Afternoon summary
- Large swathes of the south and east of England are to be put under the highest level of coronavirus restrictions, as the government rejected calls to allow hospitality businesses to reopen in other parts of the country. Here is the full list of what which areas are moving up or down a tier, and what the tiers will be for all parts of England from Saturday.
That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.
Here are the latest coronavirus figures for Northern Ireland.
There have been 656 further positive cases - the highest daily total recorded in Northern Ireland since the middle of last month.
The Department of Health #COVID19 dashboard has been updated with latest data.
— Department of Health (@healthdpt) December 17, 2020
656 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Sadly, a further 12 deaths have been reported (2 deaths were outside the 24 hour period).https://t.co/YN16dmGzhv pic.twitter.com/agGsJAams1
Labour condemns Truss's equalities speech as 'gratuitous provocation'
Core (the Coalition of Race Equality) is not the only body alarmed by the speech Liz Truss gave today in her capacity as minister for women and equalities. (See 5.06pm.) It has been widely criticised for its attempt to redefine what the equality agenda means. There is a full text here.
Truss argued that the leftwing approaches to equality failed. She said:
As a comprehensive school student in Leeds in the 1980s, I was struck by the lip service that was paid to equality by the city council while children from disadvantaged backgrounds were let down.
While we were taught about racism and sexism, there was too little time spent making sure everyone could read and write.
These ideas have their roots in postmodernist philosophy – pioneered by Foucault – that put societal power structures and labels ahead of individuals and their endeavours ...
Rather than promote policies that would have been a game-changer for the disenfranchised, like better education and business opportunities, there was a preference for symbolic gestures.
And she proposed a new approach – one that would effectively turn the government Equalities Office into the levelling-up office. She said:
I am outlining a new approach to equality in this country. This will be founded firmly on Conservative values.
It will be about individual dignity and humanity, not quotas and targets, or equality of outcome.
It will reject the approach taken by the left, captured as they are by identity politics, loud lobby groups and the idea of ‘lived experience’.
It will focus fiercely on fixing geographic inequality addressing the real problems people face in their everyday lives, using evidence and data.
In response, the TUC accused her of presenting a “false choice”. It said
Ministers must both tackle the barriers facing today’s diverse working class, and act to end the additional discrimination and disadvantage affecting BME, women and disabled workers.
And Labour’s Marsha de Cordova, the shadow equalities minister, said:
This is gratuitous provocation from a government that consistently refuses to face up to its responsibilities and the widening inequality it has caused.
When Liz Truss dismisses ‘fashionable’ causes she actually dismisses the devastating impact of discrimination and unfairness in people’s day-to-day lives.
Updated
Equality campaigners have written to the prime minister expressing dismay about a delay to the report by this Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities.
Tony Sewell, chair of the commission, which was set up in response to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests, yesterday requested a two-month extension until February next year for publication of its findings.
A letter from Core (Coalition of Race Equality) says this means it will be almost a year since Covid-19, which has disproportionately impacted ethnic communities across the UK, and 10 months after Black Lives Matter protests began. It says:
We have repeatedly urged the commission to address issues of structural and systemic racism, highlighting that in the past public inquiries and commissions have failed to result in any meaningful action. The announcement of a two-month delay serves as yet more evidence that our fears are justified.
The letter also expresses concern that, in asking for the extension, Sewell said many inequalities “may in fact have little to do with racism itself”.
Referring also to the speech by Liz Truss, minister for women and equalities, this afternoon announcing a shift in government equality priorities away from gender and race, Core says:
We urge the government not to diminish the very real evidence of racism, hate crime and discrimination throughout society ... To do so belittles the daily realities faced by BME (black and minority ethnic) groups across this country.
New cases in UK rising by 42% week on week, latest figures show
The UK government has updated its coronavirus dashboard. Here are the key figures.
- The UK has recorded 35,383 new cases. The website says this figure has been inflated by the addition of around 11,000 previously unreported cases from Wales (see 12.25pm) but even if you subtract those, this would still be the second highest daily total for more than a month, passed only by the total for yesterday (25,161). The total number of positive cases over the past week is 42% higher than the total for the previous seven days.
- There have been 532 further deaths. This is down from 613 yesterday but up from 516 a week ago. Week on week, death are down 0.5%.
Police chiefs reject Patel's claim that no deal would not make policing harder
Police chiefs contradicted home secretary Priti Patel, warning that a no deal Brexit would make “policing more difficult” and lead to “a loss in capability”, at a meeting of the home affairs select committee today.
Their evidence came shortly after the cabinet minister had insisted that British security would be unaffected if the long running EU-UK talks were to collapse in the coming days without an agreement.
Met police deputy assistant commissioner Richard Martin told MPs that he hoped the EU and the UK would reach “a negotiated outcome” – and stressed there would “more risk involved” to the public if there was a no deal.
The senior officers giving evidence repeatedly highlighted the impact of losing access to a range of EU databases in the event of a no deal, including those for checking DNA, criminal records and passenger data across the 27 member states.
