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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Lucy Campbell (now) and Andrew Sparrow (earlier)

Today’s UK Covid news: government to change guidance ‘to make it clearer we are not imposing local restrictions’

Ministers were forced to climbdown on travel restrictions to English Covid hotspots after a day of mounting confusion and anger left millions of people wondering if they needed to cancel bank holiday plans.

Contentious advice will be removed from the government website, a spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday evening. It had advised against all but essential travel to and from eight areas of England where the Covid variant identified in India has been spreading. Instead, people will be advised to “minimise travel”.

The controversial guidance directly affected 1.7 million people living in eight local authorities – Bedford, Blackburn, Bolton, Burnley, Kirklees, Leicester, North Tyneside and the London borough of Hounslow – as well as many others who had holidays or family visits planned to those areas following the easing of restrictions.

It was criticised by Conservative and Labour politicians as having been introduced “by stealth” after it appeared on the government website last week with no warning.

The full story is here:

The government’s shambolic presentation of new guidelines for Covid hotspots undermines the fight to control the B.1.617.2 variant, according to this Guardian editorial.

During the first phase of the Covid pandemic, councils were driven to despair by the government’s failure to consult with them adequately or utilise local public health expertise. Last May, for example, as infection rates spiralled in the north-east, numerous northern councils defied Whitehall’s decree that all primary school reception classes should reopen. A dysfunctional relationship between Whitehall and local government undermined the national response to the crisis.

One year on, as concerns continue to grow over the B.1.617.2 variant of the virus, first detected in India, it is astonishing to see the same mistake being made all over again. On Monday night it emerged that new government guidance was issued last week for eight areas affected by the new variant, where surge testing and vaccinations have been taking place. The fresh advice, which would have major implications for millions of people, recommended that all non-essential travel in and out of the places concerned should be avoided, and people should meet outside rather than inside. But this major policy shift, which appeared to amount to a form of light local lockdown, was not communicated to local public health directors, council leaders or businesses. It simply appeared, unannounced, on the government’s Covid guidance website. The public health director of North Tyneside had spent the early part of this week reassuring regional media that it was “certainly OK” to visit the area. In Leicester, also on the list, 8,000 people attended a Premier League football match on Saturday. Yasmin Qureshi, the MP for Bolton South East, found out about the guidance from a local journalist.

There is no excuse for public messaging so incompetent that it fails even to reach local MPs and council officials, and then slowly but surely unravels. In the House of Commons on Tuesday, as confusion reigned, the shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, accused the government of introducing “lockdowns by stealth”. By late afternoon, after officials from local authorities met government representatives, the directors of public health from all eight areas issued a joint statement, saying that there were “no restrictions on travel” and “no local lockdowns”. Given that the new guidelines, which are now being modified, had never been statutory, their sole effect appears to have been to infuriate local leaders and bemuse the 2 million residents of the eight areas. Families planning to see relatives at half-term are being left to make their own judgments. As with the “amber-listed” holiday destinations, the government appears content to hand responsibility, should anything go wrong, to those who fail to “exercise their judgment” wisely.

Confused messages and farcical muddle on this scale erode trust and endanger compliance. Overall, Covid infection levels remain low and the country remains on track for all lockdown restrictions to be lifted on 21 June. But the early signs are that vaccine efficacy after one dose is relatively low against the B.1.617.2 variant, and its transmissibility is relatively high. Until full vaccination is achieved, there will be a significant corridor of uncertainty. Clear communication and proper consultation with local authorities will be needed to navigate it. Why does that seem so difficult for the government to grasp?

Kirklees council has issued a statement reiterating there are no travel restrictions in place for the area and urging caution from both residents and visitors.

It reads:

Kirklees continues to follow the roadmap out of restrictions alongside the rest of England. Given our high infection rates, we are urging residents and visitors to be cautious but there are no restrictions to travel into and out of Kirklees. Pubs and restaurants remain open for business.

Deaths and hospitalisations relating to Covid-19 remain low in Kirklees but with rising infection rates, everyone in Kirklees has a part to play in keeping themselves and their community safe. That’s why we’re urging people to get tested, stick to the guidance and – above all – to get vaccinated when you are eligible. Maintaining social distancing and meeting outdoors are sensible ways of reducing infections but residents can still travel in and out of the borough in line with national restrictions.

Updated

Here is the MEN’s Jennifer Williams, questioning whether this is a government u-turn as the advice is unchanged. The only thing that appears to have changed is the government is emphasising this isn’t a change in legislation, which nobody thought it was...

This is from the Lib Dem MP Layla Moran, who chairs the APPG on Coronavirus

Here is the full government statement on the “additional precautions people can take” in the affected areas, including meeting outdoors, social distancing and minimising travel.

We will be updating the guidance for areas where the new Covid-19 variant is spreading to make it clearer we are not imposing local restrictions. Instead, we are providing advice on the additional precautions people can take to protect themselves and others in those areas where the new variant is prevalent.

This includes, wherever possible, trying to meet outdoors rather than indoors, keeping 2 metres apart from anyone you don’t live with and minimising travel in and out of the area. These are not new regulations but they are some of the ways everyone can help bring the variant under control in their local area.

Updated

This is from the Mirror’s Dan Bloom, who reports the government will still advise people to minimise travel in and out of the affected areas but will update the guidance to make clear it is guidance only, as opposed to legal restrictions.

More from the BBC’s health editor, Hugh Pym:

Government to update guidance: 'we are not imposing local restrictions'

The BBC’s health editor says the government has confirmed it will be “updating” the guidance on England Covid hotspots “to make it clearer we are not imposing local restrictions”.

