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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Andrew Sparrow and Nazia Parveen (now); Josh Halliday (earlier)

Britain comes together to clap for carers on Covid frontline – as it happened

Boris Johnson on the steps of 10 Downing Street during the Clap for Carers.
Boris Johnson on the steps of 10 Downing Street during the Clap for Carers. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/AFP/Getty Images

That’s the end of our UK live coverage for tonight, please follow worldwide developments on our global blog. Thanks for reading and writing in.

Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, also came out to pay her respects tonight.

According to the BBC, “millions of people” were clapping across the country tonight, among them 100-year-old Dabirul Choudhury, from St Albans, who’s raised over £177,000 for coronavirus relief.

On my street in central Brixton, London, only two parties came to their windows to clap for about 15 seconds tonight. In previous weeks, people could be seen in most windows clapping and cheering.

Updated

Here a video that was posted by the British Medical Association in Scotland:

Boris Johnson came out of No 10 for a solo clap tonight, without his fiancée Carrie Symonds, who had accompanied him last week.

Boris Johnson applauds outside 10 Downing Street during the Clap for our Carers campaign in London

Updated

This from London Mayor Sadiq Khan:

This just in from Forces News, showing military staff in Bosnia, Turks and Caicos and Cornwall clapping for carers.

This from Rosena Allin-Khan, the Labour MP for Tooting.

People across the UK will pay tribute to coronavirus key workers tonight at 8pm BST.

Every Thursday for the past nine weeks, people have been clapping from their doorsteps, windows and streets for NHS staff, bus drivers, retail staff and other key workers who have been risking their lives by going to work during the pandemic.

Tonight’s Clap for Carers will go ahead against the backdrop of the government’s scrapping of the NHS surcharge for migrant health and care workers, a U-turn that came on Thursday after pressure from opposition and Conservative backbenchers.

Updated

Daily summary

Here are the main points from today.

  • Migrant health and care workers to be exempt from NHS surcharge after U-turn

Downing Street has bowed to concerted pressure from the opposition and Conservative backbenchers to scrap the NHS surcharge for migrant health and care workers.

After backbenchers including the former health secretary Jeremy Hunt criticised the government’s position, a No 10 spokesman said Boris Johnson had asked the Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care to remove NHS and care workers from the scheme as soon as possible.

  • Hancock, the health secretary, confirmed the government will roll out antibody testing next week, having signed contracts for 10m tests

Antibody tests show whether or not people have had coronavirus.Hancock said: “We’ve signed contracts to supply in the coming months over 10 million tests from Roche and Abbott. From next week we will begin rolling these out in a phased way, at first to health and care staff, patients and residents.

“The UK government has arranged supplies of these tests on behalf of the devolved administrations and each devolved nation is deciding how to use its test allocation and how testing will be prioritised and managed locally.

“This is an important milestone and it represents further progress in our national testing programme.”

  • Hancock says 17% of Londoners may have had coronavirus

He says antibody tests suggest that 17% of people in London may have had coronavirus. In the rest of the country the figure is 5%, he says.

  • UK records a further 338 coronavirus deaths, taking total to 36,042.

The latest UK figures reveal that 36,042 people have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus as of 5pm on Wednesday, up by 338 from 35,704 the day before.

In the 24-hour period up to 9am on Thursday, 128,340 tests were carried out or dispatched, with a total of 67,681 people tested and 2,615 positive results.

A total of 3,090,566 tests have been carried out, and 250,908 cases have been confirmed positive.

Updated

Excess deaths in care homes during the coronavirus pandemic have peaked and “come down a long way”, England’s chief medical officer has confirmed.

Prof Chris Whitty said there was a clear peak in excess deaths in hospitals in early April in England and Wales, followed by care homes.

The government adviser told the Downing Street press conference: “If you look at care homes, the other thing which people are rightly very concerned about... the care home deaths have peaked and come down a long way.

“But that peak was slightly later - one to two weeks after the peak in hospitals.”

Chris Whitty speaking during the daily Covid-19 press conference.
Chris Whitty speaking during the daily Covid-19 press conference. Photograph: Pippa Fowles/Downing Street/EPA

Whitty said figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the excess deaths in care homes compared to the five-year average fell from 4,331 to 2,247 in the week ending 8 May.

Earlier this week, Prof Martin Green, the chief executive of Care England, told the health and social care committee he thought care homes were “probably at the top of the curve” in Covid-19 cases.

Updated

One of the new coronavirus antibody tests to be rolled out across the UK is being produced in south Wales.

It is understood that Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, which has a factory in Pencoed, Bridgend, is the only firm producing the blood tests in the UK.

On Thursday, Wales’ health minister, Vaughan Gething, welcomed news of the test, which will be available from Ortho and other suppliers across the UK, saying it was an “important step forward” in stopping the spread of Covid-19.

He said: “This test will tell us if people have already had coronavirus. But it is important to say, although the test can tell if someone has had the virus, it’s not certain as to how much immunity they’ll have to the virus.”

Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething.
Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething.
 Photograph: Simon Dawson/Reuters

Gething said work was being done in Wales to develop another type of antibody test involving taking a pinprick of blood and testing it with a device to give a result in just minutes, which would help to make antibody testing more widely available.

The US firm Ortho has had a site in Pencoed for 40 years and employs more than 500 people. It produces millions of tests each week for a range of diseases and medical conditions which are distributed around the world.

Updated

Matt Hancock's press conference - Summary

Here are the main points from Matt Hancock’s press conference.

  • The health and social care secretary confirmed that the government would roll out antibody testing next week, having signed contracts for 10m tests. Antibody tests show whether people have had coronavirus. He said:

We’ve signed contracts to supply in the coming months over 10 million tests from Roche and Abbott. From next week we will begin rolling these out in a phased way, at first to health and care staff, patients and residents.

The UK government has arranged supplies of these tests on behalf of the devolved administrations and each devolved nation is deciding how to use its test allocation and how testing will be prioritised and managed locally.

This is an important milestone and it represents further progress in our national testing programme.

  • Hancock said a certification system would be developed for people who tested positive for coronavirus antibodies. He said:

Knowing that you have these antibodies will help us to understand more in the future if you are at lower risk of catching coronavirus, of dying from coronavirus and of transmitting coronavirus.

We’re developing this critical science to know the impact of a positive antibody test and to develop the systems of certification to ensure people who have positive antibodies can be given assurances of what they can safely do.

