Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Lucy Campbell (now); Ben Quinn and Sarah Marsh (earlier)

UK coronavirus live: Britain claps for carers and celebrates frontline workers - as it happened

NHS workers and members of the public join the Clap for Carers at Chelsea and Westminster hospital
NHS workers and members of the public join the Clap for Carers at Chelsea and Westminster hospital Photograph: Kevin Coombs/Reuters

That’s it from me, Nadeem Badshah. To continue following our coronavirus coverage, check out our global blog.

Updated

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes part in the weekly “Clap for Our Carers” event in Downing Street.
Boris Johnson takes part in the weekly Clap for Our Carers event in Downing Street. Photograph: Peter Summers/Getty Images

Updated

Nuns react at the St Anthony’s convent of Mercy Tunstall during the last day of the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS in Sunderland.
Nuns react at the St Anthony’s convent of Mercy Tunstall during the last day of the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS in Sunderland. Photograph: Lee Smith/Reuters

A tribute from the CEO of Fortnum & Mason.

NHS workers applaud at the Aintree University Hospital during the last day of the Clap for our Carers campaign.
NHS workers applaud at the Aintree University Hospital during the last day of the Clap for our Carers campaign. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

NHS workers react at the Aintree University Hospital during the last day of the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS.
NHS workers react at the Aintree University Hospital during the last day of the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

A rather unique tribute from Royal Dornoch golf course.

Medical staff protest at the gates of Downing Street after the last day of the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS.
Medical staff protest at the gates of Downing Street after the last day of the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

Boris Johnson outside 10 Downing Street taking part in the nationwide applause.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes part in the Clap for our Carers at No.10 Downing Street.
Boris Johnson takes part in the Clap for Our Carers at No 10 Downing Street. Photograph: James Veysey/Rex/Shutterstock

Updated

Sir Keir Starmer has tweeted his thanks to key workers.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has tweeted the following tribute.

NHS workers in the north-east pay tribute to colleagues across the country.

Updated

Thousands of people are braced to mark the 10th week of the Clap For Carers in the UK.

Updated

Five minutes remaining until the nationwide applause and hitting of kitchen utensils to pay homage to NHS and key workers.

UK to clap for the 10th time at 8pm

There are 10 minutes until the nationwide Clap For Carers applause.

Founder Annemarie Plas has said the 10th edition would be a good time to end the weekly display and instead make it an annual event.

She said the public had “shown our appreciation” and it was now up to ministers to “reward” key workers.

Updated

Evening summary

  • Dominic Cummings’ trip to Barnard Castle “might have been a minor breach” of lockdown regulations, an investigation by Durham police concluded. Durham Constabulary said it was taking no retrospective action, to which No 10 said it considered the matter closed. However, lawyers have suggested the police’s use of “might” could be interpreted as meaning there was enough evidence to suggest he breached the rules, but it was ultimately for a court to decide.
  • Groups of up to six people – staying 2 metres apart – can meet outside from Monday in England. The government announced that its five tests for easing the lockdown were being met, though the changes would be “cautious” and “limited”. Members of different households can meet in gardens and other private outdoor spaces, providing members of different households observe social distancing, items and surfaces are wiped down and people wash their hands.
  • Schools in England will reopen to some pupils from Monday. Nurseries, reception and years 1 and 6 would be first, followed by – years 10 and 12 a fortnight later.
  • The R remains close to 1 and is not falling fast. It is currently between 0.7 and 0.9 and in some areas, it could be much closer to 1. The government said lockdown measures in England would be reimposed locally to address local flare-ups if necessary. The high burden of infection reinforces that social distancing and basic hygiene measures are still absolutely key to preventing the spread of the virus.
  • The UK death toll rose by 377 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 37,837.

Thanks everyone! That’s it from me for today. Please join us later for what might be the final clap for carers. In the meantime, do head to our global live blog for more coronavirus coverage.

Updated

Although primary schools in England opening their doors to more pupils from 1 June has been widely trailed - not least by Boris Johnson himself last weekend - this afternoon’s official confirmation gives headteachers just three days of half-term holiday to make final preparations and reach out to parents.

Most schools have remained open throughout the half-term break this week, as they did during the Easter holidays, for vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers. That means many school leaders will have little chance to have time off from February until the middle of July.

Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

It is important to understand that many primary schools will not be open to all eligible pupils on Monday morning, and that they will be phasing in these children over a period of time, while putting in place limits on class sizes and implementing other safety measures.

Schools are already open to vulnerable and key worker children, and it is now a case of carefully and cautiously expanding these numbers.

There are significant logistical issues involved, including constraints on the physical space in schools, and the availability of staff, given that some will be self-isolating or in vulnerable categories.

There is also likely to be a great deal of variability in how many parents send their children into schools. Added to this is the fact that local authorities are taking different approaches.

All of this means the picture from Monday will vary widely between schools and areas according to local circumstances. We urge everybody to understand this is an extraordinary situation and to respect the decisions that are made by schools.

Updated

The chief medical officer for England, Chris Whitty, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, leave Downing Street following the daily press conference.
The chief medical officer for England, Chris Whitty, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, leave Downing Street following the daily press conference. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

Nurseries and childcare providers in England are also being told they can reopen from 1 June. But Neil Leitch, the chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, warned:

Many parents will be understandably hesitant about sending their children to a childcare provider reopening on Monday, and as such it is very likely that nurseries, preschools and childminders will see a significant drop in demand for places in the short-term, which will result in a loss of income.

The government must therefore offer more than just a public health solution to the reopening of the early years sector and commit whatever financial support is required to ensure that providers can remain financially sustainable during this period.

Updated

During that very interesting press conference, the prime minister tried to stop his top medical and scientific advisers from answering reporters’ questions about the behaviour of Dominic Cummings, saying they should not be involved in politics.

Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, and Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, were repeatedly asked if the trip by Cummings from London to Durham set a bad example to the general public.

Twice Boris Johnson refused to allow them to answer, saying he wanted to “protect them from ... an unfair and unnecessary attempt to ask a political question”.

On a third occasion, when Johnson allowed them to speak, both officials then said they did not want to get involved in politics and declined to address the question.

Cummings’ behaviour has been criticised by politicians from all major parties, but Johnson has said he wanted to move on from the affair.

Updated

Q. In Northern Ireland the R has been increasing and is barely below 1 – should that cause alarm?

Vallance says the R remains below 1 everywhere but may be very close to 1 in some places.

We have to be very cautious with these changes, he adds.

There will be local outbreaks so we must be prepared for that, he says.

The number of cases remains high and we have to get them down by adhering to the measures in place, he says.

Q. Given that lives are at stake, if the public health advice becomes bastardised by the actions of Dominic Cummings, can you at least criticise how he has acted given the gravity of what’s happened?

This goes unanswered.

And that’s the end of the press briefing.

Q. Do you really have the capacity to trace all the contacts of infected people?

Q. Why is the UK still only listing three symptoms for the disease compared to other countries?

Vallance says the number of new cases appears closer to 8,000 a day, but that’s clearly not the whole number – there are people we’re not picking up.

The app and contact tracing will help close this gap and get people to isolate quickly.

Whitty says there are many other symptoms of coronavirus as it can affect many parts of the body, but fever, cough and loss of smell/taste were the most specific – around 95% of people with symptoms will have any one of those three.

Updated

Q. How long can people stay at another person’s private garden, can you go inside to use the loo and when can we hug loved ones again?

Johnson says no to overnight stays as we’re not at that stage.