Afternoon summary

  • Ministers are reportedly on the verge of withdrawing elements of controversial new guidance for people living in eight Covid hotspots in England after its discovery generated alarm and confusion. The advice was placed on a government website (and is still there now), but never publicised by ministers. It said people living in Burnley, Bedford, Blackburn with Darwen, Bolton, Kirklees, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside should avoid travelling in or out of these areas except for essential reasons. In the Commons Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said the government was creating “lockdowns by stealth” (see 12.46pm) and Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccine deployment minister, failed to clarify the government’s position when asked whether it would be right for people living in these areas to leave them for a half-term or May bank holiday break. (See 3.05pm.) The public health directors from the eight local authorities have issued a joint statement effectively saying they don’t want or need special guidance because there are “sensible” measures people can take anyway in line with the national advice. (See 5.11pm.) And within the last hour Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, director of public health for Lancashire county council, has told Radio 4’s PM programme that, following a discussion with government officials, he and his colleagues are now “expecting some changes to be made” to the guidance. He said residents were not being told not to travel in or out of these areas; instead the focus was on getting people to get vaccinated, and to use testing, he said.

That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.

Updated

From my colleague Aubrey Allegretti

Health officials in Covid hotspots unite to dismiss need for government's new, localised guidance

The directors of public health in all eight areas in England covered by the government’s localised guidance for Covid hotspots have now issued a joint statement. It echoes the statements we have already had from Leicester (see 2.16pm and 2.16pm), Bolton (see 2.28pm) and North Tyneside (see 4.11pm).

Effectively, they are saying they don’t want or need special guidance because there are “sensible” measures people can take anyway in line with the national advice.

Here is the statement from the directors of public health in Burnley, Bedford, Blackburn with Darwen, Bolton, Kirklees, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside.

Following the national coverage of recently revised guidance we have met with national officials and confirmed there are no restrictions on travel in or out of each of our areas: There are no local lockdowns.

In areas where the new Covid variant is spreading we are all working together to boost testing and vaccination and to support self-isolation.

There are sensible public health precautions people can take as individuals in line with the sorts of advice we have all been following throughout the pandemic.

We will keep sharing that and working with national officials to make sure people understand what they need to think about as they go about their daily lives.

An alliance of Liberal Democrat, Conservative, independent and Green councillors is set to oust Labour in Durham at the council’s AGM tomorrow.

Not only will the council be run by a non-Labour administration for the first time, it will also have its first ever female leader, the Liberal Democrat Amanda Hopgood.

The partnership was confirmed today following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the various political party and independent groups within the joint administration. The MOU mandates for an an annual rotation of the leadership role between the partner groups.

In a statement, the “joint administration” said they are “willing to work with any and all groups for the good of County Durham” but Labour (which remains the largest party with 53/126 council seats) says it has been “excluded from talks”.

Carl Marshall, the leader of Durham Labour group, said:

To be excluded from talks between other political groups is not only disappointing, it threatens to destabilise the significant progress we have made in laying the groundwork for 30,000 new jobs across Durham.

The “joint administration” is the latest cross-party alliance to take control of a council after a result of no overall control at the 2021 local elections after similar outcomes in Bristol, Oxfordshire and Lancaster.

Speaking at the signing of the MOU at County Hall in Durham, Hopgood said:

Our partnership represents a wider cross-section of the county than any previous administration and that reflects how the public voted. We will be hitting the ground running as we strive to improve County Durham, bringing in jobs and investment while ensuring that our residents are consulted and listened to.

Updated

North Tyneside’s director of public health, Wendy Burke, has issued a statement saying that, although the area features on the government’s Covid hotspots guidance, no local travel restrictions are in place. She said:

Following the national coverage of recently revised guidance, we have met with national officials and confirmed there are no restrictions on travel in or out of North Tyneside.

There are no local lockdowns.

In areas where the new Covid variant is spreading we are all working together to boost testing and vaccination and to support self-isolation.

There are sensible public health precautions people can take as individuals in line with the sorts of advice we have all been following throughout the pandemic.

We will keep sharing that and working with national officials to make sure people understand what they need to think about as they go about their daily lives.

The Conservative MP Rob Roberts, who faces a six-week suspension from the Commons for sexual harassment, has said he recognises that unwanted sexual advances he made to a member of staff were a “breach of trust”. He also indicated that he wants to stay on as an MP.

In a statement on his website, Roberts said:

In the first half of 2020, I was in a particularly challenging place personally and had taken the decision to leave my marriage of 15 years and come out as being gay. At around the same time, I asked a male member of parliamentary staff to dinner in the hope of striking up a personal relationship. I recognise that this breach of trust in the MP-staff relationship was completely improper and should not have happened.

I apologised at the time and do so again to the complainant but also to my colleagues, family and most importantly my constituents.

I will continue to do my utmost to serve my constituency as I have over the past 18 months since my election, and this judgement will not alter my resolve to ensure that the people of Delyn get the assistance they need with pressing local issues. It is the greatest honour of my life to represent the constituency in which I grew up and have lived my whole life, and I will work tirelessly to restore any faith which has been lost by this ruling.

I have no further comment to make on the situation and will continue to go about my non-parliamentary work as before, providing as much assistance and representation to my constituents as I can.

Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London, has urged the government to let younger people get vaccinated early in areas where the India variant of coronavirus is spreading. He said:

This morning I met with vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi, alongside mayors from across the country.