  • He said an antibody surveillance study suggests that 17% of people in London have had coronavirus. In the rest of the country the figure is 5% or higher, he said.
  • He played down suggestions that Boris Johnson had changed his stance on the NHS surcharge for migrant health and care workers. Asked why Johnson yesterday defended migrant care workers paying the charge, only to announce today that they will be exempted, Hancock said that when the prime minister was speaking in the Commons yesterday, he was defending the policy as a whole, not its application to care and NHS workers.
  • Prof John Newton, from Public Health England, the government’s testing coordinator, claimed it might be best to introduce the national contact-tracing system without the app. He was responding to a question from Sky’s Beth Rigby who said the government’s recovery plan document said an app would be integral to a successful contact-tracing system. (See 5.41pm.) Newton said the app was an “additional component” which could be “layered on top of the more personal contact tracing” by officials. He went on:

They are distinct but complementary, it’s perfectly OK - in fact possibly advantageous - to introduce the one before the other.

  • Prof Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical adviser, said the rate of all-cause excess deaths was now down to the average for a winter. He explained:

All-cause mortality has come down at the same time as the Covid deaths have come down and it is now at roughly the rate it is at in an average winter. So, we are essentially having a winter in health terms, in terms of mortality, but in late spring and early summer.

  • Whitty said the peak of deaths in care homes came one or two weeks after the peak of deaths in hospitals.
Matt Hancock at the press conference.
Matt Hancock at the press conference. Photograph: Pippa Fowles/Downing Street/EPA

Updated

There has been a surge in paid users on Facebook’s business platform after home working rose due to the pandemic.

The social networks business-focused platform has gained 2 million paid users in little over six months.

Workplace from Facebook, the tech giant’s communication offering for companies and employees, has more than 5 million paid users, up from 3 million in October last year.

The firm said it was introducing a number of new features as businesses turned to home working during the lockdown and looked to continue remote working in the future.

Workplace Rooms is a collaborative video chat tool to take on the likes of Zoom, and its Workplace Live Video feature is receiving a number of improvements to provide better production value, control and interactivity.

Meanwhile, Oculus for Business is available to all those who wish to use virtual reality for productivity and collaboration in the workplace.

Workplace from Facebook - which is largely run from London - launched in October 2016 and started charging customers a year later.

Updated

The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the prison estate continues to rise, daily figures from the Ministry of Justice show.

As of 5pm on Wednesday, 434 prisoners had tested positive for the coronavirus across 75 prisons, a 0.5% increase in 24 hours, while there were 563 infected prison staff across 74 prisons, an increase of 1% in the same period.

There are around 80,300 prisoners in England and Wales across 117 prisons, while around 33,000 staff work in the public sector prisons.

At least 21 prisoners are known to have contracted Covid-19 and died, as well as nine prison staff, including one Pecs worker.

A London choir has got together for a virtual performance after a planned show in Somerset was cancelled due to Covid-19.

Hi Lo Singers, from north-east London, performed a mash-up of Blackbird and I Will by the Beatles while they were unable to meet for rehearsals.

The musical director Geoff Walker asked each of the singers involved in the project to film their part at home, with the videos then being edited together.

The last time the singers met in person was in early March, when they rehearsed for their scheduled performance at Wells Cathedral in Somerset.

Emma Secher, one of the choir’s founders, said: “Our singers are a great bunch of people. One of them is an ICU doctor.

“A few of our singers have been ill with symptoms of the virus over the last weeks, so it was even more special to get everyone together.

“We plan to do a children’s virtual choir next.”

Updated

The Conservative MP Robert Halfon has also welcomed the No 10 U-turn on the NHS surcharge. He was one of the Tories who called for this move.

Updated

Q: [From an Edinburgh journalist] From August employers will have to contribute to the cost of furlough. But the hospitality sector won’t be opening up then. So will they get extra help?

Hancock says he understands the specific concern, particularly for a city like Edinburgh that is so dependent on the festival.

And that’s it. The press conference is over.

Updated

Robbie Savage, former footballer and a columnist from the Daily Mirror, goes next.

Q: Why are young people who play the working class game of football not able to train, when people can play sport like tennis?

Hancock says he understands why people want to play football. But the rules are in place so we can get a grip of the virus.

Q: Why are some governing bodies allowing one-on-one coaching with under-18s, but not football?

Whitty says he understands the point.

He says the scientists were very confident that doing things outdoors is safer than indoors.

He says you can play some sports and keep to the two-metre rule. But football is a contact sport, he says. So football is a bigger risk.

He says the experts have had to think about what the reproduction rate for the infection has to be for this to be safe.

Q: So what is the pathway to grassroots football being allowed to restart? Will we have to wait for a vaccine?

Hancock says he very much hopes not.

Whitty says his expectation is that a vaccine before next year on a widespread basis is very unlikely. He says there may have to be some changes to the way football is played. But he hopes football can be played. Outdoors is safer than indoors.

Updated

Q: Is there a point where contact tracing will not be able to work because there are too many cases?

Hancock says, because of the surveillance system, they now have a much better idea of what R is. So they should be able to prevent that, he says.

R, or the 'effective reproduction number', is a way of rating a disease’s ability to spread. It’s the average number of people on to whom one infected person will pass the virus. For an R of anything above 1, an epidemic will grow exponentially. Anything below 1 and an outbreak will fizzle out – eventually.

At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the estimated R for coronavirus was between 2 and 3 – higher than the value for seasonal flu, but lower than for measles. That means each person would pass it on to between two and three people on average, before either recovering or dying, and each of those people would pass it on to a further two to three others, causing the total number of cases to snowball over time.

The reproduction number is not fixed, though. It depends on the biology of the virus; people's behaviour, such as social distancing; and a population’s immunity. A country may see regional variations in its R number, depending on local factors like population density and transport patterns.

Hannah Devlin Science correspondent

Updated

Q: If we never needed the app to launch a contact-tracing system, could we not have launched the contact-tracing system earlier?

Hancock says the app is working in the Isle of Wight. But rolling it out nationwide will be harder, he says.

Updated

Q: The government’s coronavirus recovery plan says an app is integral to a contact-tracing system. Now you are not saying that. Why?

(Here is a quote from the document. It says “For such a [contact tracing] system to work, several systems need to be built and successfully integrated. These include .... automated, app-based contact-tracing through the new NHS Covid-19 app.)

Hancock says the contact-tracing system must be in place by 1 June. There are 24,000 contact tracers, as of yesterday.

The technology is an important part, but not the only part, he says.

Updated

Q: Yesterday the PM said it was right to make migrant care workers pay the NHS surcharge. Now he says that’s wrong. What changed his mind?

