Summary
Here’s a closing summary of the main developments today:
Johnson pledges UK-wide coronavirus tracing by 1 June
Boris Johnson has pledged to have a UK-wide tracing operation to tackle coronavirus in place by 1 June run by 25,000 contact tracers. His commitment at prime minister’s questions in the Commons came as the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, said there had been no effective tracing in the country for 10 weeks. Johnson said: “I have great confidence that by 1 June we will have a system that will enable us, help us very greatly to defeat this disease and move the country forward.”
Record number of tests conducted
A record 177,216 coronavirus tests were carried out in the 24 hours to 9am this morning. The figures were announced after Johnson restated his ambition to get the daily total up to 200,000 by the end of this month. The figures have often been criticised as misleading. Statistics on the Department of Health and Social Care’s website show that although there were 177,216 tests, only 60,744 individuals actually got tested during this 24-hour period. The figures now also include tests carried out for survey purposes, including antibody tests to see if people have had the disease. These survey tests account for 23,601 of the daily total.
UK death toll rises by 363
A further 363 Covid-19 deaths were announced in the UK, taking the total to 35,704. The number of coronavirus patients in hospital in England had fallen below 10,000 for the first time since March.
Government wants tourism to resume in July
The culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, has said the government plans to allow tourism to begin in July. Speaking at the daily Downing Street briefin he said: “I would love to get the tourism sector up as quickly as we possibly can. We’ve set this very ambitious plan to try and get it up and running by the beginning of July. Dowden also announced plans to up a taskforce to help people in the recreation and leisure industries get their sectors back to work again.
Bereavement scheme extended
The government has bowed to pressure to give families and dependants of migrant NHS support staff who die as a result of contracting coronavirus will be granted indefinite leave to remain. The move follows criticism that care workers, cleaners and porters had been left out of the scheme, which only applied to certain occupations including nurses, biochemists and radiographers. Announcing the move, the home secretary, Priti Patel, said: “We are extending the scheme to NHS support staff and social care workers. We want to ensure families have the support they need and so this will be effective immediately and retrospectively.”
EU response chief warns of second wave
The prospect of a second wave of coronavirus infection across Europe is no longer a distant theory, according to the director of the EU agency responsible for advising governments – including the UK’s – on disease control. “The question is when and how big, that is the question in my view,” said Dr Andrea Ammon, the director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. In an interview with the Guardian she added: “It’s not the time now to completely relax.”
Rolls-Royce plans to cut 9,000 jobs
The Derby based engineering firm Rolls-Royce has announced plans to cut at least 9,000 jobs – almost a fifth of its workforce, with UK factories set to be hardest hit. Negotiations are beginning with trade unions before any figures for job losses in the UK are agreed but Warren East, the company’s chief executive, said most of the cuts would be in its civil aerospace business. Demand for aircraft, and the engines manufactured by Rolls-Royce, have slumped across the world in large part due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Northern Ireland set to track and trace for at least a year
Stormont’s health minister, Robin Swann, has announced the contact-tracing programme for Northern Ireland is set to last for at least a year. He said a pilot programme that began at the start of April to track contacts associated with all confirmed cases of Covid-19 would be ramped up to a seven-day operation and would last for at least a year. Five more people were reported to have died of coronavirus in Northern Ireland taking its total to 494.
Wales rules out setting ‘arbitrary’ date for reopening schools
The Welsh education minister, Kirsty Williams, has said she will not set an “arbitrary” date for when more children will return to school. She said more evidence – and more confidence in the evidence – on Covid-19 was needed before schools would open to more children. Public Health Wales has announced 14 more deaths from coronavirus, taking the total in Wales to 1,238.
Sturgeon denies cover-up over early cases
Nicola Sturgeon has denied the Scottish government tried to cover up coronavirus cases linked to a Nike conference in Edinburgh in late February. In angry exchanges at first minister questions, Sturgeon accused the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Jackson Carlaw, of unfairly impugning her integrity and that of health officials by suggesting this early outbreak was hushed up. Last week it revealed that there were multiple transmissions of coronavirus in Edinburgh on 26 and 27 February, well before the first confirmed case in the country on 1 March, but that this was not disclosed to the public. A total of 2,184 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, an increase of 50 since Tuesday.
UK universities facing £760m hit
British universities face a potential £760m blow to their funding after about one in five students said they would not enrol in the next academic year if classes were delivered online and other activities curtailed. A survey of students applying for undergraduate places found that more than 20% said they were willing to delay starting their courses if universities were not operating as normal due to the coronavirus pandemic, which would mean there would be 120,000 fewer students when the academic year begins in autumn. A number of universities including Cambridge have said they will conduct all lectures online throughout the 2020-21 academic year.
Outsourcing firm apologises for sharing details of hundreds of contract tracers
The outsourcing firm Serco has apologised after accidentally sharing the email addresses of almost 300 contact tracers. The company is training staff to trace cases of Covid-19 for the UK government. It made the error when it emailed new trainees to tell them about training. Serco said it had apologised and would review its processes “to make sure that this does not happen again”. Labour said the breach raised serious questions for the government about the capability of Serco to command public confidence.
MoD set to scale down size of Covid support force
The Ministry of Defence is poised to announce a reduction in the numbers of military personnel ready to tackle the coronavirus crisis in the UK to 7,500 from 20,000. These are soldiers and other members of the armed forces “held at readiness” so they can be deployed quickly if needed by civilian authorities, but with only 4,000 currently being used and the national situation slowly improving it has been decided fewer troops are required on standby.
Updated
Bereavement scheme extended
The government has bowed to pressure to give indefinite leave to remain to families and dependants of migrant NHS support staff who die as a result of contracting coronavirus.
The move follows criticism that care workers, cleaners and porters had been left out of the scheme, which only applied to certain occupations including nurses, biochemists and radiographers.
The extension of the scheme – which was originally announced last month – to include cleaners, porters, social care staff and care home workers will be effective immediately and retrospectively, the Home Office confirmed.
The home secretary, Priti Patel, said:
Every death in this crisis is a tragedy, and sadly some NHS support staff and social care workers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of saving the lives of others.
When I announced the introduction of the bereavement scheme in April, I said we would continue to work across government to look at ways to offer further support. Today we are extending the scheme to NHS support staff and social care workers.
We want to ensure families have the support they need and so this will be effective immediately and retrospectively.
Updated
Oliver Dowden's press conference – summary
Here are the main points from the government press conference.
- Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, said that 177,216 coronavirus tests were carried out in the 24 hours to 9am this morning. That is the biggest daily headline tally so far, and was announced after Boris Johnson at PMQs restated his ambition to get the daily total up to 200,000 by the end of this month. But these figures have often been criticised as misleading. As the detailed statistics on the Department of Health and Social Care’s website show, although there were 177,216 tests, only 60,744 individuals actually got tested during this 24-hour period. The figures now also include tests carried out for survey purposes, including antibody tests (which show if you have had the virus, not if you have it now). These survey tests account for 23,601 of the daily total.
- Dowden said for the “vast majority” of people the new government “stay alert” advice means they should stay at home. The “stay alert” slogan only applies to England, because the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland administrations have not adopted it. Dowden said:
Staying alert, for the vast majority of people, still means staying at home as much as possible.
This sounded like an attempt to counter the impression conveyed by some ministerial messages that the government is in a rush to end the lockdown.
- Dowden said he was setting up a taskforce to help people in the recreation and leisure industries get their sectors back to work again. (See 5.21pm.)
- Prof Stephen Powis, the medical director of NHS England, said the number of coronavirus patients in hospital in England had fallen below 10,000 for the first time since March.
- Dowden said he wanted tourism to resume in July. He said:
I would love to get the tourism sector up as quickly as we possibly can. We’ve set this very ambitious plan to try and get it up and running by the beginning of July.
Clearly, we can only do it if it’s safe to do so because I think the worse thing for our tourism sector would be to start, then see the R rate rise out of control, see a second peak that overwhelms the NHS that we then have to slam on the brakes again.
- Powis said Sage, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, was keeping the two-metre rule under review. He said:
The current advice is two metres. I’m sure that, along with a whole host of other things, that will constantly be kept under review as new evidence emerges.
This morning Prof Robert Dingwall, a government adviser who sits on Nervtag (the new and emerging respiratory virus threats advisory group) told the BBC that the evidence for the two-metre rule was “very fragile”.
- Dowden said the policy on indefinite leave to remain for the families of migrant NHS workers who have died from coronavirus will be kept under review following complaints that care workers and cleaners are excluded.