I raised the need for clarity on the government’s guidance and support for those living and working in Hounslow [a Covid hotspot], and also the impact of new guidance on Heathrow airport.

Surge testing is taking place and more vaccines are being made available, and it’s vital that anyone who is offered a test or a vaccine takes it as soon as possible.

I also continue to urge the government to increase the availability of the vaccine to younger age groups where this variant is spreading.

Updated

Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccine deployment minister, in the Commons earlier
Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccine deployment minister, in the Commons earlier Photograph: Parliament/ Jessica Taylor/Parliament/Jessica Taylor

Sir Peter Soulsby, the Labour mayor of Leicester, says the city has been told by the government that it was included in the list of places covered by new Covid hotspot guidelines by mistake. He has posted a link to a statement by Prof Ivan Browne, the city’s director of public health, that expands on the statement put out by the council earlier. (See 2.16pm.)

According to ITV’s political editor, Robert Peston, in his Commons evidence tomorrow Dominic Cummings will allege Boris Johnson said “Covid is only killing 80-year-olds” when delaying lockdown in the autumn. Peston has written this up on his blog.

Tory party co-chair Amanda Milling accepts Singh inquiry recommendations and apologises 'to anyone hurt by discriminatory behaviour' by party

Amanda Milling, the Conservative party co-chairman, has accepted all the recommendations of the he Singh report into Islamophobia and other discrimination in the Conservative party (see 10.29am and 12.34pm) and issued an apology “to anyone who has been hurt by discriminatory behaviour of others or failed by our system”.

(Does this cover the use of discriminatory language by Boris Johnson? [See 11.23am.] If it does, her apology is a fuller one than his own, cursory “sorry for any offence taken” version.)

Amanda Milling.
Amanda Milling. Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/PA

Updated

What vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said when asked to clarify local Covid hotspot guidance

Andy Burnham has asked the government to clarify its guidance for Covid hotspots. (See 2.47pm.) Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, made the same request in the Commons earlier, asking, for example, if people living in one of these areas should leave for a half-term break, or to visit relatives over the bank holiday weekend. Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccine deployment minister, was replying, but he did not any answers that were particularly clear. For the record, this is what he said in response to Ashworth.

What we’re asking people to do in those affected areas is to be cautious, is to be careful.

So, on visiting families, meet outside rather than inside where possible. Meeting indoors is still allowed, in a group of six or two households, but meeting outdoors is safer. Meet two metres apart from people you don’t live with, unless you have formed a support bubble. This includes, obviously, friends and family you don’t live with.

So, yes, people can visit family in half term if they follow social distancing guidelines. The guidelines include specific sections on meeting friends and family.

Avoid travelling in and out of the affected areas, as the prime minister said on the 14th, unless it is essential for example, for work purposes.

This is what Justin Madders, a shadow health minister, said in response.

Burnham calls for further clarification over Covid hotspot guidance so people have 'no doubt whatsoever' what they're meant to do

At his press conference Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, supported what David Greenhalgh said about the government’s guidance for Covid hotspots. (See 2.28pm.) But he went further too.

  • Burnham described the guidance as a “fairly major communications error” that had caused “huge amounts of confusion”. He said:

Nobody in our system was told about this change in the presentation of the guidance ... There’s been a huge amounts of confusion across the system and this would appear to be, in my view, a fairly major communications error of the kind that we saw a lot of last year, but we haven’t seen recently.

  • He said the government should issue further clarification today, so people in the areas affected knew exactly what they were meant to do. He said:

The government does need to issue a further clarification today exactly what it means by the guidance, so that the residents of Bolton and beyond are in absolutely no doubt whatsoever what is being asked of them.

  • He urged the government to rule out a return to local lockdowns. “There will be a concern out there today that this is a local lockdown by stealth, or the first move back to local lockdowns or to the reintroduction of the tier system,” he said. He said the government should be explicit about ruling this out.
  • He said, given that the government is now admitting that the threat varies locally, schools should be allowed to require pupils to wear masks. The national guidance says this is no longer necessary, and Burnham said schools had been told they had to stick this. They should have more flexibility, he said.
Andy Burnham speaking at his press conference today
Andy Burnham speaking at his press conference today Photograph: Sky News

Bolton's Tory council leader says government guidance for Covid hotspots created 'confusion'

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester is holding a press conference with two local council leaders.

One of them is David Greenhalgh, the Conservative leader of Bolton council, and he said that although Bolton is covered by the new guidance for hotspot areas issued by the Covid, he said the government had assured the council that this did not mean new restrictions were in force.

There was “no local lockdown”, he said. He said the town had experienced local lockdowns, and they did not work.

But he said there was “confusion” before the situation was clarified.

Leicester effectively tells its residents to ignore government's localised hotspot guidance and stick to national advice

Leicester city council has effectively told its residents to ignore the new guidance from the government covering the city and seven other Covid hotspots. A spokesman for the council said:

We became aware last night that the government had updated its website to include specific advice around Leicester and some other areas where cases of the Indian variant have been identified.

No-one from the DHSC or Public Health England contacted us about this advice, to explain the rationale behind it or give any other information. We have been invited to join a meeting later today where we expect to find out more.

As it stands, Leicester has lower rates of the variant than other parts of the country, and we have a plan in place for stepping up our vaccination rate as agreed with the government last week.

The new advice on the government’s website is just that, and we don’t have any evidence as to why people or businesses in Leicester should not continue to follow the existing national guidance.

