That’s it from the UK blog team. You can follow our global coronavirus coverage here -
Here is some reaction to the changes to the UK’s green list from our transport correspondent, Gwyn Topham.
The Balearic islands accounted for more than 8% of UK flights to EU countries in the last pre-Covid summer of 2019, when almost 1,000 flights a week would depart from the UK, according to data from analysts Cirium.
Next week just 214 are scheduled to fly from the UK to the islands, mainly from Jet 2 and Ryanair, with 32 to Malta and 19 to Madeira, although the number of flights is expected to rise rapidly. EasyJet said it would be adding more services to the Balearics to meet an anticipated surge in demand.
Virgin Atlantic welcomed the addition of Caribbean destinations to the green list but said the announcement did not go far enough. Shai Weiss, chief executive, said: “The government’s own evidence shows that the US is low risk and should be added to the green list now. Whilst the transatlantic corridor is closed, £23m in economic value each day is restricted.”
He called for quarantine to be removed for fully vaccinated passengers from amber countries in time for the domestic reopening on 19 July.
The Business Travel Association described the updated green list as “bitterly disappointing”, saying the lack of major economies on the list was “cutting off British business”. The Unite union said that the small changes showed that the system was not fit for purpose, and reiterated calls for help for the beleaguered travel and aviation sector.
A spokesman said: “Asking an entire industry to hold its breath every three weeks to see where countries will be placed on the traffic light system prevents sensible planning decisions being made.”
The Airport Operators Association said any extension of the green list was welcome, “but this is not yet the meaningful restart the aviation industry needs to be able to recover from the pandemic.”
The chair of the transport select committee, Huw Merriman, who had slammed the “shambolic” traffic light system earlier this week, said the changes were “a move in the right direction” but that travel to the more than 150 countries on the amber list was still unnecessarily difficult.
He said the government should “admit going abroad is safe for those who have had both jabs … in time for the start of the July summer holidays”.
Updated
Rory Boland, travel editor for consumer group Which?, said travellers still needed to be “extremely cautious” about booking trips abroad.
He said: “Countries can be downgraded quickly and with little warning, as we saw with Portugal, while several European countries have introduced quarantine requirements for UK residents.
“Restrictions around international travel are changing regularly and when they do, the cost to holidaymakers is significant.
“Most providers will not pay refunds if a country is moved from green to amber, and ‘free’ amendments are often anything but, with many companies requiring significant notice of any changes and bookings for new dates usually costing hundreds of pounds. Travel insurance is also unlikely to pay out in these circumstances.
“It is only advisable to book if you are able to do 14 days’ quarantine, can be flexible about destination and dates, and book with a provider that guarantees refunds in the event of traffic light changes or quarantine requirements.”
Updated
Eluned Morgan MS, minister for health and social services in Wales, said: “International travel is resuming but the pandemic is not over and protecting people’s health remains our main priority.
“Our strong advice continues to be not to travel overseas unless it is essential because of the risk of contracting coronavirus, especially new and emerging variants of concern.
“We are aware of the UK government’s proposals for easing restrictions for travellers
who have received two vaccinations returning from amber list countries to England. We
will weigh up all the available evidence and make a decision for Wales.
“Our message is clear – this is the year to holiday at home. We’re calling on people to
only travel overseas for essential reasons.
“We have all sacrificed so much to control the pandemic in Wales, we do not want to see the virus re-imported – or new variants come into the country – as a result of overseas travel.”
Welsh government announces revised travel lists
The Welsh government said following the three-week review of the restrictions on international travel it will follow the same traffic-light approach as the rest of the UK.
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Balearic Islands, Barbados, Bermuda, British Antarctic
Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands,
Dominica, Grenada, Madeira, Malta Montserrat, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno
Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands have been moved to the green list.
We have also agreed to add Israel to the green watch list – this identifies countries most at risk of moving from green to amber, so travellers have some warning a destination may be moved to amber.
Six countries – the Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Haiti, Mongolia, Tunisia and Uganda – are joining the red list. All changes to the lists will come into effect at 4am on Tuesday 30 June.”
We are awaiting an announcement from Wales on changes to its travel list.
It is expected to follow the same approach as the rest of the UK after the Scottish government said earlier that a “four-nation” approach had been taken following a strategic meeting.
Commenting on the updated green list, Airport Operators Association chief executive Karen Dee said: “Any extension of the green list is welcome, however small, but we also have to be realistic: this is not yet the meaningful restart the aviation industry needs to be able to recover from the pandemic.
“While this is not yet the vaccine dividend people in the UK had hoped for, it is welcome that Government intends to exempt fully vaccinated travellers from quarantine.
“We urge the Government to publish details on its plans and implement them as soon as possible to save what remains of the summer season.
“In the meantime, the overly cautious approach continues to have major financial impacts for airports.
“The Government should recompense aviation for the impact of that approach through significant sector-specific support. Unless more support is put in place, many jobs in aviation and travel will continue to be at risk.”
Shai Weiss, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, said the government’s announcement of an expanded travel green list “fails to go far enough”.
“The Government’s own evidence shows that the US is low risk and should be added to the green list now,” he added.
“Whilst the transatlantic corridor is closed, 23 million in economic value each day is restricted. We urge the UK Government to move the US to the UK’s ‘green list’ and for the Biden administration to repeal the 212F proclamation for UK travellers.
“Successful vaccination programmes are key to unlocking international travel.
“The Government must now remove quarantine for fully vaccinated passengers returning from both ‘amber’ and ‘green’ countries, no later than the domestic reopening on the 19th July. The UK has already fallen behind the EU’s reopening and a continued overly cautious approach will further impact economic recovery and the 500,000 UK jobs that are at stake.”