All of these adjustments have to be in socially distanced way, with people continuing to wash their hands and use common sense, he adds.

We can’t move freely across the country to stay at other people’s houses, he adds.

Whitty says the two metre rule is critical because the virus spreads in air droplets.

After using the loo, wipe everything down and wash your hands, he adds.

Plus if you’re passing things from one person to another, e.g. when doing a BBQ, you must be washing your hands and wiping everything down, he adds.

Q. [To the medics] Would you advise motorists to go on 60-mile round trip to test their eyesight?

This goes unanswered.

Q. [To Vallance and Whitty] Are you comfortable with the PM telling you that you can’t answer questions about Dominic Cummings?

Whitty says he and Vallance don’t want to get involved in politics.

Vallance adds that as a civil servant he doesn’t want to be involved at all.

Q. Are the instructions from contact tracers instructions that you must follow whatever your childcare arrangements or your job?

Johnson says if you get a call from a contact tracer, you must self-isolate.

Whitty adds you must do this to protect all of us.

Q. A number of scientific advisers to Sage have said Cummings’ behaviour risks more people not complying with social distancing rules. Do Vallance and Whitty fear compliance will be reduced because of this?

Q. Is Sage looking at whether the social distancing rule can be reduced from two metres?

Johnson again doesn’t let Vallance and Whitty answer the question on Cummings.

On the two metre rule, Vallance says the scientific evidence suggests two metres is a distance at which it’s safer and other measures add to this, e.g. wearing face masks.

Whitty adds that if, under test and trace, you remained two metres apart from an infected person, you won’t count as a contact and have to isolate.

Q. Durham police have said they would have sent Dominic Cummings home if they had stopped him at Bernard Castle, why should anyone else follow the rules if one of your senior team isnt’?

Q. [To the medics] Is that the kind of example you want people to follow?

Johnson says the police said they would take no action and he intends to draw a line under the matter.

Astonishingly, he doesn’t let Sir Patrick Vallance and Prof Chris Whitty answer on the grounds it’s a “political” matter, and he doesn’t allow a follow-up.

Carol from Sunderland asks what measures will be put in place for people would could temporarily lose their income if local lockdowns are imposed.

Johnson says help such as the furlough scheme and various loan schemes remain in place.

Nobody should be penalised in this epidemic for doing the right thing, he adds.

Jay from Horsham asks how loosening the lockdown for the shielding community – the clinically vulnerable – is going to be approached.

Johnson says he sympathises with how tough it’s been and he wants to release them from “captivity” as quickly as possible but they must be vigilant in their approach.

Whitty says the risk to the shielded and other vulnerable groups is decreasing and they hope to soon get to a stage where the risk is low enough for people to leave shielding in stages.

Changes need to be cautious as rate of infection still 'significant', says Vallance

Vallance says the most recent ONS figures suggest:

The proportion of people in the last couple of weeks with Covid-19 is 0.24% – somewhere in the order of 130,000 people have Covid infection, he says.

The number of new infections is estimated to be roughly 1 in 1,000 per week, he says.

This means 54,000 new cases are estimated to be occurring every week – that is not a low number, he stresses.

There is still a significant burden of infection, there are still new infections every day at quite a significant rate, and the R is close to 1, he says.

That means there isn’t a lot of room to do things and things to need to be done cautiously and monitored, and the test and trace system needs to be effective, he says.

An estimated 6.78% of people have had Covid-19, he says.

R number remains close to 1 and not coming down fast, Vallance says

Sir Patrick Vallance is speaking now.

The R is currently somewhere between 0.7 and 0.9, he says.

It remains close to 1, and it could be much closer to 1 in some areas, he says.

The numbers are coming down at the moment, but they’re not coming down fast, he says.

Measures will be reimposed if necessary for local flare-ups, Johnson says

He hopes in the coming weeks we’ll be able to do more in returning to a more normal way of life, Johnson says.

This is all conditional, he adds, based on the scientific data confirming that these actions are safe.

There will be further local outbreaks, he says. The brakes will be put on as required and where necessary, measures will be reimposed, he adds.

Updated

People must continue to minimise contact with others, by staying two metres apart from members of different households, Johnson says.

Mixing with several different households in quick succession should be avoided, he says.

People should not be inside the homes of their friends and families, unless it is to access the garden, he adds.

Groups of up to six people can meet outside in England from Monday

From Monday, up to six people will be able to meet outside, providing members of different households continue to stay two metres apart.

This will be allowed in gardens and other private outdoor spaces, he says. Members of different households must still observe social distancing.

This will allow people to see both parents at once or both grandparents at once, he adds.

Updated

Shops will begin to reopen, he says.

Starting with on Monday, outdoor retail and car showrooms, and a fortnight later on 15 June, other non-essential retail – providing five tests are still being met and shops are Covid-secure.

Lockdown in England to be adjusted from Monday

Johnson says changes announced today will be “limited” and “cautious”.

Schools have the go-ahead to reopen to some pupils from Monday, he says. Nurseries, reception, year 1 and year 6 will be first.

A fortnight later on 15 June, secondary schools will begin to provide face-to-face contact time for years 10 and 12.

All five tests needed for next phase of easing lockdown have been met, PM says

The prime minister is speaking now.

He goes through the latest data on tests, positive cases and deaths (see 4.37pm.).

Five tests must be met before adjusting the lockdown, Johnson says.

  1. Protect the NHS’s ability to cope. The data shows on 26 May 475 people in England were admitted to hospital with coronavirus, down from a peak of 3,121 on 2 April, he says. This test is being met, he says.
  2. See a sustained, consistent fall in daily deaths. A seven-day rolling average shows the UK’s daily death rate stands at 256, as of 28 May. The second test is being met, Johnson says.
  3. The rate of infection is decreasing to manageable levels across the board. As of 28 May, there were 1,887 cases confirmed. The government is satisfied this test has been met, he says.
  4. Operational challenges, including testing capacity and PPE, are in supply for future demand. Testing capacity has now reached 161,214 per day and PPE supplies have been boosted. They are satisfied the fourth test is being met, Johnson says.
  5. Any adjustments to current measures must not risk a second peak of infections that could overwhelm the NHS. He will set out further details on schools, social contact and retail. He says it is right different parts of the UK are moving at different speeds with this.

Updated

The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has accused Boris Johnson of being “too weak to act” and of failing to have “drawn a line under” the Dominic Cummings saga.

Starmer, who has said he would have sacked the adviser if he was PM, tweeted:

Updated

Boris Johnson's press conference

The prime minister Boris Johnson will be lead this afternoon’s news briefing, due to begin shortly. He is expected to provide an update on easing lockdown measures in England.

He will be joined by the chief scientific advisor Sir Patrick Vallance and the chief medical officer for England Prof Chris Whitty.

Updated

UK death toll rises by 377 to 37,837

In the 24-hour period up to 9am on Thursday, there were 119,587 tests carried out or dispatched, the DHSC said, with 1,887 positive results.

The figure for the number of people tested has been “temporarily paused to ensure consistent reporting” across all methods of testing.

And as of 5pm on 27 May, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 37,837 have died. That is an increase of 377 since yesterday.

Updated

The Conservative MP Peter Gibson has explained why he took a train from London to the north-east of England after displaying coronavirus symptoms.

The Darlington MP, who was part of the 2019 intake of so-called red wall Tories, said he travelled 250 miles by train from the capital prior to lockdown to isolate at home.

He made the comment on Facebook when posting about the Dominic Cummings affair earlier this week.

When he was asked why he had not stayed in London, he replied:

It was several weeks before lockdown and at the time I had no London address.