- He said the birthday honours list was being delayed to allow for the inclusion of “heroes” who have contributed during the crisis.
- He urged the BBC to reconsider its plan to give up giving all over-75s free TV licences from August.
Updated
The number of prisons with confirmed cases of Covid-19 has risen after a fresh outbreak was recorded, daily figures from the Ministry of Justice have shown.
The number of prisons with confirmed instances of coronavirus had remained at 74 for two weeks but new cases were recorded at a 75th prison on Tuesday.
As at 5pm on Tuesday, 432 prisoners had tested positive for Covid-19, an increase of 10 or 2% in 24 hours, while the number of infected prison workers rose 2% to 555 workers across 73 prisons in the same period.
The total combined confirmed cases among prisoners and staff now exceed 1,000.
There are about 80,300 prisoners in England and Wales in 117 prisons, while about 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 worker in prisoner escort and custody services.
Updated
So many people have headed to the north Devon coast that traffic wardens are running out of tickets, police said. Barnstaple police tweeted:
Traffic wardens are running out of tickets. Do not abandon your cars 😡 emergency vehicles can’t get though! They will be towed away! @TheVoiceNDevon @DevonLiveNews @BBCSpotlight @BBCTravelSW #Covid_19 https://t.co/0h7hBWGbVx
— Barnstaple Police (@BarumPolice) May 20, 2020
The police said there was heavy traffic caused by people heading to the popular surfing beaches of Saunton and Woolacombe.
Heavy traffic at Saunton & Woolacombe. Social distancing still applies & car parks are limiting acces to allow this. Please adhere to advice, we do not want a 2nd wave! #Covid_19 @DevonLiveNews @TheVoiceNDevon #Devon pic.twitter.com/JQILFlp3Xt
— Barnstaple Police (@BarumPolice) May 20, 2020
Q: What is the government doing to prepare areas like Middlesbrough for future spikes? And in the north-east there is a high rate of infection. Does a one-size-fits-all policy work for the whole of the UK?
Dowden says the government is under no illusion about the challenges facing the economy. He says he really hopes that the country can move forward at the same time.
The new track and trace system should make a real difference, he says.
Powis says it is usual in epidemics to see variation by geography. If the UK gets to the stage where individual outbreaks occur, then there will have to be very local responses. He says that is normal with managing infectious diseases. Increasingly these tactics will be used, he says.
Q: And what will the government do to make towns like Middlesbrough a priority?
Dowden says the PM is passionate about this. And Dowden says, as culture secretary, he wants to make sure cultural events are available outside London.
And that’s it. The press conference is over.
Updated
Q: If Premier League matches are played again this summer, should they be shown on free-to-air TV?
Dowden says we have to respect the rights broadcasters have. But there is some flexiblity, he says. He says matches are not shown on Saturday afternoons, when people could be watching in a stadium. That won’t apply. So he thinks there is some opportunity for getting matches on free-to-air TV.
Q: Would you recommend that people use antibody tests that are commercially available?
Powis says he would caution people about using them. He says it is important to know what they are like.
And he says that he would not want people to think that if they test positive for the antibody, they do not need to take precautions. He says at this stage it is not clear what immunity people have.
Q: Does that mean everyone will be able to get them on the NHS?
Powis says the NHS will be using its test first for health and social care staff.
Q: Are you happy for over-75 to lose their free TV licences later this year?
Dowden says the government was clear the BBC should not take away free TV licences from all over-75s. The decision to postpone that until August was the right one. If we are in the same situation then, he says hopes the BBC will rethink
Q: Should the two-metre rule be reviewed?
Powis says matters like this are always being kept under review.
Q: When will tourism return?
Dowden says he is working hard to get tourism back up and running. But that can only be done when it is safe. He says the worst thing would be to open it up, and then have to put the brakes on again.
Q: Why have NHS staff like cleaners been left out of a scheme giving the families of migrant healthcare workers who have died from coronavirus indefinite leave to remain?
Dowden says that policy is being kept under review.
Q: According to Public Health England, there have been zero new cases in the last 24 hours. Does that mean schools will open in London?
Dowden says those figures are encouraging. And testing figures are encouraging too. He says there were 177,000 yesterday.
We should try and open schools if possible, he says.
Q: So will you let schools open in London first?
Dowden says it would be best to move as one nation.
Q: At PMQs the PM said patients were only discharged into care homes on clinical advice. It sounded like he was blaming doctors. Are you happy with that?
Powis says his medical colleagues would have only discharged patients if that was the right thing to do.
Q: At PMQs the PM seemed to gloss over mistakes with care homes. Is that the government’s views. Or will you be open about mistakes you have made?
Dowden says the government is not glossing over care homes death. Every single death is a death too many. The government has published a plan, he says. And deaths are coming down.
Q: But Robert Buckland admitted this morning that things could have been done differently. Wouldn’t it be better to follow Emmanuel Macron’s example, and admit there have been mistakes?
Dowden says, in any crisis, there will be a time for lessons to be learnt. But at the moment the public wants the government to focus on managing the crisis.
Q: Are you confident a new contact-tracing system will be up and running by the time lockdown measures are relaxed, as Prof Dame Angela McLean argued yesterday?
Powis says it is vital to get the R number down. Track and trace will be part of this, he says. But it is just one of several measures needed.
Updated
In response to a question from a member of the public about when NHS staff will be able to return to their normal jobs, Dowden says the government has ensured the NHS was not overwhelmed. But now staff can start going back to other tasks, he says.
In his opening remarks Dowden said he was setting up a taskforce “aimed at helping getting the country’s recreation and leisure sector up and running again”.
Dowden will chair it himself. The culture department has released the names of other members. They are:
- Tamara Rojo (English National Ballet)
- Alex Scott (former England international and Arsenal footballer and now a sports broadcaster)
- Sir Nicholas Serota (Arts Council England chair)
- Edward Mellors (Mellors Group Events)
- Neil Mendoza (commissioner for cultural recovery and renewal, entrepreneur, publisher and philanthropist)
- Lord (Michael) Grade of Yarmouth (TV executive and former chair of BBC and ITV)
- Baroness (Martha) Lane-Fox of Soho (founder of LastMinute.com)
- Mark Cornell (Ambassador Theatre Group)
Updated
Powis is going through the slides.
Here are the figures for testing and cases. Even though the number of tests is increasing, the number of cases is stable or falling, he says.
And here are the hospital figures. Powis says that for the first time since March, there are fewer than 10,000 people in hospital with coronavirus.
Dowden says £70m has been raised for charities on the front line from the BBC’s Big Night In.
Dowden says honours list being delayed so coronavirus contributions can be included
Dowden says the birthday honours list is being delayed until the autumn, so that it can include honours for NHS staff and others who have contributed during the coronavirus crisis.
Dowden says for majority of people 'staying alert' means staying at home
Dowden is now summarising the government’s strategy.
He says for the vast majority of people “staying alert” still means staying at home.
Dowden says 363 more people have died in UK, taking total to 35,704
Dowden starts with the latest death figures.
He says there have been a further 363 UK deaths, taking the total to 35,704.
Oliver Dowden's press conference
Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, is taking the UK government press conference this afternoon. It is starting imminently. He will be with Prof Stephen Powis, the medical director for NHS England.
Raoul Ruparel, a Europe adviser to Theresa May when she was PM, has posted a useful Twitter thread on the Northern Irish protocol. It starts here.
UK has set out its plans to implement NI Protocol. My personal view is that it is a good opening pitch. It moves towards the landing zone: politically sensitive, economically viable & legally sound. But more detail is needed & plenty EU won't like 1/ https://t.co/JRWxMLQ0kz
— Raoul Ruparel (@RaoulRuparel) May 20, 2020
And here are two of his conclusions.
Most ambitious part is on customs. Sees no need for new or bespoke infrastructure with checks done on the market. This is a long way from the EU approach & to say the EU will take some convincing is an understatement. 3/
— Raoul Ruparel (@RaoulRuparel) May 20, 2020
Fundamentally biggest thing going for UK approach in my view is that it has prospect of being in place by year end & being political sustainable across communities. I can't see that being true of EU approach as it stands. 7/ ENDS
— Raoul Ruparel (@RaoulRuparel) May 20, 2020
Experts have raised questions about Boris Johnson’s pledge to have a UK-wide tracing operation in place by 1 June and cast doubt on his claim that it would be “world-beating”.
In comments published by the Science Media Centre, Eivor Oborn, professor of healthcare management at Warwick Business School, said:
We still have not seen convincing evidence that the technical features associated with the app will work as intended. Also very little independent study or research about how the app might function seems to be in place to understand the use patterns as they unfold. Technology use generally brings in unintended consequences, and it is difficult to know what these will be.