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “We’re moving forward with efforts to safely reopen international travel this summer, and thanks to the success of our vaccination programme, we’re now able to consider removing the quarantine period for fully vaccinated UK arrivals from amber countries - showing a real sign of progress.
“It’s right that we continue with this cautious approach, to protect public health and the vaccine rollout as our top priority, while ensuring that our route out of the international travel restrictions is sustainable.”
The Department for Transport said: “In recognition of our successful domestic vaccination programme, and as part of the Global Travel Taskforce’s checkpoint review, our intention is that later in the summer, arrivals who are fully vaccinated will not have to quarantine when travelling from amber list countries.
“We expect this to occur in phases, starting with UK residents.
“They will still be required to take a pre-departure test and a test on Day 2, and any positive results will be sequenced to continue to manage the risk of importing variants.
“At the same time, we intend to remove the guidance that people should not travel to amber countries. Pending decisions on whether under-18s should routinely be offered vaccination, we will also take clinical advice on whether regular testing can provide a safe alternative to quarantine for children accompanied by vaccinated adults.
“Further detail will be set out next month including the rules which will apply to children and those unable to be vaccinated, how we will operationalise this approach at the border, and the dates on which these changes will come into effect.”
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said later in the summer the government’s intention is fully vaccinated UK residents will not need to isolate when travelling from amber list countries.
Thanks to our successful vaccination programme, our intention is that later in the summer ☀️ UK residents who are fully vaccinated will not have to isolate when travelling from amber list countries 🟠
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) June 24, 2021
We’ll set out further details next month.
Updated
UK government announces revised red travel list
Countries including Tunisia and Haiti will be put on the red list. All these changes will come into effect from Weds 30 June at 4am.
Here is the full list:
Six countries including Tunisia and Haiti will be put on the red list 🔴
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) June 24, 2021
All these changes will come into effect from Weds 30 June at 4am.
Updated
UK government announces revised green travel list
The UK government has announced Malta is being added to the green list and green watch list from June 30 along with Madeira, the Balearic Islands, several UK Overseas Territories and Caribbean Islands including Barbados.
Israel and Jerusalem are also added to the green watchlist.
Updated
Scotland has moved 16 countries in total to the green travel list.
Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport, Michael Matheson, said: “From the outset we have said caution is required regarding international travel and people should think very carefully about travelling abroad as situations can suddenly change.
“We continue to work closely with the other home nations and are cautiously supportive of exploring options for the easing of restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers arriving from countries on the amber list - but only if the clinical advice supports it and if systems are in place to ensure the wider safety of the Scottish population.”
Scottish government adds more countries to green and red list
The Scottish government has announced that Malta, Madeira, Barbados and the Balearic Islands are among the countries that will be added to the green list from 30 June.
It said that all of the same countries are being moved around its travel list as those announced by Northern Ireland in the past hour.
Those being added to the red list are the Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Haiti, Mongolia, Tunisia and Uganda.
Updated
Following the announced changes to Northern Ireland’s travel green list in the past hour, Huw Merriman, chairman of the Commons Transport Select Committee, said: “These changes are a move in the right direction. The additions to the green list offer more potential for quarantine-free holidays for UK travellers.
“But like an oasis just out of reach - travel to more than 150 countries on the amber list is still unnecessarily difficult.
“In the latest analysis of figures from NHS Test and Trace, only 0.4% of passengers to amber list destinations between May and June tested positive for coronavirus. For 151 of the previous 167 amber list countries, there were no positive cases at all.
“The Government must apply its own logic of using the data to admit going abroad is safe for those who have had both jabs. They must consider this in time for the start of the July summer holidays.”
Coronavirus cases are continuing to rise across every region in England but health leaders have said that vaccines are breaking the chain from infections to hospital admissions and deaths.
NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said that with more than nine million people in their 20s and 30s having had a first jab, the country is “well on track” for July 19 when Covid restrictions could be eased.
Sir Simon said: “It’s now clear that the NHS vaccination campaign is clearly breaking the link between Covid infections on the one hand, and hospitalisations - and it appears deaths - on the other.
“Nine-and-a-half million people in their 20s and 30s have now already had their first Covid jab, and since we’re now open to all adults, this weekend we’ll be having another ‘GrabAJab’ campaign.
“So we are well on track in the sprint to July 19 and the summer freedoms we all hope to see.”
He also said that next week the NHS will be “firing the starting gun” on planning for autumn Covid boosters and the flu campaign, PA reports.
Updated
The authorities in Hong Kong have re-classified Britain as a “very high-risk” country - moving it from the “high-risk” category - as delta variant continues to spread across the UK.
The new categorisation, which is to take effect on Monday 28 June, will mean that passengers from the UK to Hong Kong will have to go through an extended period of monitoring after arriving in the city. There will be no reduced quarantine period even for fully-vaccinated travellers. https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202106/24/P2021062400893.htm
Under the new rules, UK travellers will have to go through a 21-day compulsory quarantine at designated hotels, with four tests to be conducted during the period, followed by a seven-day self-monitoring period as well as compulsory testing on the 26th day of arrival at any Community Testing Centre.
A negative result of a nucleic acid test conducted within 72 hours before the flight, and the confirmation of a room reservation in a designated quarantine hotel, will also be required for Hong Kong-bound UK travellers, the authorities said.
The announcement came as Hong Kong on Thursday confirmed a likely first community case involving the delta variant, breaking the city’s 16-day run of zero local infections.