Hancock says yesterday the PM was talking about the surcharge in general. (See 4.46pm.) Now he is talking about exemptions, he says.

Updated

Q: Did the PM change his mind on exempting care workers from the NHS surcharge, or was he just worried about losing votes?

Hancock says the PM has asked him and the home secretary to look at how NHS and care workers can be removed from this as soon as possible.

He says the purpose of the surcharge was a fair one; to ensure that everyone contributes to the NHS.

Q: Are you still planning to impose a cap on the amount of social care costs any individual has to pay? And has the crisis strengthened the case for reform?

Hancock says the government is working on creating a sustainable care system, as it promised in its manifesto.

Q: When will that emerge? And will it stop people having to sell their homes to pay for care?

Hancock says it will stop people having to sell their homes. He has seen the injustice of this. People cannot insure themselves against this risk, he says.

But he says he can’t say when the care plan will be published.

Hancock is now addressing a question from Finlay, a member of the public. Will the vaccine be compulsory?

Hancock says the government will only recommend a vaccine if it is safe. And so if the government recommends it, people should use it.

He says he is not addressing the issue of compulsion now. But he would hope that everyone would want to use it.

Whitty says you can use vaccines to protect a whole population, or you can give it to those most at risk. You might do this because there are limited supplies, or because it only provides partial protection.

Updated

Prof Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, is presenting the slides now.

Here are the figures from the ONS for the number of people with coronavirus now.

Number of people with coronavirus
Number of people with coronavirus. Photograph: No 10

And this chart shows excess deaths. Whitty says he has repeatedly said excess deaths is the best measure of the seriousness of the pandemic. He says you can see the peak. Now it is coming down to the level of a normal winter flu oubreak – albeit winter levels in spring or early summer.

Excess deaths
Excess deaths. Photograph: No 10

Updated

Hancock says 17% of Londoners may have had coronavirus

Hancock says the antibody tests suggest that 17% of people in London may have had coronavirus. In the rest of the country the figure is 5%, he says.

He says the government has signed a deal with Roche and Abbott that will lead to 10m antibody tests being available in the UK. He says these will be rolled out to NHS and care staff and patients first.

Updated

Hancock is now reading out the latest testing and death figures.

Matt Hancock's press conference

Matt Hancock, the health and social care secretary, is taking the UK government’s daily press conference.

He starts by talking about mental health. It is OK to say you are stressed, he says.

He urges people to come together for Mental Health Awareness Week.

Updated

This is from William Wragg, the Conservative MP who chairs the Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee. He was one of the first Conservatives to say he would support a Labour proposal to exempt all migrant health and care workers from the NHS surcharge. (See 8.33am.)

Updated

New NHS surcharge policy - the details

No 10 has clarified that the new policy, removing all migrant NHS and care workers from the NHS surcharge, will cover “all NHS workers, ranging from medical health staff including vital porters and cleaners”. It also includes independent health workers and social care workers.

For migrants working outside the health and social care industry, the NHS surcharge will remain in place, and the planned increase, from £400 to £624, will go ahead in October. “It is fair to expect people arriving in the UK to work in non-health roles who might use the NHS to make a contribution,” a government source said.

In March, Priti Patel, the home secretary, announced a limited exemption from the NHS surcharge for NHS workers. She said that around 2,800 migrant doctors, nurses and paramedics would have their visas extended for free for a year, and that they would not have to pay the NHS surcharge.

Under the new No 10 policy (see 4.37pm) NHS and care workers seem to be getting a permanent exemption.

Updated

This is from Sir Keir Starmer.

How Johnson defended NHS surcharge for migrant care workers at PMQs yesterday

The No 10 U-turn marks a victory for Sir Keir Starmer. The Labour leader raised the issue at PMQs yesterday and challenged Boris Johnson to remove it for care workers. Johnson said he had “thought a great deal about this”, but he defended the arrangements.

Starmer said:

Every Thursday, we go out and clap for our carers. Many of them are risking their lives for the sake of all of us. Does the prime minister think it is right that careworkers coming from abroad and working on our frontline should have to pay a surcharge of hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds to use the NHS themselves?

And Johnson replied:

I have thought a great deal about this, and I accept and understand the difficulties faced by our amazing NHS staff. Like [Starmer] I have been a personal beneficiary of carers who have come from abroad and frankly saved my life. I know exactly the importance of what he asks.

On the other hand, we must look at the realities. This is a great national service – it is a national institution – that needs funding, and those contributions help us to raise about £900m. It is very difficult in the current circumstances to find alternative sources, so with great respect for [Starmer’s] point, I think it is the right way forward.

U-turns are always embarrassing for politicians, particularly when they are as blatant as this one. But, in the long-term, they can be beneficial. Opposition parties need grievances; U-turns sweep those grievances off the table.

Updated

Migrant care workers to be exempt from NHS surcharge after No 10 U-turn

Downing Street has now performed a U-turn on the NHS surcharge, and announced that all migrant NHS and care workers will join the health workers already benefitting from an exemption. A No 10 spokesman put out this statement.

The PM has asked the Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care to remove NHS and care workers from the NHS surcharge as soon as possible.

Work by officials is now under way on how to implement the change and full details will be announced in the coming days.

As the PM said in the House of Commons, he has been thinking about this a great deal.

He been a personal beneficiary of carers from abroad and understands the difficulties faced by our amazing NHS staff.

The purpose of the NHS surcharge is to benefit the NHS, help to care for the sick and save lives. NHS and care workers from abroad who are granted visas are doing this already by the fantastic contribution which they make.

You can read the full story here:

Updated

According to a snap YouGov poll, by a margin of almost two to one, people think migrant health and care workers should be exempt from the NHS surcharge. Even among Conservative supporters there is a small majority in favour of the exemption (although not among those who are pro-Brexit).

Polling on NHS surcharge
Polling on NHS surcharge Photograph: YouGov

But if you were wondering why Downing Street seems reluctant to give in to the pressure for a U-turn on this, another finding from the poll provides an answer – overall, the NHS surcharge is massively popular. Even Labour supporters are in favour, the poll suggests.

UPDATE: It is worth pointing out that this YouGov question is misleading because it ignores the fact that migrant workers do pay for the NHS through their taxes. But the idea that they don’t is implicit in the policy; in fact, it is the whole rationale for the policy (which is why many people find it so objectionable).

Polling on NHS surcharge
Polling on NHS surcharge Photograph: YouGov

Updated

The number of frontline prison officers fell in the first three months of the year, figures from the Ministry of Justice show, prompting warnings against “flashpoints” developing in jails.

