson. “Not only the kitchen sink – but every part of the kitchen,” he adds. “We’re going to build, build, build our way forward ... and do everything we can to get jobs, jobs, jobs.”

Updated

Naz Shah (Lab) says councils are facing a £10bn blackhole and are already making redundancies. Will the prime minister provide more support and not embark on another era of austerity?

Johnson says it has given £4.2bn in support for councils across the country and he pays tribute to their work during the pandemic.

Updated

Jack Lopresti (Con) asks about aviation jobs. When will the prime minister announce a support package for the aviation industry?

Johnson says the government is putting £3.9bn into aerospace technology enterprises.

Darren Jones (Lab) asks the prime minister whether the government will penalise businesses for “doing the right thing” and closing during local lockdowns.

Johnson says it has given support to firms across the country, including £20m in grants to Leicester. The best thing for everyone to do is work hard to bring the virus down, he adds.

Updated

Craig Mackinlay (Con) asks the prime minister to find £17m to complete the regeneration of Thanet and east Kent. Johnson says it will be assessed in the third round of the new stations fund.

Updated

Chris Law (SNP) asks the prime minister to sign off on the the Tay Cities Deal because 6,000 jobs hang in the balance. Johnson says he will write to Law about it.

Updated

Robert Courts (Con) asks the prime minister to think about how the country should recognise Group Captain John Hemingway, who he says is the last surviving RAF pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain. Johnson says he will give it thought and suggests Courts raise it with parliamentary committees.

Updated

Paul Blomfield (Lab) asks whether Johnson will commit to paying NHS workers more.

Johnson says the government has given £3.2bn to local authorities to fight infection, introduced a living wage and “increased it by the biggest ever amount”.

Updated

Darren Henry (Con) asks what steps the government is taking to help people with mental health conditions during the pandemic.

Johnson says funding for mental health care has been massively increased to £12.5bn and it is publishing a national strategy for disabled people.

Updated

Ed Davey, acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, says the UK has one of the worst death rates in the world and Europe’s worst death rate for health and care workers.

Will the PM commit in future to a public inquiry?

Johnson says he does not believe that now is the right moment to devote time to an official inquiry “but of course we will seek to learn the lessons” and there will be an independent inquiry.

Sarah Atherton MP (Con) asks the prime minister whether he will help a constituent who has to fly abroad for treatment. Johnson says he will look at it.

The government is undertaking a full-scale assault on devolution, Blackford says. It is no wonder Nicola Sturgeon’s approval ratings are three times higher than the prime minister’s, he adds.

Will the PM guarantee that Scotland will have the chance to choose its own future?

Johnson repeats his line about the SNP wanting to hand powers to Brussels. He says there was a Scottish independence referendum in 2014 and the people voted in the majority to remain in the UK.

Ian Blackford, the Westminster leader of the SNP, says tomorrow the government will publish legislation for “its biggest power grab” since 1997.

The decisions of the Scottish parliament must and will be decided by the Scottish people, he says. Will the PM confirm that his government are ignoring the wishes of the Scottish people and “launching their hostile agenda against devolution”?

Johnson says Blackford should be celebrating the 70 or so powers that will be transferred to the Scottish parliament. He says what Blackford wants to do is hand powers to Brussels, which “is neither elected or accountable”.

Rob Butler (Con) asks for assurance that the government will safeguard animal welfare and high food standards.

Johnson says he will give that assurance.

Johnson goes on the attack, saying Starmer needs to decide whether he is going to support the government and what brief he is taking today – a reference to Starmer’s legal hinterland.

“Because at the minute he’s got more briefs than Calvin Klein,” the prime minister says, to some cheers in the chamber.

Updated

Starmer says it is perfectly possible to support test and trace while pointing out problems.

Starmer says he is meeting the bereaved families of Covid-19 victims this afternoon and asks what the prime minister would like to say to them.

Johnson says he mourns the loss of everyone who has died in this epidemic. The government will do absolutely everything in our power to prevent a second spike, he adds.

Starmer says the number of people contacted by test and trace has fallen every week. He asks: has the prime minister actually read the Academy of Medical Sciences report that sets out the reasonable worst-case estimate for a second spike of Covid-19?

Johnson says he is “of course aware of the report” and we’re taking every reasonable step to protect the economy from a second spike.

The prime minister says Starmer has previously supported the government’s plan and tells him he needs to build up the confidence of the people “instead of endlessly knocking [their] confidence”.

Updated

Starmer says he is surprised Johnson has not committed to fully implementing the recommendations in the Academy of Medical Sciences report.