Steve Rodhouse, the director general of operations for the National Crime Agency, said “these are capabilities hugely important to us and we would not wish to lose them”. The “alternative powers and systems are suboptimal,” he added.
Under questioning from Diane Abbott, Labour’s former shadow home secretary, Rodhouse said that officers checked for criminal records on the EU system 4,000 times a week – and that it currently takes an average of 66 days to process requests from non EU countries, compared to 6 days at present.
A failure to reach a post Brexit deal would also mean the UK could no longer exchange DNA data with members of the EU, the committee heard. British police had generated “13,000 matches” since July 2019, according to Rodhouse. “These are capabilities we don’t wish to lose,” he added.
In broadcast interviews earlier Patel claimed that British national security would not be affected in a no deal scenario.
“We’re constantly evolving,” Patel told Sky News in response to a question about the importance of EU databases. “So it’s wrong, it’s really wrong, if I may say so, to just automatically say EU tools just sort of protect us”.
The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital in eastern England is now higher than levels recorded at the peak of the first wave of the virus, PA Media reports. A total of 1,734 hospital patients with confirmed Covid-19 were reported on 16 December. During the first wave, the number of patients in eastern England peaked at 1,679 on 12 April.
This means the first-wave peak of Covid-19 patients has now been surpassed in three of the seven NHS regions in England, PA Media reports. The others are the north-west and the north-east/Yorkshire.
From Ian Jones at PA Media.
Meanwhile in England, the number of patients in hospital in eastern England who have Covid-19 is now higher than at the peak of the first wave.
— Ian Jones (@ian_a_jones) December 17, 2020
SE England is likely to pass its first-wave peak in a few days. pic.twitter.com/VIeSXl1IUb
Today’s coronavirus figures for Scotland are here. There have been 858 further cases, with 4.4% of test results being positive. A week ago the equivalent figures were 933 and 4.7%.
There have been 30 further deaths. A week ago there were 50.
But there are 1,012 coronavirus patients in hospital. A week ago there were 984. (After about a fortnight in three figures, hospital number rose above 1,000 again on Sunday.)
Unions and business groups have welcomed the Treasury’s decision to extend the furlough scheme to the end of April.
Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC, said:
This decision will bring some much-needed certainty for workers and businesses. But the threat of mass unemployment has not gone away. The government must provide additional support for the industries hit hardest by this crisis - like retail and hospitality.
Rain Newton-Smith, chief economist at the CBI, said:
In the middle of a tough winter, this will bring some much-needed certainty and respite for businesses. Stable employer contributions and an extension to the job retention scheme until the end of April will mean the scheme continues to protect people’s livelihoods.
And Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said:
Extending the furlough scheme and committing to a government contribution of 80% through to the end of April is a hugely positive move.
With today’s regional tiering review meaning 85% of England’s pubs are now closed or unviable under tier 2 or tier 3 restrictions, government support is more critical than ever.
NHS England has recorded 340 more coronavirus hospital deaths. The details are here.
That’s down from 369 yesterday, but up from 289 a week ago today.
As the Bradford Telegraph & Argus reports, the Conservative MP Philip Davies, who represents Shipley, has launched a strong attack on the decision to keep the city, and his constituency, in tier 3. Davies said:
I hope that when Matt Hancock and his stooges are enjoying their Turkey this Christmas, they give some thought to the huge number of people in our area whose livelihoods they have arbitrarily destroyed. I can only apologise to my constituents on their behalf.
DHSC explanation for why Greater Manchester remaining in tier 3
The full version of the Department of Health and Social Care document (see 2.24pm) setting out the reasons why all areas of England are either moving up or down a tier today, or staying put, is here, as an attachment to a Commons written answer.
This is what is says about why Greater Manchester is staying in tier 3 - one of the most controversial decisions taken today. (See 12.29pm and 1.03pm.)
Since the end of national restrictions the situation in Greater Manchester has remained stable. Case rates remain greater than 150 per 100,000 in Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale and Wigan. Case rates in over 60s are decreasing across the majority of the area but are above 150 per 100,000 in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale. Case rates are lowest in Tameside, Trafford and Stockport but the most recent data indicates that case rates are now plateauing or increasing, therefore any de-escalation of these areas would likely lead to cases increasing, particularly given the interconnectedness of these areas with the rest of Greater Manchester. Positivity remains across the area but is falling. The epidemiology indicators remain too high for de-escalation to tier 2.
Covid admissions in the Greater Manchester declining. Bed occupancy in line with the national average and critical care bed occupancy is not rising but remains high.
The future of the Erasmus university exchange programme post Brexit is hanging in the balance with little sign it is secure following an appearance by Michael Gove before the Brexit select committee.
The UK has the option of paying into both the Erasmus and flagship Horizon Europe programme post Brexit but Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, hinted they were not equally valuable to the country. He told MPs:
Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. We are considering which EU programmes we should be part of in the future. When we are looking at both Erasmus and Horizon, there are different judgments about their value to the UK, but we’re looking at those in the round as part of the discussion.