Gibson explained he was staying in a spare room of someone else’s flat and did not have a permanent London base.

He later told the Northern Echo he began coughing on 11 March and called the MP’s coronavirus helpline. He said:

I was advised if my normal mode of transport was the train I should use that but should isolate and keep myself to myself, which is what I did.

He said he self-isolated at home for seven days and his illness was short-lived.

He also told the Northern Echo that while some might have said he should have stayed in London:

Was I meant to move into a hotel? Was I supposed to go back to the flat of another MP when I had nothing apart from a couple of changes of clothes?

Did I run the risk of potentially infecting the friend whose flat it was?

Updated

David McWilliams is a consultant physiotherapist helping ICU patients recover from Covid-19 – this powerful film follows their recovery from the moment they first open their eyes since arriving to their first steps.

His team support patients at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth hospital, which has one of the largest critical care units in Europe and recently was treating more than 200 Covid-19 patients at one time.

Durham’s former chief constable Mike Barton has said he believes the force statement used the word “might” in relation to Dominic Cummings breaking the regulations as the police could not be seen to be acting as judge and jury.

He said:

It seems to me that any reasonable observer would see that Mr Cummings has not only broken the spirit of the rules, but also the letter.

This is not Durham in the dock - they are still trying to deal with a national emergency - and this will have been an unwelcome distraction and one they have now dealt with, and they would want the public in the North East to observe the rules, unlike Mr Cummings.

Explaining why he believed the force used the word “might” in its statement, he said:

The police do not want to have been the judge and jury in this, not having interviewed him under caution.

They make it clear, this is something of a minor matter in the grand scheme of things, which it is, should he not have been at the centre of the legislation.

Updated

A man wearing a protective face mask walks past a shop advertising a clearance sale in York.
A man wearing a protective face mask walks past a shop advertising a clearance sale in York. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, told reporters:

I’ve seen what Durham Police have said [see 1.24pm.]. Obviously that, on the face of it, is inconsistent with what the prime minister said.

And that presents him with a problem. But, frankly, he’s too weak to do anything about it.

He added:

I don’t think he’s going to do anything because he cannot, it seems, continue without his adviser.

Updated

A lawyer has said Durham constabulary’s statement that there “might have been a minor breach of the regulations that would have warranted police intervention” regarding the trip Dominic Cummings took to Barnard Castle could be interpreted as meaning there was enough evidence to suggest he breached the rules but it was ultimately for a court to decide.

Raj Chada, head of the criminal defence department and a partner at firm Hodge Jones & Allen, told PA Media:

The police should not be there to decide one way or another whether he actually breached the rules - in this case that could be for the courts to decide - so I interpret this statement as them saying that there is enough evidence to say that he breached the rules (but ultimately for court to decide) but that it is not in public interest to prosecute for the reasons that they say.

Updated

Asked about the latest statement from Durham police on Dominic Cummings at her press briefing, Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said:

I think Dominic Cummings should no longer be in post. I certainly continue to think that. That is a matter for the prime minister.

I think if the prime minister is putting the integrity of the vital public health message that he and all of us are seeking to communicate first then he will take action that means Dominic Cummings doesn’t continue to distract from that.

I think it is wrong that he puts his political interests ahead of those public health interests.

Updated

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

As at 5pm on Wednesday, 452 prisoners across were confirmed to have the coronavirus across 77 prisons, a 1% increase in 24 hours, while there were 897 infected prison staff across 105 prisons, an increase of nearly 2% in the same period. The figures are not live cases and include those who have recovered.

To date, there have been 22 prisoners and nine staff known to have contracted Covid-19 and died.

There are about 80,200 prisoners in 117 prisons in England and Wales, while there are around 33,000 staff working in public sector prisons.

The Prison Service is running a highly restrictive regime to curb the spread of the virus, which includes a ban on visits and increased time in cells. In some prisons, inmates are spending no more than 30 minutes a day outside the cell.

On Thursday, the Guardian revealed that there had been five suicides in six days in prisons during the lockdown, fuelling fears the regime is taking its toll on inmates well being.

Updated

Afternoon everyone. I’m Lucy Campbell, back from lunch. I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments throughout the remainder of the day. Please do continue to get in touch with news tips and stories we should cover.

Email: lucy.campbell@theguardian.com
Twitter: @lucy_campbell_

Updated

The average number of people with coronavirus in community settings in England remains “relatively stable”, though the infection rate among people working outside the home is around three times as high as for those working at home, new figures record.

An average of 133,000 people in private households in England had Covid-19 at any given time between 11 and 24 May, according to new estimates the Office for National Statistics.

The regular ONS update also included for the first time details of symptoms experienced by those who had tested positive for the virus.

Chris Smyth, the Times’ Whitehall editor, also flags this point:

Updated

A conflict now arises between the police and the attorney general, Suella Braverman, according to the Secret Barrister, a junior barrister whose anonymous writings about the English and Welsh legal system enjoy a popular following.

On the one hand, Durham police have expressed the view that Cummings did break the law while Braverman “immediately endorsed a partisan claim of no legal wrongdoing”.

It’s a resigning matter for the Tory MP in the role, the barrister concludes:

Updated

The number of Conservative MPs calling for Dominic Cummings to resign or criticising his behaviour in recent days has been growing, reports the Guardian’s Rowena Mason.

In one latest count, more than 80 MPs have been critical of Cummings’ actions. The list is here

NHS England has announced 185 new deaths of people who tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 26,234.

Of the 185 new deaths announced on Thursday:
• 29 occurred on 27 May
• 73 occurred on 26 May
• 19 occurred on 25 May

The figures also show 54 of the new deaths took place between 2 May and 24 May, and the remaining 10 deaths occurred in April with the earliest on 10 April.

NHS England releases updated figures each day showing the dates of every coronavirus-related death in hospitals in England, often including previously uncounted deaths that took place several days or even weeks ago.

Updated

Union concerned over testing at hospital at centre of virus spike

NHS staff at a hospital which has stopped taking new patients amid a Covid-19 spike have lodged a series of concerns including that they were not routinely being informed of when colleagues test positive for the virus.

The concerns were laid in a letter from union representatives to management at Weston General Hospital, which is now testing all staff while carrying out a deep clean. Another concern raised by Unison was that BAME members of staff were not being prioritised for testing.

The governing trust for the hospital in Somerset said on Wednesday evening that as many as 40% of staff from a cohort tested after contact with infected patients were found to be positive.

The development comes amid heightened concerns about the spread of coronavirus among NHS workers after the trust said there was “an emerging picture” of staff with no symptoms testing positive.

All staff were now being tested at the hospital, which stopped taking admissions, including into its A&E department, from 8am on Monday “to maintain patient and staff safety” as a result of a high number of infections.

Unison’s South West regional secretary, Joanne Kaye, said today that urgent changes were needed to reassure both staff and patients about safety.

“The biggest concern is that staff aren’t routinely being informed when their colleagues test positive for the virus.

“This means they’re unable to make informed decisions about whether they need to be tested. The trust must make sure managers tell staff at the earliest possible opportunity.

“Many of those who work at the hospital only heard about the temporary closure through social media, which is a major communications failure. They must be told directly, not pick things up second hand through friends and family.

The union expressed concern that BAME members of staff aren’t being prioritised for testing given the high levels of mortality in that grouping of staff over the course of the pandemic.

Updated

Labour leader Keir Starmer has said that Boris Johnson has “shown himself to be weak” in dealing with the Dominic Cummings situation.