Manual tracing alone is too slow, and if there is a second spike it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to locate the contacts faster than the rate of new contacts are becoming exposed. The rapid transmission of the virus between people, is faster than the time it takes to do the needed detective work and phone calls to alert all exposed individuals. However, an app will not work on its own either, so best way forward would be a combined approach.
Dr Joshua Moon, research fellow at the University of Sussex Business School, said:
I have my doubts that this target will be met, given the issues with the app and the need to train contact tracers. Even then, 1 June is delayed at best - this is a system which should have been in place before the pandemic even started. Accounting even for this, the system is delayed in its scale up.
On top of this, the system needs an additional component: isolate. Testing, tracking, and tracing contacts and patients is not going to stop this pandemic unless patients are isolated, and contacts are tested and isolated. This system is going to have to develop as we go along, we need to pay attention to how well it works and adapt as we go along.
Rowland Kao, professor of veterinary epidemiology and data science, University of Edinburgh, said:
Any voluntary use of the app would have to be supplemented by traditional contact tracing employing large numbers of people. As it is expected that all of these people will be newly trained, one should expect teething problems and therefore a considerable lag time before the contact-tracing programme is as effective as it could be and when surveillance and testing will therefore play its biggest role in ensuring that infection numbers stay low.
Updated
Barnier says 'new dynamism' needed to stop UK-EU trade talks ending in failure
Yesterday No 10 released the text of a letter (pdf) sent by David Frost, the PM’s chief Europe adviser, to Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, in which Frost complained that the EU was just offering the UK “a relatively low-quality trade agreement coming with unprecedented EU oversight of our laws and institutions”.
Barnier has now released the text of his reply (pdf). In it, he confirms that Frost has proposed aiming for a less ambitious trade deal than originally envisaged, giving up on the aim of a zero-tariff, zero-quota agreement. (Barnier objects, saying this might take more time, and would not resolve the level playing field dispute anyway.) He says “new dynamism” is needed to avoid the talks ending in stalemate.
And he restates the longstanding EU claim that the UK wants to “cherry pick” - to enjoy the benefits of EU membership, but not the obligations. Barnier says:
Regardless of what your letter suggests, there is no automatic entitlement to any benefits that the EU may have offered or granted in other contexts and circumstances to other, often very different, partners.
Every agreement that the EU has concluded is unique, with its own balance of rights and obligations, tailored to the partner and era in which it is concluded. There is no model, no uniform precedent to follow in EU trade policy.
Neither is there a right to what you admit are unprecedented UK proposals in a number of areas. Just as we do not accept selective benefits in the single market without the corresponding obligations, we also do not accept cherry picking from our past agreements. The EU is looking to the future, not to the past, in these negotiations.
Updated
Updated
We have already covered the DUP response to the government announcement about how it will implement the Northern Ireland protocol (the Brexit deal keeping Northern Ireland in the single market). See 2.23pm. Here is some more reaction.
Claire Hanna, the Social and Democratic Labour party MP for South Belfast, said Michael Gove had “finally confirmed there will be a large increase in the amount of red tape” for businesses and warned that “castles in the air” such as trade deals with the US would lead to increased checks in the Irish Sea.
Sinn Féin said the checks showed the “forked tongue” approach of the UK government after months denying that trade barriers would be erected.
Seamus Lehany, policy manager at the Freight Transport Association in Northern Ireland, said it was a “positive step that the UK confirms there will be some controls” but that the language was so “loose” in areas that it was effectively putting the ball back in the EU’s court.
Aodhán Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said it was a good start but questions remained. He explained:
The UK government has acknowledged the need to deliver upon their obligations under the Northern Ireland protocol. This acceptance of the hurdles that need to be overcome is a good starting point but there are still many questions that are left unanswered.
Updated
This week on our Politics Weekly podcast, Jonathan Freedland and Kate Proctor, ask: why does the government keep setting itself targets it simply can’t keep? They also discuss the hypocritical stance of ministers on the immigration bill. Plus, the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, explains the case for decentralising government.
Updated
No 10 signals national security and investment bill coming soon
No 10 has hinted at a tightening up of security for the UK technology sector in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The national security and investment bill is due to be brought forward in the coming weeks, the prime minister’s spokesman has said.
The announcement follows an exchange at PMQs where Richard Drax, a member of the defence select committee, said that France was reviewing its defence supply chain over concerns China is buying up defence companies on the brink of collapse because of coronavirus. He asked if it might be wise to row back on the plans to use Huawei to roll out the 5G network in the UK.
The prime minister said Drax was right to be concerned about the buying up of UK technology now by countries “that may have ulterior motives” and he would announce measures on how the country is protecting its tech base shortly.
The PM’s spokesperson said the Huawei decision is not being revisited but on the national security and investment bill he said Johnson’s “words give you a good idea of some of the things we are thinking about. It has been an issue that attracted a lot of interest and a lot of concern in recent months and you won’t have too long to wait for the legislation.”
More local authorities have expressed doubts about the government’s plan to reopen primary schools for reception and year 6 pupils on 1 June.
Kirklees council, in West Yorkshire, says it will be guided by the evidence not politics.
Read about how we are standing shoulder to shoulder with local schools in light of the government’s plan for more pupils to start returning to school, on our latest article on Kirklees Together 👉 https://t.co/brdShVDrF8 pic.twitter.com/mARE0fFCEW
— Kirklees Council (@KirkleesCouncil) May 20, 2020
Richard Watts, the leader of the London borough of Islington said: “We don’t support rushing to hit an arbitrary target set by ministers.”
I’ve just issued this statement on further school re-opening in Islington. All schools currently doing a brilliant job opening to key worker and other families and supporting learning from home. We all want kids to be back in school but safety has to be our top priority. pic.twitter.com/9OaNxfrzEn
— Richard Watts #STAYATHOME (@RichardWatts01) May 20, 2020
North Yorkshire county council says it is up to schools to decide whether it is safe to reopen.
(1/2) #NorthYorkshire schools will receive full support and bespoke advice from us to enable them to decide whether they can reopen safely. Some may be ready to follow Government advice to open from 1 June, but many will have staggered dates depending on individual circumstances. pic.twitter.com/MXaIG2HTKM
— North Yorkshire CC (@northyorkscc) May 20, 2020
Waltham Forest council takes a similar approach.
The Leader of the Council Clare Coghill has made the following statement on schools reopening to more pupils: https://t.co/OaVj1rvHFO
— Waltham Forest Council (@wfcouncil) May 20, 2020
The safety of children, their families and school staff remains the prime concern for the Council and all Headteachers.#AllTogetherNowWF🌟 pic.twitter.com/GmiVIwFaMk
Updated
Campsites are experiencing a surge in bookings after health officials indicated they could be lower-risk holiday destinations than hotels, PA reports.
The incoming 14-day quarantine for people arriving in the UK means many people are considering a domestic break instead of a foreign trip this summer.
Campsite booking website Cool Camping said that Sunday was its strongest day for revenue since it began operating in 2006.
It also recorded a fivefold increase in the number of bookings during the week after Boris Johnson’s announcement about easing coronavirus lockdown restrictions on 10 May compared with the previous seven-day period.
The prime minister said 4 July was the earliest date for hospitality businesses reopening.
The deputy chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam said at a Downing Street press briefing that it was a “biological truism” that being outdoors was safer than being in an enclosed space with people potentially carrying coronavirus.
He promised to give “careful thought” to what steps would be needed to allow campsites and caravan parks to reopen.
Cool Camping marketing manager James Warner Smith said:
The demand for camping is clearly there, and with foreign holidays on the backburner for the time being, people appear to be looking closer to home for their holidays this year. We also expect to see a lot more first-time campers in 2020.
The Camping and Caravanning Club has urged the government to provide “greater clarity” on how campsites can be safely reopened “with additional measures in place”.
The new public appetite for camping partly explains this bizarre front page from the Daily Star.
Tomorrow's front page: Carry on camping #tomorrowspaperstoday https://t.co/t1sB7X2ayk pic.twitter.com/Q6CyiK2Zyv
— Daily Star (@dailystar) May 19, 2020
Updated
Labour has criticised the data breach by Serco after the outsourcing firm revealed the details of hundreds of contact tracers who have signed up to work on the government’s programme (see earlier).
Helen Hayes, shadow Cabinet Office minister, said:
The government’s contact tracing programme will rely on people having the confidence to pass on sensitive personal data to contact tracers.