EU sources say the UK does not want to become an associate Erasmus participant because it would mean a seven-year commitment in line with the EU’s budget cycle.
In his statement to MPs earlier Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said that “a much wider area of the east and south-east of England” was moving into tier 3. This was confusing because he did not mention places that are normally thought of as part of the east of England.
Carl Baker, a researcher at the House of Commons library, has an explanation.
Spot the error pic.twitter.com/ofMz74TGid
— Carl Baker (@carlbaker) December 17, 2020
Yep! I suspect this happened because the NHS geography "Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes CCG" is part of the NHS's East of England region.https://t.co/j6eBcFIdB5
— Carl Baker (@carlbaker) December 17, 2020
Gove claims chances of UK-EU trade deal now 'less than 50%'
Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, has put the chances of a Brexit trade deal with the EU being agreed by Sunday night are below 50%.
This is significantly lower than the 66% chance he had placed on a potential deal two months ago and dampens hopes of a breakthrough in the next day or two.
He told MPs on the Brexit select committee this afternoon:
I think regrettably the chances are more likely that we won’t secure an agreement so at the moment less than 50%.
He also put paid to the idea that the UK and EU could resume talks early next year if trade talks currently in their final furlong fail to produce a deal by the end of the transition period. In those circumstance, he told the committee:
There would be contact between UK and European nations ... as we would expect, but what we would not be doing is attempting to negotiate a new deal.
The EU have put in place no deal contingency plans to keep planes flying and trucks moving goods across the border in the event of no deal. Sources in the EU have said this is to allow for a temporary situation, running to a number of weeks, between the end of transition and a deal either being agreed or coming into force.
Public Health England has published its weekly Covid surveillance report (pdf). It covers the period up to the end of last week (or week 50, in PHE terms).
Here is an extract from the summary.
Detections of Covid-19 cases in England increased in week 50. Overall positivity rates also increased in both Pillar 1 and 2. Sharp increases in case rates were seen in London, south-east and east of England in week 50, while smaller increases were observed in all other regions. Case rates have increased in the majority of age groups in week 50. Positivity has increased in individuals who have reported having symptoms.
The report says case rates per 100,000 were highest in London, where there was a rate of 319.3 per 100,000 population. London also saw the biggest increase on the previous week, when there was a rate of 199.9 per 100,000 in the capital.
This chart shows how the proportion of positive cases per 100,000 people has started to rise sharply.
And this chart shows how positivity rates - the proportion of people who get a test who turn out positive - are also rising.
Updated
Sunak extends furlough scheme until end of April amid speculation tough restrictions could last months
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has announced that the furlough scheme will now be extended until the end of April. When it was last extended, in November, it was due to run until the end of March.
Sunak has also announced that the budget will be held on 3 March, and the Treasury says in its news release that extending the furlough scheme until the end of April “gives businesses certainty well ahead of the 45-day redundancy notice period, with the budget setting out the next phase of support more than 45 days before the new end date of the scheme”.
But the announcement will also be seen as further evidence that the government expects large areas of England to be under the strictest restrictions well into the spring. (See 12.17pm.)
The Treasury is also extending government loan schemes for businesses, that were due to close in January, until the end of March.
We are extending furlough until the end of April 2021.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) December 17, 2020
We will continue to pay 80% towards wages of unworked hours - giving businesses and employees across the UK certainty into the New Year.
Read more: https://t.co/tQzuqeAzzH #PlanForJobs pic.twitter.com/WRH5ih27d2
When the furlough scheme was first announced in March, it was initially set to run for three months. But since then it has been repeatedly extended.
Updated
The Department of Health has released a written ministerial statement giving the reasons for the decisions taken today about why areas in England are staying in, or moving from, particular tiers. It’s here - although the version up at the moment only covers the north-west, the north-east and London.
The government is to provide interim cover for EU holiday healthcare costs for people who require routine hospital treatment such as dialysis and chemotherapy in the event there is no Brexit deal to replace the current European Health Care Insurance Scheme (EHIC).
In a written ministerial statement, Edward Argar, a health minister, said:
This government will introduce the scheme with the intention that it is used by individuals who are certain to require treatment while abroad, such as regular dialysis, oxygen therapy or certain types of chemotherapy. The government recognises that these ongoing, routine treatment costs can be expensive, and makes travelling abroad extremely challenging for many people.
This means British citizens who need life-sustaining treatment, equipment and medication can now make travel plans for next year at no extra cost.
The arrangements will last for 12 months from 1 January 2021.
Travel insurance for people with pre-existing conditions is expected to rocket to prohibitive prices next year unless there is a replacement scheme for the EHIC system.
Fiona Loud, policy director for charity Kidney Care UK, said the announcement could help up to 30,000 who are on dialysis in the UK right now.
She said travel is “greatly valued” to kidney patients and their families. “Having a break means the world to them; now the vaccination programme has started this is something to look forward to. We welcome this move for patients and the reassurance it gives, but need arrangements to be made so people don’t have to pay in advance,” she said.