We always suggest that people should take a cautious approach and make sensible judgments when restrictions are eased as part of the government’s road map, and that still applies.

When making travel arrangements, or mixing indoors, we should all follow the necessary precautions which include ventilating rooms and vehicles if car sharing; wearing a face covering on public transport; and following the rule of two households or six people if meeting indoors.

The spike in Covid cases in Bolton is leading to an increase in people needing hospital treatment, a local health leader has said. Andy Ennis, the chief operating officer of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said the hospital’s emergency department saw one of its busiest ever days on Monday. He said:

People are presenting with a range of problems and staff are working very hard to ensure they receive all the care they need as quickly and efficiently as possible.

However, we are also now seeing more people requiring hospital treatment from the effects of Covid-19, and whilst we have discharged a number overnight, today we still have 41 inpatients with Covid, including eight in critical care.

Going into the bank holiday weekend and half term, which is always a busy time for the NHS, we anticipate this pressure continuing. As such we are taking urgent actions to ensure we can continue to manage this demand effectively.

The opposition parties have described the Singh report into Islamophobia and other discrimination in the Conservative party (see 10.29am and 12.34pm) as an indictment of Boris Johnson personally.

For Labour, the shadow secretary for women and equalities, Marsha de Cordova, said:

This report is a damning indictment of the discrimination rife in the Conservative Party, and it goes all the way up to the prime minister.

Reports of Islamophobic hate crime spiralled in the weeks after Boris Johnson likened women who wear the burka to ‘letterboxes’ and ‘bank robbers’.

He must now issue a full and proper public apology that acknowledges the pain and hurt he has caused in the Muslim community, as well as taking meaningful action to rebuild trust, especially among Muslim women.

And for the SNP the party’s deputy Westminster leader, Kirsten Oswald, said:

Boris Johnson has made a litany of overtly racist and discriminatory comments about various groups of people over the years, which have not only caused major offence but have damaged the Conservative party and the UK’s reputation.

This is not leadership - and any prime minister who does not hold, promote and follow a zero tolerance towards racism and Islamophobia is not fit for office.

Lee Anderson (Con) asks Zahawi if it is true that people who have been double vaccinated will still have to self-isolate after 21 June if they come into contact with someone who has Covid, as the Telegraph reports. (See 1.02pm.)

Zahawi says he addressed this earlier. But he stresses that the government is looking at alternatives to self-isolation. He says the government will say more about this when it sets out the plans for step 4 (what happens after 21 June).

Updated

Back in the Commons Stella Creasy (Lab) says women who are pregnant who get Covid are twice as likely to have a premature birth and twice as likely to have a stillbirth. She says they should be prioritised for vaccination.

Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccine deployment minister, says the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is looking at this.

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed the more transmissible variant found in India has led to the “bump in the road” which has caused a a surge in cases in Glasgow, East Renfrewshire and Clackmannanshire, and a slight rise in hospitalisations.

In a coronavirus briefing on Tuesday, Scotland’s first minister said three more people had been admitted to hospital with confirmed Covid-19 overnight, taking the total to 96, and the number of patients in intensive care was up one to 6.

There had also been two deaths of Covid patients over the past 24 hours. Those are the first deaths reported in Scotland since 14 May, taking Scotland’s total fatalities involving confirmed cases to 7,666.

Sturgeon said those data were far lower than at the peak of the pandemic, when more than 2,000 people were hospitalised, but said they underscored the case for caution and continued controls. The test positivity rate was slightly up too, from a seven-day rate of 1.8% to 2% overnight. That was due in large part to the India variant, called the April 02 variant in Scotland.

She said the mass vaccination programme would allow ministers and health chiefs to deploy a much less aggressive lockdown regime in the near future: in line with evidence from UK-level population monitoring, they hoped the vaccinations would greatly reduce the number of infected people going to hospital and dying.

She said 3.14m people in Scotland had now had their first doses, and nearly 1.9m had had both.

Sturgeon added that the latest data from East Renfrewshire, where cases spiked last week, had stabilised. Its seven-day case rate to 21 May was 113.1 per 100,000. In Glasgow, the only Scottish council area remaining in tier 3, the second-highest tier, there were early signs the ongoing surge was slowing. Its seven-day rate was 136.8. Hospitalisation figures in Greater Glasgow and Clyde were stable over the weekend.

Dr Gregor Smith, Scotland’s chief medical officer, said a sharp rise in case rates in Clackmannanshire, which had Scotland’s highest per capita rate of 139.7 last week, was due to a few local clusters among younger adults.

Because Clackmannanshire has a small population, health officials were not alarmed; there was little evidence of wider community transmission. Daily reported cases were less than 10 there, he said.

Updated

Number of pupils in England with confirmed Covid cases up 33% in a week, DfE figures show

The number of school children in England with confirmed cases of Covid-19 has jumped by 33% in the space of a week, according to the latest figures released by the Department for Education.

The figures showed that 4,000 pupils were absent from state schools with confirmed coronavirus infections on 20 May last week - an increase of 1,000 compared with the same survey on 12 May.

The DfE figures, based on its weekly school attendance data, showed that the number of pupils self-isolating because of contact within schools has also risen, from 44,000 to 60,000, in the space of a week, and 18,000 pupils were reported to have suspected cases of Covid-19. Some 22,000 were self-isolating because of possible contacts outside of schools.

Absences involving coronavirus cases have now doubled since schools in England returned after the Easter holidays. On 22 April just 2,000 confirmed cases were recorded among pupils.