This data breach raises serious questions for the government about the capability of Serco to command public confidence.
It is concerning that the government has so far failed to publish any information about the contract it has awarded to Serco. Far greater transparency will be needed if the public are to have faith in the companies entrusted to deliver key elements of the government’s response to coronavirus.
Summary
Here’s a summary of the main developments so far today:
Johnson pledges UK-wide coronavirus tracing by 1 June
Boris Johnson has pledged to have a UK-wide tracing operation to tackle coronavirus in place by 1 June run by 25,000 contact tracers. His commitment at prime minister’s questions in the Commons came as the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, said there had been no effective tracing in the country for 10 weeks. Johnson said: “I have great confidence that by 1 June we will have a system that will enable us, help us very greatly to defeat this disease and move the country forward.”
EU response chief warns of second wave
The prospect of a second wave of coronavirus infection across Europe is no longer a distant theory, according to the director of the EU agency responsible for advising governments – including the UK’s – on disease control. “The question is when and how big, that is the question in my view,” said Dr Andrea Ammon, director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. In an interview with the Guardian she added: “It’s not the time now to completely relax.”
Rolls-Royce plans to cut 9,000 jobs
The Derby based engineering firm Rolls-Royce has announced plans to cut at least 9,000 jobs – almost a fifth of its workforce, with UK factories set to be hardest hit. Negotiations are beginning with trade unions before any figures for job losses in the UK are agreed but Warren East, the company’s chief executive, said most of the cuts would be in its civil aerospace business. Demand for aircraft, and the engines manufactured by Rolls-Royce, have slumped across the world in large part due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Northern Ireland set track and trace for at least a year
Stormont’s health minister, Robin Swann, has announced the contact-tracing programme for Northern Ireland is set to last for at least a year. He said a pilot programme that began at the start of April to track contacts associated with all confirmed cases of Covid-19 would be ramped up to a seven-day operation and would last for at least a year. Five more people were reported to have died of coronavirus in Northern Ireland taking its total to 494.
Wales rules out setting ‘arbitrary’ date for reopening schools
The Welsh education minister, Kirsty Williams, has said she will not set an “arbitrary” date for when more children will return to school. She said more evidence – and more confidence – in the evidence around Covid-19 was needed before schools would open to more children. Public Health Wales has announced 14 more fatalities from coronavirus, taking the death toll in Wales to 1,238.
Sturgeon denies cover-up over early cases
Nicola Sturgeon has denied the Scottish government tried to cover up coronavirus cases linked to a Nike conference in Edinburgh in late February. In angry exchanges at first minister questions, Sturgeon accused the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Jackson Carlaw, of unfairly impugning her integrity and that of health officials by suggesting this early outbreak was hushed up. Last week it revealed that there were multiple transmissions of coronavirus in Edinburgh on 26 and 27 February, well before the first confirmed case in the country on 1 March, but that this was not disclosed to the public. A total of 2,184 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, an increase of 50 since Tuesday.
UK universities facing £760m hit
British universities face a potential £760m blow to their funding after about one in five students said they would not enrol in the next academic year if classes were delivered online and other activities curtailed. A survey of students applying for undergraduate places found that more than 20% said they were willing to delay starting their courses if universities were not operating as normal due to the coronavirus pandemic, which would mean there would be 120,000 fewer students when the academic year begins in autumn. A number of universities including Cambridge have said they will conduct all lectures online throughout the 2020-21 academic year.
Outsourcing firm apologises for sharing details of hundreds of contract tracers
The outsourcing firm Serco has apologised after accidentally sharing the email addresses of almost 300 contact tracers. The company is training staff to trace cases of Covid-19 for the UK government. It made the error when it emailed new trainees to tell them about training. Serco said it had apologised and would review its processes “to make sure that this does not happen again”.
MoD set to scale down size of Covid support force
The Ministry of Defence is poised to announce a reduction in the numbers of military personnel ready to tackle the coronavirus crisis in the UK to 7,500 from 20,000. These are soldiers and other members of the armed forces “held at readiness” so they can be deployed quickly if needed by civilian authorities, but with only 4,000 currently being used and the national situation slowly improving it has been decided fewer troops are required on standby.
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The prospect of a second wave of coronavirus infection across Europe is no longer a distant theory, according to the director of the EU agency responsible for advising governments – including the UK – on disease control.
“The question is when and how big, that is the question in my view,” says Dr Andrea Ammon, director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
It has been the unenviable task of scientists to tell it as it is through the coronavirus pandemic. While politicians have been caught offering empty reassurances, the epidemiologists, a job description fresh to many, have emerged as the straight shooters of the crisis, sometimes to their detriment.
Ammon, a former adviser to the German government, is as Teutonically frank as one might expect in her first interview with a UK newspaper since the crisis began.
“Looking at the characteristics of the virus, looking at what now emerges in from the different countries in terms of population immunity – which isn’t all that exciting between 2% and 14%, that leaves still 85% to 90% of the population susceptible – the virus is around us, circulating much more than January and February … I don’t want to draw a doomsday picture but I think we have to be realistic. That it’s not the time now to completely relax.”
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Contact tracing system will launch before app ready for nationwide rollout, No 10 says
The Downing Street lobby briefing has finished. Here are the main points. Unlike other lobby briefings, the post-PMQs one includes briefing from a source able to comment on political matters, as well as briefing from the PM’s civil service spokesman (the official spokesman).
- The prime minister’s spokesman confirmed that the PM’s commitment to have the contact-tracing system up and running by 1 June was a firm pledge - even though at one point in PMQs Johnson only said he had “growing confidence” on this point. (See 1.07pm.)
- But the spokesman also refused to back what Prof Dame Angela McLean, the government’s deputy chief scientific adviser, said yesterday about it being essential for a contact-tracing system to be in place before any further lockdown measures could be lifted. Asked if the PM agreed, the spokesman said that the government would be guided by the best scientific advice and that it would only open schools when it was safe to do so. He also stressed that, in the Commons this afternoon, the PM said a contact-tracing system would be in place by 1 June.
- The spokesman said the contact-tracing system would launch before the NHS contact-tracing app was ready to be rolled out nationwide. The app is supposed to be one element of the new contact tracing system. But the government now talks about “test and trace”, not “test, track and trace”. As the Guardian reports today, rolling out the app has been hit by some setbacks. Yesterday the health minister Lord Bethell told peers the government would begin with the tracing rather than with the app. Asked about this comment, the spokesman said: “I wouldn’t disagree with that.”
- The spokesman said the ONS was planning to publish more information about R, the reproduction number, tomorrow.
- The spokesman said the government had no plans to reconsider the two-metre rule. This morning Prof Robert Dingwall, a government adviser who sits on Nervtag (the new and emerging respiratory virus threats advisory group) told the BBC that the evidence for this was “very fragile” and that other countries adopted a different approach.
- Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, will take the government press conference this afternoon, the spokesman said. He will appear with Prof Stephen Powis, the medical director for NHS England.
- A source said that the Conservative party was still making plans for its autumn conference to go ahead. Labour has abandoned its normal conference, and instead plans an online event. Asked about the Tory one, a source said that planning for it continued but that this was being kept under review. He said any final decision about whether to go ahead with it would be taken on the basis of the latest scientific and medical advice.
- A source defended the government’s decision to try to install Sir Bernard Jenkin as chair of the liaison committee. The liaison committee comprises all select committee chairs, and its most prominent job is to take evidence from the prime minister several times a year. Johnson has still not appeared before it at all, even though he became PM 10 months ago. This evening MPs will be asked to vote on a government motion setting up the committee, with Jenkin as chair, even though Jenkin does not currently chair a select committee. Labour MPs are backing an amendment saying only a serving committee chair should be eligible to chair the liaison committee. They think No 10 wants Jenkin in the post because he will be soft on the PM. Asked why No 10 wanted Jenkin, a source said Jenkin was “a distinguished backbencher” with “a long track record of holding governments to account”.
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Five more deaths in Northern Ireland
The number of people who have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Northern Ireland has risen to 494 after five more deaths were reported by the Department of Health.
UPDATE on coronavirus (#COVID19) in NI.https://t.co/YN16dmYa93 pic.twitter.com/zp1qy7vZds
— Department of Health (@healthdpt) May 20, 2020
Meanwhile, Stormont’s health minister, Robin Swann, has announced that the contact-tracing programme to track the spread of coronavirus in Northern Ireland is set to last for at least a year.
He said a pilot programme that began at the start of April to track contacts associated with all confirmed cases of Covid-19 would be ramped up to a seven-day operation and would last for at least a year.