It is vital the government learns lessons, he says, adding that testing and tracing capacity will need to be significantly expanded to cope with the risks of autumn and winter. What assurances can the PM give that test and trace will be fit for purpose by this winter?

Johnson says test and trace is working at “unprecedented scale” and 144,000 people had agreed to self-isolate. Seventy or eighty per cent of contacts are found, he says, adding:

Our test-and-trace system is as good as or better than anywhere else in the world.

(The fact-checkers may want to scrutinise that claim.)

(Post amended as earlier version said Starmer was referring to an Office for Budget Responsibility report.)

Updated

Starmer says Johnson should “call out” BA’s rehiring of 30,000 people on worse terms.

He then moves on to the record Academy of Medical Sciences report which recommended that July and August must be a period of “intense preparation” to prevent a second spike of Covid-19. Will the PM implement those actions in full?

Johnson said the government is getting on with preparing for a second spike and with record investment in the economy.

He says it was thanks to the hard work of the NHS that they were able to prevent the health service being overwhelmed, and that the government will take steps so it isn’t overwhelmed in the coming months.

(Amended as earlier post said Starmer was referring to an Office for Budget Responsibility report.)

Updated

Starmer accuses Johnson of “rhetorical nonsense” and says it is perfectly right that the opposition point out problems with the government’s economic response.

On British Airways, Starmer says the company is trying to force through the hiring of 30,000 employees on worse terms. Will the PM personally intervene and make clear actions like those at BA will not be allowed to stand?

Johnson says the government has been clear that companies should support their workers and keep them in employment where they can.

He says BA and other companies are in severe difficulties and “we cannot simply with a magic wand” ensure that every single job is saved.

Updated

Keir Starmer asks about the government’s decision not to provide support to those whose jobs are most at risk, such as aviation.

The prime minister says Labour supported many of the economic actions the government took last week and that aviation was an important industry.

He says Starmer has to work out whether he’s going to support or oppose the government’s programme to get people back to work.

Updated

Mark Menzies MP (Con) asks the prime minister to help secure key defence jobs in his Fylde constituency.

Boris Johnson says he’s looking forward to the visit.

PMQs

Prime minister’s questions is starting soon. Here is the call list showing which MPs will be asking questions.

Updated

The rate of coronavirus infection in England was significantly reduced in the month before lockdown restrictions were lifted, a study has found.

According to the research from Imperial College London, the rate of infection throughout the country was halving every eight to nine days during May, PA Media reports.

There were on average 13 positive cases for every 10,000 people, with an overall reproduction number of 0.57 – lower than previously reported.

For the study, researchers tested more than 120,000 volunteers aged over five across the country for Covid-19.

About 69% of those who tested positive reported no symptoms on the day of the test or the previous week, though they may have developed symptoms later.

Updated

There may be positive news on the way from the world-leading Oxford University trial developing a vaccine against Covid-19.

According to ITV’s Robert Peston, the first data from the trial is due to be published in the Lancet, possibly tomorrow, and will show that the vaccine is developing a positive antibody and T-cell response.

Why are T-cells important? Well, they are a major component of the immune system and there is a growing body of evidence that an effective Covid-19 vaccine will need to trigger T-cells as well as antibodies.

According to Peston, few of the vaccines under development around the world increase both antibodies and T-cells. But the Oxford vaccine “looks as though it has this twin effect”, he writes.

He quotes a source as saying:

An important point to keep in mind is that there are two dimensions to the immune response: antibodies and T-cells.

Everybody is focussed on antibodies but there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the T-cells response is important in the defence against coronavirus.

Updated

Good morning all. It’s Josh Halliday here, taking over from Caroline for the rest of the day.

A busy afternoon ahead: in an hour we’ve got prime minister’s questions, where Boris Johnson is likely to get a tough time on face coverings.

Then at 2.30pm, Rishi Sunak will face his first Commons committee session since his £30bn mini-budget last week. He’ll be pressed for more detail on how the government will pay for the borrowing funding the mega-spending on coronavirus.

Updated

That’s all from me Caroline Davies. Thank you for your time.

Jet2.com has restarted its flights and holidays programme after suspending its operations for nearly four months.

Almost 50 flights are due to depart on Wednesday across seven airports in England and Scotland to destinations where travel restrictions have been eased, such as the Canaries, Balearics, mainland Spain, Turkey, Greece and Italy.

The airports served are Manchester, Birmingham, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford, Glasgow, Newcastle, and London Stansted.

Tui restarted its holidays for UK customers on Saturday, while easyJet holidays will resume on 1 August.