The government said it is working to identify the source of the transmission and has put 180 people under quarantine.
Updated
PA has this summary of what we know about the expanded green list via the Northern Ireland Executive:
Travellers arriving in Northern Ireland from several popular holiday destinations, including the Balearic Islands, will no longer need to self-isolate.
The popular Spanish islands include Ibiza, Menorca and Mallorca.
A number of other hotspots added have been added to Northern Ireland’s green list - such as Barbados, Bermuda, Grenada, Madeira and Malta.
Those destinations were all previously on Northern Ireland’s amber list, which involves returning travellers having to quarantine at home for 10 days.
The change in status comes into effect at 4am on June 30.
The Westminster government is also expected to update England’s travel lists on Thursday. The UK nations’ lists are closely linked.
No change to Northern Ireland Amber list
The Northern Ireland Executive confirmed that anyone travelling from a country on the Green list must:
- provide proof of a negative Covid test result taken up to three days before departure
- book and pay for a day two PCR tests
- complete a UK passenger locator form 48 hours before departure
It also confirmed that six countries will be added to the red list: Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Haiti, Mongolia, Tunisia and Uganda.
There have been no additions to the Amber list.
Updated
16 destinations added to Northern Ireland Green list
The Northern Ireland Executive has the full details of the expanded Green list of countries deemed safe for travel from next Wednesday morning.
These are destinations that have been added:
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Balearic Islands
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- British Antartic Territory
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Dominica
- Grenada
- Maderia
- Malta
- Montserrat
- Pitcairn Islands
- Turks and Caicos Islands
Updated
Northern Ireland adds Balearics, Malta and some Caribbean islands to travel green list
Officials in Northern Ireland appear to have jumped the gun.
Looks like the Northern Irish government may have pipped DFT to the post on announcing green list changes, coming into force from 4am next Wednesday:
— Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) June 24, 2021
- Balearic Islands
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- Cayman Islands
- Dominica
- Grenada
- Malta
NI govt also says countries being added to red list from 4am next Wednesday are:
— Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) June 24, 2021
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Kuwait
- Mongolia
- Tunisia
- Uganda
Earlier, I was told NI would be following travel restriction changes England were announcing.
Updated
Politics For All has a list of the destinations added to Northern Ireland’s green list:
🚨🚨 | BREAKING: Balearic Islands, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands all on Northern Ireland Green list
— Politics For All (@PoliticsForAlI) June 24, 2021
Updated
Sky News reckons the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, is expected to make an announcement about an easing of some travel restrictions in the next 10 minutes.
This is Matthew Weaver covering the blog for the next hour or so.
Portuguese PM hints at tighter Covid rules for tourists from UK
Boris Johnson’s plans to back summer holidays for the fully vaccinated faced a stumbling block as Portugal’s prime minister became the first EU leader to suggest he would abide by Berlin’s calls for tighter Covid restrictions on British tourists, my colleagues Daniel Boffey and Aubrey Allegretti report.
That’s all from me for today. My colleague Matthew Weaver is taking over now.
The Department of Health in Northern Ireland has announced that its vaccine certification scheme will go live by, or before, 19 July.
#COVID19 vaccine international certification scheme will go live in Northern Ireland by – or before – 19 July.
— Department of Health (@healthdpt) June 24, 2021
READ MORE ➡️ https://t.co/ZT2BVh0dna pic.twitter.com/romZIm8BGI
Downing Street has said the government will publish the evidence gathered from piloting mass events such as concerts and festivals “shortly”, as music industry figures including Andrew Lloyd Webber take legal action in an effort to force its disclosure, my colleague Heather Stewart reports.
Simon Coveney, the Irish foreign minister, has said that Ireland has been “very much” involved in the EU’s attempt to find a “generous and pragmatic” solution to the problem of the Northern Ireland protocol.
Speaking after the British/Irish intergovernmental conference in Dublin, he said:
We have been advocating for more ambition around sanitary and phytosanitary standards, food standards, vet standards and a common approach to that from the UK and the EU which could reduce significantly the number of checks required in airports and airports in Northern Ireland on product coming from GB.
Hopefully, this week and into next week, if we can get agreement on the chilled meats issue, at least for the temporary extension of that grace period, that can be a catalyst for improved relationships and the building up of trust and allow negotiating teams to try to solve some of these other issues over the summer months, because they need to be solved.
The people of Northern Ireland need certainty. And I think if we can give them certainty as well as flexibility, and as long as we can reassure people that the protocol can function and do what it was designed to do, which is to minimise disruption, but also to protect the integrity of the EU single market, then I think that would be a significantly important piece of work over the summer.
Scotland records 2,999 new coronavirus cases - record daily total
Scotland has recorded 2,999 new coronavirus cases. That is a record total for recorded new cases in Scotland, and it represents an increase of 30 on the total for yesterday - which at the time was also a record total for new cases.
Of all the tests carried out, 7.7% were positive.
Scotland has also recorded five further deaths. And 177 people were in hospital yesterday with coronavirus.
At yesterday’s Downing Street press conference Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation for Public Health England, said surge testing in Scotland was part of the explanation for UK Covid case numbers seeming particularly high.
At first minister’s questions earlier Nicola Sturgeon confirmed today’s number for new cases, but stressed that a fewer proportion of people with coronavirus are now going to hospital. She said:
Reporting to the parliament earlier this week, I said that 10 per cent of cases were translating into hospital admissions earlier this year; it is now down to 5 per cent. That is really positive news, but 5 per cent of a daily case rate of 3,000 is still a massive number heading into our hospitals. That is loss for people. That is pain and suffering, as well as pressure on the national health service.