Swann said the estimate R number in Northern Ireland was between 0.7 and 0.8.
Giving evidence to the Stormont health committee later, he said: “Whilst we are by no means through the storm, the situation in our care homes has greatly stabilised, especially when compared to the ongoing situation in care homes across the rest of the United Kingdom.”
The minister described the contact tracing programme as a “major commitment”, adding that he expected the service to be in place for the next year at a minimum.
This work is designed to break the chain of transmission of the virus by identifying people with Covid-19, tracing people who have been in close contact with them and supporting those people to self-isolate so that if they have the disease they are less likely to transmit it to others.
Support from the public will be absolutely critical to the success of this strategy as we will be relying on citizens to report symptoms, be tested and to follow self isolation advice if recommended.
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Wales announces 14 more deaths
Public Health Wales, has announced 14 more fatalities from coronavirus taking the death toll in Wales to 1,238.
It also said that a further 110 people had tested positive for the virus taking the number of cases in Wales to 12,680.
The latest number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Wales has been updated.
— Public Health Wales (@PublicHealthW) May 20, 2020
Data dashboard:
💻 https://t.co/RwgHDufHE7
📱https://t.co/P6UF1MTOwc
Find out how we are responding to the spread of the virus in our daily statement here: https://t.co/1Lza9meaTL pic.twitter.com/G5uHKe6gma
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Even though the DUP opposed Boris Johnson’s withdrawal agreement, and the way it created separate customs arrangements for Northern Ireland from those applying to Britain, the DUP has welcomed the way the government intends to implement this aspect of the deal (the Northern Ireland protocol). It has particularly welcomed the four key commitments stressed by Michael Gove.
Here are the Gove commitments.
There will be unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s producers to the whole of the UK market and this will be delivered through legislation by the end of the year.
No tariffs will be paid on goods that move and remain within the UK customs territory
Implementation of the protocol will not involve new customs infrastructure - with any processes on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland kept to an absolute minimum so that the integrity and smooth functioning of the UK internal market is protected.
Northern Ireland’s businesses will benefit from the lower tariffs delivered through our new free trade agreements with countries like the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan - ensuring Northern Ireland firms will be able to enjoy the full benefits of the unique access they have to the GB and EU markets.
And here is the full DUP response.
👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/wYmQPPsVoK
— DUP (@duponline) May 20, 2020
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England records 166 more hospital deaths, taking total to 25,079
NHS England has announced that a further 166 people have died with coronavirus in hospital, taking the total number of hospital deaths in England to 25,079.
Those who died were between 33 and 99 years old, and NHS England said all but five had underlying health conditions.
The full details are here.
Nicola Sturgeon has denied the Scottish government tried to cover up coronavirus cases linked to a Nike conference in Edinburgh in late February.
In angry exchanges at first minister questions, Sturgeon accused the leader of Scottish Conservatives, Jackson Carlaw, of unfairly impugning her integrity and that of health officials by suggesting this early outbreak was hushed up.
The row came after last week’s BBC Scotland’s Disclosure programme revealed that there were multiple transmissions of coronavirus in Edinburgh on 26 and 27 February, well before the first confirmed case in the country on 1 March, but that this was not disclosed to the public.
Sturgeon defended the decision not to inform the public about where these patients were infected. She said: “The cases from the Nike conference where all reported in the normal way through our daily figures. The reason that we didn’t say where these people got the virus was down to patient confidentiality.” She said as so few people were infected at the time, revealing the link to the conference would have risked revealing patient identities.
Carlaw insisted that the public should have been told. He accepted there was a balance to be struck between patient confidentiality and public health, but he added: “For coronavirus that balance must clearly sit in favour of protecting the public’s health. We do have a right to know.”
He said the contact tracing that followed the conference didn’t happen at the appropriate scale. Sturgeon rejected this. She pointed out that 60 people in Scotland an a further 50 people in England were contacted after the conference. She said: “Let’s not engage in ridiculous language of secrecy are covered up to cover. It doesn’t impugn my integrity, but it actually starts to impugn the integrity of the experts who managed this outbreak, including, I have to say Public Health England, who were part of the expert management team.”
Sturgeon confirmed that she would set out details on Thursday about how Scotland proposes to ease its lockdown measures. She said she was encouraged by the latest data showing a slower rise in the death rate from the disease.
She said:
The trends we are seeing do matter, and they provide further grounds for encouragement, in particular the number of Covid-19 deaths has fallen for the third week, and are almost half the level three weeks ago. Deaths in care homes and excess deaths have also fallen.”
Tomorrow, I’ll make a statement and publish our route map about the steps we take the order in which we might take to carefully and cautiously return to some form of normality.
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Gove confirms checks on animals and food going from Britain to Northern Ireland needed from 2021
The government has confirmed for the first time there will be Brexit checks on animals and food goods entering Northern Ireland from next January.
In a statement to MPs Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, said that such a step would be necessary to ensure the entire island of Ireland maintained “disease-free status”, with border inspection posts for agri-food arrivals at Belfast Port, Belfast international airport, Belfast City airport and Warrenpoint Port.
There would also be “expanded infrastructure” needed at some of these sites with Larne Port, where checks on live animals area already carried out, designated the principal port for livestock post Brexit.
Details of the checks were disclosed in a 23-page document released by the government. (See 1.44pm.)
They will provide reassurance to some business and political leaders opposed to the checks, primarily the Democratic unionist party but are likely to spark a fresh row over the Irish border is with the EU.
Updated
The government has just published a document setting out how it intends to implement the Northern Ireland protocol, the part of the withdrawal agreement that will allow Northern Ireland to stay in the EU’s single market. There is a Cabinet Office summary here and the full report is here (pdf).
Rees-Mogg says MPs should return to Commons after recess
In the Commons, in response to an urgent question, Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, confirmed that MPs will abandon their mostly-virtual proceedings when they return on Tuesday 2 June after the half-term recess. He told MPs:
Under the hybrid proceedings the time this house is able to spend debating legislation faces being cut by around two-thirds - I am sure all members will agree that each and every one of the 36 bills put forward by the government in the Queen’s speech deserves the proper level of scrutiny.
We have to recognise that if we persist with the present arrangement it will become harder to make progress in a timely fashion. That is why, in line with government advice for those who cannot do their jobs from home, I am asking members to return to their place of work after Whitsun.
He said that the Speaker had tested a new voting system that would allow MPs to vote while remaining six feet apart. He also said that arrangements would be made to protect MPs who need to shield because they are extremely vulnerable. He said:
I would finally like to reassure those members with underlying health conditions who have been told to shield or are receiving specific government advice about their health - we are working with the house authorities to see how they can continue to contribute to proceedings within the house.
Rees-Mogg also said that, when MPs return after the recess, they will start sitting again regularly on Thursdays too. During the lockdown the Commons has only been sitting on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
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PMQs - Snap verdict
After two weeks when Sir Keir Starmer broadly had the field to himself, this felt much more like a return to normal parliamentary service - a contested exchange, with no obvious victor, and both principals scoring points.
Boris Johnson seemed to have put more preparation in than he did ahead of last week’s PMQs and on the first four questions, on care homes, he got through reasonably comfortably. At first he resorted to bluster, accusing Starmer of ignorance and quoting broad-brush testing statistics to avoid the more specific question about why care homes are still not routinely able to access the level of testing that is supposed to be available. Challenging Starmer on fact is normally a grievous error, but instead of pressing him repeatedly on this, the Labour leader moved on to contact tracing. Johnson had a moderately effective retort when he claimed that Starmer was asking about matters which he had already been briefed on privately (which may well be true, although there is merit in Starmer forcing the PM to put these matters on the record), but what worked best for Johnson was that he was able actually announce something: that contact tracing will be up and running on 1 June, and able to trace 10,000 contacts a day.
Starmer did not seem to have anticipated this, allowing Johnson to accuse him of not listening. For the final two questions, on the NHS surcharge, Starmer was on stronger ground, and his point about a care worker on the minimum wage having to work 70 hours to pay for this was a powerful one. Johnson’s defence was glib, but it did not feel like a decisive exchange.
So Johnson got through this without the humbling he endured last week. But to do so, he had to make quite a specific promise. When he first said that a contact tracing scheme capable of tracking 10,000 contacts a day would be up and running by 1 June, he made a firm commitment. (See 12.38pm.) Later in the exchanges he was a bit more conditional, telling Starmer:
What he heard is that we have growing confidence that we will have a test, track and trace operation that will be world-beating and yes, it will be in place, it will be in place by June 1.