Secondary school attendance fell from 89% of pupils to 87% nationally, while primary school and special school attendance also dipped. Only national figures are made available by the DfE.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of National Association of Head Teachers, said:

There is growing concern about the spread of the India variant in schools. The government must make the data they hold on this public without further delay. Schools need transparency about the levels of infection around the country so they can make sure they have the right measures in place for their local area.

The government must be proactive to ensure that transmission in schools, particularly in relation to the new variant, is not allowed to proceed unchecked.

On 17 May the government dropped its guidance requiring secondary school pupils in England to wear masks in classrooms.

Updated

Tan Dhesi (Lab) says he has heard multiple complaints about the conditions in hotels where people have to self-isolate. People are being denied tap water, he says. The quality of food is poor, with people having to get take-aways. Ventilation is poor, he says. And Dhesi says he has not even mentioned the “shambolic” mixing in airport queues.

Zahawi says he will look into these complaints.

Zahawi suggests regular testing could be alternative for self-isolation for Covid contacts

Back in the Commons Mark Harper, chair of the anti-lockdown Covid Recovery Group for Tory MPs, asks about today’s Telegraph story saying “fully vaccinated people face still having to self-isolate for 10 days if they come into contact with someone infected with Covid after June 21”.

Zahawi says, even if you have had two doses of the vaccine, you can still contract Covid. He says he knows that from his own family experience.

And he says the government is investigating whether regular testing could be used as an alternative to self-isolation for people who have been in contact with a positive case.

UPDATE: Zahawi said:

Even if you’ve had - and I’ve had this experience in my own family - two doses of either vaccine you can still actually contract Covid and therefore you should be isolating and quarantining.

We’re also looking at ways that contacts of people who may have contracted Covid can be regularly tested instead of isolating.

Updated

At the Downing Street lobby briefing the prime minister’s spokesman insisted that the government had always stressed the need for people in Covid hotspots to take extra care. Asked about the guidance saying people in these places should avoid non-essential travel (see 9.05am), the spokesman said:

Throughout we have been clear that people in these areas should recognise the extra risk posed by the variant and exercise their judgment.

The prime minister talked about this during his press conference on 14 May, government has reiterated a similar message since.

We are in contact with local authorities and that will continue.

The spokesman also stressed the new guidance was not statutory.

Updated

Justin Madders, a shadow health minister, has described Zahawi’s response to Jonathan Ashworth (see 12.48pm) as “an utter shambles”.

Philippa Whitford, the SNP’s health spokesperson, asks if hospitality companies in the Covid hotspot areas will qualify for extra government support if they have to follow the beefed-up guidance.

Zahawi says hospitality venues are allowed to open.

In response to Ashworth, Zahawi says people can visit family in half term. But he also says people should avoid travelling into and out of Covid hotspots.

Labour urges government to withdraw 'lockdowns by stealth' guidance for Covid hotspots

Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, asks if Zahawi understands how insulting it is to have “lockdowns by stealth” imposed by the government.

He asks what it means for people in the affected areas planning weddings, or planning a holiday at half-term.

The guidance must be withdrawn, he says. He says instead the government should convene a meeting of public health directors to come up with a proper plan.

He says Dominic Cummings has been tweeting about the incompetence of the government. People will conclude Cummings is right, he says.

UPDATE: Here is the text of Ashworth’s speech.

Updated

Vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi responds to Commons urgent question

Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccine deployment minister, is responding to a Commons urgent question.

He says average Covid deaths are now down to nine a day.

He says 72% of adults have now had a first dose of vaccine, and 43% a second dose.

He says the government is coming down “really hard” against the India variant.

Referring to the areas where the government guidance has been tightened (see 9.05am), he says this is in line with what Boris Johnson said two weeks ago.

Updated

Anti-Muslim sentiment 'remains a problem' within Tory party, says inquiry report

The conclusions of the report (pdf) into Islamophobia in the Conservative party as set out in the document itself (pages 59 to 61) are much stronger, and more interesting, than the conclusions as set out in the press notice from the inquiry. (See 10.50am.) Here are the key points.

  • Anti-Muslim sentiment is a problem within the party, the inquiry says. It says:

Judging by the extent of complaints and findings of misconduct by the Party itself that relate to anti-Muslim words and conduct, anti-Muslim sentiment remains a problem within the party. This is damaging to the party, and alienates a significant section of society.

It also says the perception that the Conservative party has a “Muslim problem” is “widespread”. It says:

The Conservative and Unionist party of the United Kingdom has faced sustained allegations of discriminatory behaviours and practices against minority groups, with Islamophobia being the most prominent and damaging allegation in recent years. The perception that the party has a ‘Muslim problem’ is widespread, with numerous instances of party members and elected officials alleged to have behaved in a discriminatory manner.

  • Anti-Muslim sentiment is present in the party, mostly at local level, but it is not systemic, the inquiry says. It says:

We discovered some examples of discrimination and anti-Muslim sentiment, most of which were at local association level. We did not, however, find evidence of a party which systematically discriminated against any particular group as defined by the Equality Act 2010, or one in which the structure of the party itself disadvantaged any group, on a direct or indirect discriminatory basis.

  • Although the party claims to have a “zero tolerance” approach to discrimination, it is not clear what this means, the inquiry says. It says:

While the party leadership claims a ‘zero tolerance approach’ to all forms of discrimination, our findings show that discriminatory behaviours occur, especially in relation to people of Islamic faith. The data collection of such incidents is weak and difficult to analyse, hampering early identification of problems and effective remedial action. The party needs to be explicit and specific about what ‘zero tolerance’ means in the context discrimination, both in policy and practice.