The British and Irish governments have decided to intensify efforts to find a way of resolving legacy issues from the Troubles in Northern Ireland. In a joint statement issued after today’s British/Irish intergovernmental conference in Dublin, they said they agreed “there was a need for a process of intensive engagement in the period immediately ahead with the Northern Ireland parties and others on legacy issues”.
Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, said talks would start “very, very quickly with the parties in Northern Ireland, and with the stakeholders and victims’ groups and civic society more widely” to address these issues.
If you are planning a holiday in the UK, and have not yet booked, then consider a city break, Avvio says. The firm, which supplies hotel booking technology, says that most resort hotels in Britain are fully booked for the summer, but that city centre hotels are only at 30 to 40% occupancy.
Avvio’s chief commercial officer, Michael De Jongh, said:
With the UK’s resorts pretty much full up for the summer months there’s been some overspill into city centre hotels. But with almost no inbound international travel many of them are still really struggling.
There’s so much to see in and around Britain’s beautiful cities and I’d urge holidaymakers to really think about having a UK city break - in precisely the same way they’d have considered going to Prague or Barcelona before the pandemic.
Which?, the consumers’ organisation, is warning that, even if a country like Malta does get added to the green list when we get the government’s travel announcement later (see 9.28am), people should be cautious when booking a holiday. Rory Boland, the Which? travel editor, said:
The addition of more holiday destinations to the green list would be welcomed by holidaymakers and industry alike, but travellers still need to be extremely cautious about booking trips this summer, even to green list destinations. Countries can be downgraded quickly and with little warning, as we saw with Portugal, while several European countries have introduced quarantine requirements for UK residents.
Restrictions around international travel are changing regularly and when they do, the cost to holidaymakers is significant. Most providers will not pay refunds if a country is moved from green to amber, and ‘free’ amendments are often anything but, with many companies requiring significant notice of any changes and bookings for new dates usually costing hundreds of pounds. Travel insurance is also unlikely to pay out in these circumstances.
It is only advisable to book if you are able to do 14 days quarantine, can be flexible about destination and dates, and book with a provider that guarantees refunds in the event of traffic light changes or quarantine requirements.
UK records 16,703 new cases and 21 further deaths
The UK has recorded 16,703 new coronavirus cases, according to the latest update on the government’s Covid dashboard. That is up 568 on yesterday’s total and the highest daily total since early February. The total number of cases over the past week is up 44.8% on the total for the previous week.
And there have been 21 further deaths. The total number of deaths over the past week is up 32.1% on the total for the previous week.
Updated
London continues to lag behind the rest of England in the proportion of people aged 50 and over who are fully vaccinated, PA Media reports. PA says:
An estimated 83.1% of over-50s in the capital had received both doses of vaccine by 20 June.
All other regions are above 90%, with south-west England reporting the highest proportion at 95.0%.
The figures have been published by NHS England, and come ahead of a summit meeting in London tomorrow to discuss how to boost vaccine take-up in London.
The summit will be attended by the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, the vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi, the regional medical director for London, Vin Diwakar, and others.
According to a PA analysis, the top 19 local authority areas in England with the lowest proportion of adults aged 50 and over to be fully vaccinated are all in London.
The lowest percentage is for Westminster (64.3%), followed by the City of London (66.3%), Camden (68.9%) and Kensington & Chelsea (70.9%).
The areas of London estimated to have the highest percentage of over-50s fully vaccinated are Bromley (91.7%), Richmond upon Thames (91.6%) and Sutton (90.4%).
Updated
The Labour party has announced that, as expected, Jenny Chapman, who until now has been Sir Keir Starmer’s political secretary, has been appointed shadow Brexit minister.
NEW: @JennyChapman formally appointed to @UKLabour Shadow Cabinet to shadow @cabinetofficeuk Lord Frost; & also joins our frontbench team in @UKHouseofLords.
— LabourLordsUK (@LabourLordsUK) June 24, 2021
Response below from Jenny & @LadyBasildon: pic.twitter.com/tLtXlzHd4Z
Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA
A total of 63,439,292 Covid-19 vaccinations had taken place in England between 8 December and 23 June, according to NHS England data, including first and second doses, which is a rise of 316,201 on the previous day.
NHS England said 36,564,938 were first doses, a rise of 187,513 on the previous day, while 26,874,354 were a second dose, an increase of 128,688.
EE to introduce post-Brexit roaming charges for phone use in rest of Europe from January
EE will impose roaming charges on customers using their mobile phones in other European countries from next year, despite previously saying it had no plans to reintroduce them after Brexit, PA Media reports. PA says:
The move will affect new customers and those upgrading from 7 July, who face a £2 daily fee from January 2022 to use their data, minutes and text allowance when roaming in 47 European destinations.
The Republic of Ireland will be exempt.
BT-owned EE said the move is designed to “support investment into our UK-based customer service and leading UK network”.
Roaming charges when travelling across Europe ended in June 2017, allowing consumers to continue using their mobile plan in other EU nations at no additional cost, with a fair-use limit.
Although network providers could choose to bring back charges once the UK had left the EU, the main four - EE, O2, Three and Vodafone - said they had no plans to do so.
Updated
Boris Johnson is being urged to adopt the Brexit “take back control” slogan and apply it to devolution. In a report (pdf) on the UK internal market, the Institute for Government thinktank says that a new approach to it is needed that pays more regard to the interests of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It says:
A key argument made by pro-Brexit campaigners during the 2016 referendum was that leaving the EU would allow the UK to “take back control” and have the freedom to make regulatory decisions that best reflected the UK context and preferences. The UK government should apply the same logic to the devolved administrations and their ability to make policy choices for their part of the UK.