In a clip on BBC Radio 4’s the World At One programme, Sir Keir said: “The most important thing here is not, you know, these technical issues, but the problem is by not dealing with Cummings in a strong way, the Prime Minister has not only shown himself to be weak, and he has shown himself to be weak - I mean he’s so desperate for this adviser he’ll cling on to him through thick and thin.”

“More importantly, what I’m worried about is that people might think ‘well,’ if Cummings doesn’t have to apply by the rules, why do I have to? Then you’re on a slippery slope.”

Starmer was also asked whether Cummings should go during a virtual Call Keir event in Doncaster, and said: “I would’ve sacked him from the outset if I’d been Prime Minister.

Commentators continue to scrutinise Durham Police’s statement. Here’s the lawyer and writer David Allen Green picking up on some of the finer detail:

The combative health minister, Nadine Dorries, has meanwhile come out to bat for Cummings

This is Ben Quinn picking up the blog now while Lucy takes some overdue lunch.

Updated

BAME nurses 'less protected' as PPE shortages persist, poll finds

Black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) nurses are more likely to have problems accessing protective equipment, according to a new poll.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) identified a “stark and deeply worrying” contrast over PPE provision for staff from different backgrounds. The union said it is “unacceptable” that BAME nurses “are less protected than other nursing staff”.

Data has emerged suggesting that people from BAME backgrounds are being disproportionately adversely affected by Covid-19, and a significant proportion of NHS workers who have died after being diagnosed with Covid-19 have BAME heritage.

The RCN conducted a poll on more than 5,000 nurses about the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), including more than 700 from BAME backgrounds.

The union said that although there were some improvements from April, “there are still shortages of essential PPE in all settings, and health and care staff are still reliant on PPE items being donated or home-made in some cases”.

Its report states that it is “unacceptable for health and care staff to be exposed to avoidable risk to their own safety”, adding:

Our findings also highlighted a stark and deeply worrying contrast in the experience and safety of BAME respondents.

The findings include:

  • 29% of white British nurses who responded to the poll felt pressure to care for confirmed or possible Covid-19 patients without adequate PPE – this rose to 56% for BAME nurses.
  • Less than half (43%) of BAME nurses said they had enough eye protection compared with 66% of white British nurses.
  • 37% of BAME nurses who took part in the survey said they did not have enough fluid-repellent gowns to use during their shift, with only 19% white British staff reporting the same concerns.
  • More than half of BAME respondents (53%) also said they had been asked to re-use single-use PPE in a “high risk environment”, compared with 42% of white British respondents to the survey, which was conducted between 7-11 May.

RCN chief executive and general secretary Dame Donna Kinnair said:

It is simply unacceptable that we are in a situation where BAME nursing staff are less protected than other nursing staff.

These results reinforce our call for BAME nursing staff to have specific risk assessments to reflect the risks they face as a result of Covid-19.

All of our nursing staff must have the protection they need, and action must be taken urgently to ensure they are all kept safe. We look forward to getting more answers from Public Health England’s investigation into the disproportionate effect of Covid-19 on BAME groups.

Updated

Boris Johnson’s official spokesman told the lobby briefing that the prime minister would lead this afternoon’s daily press conference.

The spokesman said:

Subject to the fact that we need to receive the very latest advice from Sage, which I believe is meeting today, I would expect the PM to be able to set out what we are able to do from 1 June later today.

The Tory chairman of the health select committee, Jeremy Hunt, has said the government should “do whatever it takes” to ensure the new test-and-trace system works and that it was time to “move on” from the Cummings affair.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s The World At One programme, Hunt said:

Squeezing that testing turnaround down to 24 hours, which is what happens in Korea and Taiwan, is really, really important.

The big picture is that we are now implementing the system which is the best in the world, it has been proven to not just reduce death rates but also help economies to function more normally. But, within that, the tightening of these tests is absolutely critical.

Asked whether Dominic Cummings’ actions will impact how compliant people are with the new system, he said:

It is not going to help, but I think we’ve got to see the big picture here.

The big picture here is that today the government has launched a system which is international best practice, it is what has been proven to work all over the world.

So, however angry people might feel about the Dominic Cummings issues, we do now have to move on, we have to make the system work, we have to comply with the advice that we are given.

Updated

Dominic Cummings' trip to Barnard Castle 'might have been minor breach' of lockdown rules but he will face no further action, Durham police say

Here is the full statement issued by Durham police to say Dominic Cummings will not face further action.

On March 27 2020, Dominic Cummings drove to Durham to self-isolate in a property owned by his father.

Durham Constabulary does not consider that by locating himself at his father’s premises, Mr Cummings committed an offence contrary to regulation six of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020. (We are concerned here with breaches of the regulations, not the general Government guidance to “stay at home”.)

On April 12 2020, Mr Cummings drove approximately 26 miles from his father’s property to Barnard Castle with his wife and son. He stated on May 25 2020 that the purpose of this drive was to test his resilience to drive to London the following day, including whether his eyesight was sufficiently recovered, his period of self-isolation having ended.

Durham Constabulary have examined the circumstances surrounding the journey to Barnard Castle (including ANPR, witness evidence and a review of Mr Cummings’ press conference on May 25 2020) and have concluded that there might have been a minor breach of the regulations that would have warranted police intervention. Durham Constabulary view this as minor because there was no apparent breach of social distancing.

Had a Durham Constabulary police officer stopped Mr Cummings driving to or from Barnard Castle, the officer would have spoken to him, and, having established the facts, likely advised Mr Cummings to return to the address in Durham, providing advice on the dangers of travelling during the pandemic crisis.

Had this advice been accepted by Mr Cummings, no enforcement action would have been taken.

In line with Durham Constabulary’s general approach throughout the pandemic, there is no intention to take retrospective action in respect of the Barnard Castle incident since this would amount to treating Mr Cummings differently from other members of the public. Durham Constabulary has not taken retrospective action against any other person.

By way of further context, Durham Constabulary has followed Government guidance on management of alleged breaches of the regulations with the emphasis on the NPCC and College of Policing 4Es: Engage, Explain and Encourage before Enforcement.

Finally, commentary in the media has suggested that Mr Cummings was in Durham on April 19 2020. Mr Cummings denies this and Durham Constabulary have seen insufficient evidence to support this allegation.

Therefore Durham Constabulary will take no further action in this matter and has informed Mr Cummings of this decision.

Updated

Boris Johnson still backs Cummings despite 'minor breach' of lockdown rules

A No 10 spokesman said:

The police have made clear they are taking no action against Mr Cummings over his self-isolation and that going to Durham did not breach the regulations. The prime minister has said he believes Mr Cummings behaved reasonably and legally given all the circumstances and he regards this issue as closed.

Updated

Scotland's lockdown to be eased from Friday, Nicola Sturgeon announces

Announcing that she would proceed with phase one of the Scottish government’s four-stage plan for moving out of lockdown, Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said at her daily briefing that figures showed a “sustained and unmistakable” downward trend in cases.

She added, however, that the changes must be “careful and cautious” and that the R number remains in range of 0.7 to 1.

There were 12 deaths from coronavirus in Scotland overnight, taking the total number of deaths under that measure to 2,316.

The relaxation comes as the Scottish government’s own test and protect scheme goes live on Thursday across all health board areas.

From Friday, Scots will be able to meet with members of one other household at a time. This must happen outdoors, in a park or in private gardens, and while observing social distancing, and the total number of people meeting up should be a maximum of eight. There is also a strong recommendation not to meet more than one other household per day.