As at the end of March, there were 21,928 prison officers working in bands 3 to 5 – frontline officers – 226 fewer than at the end of December, 702 fewer than in March 2019, and 2,902 fewer than at the end of March 2010.

Experts have warned prisons could be potential hotspots for the coronavirus and the government has introduced a highly restrictive regime in an attempt to contain the spread of disease behind bars. At least 21 prisoners and nine staff have contracted the virus and died.

The shadow justice secretary, David Lammy, said:

It is extremely worrying that the number of frontline prison staff is dropping in the middle of a pandemic.

Understaffing and overcrowding in prisons can lead to disorder and put staff at risk. With tensions already high due to the severe emergency regime imposed in response to Covid-19, the government is at risk of allowing flashpoints to develop.

In normal times these statistics would be concerning, but in the context of the pandemic they could seriously undermine the ability of prisons to follow the correct public health response.

Updated

People enjoying the beach at Brighton today. Sunbathing is on the activities allowed since there were minor changes to the lockdown rules in England last week.
People enjoying the beach at Brighton today. Sunbathing is on the activities allowed since there were minor changes to the lockdown rules in England last week. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

The Conservatives have criticised Labour politicians in the London assembly for pressing ahead with an investigation into Boris Johnson and his dealings with Jennifer Arcuri when he was mayor. (See 12.16pm.) In a statement issued by CCHQ, the Tory MP Gareth Bacon said:

Labour politicians in City Hall have wasted police time with malicious complaints. They now want to waste taxpayers’ money with more petty and partisan point scoring.

This is a smokescreen to cover up Sadiq Khan’s lamentable record as mayor. They should do their job and start investigating Khan’s failure to deal with the violent crime epidemic, failure to build enough houses and incompetent handling of TfL’s finances.

Updated

The hymn Abide With Me, sung just before every FA Cup final since the early 20th century, will belted out once more this Saturday in aid of NHS charities.

Before what would have been kick-off at Wembley for the 2020 cup final, an online recording of the song will be broadcast across the internet.

The annual climax to the English football season in May was one of the sporting casualties of the Covid-19 lockdown.

Members of the Fans Choir, who sang Abide With Me’ at the Arsenal v Aston Villa final in 2015, have teamed up again to release Abide With Us’ in solidarity with NHS staff fighting the pandemic.

“We’re all footy mad and missing our singing!” said Dave Gilhooley, who has compiled the video from Fans Choir members’ contributions from all over the country.

“It’s a chance for fans all over the country to sing your footy socks off on your doorstep for the game that you love, the NHS and key workers that have sacrificed so much on our behalf.

“A Just Giving page has been set up, the aim being to raise money for NHS families decimated by losing a loved one to the dreadful C-19 disease,” he added.

Updated

A cafe owner who installed dozens of shower curtains between tables in a bid to combat coronavirus has said he hopes his idea can inspire other businesses.

Francini Osorio has used more than 30 curtains as dividers between tables in a trial phase during the Covid-19 lockdown and has more on order.

Cafe owner Francini Osorio serves customers
Cafe owner Francini Osorio serves customers. Photograph: Jacob King/PA

Osorio also plans to use an air purifier in an effort to protect customers at the Francini Cafe De Colombia in Worcester.

The businessman, originally from Colombia, who is readying his cafe to reopen, said: “Where I come from we don’t sink, we stand up and we keep going.”

Osorio, who plans to provide gloves and encourage people to bring their own masks, said of the curtains, which will be sprayed with disinfectant: “The idea is to keep people together but separated by the curtain.

“If this has inspired people, that’s brilliant.”

Updated

A ban on a mosque opening for Friday prayers due to the Covid-19 pandemic is a breach of worshippers’ human rights, the high court has heard.

Tabassum Hussain, the chairman of the executive committee of the Jamiyat Tabligh-ul-Islam Mosque, one of the largest mosques in Bradford, is seeking an urgent injunction against the Department of Health and Social Care.

The injunction would allow his place of worship to open for communal prayers on Friday, before the end of Ramadan this weekend.

Under the latest emergency rules to deal with the pandemic, places of worship must remain closed, although a faith leader can attend the venue to broadcast prayers and acts of worship via the internet.

Hussain argues that the closures are unlawful and breach his rights to religious freedom and worship.

Updated

Students in England can return to university to collect their belongings, DfE says

In another easing of the lockdown in England, the Department for Education has said that students who had to abandon their belongings in university accommodation can now go and get them. In new guidance issued today, the DfE told universities to contact the students affected:

We are advising students who left their student accommodation and now wish to travel back to recover their belongings that they may do so as long as they follow the precautions laid out in staying safe outside your home.

We encourage you to enable your students to collect their belongings from your accommodation in England in a way that minimises the risk of coronavirus infection.

There’s a slight sting in the tail: students who can’t go – because they are isolating or perhaps living overseas – may find their belongings put into storage for a price.

“If there are costs to you in carrying out this service, we understand students may be required to cover these costs but we would not expect you to make a profit from such a service,” the DfE told universities.

Updated

A Liberal Democrat peer has admitted making an “error of judgment” after furloughing himself while continuing to claim a three-figure daily allowance for his work in parliament.

Christopher Fox decided to furlough himself as the owner and sole employee of Vulpes Advisory, a communications and consultancy company, but continued to collect his daily £162 allowance for carrying out his work virtually as a peer in the House of Lords.

Lord Fox has now confirmed he will repay the money he received during his time on furlough.

The 62-year-old said: “I recognise my error in judgment and I apologise.

“I have already begun to repay the money I received as part of the furlough scheme and intend to repay the full amount as soon as possible.”

Victoria Beckham reversed her decision to furlough staff after being criticised.
Victoria Beckham reversed her decision to furlough staff after being criticised. Photograph: David M Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

Fox, who is reported to own two homes worth more than £2m, is the first parliamentarian to have used the government’s wage subsidy scheme to pay himself, according to the Telegraph.

The millionaire former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham reversed her decision to furlough staff at her fashion label after facing a backlash.

Meanwhile, the comic and actor Steve Coogan, estimated to be worth £10m, has furloughed his gardener and housekeeper at his £4m country home, according to the Sun.

Updated

Nicola Sturgeon eases coronavirus lockdown rules in Scotland

Nicola Sturgeon has announced people in Scotland will be allowed to meet friends outdoors, sunbathe and start shopping at garden centres from 28 May as she unveiled the slow easing of the lockdown.

The first minister told MSPs she wanted to see a suitably cautious lifting of some lockdown restrictions from next Thursday mirroring the relaxations already announced in other parts of the UK.