Updated
Starmer says tier system 'not strong enough' to work
Sir Keir Starmer has launched a fresh attack on the government’s handling of the pandemic. Speaking to the BBC this morning during a visit to South Yorkshire, he made the following criticisms:
- He accused Boris Johnson of effectively shifting the blame onto members of the public for any increase in cases. Referring to Johnson’s refusal to tighten the regulations in force at Christmas, he said:
The numbers are heading in the wrong direction, the medical advice is that this could lead to real problems in January.
Instead of the prime minister stepping up himself and saying ‘I’m leading from the front’, he is effectively saying ‘it’s over to you, families and communities’ and trying to shift the blame to other people to take responsibility for Christmas when he should be leading from the front.
- He said the tier system was “not strong enough” to work. He said:
My concern about the tier system is that it’s just not strong enough to control the virus. We’ve been seeing the numbers going in the wrong direction across the country in the last seven days in particular ...
There are many areas that are going to stay in tier 3 and they will be asking themselves how on earth do we get out of this situation ...
We had a tier system before lockdown which didn’t really work. We’re in another tier system and it seems to me that it’s not doing the work that the prime minister promised it would do.
- He said the government’s message had been “all over the place”. He said:
The messaging has been all over the place - work at home, don’t work at home, go out to eat, don’t go out to eat, enjoy Christmas, have a small Christmas. So, the messaging needs to improve.
- He renewed his call for better financial support for people told to self-isolate.
Updated
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board in south Wales has suspended non-urgent care at its hospitals following increased pressure on services in Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil. It said in a statement:
Across the health board there are 419 suspected, confirmed or recovering Covid-19 patients in our hospitals and our intensive care beds are currently near capacity.
We have more than 50 patients in our temporary hospital Ysbyty’r Seren. Many of our health and social care staff are off work with Covid-19 and this brings additional challenges in delivering our services.
For that reason, on 16 December Cwm Taf Morgannwg took the difficult decision to begin to stand down some services and to redeploy staff from these services to assist in maintaining core and emergency services across the health board.
Secondary school pupils in England face staggered return to class in January, says No 10
Secondary school pupils’ return to class in England will be staggered in the first week of January, Downing Street has said.
Exam-year students will go back to school as normal after the Christmas holidays, but the majority of secondary school pupils will start the term online. As PA Media reports, it is hoped the staggered return will allow headteachers to roll out mass testing of children and staff in the new year.
At the Downing Street lobby briefing the prime minister’s spokesman said:
The start of the term won’t be delayed but what we are doing is asking secondary schools and colleges to operate a staggered return supported by full-time remote education during the first week of term, with in-person teaching in full starting on January 11.
Updated
And also in the House of Lords this morning, Norman Fowler, the Lord Speaker (and a former health secretary), told peers that he would have to leave the chamber at some point to attend an appointment to get a coronavirus vaccination. He is 82.
I have been called in to receive a Coronavirus vaccination. There are perhaps some advantages to being 82 going on 83 and it is not an appointment I wish to miss. Vaccinations save lives and I would urge anyone called forward to respond. pic.twitter.com/R82SMWDEvA
— Lord Speaker (@LordSpeaker) December 17, 2020
Updated
More than two-thirds of England will be under the strictest restrictions over Christmas, after revised measures will place the highest proportion of the population in tier 3 since the end of the second lockdown.
Almost 38m people will be living under the tier 3 throughout the festive season, as a further 3.7m people in the east and south-east of England will move into top tier restrictions at midnight on Friday.
Restrictions will ease for almost 900,000 people as Bristol and North Somerset will move from tier 3 to 2 and Herefordshire which will exit tier 2 to tier 1, following the government review.
The changes mean just over 67% of the population of England will be in tier 3, 31% in tier 2 and 1.6% in tier 1.
In the House of Lords Evgeny Lebedev, the Russian-born owner of the Evening Standard who was given a peerage by Boris Johnson, has taken his seat, my colleague Dan Sabbagh reports.
An enrobed Lord Lebedev of Hampton and Siberia introduced to the House of Lords with the support of Baron Ken Clarke. After swearing an oath to the Queen and a nod from Lord Speaker, Lord Fowler, Boris Johnson's friend joins the upper house... (repeat from earlier w pic) pic.twitter.com/eIboWMt1Q0
— Dan Sabbagh (@dansabbagh) December 17, 2020
FMQs was the first time that opposition politicians had the chance to question Nicola Sturgeon on the appalling drug deaths figures which were released earlier this week, and she was in conciliatory mood, telling the Scottish Tories’ Holyrood leader, Ruth Davidson, that the deaths were “completely unacceptable” and that “nobody will hear political answers from me”.
Sturgeon also accepted that “sorting it out is our responsibility”, perhaps a nod to critics who believe that the Scottish government has focused on the row with Westminster over devolving drugs laws to allow for safe consumption rooms at the expense of what can be done by Holyrood.