People will be allowed to travel – preferably by walking or cycling – for recreation or visits, with a suggested limit of five miles, although Sturgeon has said that people should “use their judgement”. Sitting or sunbathing in parks will be permitted, as will many outdoor non-contact sports including golf, fishing, tennis and bowls.

In terms of business, most outdoor work that has been put on hold can resume. Garden centres and recycling facilities are also allowed to reopen, while takeaway and drive-through food outlets will no longer be discouraged.

From Monday, teachers can return to schools to prepare for the start of the new school year on 11 August, when pupils begin a ‘blended’ model of at home and in school learning. And from Wednesday, child minding services and fully outdoor nurseries will begin to reopen.

Updated

Durham police say Dominic Cummings did breach lockdown rules, according to report

The prime minister’s most senior adviser did breach lockdown rules when he made the 50-mile round trip to Barnard Castle, an investigation by Durham police has reportedly found.

Dominic Cummings claimed he made the journey on 12 April – which was Easter Sunday and the day of his wife’s birthday – with his wife and four-year-old son to check his eyesight was sound before travelling back to London.

He has maintained that he acted “lawfully and reasonably” when he journeyed 264 miles north to self-isolate on his parent’s farm in County Durham at the end of March, at the height of the pandemic.

The Telegraph (paywall) reports that the Durham police investigation has concluded that this was a minor breach of the guidelines that did not warrant any further action.

More on this story to follow.

Updated

This is from the Telegraph’s Martin Evans

The Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, has written to MPs regarding the early recall of parliament next week, at 11.30am on Tuesday, to approve a new voting system.

In the letter he says the main purpose of the recall is to bring forward a motion on how the house should vote, considering the usual way of voting using division lobbies doesn’t marry up with social distancing and wouldn’t be safe, and there is currently no other method for divisions sanctioned by the house.

The government has until Monday morning to table its motion on how it proposes voting take place.

Updated

The attorney general, Suella Braverman, has dismissed accusations that she has undermined the independence of her office by tweeting her support for Dominic Cummings’ trip to Durham during lockdown.

Last Saturday, in the wake of the Guardian’s story about Cummings, the MP for Fareham tweeted: “Protecting one’s family is what any good parent does”. It was attached to the No 10 statement defending Cummings’ travels.

Her involvement provoked calls for her to resign on the grounds that the intervention compromised the independence of her office as the government’s chief legal adviser and put her in an impossible position in relation to any subsequent police inquiry.

Lord Falconer, Labour’s shadow attorney general, wrote to her stating:

The prime minister should not be lending his authority to attacks on the enforcement of the criminal law. He should certainly not be egged on in that by the attorney general.

On Thursday, Falconer published her response on Twitter:

Braverman replied:

Since you wrote Mr Cummings has given a full account of his decisions to address the questions you and others have raised.

There is of course no question of my having offered any public legal view (as you know, Law Officers do not publish their legal advice much less tweet about it) nor of seeking to pre-empt any formal investigation. The purpose of my comments, as I think would be obvious to any fair minded observer, was simply to support the decision to clarify events...

Updated

Nearly half of over-70s could be self-isolating unnecessarily, after new research found widespread misinterpretation of government rules among older people.

At least 43% of adults over 65 polled for the charity Independent Age incorrectly believed the government had instructed all over-70s to shield themselves by not leaving the house.

In fact, UK government guidance for this group – classed as clinically vulnerable – is to stay at home as much as possible and “take particular care” in physical distancing. Only those with certain conditions, classed as extremely clinically vulnerable – such as those with specific cancers – have been advised to stay at home at all times.

Less than a third of the 483 older people polled correctly identified the correct guidance for over-70s without underlying health conditions.

The results suggest thousands of people in later life around the UK may have completely shielded themselves and lived in isolation, when they could have left the house for physically distanced exercise and shopping for essentials.

The polling also showed that 28% of respondents – well over a quarter – found the guidance for over-70s unclear or very unclear.

Updated

Police fined two people for travelling from London to Durham on 8 April

Durham police today said they fined two people for travelling hundreds of miles from London to their area during the coronavirus lockdown.

The news comes as a fresh statement from Durham police is expected as soon as today, following their examination of claims of sightings of Dominic Cummings in the Durham area, and whether lockdown rules had been broken.

A spokesperson for Durham police confirmed the fines were issued on 8 April against two people from different households who travelled together from London to Peterlee, in County Durham. That trip is about 260 miles and came just over a week after the prime minister’s key aide decided to drive with his wife and child from his London home to his parents’ farm, fearing being struck down by coronavirus.

The trip by Cummings has led to no action by police, and its revelation on Friday by the Guardian and Daily Mirror led to calls for Cummings’ resignation, but he has maintained his actions were lawful and not in breach of the lockdown.

Cummings also admitted to a trip on 12 April to a beauty spot, Barnard Castle, with his wife and child. He said on Monday he had been testing his eyesight and fitness to drive after being struck down by the virus.

Durham police say since the original news stories, they have received further claims and complaints from the public and are examining that information.

Cummings said he travelled to ensure childcare in case he and his wife were struck down by the virus, and claims an exemption to the stay at home order issued by his boss, the prime minister, allowed him to make the trip. Many disagree and have called for his resignation. The new statement from Durham police is eagerly awaited.

Updated

The Tory MP Karen Bradley has said she is “not convinced” by Dominic Cummings’ explanation of his actions and that aspects of his account suggest “there were breaches of the rules to avoid some of the hardships that many have endured”.

In a statement on her website, the Staffordshire Moorlands MP wrote that the PM’s most senior adviser should “consider his position”. It reads:

I can well understand that any parent wants to protect their child, and have enormous sympathy with acting to do that. But so much of the account goes beyond that simple human instinct and suggests that there were breaches of the rules to avoid some of the hardships that many have endured.

I want you to know that I have shared your views at the highest level. Mr Cummings is, in my view causing significant damage to the work that the government are doing to get us through the pandemic. I hope that he will recognise this and consider his position.

We expect those that lead us to lead by example, especially those with such a significant influence on government. I can reach no other conclusion than that for the sake of this country, Mr Cummings should do the right thing now and stop damaging the work that needs to be done.

If the UK government wants to start easing the national lockdown, it needs to get contact tracing right – that much is clear. But what does that mean? What would successful contact tracing look like?

In this explainer, Josh Toussaint-Strauss tries to find out with help from Christophe Fraser, an Oxford professor and infectious disease epidemiologist, and the Guardian’s UK technology editor, Alex Hern.

Updated

More than 50 of the UK’s leading artistic directors and theatre figures from ethnically diverse backgrounds, including the Young Vic’s Kwame Kwei-Amah, have signed an open letter that calls on the culture secretary Oliver Dowden to ensure that “ethnic diversity is protected and celebrated in policy” as Covid-19 threatens to dramatically reshape the UK’s cultural landscape.

The signatories point to the recent success of John Boyega, Idris Elba and Gemma Chan, who began their careers on British stages before finding success, and warns that without policies to protect diversity it could be lost as theatres struggle to operate in a post Covid-19 UK.

The letter calls on Dowden and the government to “ensure the progress we have collectively made does not fall by the way-side” because of the impact of the pandemic, which has already caused the closure of several theatres around the country.

The letter states:

The Covid-19 crisis threatens all aspects of the theatrical ecology, but catalysed by the revelations of the racial disparity in the health crisis, this group of Black, Asian and ethnically diverse artistic leaders call on the government and the sector to ensure the progress we have collectively made does not fall by the way-side.

