Evening summary
- The UK recorded 49,298 new Covid cases on Friday and a further 180 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, the latest government figures show.
- The seven-day average shows that cases have risen by 18.1% in the last week, while deaths are up by 15.8%.
- Boris Johnson said that the government sees “absolutely nothing to indicate that [a full lockdown] is on the cards at all” when asked to rule out a shutdown with ““stay at home” advice and shops closing this winter.
- Johnson refused to commit to wearing a face mask in parliament following a call by health secretary Sajid Javid for MPs to do so.
- Former Labour MP Frank Field asked peers to back efforts to relax the law on assisted dying as it was announced he is terminally ill.
That’s all from me for today after a slightly stop-start afternoon. You can follow the latest UK Covid developments over on our global blog – that’s here:
Some 5.3 million booster Covid shots administered across UK
An estimated 5.3 million booster Covid shots have been administered in the UK, new figures show.
A total of 4,524,517 doses have been delivered in England, along with 429,801 in Scotland, 322,591 in Wales and 43,536 in Northern Ireland.
The figures means about one in nine double-vaccinated people in the UK are likely to have also received a booster.
Wales has the highest proportion of double-jabbed people who have had a booster, at 14.4%, analysis by PA shows. The figure for England is 11.9%, with 11.1% for Scotland and 3.5% for Northern Ireland.
Here’s a breakdown in England and Wales by age group (this data is not yet available for Scotland and Northern Ireland):
- More than half (53.6%) of double-jabbed people aged 80 and over in England, compared with 47.2% in Wales.
- Some 39.8% of eligible 75 to 79-year-olds in England have had a booster, along with 30.6% in Wales.
UK reports 49,298 cases and 180 deaths
The UK has recorded 49,298 new Covid cases and a further 180 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, the latest government figures show.
This is a fall from yesterday, when daily infections surpassed 50,000 for the first time since July to reach 52,009.
The seven-day average shows that cases have risen by 18.1% in the last week, while deaths are up by 15.8%.
The latest rise comes as Boris Johnson told there was “absolutely nothing” to suggest a winter lockdown was on the cards this afternoon, following similar statements on Thursday when he told broadcasters that he would not be switching to “plan B”.
The British Medical Association accused the government of being “wilfully negligent” on Wednesday for not reintroducing rules including mandatory face masks, and while health secretary, Sajid Javid encouraged their use he said no further restrictions would not be introduced “at this point”.
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Apologies for the lack of updates over the last couple of hours – we’ve been having some technical difficulties updating the blog this afternoon.
Here’s a quick summary of today’s main developments.
- Boris Johnson has said that the government sees “absolutely nothing to indicate that [a full lockdown] is on the cards at all” when asked to rule out a shutdown with ““stay at home” advice and shops closing this winter.
- Johnson said the question of whether to reduce the length of time between the second jab and booster from six months to five months was an “important” and was being looked into.
- Labour MP Barry Gardiner’s fire-and-rehire reform bill ran out of time on Friday failed to progress beyond second reading. MPs rejected the closure motion by 251 votes to 188, and then business minister Paul Scully “talked it out” by speaking for 40 minutes.
- Former Labour MP Frank Field has revealed that he is terminally ill as he backed a law that would allow assisted dying.
- A two minute silence was held in memory of Sir David Amess in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex on Friday, a week after the MP was killed while meeting constituents.
- Mortality rates in England and Wales in September have risen “significantly” compared with the same period last year.
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Johnson says 'absolutely nothing to indicate' winter lockdown is likely
Boris Johnson has spoken to reporters as part of a 40-minute visit to the Covid-19 vaccine centre at the Little Venice Sports Centre in west London.
He said the question of whether to reduce the length of time between the second jab and booster from six months to five months was an “important” one, adding that “a lot of people” are looking at the issue.
Johnson, who was wearing a mask, added: “I think that people should be coming forward with the same spirit of determination to get their boosters as we saw earlier on this year.
“It’s a very good thing to do. It gets you a huge amount of protection and we always expected that we would see numbers rise right about now. That is happening.”
Asked whether a full lockdown with “stay at home” advice and shops closing is out of the question this winter, he replied: “I’ve got to tell you at the moment that we see absolutely nothing to indicate that that’s on the cards at all.”
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MPs defeated a closure motion designed to stop the fire and rehire bill from being blocked.MPs have voted on a closure motion on the debate on the employment and trade union rights (dismissal and re-engagement) bill.
- 188 ayes
- 251 noes
The bill will now be read a second time, the deputy speaker says.
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Demonstrators calling for reform to assisted dying legislation have gathered outside parliament as the bill has its second reading in the House of Lords.
Campaigners and peers backing the proposed assisted dying bill gathered in Westminster holding placards reading “Yes to dignity” and “Yes to choice”.