This morning Robert Buckland, the justice secretary, gave what may turn out to be a more realistic assessment (see 7.48am), saying that although he hoped to see a contact tracing system in place by 1 June, “it won’t necessarily be as developed and full blown as we’d like”. At the next PMQs, in a fortnight, Starmer may well be asking Johnson why the promise made today has not been delivered.
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The Welsh education minister, Kirsty Williams, has said she will not set an “arbitrary” date for when more children will return to school.
She said more evidence – and more confidence – in the evidence around Covid-19 was needed before schools would open to more children. Having a “robust” test and trace regime up and running was an important factor in the return of more pupils.
“I will not set an arbitrary date for when more children will go back to Welsh schools,” she said.
Williams said thousands of teachers in Wales were already going to school to look after the children of critical workers and vulnerable children.
She added that teachers across Wales had been coming forward with ideas for the next steps and said the Labour-led government’s relationship with the teaching unions was positive.
Asked about the safety of teachers, she said: “At the forefront of my mind is the health and emotional wellbeing of staff and children.”
She said it was impossible to give 100% guarantees about safety but said:
What is incumbent on me is that we manage these risks as much as possible and create an environment that is as safe as it can possibly be.
Williams has published a resilience plan for post-16 learning, setting out how the Welsh government will work with colleges, universities and training providers.
Updated
Johnson says contact tracing system will be able to track 10,000 cases per day from 1 June
This is what Boris Johnson said to Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs when he committed to having a contact tracking system in place by 1 June. Johnson said:
I can tell him also that by June 1, already we have recruited 24,000 trackers and by June 1 we will have 25,000. They will be capable of tracking the contacts of 10,000 new cases a day.
The union representing the majority of workers in the meat and poultry processing industries in Northern Ireland has warned of a “growing number of clusters” of Covid-19 around factories in County Tyrone.
Unite claimed that the localised spikes in workers infected were in areas close to Foyle Meats in Omagh and Linden Foods in Dungannon.
Political leaders at the devolved assembly at Stormont were challenged to have the factories closed temporarily while coronavirus checks are carried out on all workers there.
Davy Kettyles, lead Unite organiser in the region said there should be no repeat in the meat processing/packaging industry of what was happening in the care home sector. He said:
In the USA more than 10,000 meatpackers have caught Covid-19, with at last 45 deaths. We are determined to avoid a similar crisis.
We need to see sites where clusters are being identified shut down immediately but temporarily while tests are completed for all workers. Those workers need to be fully paid for the duration of the testing period.
Updated
Lucy Allan, a Conservative, asks if young people will be prioritised in the recovery.
Johnson says a new national skills fund worth £2.5bn will prioritise the interests of the young.
The rise in the number of deaths from Covid-19 in Scotland has slowed for the third successive week, with 332 fatalities recorded last week, although care homes are again the source of a majority of deaths.
The latest weekly data from National Records of Scotland shows that the number of Covid-19 deaths in all settings, such as hospitals, care homes or in the wider community, has continued to decline.
The total number of people in Scotland now recorded to have died from Covid-19 stands at 3,546, compared to 3,214 the week ending 10 May. NRS said that to date, 46% of all registered Covid-19 deaths occurred in care homes, compared to 47% in hospitals, with 76% aged 75 or over.
Overall, Covid-19 accounted for just 23% of all deaths recorded in Scotland last week, compared to a peak of 36% in one week in late April. The number of Covid-19 deaths in care homes fell by 54 compared to the previous week, to 184 but those accounted for 55% of the total last week.
NRS said 1,415 deaths were registered in Scotland in the week from 11 May, 33% more than the average in that week in the previous five years. Of the 351 excess deaths recorded last week, Covid-19 was given as the underlying cause of death.
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The SNP’s Marion Fellows asks about reports that the furlough scheme will be ended even if the lockdown continues in Scotland.
Johnson says he is happy with the level of cooperation between Scotland and the UK government.
The SNP’s Allan Dorans asks Johnson to condemn Alister Jack, the Scottish secretary, for making a 700-mile round trip today just to be in the chamber for PMQs. He could have contributed virtually.
Johnson says he won’t. He says Jack does an admirable job.
Labour’s Rosie Duffield says there should be more women at the top of government and on Sage. Only one woman has led the daily press conferences in the last few weeks, he says.
Johnson says he agrees with this. Dido Harding is now in charge of testing, he says. And he says Kate Bingham has been put in charge of the vaccine taskforce.
The SDLP’s Colum Eastwood says the government is pressing ahead with a no-deal Brexit that will damage Northern Ireland.
Johnson does not accept this. Implying a trade deal is possible, he says he spoke to the Irish PM recently and they agreed on much.
Richard Drax, a Conservative, says the UK should follow France, and buy up technology companies at risk of being bought up by China.
Johnson says the government is bringing forward measures to protect its technological base. It will say more on this in the coming weeks.
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Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, says MPs will be thinking about the cyclone hitting India and Bangladesh. He turns to the NHS, and praises the contribution of migrant workers. Acknowledging Starmer has raised this already, he asks whether Johnson is embarrassed about the fact that this government does not value low-paid workers.
Johnson says the reason for the bill is not to keep out people who help the NHS. People want an immigration system under the government’s control.
Blackford says the harsh reality is that NHS and care staff are not even paid the real living wage. He says the cruel NHS surcharge should be removed immediately. Will the PM promise that? Or will he clap on Thursday hoping no one will notice he is clapping with one hand, and raking it in with another.
Johnson says the value of the living wage has gone up under this government. And the SNP would put a border at Berwick, he says.
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Johnson says funding for town centres will continue. He quotes what is available for Hyndburn.
Starmer asks about the NHS surcharge that foreign migrants have to pay.
Johnson says this raises £900m for the NHS. He does think it is the right way forward.
Starmer says the fee is £400 a year. It will go up to £625 a year. He says a care worker on the minimum wage would have to work 70 hours to pay this off.
Labour will table an amendment to the immigration bill to exempt NHS and care workers, he says. Will the government support it?
Johnson says he has addressed this. But he does want to see frontline workers paid properly. He is putting record amounts into the NHS, he says.
Johnson says 'track and trace' system will be in place by 1 June
Starmer says that 30,000 deaths is a serious matter. Of course he has to ask about this.
This will be the last PMQs for two weeks.
Will an effective track and tracing system be in place on 1 June?
Johnson says Starmer was not listening. He says he has “growing confidence” that the UK will have a world-beating system, and it will be in place by 1 June.
There will be 25,000 trackers, able to trace 10,000 contacts a day, he says.
He urges Starmer to support the government as it goes forward, so that they can work together.
Updated
Starmer says the Care England boss told MPs that routine testing was not happening. He is not putting his own view.
The Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, reprimands Matt Hancock for heckling.
Starmer says Angela McLean, the deputy chief scientific adviser, said yesterday that we should follow South Korea. He says for 10 weeks there has not be a testing system in place.
Johnson says Starmer has been briefed on this in private. He accuses of Starmer of “feigned ignorance”.
A contact tracing system will be in place, he says. He says 24,000 contact tracers have now been hired (up from 21,000, the figure announced on Monday.)
He urges Starmer not to adopt this tone.
Starmer says Johnson missed the point. He says he asked about why patients weren’t tested when being discharged into care homes. And he quotes the Care England boss again saying that the care sector does not know when full testing for residents and staff will take place. He say a government paper promised this for early June. Why is this not happening?
Johnson says Starmer is ignorant of the facts. He quotes figures for how many tests have been carried out. He says testing will hit 200,000 a day by the end of this month. He says the UK is testing more than any other country in Europe.
Sir Keir Starmer says Matt Hancock said on Friday that the government had tried to throw a “protective ring” around care homes from the start. Yesterday the Care England chief executive contradicted that. (See 10.40am.)
Johnson says no one was discharged into a care home without the express authorisation of a clinician.
And the number of people being discharged into care homes in March was 40% down on January.
He says the number of deaths in care homes has fallen by 31% since he was last in the Commons.
Labour’s Claudia Webbe asks what the government is doing to protect BAME people from coronavirus.
Johnson says a “rapid review” is being conducted. Steps will be taken to protect vulnerable groups, he says.
Johnson says 181 NHS staff and 131 care workers have died from coronavirus
Boris Johnson starts by saying that 181 NHS staff and 131 social care workers have now died from coronavirus.
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Entirely coincidentally there are some loud Tory MPs in the chamber to back up Boris Johnson today at PMQs
— Tony Grew (@ayestotheright) May 20, 2020
From the Times’ Matt Chorley
Ahead of PMQs, your weekly reminder about getting too excited about the polls with talking of Tory position being "chipped away".