Davidson pointed out “the thing that is entirely devolved is treatment and rehabilitation and that is what the Scottish government has cut to the bone”. She said that leading facilities in Scotland were treating people from overseas while “people from Possil and Dundee are dying” and noted that universal credit funds more beds than Sturgeon’s government does.
Sturgeon said that she would attend the next meeting of the drugs deaths taskforce in January and would make a statement before the end of that month to set out next steps, accepting that there were questions about why there was not more funding for beds and that “many of the criticisms made are valid and legitimate”.
Updated
Here is the full text of Matt Hancock’s statement to MPs about the review of tiers for England.
Burnham suggests government biased against north in way tiers applied
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has accused the government of bias against the north in the way the tiers have been applied.
If you look at the figures below, it’s hard not to conclude:
— Andy Burnham (@AndyBurnhamGM) December 17, 2020
when cases rise in the North, the North goes under restrictions
when cases rise in London and the South East, everyone stays under restrictions pic.twitter.com/M53v8bipPd
In the Commons Matt Hancock says that legally he has to review the tier allocations every two weeks.
But in practice they are reviewed every week, he says. And if there is a chance to move an area out of tier 3, he will take it, he says.
European parliament sets Sunday deadline for post-Brexit trade deal
Turning away from Covid for a moment, the European parliament has set a Sunday deadline for agreement on a post-Brexit trade and security deal if it is to stage a vote of consent this year, after being briefed by the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier on the latest in the talks with the UK, my colleague Daniel Boffey reports.
What the lockdown rules say
If you need a reminder, here are the Guardian’s guides to what the rules say for tiers 1, 2 and 3 in England.
Updated
Dr Rebecca Howell-Jones, Herefordshire’s acting director of public health, has said that even though the county is moving down from tier 2 to tier 1, residents should still take extra care in the run-up to Christmas. She said:
Although going into tier 1 eases some of the current restrictions, I am asking Herefordshire residents to take extra care up to and after Christmas to protect their family and friends, particularly those who are elderly or vulnerable.
Updated
And this is from Ben Houchen, the mayor of Tees Valley. He says that businesses will be “disappointed” that Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool are staying in tier 3, but that Public Health England strongly backed that decision.
— Ben Houchen (@BenHouchen) December 17, 2020
Sir Richard Leese, the leader of Manchester city council, says it is “unbelievable” that his city is still in tier 3.
Even though our numbers are better than either London or Liverpool's were 3 weeks ago, still in Tier 3. Unbelievable!
— Sir Richard Leese (@SirRichardLeese) December 17, 2020
UPDATE: Leese has also said in a statement:
I cannot say that this announcement is not bitterly disappointing so close to Christmas. For many of our businesses the possibility of trading, even in a limited way, would have been a brief respite in what has been a devastating year.
So many sectors of our economy have faced disappointment after disappointment this year, made worse by a government unresponsive to the dire situation they were in. As a council we will continue to fight for them and to ensure a fair deal for the people who make our city the vibrant and thriving place it is.
Updated
In his response to Matt Hancock, Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said Labour could accept the case for areas having to move up to tier 3. He said:
These past 12 months have seen Covid spread with speed and severity. Over 65,000 have died in the United Kingdom, at least 620 of them health and care workers making the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
Over 240,000 have been treated in hospitals with the disease and, as [Hancock] reminded us, what gives this virus such lethal advantage is that people who appear healthy can go about their lives unaware they are transmitting the virus to others.
So, of course we accept and understand why he has had to move areas into higher tiers today, even though this means tens of millions of people across England are now living under the toughest restrictions.
Updated
Public Health Wales reported at noon on Thursday 11,469 new cases and 52 new deaths.
There were big rises in some parts of south Wales: 3,012 new cases in the area covered by the Aneurin Bevan board and 2,548 in Cwm Taf Morgannwg (the Bridgend area).
There were 1,990 in Cardiff and Vale, 1,606 in Swansea Bay and 1,124 in Hywel Dda, which covers Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.
The rapid COVID-19 surveillance dashboard has been updated.
— Public Health Wales (@PublicHealthW) December 17, 2020
🖥 https://t.co/zpWRYSUbfh
Mobile phone https://t.co/HSclxpZjBh
Read our daily statement here: https://t.co/u6SKHz0zsG pic.twitter.com/thZSMGoSaC
In a statement Public Health Wales says these figures represent “a backlog of around 11,000 cases ... following the data delay over the weekend”.
Updated
Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, says that today’s statement will be greeted “with dismay” in Greater Manchester, where restrictions have been in place for several months. What does it have to do to get out of tier 3?
Matt Hancock says he has looked at the case for moving particular boroughs into tier 2. But when this has happened in the past, that localised approach has not worked, he says. He says the NHS in the north-west is also under particular pressure.
From the Daily Mail’s Jason Groves
The Office for Budget Responsibility took a lot of flak last month for basing its forecasts on the assumption most of the UK will remain in the equivalent of Tier 3 until the spring. It's looking like a fair bet now
— Jason Groves (@JasonGroves1) December 17, 2020
From the Daily Mail’s John Stevens
By my maths, England's tiers will now be split...