They were joined by Molly Meacher, who sponsored the bill.
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Richard Fuller, Conservative MP for Bedfordshire North East, is now extolling the virtues of capitalism in his opposition to the bill.
“Capitalism is good, capitalism creates higher wages, better skills, stronger businesses, a more global Britain,” he says. “It is through capitalism that this country has grown to provide the public services for so many of our people.” He says it has allowed the country to have “the highest wages for the lowest pay” in decades.
He argues that we should be entrusting the “captains of capitalism ... the women and men who lead our businesses” with the “responsibility to act ethically and responsibly”. He says that is best done by a “code of practice that works with the grain of business rather than against it”.
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Richard Fuller, Conservative MP Bedfordshire North East, is arguing that the UK “already is the best place to work”, emphasising the government’s furlough scheme in particular.
Fuller says the “nub” of the difference of approach between the Tories and the opposition on the issue is to do with regulation. “Our approach is not about making better regulation, it is about making better business. There are a variety of tactics that can be taken to achieve a shared objective,” Fuller says.
He says the debate relates to “an exceptional time and an exceptional practice ... which remains exceptionally rare”.
Fuller then asks whether the Labour party supports ending the tactic or not – Gardiner had said earlier that the bill would not want to ban it entirely. Gardiner clarifies the bill would not ban it, but supporting members want to end it as a tactic – “as a bad practice used by disreputable employers to do the wrong thing”.
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Gavin Newlands, SNP MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, is speaking in support of Barry Gardiner’s employment and trade union rights bill.
He accuses the government of “[wringing] their hands over how horribly these companies are behaving and sympathising with the workers being blackmailed” before “proceeding to do absolutely nothing to address it legislation”.
“This issue is not going to go away, it certainly won’t go away with guidelines,” Newlands says.
Echoing Gardiner’s argument from earlier, Newlands is making the economic case for changing fire and rehire legislation, saying that employment insecurity is a “surefire” way to “depress spending, demand and ultimately hinder economic recovery”.
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Former Labour minister Lord Adonis has opposed changing the law on assisted dying over concerns regarding abuse.
Lord Adonis said it would risk allowing abuse of vulnerable people:
The problem with the Bill is it’s simply not possible to guard adequately against the abuse of the very elderly and very ill by greedy and manipulative relations and friends. The idea that brief consultations with two doctors are adequate is simply not credible.”
Meanwhile, crossbencher Lord Hogan-Howe spoke about having changed his mind on the issue, which he said was one that “can divide reasonable people”, adding that he now supports the Bill “in a way I wouldn’t have supported it a few years ago”.
Lord Hogan-Howe said “choice” was now the main reason he supported the Bill, adding he could “only imagine the torment or hopelessness of a person who knows they’re dying” and questioned how the state or parliament could “deny individuals the option of a controlled death”.
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In the House of Lords, Conservative peer Lord Dobbs of Wylye has spoken in favour of changing the law on assisted dying, speaking about his family history of prostate cancer, which he has also been diagnosed with.
Lord Dobbs told the House of Lords that his father and eldest brother both died of prostate cancer, while his other brother has been told he “won’t survive it” and he himself was diagnosed earlier this year.
“So, for the men in the Dobbs family this isn’t a matter of surmise, this is a matter of profound practicality, and believe me, my lords, it focuses the mind,” he said.“My life, my body, my character belong to no-one but myself. Of course, others have an interest in my life and my death but I have the ultimate right to decide what happens to me, not the state, not the Church, not any court.”
He said that he understood some people’s reservations but a law “which says myself and my loved ones must suffer in agony and without hope” is one of “utmost cruelty” and must be changed.
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Two-minute silence held for Sir David Amess in Leigh-on-Sea
A two minute silence is being held in memory of Sir David Amess in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, a week after the MP was killed while meeting constituents.
Local shopkeepers and residents in Eastwood Road stood in silence which was broken with applause and the release of blue balloons to pay respect to the MP.
James Duddridge, the MP for Rochford and Southend East, said: “It is going to be very difficult not just for the family but for the whole community.”
A two minute silence has been held in Leigh-on-Sea for the Southend MP Sir David Amess. More @BBCLookEast @BBCLondonNews pic.twitter.com/OkOVAo5ELy
— Leigh Milner (@LeighMilnerTV) October 22, 2021
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Back to the Commons, where MPs are debating fire and rehire again.
Shadow employment rights minister, Imran Hussain, calls the tactic “nothing more than a form of legalised blackmail where all the power is in the hands of bad bosses”.
“Let there be no doubt that fire and rehire is abhorrent, morally bankrupt, and a stain on our economy,” he says.
He says the tactic is being employed “not by small companies” but big nationals, including Tesco and Argos, adding “many of these companies have seen bumper sales during lockdown”.