— Matt Chorley (@MattChorley) May 20, 2020
Yes government approval rating is now negative at -3
BUT when Boris Johnson won that majority in December, it was -37 pic.twitter.com/i959POpxsk
PMQs
PMQs is about to start.
Here is the “call list” (pdf) showing which MPs are down to ask a question.
Ruth Davidson urges Johnson and Sturgeon to show 'humility' over coronavirus mistakes
Ahead of PMQs, Ruth Davidson, the former Scottish Conservative leader, had some advice for Boris Johnson. It was also advice for Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish first minister, but it is particularly relevant to PMQs.
In an interview on Sky News Davidson was asked whether she thought the UK government or the Scottish government had handled the coronavirus crisis better. She pointedly refused to answer (although she did praise Sturgeon as a communicator: “Don’t get me wrong, the comms strategy in Scotland has been very good. I think the problem has been the delivery.”) But she said both government’s needed to show more humility. She said:
I do think that people want to see an element of humility from both our governments. And they want to see where mistakes happen. They will forgive them ... if people are honest about it.
She particularly welcomed what Robert Buckland said earlier. (See 8.06am.) She said:
I’m really pleased that we saw the justice secretary down south saying ‘Actually, we did prioritise the NHS over care homes and now we’re learning from that’ because it shows learning at the same time.
I think people would be a lot more sympathetic if both governments showed their workings more and were able to say ‘We got that one wrong, but we know why we got it wrong and we’re not going to get it wrong again.’
UK universities facing £760m hit as one in five students plan to defer
British universities face a potential £760m blow to their funding after about one in five students said they would not enrol in the next academic year if classes were delivered online and other activities curtailed, our colleague Richard Adams reports.
Blaming scientists 'extremely unproductive', says Buckland in implicit rebuke to Coffey
During his candour tour of the broadcast studios this morning, as well as giving fairly straight answers on contact tracing (see 7.48am), care homes (see 8.06am) and schools reopening (see 8.40am), Robert Buckland, the justice secretary, also admitted the government did not have comprehensive information about coronavirus in February. He made the point as he delivered the strongest rebuke we’ve heard from the government so far to what Thérèse Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, said about scientists yesterday.
To recap, Coffey told Sky News:
You can only make judgments and decisions based on the information and the advice you have at the time ... If the science was wrong, if the advice at the time was wrong, I am not surprised if people think we made the wrong decision.
Saying that wrong science advice would have led to bad decisions being taken is not quite the same as saying that, if wrong decisions were taken, that must have been because the scientific advice was flawed. But it is coming close to saying that, and since Coffey’s interview yesterday morning, Downing Street has been distancing itself from her stance.
Asked about Coffey’s comment this morning, Buckland said:
I think we should all be ... working together.
I think pointing fingers and blaming people is extremely unproductive.
I think it is important we acknowledge this is an evolving picture.
What we knew about the virus in February or March is a world away from what we know about it now.
And, of course, in June and July we will know even more about its characteristics and what it does ...
It would be very difficult now to judge what happened in March, bearing in mind the change in our knowledge.
Updated
McDonald’s has announced 33 UK restaurants will reopen for drive-through customers from 11am today, including six in Peterborough, four in Ipswich and three in Luton, PA Media reports. Customers will be allowed a maximum spend of £25 per car and be encouraged to use contactless payments, while staff will be temperature checked on arrival at work, operate in smaller teams and provide a reduced menu, the company said.
Updated
This morning Robert Buckland, the justice secretary, said government policy as the coronavirus pandemic struck was to prioritise the NHS ahead of care homes. (See 8.06am.) Buckland was speaking in particular in relation to testing, but the statement has a wider application; in recent days there has been increasing focus on the consequences of the government’s decision to get elderly patients out of hospitals and into care homes to free up bed space. Buckland’s statement was not, in substance, very surprising – it has been obvious for some time that this is what has happening – but, given that most ministers find it near-impossible to admit anything that might look like a mistake, his candour was striking.
In an interview with Sky News a few minutes ago Prof Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, which represents care providers, welcomed what Buckland said. Green told the programme:
I think it’s very significant because it’s probably the first time that we’ve had an admission that there was a priority for the NHS. We knew that from the very start of the pandemic, and in fact part of that challenge was that the priority for the NHS led to things like the disruption of PPE supplies for care homes.
In many ways I can understand why the government prioritised the NHS. I can understand why they wanted to make sure there was enough capacity, because if the pandemic had gone in the way that it was projected to go there would have been a huge need for hospital beds. So I’m not trying to criticise them.
But I think with hindsight what we’ve seen is that care homes are very much at the epicentre of this pandemic. But it’s good to have government ministers acknowledging where we came from, that the NHS was the priority, and now I hope ... they will have learnt from that experience and start shifting their focus on to care homes.
Green was more critical of the government’s record in evidence to MPs yesterday. He told the Commons health committee that care homes were planning for coronavirus “with their hands tied” because data about outbreaks in the sector were not published until the end of April.
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The travel industry is one of the most heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic. But the head of the pilots’ union, the British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa), has told MPs that airlines are “exaggerating” the scale of the problem so they can cut jobs.
Brian Strutton, Balpa’s general secretary, told the Commons transport select committee:
I believe that airlines are exaggerating the problem. The predictions that some of the airline leaders are saying, of up to a five- or six-year recovery, is not in line with industry standard predictions.
The planemaker Airbus is among the companies making apocalyptic warnings about the future of the travel industry. It said last month that aviation could take as long as five years to recover to pre-coronavirus levels.
Leading companies including British Airways and, just this morning, Rolls-Royce have announced plans to cut thousands of jobs.
But Balpa, which represents more than 10,000 pilots in the UK (85% of all commercial pilots), said the concerns were being overplayed.
Strutton said: “We’re in a trough at the moment, we will be coming out of it over the next two and a half years, and I think that airlines are egging the pudding too much to take advantage of the crisis to make changes and downsize their workforce unnecessarily.”
Updated
MoD set to scale down size of Covid support force
The Ministry of Defence is poised to announce a reduction in the numbers of military personnel ready to tackle the coronavirus crisis in the UK to 7,500 from 20,000. These are soldiers and other members of the armed forces “held at readiness” so they can be deployed quickly if needed by civilian authorities, but with only 4,000 currently being used and the national situation slowly improving it has been decided fewer troops are required on standby. Described by the MoD as the Covid support force, these troops have been held ready since 18 March.
Lib Dems to hold leadership election this summer
The Liberal Democrats are to hold a leadership election this summer to choose a replacement for Jo Swinson, who lost her seat in the general election. The contest was originally due this spring, but was then postponed until next year after the coronavirus crisis struck. But yesterday the party’s federal board agreed the contest will take place this year, with nominations opening on 24 June and closing on 9 July. The ballot will then open on July 30 and close on August 26, after which the party will announce its next leader. Sir Ed Davey, the acting leader, and Layla Moran, the education spokeswoman, are seen as the main candidates.
Agenda for the day
Here are the items on the agenda for today.
9.30am: Unions, air industry officials and Kelly Tolhurst the transport minister give evidence to the Commons transport committee about aviation and coronavirus.
12pm: Boris Johnson faces Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs.
12.30pm: The Scottish and Welsh governments are due to hold their daily coronavirus briefings.
After 12.30pm: Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, responds to an urgent question about how the Commons will operate after next week’s recess. Rees-Mogg would like it to return to operating relatively normally, not virtually.
After 1pm: Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, is due to make a statement in the Commons about how the government intends to implement Northern Ireland protocol, the part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement effectively putting a customs border down the Irish Sea.
1.30pm: Downing Street lobby briefing.
2pm: Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, holds a press conference.
2.30pm: The Equality and Human Rights Commission gives evidence to the Commons women and equalities committee on coronavirus.
5pm: The UK government is due to hold its daily press conference.
Updated
Patel says she wants to double maximum sentence for people who cough at police officers
Q: What do you say about reports that in some jails extremists are running their own version of sharia law?
Priti Patel, the home secretary, tells LBC she is aware of many things. She says the government has world-leading measures to combat extremism. There will be an independent review of the Prevent programme, she says.
Q: Around 1,000 migrants are said to have arrived across the Channel since the lockdown. What are you doing about that?
Patel says she is doing a lot. Border Force officers and others are working night and day on this, she says. People are being arrested and returned, she says. Drones and helicopters are being used. But the amount of beach space being used in France is “vast”, she says.