  • The party’s codes of conduct are not suited to the social media era, the inquiry says. It says:

There are shortcomings in the codes of conduct, too, which are not adequate given the 21st-century social media landscape and 24-hour rolling news cycle. As we have suggested, these should be strengthened and merged into a single code of conduct.

  • The inquiry says all major parties should consider setting up a joint body to consider discrimination complaints relating to members. It says:

The investigation recommends that all major political parties consider, in discussion with the EHRC, the creation of a cross-party, non-partisan, and independent mechanism for handling complaints of discrimination against their parties or party members on the basis of protected characteristics. This could be similar to the current Parliamentary Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme for Sexual Misconduct.

The report says there is likely to be opposition to this idea. But it says “the benefits of such a new system might well be greater than the perceived disadvantages”.

  • The inquiry says it is not recommending equality or diversity training because it does not think it is effective. It says:

The investigation has chosen not to recommend or endorse any particular form of equality or diversity training. Our brief perusal of published literature confirms that few, if any, of the suggested training models have been proven to show any sustained change in behaviours or attitudes, while there is some evidence of potentially adverse consequences such as promoting divisions, fostering a ‘shame and blame’ culture and the training being perceived as patronising and infantilising. In healthcare, where cultural diversity training has been extensively used to reduce health inequalities, evidence for its effectiveness is lacking.

The inquiry suggests peer mentoring instead as a means of reducing discriminatory attitudes.

Updated

Roughly half the people given appointments at a mass vaccination centre in Glasgow failed to turn up last weekend, the BBC has reported.

A “considerable” number of no-shows were recorded at the Hydro concert venue in central Glasgow on both Saturday and Sunday despite a recent surge of cases in the city that left it the only part of Scotland to remain under tier 3 lockdown controls.

The centre, next to the Louisa Jordan temporary hospital set up at the Scottish exhibition centre and directly opposite BBC Scotland’s headquarters on the Clyde, can administer at least 4,000 vaccinations a day.

Glasgow remained in Scotland’s second toughest lockdown tier after recording the country’s highest rate; it is now second, with a case rate of 136.8 per 100,000 people, just behind Clackmannanshire. Last week, under-40s in southern Glasgow were urged to book vaccinations after a surge in cases, tentatively linked to the India variant.

Jason Leitch, the Scottish government’s national clinical director, confirmed there were bigger numbers of non-attendees than expected and that it was being looked into. Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, he said:

It’s not simple, it will be a mixture of reasons. Some of it will be our fault, because we didn’t send letters in time or the appointments didn’t go where they were supposed to go.

Some of it will be vaccine hesitancy and some will be complacency. But it doesn’t matter if you didn’t attend, we just want you to come. Make a new appointment and come back.

Updated

Tory MP Rob Roberts faces six-week suspension from Commons over sexual misconduct complaint

The independent expert panel, the relatively new body that adjudicates on bullying and sexual misconduct complaints about MPs, is recommending that the Conservative MP Rob Roberts should be suspended from the Commons for six weeks for sexually harassing an employee. The report is here (pdf).

The Conservative party also carried out its own investigation into Roberts, MP for Delyn. The party rebuked him for his conduct, but took no further action.

In theory an MP suspended from the Commons for more than two weeks can be subject to the recall procedure, which allows a new byelection to be held if 10% of constituents sign a petition calling for one. But the law says this rule only applies to MPs who are suspended following a recommendation from the Commons standards committee. When the Recall of MPs Act was passed, the independent expert panel had not yet been set up. (It was set up last year, after the #MeToo movement triggered a wave of revelations about sexual misconduct in parliament, to prevent complaints about MPs being decided by fellow MPs.)

The motion to suspend Roberts from the Commons will have to be passed by MPs, but disciplinary measures of this kind almost always go through unanimously.

Delyn was a Labour seat from 1992 to 2019 and Roberts only won it with a majority of 865. The Conservatives may be keen to avoid a byelection. But since the Recall of MPs Act was so obviously intended to allow a byelection in these circumstances, the government is likely to come under pressure to find a mechanism of allowing one despite the fact the Commons standards committee did not make the recommendation for suspension.

Updated

Inquiry says Johnson should not have waited until becoming PM before giving up inappropriate language about Muslims

The Singh report (pdf) contains six case studies looking at how the Conservative party has handled complaints about Islamophobia, or other forms of discrimination.

One of them (on pages 51 and 52) involved Boris Johnson. The inquiry looked specifically at how the complaint about his article saying women wearing the burqa looked liked letter boxes was handled, but it also referred to other comments in his past articles seen as offensive. It took evidence from Johnson, and asked him if he wished to apologise for things he had written. Johnson told the inquiry:

I do know that offence has been taken at things I’ve said, that people expect a person in my position to get things right, but in journalism you need to use language freely. I am obviously sorry for any offence taken. Would I use some of the offending language from my past writings today? Now that I am prime minister, I would not.

Johnson said he did not want to say any more.

The inquiry acknowledges this does not go beyond what Johnson has said before about being sorry that people have taken offence (which is not the same as a proper apology). Johnson comment about how he would not use such language now may be new. But the inquiry says, effectively, that Conservative party members should not have to wait until they become PM before giving up offensive language. It says:

The investigation noted that several interviewees considered Mr Johnson’s language as discriminatory and unacceptable. Mr Johnson declined to add anything to his previously expressed regret that offence had been taken at his comments. He asserted that he would not make such remarks now that he was prime minister. While this could be considered leading by example, the investigation would like to emphasise that using measured and appropriate language should not be a requirement solely for senior people, but ought to be expected throughout the Conservative party.