Last year the government passed an Internal Market Act, to create a post-Brexit single market framework for UK trade, but the Scottish and Welsh governments both strongly criticised it on the grounds that it was curtailing some of their devolved powers. The IfG report argues that a new approach is needed, and that the UK government must be wary of taking decisions principally in the interests of England. It says:
The UK government holds the ultimate decision-making power. However, it must be mindful of its dual role as both the government of the whole of the UK, and the government of England in devolved areas like food standards, and do all it can to guard against perceptions that it is prioritising the interests of part of the UK over the others.
Updated
Lord Frost hits back at fellow Tory peer Chris Patten over his 'porkies from Downing Street' Brexit jibe
David Frost, Boris Johnson’s Brexit-aftermath negotiator and Cabinet Office minister has accused his fellow Conservative peer Chris Patten of being irresponsible after Patten used a speech to accuse the government of lying about the Northern Ireland protocol.
In a speech on Wednesday evening in honour of Seamus Mallon, the former Northern Irish deputy first minister, Lord Patten – who chaired a 1998 commission on policing in the region, a key element of the peace process – said ministers must be truthful about the post-Brexit arrangements for the Irish border.
Referencing the issue of checks for meat products, Patten said:
The problem at heart is not the sausages you get from Sainsbury’s but the porkies that we all get, home and abroad, from Downing Street.
Patten also called for EU nations to find “sufficient room of manoeuvre” on their part to ease tensions over the protocol.
Asked about Patten’s speech during a ministerial question-and-answer session in the Lords, Frost praised it as “extremely interesting” and noted the call for flexibility from EU members. But he added:
I obviously don’t believe the conclusions he draws from the Brexit process as it affects Northern Ireland are correct ones, and I do think it’s important that all those commenting on the situation in Northern Ireland show responsibility in the way they do so. And, if I may say so, I don’t think the tone of some of his comments in that speech were entirely consistent with that.
Updated
Almost 60,000 cases waiting to be heard in crown courts, latest MoJ figures show
The backlog of criminal cases in crown courts in England and Wales was 59,532 as of 31 March , up 45% on a year ago and the highest numbers since figures first began to be compiled in this way in 2014, Ministry of Justice (MoJ) statistics published on Thursday show.
There was a 4% rise compared with the previous quarter. At the same time, outstanding cases at magistrates courts were 21% higher than a year ago and 3% up on the previous quarter.
The median time from offence to completion at crown courts increased by 23% and at magistrates courts the rise was 14%.
While the Covid pandemic has contributed to the backlog, courts and tribunals were already working in a challenging environment before it struck. In a report published in March, the House of Lords constitution committee said: “Government funding had fallen significantly (by 21% in real terms in less than a decade), legal aid budgets had been radically reduced (by nearly 40% in less than a decade), court buildings had been closed, sitting days had been reduced, and fewer staff were employed by HMCTS (Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service).”
Responding to the MoJ stats, Derek Sweeting QC, chair of the Bar Council, said:
The latest figures show that the backlog of cases waiting to be heard is growing in the crown court and magistrates court. In the recent rape review the government committed to significant increases in the number of cases that will be brought to court. Greater numbers of police officers will only increase these pressures in the coming years. Unless the government urgently commits to long-term and sustained investment in the courts and the wider justice system, the number of cases stuck in the courts will continue to rise.
Behind every number in this backlog are victims of crime, defendants, witnesses and their families, putting their lives on hold while they wait years to see justice done.
Updated
Students wishing to go to university may be required to prove they have passed English and maths GCSE as a basic minimum requirement in order to progress onto a degree course, the education secretary has warned.
Gavin Williamson told a conference he couldn’t understand how students who failed to achieve a pass in English and maths at GCSE could enrol for an honours degree at university, and said it would form part of the government’s consultation on introducing a minimum entry requirement for university.
During a speech at the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) annual conference, he said:
Is it really in anyone’s interest if entry requirements are relaxed so much that an 18-year-old who has not yet passed their English or maths GCSEs should progress straight to an honours degree?
We have to make sure that those with an ability can go to university if they have the desire and application to do so, as long as they can prove they are up to it.
Williamson’s comments will be seen as an attack on lower-tariff universities. The majority of institutions already state that they require a pass at GCSE maths and English, but some will allow flexibility depending on a student’s subsequent qualifications and educational context.
Until now the sector had widely assumed that any future minimum entry requirement would apply to A-levels, which many university leaders opposed as it would hinder students from disadvantaged backgrounds with poor prior educational experiences from enrolling.
Implementing a minimum entry standard at GCSE level would be harder to oppose as many people will feel that it is fair enough for the government to insist on some good GCSE qualifications for higher level study, said HEPI director Nick Hillman. He went on:
Though it is valid to ask if the pain would be worth it.
For example, would it stop the Open University from being so ‘open’, are maths and English necessary for some hands-on creative courses and how do you recognise that people change a lot between the ages of 16 and 18?
Updated
Schools should not be cancelling sports day because of Covid, says DfE
Schools in England are being urged to press ahead with sports day, amid reports that many are mistakenly cancelling because of Covid concerns.
According to the Department for Education, in most circumstances outdoor events like sports day can go ahead as long as schools do risk assessments and follow guidance around cleaning shared equipment and not mixing bubbles.
The DfE says parents can also attend in multiple groups of 30, as long as there is enough space to avoid any mixing. A DfE spokesperson said:
We’re aware that some schools are cancelling sports days and citing Covid guidance as the reason for it.