We insist that ethnic diversity is protected and celebrated in policy going forwards and propose that any task-force or group gathering to speak about the future of our industry seeks out consultation from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse leaders to ensure this commitment.

Signatories of the letter include Lynette Linton, the artistic director of Bush Theatre and Roy Alexander Weise, the co-artistic director of the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, who say the diverse theatremakers they represent are “essential to the arts returning at full strength and playing its part in our nation’s recovery”.

Reopening primary schools to some year groups next week could have a “detrimental impact” on home learning for pupils who are still at home, the leader of the headteachers’ union has warned.

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said fewer teachers would be available to support children with remote learning if pupils in reception, year 1 and year 6 are taught in smaller groups from next week.

His comments came ahead of the government’s final decision on whether to reopen primary schools in England to more pupils from as early as Monday.

On Wednesday, the school standards minister, Nick Gibb, said it was “difficult to say” whether the government’s aim to get all primary school pupils back in class before the summer break will occur.

He told MPs on the education select committee:

Remote education, home education, will continue for the majority of pupils and young people – probably until the end of the summer term.

Findings from the NAHT suggest nearly three in five (57%) schools are providing home-learning resources for pupils daily and more than a quarter (29%) provide them weekly.

The survey of 4,784 school leaders, carried out earlier this month, also found that the majority of schools have been creating their own online resources as well as liaising with parents about home learning.

But the NAHT is concerned that the quality of remote learning on offer for the year groups that will not be returning to school in the summer term may suffer amid a wider reopening of schools in England.

Whiteman told the PA news agency:

Splitting classes in order to reduce the risk of transmission requires twice the number of staff, leaving fewer teachers to support those other children still at home.

I worry that an unintended consequence will be a detrimental impact on home learning. I know the profession will continue to do all that it can, there are no easy answers.

Updated

Another Tory MP says Cummings trip 'very difficult to justify'

The Tory MP Rob Butler has said he found Dominic Cummings’ trip to Barnard Castle “very difficult to justify”, though stopped short of calling for him to go.

In a letter to a constituent seen by the Guardian, Butler said he felt “the guidance [on exceptional circumstances] can be interpreted in the way Mr Cummings has done”.

He then added:

However, Mr Cummings himself said ‘there is room for reasonable disagreement’ about whether he should have stayed in London, and I do not criticise anyone who does indeed disagree with him.

Personally, I find the trip Mr Cummings took to Barnard Castle very difficult to justify and am disappointed that he did not apologise for it.

A tally of more than 60 Conservative MPs, including the cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt, have now either been critical of the PM’s most senior adviser’s actions or called for him to resign or be sacked.

Updated

These from the Labour MP Ben Bradshaw and Lib Dem MP Daisy Cooper, who say Dido Harding – the government’s lead for the test and trace programme – has told them track and trace won’t be fully operational until the end of June.

As others have pointed out, that is four weeks after lockdown measures are to be further eased.

Updated

Good morning everyone. I’m Lucy Campbell, taking over the live blog for the rest of the day. Your input is invaluable so, as ever, please do feel free to get in touch with any news tips and stories you think we should be covering here.

Email: lucy.campbell@theguardian.com
Twitter: @lucy_campbell_

The Scottish government’s own test and protect scheme is also going live today, across all of Scotland’s health board areas, on the same day as the country’s lockdown restrictions are due to be eased.

From today, if people develop coronavirus symptoms they must book a test immediately and isolate themselves – the aim is for all results to be returned within 24 hours. If the test is positive, the individual will then hear from a tracer who will ask them about recent face-to-face contacts, within their household or less than two metres away for 15 minutes or more.

Nicola Sturgeon has emphasised that this data will be secure and only available to NHS Scotland, but also stressed that the scheme should not be looked at as optional but is – like lockdown itself – a “collective national endeavour”.

She stressed it should not be looked on as optional, with everyone needing to play their part to ensure it is successful.

She has also urged employers to “protect the income” of their staff who are required to self-isolate, and is in ongoing discussions with the UK government about changes to statutory sick pay to make sure people do not lose income, and has even suggested that the Scottish government could provide hotel rooms free to those who need to isolate away from their families.

Updated

A mural thanking NHS and key workers for their efforts during the pandemic and lockdown.
A mural thanking NHS and key workers for their efforts during the pandemic and lockdown. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

Updated

A London council has welcomed losing a case in the court of appeal because it says the ruling will help protect vulnerable renters during the pandemic.

Thousands of renters have been granted a reprieve from eviction during the pandemic following the court ruling on Wednesday (27 May).

The housing minister, Robert Jenrick, announced in March that private tenants would not be evicted for at least three months during the pandemic. However, it was unclear whether those who were subject to eviction proceedings not yet concluded, before the outbreak, would be covered by the eviction ban.

Three court of appeal judges said they too were protected.

Tenant Kevin Okoro brought the case against Hackney council in east London after they commenced eviction proceedings against him for rent arrears on 20 December last year. He was in the process of appealing when the pandemic struck.

Okoro’s lawyers argued that in order to prevent the courts from being overwhelmed and to protect public health during the pandemic, the many people in the process of appealing against eviction notices should be included in the protection for renters announced by Jenrick.

The judges agreed and said that while the bar on evictions until at least 25 June continues during the pandemic, those in the process of appealing against eviction should also be protected from losing their homes and there should be a freeze on eviction appeal proceedings for the time being.

They said that many involved in these appeals were “vulnerable and unrepresented”.

In a separate development, Hackney council has written to Jenrick calling for the ban on evictions that he announced in March to be extended beyond June to avoid a surge in homelessness after the ban is lifted.

A Hackney council spokesperson said: “We welcome today’s ruling – Hackney has been clear that no evictions are to take place during the coronavirus lockdown and the safety of our residents is paramount. This case predates the coronavirus crisis, and while we had no intention of proceeding with the eviction in the current circumstances, we welcome the clarity it provides for similar cases and residents similarly concerned about having somewhere safe to stay at this time.”

Tim Baldwin, a housing law barrister at Garden Court Chambers, represented the tenant who brought the legal challenge. He said: “This ruling will protect thousands more vulnerable tenants from eviction until 25 June 2020.”

Updated

Tui has extended the suspension of holidays for UK customers until at least the end of June due to coronavirus travel restrictions.

The UK’s biggest tour operator had previously cancelled all trips up to 11 June.

It has also suspended its Marella Cruises sailings up to 30 July.

Tui said in a statement it had extended the suspension of holidays “due to the ongoing travel restrictions”.

A 14-day quarantine for international arrivals is due to begin in the UK on 8 June.

Updated

The number of passengers arriving in the UK by air fell from around 7.1 million in January to 3.8 million in March, according to a Home Office report.

Numbers fell “sharply” since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, dropping to 112,300 arrivals in April.

This is 99% lower than the number of air passengers coming to the country in April 2019, provisional advance passenger information (API) data showed.

The report published on Thursday said the majority (58%) of arrivals since the lockdown was announced on 23 March were British nationals coming back to the UK.

The remaining 42% “will include foreign nationals who are UK residents returning to the UK, dependants of UK residents and other non-British nationals”.

While the reduction in air travel was “most marked”, over this period the number of passengers arriving by sea was 97% fewer and by rail was 98% fewer than at the same time the previous year, according to the report.

Updated

The National Trust is reopening some of its gardens and parklands on 3 June, although visitors will have to book an appointment in advance to visit.

The email to members sent out this morning says its popular stately homes remain shut. Only gardens in England and Northern Ireland are being opened, reflecting the continued lockdown in Scotland and Wales.