An empty Jet2 check-in at Stansted Airport in London
An empty Jet2 check-in at Stansted Airport in London. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Updated

Marcus Rashford will receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester for his “remarkable campaign against child poverty” which caused a government U-turn and the granting of free food vouchers for the poorest families over the summer.

Boris Johnson had initially rejected the Manchester United striker’s move before reversing his decision last month.

In lockdown the government provided vouchers to families whose children qualified for free school meals, but initially said it would not continue after term time.

Marcus Rashford.
Marcus Rashford. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

You can read more here

Updated

Here is the Guardian report on Matt Hancock ruling out masks in offices.

....and here

For the latest updates on how Covid-19 has progressed in the UK, check out our coronavirus UK map

Members of the Welsh parliament are today debating whether an independence referendum should be held, with Plaid Cymru arguing that the response to coronavirus in Wales had shown the country would be better off going it alone.

The party says it is the first time the question of independence has been the sole focus of a debate in the Senedd.

Last month a poll found that a quarter of people in Wales supported independence – the largest proportion recorded in an opinion survey.

A Welcome to Wales tourist sign
A Welcome to Wales tourist sign. Photograph: David Williams/Getty Images

Speaking ahead of the debate, the Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price, said:

Wales has proven itself during the coronavirus crisis by acting independently to protect our citizens from the dysfunctionality and ineptitude of the Westminster government.

As we come out of this crisis, we cannot go back to the status quo. The status quo has failed Wales. Underinvestment and unfair funding forms the crux of this unequal union of broken promises – delivered by the Tories at Westminster and defended by Labour through their support for the stagnant status quo.

We are calling on the Welsh government to seek the constitutional right to allow the Senedd to legislate during the next term to hold a binding referendum on independence.

The Labour-led government has said the people of Wales will get the chance to vote for change at next year’s Welsh parliament elections. It says Wales is better served by staying in the UK.

Updated

Back on the question of masks, Matt Hancock has said face coverings will have to be worn in shops in England for the “foreseeable future”.

The health secretary told BBC Breakfast:

People will have to wear masks in shops and on public transport and in the NHS for the foreseeable future.

The virus exists only to multiply and, without any measures, we know that each person infects another two to three people so we do have to have these measures in place, even though the number of cases are really low, to keep a grip on the virus.”

Explaining the thinking behind not making face coverings mandatory in offices, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme:

That isn’t going to happen and the reason is in offices you tend to spend a lot of time with the same people.

Where the mask benefits is from you spreading the disease to other people when you have relatively short interactions with lots of different people.

Updated

Blackburn is facing a “rising tide” of coronavirus cases, centred on its large Asian community, with two weeks to get the numbers down before lockdown measures are reversed, the area’s public health director warned.

The Lancashire town brought in extra restrictions on Tuesday and Prof Dominic Harrison, the local authority’s director of public health, said the borough of 148,000 people was facing a “rising tide” of cases.

Harrison, speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, said:

We have what we call a rising tide event rather than an outbreak, and by that we mean that we’ve got a number of cases rising in specific areas across a significant community, but not a single big outbreak like Kirklees or other areas that had a workplace outbreak.

It can have the same effect because it can drive up the cases, but what we are seeing from looking at the postcode data of those cases is, in the last couple of weeks, is that what we are seeing is a single case being infected, then going back to a household and all that household becoming infected.

And when we look at the data what we can see is clusters in a part of the town, but the clusters are household clusters, so a number of those are causing the rising tide event and we know that they are in mainly south Asian areas, and they are in areas with high number of terraced houses with high numbers of occupants in the house, so four or more, five or more people in the household.

He said the Blackburn with Darwen borough, which has an Asian population of about 28%, had 114 cases in the last two weeks and 97 of those cases were among south Asians.

The rate of confirmed cases per 100,000 has gone up to 47 per 100,000, up from 31.6 cases in the seven days to 4 July.

The authority is third on the list of highest weekly rates, behind Leicester, which has a rate of 118.2 cases per 100,000 and is subject to a local lockdown, and nearby Pendle, with a rate of 76.6.

Updated

The luxury British brand Burberry is to cut 500 jobs worldwide, including 150 in its UK head office, to slash costs by £55m after a slump in sales during the coronavirus pandemic.

Retail sales dived by 48% in the three months to the end of June, including a 75% fall in Europe and the Middle East, as countries closed shops and offices and severely limited travel to control the spread of Covid-19.

Burberry said it would keep its headquarters in the UK but would “further streamline” head office roles, reduce office space and “improve retail efficiency” outside the UK. The company said it wanted to reinvest the savings in marketing activities including pop-up stores, digital campaigns, events and improved store displays.