— John Stevens (@johnestevens) December 17, 2020
Tier 1 - 906,374 people (1.6%)
Tier 2 - 17,275,030 people (30.7%)
Tier 3 - 38,105,557 people (67.7%)
From the Telegraph’s Gordon Rayner
That means a total of 38 million people in England will be in Tier 3, or 68 per cent of the population.
— Gordon Rayner (@gordonrayner) December 17, 2020
In the Commons Hancock mentions the latest performance figures from NHS test and trace. Where communication details were available, 96.6% of people were reached and told to self-isolate, he says.
He describes the system as “brilliant”.
He does not mention that one reason why the figures appear to have improved is that test and trace has recently changed its methodology.
Updated
Here is an excerpt from Matt Hancock’s opening statement to MPs.
As we enter the coldest months we must be vigilant and keep this virus under control.
Yesterday 25,161 cases were reported and there are 18,038 people in hospital with coronavirus in the UK. We must keep supressing this virus.
And this isn’t just a matter for government or for this house, it is a matter for every single person and these are always the most difficult months for people’s health and for the NHS.
And especially with the vaccine already here, we must be cautious as we accelerate the vaccine deployment as per the winter plan.
We’ve come so far, we mustn’t blow it now.
Updated
Bristol and North Somerset moving down to tier 2, and Herefordshire down to tier 1, says Hancock
But Hancock says some areas in tier 3 are moving down to tier 2. They are: Bristol and North Somerset.
And he says Herefordshire can go down from tier 2 into tier 1.
These changes will also come into force on Saturday.
Updated
Full list of new areas in southern England going into tier 3
Hancock says that it will be necessary to apply tier 3 areas across “a much wider area of the east and south-east of England”.
He says these areas are going into tier 3:
Bedfordshire
Buckinghamshire
Berkshire
Peterborough
The whole of Hertfordshire
Surrey, with the exception of Waverley
Hastings and Rother on the Kent border of East Sussex
Portsmouth, Gosport and Havant in Hampshire.
These areas will go into tier 3 at one minute past midnight on Saturday.
Updated
Hancock starts by saying that there were 25,000 cases yesterday, and that there are 18,000 patients in hospital in the UK.
Cases are rising across the world, he says.
Wales decided to tighten restrictions yesterday, he says.
Matt Hancock announces latest Covid tiers for England
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, is about to make his statement to MPs about the review of Covid tiers in England.
The Sun’s Kate Ferguson has an update on what she says is planned for schools in England. (See 10.52am.)
Schools update:
— Kate Ferguson (@kateferguson4) December 17, 2020
* Most secondary school kids will get extra week off school after Xmas
* These kids will be online learning
* Mass testing will be rolled out
* All primary school kids, exam years and vulnerable / key worker kids back in class for start of term
Rees-Mogg accuses Unicef of 'political stunt of lowest order' after it funds food aid in UK
In the Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons has accused Unicef of “playing politics” through its decision to spend money alleviating food poverty in the UK for the first time in its 70-year history as an aid organisation.
In response to a question about the development from Labour’s Zarah Sultana, he said:
I think it is a real scandal that Unicef should be playing politics in this way when it is meant to be looking after people in the poorest, the most deprived, countries of the world where people are starving, where there are famines and where there are civil wars, and they make cheap political points of this kind, giving, I think, 25,000 to one council. It is a political stunt of the lowest order.
Unicef should be ashamed of itself.
Updated
Support for Scottish independence at 58%, poll suggests
A Savanta ComRes poll published by the Scotsman today suggests support for Scottish independence is at 58%. That matches the previous record high, and it means that 17 polls in a row have now shown support for independence in the lead.
The Scotsman reports:
With don’t knows excluded, 58 per cent of voters intend to vote Yes with 42 per cent voting No. This drops to 52 per cent and 38 per cent when don’t knows are included.
The poll also states 40 per cent of voters believe a second independence referendum should happen within the next two years, with 15 per cent saying five years should pass and 6 per cent calling for a decade’s wait before another poll.
In the Commons several SNP MPs have already mentioned the poll findings. Pete Wishart raised it with Michael Gove, asking the Cabinet Office minister whether he thought “the disastrous Brexit Scotland didn’t vote for, the attacks on our democracy, the undermining of our parliament, the prime minister” or Gove himself were the main reasons for Scots wanting independence.
Gove said Scotland benefited from being in the UK, and that those benefits included it being part of a “world-leading vaccination programme”.
Labour has published its plan (pdf) for dealing with antisemitism within the party in response to a highly damning report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. As PA Media reports, it details plans to create an independent process to investigate complaints that aims to prevent the leader, the deputy and their offices from having involvement in the outcome.
Boris Johnson has sent his best wishes to Emmanuel Macron, the French president, who has tested positive for coronavirus.