Updated

Tory discrimination report 'should make uncomfortable reading for party', says inquiry chair

This is what Prof Swaran Singh said about the findings of his report into the Conservative party.

Racism and other forms of discrimination have a long-lasting and pernicious effect on individuals and communities. We were tasked with scrutinising how the Conservative party dealt with allegations of such discrimination and whether its policies and processes to deal with complaints of discrimination were fit for purpose. Our report should make for uncomfortable reading for the party and, more importantly, spur it into action. I hope the party will fully accept our recommendations and implement the changes needed in a transparent and timely manner.

Singh is a professor of social and community psychiatry at Warwick University, and has been a commissioner on the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

In response to the Singh report into allegations of Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination in the Conservative party, a party spokesperson said:

The party is considering the recommendations set out by the report. We will respond later today.

Summary of key findings and recommendations from report into Islamophobia in Tory party

Here are some of the conclusions from the report into Islamophobia and other types of discrimination in the Conservative party. The wording is from the press release (pdf) summarising the findings. The full report is here (pdf).

On the extent of discrimination in the party

Over the six years 2015 to 2020 (inclusive), the party’s central database recorded 1,418 complaints concerning 727 incidents of alleged discrimination;

Two-thirds of all incidents reported to the complaints team at party headquarters (“CCHQ”), related to allegations of anti-Muslim discrimination;

Three-quarters of all incidents recorded in the complaints database at CCHQ involved social media activity;

Of those people interviewed by the investigation who had one or more protected characteristics (as defined by the Equality Act 2010), most denied any personal experience of discrimination. Where such discrimination was experienced, it was most likely to have occurred at the level of a local party association;

Anti-Muslim sentiment has been evidenced at local association and individual levels, as demonstrated by a number of social media complaints against party members which were upheld by the complaints process.

On how complaints were handled

There is clear evidence of a party complaints system in need of overhaul. The party has an under-resourced and inadequately trained complaints team and a weak data collection system, and communications between the complaints team and complainants and respondents have been poor. When compared to best practice as recommended by organisations such as the EHRC, the party complaints processes falls short;

Systems for identifying discrimination and the handling of complaints at local party association level are weak, with no common understanding of the process, and with association chairs expressing low confidence in the system;

There is no evidence that complaints related to Islam are treated differently from those related to other forms of discrimination;

There is clear evidence that, in relation to the party’s codes of conduct for members, social media rules are not widely known or adhered to. Minimal training is given to members on compliance, and there is at present no requirement to read the codes as a condition of membership.

Sanctions

Complaints related to a protected characteristic were more likely to result in a sanction than complaints not related to protected characteristics;

There are no clear guidelines as to which behaviours should attract which sanctions.

Recommendations

The report makes a series, saying the party should improve training and tighten up its procedures. It also sets out a timetable for change, saying some measures should be in place within six weeks, and others within six months.

Updated

Tories, including PM, have given impression they are 'insensitive to Muslim communities', party inquiry finds

Here is the PA Media story on the report on the Singh report into alleged discrimination in the Conservative party. The inquiry, which was carried out by Prof Swaran Singh, was set up in response to longstanding demands for an inquiry into Islamophobia in the party, but its remit was widened when it was finally commissioned by Boris Johnson. PA says:

Boris Johnson’s comments about women wearing the burqa have given an impression that the Tories are “insensitive to Muslim communities”, an independent review into alleged Islamophobia and discrimination in the Conservative party has said.

The inquiry found anti-Muslim sentiment was seen at local association and individual levels but claims of “institutional racism” were not borne out by evidence of the way complaints were handled.

In a pointed message to Johnson, the review led by Prof Swaran Singh said the leadership of the Conservative party “ought to set a good example for appropriate behaviours and language”.

The prime minister was cleared by a majority on an independent panel over a complaint he broke the party’s code of conduct following a Daily Telegraph column in 2018 which described Muslim women who wear the burqa as looking like “letterboxes” and “bank robbers”.

Johnson said he was “sorry for any offence taken” over his journalism and told Singh’s investigation: “Would I use some of the offending language from my past writings today? Now that I am prime minister, I would not.”

The Singh investigation report, seen by the PA news agency, said several interviewees who spoke to the inquiry considered Johnson’s language “discriminatory and unacceptable”.

In response to Johnson’s assertion he would not make such remarks now, the report said: “While this could be considered leading by example, the investigation would like to emphasise that using measured and appropriate language should not be a requirement solely for senior people, but ought to be expected throughout the Conservative party.”

The investigation also examined the controversial and unsuccessful mayoral campaign Zac Goldsmith - now Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park - ran in London against Sadiq Khan in 2016, during which he accused his Muslim Labour rival of associating with extremists.

The report said Goldsmith “accepts poor judgment in the way his campaign was conducted but forcefully denies harbouring anti-Muslim sentiments or using such sentiments for political advantage”.

The report said high-profile cases such as Johnson’s and Goldsmith’s “give the impression to many that the party and its leadership are insensitive to Muslim communities”.

Singh told PA: “I’m not saying that the party leadership is insensitive to Muslim communities. I’m saying that the perception is very strong.”

Updated

Johnson's comments about women wearing burqas 'insensitive to Muslim communities', says inquiry into Islamophobia in Tory party

The Conservative party’s review into alleged Islamophobia in the party is just out. It’s here.