Sturgeon confirmed outdoor sports such as tennis and golf could restart next week and people could visit nearby parks and beauty spots. Outdoor cafes, recycling centres and drive-through restaurants will also be permitted to reopen as part of the four-step plan she outlined for easing the lockdown.

She said all Scotland’s schools would reopen from 11 August with a “blended model” of part-time teaching in school and at home, with teachers going back to school from June to start preparing their classrooms.

From June, children moving from primary school to secondary school this summer would also be given help with the transition to secondary school.

She added, however, that tight restrictions on allowing relatives and friends to gather at funerals, and the ban on bars and hairdressers from reopening, would not be relaxed for at least three weeks.

Nicola Sturgeon attending first minister’s questions at Holyrood yesterday.
Nicola Sturgeon attending first minister’s questions at Holyrood yesterday. Photograph: Fraser Bremner/Getty Images

Updated

UK records a further 338 coronavirus deaths, taking total to 36,042

The latest UK figures reveal that 36,042 people have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in as of 5pm on Wednesday, up by 338 from 35,704 the day before.

In the 24-hour period up to 9am on Thursday, 128,340 tests were carried out or dispatched, with a total of 67,681 people tested and 2,615 positive results.

A total of 3,090,566 tests have been carried out, and 250,908 cases have been confirmed positive.

Updated

No 10 says it has no plans to review NHS surcharge

The Downing Street lobby briefing is over. Here are the main points.

  • The prime minister’s spokesman effectively confirmed that the contact-tracing app will not be ready when the government launches its national test and trace scheme for 1 June. The spokesman said the app would be ready in the “coming weeks”. He went on:

There is certainly no requirement to have the app in order to have an effective trace and system, which the PM spoke about, in place by June 1.

Asked why the app, which is being piloted on the Isle of Wight, would not be ready for national rollout by the end of May, as originally planned, the spokesman said:

The whole point of a pilot is to identify any issues with it in order that they can be ironed out. That work is ongoing.

  • The spokesman said there were no plans to review the NHS surcharge for migrants and that the planned increase, from £400 to £624, would go ahead in October.
  • The spokesman said the government would publish its scientific advice tomorrow on the safety of schools opening. The latest estimate of R, the reproduction number, will be published too.
  • Matt Hancock, the health and social care secretary, is due to give details at the daily press conference this afternoon about the rollout of coronavirus antibody tests, which follows negotiations between the government and the pharmaceutical firm Roche, the spokesman said. NHS and care workers will be prioritised for the free tests, the spokesman said.
  • The spokesman said Boris Johnson would consider travel advice before deciding whether or not to attend an in-person G7 summit that Donald Trump is reportedly planning.

Updated

The number of people who have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Northern Ireland has risen to 501, after seven more deaths were reported by the Department of Health. The full details are here.

And Public Health Wales said a further nine people had died there after testing positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of deaths in Wales to 1,247. Another 166 people had tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 12,846. The full details are here.

Updated

Hello, I am currently updating the UK blog. Please send any tips and stories to nazia.parveen@theguardian.com or follow me on Twitter to message me https://twitter.com/NParveenG.

Updated

In the Scottish parliament Nicola Sturgeon has now finished taking questions on the Scottish government’s routemap for easing the lockdown (pdf). She said that 100,000 people had already tried to download it, with the result that the Scottish government’s website had been having problems. She urged people to be patient. They would be able to download it later if they could not now, she said.

A frontbench peer has apologised for furloughing himself while also claiming a Lords £162 daily attendance allowance.

Christopher Fox was forced to issue the apology after it was revealed that he had furloughed himself despite claiming the daily House of Lords allowance during lockdown.

Fox said: “I recognise my error in judgment and I apologise. I have already begun to repay the money I received as part of the furlough scheme and intend to repay the full amount.”

Updated

The Conservative backbenchers Henry Smith has outraged opposition parliamentarians by saying that the objection to MPs returning to the House of Commons after next week’s recess (when the current, largely-virtual proceedings will end) has come from the “lazy left” and from “workshy” Labour and nationalist politicians.

Labour’s Jess Phillips was one of the MPs who condemned Smith on Twitter.

And a Labour party spokesperson said:

The government’s own public health advice has said that those who can work from home should and parliament has developed a system using technology to ensure the scrutiny of government whilst allowing people to work remotely.

Sadiq Khan says he's considering making face coverings compulsory on London tubes and buses

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, told the London assembly this morning that he is considering banning passengers from buses and tube trains in the capital if they are not wearing a face covering. He said that he was hoping to persuade the UK government, which is currently just advising people to wear face coverings on public transport, to toughen its stance. He told the assembly:

We don’t want confusion. When there is a crisis, what’s important is to have message clarity.

He said that he was hoping to persuade the government “to do the right thing”. But, if that did not happen, he said next week he would consider using the powers he has as mayor to make the wearing of face coverings compulsory on Transport for London tubes and buses.

More Tories join call for migrant care workers to be exempt from NHS surcharge

The Conservative peer Chris Patten (see 11.53am) and the public administration committee chair William Wragg (see 8.33am) are not the only Tories calling for migrant care workers to be exempt from the NHS surcharge. In the Evening Standard Joe Murphy and Nicholas Cecil have rounded up some more rebels on this issue, including Bob Neill, the justice committee chair, Robert Halfon, the education committee chair, and Sir Roger Gale, a former party vice chairman. Gale said that not waiving the surcharge would “rightly be perceived as mean-spirited, doctrinaire and petty”.

Updated

Immigration to UK from non-EU countries hit 45-year high in 2019, ONS says

The number of people moving to the UK long term from non-EU countries has hit a new record high, according to the latest estimates. As PA Media reports, last year immigration from non-EU countries rose to 404,000, the highest it has ever been since records began in 1975 when it was 93,000, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows.

Net migration from outside the EU, the balance between the number of people entering and leaving the country, is also at its highest level (282,000) since citizenship information was first collected in 1975 (40,000). Both figures have continued to rise since 2013.

Meanwhile, EU net migration fell to 49,000, down from 75,000 recorded a year earlier and after hitting peaks of more than 200,000 in 2015.

No 10 dismisses Arcuri complaint about Johnson as 'waste of police time'

Downing Street has described the complaint about Boris Johnson to the Independent Office for Police Conduct as a waste of police time. Responding to the news that the IOPC is not launching a criminal inquiry (see 11.45am), a spokesman for the prime minister said:

We welcome the fact that this politically motivated complaint has been thrown out. Such vexatious claims of impropriety in office were untrue and unfounded.