The £55m in savings come on top of £140m of cost cuts already announced.

The brand, best known for its trench coats and signature check, had previously cancelled its end-of-year payment to shareholders, worth about £120m last year, and has borrowed £300m via the UK government-backed business support scheme.

Updated

More than 1 million British smokers have apparently kicked the habit since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash).

It calculated that 1,036,000 smokers and recent ex-smokers had quit or continued their abstinence since coronavirus cases began circulating in the UK.

The charity surveyed more than 10,000 people across England, Wales and Scotland, including 1,700 smokers and people who had quit in the last four months.

It found that younger smokers were more likely to have stopped than older smokers – 17% of smokers and recent ex-smokers aged between 16-29 said they had quit compared with 7% of those older than 50. And 13% aged 30 to 49 had quit during the pandemic.

A regional breakdown found that smokers in the north-east of England were more likely to have quit than anywhere else in the country – 20% of smokers said they had kicked the habit since the pandemic.

Wales and the east Midlands recorded the smallest quit rates, with 8% of smokers and former smokers saying they had stopped smoking.

Updated

Top chefs have rallied behind Tom Kerridge after he criticised “selfish” and “disgraceful” customers for failing to show up and honour their reservations.

They also raised concerns about the high costs of landlord rents, which they still have to pay despite operating at half capacity, and the risks associated with a lack of custom.

Over the weekend, Kerridge criticised 27 people who did not turn up at the Corinthia Hotel in central London without letting the restaurant know. In an interview with the Guardian, Kerridge said: “There has been a huge response from the industry around no shows. It happens all the time but quite often people accept it or don’t talk about it.”

Read more here.

Nurses not wearing face masks or staying two metres apart led to an outbreak of Covid-19 that shut an A&E unit after 70 staff at a hospital had to go into quarantine, an inquiry has found.

An investigation by Hillingdon hospital in north-west London has found that a nurse who had coronavirus unwittingly infected 16 others during a training session they all attended on 30 June, in what was described by a doctor as a “super-spreading event”.

The hospital, which serves Boris Johnson’s constituency, made headlines last week when it stopped accepting emergency admissions because the outbreak had led to 70 staff being off work and in isolation.

Hancock: no plans for masks in offices

The government has no plans to make people wear face coverings in offices, health secretary Matt Hancock has said.

He told Sky News:

We will not be recommending masks in the office.

Asked to clear up confusion over mask-wearing, he said it would be mandatory in shops from 24 July. But in hospitality, such as in a restaurant, there needs to be table service so it was not necessary to wear a mask.

On how long the extended lockdown in Leicester would last, he said:

We are taking the decision later this week. By the end of the week we will announce the next steps, whether to make any changes and if so what changes to make. It’s all driven by the data and our assessment of how well the team are doing locally.

He denied reports that chancellor Rishi Sunak is looking to raise capital gain tax to claw back some of the money used to fund thew Covid-19 crisis.

He said:

As far as I understand there is no proposal and the chancellor is not looking at tax changes now.

Updated

A quick look at some of today’s front pages.

The Guardian , the FT and the i newspaper lead on the Huawei story.

The FT

The i newspaper

The Times looks at the threat of homes tax to pay for the coronavirus pandemic.

The Telegraph leads on advice over face masks.

The Daily Mail, meanwhile, has a US judge’s decision to refuse Ghislaine Maxwell bail as its lead.

The Mirror headlines the advice over masks.

The Daily Star runs as its lead a story about “woke”snowflakes and vegan aliens, with an eye-catching headline.

Good morning and welcome to the UK liveblog.

A new study has found that the rate of coronavirus infection in England was significantly reduced in May , the month before lockdown restrictions were lifted.

The research, from Imperial College London found that the overall reproduction number was 0.57 - lower than previously thought.

According to the study the rate of infection throughout the country was halving every eight to nine days during May.

There were on average 13 positive cases for every 10,000 people, with an overall reproduction number of 0.57 - lower than previously reported.

For the study, researchers tested more than 120,000 volunteers aged over five across the country for Covid-19.

About 69% of those who tested positive reported no symptoms on the day of the test or the previous week, though they may have developed symptoms later.

The report provides an insight into who was infected with the virus between 1 May and 1 June, comparing geography, age, sex, ethnicity, key worker status and symptoms.

In other news, the government’s decision to strip Huawei equipment from its 5G network features prominently in today’s papers. China’s ambassador in London claimed the decision is “disappointing” and “wrong” in a tweet last night.

Prime minister Boris Johnson yesterday ordered telecoms firms to strip equipment from the Chinese tech giant out of 5G networks by 2027.

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