“For now, our houses remain closed and we’ll open these as soon as we can. To open these gardens and parklands safely, we’ve had to reduce the number of people we can welcome at one time, so you’ll need to book in advance. New booking timeslots become available on a Friday for visits the following week,” it says.

“From tomorrow (Friday) you’ll be able to find out what’s opening near you and book a visit. Your visit to us may be different from usual, because there are a few things we need everyone to do to help us keep places open safely.”

Updated

Hello everyone. I am running the Guardian’s news feed this morning, bringing you all the latest information. Please do share any news tips or information with me as I work.


Twitter: @sloumarsh
Instagram: sarah_marsh_journalist
Email: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com

Rebecca Menzies-trained horse, Rainbow Applause, who is sponsored by over 250 members, raising over £20,000 for NHS related charities on the gallops at Howe Hill Stables.
Rebecca Menzies-trained horse, Rainbow Applause, who is sponsored by over 250 members, raising over £20,000 for NHS related charities. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

Updated

The test and trace system will fail to work effectively if statutory sick pay is not increased, the government has been warned.

Those self-isolating will be eligible for statutory sick pay but there are fears that many workers will not be able to afford to isolate and will be forced to keep working.

NHS test and trace – seen as key to easing the coronavirus lockdown restrictions – will be rolled out across England on Thursday and there are concerns that people could be asked to self-isolate for a period of 14 days more than once in the coming weeks.

The TUC general secretary, Frances O’Grady, said:

We need a testing and tracing programme up and running as soon as possible.

But it will not be effective if workers are pushed into hardship when they are required to self-isolate.

Statutory sick pay is just £95 per week – and two million workers aren’t even eligible for that.

If workers can’t afford to self-isolate, then they will be forced to keep working.

That will put them, their workmates and their local community at risk, and undermine the entire test and trace programme.

Updated

Matt Hancock had an exchange with Kay Burley this morning in which she accused him of rushing through the test and trace system. He laughed at this suggestion and said he committed to getting the system in mid-May. She responded by saying he spoke about the app in mid-May and that still had not arrived.

“Many of my viewers will think it’s not a laughing matter,” Burley said.

Updated

The 10th weekly Clap for Carers event may be the last, after the woman behind the idea said she will no longer take part.

Millions of people across the UK have lined their thresholds, gathered – while socially distancing – on pavements, and stood in their gardens at 8pm every Thursday to demonstrate their support for care staff and frontline workers.

But the ritual has been criticised by some for becoming “politicised”, while others, including NHS staff, have said some people who take part in the clap then wilfully ignore the plea to stay at home and avoid gatherings in an effort to ease the strain on the healthcare system.

The Metropolitan police commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick, was filmed leading dozens of officers in the weekly applause for key workers on a crowded Westminster Bridge.

Annemarie Plas, 36, last week told the PA news agency she had no problem with people continuing to gather at 8pm each week to clap, but said she will not be among those taking part in future.

She said: “To have the most impact I think it is good to stop it at its peak.

“Without getting too political, I share some of the opinions that some people have about it becoming politicised.

“I think the narrative is starting to change and I don’t want the clap to be negative.”

Plas, from Streatham in south London, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain she will clap on Thursday evening, and will return outside at the same time next week to “check in” with her community, without applauding.

Updated

Matt Hancock said “outside is safer than indoors”.

Talking about the possibility of pubs opening, the health secretary told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The good thing that we’ve learned from the science of this virus in the last few weeks is that the risk of transmission outdoors is much lower – it’s not zero, but it is much lower than indoors.

“So, during the summer in particular, a lot of the changes that you can expect to see will be based on the principle that outdoors is safer than indoors.”

Updated

Contact tracing could be undermined by continued government support for Dominic Cummings, the shadow health secretary has said.

Jonathan Ashworth voiced support for NHS test and trace launched in England on Thursday morning as “the only way we can safely ease out of this lockdown”.

But he added that the health secretary Matt Hancock’s support for Boris Johnson’s chief adviser could “undermine” public cooperation with the scheme.

Under the new system, people who come into close contact with a coronavirus sufferer will be told to self-isolate for 14 days, while an accompanying app is still delayed by several weeks.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Ashworth said: “We need everybody to cooperate with this because it’s in all of our interests that this works, and I’m sorry, I’ve got to say it, it’s why I think Matt Hancock’s support of Dominic Cummings is really irresponsible.

“My worry is some people will think ‘Why should I stay at home for two weeks on my own when I feel fine, while this guy who’s Boris Johnson’s big pal in Downing Street can get away with travelling across the country to Durham?”’

Updated

Hancock says no penalties 'in first instance' for ignoring test and trace

Health secretary Matt Hancock said people will not receive penalties for not abiding by the NHS test and trace self-isolation period “in the first instance”.

Pushed on people’s concerns about fraudulent NHS calls, Hancock told LBC:

If anybody calls they will be calling from the number 0300 0135 000, if you get a text it will come from NHS and they will never ask you for any form of payment or purchase or details of your bank account, and also you will then be given, if you’re online, a QR code to be able to confirm those details online.

Asked whether he himself, having had coronavirus, would have to self-isolate again if told to do so, Hancock said:

Unfortunately, yes. It is very frustrating but the reason for that is we don’t yet know whether people like me who have had it still transmit it if they come into contact with it a second time.

On employers covering the wages of employees told to self-isolate, Hancock said “it is very important work constructively with their staff”.

He added: “It is better to have this sort of targeted isolation than the blanketed measures we’ve got in place at the moment.”

Updated

Hello everyone. I am running the Guardian’s news feed this morning, bringing you all the latest information. Please do share any news tips or information with me as I work.


Twitter: @sloumarsh
Instagram: sarah_marsh_journalist
Email: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com

Brian Strutton, general secretary of the pilots’ union Balpa said:

EasyJet staff will be shocked at the scale of this announcement. Only two days ago staff got a ‘good news’ message from their boss with no mention of job losses so this is a real kick in the teeth.

Those staff have taken pay cuts to keep the airline afloat and this is the treatment they get in return.

EasyJet has not discussed its plans with Balpa so we will wait and see what impact there will be in the UK.

But given EasyJet is a British company, the UK is it’s strongest market and it has had hundreds of millions in support from the UK taxpayer I can safely say that we will need a lot of convincing that EasyJet needs to make such dramatic cuts.

Indeed, EasyJet’sown projections, though on the pessimistic side, point to recovery by 2023 so this is a temporary problem that doesn’t need this ill-considered knee-jerk reaction.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said tracers will make a “clinical judgment” on who should self-isolate “with the best aim to be to find the people who you’ve been in contact with under two metres for 15 minutes”.

Hancock told BBC Breakfast: “Our goal is that we have the turnaround of the test within 24 hours. We’ve now managed to get the system so that 84% of the tests that you take at a drive-through centre are turned around within 24 hours and the Prime Minister yesterday set us the goal of having every test turned around within 24 hours.”

On when the timeframe starts, Hancock said “the time that really matters is the time from the moment you have symptoms and call up”.

He added: “From that moment until we can get the positive result back if that is what it is, if it is positive, and get going on the contact tracing - it is that end-to-end time that matters.”

Hancock said he is “confident” that results can be received “faster” than an academic study which suggested it would take three days.

Thousands of easyJet staff are to lose their jobs under plans announced by the airline.

The Luton-based carrier said it intends to reduce its workforce by up to 30% as it reduces the size of its fleet due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This follows similar moves by other airlines such as British Airways and Ryanair.