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Mortality rates in England and Wales rise 'significantly' from last September
Mortality rates in England and Wales in September were “significantly” higher this year compared with 2020, new figures show.
- Some 966.2 deaths per 100,000 people were registered in England last month, up from 885.5 in September 2020.
- In Wales the rate was 1,056.4 per 100,000, up from 946.2 in 2020.
- Excess deaths are up by 9.4% above the pre-pandemic average in England, with 7,215 extra deaths registered last month.
- In Wales, this figure is 9.4% above the pre-pandemic average (489 extra deaths).
The figures out of 100,000 are age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs), which are used for comparisons over time rather than numbers of deaths, as ASMRs account for changes to the population size and age structure.
However, not all of these deaths can be linked to coronavirus. In England, 41.0% of the total number of excess deaths were due to Covid-19, while in Wales it was 51.7%.
Covid-19 was the third leading cause of death in both England and Wales in September, unchanged from August in England, but up from seventh in Wales.
The leading cause of death in England was dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, while in Wales the leading cause was ischaemic heart disease.
(13.57: A note has been added to this post to clarify the use of ASMRs.)
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Former Labour MP Frank Field announces he is terminally ill
Former Labour MP Frank Field has asked peers to back efforts to relax the law on assisted dying as it was announced he is terminally ill.
Baroness Meacher read out a statement from Lord Field of Birkenhead as his illness meant he was unable to take part in the assisted dying bill at second reading. Peers heard Lord Field said:
I’ve just spent a short period in a hospice and I’m not well enough to participate in today’s debate. If I had been, I’d have spoken strongly in favour of the second reading. I changed my mind on assisted dying when an MP friend dying of cancer wanted to die early before the full horror effects set in, but was denied this opportunity.
He described a key argument against the bill – that people would be pressured into ending their lives – as “unfounded”. Lord Field drew on figures from US and Australia, saying assisted deaths remain below 1% there, adding that a former supreme court judge of Victoria, Australia, said pressure from relatives “just hasn’t been an issue”.
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Nine in 10 university students in England have received at least one Covid-19 vaccination, according to an Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey.
Just 7% of 980 students polled said they have not been vaccinated. Of these, more than half (58%) said they are “fairly or very” unlikely to get it.
Almost eight in 10 (78%) of students have received both doses, with 12% having only had one. The poll also found that more than half (53%) who have been vaccinated think Covid-19 poses a major or significant risk to them.
Health minister Maggie Throup is now making a statement on the health incentives scheme. She says:
- Two-thirds of adults in England are overweight or obese, and obesity-related illnesses cost the NHS £6bn a year
- Obesity is most prevalent in the most deprived areas, she says, adding that “levelling up” must mean giving people the “tools and support” they need “to make a positive change to their lives”.
- Announcing the incentive scheme, Throup says obesity policy must “reward healthy behaviours”
In England from next year, the government will be piloting a scheme called “fit miles” which will include an app and £3m in rewards including vouchers. We’d reported on this in March:
Alex Norris, the shadow health and social care minister, says this policy is “tinkering around the edges” and the government is failing to address a central point – that “tackling obesity is about tackling poverty”. People in the poorest communities are twice as likely to be obese as those in the best off, Norris says.
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Laura Farris, Conservative MP for Newbury, says it is unacceptable to use fire and rehire to force through changes when workers are vulnerable. She argues that MPs agree on that principle, but that there are divisions on how to tackle the problem.
She says that the bill poses risks for workers rights. “I think it exacerbates one of the deepest problems in industrial relations that has come about through this practice.” Farris says opposition to the bill should not be seen as Tory vs Labour, and that opinion within industry and business is mixed.
A minister face masks should not become a “sign of virtue”, a minister has said following the health secretary’s calls for MPs to set a good example by masking up to help avoid further restrictions being introduced.
Gillian Keegan, the minister of state for care, told Sky News masks were “less relevant” than vaccines and boosters as cases passed 50,000 on Thursday for the first time since July.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said it was “previously incorrectly stated” that samples which may have resulted in a wrong Covid test result started being processed in a lab on 8 September, PA reports.
It said affected samples actually started being processed in the Immensa Health Clinic laboratory in Wolverhampton on 2 September, six days earlier. UKHSA said the estimate for the number of people potentially given wrong results has not been revised from the current figure of 43,000.
Here’s an explainer on how this happened:
In the Commons, Barry Gardiner is arguing that as well as being an issue of principle, fire and rehire is bad for business and the economy.
“The economic argument is critical here, we need to understand this is moral, but it is also a serious economic failure of this country,” he says. He gives the example of a loss suffered by British Gas Centrica:
Disputes around fire and rehire drag on, sometimes for months. During that time, employees are often working to rule or refusing to do overtime. Where the dispute leads to strike action there can be enormous loss of production. It is estimated that British Gas Centrica lost between £30m and £40m in productivity during the dispute.”