An independent review by the government internal audit agency similarly showed the claims made by the Labour party were false.

This was not a policing matter, and we consider this was a waste of police time.

Schools in Scotland to re-open from 11 August, Sturgeon says

Sturgeon says universities and colleges should have a phased return next term.

On schools, she says today she has published a report from the education recovery group.

  • All schools in Scotland will re-open from 11 August, Sturgeon says. Pupils will get “a blended model of part time in-school and part time at-home learning”.

Updated

Sturgeon says that the Scottish government will produce new guidance for the extremely clinically vulnerable people who have been told to shield (ie, not leave home). This will be out by 18 June, she says.

Sturgeon explains what will be allowed in phase one of lockdown easing from 28 May

Sturgeon gives details of what will be allowed from 28 May.

In her speech Sturgeon says that she expects the phase one measures to come in from 28 May.

But not every phase 1 measure will come in on that day, she says.

Here is a chart from the document (pdf) explaining the four phases.

The four phases
The four phases Photograph: Scottish government

And here is a chart showing how the rules on meeting people and travel will change as Scotland moves into the next phases.

Rule changes proposed
Rule changes proposed Photograph: Scottish government

These are two of the nine charts in the annex to the document explaining in detail what will be allowed at different stages.

Sturgeon says there are now an estimated 25,000 infected people in Scotland. But there has been a significant and sustained reduction, she says.

She says the government now estimates the R number (the reproduction number, the rate at which the virus is spreading) at between 0.7 and 1.

She says in March it was thought to be above four.

But now it is thought to have been below 1 for three weeks, which means she feels able to set out the next steps for easing the lockdown, she says.

Sturgeon says there have been further 37 deaths in Scotland, taking total to 2,221

Sturgeon is now setting out the latest daily figures.

She says 51 people were in intensive care last night with coronavirus.

There have been a further 37 deaths, she says, taking the total to 2,221.

Scottish government publishes its routemap for easing lockdown

Sturgeon says the routemap has just been published.

It’s here (pdf).

She says it will be supplemented by further documents in due course.

Nicola Sturgeon's statement to MSPs about Scotland's routemap for easing lockdown

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, is about to make a statement to the Scottish parliament about the routemap her government is publishing today for easing the lockdown. (See 11.16am.)

London assembly to resume its own inquiry into Johnson's dealings with Jennifer Arcuri as mayor

The London assembly has said it will resume its investigation into Boris Johnson after the IOPC ruled against undertaking a criminal investigation over his ties to US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri while he was London mayor. (See 11.45am.) Len Duvall, the Greater London authority’s oversight committee chair, said:

The IOPC was looking specifically at whether he committed a criminal offence. That’s not our remit and their decision doesn’t have any real bearing on our investigation, which will focus on his conduct as mayor of London.

Everyone who holds public office, whether you’re the mayor of London, or indeed the prime minister, is expected to adhere to the principles of public life - including integrity, selflessness, openness and honesty, to name a few.

Our investigation will consider whether Boris Johnson conducted himself in a way that’s expected from anyone in that position. It’s important we get those answers, because Londoners deserve to have their politicians held accountable.

The oversight committee will take into account the current emergency when looking at the timetable for the investigation.

Updated

Making migrant care workers pay NHS surcharge 'immoral' and 'monstrous', says former Tory chair

Chris Patten, the former Conservative party chairman, told Emma Barnett on Radio 5 Live this morning that requiring migrant care workers to pay the NHS surcharge was “immoral”. He said:

It’s appalling, it’s immoral. We depend in our care homes on people who come from other countries. I think this is monstrous that people who come from overseas to help and risk their lives in really difficult circumstances aren’t treated properly.

There’s a basic sense of fair play in this country which I hope Mr Johnson will recognise. It would be madness and wickedness not to recognise the contribution which these people are making. It would be awful if we were to make people pay more when they are making such a big contribution to the well-being of older people in society.

Chris Patten.
Chris Patten. Photograph: James Veysey/Rex/Shutterstock

Updated

According to Sky’s Tamara Cohen, the Independent Office for Police Conduct will announce shortly that it will not be launching a criminal investigation into Boris Johnson and his relationship with the American businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri when he was mayor.

As Matthew Weaver and Vikram Dodd report in their overnight preview story, Johnson was formally referred to the watchdog in September because he was the head of the mayor’s office for policing and crime at a time when Arcuri received public money and access to trade trips led by Johnson when he was mayor. Arcuri was awarded thousands of pounds in public money, including £11,500 by the mayor’s promotional agency, London & Partners.

UPDATE: In fact the Mirror seems to have broken the story first.

Updated

Number of people with coronavirus in England remains stable, says ONS

The number of people with coronavirus in England has remained stable since the end of April, according to new data, with nearly 140,000 people infected in the last two weeks. As Frances Perraudin reports, the second snapshot of Covid-19 rates in the community, taken by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), found that 137,000 people – 0.25% of the population – had coronavirus at any given time during the two weeks from 4-17 May.

The full story is here.

No-deal Brexit 'would overwhelm local emergency teams'

Preparing for the impact of a no-deal Brexit later this year would overwhelm local emergency response teams exhausted by the Covid-19 pandemic, a leaked Whitehall report has warned. My colleagues Patrick Butler and Dan Peters have the full story here.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has posted this on Twitter ahead of the publication this afternoon of the Scottish government’s roadmap for easing the coronavirus lockdown.

She says she will be presenting a four-phase plan.

By contrast, the UK government’s plan (pdf) (which in most respects is just the English plan) is based on a three-step approach, with measures being relaxed on 13 May, from 1 June and from 4 July. Confusingly, the plan also talks of three phases, which are different. The three steps are all within phase two; phase three is essentially the vaccine, and phase one is the lockdown.

The Welsh government’s plan (pdf) also describes how the lockdown could be relaxed in three stages. It describes red, amber and green easing measures, but without dates for when these will happen.

By contrast, he Northern Ireland executive has a five-step routemap (pdf) out of lockdown - again, with no dates attached.

Updated

Here’s the queue for a drive-through McDonald’s that opened in Sutton yesterday.

My colleague Joanna Partridge has more on the excitement generated by the return of McDonald’s here.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, told the Today programme this morning that he was worried about complacency leading to a second wave of infection. He said:

We know that test, trace, isolate works best when numbers are low and we’ve got a small window now to be testing everyone that has got symptoms, to be tracing everyone they have been in contact with over the last few days and then to make sure they are tested, isolated and supported.