This needn’t be the case in most circumstances as outdoor events like sports days can go ahead as long as they’re thoroughly risk assessed and conducted in line with guidance around cleaning shared equipment and not mixing bubbles. This applies for parents attending too.
So sports days can go ahead, but sadly not the traditional school prom, as we reported earlier.
Updated
No 10 refuses to commit to every remaining Covid legal restriction in England going after 19 July
Here are the main points from the Downing Street lobby briefing.
- No 10 refused to commit to all remaining legal restrictions being removed in England from 19 July. This morning George Eustice, the environment secretary, said he hoped all restrictions would go at that point - even though getting rid of all Covid laws at this point has just been an aspiration, and not an absolute commitment. (See 10.12am.) Asked if all restrictions would go on 19 July, the prime minister’s spokesman said:
All I can say is that we continue to consider the latest data and we will take a final decision in due course. It is entirely right to say we do want to remove as many restrictions as are safe to do so once we take the steps to step 4.
- The spokesman declined to criticise Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, for saying all Britons going to EU countries should face quarantine because of the risk from the Delta variant. (See 12.44pm.) Asked about Merkel’s comments, the spokesman said:
Currently it is down to individual EU member states to decide on the rules governing their borders.
We are moving at speed through our vaccination programme to help us curb this latest variant and that will allow us to move to step 4, and we are confident that over time it will bring cases down, and that’s the approach we are taking.
We will continue to have discussions with our European partners on the reopening of international travel but we’re very confident that our vaccination programme is providing a good way forward.
- The spokesman said the UK was seeking “radical changes” to the Northern Ireland protocol. “That’s what’s necessary to mitigate the serious, real world challenges being faced by businesses and the people of Northern Ireland,” he said.
- The spokesman welcomed the news that France and Germany want to invite Russia to a summit with the EU. Asked about the development, the spokesman said:
It’s a matter for Germany and France ... We would obviously support engagement with Russia in order to deliver tough messages and encourage a change in their behaviour.
- The spokesman refused to say whether Boris Johnson personally authorised the HMS Defender voyage through the Black Sea yesterday. “The route taken was the most direct via an internationally-recognised route between Ukraine and Georgia,” he said. Asked about the PM’s involvement, he said: “I’m not going to get into operational military decision-making.”
- The spokesman refused to back a proposal from a Conservative MP for people to be issued with a free picture of the Queen to put up at home if they want one. The idea has been raised by Joy Morrissey, who was born and brought up in the US.
Received my new office portrait of The Queen today. In Australia citizens can write to their MP for a free portrait of The Queen - why can’t we do the same in the UK?? 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
— Joy Morrissey MP (@joymorrissey) June 22, 2021
I feel a campaign coming on… @themonarchists pic.twitter.com/MqMRrbLOex
I think this is a wonderful, patriotic and unifying campaign for our country. I will be writing to the Prime Minister to ask him to give it careful consideration and looking for opportunities to discuss further in Parliament. 👑🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/Y2nU4yhGRP
— Joy Morrissey MP (@joymorrissey) June 23, 2021
Asked if the PM supported this idea, the spokesman said this would be a matter for individual MPs, because Morrissey was talking about MPs being able to distribute these pictures. He went on: “There are many excellent ways people can show their support for the royal family.” But the spokesman would not elaborate on what these ways might be, and he said he did not know if the PM displayed a picture of the Queen in his private flat.
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Speaking at the Times’s CEO Summit today, Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has also said that vaccine certification would open up travel for people wanting a foreign holiday this summer. Echoing remarks made by Boris Johnson (see 12.19pm), Sunak said:
We are looking at what role vaccine certification can play in loosening some of the quarantine requirements.
I absolutely understand people’s desire to be able to go and travel.
I think people recognise, obviously, we’re doing this for protecting everyone’s health, we’ve made all these enormous strides, once we open up everything, hopefully on 19 July, we just want to make sure that we don’t put that at risk.
But the situation compared to last year, obviously, has changed because lots of people are vaccinated and that should give us some options, and it’s right that we’re going through those and seeing what we can do, and that work is ongoing.
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Johnson ducks invitation to criticise Merkel's call for Britons visiting EU countries to be quarantined
And here is a summary of the key points from Boris Johnson’s TV interview this morning.
- Johnson said being fully vaccinated would open up foreign travel for people this summer. (See 12.19pm.) His comment effectively confirms that the government plans to allow people who have had both doses of the vaccine to travel to amber list countries without having to quarantine on their return.
- Johnson did not rule out having a foreign holiday himself this summer. Asked about his own holiday plans, he said:
My plans at this stage are at the unformed stage, I’m afraid ... I’m certainly not ruling it in or ruling it out.
- He sidestepped an invitation to criticise Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, for saying all Britons visiting EU countries should have to quarantine because of the Delta variant. (See 12.44pm.) Asked about Merkel’s comment, Johnson said:
I think that the real opportunity we all have now is to open up travel through the double jab. If you look at it we’ve got more than 60% of our population have now had two jabs, I think 83% have had one jab, we’re really getting through it now.
- Johnson claimed the UK has a “national struggle with obesity” as he defended the government’s plans to introduce a pre-9pm ban on junk food advertising on TV. (See 10.30am.) He said:
I think we’re taking the right approach, I think it’s important that we send out a message that, I’m afraid, we do have a national struggle with obesity and we need to deal with it.
The costs on the NHS are vast. We’ve just seen during the Covid pandemic sadly how obesity can be one of the comorbidities in serious illness. Let’s get a grip on it and I think that sending out a signal ... through advertising is entirely right.