Je suis désolé d’apprendre que mon ami @EmmanuelMacron a été testé positif à la Covid-19. Nous lui souhaitons tous un prompt rétablissement.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 17, 2020
Patel claims reports she shouted and swore at colleagues 'not accurate'
Yesterday we ran a story by my colleague Peter Walker says that in the last five weeks all the ministers put up by Downing Street to do the morning broadcast interview round had been men.
Such is the power of the Guardian that this morning - lo and behold! - it was Priti Patel, the home secretary, touring the studios on behalf of No 10. (It would be nice to think that they will take our advice on other things too, although overturning Brexit is probably beyond our reach.)
In her interviews Patel said she would advise people to consider changing their plans for Christmas. Asked if people could cancel plans to meet relatives if they involved travelling long distances, she told the Today programme:
I would urge people to change. I won’t be seeing my parents this Christmas, my parents live in a different part of the country and I will not travel to see them.
I want to protect them, I don’t want to be spreading the virus. I feel I will take that responsibility and others will make that judgment too.
Asked about the report that found evidence of Patel bullying officials, she said:
I will repeat what I’ve said before, and I have apologised for that.
There were references to other things that were taking place within my organisation and there are many, many changes that are under way right now, and that applies not just to behaviour but culture and various leadership within the organisation too.
I’ve made it quite clear that it’s across the board, it applies to everyone, including myself.
Asked if those who claimed she had screamed and swore at colleagues would think she had learnt her lesson, she replied:
That’s not accurate for a start, but, as I’ve said, there are changes, and that applies to myself as well.
In the published summary (pdf) of the report written by Sir Alex Allan, the then PM’s adviser on ministerial standards (he resigned after the PM refused to dismiss Patel), Allan said:
The home secretary has also become – justifiably in many instances – frustrated by the Home Office leadership’s lack of responsiveness and the lack of support she felt in DfID three years ago. The evidence is that this has manifested itself in forceful expression, including some occasions of shouting and swearing. This may not be done intentionally to cause upset, but that has been the effect on some individuals.
DfE chief refuses to deny reports return to class for pupils in England in January could be delayed
Susan Acland-Hood, the Department for Education’s most senior civil servant, told MPs that “conversations were going on” over when state school pupils in England would return after the Christmas holidays, but refused to confirm reports that the start of term would be delayed.
Appearing before the Commons’ public accounts committee, Acland-Hood was questioned about claims that the start of term next month would be delayed in England. “We don’t have any plans to lengthen the Christmas holiday,” Acland-Hood said, before hinting that some changes would be announced shortly. She said:
There are conversations going on about exactly how parents and pupils will go back at the beginning of January but I’m afraid I can’t speak to the committee about that this morning.
But Meg Hillier, the committee’s chair, told Acland-Hood:
It is ludicrous that we are at the end of term, the final day for any school in England is tomorrow, and you are sitting here today and you can’t tell us any more detail about what might happen on the fourth or fifth of January next year?
“I entirely accept that this is very difficult for people,” Acland-Hood said.
Hillier responded:
It’s not just difficult, it’s impossible. If a school is breaking up tomorrow and that means pupils and teachers and other staff will not be in school next week, how are they expected to plan for any changes in January?
Barnier says 'good progress' being made in trade talks, but 'stumbling blocks remain'
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, says the UK-EU trade talks are in the “final stretch”. It’s hard to quibble with that; two weeks today will be the UK’s final day in the post-Brexit transition.
He says the two sides are making “good progress”, but that “stumbling blocks remain”.
In this final stretch of talks, transparency & unity are important as ever: Debriefed @Europarl_EN Conference of Presidents this morning on 🇪🇺🇬🇧 negotiations.
— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) December 17, 2020
Good progress, but last stumbling blocks remain. We will only sign a deal protecting EU interests & principles. pic.twitter.com/L25PWCKYAG
In the Commons Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, said the UK was “going the extra mile” to get a deal.
The Commons rises for the Christmas recess today, but No 10 has said it will be recalled, possibly next week, to pass the legislation need to implement a trade deal if one is agreed. Gove said he thought there would be time to pass any legislation before 31 December.
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Susan Acland-Hood, permanent secretary of the Department for Education, has been giving evidence to the Commons public accounts committee this morning about free school meals.
As Schools Week reports, Acland-Hood was asked about the reports that secondary schools could start next term up to a week late. (See 10.06am.) She said there were no plans to lengthen the Christmas holidays. But she would not confirm that pupils would be expected to return to class as normal on 4 or 5 of January.
DfE permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood is appearing in front of the commons public accounts committee @CommonsPAC to answer questions about the free school meals voucher scheme and other issues
— Schools Week (@SchoolsWeek) December 17, 2020
.@Meg_HillierMP asks if Acland-Hood expects schools to reopen on Jan 4 or 5.