Because my fear is that this good news could lead to complacency, which could lead to a second wave that would overwhelm the NHS and be really bad for people’s lives, but also their livelihoods.

He also said he did not want to see a “a car-led recovery” in London.

Expanding on what he said in his letter to Matt Hancock (see 7.24am), the NHS Confederation chief executive Niall Dickson told the Today programme that the government’s new contact tracing system, which is due to be up and running a week on Monday (1 June) had to involve local government. He explained:

I think it is being done very late in the day and we really do need to get on with this.

I’m not saying it is impossible to do it, but I think there is concern among those at local level because we’ve seen - not occasionally, we’ve seen often - where national stuff is done with the best of intentions, but unless the local context is understood it doesn’t really work as well as it should.

And I think it is only recently, to be brutally honest, that the government’s rhetoric changed to recognise that to get this test, track and trace thing in place you not only need a national system, you not only need the app, but you also need to put at the centre of local plans local officials who understand about contact tracing - they do it all the time. But you need to coordinate that.

Updated

AstraZeneca has said today that it now has secured the the capacity to manufacture 1bn doses of the potential coronavirus vaccine being developed at Oxford University. In a news release it said that data from a trial of the vaccine involving more than 1,000 volunteers is expected shortly. If the results are positive, there will be further late-stage trials in a number of countries. “AstraZeneca recognises that the vaccine may not work but is committed to progressing the clinical program with speed and scaling up manufacturing at risk,” the news release says.

AstraZeneca’s office in Luton.
AstraZeneca’s office in Luton. Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock

Updated

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, arriving at No 10 this morning.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, arriving at No 10 this morning. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

The Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye also told the Today programme that he supported the idea of “air bridges” - a plan floated by the transport secretary Grant Shapps earlier this week that would allow exemptions for travellers from certain countries when quarantine for new arrivals to the UK gets introduced. Holland-Kaye said:

If they think the quarantine is the right thing to do I think we have to go with that but it has to be time-limited and we have to plan for what comes next.

The idea of air bridges ... is a very sensible way of doing that.

There is no perfect way to make sure only healthy people fly at this stage, so we have to take a risk-based approach.

As the level of transmission comes down in this country and in other countries, we need to find a way that the vast, vast, vast majority of people who don’t have a disease can still fly.

Heathrow airport has now started trialling thermal screening for some arrivals at the airport. The cameras identify people with a high temperature.

John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow’s chief executive, told the Today programme this morning that he hoped this system “could be part of a future common international standard to get people flying again”. He explained:

This mismatch of measures [across different countries] really confuses the travelling public. That’s exactly why you need a common international standard.

We have followed Public Health England’s advice. Now we have started working with them to introduce this thermal screening. It’s not yet government policy.

Many of our passengers are travelling all over the world, very often connecting, and we need to adopt a common international standard, not just a UK standard.

Thermal screening in operation at Heathrow airport.
Thermal screening in operation at Heathrow airport. Photograph: LHR Airports Ltd/PA

Updated

Commuters at Clapham Common underground station this morning.
Commuters at Clapham Common underground station this morning. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

EasyJet will resume a small number of mainly domestic flights from 22 European airports from 15 June. As PA Media reports, EasyJet will serve a number of UK airports including Gatwick, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Belfast. The airline said it was “introducing new measures to help ensure safety and wellbeing, including enhanced aircraft cleaning and disinfection and requirement for passengers and crew to wear masks”.

EasyJet planes grounded at Gatwick airport.
EasyJet planes grounded at Gatwick airport. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

Updated

UK economy in 'unprecedented downturn' as activity keeps falling

Britain’s economy continued to suffer an unprecedented contraction this month, my colleague Graeme Wearden reports. Both the manufacturing and service sectors are shrinking extremely rapidly as the lockdown continues, according to the latest survey of purchasing managers by IHS Markit. Graeme has more on his business live blog.

And the Office for National Statistics has also published the results of a survey looking at the social impact of coronavirus. It shows that, at least until the end of last week, people were continuing to observe the stay-at-home rules - although there was a fall in the number of people self-isolating.

The ONS figures for the infection rate in the community have not yet been published, although they are due out today.

Proportion of people following stay at home rules
Proportion of people following stay at home rules. Photograph: ONS

Updated

Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s chief adviser, arriving at Downing Street this morning.
Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s chief adviser, arriving at Downing Street this morning. Photograph: John Sibley/Reuters

78% of workers in accommodation and food services have been furloughed, ONS survey suggests

The Office for National Statistics has published the results of a new survey looking at the impact of coronavirus on the UK economy. Here are some of the main points.

  • Around 78% of people working in accommodation and food services were furloughed between 20 April and 3 May, the survey suggests. This is the highest proportion for any section of the economy.
  • Some 20% of businesses temporarily closed or paused trading during this period, the survey suggests.
  • Some 6% of businesses said they had resumed trading in the last two weeks.

Agenda for the day

Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, joining the blog for the day.

Here’s the agenda showing what’s coming up.

9.30am: The Office for National Statistics is publishing a series of reports covering coronavirus infection rates, the economic impact and the social impact.

10am: Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, is questioned by the London assembly.

11am: Boris Johnson chairs cabinet.

11am: The National Police Chiefs Council holds a briefing on crime during the lockdown.

12pm: The Independent Office for Police Conduct announces whether or not it is launching a criminal inquiry into Boris Johnson’s relationship with Jennifer Arcuri when he was mayor of London.

12.30pm: Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish first minister, makes a statement to the Scottish parliament about the Scottish government’s routemap for relaxing the lockdown being released today.

12.30pm: Downing Street lobby briefing.

2.40pm: Dr Gregor Smith, Scotland’s chief medical officer, and Prof Sheila Rowan, Scotland’s chief scientific adviser, give evidence to the Commons Scottish affairs committee.

5pm: Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is expected to take the UK government’s daily press conference.

Updated

Welsh government reported to human rights watchdog over testing

The Welsh government has been reported to the Equality and Human Rights Commission over its handling of coronavirus testing in care homes.

The country’s older people’s commissioner, Helena Herklots, told BBC Wales she believed the human rights and right to life of care home residents had been breached due to delays in expanding testing in the sector.

Since lockdown began, 27% of the coronavirus deaths in Wales have been care home residents, according to the Office for National Statistics. This figure does not include those care home residents who died after being transferred to hospital.

Quoted by the BBC, Herklots said:

I have serious concerns that older people’s human rights have been breached; the fundamental right to life. The fact that testing wasn’t in place as quickly as it needed to be for every resident and every member of staff.