PA Media has published this snap from it.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s comments about women wearing the burqa have given an impression that the Tories are “insensitive to Muslim communities”, an independent review into alleged Islamophobia and discrimination in the Conservative party has said.

Updated

Trade in goods with EU down almost a quarter since end of Brexit transition, ONS says

Total trade in goods (imports and exports) with EU countries fell by almost a quarter (23.1%) in the first three months of 2021, after the Brexit transition ended and the new Brexit trading arrangements took effect, an Office for National Statistics report says. Over the same period total trade in goods with non-EU countries fell by just 0.8%.

Trade with EU and non-EU countries after Brexit
Trade with EU and non-EU countries after Brexit Photograph: ONS

The ONS is wary of saying this is all down to Brexit. It says there is evidence of companies stockpiling goods ahead of the end of the transition period, which would help to explain why EU trade fell so sharply in the first quarter of 2021.

But it also says survey evidence shows that in 2021 traders have increasingly said that Brexit, rather than coronavirus, has been the cause of their main importing or exporting challenge.

Causes of main import and export challenges for British businesses
Causes of main import and export challenges for British businesses Photograph: ONS

The ONS concludes that it is too early to be sure of the long-term impact of Brexit on trade. It says:

We have seen trade with non-EU countries overtake trade with EU countries for the first time in quarter 1 2021. However, trade was already at depressed levels because of the ongoing pandemic and recession. It is therefore too early to assess the extent to which the transition period reflects short-term trade disruption or longer-term supply chain adjustments. We will continue to assess this over the coming months.

This is from David Henig, a former UK government trade official and head of the UK Trade Policy Project, a research initiative, on the figures.

Updated

Scotland’s smallest county, Clackmannanshire, has overtaken Glasgow to record the country’s highest per capita infection rate after a surge in cases.

The latest Scottish data shows Clackmannanshire had an average rate of 139.7 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to 21 May, with Glasgow close behind on 136.8. The Scotland-wide seven-day rate was 43.9 per 100,000, with Orkney the only council area to record a zero rate.

Humza Yousaf, appointed Scottish health secretary last week, said the spike was causing concern and was being closely monitored.

He pointed out, however, that given Clackmannanshire’s small size (it has a population of 51,400, the fourth smallest of any Scottish council area) the data could be skewed by small clusters. He said:

Clackmannanshire has a really small population, so even four, five, six households testing positive can really make the numbers look like they’re shooting up.

But it is a concerning situation, I’m not going to lie to you about that. It’s one of the local authorities we’re looking at and speaking to local health directors, can it be contained and can it be managed?

There were 72 positive cases, with half around Tullibody where extra test centres have been set up. Three primary schools and a nursery in the town have switched to remote learning until next Monday, and children and staff there asked to self-isolate, after Covid cases were detected.

And Wendy Burke, director of public health at North Tyneside council, has also said that she was not told the government would be advising people against non-essential travel into and out of her area. She said:

Last Wednesday it was announced in parliament that North Tyneside, along with five other areas in England, would be subject to enhanced testing and vaccinations.

When the announcement was made there was no indication it would come with any additional restrictions for North Tyneside or the other areas.

We understand that, later, government guidance around travel in and out of North Tyneside was posted on the government website.

This has not been accompanied by any communication to the local authority, local residents or businesses.

We have already queried this with the Department of Health and Social Care to seek clarification.

Dominic Harrison, director of public health at Blackburn with Darwen council, says he was not told his area was subject to the new Covid guidance.

Updated

Minister rejects claims travel advice for England’s Indian variant hotspots came ‘out of the blue’

Good morning. Last night it emerged that official government guidance has been changed in relation to eight places in England where the Covid variant first identified in India is believed to be spreading fast, and people are being advised not to travel into or out of these areas unless it is essential. Only this was never publicised, and so no one knew until journalists noticed the update on the relevant government web page. Our story about this is here.

My colleague Helen Pidd has described it as lockdown-lite.

It might also be the worst example of a public health initiative in the pandemic – because there is no point in issuing advice to the public if it is not publicised, and this was never press released, or publicised by ministers.

But the government has argued that the guidance is just an extension of what Boris Johnson said at a No 10 press conference on 14 May, when he urged people living in Bolton, Blackburn and other areas affected by the variant to be “extra cautious”. (He did not say anything about how they should limit travel in and out of town.)

This morning Thérèse Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, referenced this when she claimed the new guidance “hasn’t come out of the blue”. She told Sky News:

The prime minister set out that we need to take extra caution in certain areas regarding the Indian variant. It is good practice to formally put that guidance on the record affecting those communities.

We have been working in close contact, so I’m surprised to hear that people think this has come out of the blue – it hasn’t.

It is about formalising on the record the guidance which we believe people can and should follow in order to make sure we tackle and don’t have more spread of the Indian variant.

Here is the agenda for the day.

9.30am: The ONS publishes data on the impact of Covid and Brexit on trade, a report on wellbeing, a report on the impact of Covid restrictions on business, and the weekly death figures for England and Wales.

9.30am: Boris Johnson chairs cabinet.

12pm: Downing Street is expected to hold its daily lobby briefing.

12.30pm: Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccine deployment minister, responds to an urgent question in the Commons.

3.30pm: Liz Truss, the minister for women and equalities, gives evidence to the Commons women and equalities committee.

Politics Live has been a mix of Covid and non-Covid news recently, and that is likely to be the case today. For more Covid coverage, do read our global live blog.

I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.

If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

Updated

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