She says after the UK has fully left the EU at the end of the transition, it will no longer be bound by EU law. That will help, she claims.
Q: How?
Patel implies asylum rules will change. The UK will find it easier to return people who have come through a safe country before arriving in the UK to claim asylum, she says.
Q: You are passing an immigration bill. But haven’t circumstances changed? You want to exclude some of the people we are clapping on Thursday nights?
Patel does not accept that. She says this is about opening up immigration to people from around the world.
Q: But you don’t value these people?
Patel does not accept that. She claims that “this isn’t about salaries at all”. It is about skills, she says.
She claims the salary threshold “is not the end determinator at all”.
Q: Do you think the scientific advice about care homes should be published?
Patel says Sage, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, will be publishing its advice.
Q: What work have you been doing on setting up a quarantine system?
Patel says the government is still developing the policy. The Home Office is working with Sage on this, she says.
Q: Would you be confident sending your child to primary school in June?
Patel says she would be. Children’s education is vital, she says. She says this does not amount to rushing back to a full school day.
Q: Should sanctions be taken against councils that don’t cooperate?
No, says Patel. She says government and councils need to work together.
Q: What happens if a teacher does not turn up?
Patel says she has seen some teachers do heroic work keeping schools open for the children of key workers and for vulnerable children.
Q: Should sentences be increased for people who cough at police officers, threatening them with coronavirus?
Patel says she is looking at that. She says she would like to double the sentences available.
(Currently a common assault of this kind aimed specifically at an emergency worker is punishable by up to a year in jail.)
Updated
Rolls-Royce plans to cut 9,000 jobs
Rolls-Royce has announced plans to cut at least 9,000 jobs – almost a fifth of its workforce – amid the continuing coronavirus crisis, with UK factories set to be hardest hit.
Negotiations are beginning with trade unions before any figures for job losses in the UK are agreed but Warren East, its chief executive, said most of the cuts would be in its civil aerospace business.
Demand for aircraft, and the engines manufactured by Rolls-Royce, have slumped across the world in large part due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Our business correspondent, Mark Sweney, has written more about the cuts here.
Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, joining the blog for the day.
Priti Patel, the home secretary, is about to give an interview to LBC’s Nick Ferrari. Despite being one of the most senior ministers in cabinet, she is rarely put up for interviews by No 10.
She is talking about government plans to allow terrorism suspects to be subject to terrorism prevention and investigation measures (Tpims) indefinitely, not for just two years, as now.
My colleague Jamie Grierson has the story here.
Updated
He’s the hero of the hour, “a beacon of light through the fog of coronavirus,” in the words of the prime minister: Captain Tom Moore is to be knighted.
The 100-year-old veteran, who raised an incredible £32m for the NHS by walking laps of his back garden, will officially be titled Captain Sir Thomas Moore under Ministry of Defence protocol.
His knighthood has been approved by the Queen and will be announced formally later today.
Captain Tom was on sparkling form on BBC Breakfast this morning, telling viewers he was “certainly delighted and I am overawed by the fact that this has happened to me”. Watch some of the interview below.
"I hope she's not very heavy handed with the sword."@captaintommoore - soon to be #SirCaptainTom - tells #BBCBreakfast he's looking forward to the investiture.
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) May 20, 2020
More here: https://t.co/Kon4M9hWZw pic.twitter.com/uMLjcJUH60
Buckland: 1 June date for reopening schools is "conditional"
The justice secretary Robert Buckland has repeated in his morning interviews that the 1 June date for reopening primary schools is not a fixed date. It now seems extremely likely that not all primary schools will be retuning in under a fortnight – and that the government will not force schools to open.
“The 1st of June was a conditional date, the five tests [more on those here] still apply, testing and tracing is clearly our priority – that’s why we’ve recruited so many volunteers and we’re still working on the pilot app in the Isle of Wight,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He said the government would not dictate that all primary schools should reopen by 1 June and that it was listening to the concerns of teachers, while also trying to “engage and persuade”. But he added: “I’m not going to pretend we’ll have a full system by the end of this month.”
The BBC’s Norman Smith adds:
Seems clear Govt not going to insist on June 1 opening for schools. Sources stressing the date conditional and not a fixed deadline.
— norman smith (@BBCNormanS) May 20, 2020
Cambridge has become the first university to move all “face-to-face lectures” online for the full 2020-21 academic year. The institution said that it was “likely” social distancing would continue to be required.
The university said lectures would continue virtually until summer 2021, while it may be possible for smaller teaching groups to take place in person if it “conforms to social-distancing requirements”.
All teaching at the university was moved online in March. Exams are being carried out virtually.
Read the full story here.
Outsourcing firm Serco has apologised after accidentally sharing the email addresses of almost 300 contact tracers, the BBC reports.
The company is training staff to trace cases of Covid-19 for the UK government. It made the error when it emailed new trainees to tell them about training.
Serco said it had apologised and would review its processes “to make sure that this does not happen again”.
The BBC says it understands that at least one employee has complained to the information commissioner about the breach. They report:
The error did not involve patients’ data but will be unhelpful for a contact tracing project that is set to ask many thousands of people who have fallen ill to share the details of their friends and acquaintances.
Serco wrote the email to tell new trainees not to contact its help desk looking for training details.
But the staff member who sent it put their email addresses in the CC section of the email, rather than the blind CC section - revealing them to every recipient.
Updated
Robert Buckland: policy was to protect NHS ahead of care homes
On Sky News, the justice secretary Robert Buckland confirmed that government policy was to protect the NHS ahead of care homes due to the limited testing capacity available in March and April.
Asked by Kay Burley whether the government focused on the NHS “to the detriment of care homes,” Buckland said:
I think we needed to make a choice about testing and we did decide to focus upon the NHS. The issue with care homes is that we’ve got many thousands of different providers, different settings, there have been lots of examples of care homes that have mercifully stayed infection free, but sadly far too many cases of infection and then death.
Pointing out that deaths in care homes represented 40.4% of all coronavirus fatalities in England and Wales in the week to 1 May, Burley again asked Buckland to confirm that government policy was to protect the NHS first and foremost.
He replied: “That’s right and I think that was essential. Now is not the time to blame people, I think that would be wholly counter productive.”
The justice secretary Robert Buckland is doing the broadcast round for the government this morning. On BBC Breakfast, he was repeatedly asked about the concerns around primary schools reopening on 1 June.
Buckland said he’s “not going to sit here and pretend that on 1 June everything will be uniform – I don’t know. It’s my hope”.
He said the government was “very much in listening mode, talking to the relevant bodies, we’re not trying to dictate things,” adding:
We’ve said we hope it see schools open on 1 June and that’s still our hope as the situation continues to evolve.
Buckland was pressed on when the NHS test and trace app would be ready. He said he was “confident over the next several weeks we’ll see the tracing system develop”.
Asked whether it would be ready by 1 June, given that the deputy chief scientific adviser said yesterday that an effecting tracing system was crucial to lifting the lockdown, he replied:
I’m hoping we’ll see the tracing system start to work by that time. It won’t necessarily be as developed and full blown as we’d like ... it’s still very much a work in progress.
Updated
The leader of Leeds city council, Judith Blake, has just told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the government should “move away from an arbitrary date” for reopening all primary schools.
Blake, one of the most influential local authority figures in the country, said teachers had been working “flat out” to support vulnerable children and those of key workers but that there remained outstanding concerns about social distancing, staffing and the rate of local infection.
She said the government’s handling of the reopening of schools had “really led to a loss of confidence” and added:
What we’re asking for is flexibility. Schools want to open, they want to be teaching their children, so let’s move away from an arbitrary date and work with our schools. Government needs to understand that they need to take local factors into account [and] if they’d done that from the start I don’t think we’d be in the position we’re in today.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of all the UK developments on the coronavirus epidemic.
Leading the bulletins this morning is the growing resistance from councils in England to reopen primary schools for some students from 1 June.
Eleven local authorities, overseeing more than 1,500 maintained schools, have now expressed opposition to the plan, including the Conservative-controlled Solihull council. Teaching unions have said they’re not convinced sending pupils back is safe.
Meanwhile, the mobile tracking app that had been considered crucial to the lifting of the lockdown will not be ready until June, it has emerged, only a week after Matt Hancock said it would be “rolling out in mid May”.
The deputy chief scientific adviser, Professor Angela McLean, said at the daily Downing Street press conference last night that running a rapid and reliable testing system was critical to ensure the UK safely eases lockdown restrictions. Asked whether she was confident that this system is currently in place, she said: “I think it’s getting better.”