I’m extremely disappointed and saddened that the Welsh government hasn’t moved quickly on this. That is why I believe the Equality and Human Rights Commission needs to investigate how older people have been treated throughout this pandemic.

Wales’s health minister, Vaughan Gething, defended his government’s actions by saying that the advice and evidence was that there “wasn’t a value” in testing people who were not symptomatic.

“We changed the approach that we took on testing people who were leaving hospital on April 22 onwards,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

The Welsh government has now expanded its testing programme so that every care home in Wales will have access to testing and be able to order online testing kits for residents and staff.

Previously only residents and staff in care homes with confirmed cases of coronavirus were tested, as were homes with more than 50 beds, anyone being discharged from hospital into a care home, or anyone moving into a care home from the community.

Updated

Staying in Scotland for a moment, the deputy first minister John Swinney has said the country faces “a challenging situation” in care homes due to testing capacity.

Appearing on the Today programme, Swinney was asked if all care workers in infected homes in Scotland were now being tested, he replied: “They are eligible for testing now, yes.”

Pressed further, he said: “Well, they should be able to get the test because they are eligible to get it and there is plenty of testing capacity available.”

The Scottish government has recruited 600 people to undertake contact tracing and was aiming to get 2,000 in place in total.

On the 2,000, he said: “We won’t need them on day one when we start this process, but at the end of this month when we want to be in a position to deliver a contact-tracing strategy, that will be able to be delivered in Scotland.”

Updated

Heriot-Watt university is to remove a controversial stone sculpture commissioned by Alex Salmond pledging Scotland would never abandon free tuition, after fee-paying students objected to its message.

The sculpture quoted Salmond’s statement as first minister that “the rocks will melt with the sun before I allow tuition fees to be imposed on Scotland’s students”, and was placed on the access road into Heriot-Watt’s campus on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

The university, along with the rest of its sector, faces significant financial problems due to the coronavirus pandemic with an expected collapse in the number of overseas and EU students attending UK universities.

It is understood foreign students were unhappy with it since they pay thousands of pounds a year in fees. Although Scottish students pay no fees, those from the rest of the UK also pay up to £9,250 a year to study in Scotland.

Until Brexit, EU students were also exempt from paying tuition fees in Scotland, due to a quirk of EU law. Scottish ministers now have to decide whether to require fees from EU students after the UK’s transition period finishes in January 2021.

Heriot-Watt was ridiculed by critics for allowing the sculpture to be installed due to its bombastic tone and highly political message. It was erected during Salmond’s final days in office after he lost the independence referendum in 2014. It was reported at the time that other universities refused to accept it.

The university said:

Following consultation with Heriot-Watt university student union, a decision has been taken to use the current location of the commemorative stone for an alternative public art work which will appeal to our international student community.

The stone will be carefully looked after until an alternative location is found for it in future.0

Updated

Another issue weighing on the government this morning is that of the NHS surcharge – the fees some overseas health workers are charged to use the NHS.

A senior Tory MP, William Wragg, has backed Labour’s calls for the charge to be scrapped, saying that “now is the time for a generosity of spirit towards those who have done so much good”.

Wragg, who is chair of the public administration and constitutional affairs committee, said he was “sure” that his Conservative colleagues would be supportive of his stance.

Immigrants from outside the European Economic Area – often including NHS cleaners, porters and other healthcare staff – are required to pay an NHS surcharge of £400 a year, rising to £624 from October.

On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, James Brokenshire was repeatedly asked whether the government would get rid of the charge. His answer, to paraphrase, was probably not:

We continue to keep this under review but the principle of the NHS surcharge, the support that it provides financially to the NHS and indeed that sense of contribution to the NHS, I think is important.

Updated

My esteemed colleague Sarah Boseley has written a very good explainer on the government’s test, track and trace strategy, which is dominating the headlines this morning.

But in brief, the strategy aims to:

  • Test people to see if they currently have the virus.
  • Track how and where the virus is spreading.
  • Trace people who may be infected.

Central to this plan has been a new NHS app currently being trialled on the Isle of Wight.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said last week that the app would be ready to start being rolled out in mid-May. However, ministers now say it won’t be ready until the next few weeks.

The clock, as NHS figures are saying this morning, is very much ticking. The government’s own scientific advisers say that a comprehensive and rapid test, track and trace system is crucial to any easing of the lockdown.

Updated

Security minister James Brokenshire is touring the TV and radio studios for the government this morning.

Responding to concerns from NHS leaders about delays to the test, track and trace system, Brokenshire insists he is “confident” that it will be in place by 1 June (11 days from now).

Brokenshire told Sky News that the app “will be introduced in the coming weeks in parallel” with the system employing track and trace staff. He added:

But obviously, the priority being to get these track and tracers trained, in place, that is what the prime minister is very confident about. We’re confident the system will be there, able to track and trace around 10,000 people on 1 June.

Pushed on whether the app is needed to competently track and trace, Brokenshire told Kay Burley: “Of course Kay, we want to see the app rolled out, work continues at pace in relation to that, learning from the experience in the Isle of Wight, so that that can be adopted more broadly.” Brokenshire added that the app provides “extra support”.

Updated

NHS Trusts risk being overwhelmed in second peak, says health boss

Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS providers – which represents hospital trusts – has said the health service risks being “overwhelmed” in a second peak of Covid-19 unless ministers quickly set out a clear strategy for its test, track and trace programme.

He said NHS Trusts, GPs and workers on the 111 service have “not had clear information and instructions about what their role will be in this process”.

He added:

We need clarity on exactly how this is going to work. Our colleagues at the Confederation are right: unless we can absolutely have clarity on that quickly, there clearly will be a risk to the NHS that we get overwhelmed in a second peak, which nobody wants.

Launch test and trace now or risk second wave, NHS leaders warn

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK developments on the coronavirus pandemic.

Leading the headlines today are NHS leaders warning that the government is running out of time to launch its test and trace system if a possible second wave of coronavirus is to be avoided.

Niall Dickson, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation - which represents organisations across the healthcare sector, wrote to the health secretary, Matt Hancock, because his members were “concerned” over an apparent lack of a clear strategy.

“We would therefore urge you to produce such a strategy with a clear implementation plan ahead of any further easing of the lockdown,” Dickson said in his letter.

Test, track and trace - TTT - means testing people for coronavirus, tracking the spread of the virus, then tracing the people with whom an infected person has come into contact. The government’s own scientific advisers have said such a system is critical to any lifting of the lockdown.

We will bring you all the day’s developments from the Commons and beyond. Thank you for joining us.

Updated

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