— Schools Week (@SchoolsWeek) December 17, 2020
She says she wants as much education provided to children in Jan as possible, and "we don't have any plans to lengthen the Christmas holiday"
"There are conversations going on about exactly how parents and pupils will go back at the beginning of January, but I'm afraid I can't speak to the committee about that this morning," says Acland-Hood
— Schools Week (@SchoolsWeek) December 17, 2020
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'Overcompensating' for Christmas decision could leave Greater Manchester stuck in tier 3, Burnham suggests
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has been arguing that his region, or at least large parts of it, should be taken out of the strictest tier 3 restrictions today and placed instead in tier 2.
But, in an interview with BBC Breakfast this morning, said that he was worried that Greater Manchester might lose out because of the government’s determination to “overcompensate” for the impact of its decision not to tighten rules over Christmas. He said:
It’s clear a mistake has been made over Christmas. I have to say - I did say it at the time - that it was allowing too much. My worry is they’re now about to overcompensate with the decisions on the tiers.
We will see but it will be very hard on people here who’ve made a lot of sacrifices to get into a much better position, and actually I think the time has come to allow at least part of Greater Manchester to be released from those [tier 3] restrictions.
Burnham said that closing hospitality (which is what happens when areas are in tier 3) created “a substantial risk of many more gatherings in the home” at this time of year. He went on:
I think the government needs to take all of this into account and I think from our point of view I think there is a clear case for Tier 2 in parts of Greater Manchester.
According to a report in the Tes education magazine, the government is expected to announce that secondary schools in England will start the new term up to a week later after Christmas.
The Department for Education has not confirmed or denied the report.
BREAKING: Government expected to announce delayed start to Jan term tomorrow https://t.co/IWMJCDoPm6
— Tes (@tes) December 16, 2020
The ONS has published a report on the results from the first round of its schools infection survey for England. Almost 5,000 members of staff and more than 6,000 pupils were tested in 105 primary and secondary schools in November.
The ONS says the findings are “indicative only” and “not statistically significant” because the schools chosen were not representative. It says that schools in high-Covid areas were over-sampled, and that the results were not weighted.
That said, the ONS has still published the results, so it must think they are of some interest. Here is what they say.
- Overall 1.24% of pupils and 1.29% of staff tested positive.
- Rates were almost twice as high in high prevalence areas as in low prevalence areas. In high prevalence areas 1.47% of pupils and 1.5% of staff tested positive. In low prevalence areas the figures were 0.79% of pupils and 0.87% of staff tested positive.
- Rates for both pupils are staff were higher in secondary schools than in primary schools. In secondary schools 1.48% of pupils and 1.47% of staff tested positive. In primary schools 0.89% of pupils and 0.75% of staff tested positive.
Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals and other NHS trusts, has said the government should ensure that its tiering decisions are “as robust as possible”. He said:
If the government is going to stick with its current approach to the Christmas regulations, it must also ensure that its decisions on which area is in which tier are as robust as possible.
That means no delay in adding any area to tier 3 that needs to be in that tier, and no premature removal of any area from it, either.
11,000 positive Covid tests missing from Wales data after IT problem
An extra 11,000 positive Covid tests in Wales have not yet been counted in the official figures because a computer system was down for maintenance, my colleague Steven Morris reports.
Good morning. Just over two weeks ago MPs voted on the new tiering system for England. With many Tory MPs threatening to rebel, Boris Johnson wrote to backbenchers before the vote suggesting that in some areas the rules could be eased before Christmas, and in the debate he said that in future the system could be more localised (so that rural constituencies with low Covid rates might not be penalised by being in a country with a city with higher rates). Today we are getting the results of the first formal review of the system. But we’ve already seen restrictions tightened for London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire, and journalists are being briefed that any changes will be minimal. Here is our preview story.
Not for the first time, events have not moved in the direction Johnson was hoping. For an explanation as to why few if any areas are going to see restrictions relaxed today, take a look at the latest coronavirus statistics, which were released quite late yesterday on the government’s dashboard. Yesterday there were 25,161 new cases in the UK. That was the highest figure since the second week of November - when England was in the early stages of its lockdown. Week on week, new cases are up 36%.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30pm: The ONS releases its latest coronavirus infection survey.
9.30am: Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, takes questions in the Commons.
10am: Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, takes questions in the London assembly.
10.30am: Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, makes the weekly Commons business statement.
Around 11.30am: Matt Hancock, the health secretary, makes a statement to MPs about the reviewing of the tiering system for England.
12.30pm: Downing Street holds its daily lobby briefing.
12.20pm: Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, takes questions in the Scottish parliament.
2pm: Public Health England releases its latest Covid surveillance report.
2pm: Liz Truss, the minister for equalities, gives a speech.
2pm: Gove gives evidence to the Commons Brexit committee.
4.45pm: Gove gives evidence to the Lords EU committee.
Politics Live is now doubling up as the UK coronavirus live blog and, given the way the Covid crisis eclipses everything, this will continue for the foreseeable future. But we will be covering non-Covid political stories too, like Brexit, and when they seem more important or more interesting, they will take precedence.
Here is our global coronavirus live blog.
I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.
If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.
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