Asked about complaints that his new restrictions have been watered down in response to pressure from the food industry, he replied: “A lot of people are saying it goes too far.”
- He said it was “entirely right” for the HMS Defender to be travelling through waters off of Crimea. Asked about the clash the Russian navy in the Black Sea yesterday, he said:
These are a matter for the MoD (Ministry of Defence) but if you want my view I think it was wholly appropriate to use international waters, and by the way the important point is that we don’t recognise the Russian annexation of Crimea, this is part of a sovereign Ukrainian territory, it was entirely right that we should vindicate the law and pursue freedom of navigation in the way that we did, take the shortest route between two points, and that’s what we did.
Asked about Russia’s claim that the UK has been lying about the incident, Johnson replied: “Well, they’re the bear.” But he also rejected claims that relations with Russia were at a historic low. “I can remember times in my own lifetime when things have been far worse,” he said.
Yesterday Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said that Britons should be quarantined when they arrive in the EU to stop the Delta variant, which is dominant in the UK, spreading on the continent, where it is currently less prevalent.
Speaking to the German parliament this morning, Merkel said she would be pushing for a more coordinated approach at the EU summit starting later today. As Politico Europe reports on its summit live blog, she said:
Even today, we are not sufficiently successful in coordinating entries from third countries - especially from virus variant areas. I will be very critical of that there. This must be improved.
In an interview this morning George Eustice, the environment secretary, said imposing quarantine on Britons visiting EU countries in the way Merkel suggested would not be justified. He said:
I’m not sure that such an approach would be justified given the highly advanced stage we are currently at now in terms of vaccination, with 80% having had one jab, and now 60% having had the second jab.
I don’t think such a move would be justified. But obviously it’s for individual countries to make these judgments.
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Johnson signals 'double jab' quarantine exemption, not big expansion of green list, best hope for people wanting foreign holiday
Boris Johnson has said in a TV interview that there is a “real opportunity” now to open up travel through “the double jab”. He said:
I think that the real opportunity we all have now is to open up travel through the double jab.
We’ve got more than 60% of our population have now had two jabs, 83% have had one jab, we’re really getting through it now.
I’m not going to claim that this summer, for travel purposes, is going to be like any other summer. I don’t want to cast a pall over things but, as I said the other day, it will be different.
This is effectively an acknowledgement that the green list is not going to open up significantly any time soon, and that instead people wanting a foreign holiday this summer should instead be relying on the plans being drawn up by government for people who are fully vaccinated to be exempt from quarantine rules when returning from amber list countries. (See 9.28am.)
Johnson also sidestepped a question about his own holiday plans for the summer. His plans were “at the unformed stage”, he said.
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EU willing to be flexible over Northern Ireland protocol which offers 'huge opportunities' for NI, says ambassador
At the Lords European affairs committee this morning João Vale de Almeida, the EU’s ambassador to the UK, said the EU was willing to be flexible in how it implements the Northern Ireland protocol.
Vale de Almeida also said he was confident that the UK and the EU would be able to resolve their dispute about how the protocol is implemented, and he said the protocol actually offered “huge opportunities” for Northern Ireland.
Asked by Lord Jay, a former head of the Foreign Office, if he saw scope for “flexibility” in the way the Northern Ireland protocol was interpreted, Vale de Almeida replied: “Yes, short answer yes.”
He went on to say that a starting point would be to fully implement the deal on implementing the protocol that was agreed in December last year (see here and here). He went on:
I’m not talking about the protocol as such, I’m talking about the flexibilities that we agreed that have not yet been fully implemented.
If they had been fully implemented, some of the problems we have today would no longer exist.
So there is merit in looking at what is in our backlog.
Vale de Almeida also said that the EU welcomed the fact that the UK has not decided to unilaterally suspend parts of the protocol now. (The UK wants to extend the grace period of chilled meats, to stop the effective ban on British sausages and other chilled meats being sold in Northern Ireland that would otherwise come into force at the start of July, but it is trying to negotiate this with the EU, and not just taking action on its own.) Vale de Almeida went on:
[The UK not acting unilaterally is] a sign that we understood as a constructive sign. I think it contributes to a better atmosphere.
We need to build on that and try to find within the bodies that we set up, within the procedures that we set up, consensual and jointly agreed solutions.
So it maybe I’m naive, but I remain confident that we can find solutions for these problems.
He also said the protocol was actually very positive for Northern Ireland. He explained:
There are huge opportunities for Northern Ireland [under the protocol]. This is a territory that has access to the biggest internal market in the world for goods, our own internal market, and to the British, to the GB market. No one else has this access.
So for industry, for farmers, for the retailers, but also foreign investors, there’s a case to be made about the attractiveness of Northern Ireland.
What we would like to see, I would like to see personally, is to move the focus of our discussion from a very negative and very depressing approach to the problems of Northern Ireland to a much more constructive and forward-looking and positive attitude towards the potential of Northern Ireland.
Government faces legal challenge over failure to publish results of pilot schemes for mass sports/arts events
Andrew Lloyd Webber has joined others in the entertainment industry in launching legal action to force the government to hand over the results of its coronavirus events research programme, which ran test events at sporting, music and other venues, PA Media reports.
The events research programme involves pilot schemes using testing to explore if large-scale attendance at sports and cultural events can be allowed to go ahead safely.
On Tuesday MPs were told that these pilots have not caused any Covid outbreaks. But the full results have not been published, and there have been reports that they were held back because their publication would undermine the case for No 10’s decision to delay stage 4 of lockdown easing.