EasyJet has around 15,000 full-time employees, meaning a maximum of 4,500 jobs are at risk.

The low-cost airline’s chief executive Johan Lundgren said:

We realise that these are very difficult times and we are having to consider very difficult decisions which will impact our people, but we want to protect as many jobs as we can for the long term.

We remain focused on doing what is right for the company and its long-term health and success, following the swift action we have taken over the last three months to meet the challenges of the virus.

Although we will restart flying on 15 June, we expect demand to build slowly, only returning to 2019 levels in about three years’ time.

Against this backdrop, we are planning to reduce the size of our fleet and to optimise the network and our bases.

EasyJet announced that by the end of next year it expects to have reduced its fleet size by around 51 aircraft to approximately 302.
This will be achieved through measures such as deferring new aircraft arrivals.

Bookings for winter are “well ahead of the equivalent point last year”, partly due to some customers rebooking flights which were cancelled due to the pandemic.

The governor of the Bank of England has warned Britain’s economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis will be tougher than expected, saying a fresh wave of money creation methods will be needed.

Andrew Bailey has shied away from idea of cutting official interest rates to below zero for the first time in the Bank’s 326-year history.

Instead, he says more economic support is likely to come in the form of quantitative easing (QE) – in which the Bank buys government bonds from investors, pumping money into the economy in the process.

Since the crisis began in March, the Bank has cut official interest rates to 0.1%, announced a 200 billion expansion of QE, made moves to ease the financial pressure on large companies and made it easier for banks to lend.

Bailey is wary, however, of going further by taking interest rates negative.

“We have signalled that we stand ready to do more within the framework of policies we have used to date,” he wrote in The Guardian.

“And, in view of the risks we face, it is of course right that we consider what further options, such as cutting interest rates into unprecedented territory, might be available in the future. But it is also important that we consider very carefully the issues that such choices would give rise to.”

Despite support measures already taken, official figures released on Wednesday showed the Government was paying the wages of 8.4 million employees, out of a total labour force of 32 million.

A new report by a UK charity has highlighted the plight of the world’s most vulnerable communities amid the coronavirus pandemic, calling it a crisis from which many people will never recover.

After studying 13 countries in Africa and Asia, the charity Street Child said one third of people surveyed were unable to take the most basic measures to guard against Covid-19, including washing their hands.

More than half of the children in the survey have been unable to take part in learning activities during the pandemic, the group said, while more than half of people surveyed were fearful of hunger and starvation due to rising food prices and their loss of income.

Street Child’s chief executive Tom Dannatt said in a statement the results of the survey “clearly demonstrate Covid-19 is having a devastating impact on the world’s most vulnerable communities”.

“With schools closed, a lack of access to basic prevention measures such as soap and water, and a very real risk of extreme hunger and even starvation, children and families are in the midst of a crisis that many will never recover from,” he said.

Nicola Sturgeon is expected to announce “cautious” steps out of lockdown for Scotland. The First Minister will reveal on Thursday if the country is moving on to the first phase of a four-part plan for easing the restrictions - which were put in place more than nine weeks ago on March 23.

Dozens of travel companies have called on the home secretary to scrap plans to impose a mandatory 14-day quarantine on people arriving in the UK due to the coronavirus.

Accusing the government of being “woefully slow” in its support for the travel industry, more than 70 company heads have co-signed a letter to Priti Patel over her announcement last week surrounding the new measure for arrivals, which starts on June 8.

Signatories have urged the government to switch from protection mode in the face of the Covid-19 crisis to economic recovery.

“The very last thing the travel industry needs,” the letter says, “is a mandatory quarantine imposed on all arriving passengers which will deter foreign visitors from coming here, deter UK visitors from travelling abroad and, most likely, cause other countries to impose reciprocal quarantine requirements on British visitors, as France has already announced. “

Health secretary Matt Hancock said that people will have to self-isolate for 14 days on more than one occasion if told to do so by the NHS.

“Employment law covers this and we changed the law a couple of months ago so that if you are instructed by the NHS for public health reasons to stay at home, then that is the equivalent in employment law to being ill, and it is very important that employers are flexible around this.”

Asked how quickly test results will be received back, Hancock said: “84% of the tests from the drive-through centres are returned within 24 hours, 95% of all tests are returned within 48 hours.

“Of course, there are examples of where the process hasn’t worked, because this is now a massive process, so there are individual stray examples. We’re working all the time to make it faster, I want to see every test returned within 24 hours from those drive-through centres and we will do that just as quickly as we can.”

Hancock added that he is “sure” chief medical officer Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance “will be at the podium soon”.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said he believes “the vast majority of people” will self-isolate voluntarily under the new NHS Test and Trace system.

Asked what people should do if they have childcare issues but are told to self-isolate, Hancock told Sky News: “Well, of course, it is very important that childcare is taken into account. I understand that as well as anybody, so yes it is very important that people deal with childcare and do that in a reasonable way.”

Pushed on whether you would still need to stay at home, he added: “That is what you will be instructed to do, yes, and you should follow those instructions because that is in the best interest of everybody.”

Asked how the system could be made mandatory in future, Mr Hancock said: “There are powers that we took through Parliament at the start of the crisis in the Coronavirus Act to be able to mandate this but I’d far rather not....”

He added that it would be “far better if we didn’t have to make it mandatory”.

EasyJet plans to reduce its workforce by up to 30% to enable a “restructure of our business” due to the coronavirus pandemic, the airline said.

Chief executive Johan Lundgren said: “We realise that these are very difficult times and we are having to consider very difficult decisions which will impact our people, but we want to protect as many jobs as we can for the long-term.

“We remain focused on doing what is right for the company and its long-term health and success, following the swift action we have taken over the last three months to meet the challenges of the virus.

“Although we will restart flying on June 15, we expect demand to build slowly, only returning to 2019 levels in about three years’ time.

“Against this backdrop, we are planning to reduce the size of our fleet and to optimise the network and our bases.

Updated

Hello everyone. I am running the Guardian’s news feed this morning, bringing you all the latest information. Up today there will be more on the Dominic Cummings situation, as Tory MPs revolt, more on track and trace and updates are expected later on whether the lockdown will be eased in Scotland. Please do share any news tips or information with me as I work.


Twitter: @sloumarsh
Instagram: sarah_marsh_journalist
Email: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
If You Thought Kendall Cutting Cucumbers Was Out Of Touch, Kim Kardashian's Admission About 'What A Milk Carton Costs' Is Wild
Can't relate.
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
Avengers: Doomsday will melt everybody's brain, says Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum has teased details of the new Marvel movie, Avengers: Doomsday.
BANG Premier
BANG Premier
‘I’m just a girl’: Woman opens radiator cap on hot engine. Boiling water explodes everywhere
She opened a hot radiator cap and got exactly what physics promised.
We Got This Covered
We Got This Covered
Is Harry Styles the One for Zoë Kravitz? Fans Shocked by Her 'Kinky' Love Affair
Zoë Kravitz and Harry Styles stoke dating rumours after being seen arm-in-arm in Rome. But is this a compelling new romance—or misread signals? We dig into sightings, sources and fan reactions.
International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
‘We love working with both of them’: Why Harlan Coben’s Lazarus being on Prime Video isn’t a death knell for Netflix
Harlan Coben's Lazarus has switched from Netflix to Prime Video, but that might not be forever.
TechRadar
TechRadar
Pregnant Disney Superfan Found Lifeless Just Hours After Relative Reported Her Missing On Reddit
“Multiple blunt impact injuries.”
Bored Panda
Bored Panda
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play