He goes on to say 70% of the companies that engaged in the tactic in the last month are profit-making companies: “It’s not just an ethical problem ... it’s also an economic problem that even the most hard-nosed Treasury officials should recognise”.
“My bill does not ban fire and rehire,” Gardiner underlines, saying that employers’ organisations and trade unions agree that it could have “perverse consequences and should not be attempted”. He says it’s essential that where companies are facing collapse, the law does not prevent what may be the only way of preserving those jobs and continuing the enterprise.
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Lateral flow to replace PCR for fully vaccinated passengers in Wales
Fully-vaccinated travellers arriving in Wales from non-red list countries will be able to take a lateral flow test rather than a PCR from 31 October, the Welsh government has said.
Passengers arriving in England will be able to take the cheaper test from 24 October.
The Welsh government said it “remained concerned” about the speed at which the UK government is opening up international travel and its decisions around border health measures, and has urged it to “take a precautionary approach” toward overseas travel.
It said it has taken the decision to relax measures as “it is difficult ... to adopt a different testing regime to that required by the UK government, as the majority of Welsh travellers enter the UK through ports and airports in England”.
“Having different testing requirements would cause significant practical problems, confusion among the travelling public, logistical issues, enforcement at our borders and disadvantages for Welsh businesses,” hte statement added.
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MPs to be offered security guards at constituency surgeries
MPs will be offered a security guard for constituency surgeries following a review in the wake of Sir David Amess’s killing.
Home secretary Priti Patel and Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle warned MPs in a joint letter that their safety is at risk from a “small minority of hostile individuals”.
In a letter first reported by the Times, Hoyle and Patel wrote to MPs acknowledging they will be “rightly concerned about their own safety and security, and that of their staff”.The letter added:
The work you carry out can put you at odds with a wide range of ideologies and views and a small minority of hostile individuals may be motivated by grievances which are difficult to detect and whose actions are hard to predict.”
They said a “trained and accredited security operative will be available to come to your constituency surgeries”.
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Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for Brent North, is speaking in Commons against fire and rehire as the employment and trade union rights (dismissal and re-engagement) bill goes for second reading.
He gives examples of workers he has spoken across the country to who have been affected by fire and rehire policies, including a former bus driver in Manchester on three different kinds of medication to deal with the stress of losing his job.
Richard Fuller, Conservative MP Bedfordshire North East, says fire and rehire is not widespread and also occurs in the public sector.
Gardiner says “wherever this happens it’s wrong, it doesn’t matter if it’s the private or the public sector – it’s wrong and families are suffering”, adding that it’s important “not to play party politics and to act”.
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A secondary school in Hampshire has shut for half term break two days early due to rising Covid cases.
Admiral Lord Nelson school in Portsmouth moved to remote learning for the last two days of term on Thursday after 161 students were isolating along with 17 staff absent, mostly because of Covid-19. A statement on the school’s website reads:
It is with regret that we have had to take the decision to close the school to most students for the next two days and move to online remote education instead over this two-day period. Over the last two weeks we have had rising numbers of both students and staff having to isolate due to testing positive for Covid-19.
To mitigate against this, we have increased hygiene and cleaning procedures, encouraged regular testing by all and brought back in the use of face masks in communal areas.
It said these measures “have not been as effective” as the school would have liked and cases have risen rapidly in the last three days, adding that they “do not believe it is safe to keep students in school with our reduced staffing that makes it increasingly difficult to maintain high standards of education and safety within our school”.
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Good morning and welcome to today’s UK live blog.
The UK’s daily Covid-19 cases rose above 50,000 on Thursday for the first time since July, as Boris Johnson resisted calls for the government to activate its backup plan. The last time cases were at this level was 17 July. Daily data also showed 115 people died within 28 days of a positive test.
The PM said he would not be switching to “plan B”, adding: “We are continuing with the plan we set out in July. We are watching the numbers very carefully every day.”
The rising cases come as a minister said that any decision on whether to shorten the gap between the second dose of the Covid vaccine and the booster jab will depend on the advice of the experts on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
Ministers and officials are reportedly considering plans to reduce the minimum delay from six to five months amid concerns about the speed of the rollout of the booster jabs. Care minister Gillian Keegan told Sky News:
“The JCVI look at all the data. They’ve advised us six months. Of course they continually look at the data but they are the only people who can really answer this question.
“If they advise us, our job then would be to get ready to do whatever they say. But at the moment it is six months. It is not unknown, the JCVI have changed over periods of time and have reacted.”
Our global liveblog can be found here:
If you’d like to draw my attention to something, I’m @cleaskopeliti on Twitter, or you can reach me by email. I will read everything but may not have time to reply to all – thanks in advance.
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