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New rules to limit advertising of unhealthy foods on TV could reduce number of obese children by more than 20,000, DHSC claims
The Department of Health and Social Care has just published its plans to restrict the advertising of unhealthy foods on TV. The new rules are intended to reduce childhood obesity, and the government claims that over time they could reduce the number of obese children by more than 20,000.
But there are loopholes in the new restrictions, which do not cover small businesses.
Here is an extract from the DHSC’s summary of what the new rules say.
Following a public consultation, regulations will come into force at the end of next year to introduce a 9pm watershed for advertisements of foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS).
The new rules apply to TV and UK on-demand programmes, as well as restrictions on paid-for advertising of HFSS foods online as part of the government’s ongoing commitment to tackle unhealthy eating habits at source.
The watershed will apply from 9.00pm to 5.30am, meaning HFSS adverts can only be shown during these times. A total of 79% of public consultation respondents supported a 9pm watershed on TV while 74% agreed with the introduction of further HFSS advertising restrictions online ...
In order to keep the restrictions proportional, these new regulations will apply to food and drink products of most concern to childhood obesity and will ensure the healthiest in each category will be able to continue to advertise. This approach means foods such as honey, olive oil, avocados and Marmite are excluded from the restrictions.
The restrictions will apply to all businesses with 250 or more employees that make and/or sell HFSS products, meaning small and medium businesses will be able to continue advertising. The government recognises these companies may be some of the hardest hit by the pandemic and rely on online media as the sole way to communicate with their customers.
Online restrictions will be limited to paid-for advertising, ensuring brands can continue to advertise within ‘owned media’ spaces online; such as a brand’s own blog, website, app or social media page.
The TV and online restrictions could remove up to 7.2bn calories from children’s diets per year in the UK which, over the coming years, could reduce the number of obese children by more than 20,000.
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George Eustice says he hopes to stop wearing a mask after 19 July
In his Sky News interview this morning George Eustice, the environment secretary, said that he hoped all legal Covid restrictions would be removed in England after 19 July. He said:
What we want to do on July 19, and the prime minister said that the data looks good to be able to have that end, is to remove all of the legal restrictions.
That’s all of the legal requirements to do things, to be taken away completely.
Now, whether there will still be some people who might choose to wear masks or whether it may be advisory in some settings, that’s a separate matter. But the objective of that final stage is to remove the legal requirement to do these things.
The government has always described step 4 of the roadmap out of lockdown, which is now due to start on 19 July, broadly as the moment when legal restrictions will end. But it has never ruled out keeping some statutory measures in place, and the roadmap document published in February just said that step 4 would be the moment when “the government hopes to be in a position to remove all legal limits on social contact”. Recently a senior Public Health England official suggested there might be a case for ensuring wearing masks on public transport remains compulsory after 19 July for longer journeys.
Asked if he would still wear a mask once restrictions end, Eustice told Sky News:
I wouldn’t, no. I have to be honest, once I’m told that it’s safe not to, I want to get back to normal. I think a lot of people will want to shed those masks.
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Row over Scotland non-essential travel ban to Manchester escalates
A row over Scotland’s ban on non-essential travel to Manchester has escalated after a Scottish government briefing dismissed the explanation of the Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, for protesting against the restrictions as “incoherent and absurd” , my colleague Libby Brooks reports.
Ministers set to announce additions to green list for international travel
Good morning. This afternoon ministers are due to announce their review of the traffic light system for international travel, which places countries on either the red list (high Covid risk, and a virtual ban), the amber list (medium risk, with people subject to quarantine on return) or the green list (low risk and suitable for holidays, with people not subject to quarantine on their return). As of this morning there are only 11 places on the green list, and none of them are favourite summer holiday destinations for Brits.
According to some of the news reports previewing the announcement, Malta, Madeira and the Balearic Islands (ie, Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza) are either certain or possible additions to the green list today. But government sources have been playing down the prospects of a major opening up.
Ministers have also been considering whether to change the rules for amber list countries, so that people who have been double-vaccinated would no longer have to be quarantined on return, but it seems that decision has not yet been finalised and that we may have to wait until next week for an announcement.
This morning George Eustice, the environment secretary, stressed that the government would be taking a cautious approach to opening up travel. He told Sky News:
I want us to get back to a position where we can support those who want to travel to do so. Nobody likes the draconian restrictions we have had to put in place over this last year as we have wrestled with the pandemic.
So, yes, we want to get to a position where we can support people who want to travel to be able to do so, but it is difficult.
We are being cautious because the biggest threat still to our progress against this pandemic and the great progress we have made on vaccination is that there will be another variant somewhere that maybe hadn’t been properly detected in another country and that that variant is more resistant to vaccination.
That’s the great challenge that we have got, that’s why we are proceeding with caution.
Here is the agenda for the day.
10am: João Vale de Almeida, the EU’s ambassador to the UK, gives evidence to the Lords European affairs committee.
11:30am: Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby, head of the UK mission to the EU, speaks at a UK in a Changing Europe event.
12pm: Downing Street is due to hold its daily lobby briefing.
12pm: Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, takes questions in the Scottish parliament.
1pm: Lord Frost, the Brexit minister, takes questions in the Lords.
2pm: Public Health England publishes its weekly Covid surveillance report.
Afternoon: Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, is due to announce the results of the review of the traffic light system for travel.
Also Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, is meeting Simon Coveney, the Irish foreign minister, at the British/Irish intergovernmental conference in Dublin.
Politics Live has been a mix of Covid and non-Covid news recently and that is likely to be the case today. For more coronavirus developments, do follow our global Covid live blog.
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